four females KIA ww1, have you any info?

[museumtom]

All I have on these ladies is their information from the CWGC would you be able to add to them perhaps, please?

WALSHE, MARY A. Rank: Staff Nurse. Regiment or Service: Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. Date of Death:21-08-1915. Age at Death,.

CORCORAN, R A. Rank: Worker. Regiment or Service: Queen Mary's Army Auxiliary Corps. Unit: Receiving Depot (Dublin). Date of Death: 20-December-1918. Service No: 51688.

O'CALLAGHAN, ANNE. Rank: Stewardess. Regiment or Service: Mercantile Marine. Unit: S.S. "Formby.". Age at death; 52. Date of Death: 16-December-1917.

O'GORMAN, EILEEN MARY. Rank: Sister. Regiment or Service: Territorial Force Nursing Service. Age at death; 42. Date of Death: 20-November-1914.

Any help in this matter would be very much appreciated. (including mics).

Thanking you in advance.

Kind regards.

Tom.

[Michael Johnson]

FreeBMD gives an Eileen O'Gorman dying December Quarter 1914 Bristol, but age is given as 35.

[centurion]

SS Formby was torpedoed whilst sailing home for Christmas 1917. Anne O Calloghan's was the only body recovered being washed ashore

[museumtom]

Thank you Centurian and Michael. Thats a bit more than I had.

Kind regards.

Tom

[Sue Light]

This item is from the British Journal of Nursing dated 5th December 1918. I can't quite see how they can come to the conclusion that she gave her life for her country any more than the next person dying of natural causes, but I imagine it was a time of extreme patriotic spirit:

It is our sad duty to record the death of Miss

Eileen O’Gorman, the respected Matron of the

Ilkeston Hospital, of whom it may well be said

that she gave her life for her country. When

war broke out she was called up as a member

of the Territorial Force Nursing Service, and was

stationed at the new Southmead Infirmary, Bristol,

known as the Second Southern General Hospital.

Recently she became ill and her case was diagnosed

as appendicitis and acute peritonitis. An operation

was performed, but proved unavailing. The

death of Miss O’Gorman has caused much grief

at Ilkeston, especially amongst the nursing staff.

British Journal of Nursing 5 December 1914, page 454

Both the nurses, Eileen O'Gorman and Mary Walshe have service files at The National Archives (WO399/13656 for O'Gorman and WO399/8679 for Walshe).

Among the small percentage of service records that survive for members of the WAAC/QMAAC there is not one for Miss Corcoran.

Sue

[centurion]

I think that at the time extreme and chronic fatigue caused by stress of work was thought to be one cause of appendicitis. I've seen another instance (not war related) where this was cited as a cause.

[museumtom]

Thak you Centurian I appreciate it. I think I knew tha Sue would come up trumps, yet again. I really appreciate your help and thank you for all your efforts to help me put a little more data to these four unfortunate Waterford women.

Thanks again.

Kind regards.

Tom.

[Sue Light]

I think that at the time extreme and chronic fatigue caused by stress of work was thought to be one cause of appendicitis. I've seen another instance (not war related) where this was cited as a cause.

Whether or not that could be the case, which I would have to see some firm evidence for, I feel it's extremely unlikely that an experienced civil matron, working at No.2 Southern General Hospital (TF) and dying so soon after the start of the war, should be so fatigued and stressed as to cause physical illness. I would suggest that a random case of appendicitis, followed by peritonitis, in a time of no antibiotics, would be more likely.

Sue