Nurses in the Boer War

More than 60 Australian nurses appear to have gone to the Boer war, either provided by governments or by privately raised funds or at their own expense. They served with the New South Wales Army Medical Corps units, in British hospitals - Field, Stationary and Base - or on hospital ships and trains. Initially they experienced some resistance from the regular British Army Nursing Service and local nurses, but performed well in scattered groups or singly from Cape Town and Durban to Rhodesia. They nursed the wounded but found a higher proportion of cases suffered from diseases such as enteric fever (typhoid).

A group of 14 New South Wales nurses departed Sydney on the Moravian with the 2nd NSW contingent on 17 January 1900:

E J Gould, P Frater, E W Lister, N Newton, M Steele, J B Johnston, A C Garden, M Martin, E Nixon, T E Woodward, A Austin, E Hoadley, A J Matchett, A B M Pocock.

Arriving at Cape Town in February 1900, six went to the Base General Hospital (BGH) Wynberg, Cape Town, four to No 2 Stationary Hospital, East London, and four to the Field Hospital, Sterkstroom, serving with the NSW AMC. Following the advance from Bloemfontein they served at No 3 BGH, Kroonstad and No 2 BSH, Johannesburg. In August 1900 four were at No 17 BSH, Middelburg, No 6 BGH, Johannesburg, and then No 25 BSH, Johannesburg, from September 1901 to February 1902, then at No 31 BSH, Ermelo.

A group of nine nurses was raised with private funds in South Australia:

M Bidmead, A G Cocks, A Watts, Milne, N B Harris, M A O'Shanahan, M A Glenie, Sanuels, A B Stephenson.

Bidmead, Glenie and Harris are believed to have gone earlier than the others who sailed on the Australasian on 21 February 1900. They served at No 2 BGH, Wynberg and at Bloemfontein and until March 1901 at Pretoria. Some served on hospital ships and one served on No 4 Hospital Train.

A group of ten nurses from Victoria went on the Euryalus with the 3rd Victorian Bushmen contingent on 10 March 1900:

M Rawson, F E Hines, E Smith, A E H Thomson, D Tiddy, E Walter, D Smith, E Langlands, I Ivey, J B Anderson.

They accompanied the Bushmen contingent to Rhodesia and served at Salisbury, Fort Charter, Bulawayo, Hillside, Mafeting, Springfontein and Tuli. Nurse Hines died at Memorial Hospital, Bulawayo on 7 August 1900, the only Australian nurse to die in this war.

A group of 11 nurses raised by a public appeal in Western Australia sailed on the Salamis from Albany on 21 March 1900:

M Nicolay, L A Naylor, M Plover, E A Bole, I Tchan, A Emmins, B Brooks, E E Speers, S Armstrong, B Milne, L E Rogers

They were employed in the Natal area at Mooi River, Howick, Estcourt and Volksrust. One reference states that they were disbanded in Cape Town and individuals joined Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR).

Individuals who went to this war served in several theatres. Some appear to have been with PCANSR, enlisted direct into the Imperial service:

A R Chutt (V), R Gwyer (N), M G A Warner (T), L Dawson (T), D Burgess (V), L H M O'Ryan (T), A Teesdale (SA), M A Grace (T), G Fletcher (N), M A Robertson (T), K O White (T).

Others who paid their own way are mentioned in the references: B Hutson (Q), R L Shappere (?V), J M Lempriere (V), E Orr, B Kennedy, A McCready (N), E Marsh, E M McCarthy, A M Chatfield (Q), L Mansfield (T), R A Hinton (Q).

Hutson served at BFH, Rondebosch, Green Point, near Cape Town, where she nursed Boer prisoners; No 11 BFH, Kimberley, and at Somerset. McCready was at Fort Napier Hospital, Pietermaritzburg, Kennedy at Estcourt and Shappere was in Ladysmith and at Johannesburg. Fletcher and McCarthy were Australians in the British Army Nursing Reserve.

Three Australian nurses were awarded the Royal Red Cross - Sisters Bidmead (SA), Nixon (NSW) and Rawson (Vic.); three were mentioned in Dispatches - Sisters Ivey (Vic.), Pocock (NSW) and Shappere (?Vic.); and two received the Devoted Service Cross - Sisters Bidmead and Glenie (SA).

Text By Max Chamberlain, a member of the Anglo-Boer War Study Group of Australia. Image courtesy Diggerhistory