Where were nurses buried?

[Greyhound]

Aha, I think Sue may have it.

“BAGNEUX BRITISH CEMETERY, GEZAINCOURT …. The graves in Plot III, Row A relate to a bombing raid over Doullens on 30 May 1918.”

III A goes up to 28 (Capt. Meek), which would agree with the two coffins after those with the uniforms. They all have 30 May as the date of death except, curiously, 2nd Lt. McGiveney (plot 12) whose date is 2 June.

Is there anything to confirm that the cortege picture is of the same funeral as the burial one? I was also wondering who the young boys might be in the latter.

[Jim Strawbridge]

I don't think that we should jump to conclusions that this was the nurses at Bagneux British Cemetery. There are a number of occasions where nurses were buried quite close to each other. If the photographs are contemporary and noted as Gladys Wake's funeral then I would lean to that being so and that the clothing on the coffins being the unexplained anomoly.

[Tonym]

Jim

I did not consider that the uniforms could have been placed on the wrong coffins. I am uncertain how to enter the link here but I opened a new thread in "Cemeteries and Memorials" - "Is this Etaples Cemetery". See you there

Tony

[Tonym]

To save jumping about here is my response on the other thread/

Quote - Jim Strawbridge has gven me something to think about on the original thread suggesting an anomaly with the positioning of the uniforms.

Judging by the pieces butting out from the right-hand side of the grave there is still one coffin to go in at the top - 28.L.10, 2nd Lieut Coldwell. If the clothing on the 3rd and 4th coffins down from the top have been placed on the wrong coffins and are moved up one then Sister Macdonald is in the 2nd coffin and Capt. Howse (Canadian Doctor) is in the 3rd coffin down thereby leaving two coffins between the two Sisters this would solve the positioning problem.-Unquote

Tony

[Rob Bulloch]

Hello All.

Regarding the photographs I posted, the one of the funeral procession is named as "The Funeral of Nursing Sister G.M.M Wake Who died of wounds received during a German air raid. Etaples France May 1918.

there is another of a funeral procession but! the geographical area looks different somehow! this is also attributed to G.M.M Wake.

The photograph of the open grave is named as, "The graves Nurses killed in a German air raid, one believed to be Nursing Sister G.M.M Wake"

But!! I did a bit more browsing through this huge file and I came across some very similar photographs with the heading "The funeral of three Canadian Sisters and one Canadian Doctor who were killed in a German air raid on the 3rd Stationary Hospital, Doulens France May 1918" There is also some Photographs attributed to a Nursing Sister Margret Lowe. I could post the photographs and let the you lads figure them out,

Cheers All Rob.

[Tonym]

Hello All.

Regarding the photographs I posted, the one of the funeral procession is named as "The Funeral of Nursing Sister G.M.M Wake Who died of wounds received during a German air raid. Etaples France May 1918.

there is another of a funeral procession but! the geographical area looks different somehow! this is also attributed to G.M.M Wake.

The photograph of the open grave is named as, "The graves Nurses killed in a German air raid, one believed to be Nursing Sister G.M.M Wake"

But!! I did a bit more browsing through this huge file and I came across some very similar photographs with the heading "The funeral of three Canadian Sisters and one Canadian Doctor who were killed in a German air raid on the 3rd Stationary Hospital, Doulens France May 1918" There is also some Photographs attributed to a Nursing Sister Margret Lowe. I could post the photographs and let the you lads figure them out,

Cheers All Rob.

Rob

We can discount Sister Lowe from your previous photo as she died 9 days after the incident but I would like to see the photograph of the 3rd Stationary Hospital funeral.

Tony

[Rob Bulloch]

This is the other photograph attributed to GMM Wake. It looks like a very different geographical area from the first one I posted.

Cheers Rob

[Rob Bulloch]

This photograph is Attributed to "Three Canadian Sisters one Canadian Doctor and one American Doctor killed in an air raid on the 3rd Stationary Hospital Doulens France May 1918" Cheers Rob

[Rob Bulloch]

This one is attributed to Nursing Sister Margret Lowe but very similar to the one of the funeral cortege of the one attributed to Wake. Please I hope I am not to much of a bother here, I would just like to get these photographs filed properly thanks all.

Cheers Rob

[Rob Bulloch]

This photograph is attributed to Nursing Sister, Kathrine Maude Mary MacDonald Canadian Army Nursing Service. Is this the nurse buried next to Nursing Sister Wake??

Sorry for hogging the thread Rob

[Sue Light]

This is very exciting! I'm sure that the two photos of the cortege are the same funeral, taken at different points during the journey. The first one is leaving the camp at Etaples, and the second entering the cemetery, which was some way from where they started. The officers look similar, particularly the one nearest to us - the smallish man with his head bowed. So those certainly fit in with being the funeral of Gladys Wake, and the shadows on the ground ahead of them suggest another carriage.

If the one of the man giving the oration is named as the funeral of those killed at Doullens Citadel, then that is the funeral that took place at Bagneux British Cemetery, and it seems that the 'oration' picture' and the one of the coffins with uniform on are a pair - both in style, quality, and in the trees and general setting. That would mean that the three uniforms on the coffins are probably those of Sisters Baldwin, Pringle and Macpherson.

I would never have subscribed to the theory of uniforms getting put on the wrong coffins. These burials were unusual, in that they were [to put it plainly] Canadian women killed directly by the Germans, and the utmost care and devotion would have been taken in both the preparation of the bodies, and the arrangements for the funeral. The uniforms must have been in place before the coffins went into the ground, and were probably fixed prior to the funerals. But of course, assuming that those two photos are of Bagneux, it's not relevant any more.

Agreements? Or disagreements?

Thanks very much Rob for posting these photos, which are very useful for all the detail, and also give a very touching insight. And have made this thread the most interesting for some time in 'Women'.

Sue

[MelPack]

Rob

We can discount Sister Lowe from your previous photo as she died 9 days after the incident but I would like to see the photograph of the 3rd Stationary Hospital funeral.

Tony

Tony

On this link:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/05/0518/05...01061004_e.html

[Tonym]

Tony

On this link:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/05/0518/05...01061004_e.html

Melpack

Thanks for the thought but I do have that one

Tony

[Jim Strawbridge]

This is the photograph that I have of K.M.M. MacDonald. Your views please on whether you think it is the same woman as in post 60. I would particularly like to see Sue's views re the uniforms. Is one "walking out" and the other for work?

[Sue Light]

This is the photograph that I have of K.M.M. MacDonald. Your views please on whether you think it is the same woman as in post 60. I would particularly like to see Sue's views re the uniforms. Is one "walking out" and the other for work?

Jim

I don't think it's very easy to tell whether the two images are of the same woman - the Canadians seem to be universally good looking and photogenic. As for the uniform, one is the working dress, and the other, although I supposed termed 'outdoor uniform', I think would only have been worn for travelling - i.e. on leave, or travelling to and from England/France and other theatres. Around the hospitals, moving from one unit to another, shopping, days off - all those would have been in working dress. In the photo of the nurses tending the grave at Etaples, they are wearing the longer cape, and gabardine raincoat, which would also come under the heading of working dress. The same variety of outfits, in different styles, were common to most of the nursing services, but I don't have much experience of Canadian uniform, and would be happy to be corrected.

Sue

[JRichards]

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

Dear Kristof

I believe American nurses' graves, as was the case with American servicemen's graves, were centralised after the War. When I visited the cemetery at Etretat I tried to locate the grave of a Sister Roberts (possibly US) who had been buried there according to a n account from January 1918. There was no grave but a gap in the row of burials from that date, so I assume she was reburied elsewhere.

Hood luck with your search.

JRichards

[ian turner]

Apologies if this image was already previously posted. I somehow cannot now see all the previous pictures on this thread.

Anyway, in case of interest, I copied this from the pages of 'I Was there'. No names given, but photo credited to Imperial War Museum, and the accompanying comments mention Etaples, Funeral of a Nursing Sister and May 1918.

It appears to be at the same location as the other similar view in this thread, but I suspect a different funeral, certainly the personnel are different. The hut in the background and location are the same.

Ian

[rob carman]

Name: BERRIE, CHARLOTTE

Initials: C

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Nursing Sister

Regiment/Service: Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service

Age: 32

Date of Death: 08/01/1919

Additional information: Sister of Mrs. Gladys M. Macgrega, of 12, Brightmore St., Neutral Bay, Sydney, New South Wales.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: Q. 107.

Cemetery: JERUSALEM WAR CEMETERY, Israel

The image is from the Matson Collection at the Library of Congress

[see http://memory.loc.gov/pp/matpchtml/matpcabt.html]

[Malte Znaniecki]

There is always Nellie Spindler buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery.

At the time her medical unit specialised in abdominal wounds and so had to be close to the front line.

Bob.

I visited the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery on April 27th and made this photograph of Nellie Spindler's grave.

[Guest uncajer]

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

This is my first attempt at posting to this forum, so hope I'm doing it right!!

I found a French photo postcard of a birdseye view of a very large cemetary with the following written on the back.....appears to be from a soldier who was there, and sent this home (wherever that was):

"Etaples cemetery where I saw some of the nurses buried who were killed in the big raid on the Hospitals at Etaples - May - 1918"

I don't know any more about it than this, but saw the blog about the nurses, and wanted to let anyone interested know what I have found. I don't have a scanner, so can't attach a copy.

Jerry

[Arthur J]

I remember some years back when visiting St Sever Rouen a gardener told me that a brother and sister were buried in the cemetery. She was a Red Cross Nurse, and the brother a died of wounds. He gave me their names but I could not find the graves.

Is anyone else aware of these graves?

[Jim Strawbridge]

I remember some years back when visiting St Sever Rouen a gardener told me that a brother and sister were buried in the cemetery. She was a Red Cross Nurse, and the brother a died of wounds. He gave me their names but I could not find the graves.

Is anyone else aware of these graves?

Elizabeth McMath Warnock, British Red Cross Society. died 5/5/18. plot (Officers) B. 4. 23

Lieut. George Muir Warnock, 6th Batt, Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders. died 29/3/18. plot (Officers) B. 2. 20

[wanderingqa]

A lot of Nurses were drowned and had no known grave. In Hollybrook Cemetery in Southampton there is the Hollybrook Memorial, a little known National Memorial to WW1 land & air forces who lost their lives in, mainly, home waters, and who have no known grave. It includes those who died in some of the torpedoed Hospital Ships such as the Glenart Castle. Acting Matron Katie Beaufoy, 2 Sisters and 5 Staff Nurses were drowned in that ship just down the coast from where I live. It also commemorate Lord Kitchener, who drowned just off Orkney in the Hampshire. I've seen his very much grander memorial on Orkney but the simple engraving in Southampton means so much more.

Elaine

[b3rn]

I believe American nurses' graves, as was the case with American servicemen's graves, were centralised after the War. When I visited the cemetery at Etretat I tried to locate the grave of a Sister Roberts (possibly US) who had been buried there according to a n account from January 1918. There was no grave but a gap in the row of burials from that date, so I assume she was reburied elsewhere.

One of our number, Amabel Scharff Roberts, Vassar '13, P. H. '16, gave up last January the life she had devoted to others. As a brave soldier she died on the field — on active service — in the performance of her duty. On a sunny hillside, amidst the Poilus and Tommies whom she loved, stands the black cross with white inscription. The tribute paid by one of the Tommies is significant : "Every Tommy that knew Sister Roberts had built almost unconsciously a sacred shrine in his heart, and her courage and gentle devotion will never be forgotten as long as those hearts continue to beat.'

Annual report of the Presbyterian Hospital in the City of New York (Volume 46-50). (page 48 of 52)

19.1.1918. We had to attend the funeral today of Sister Roberts, a member of the nursing staff here. She was only ill for a few days. There was a short service first at the sisters' quarters and then we proceeded, four abreast, through the streets to the cemetery. The streets were lined with soldiers standing with arms sloping, holding hats. It was a most impressive sight for so many countries were represented. England, Australia, America, Canada, France and Belgium. After the pall bearers were the American officers and sisters, then Australian and English sisters, VADs, Red Cross workers, convalescent soldiers, French, American and Belgian soldiers and civilians. There was a short service at the grave.

Sister Elsie Tranter (AANS) - In all those lines, pp89-90

A plaque in her honour

Columbia University Roll of Honour

Is Sister Roberts still at Etretat? CWGC's database does not include Americans - what is the U.S. equivalent?

[Jim Strawbridge]

A photographer for my WW1 serving female casualty project failed to find her in the Etretat cemetery. The US were very committed to repatriating bodies of service men and women if their families wished it so my own thoughts are that she will be buried somewhere in Maddison, New Jersey.