John Garnett Posted 13 April , 2007 Share Posted 13 April , 2007 Jim, Just browsing and saw your post. I'm attaching some photos that I have. I couldn't find a headstone when I visited and there was no-one to ask. The cemetery is on three separate sites, all close together. There are CWGC headstones in at least two. The memorial has her as Elsie M Bates, towards the bottom. Hope this is useful even though its a long time since your original post. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Garnett Posted 13 April , 2007 Share Posted 13 April , 2007 Some more pictures of St Mary's, Shenfield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirkes Lamb Posted 13 April , 2007 Share Posted 13 April , 2007 I know about a few nurse graves on CWG. And I know about the monument in Reims, France. But what happend with most af the nurses who died during the war. And after the war. Did they had a special grave? Is there a special cemetery in the UK? for example for nurses who died of flew or gas injuries (caused by helping gassed soldiers) ??? This is possibly an unsolvable topic, but i try... cheers, kristof There seems to be a fair amount of interest in nurses graves-I have been asked to specifically photograph quite a few here in Egypt! I have seen headstones here in Cairo and again in Alexandria where many nurses died when ships carrying wounded or reinforcements were sunk by the enemy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugby-137 Posted 14 April , 2007 Share Posted 14 April , 2007 All This is the nurses plot at Brookwood. Regards Phil Henry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Strawbridge Posted 15 April , 2007 Share Posted 15 April , 2007 Jim, Just browsing and saw your post. I'm attaching some photos that I have. I couldn't find a headstone when I visited and there was no-one to ask. The cemetery is on three separate sites, all close together. There are CWGC headstones in at least two. The memorial has her as Elsie M Bates, towards the bottom. Hope this is useful even though its a long time since your original post. John Thank you John. Someone else has provided a photograph of her grave headstone. If ever you go back it is quite a stubby marble cross with a simple inscription that reads "In dear memory of Madeline Elsie Bates. V.A.D. nurse. Mortally wounded Decr 18th. Died Decr 22nd 1917 aged 35". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Garnett Posted 15 April , 2007 Share Posted 15 April , 2007 Thanks Jim, Ill look out for it when I'm next down that way. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Strawbridge Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 This is a photograph of a grave with two nurses, I think one of them is Nursing Sister G M M Wake. Cheers Rob. If this is a photograph of the open grave of Sister G.M.M. Wake then the second nurse is almost certainly Sister Katherine MacDonald, also of the Canadian Army Nursing Service who died in the same raid (sister Wake survived for a couple of days). Sister Wake was buried in plot 5 and Sister MacDonald in plot 8. The uniforms seem to be on coffins 3 and 5 so I am a little confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 If this is a photograph of the open grave of Sister G.M.M. Wake then the second nurse is almost certainly Sister Katherine MacDonald, also of the Canadian Army Nursing Service who died in the same raid (sister Wake survived for a couple of days). Sister Wake was buried in plot 5 and Sister MacDonald in plot 8. The uniforms seem to be on coffins 3 and 5 so I am a little confused. I have removed the photographs, so as not to cause any confusion, I just thought they were interesting Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Rob I'd be very grateful if you'd put them back - I really have absolutely no fear of being confused, living in that state perpetually Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Sue. I will put them back on. On reflection I should not have removed them, I was in a bit of a "snitt" I do not know anything about VAD or Red Cross Nurses, or where the are buried or who they are buried beside I found the pictures in my photograph file, and I thought they were interesting, and on the subject of the thread. Cheers All Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Picture Number 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Photograph number 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Sue I have added a fourth photograph I do not know who she is but her eyes just got to me. Cheers Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Rob Thank you very much for putting them back on - they are wonderful pictures. I don't know who the woman is in the last photo - she doesn't seem to match any of the photos I've got of Canadian nurses who died, so hopefully she lived a long and happy life. But I can see what caught Jim's eye about the photo of the coffins. I hope he will put me right on the following, as he's the man with all the correct information. The photo of the procession has been reproduced elsewhere, and is commonly thought to be the funeral procession of Gladys Wake [although I may be wrong]. The other Canadian sister buried that day was Katherine Macdonald, and according to the cemetery details, their graves at Etaples cemetery are separated by two others, Miss Wake being in XXVIIIL.5 and Miss Macdonald in XXVIIIL.8. Now in the photo, the two coffins topped with nurses uniforms are separated by only one other coffin, which seems to have an Australian soldier's hat on, but also some white uniform [?] - possibly an orderly? I haven't checked on CWGC to see who lies between them. But counting graves from nearest us, that means the first nurse's coffin would be No.5 - Miss Wake, and Miss Macdonald would be in 7 and not 8. I wonder what others think - particularly those who know far more about the Canadians than I do? But thanks for posting some fascinating and emotive images. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Hello Sue Thanks for your post, if you look closely you will see three nurses uniform dresses. the middle coffin has a what looks like a black straw hat that some of the medical volunteers wore. I do not think it is an Australian hat there are definitely three nurses smocks in the photograph, (of course you never know about these Austrailians) Only Jesting!!!!!!! Cheers all Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Sue a closer view of the coffins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 No, you're right, not Australian - I just saw a sort of wonky hat. But if it is a dress of any sort, then it's not the same as the nursing sisters' dresses. We need to know who is/is purported to be buried in the grave/s between Miss Wake and Miss Macdonald. If only Etaples wasn't so big... Someone must have a photo [or the time to search the cemetery records?] Terry D. could tell us I'm sure, but perhaps he never dallies with 'Women in the Great War'? Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonym Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Well I did my best and I came up with the following:- 28 L 1 - Lieut. Sargent - A.I.F. 28 L 2 - Brig. Gen.MacInnes - R.E. 28 L 3 - Lieut. Maslin - M.G.C. 28 L 4 - 2nd Lt. Hernabrook - Leicesters 28 L 5 - Sister Wake 28 L 6 - Must have missed this one 28 L 7 - Captain Howes C.A.M.C. - The white coat suggesting a Doctor 28 L 8 - Sister MacDonald 28 L 9 - Missed this one as well 28 L 10 - 2nd Lt Coldwell - Duke of Wellingtons There were others but I was only looking near to Sisters Wake & MacDonald. It is obviously Officers only no Orderlies. Can I go to bed now? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonym Posted 24 April , 2007 Share Posted 24 April , 2007 Looking at the photo again there seems to be something wrong if these are Sisters Wake and MacDonald??? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyhound Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 That's what Jim meant. So is it a different funeral altogether, or could there have been a numbering error? It's odd that plot 6 is the one that Tony didn't find. How many multiple burials including two nurses would there have been? Not many, surely. I love a mystery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonym Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 Greyhound Not a mystery just that I probably missed L.6, it took nearly two hours to go through the cemetery reports and it was late and I was forcing my eyes to stay open. But as you say it could just be another grave. I am sure that this is the final placing of these coffins, I can't imagine that they would have had to take them out to re-arrange them. However, On the basis that the coffin at the foot of the photo is L.1 that makes it right for Sister Wake L.5. and is there just the remote possibility that the next coffin contains the remains of two people - Capt. Howes CAMC, (the white coat, or whatever, indicating a Doctor) plus one other? It also appears that there is space at the end for another coffin ie. L 10 2nd Lt. Coldwell. Anyone have any thoughts. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Bulloch Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 Hello All. Sue the "wonky hat" as you aptly described it, do you think it is the same as the one worn by this member of the Canadian Army Medical Corp. I do not know is she a nurse or a Doctor?? Cheers All Rob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 I've been thinking about this all day at work, without being able to do anything about it The abundance of Canadian nursing sisters in the photos makes it seem certain that this is a Canadian funeral, and there was one triple burial of Canadian nurses about ten days later, when CAMC Sisters Baldwin, Pringle and Macpherson were buried at Bagneux British Cemetery, Gezaincourt, in graves III.A.24, 25 and 26 respectively. The number of buildings in the 'procession' photo above certainly looks like Etaples, but there were no other nurses killed in that raid to account for the third coffin. But as Miss Wake and Miss Macdonald died two days apart, it surprises me that they would have been buried on the same day, as burials nearly always seemed to take place the day following death, except if there was a wait for relatives, for example. Perhaps this should be re-started under 'Cemeteries and Memorials' as a separate thread to encourage more suggestions. Sue Rob No expert, but she looks like a nurse to me. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonym Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 Thanks for that Sue, I'll put that on "Cemeteries and Memorials" a little later. One thing that made me suspicious of there being the remains of two bodies in that coffin is that there appears to be two hats/headgear on it, one appears to be a Canadian Army headdress and just below it a white, possibly, doctors theatre head covering. Just a thought but probably wrong Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyhound Posted 25 April , 2007 Share Posted 25 April , 2007 is there just the remote possibility that the next coffin contains the remains of two people Could be so - in which case both names would presumably be on one headstone. Jim might be able to tell us from his photos of the ladies' headstones. But then surely the plot number would be the same? We need Terry's advice.... OK, you may have missed one, but it's a coincidence that it was that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now