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THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALES FROM AUSTRALIA
When the history of the war is writ-
ten those who have served with the
Red Cross will divide honors with the
men who fought and died for free-
dom's cause.
Australia may well be proud of the
way its nurses responded and the man-
ner in which so many of them have
gained recognition in high places for
their heroic courage, adaptability and
nursing skill. Right through they
have played the game. Frequently
their work had to be carried out under
most trying conditions, but this seemed
to make them only more determined
to succeed. Unfortunately, with such
a huge organisation as the Australian
Military Corps, all cannot be signalised
for special honor. Nobody recognises
this more clearly than the nurses who
have had the good fortune to be men-
tioned in despatches or those upon
whom honors have been conferred.
Invariably they are modest about the
distinction gained and eager to pay
tribute to others deserving of decora-
tions who have been overlooked.
The Royal Red Cross is the highest
honor available to an army service
nurse. In point of distinction it
ranks with the Victoria Cross. The
decoration is fashioned of red enamel
set in gold, bearing the words, "Faith,
Hope and Charity," and the date
1883. Florence Nightingale was the
first woman to receive the Royal
Red Cross. Her decoration is on
view in the British Museum. Mrs
J. O'Ferrell (Sister Rawson), 25
George street, East Melbourne, was
decorated with this honor after the
South African war.
The letters A.R.R.C, after a nurse's
name indicate that she has been
made an associate of the Royal Red
Cross, being awarded the Second
Class Cross.
The Military Medal, which has been
secured by two Victorian nurses, is a
I Mrs. M'li. WIIITK. Help
Mrs. McH. WHITE.
Sister K. COllNWEl.L Help
Sister E. CORNWELL
unique distinction. The usual method
of recognising an army nurse's ser-
vice is to decorate her with the Royal
Red Cross, and the Military Medal
is only given when she has displayed
bravery under fire.
Head of Nursing Army
As matron-in-chief of the Australian
Army Nursing Service, Miss Edith
Tracy Richardson, R.R.C., has control
of all nurses in the Commonwealth who
enlisted for military service. This
means that she has under her charge
2379 active service nurses, also 588
nurses and about 500 ward attendants
in the home service. She has had to
supervise the organisation, mobilisa-
tion, and administration of the entire
nursing service in Australia, and is
now engaged in the work of demobilis-
ing her nursing army.
Miss E. A. Conyers, matron-in-chief
of the Australian hospitals abroad, on
land and sea (with the exception of
those in India and Salonica) left Aus-
tralia with the first nursing unit.
She was given the matronship
of the Third Australian General
Hospital at Lemnos. She was then ap-
pointed to take charge of all the Aus-
tralian nurses on active service, with
the exception of those stationed in In-
dia and Salonica. This meant that she
controlled a corps of more than 2000
nurses.
Miss Conyers was mentioned in Sir
John Maxwell's despatches from Egypt,
and was the first Australian who
served in the war to be invested with
the Royal Red Cross at Buckingham
Palace by the King. This was in 1916.
Some time ago her services secured
national recognition, for she was cre-
ated a Commander of the Order of the
British Empire. Miss Conyers will
remain at the Australian Military
Headquarters, London, until the last
Australian nurse serving abroad has
been demobilised.
In Charge at Salonica
Australian nurses in Salonica were
under the control of Mrs. J. McHardie
White, M.B.E., who returned here last
month. Mrs. White has a brilliant re-
cord of army service. She left Aus-
tralia with the first nursing unit in a
troopship in 1914, and was mentioned by
Sir John Maxwell for her services in
British hospitals, and on a ship that
brought the wounded soldiers from
the Peninsula to Alexandria. Mrs.
White was the first nurse to return
with a Royal Red Cross awarded for
service in the recent campaign. After
a brief furlough in 1916 she again
went on active service, and was then
appointed to take charge at Salonica.
Matron Gertrude M. Davis, now in
charge of Australian nurses in India,
holds a distinguished position in the
service. She has been mentioned
in despatches, and awarded both
the Royal Red Cross (First Class), and
the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, the highest
distinction that can be gained for na-
tional service in India. Matron Davis
took up army nursing at the outbreak
of war, and was a member of the staff
at the Base Hospital, St. Kilda road.
Later she did excellent work at Lem-
nos.
To have been severely wounded,
awarded the military medal, and
decorated by the King at Buckingham
Palace, after months of heroic work in
many war hospitals is the proud re-
ward of Sister Rachel Pratt, who re-
turned by a troopship in October, 1918.
Sister Pratt was struck by German
shrapnel when ministering to wounded
soldiers at a clearing station on
July 4, 1917. She still carries a
bit of shrapnel in her lung. Prior to
enlisting for service abroad Sister Pratt
had been on the staff of Ballarat Hos-
pital for three years. She was on duty
in France for three months before being
put out of action, and also served at
Lemnos, Cairo, and in England.
The deed of bravery for which Sister
Alicia Mary Kelly received the Military
Medal took place at a casualty station
in France. The station was in danger
of being demolished by the enemy and
Miss EL RICHARDSON Help
Miss E. RICHARDSON
Mkai CONYBRS Help
Miss CONYERS
Miss c. noss. Help
Miss C. ROSS
Miss M. FINLAY. Help
Miss M. FINLAY.
; Miss I. JODSON. Help
Miss I. JOBSON.
Miss O. DAVIS. Help
Miss G. DAVIS.
Sister 'R. PRATT. Help
Sister R. PRATT.
Sister A. R. KING. Help
Sister A. R. KING.
Mrs NATTRASS (Miss Barton) Help
Mrs NATTRASS
(Miss BARTON)
Mrs WILKINS (Miss Koogh) Help
Mrs WILKINS
(Miss KEOGH)
all the staff had been ordered to evacu-
ate. A padre on his round discovered
Sister Kelly on duty in a hospital tent.
He remonstrated with her for remain-
ing behind.
"I could not leave my patients," she
answered.
Her quiet courage enabled the nerve-
shattered men to come through the
bombardment with confidence.
In addition to holding the Royal Red
Cross (second class), Sister Alice Ross
King has the Military Medal which was
given in recognition of bravery display-
ed under fire in 1917 while on duty at
a casualty clearing station at Trol-
sabres, near Armentieres. She was
born at Ballarat and trained at the
Alfred Hospital. She left Australia
with the first military nursing unit,
and returned on duty with a
hospital ship in August, 1915,
leaving again for active service
the same month. She was then ap-
pointed to the No. 1 Australian General
Hospital, France, and with the excep-
tion of periods of duty at a casualty
station remained with this unit until
she sailed for Australia, arriving here
in March, 1919. The tent where she
was on duty was perforated in several
places by fragments from a bursting
shell. One piece of shell weighing 10lb.
fell within 6 in. of one patient's head.
As the result of the bombardment there
were 18 casualties.
At the time Matron Mary Mackenzie
Finlay, R.R.C., offered herself for ser-
vice she was matron of the Church of
England Boys' Grammar School. She
first went to Egypt but was given her
first big opportunity when she organis-
ed, under the most primitive conditions,
a military hospital near Rouen, France.
She was one of the first band of six
Victorians to leave on active service.
Miss Finlay is a trainee of the Mel-
bourne Hospital where she had charge
for many years of that notable surgical
ward known as No. 22.
Leaving Australia with the first re-
inforcements of army service nurses,
Sister Edith Cornwell, R.R.C., gained
her initial experience on active service
at Heliopolls, Egypt. For a time she
was assistant matron at Luna Park,
and later had charge of Atelier Military
Hospital. Miss Cornwell is a trainee
of the Alfred Hospital.
Miss Minnie Farquharson Proctor,
R.R.C., daughter of Mr. F. Proctor, of
Marlton crescent, St. Kilda, is still on
service abroad. She was born in New
Zealand, but gained her nursing train-
ing at the Melbourne Hospital. In 1917
she was on duty at the 3rd Australian
General Hospital, France. Prior to
that she was attached to a Casualty
Clearing Station, being one of the extra
staff sent forward to assist after the
battle of Messines. Commenting on this
experience she wrote : — "No words can
ever express what it feels like to be
close to the line while a stunt is on.
We were stationed four miles back,
and often one could not make herself
heard with the roar of the guns. Some
times the barrage would keep up for
hours. Only one of our sisters was
wounded. While you are in the thick
of things you never think of the dan-
ger." Miss Proctor also served at
Lemnos.
Miss Isabel Jobson and Miss Leah
Rosenthal shared together the dangers
and hardships of active service for
nearly four years, with the Queen Alex-
andra Imperial Military Nursing Ser-
vice. They were both recommended
for honors by their commanding officer
and matron for heroic conduct under
fire at a casualty clearing station in
France. When the Imperial authorities
called for volunteers to be trained to
administer anaesthetics hundreds of
applications were received. The 75
selected included these two Victorians.
They are both trainees of the Alfred
Hospital.
On Service In Turkey
In 1918 Miss Alma Bennett, R.R.C.,
whose photograph is not available, was
in charge at Deolali Military Hospital,
Sister A. KELLY. Help
Sister A. KELLY.
Miss ROSENTHAL Help
Miss ROSENTHAL
India. At the outset this hospital was
maintained by the people of Wales and
staffed by Welsh doctors and nurses.
Now it is staffed by Australian nurses.
She is still in India. Miss Ben-
nett is a trainee of the Melbourne
Hospital, and belonged to the original
Army Nursing Reserve Service.
Miss Clara L. Ross secured the
Royal Red Cross in 1918. She left
with the first hospital unit, and gained
her first experience of active service
in Egypt. After a period of duty at
Heliopolis, she took charge of Ras-el-
tin school hospital, Alexandria. Later,
when transferred to England, she was
appointed Matron of No. 2 Australian
Auxiliary Hospital, Southall. Miss Ross
is the daughter of Mrs . M. C. Ross,
"Carmyle," Power street, Hawthorn,
and was born at French Island, West-
ern Port. She is a trainee of the
Melbourne Hospital.
A Lemnos Nurse
Miss Alice Marion Prichard, R.R.C.,
was among the heroic band of women
who went through the hard period of
service at Lemnos, staying there until
after the evacuation. For the last two
years she was with Mrs. McHardie
White at Salonica, where she was
matron of the 42nd British General
Hospital. Miss Prichard trained at
the Melbourne Hospital, and at one
time was matron of the Mildura Hos-
pital. When she enlisted she was in
charge of the Albury Hospital.
Matron Annie Elizabeth Dowsley,
R.R.C., is a daughter of Mr . Thomas
Dowsley, of Ouyen, Victoria. She was
matron of No. 44 General Hospital,
Deolali, India, and trained at the Mel-
bourne Hospital.
In August, 1918, Sister Estelle Venner
Keogh, R.R.C., was married to Lieu-
tenant George Wilkins, M.C., of Devon-
port, Tasmania. While on active ser-
vice as a member of the Queen Alex-
andra Imperial Military Nursing Ser-
vice, Sister Keogh was on duty on the
barges that floated down the Somme,
picking up wounded soldiers at various
casualty stations along the banks.
In recognition of her service in the
field in 1917, Miss Ida O'Dwyer, now
matron at Mont Park Military Hos-
pital, was awarded the Royal Red
Cross (second class). A year later, she
received a second decoration, being
awarded the Royal Red Cross (first
class). She is a daughter of Mrs. M.
O'Dwyer, formerly of Bendigo, now of
Beaconsfield parade, St. Kilda, and
trained at St. Vincent's Hospital.
After four years of military service
Sister Edith Victoria Donaldson,
R.R.C., returned to Melbourne last
month. She answered the call for Aus-
tralian volunteers for the Queen Alex-
andra Imperial Reserve Nursing Force,
and served seven months at field hospi-
tals in France.
Toward the end of her service, Sister
Donaldson was attached to ambulance
trains, travelling through England,
Scotland and Wales. She is a daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. W. Donaldson, Carlisle
Avenue, East St. Kilda.
Photographs and personal details of
Victorian nurses who have been made
Associates of the Red Cross Society,
and hold the Second Class Red Cross,
will appear in the Women's Page next
Tuesday.
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