The Thames Hospital Board placed a Roll of Honour in the main entrance of the hospital honouring those nurses who had gone to the front during WWI. The nurses all returned safely.
Thames Star 15 Oct 1917:
Honouring The Nurses I
Honouring The Nurses II
Honouring The Nurses III
Honouring The Nurses IV
Matron Cora Beattie ANDERSON 22/1 (or 22/12) R.R.C, A.R.R.C. (also known as Roberton). Trained Thames Hospital. Registered January 1909. Member of first NZ Army nursing contingent (50 nurses) to deploy overseas in 1915. Royal Red Cross (RRC), Associate Royal Red Cross (ARRC). MID (mentioned in dispatches - a gallantry award). Matron Hornchurch Convalescent Hospital (UK) 1917-1919.
Thames Star 17 Feb 1915. ; Thames Star 31 March 1915. ; Elizabeth's Search For Cora Beattie Anderson
Sister Christina CAMPBELL 22/311 Trained Thames Hospital. Registered June 1911
Sister Ethelwyn CARRUTH 22/370 (also known as Motion). Trained Thames Hospital. Registered January 1914.
Sister Ada Maud CARVER 22/544 (or 22/554) (also known as Bartlett). Trained Thames Hospital, Registered August 1916.
Staff Nurse Annette Julia DELUGAR 22/541 (also known as Black) Trained Thames Hospital. Registered February 1916.
Sister Lily EDDY 22/72 Trained Thames Hospital, Registered March 1911. Thames Star 22 May 1915
Sister Clara Elizabeth HAWKINS 22/124 Trained Thames Hospital. Registered January 1914. Became matron of Thames Hospital in 1919, following Matron Wilson. Thames Star 29 June 1915
Sister Gertrude M. LIEPST 22/246 Trained Mercury Bay Hospital. Registered January 1913.
Sister Mary Ethel MANDENO 22/310 Trained Southland Hospital 1911, Registered Aug 1913. Thames Hospital 1915.
Staff Nurse Jessie Isabella SHAW 22/479 Trained Thames Hospital. Registered September 1916.
Colonist 5 Nov 1918
Sister Theresa BUTLER 22/17 Trained at Christchurch, Registered Nurse 1910 No 869. She was the first New Zealand nurse to serve in the war. She was in Belgium on 15 August 1914 and one of the few New Zealanders to be awarded the 1914 Star. After the war, she was a Plunket Nurse in the Thames - Te Aroha District. Awarded MBE 1939.
Sister Margaret CAMPBELL 22/316 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1913 No 1358. Sister of Christina Campbell (who also served)
Nurse Katherine Mary CARTER 22/225 Trained at Auckland, Registered 1912 No 1215. She worked at Waihi Hospital after the war. She was from Netherton, Thames.
Nurse Isobel Ethel FLOYD 22/230 Trained at Auckland, Registered 1907 No 600. Enlisted address Manawaru, she worked at the Private Hospital, Te Aroha after the war.
Nurse Emma Jane HARRIS 22/31 Trained at New Plymouth Hospital, Registered 1911 No 1007. One of first 50 nursesto go overseas. She went to school at Thames and died there 1941. Thames Star 9 Aug 1941
Staff Nurse Margaret Emily HERBERT 22/381 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1914 No 1462. Parents Emily Ann and William Henry Hebert, Te Aroha. Also known as WHITEFIELD.
Staff Nurse Sarah Jane HETHERINGTON Born 15 August 1869 at Thames, the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Hetherington of Queen Street, Thames. Samuel Hetherington was a draper. She attended Thames High School and was a nurse at Wellington Hospital when she enlisted in 1917.
History Sheet from Archives NZ war recordStatement of Services
Nurse Isabella ISDELL 22/243 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1913 No 1302. Born at Greymouth, parents James and Josephine Margaret Isdell. Her sister, Helena Isdell also served in WWI and was drowned on the Marquette 23/10/1915. The family then lost a son in the war, Charles C. Isdell who enlisted in Canada and he died in 1917.
Sister Bessie KEYTE 22/134 1878-1952 (Trained Auckland Hospital, Registered 1904 RN No 408). Miss Keyte was a private nurse from 1908 until her enlistment in 1915. her parents lived in Whangarei, and she spent time with siblings in the Coromandel area. When Bessie enlisted, she left from her sister’s home (Mrs Emily James) at Te Kouma. Bessie served in Egypt and on the HS Salta. She was promoted to Sister in 1918. In 1925, Bessie married Dugald Campbell Smith. They had no children.
Staff Nurse Edith Hilda LEWIS 22/535 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1916 No 2050.
Nurse Henrietta Barbara MABERLEY 22/253 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1910 No 841.
Staff Nurse Margaret Hamilton Paton McILWRAITH 22/418 Trained at Mercury Bay, Registered 1915. No 1685.
Nurse Jane MILLER 22/37 Trained at Southland, Registered 1911 No 981. Married Archie Dysart, lived in Thames after the war and died there 1938
Staff Nurse Emily Freeman MITCHELL 22/255 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1912 No 1214.
Sister Rose NEWDICK 22/84 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1908 No 673. N.O.K Mrs R. Newdick (mother) Glenmore, Auckland. Thames Star 22 May 1915Thames Star 9 Feb 1916
Matron Ruth SMITH 22/218 Trained at Auckland, Registered 1910 No 897. Matron at Mercury Bay Hospital before her war service
Nurse Ann STEWART 22/350 Trained at Waihi, Registered 1913 No 1357.
NZ's WWI Hospital Ship and Annie's Autograph: Clara Hawkins' signature is on the linen cloth in the first column. Scroll down to the group photo of the nurses on the Maheno 1915, Clara is in the front row on the left.
Both hospital ships were bought and outfitted with money donated by the people of New Zealand, together with a vast amount of equipment and material for the Red Cross stores. Both ships were engaged in bringing wounded soldiers back to New Zealand for treatment throughout the war. Many in Thames contributed to the Hosptal Ship Fund.
Thames Star 27 May 1915:
New Zealand's hospital ship, the Maheno, will contain between 350 and 400 beds. Dr Collins, in charge of the ship, states a large number of blankets will be required - white, not coloured ones. Kapok pillows, mattresses, felt slippers and white quilts are also needed by the authorities.
Thames Branch of the St John's Ambulance 1916
Fitting up the Maheno.
Thames Star 9 July 1915:
The Hospital ship Maheno takes 69 nurses for service in the military hospitals in England, completing the quota of 100 the Dominion was asked to raise. The other 31 left in May.
Eight New Zealand nurses who are leaving with the hospital ship were this afternoon presented with their official badges. The ceremony was largely attended. The presentations were made by Mrs Massey, speeches being delivered by Hons Allen and Rhodes.
New Zealand Hospital at Walton-on-Thames, England.
Information for this webpage compiled by Kae Lewis, memorial photo by David Wilton. Assistance from Althea Barker is much appreciated. If you can help to identify any of these nurses, correct any errors or provide copies of photos and more information on any nurse, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact The Treasury.
