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Remembered Today:

Staff Nurse Anabella Nicoll MID Salonika


Sgt Stripes

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Hello. I am looking for information on Staff Nurse Anabella Nicoll who received the War & Victory medal plus the Territorial Force War medal. She was MID for Salonika serving with the TFNS.  I believe she was born in Scotland. Any information regarding her service before the war and after it would be welcomed. Many Thanks   

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Her service record if you haven't already got it is at TNA here http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10806536 and can be downloaded for the usual fee.

Had a look at the RCN Journal archives but couldn't find her mentioned.

If you find references to A. Nicoll be careful as an Annie Nicoll is also mentioned at TNA

Good luck with the search

David

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Hello Craig. I do have a few service papers on Nurse Nicoll  but  are you saying there is around 100 papers detailing her service. I believe her father was a minister in the Scottish church.   

Edited by Sgt Stripes
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Indeed there are 103 pages in the file I posted the link to and yes her home address is a UF Manse Dunvegan on Skye

If you haven't got it all it is probably worth the fee. If you click on the link you can use the preview (which whilst watermarked the majority can be read). It includes all sorts of letters etc, including a sick note that delayed her mobilisation.

 

Edited by DavidOwen
spelling!
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Annabella applied to have her name put on the Scottish Nursing Register in 1922. Her application is on Ancestry, and it shows her nursing career up to then.  https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/9300/42510_342787-00116?pid=11547&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D9300%26h%3D11547%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DebM447%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=ebM447&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true#?imageId=42510_342787-00115 The writing on this application is quite feint, and difficult to read. The actual Nursing Register would normally include details of her career after then, usually showing changes of address and promotions. However, this register is not online, and can only be consulted at New Register House, Edinburgh.

 

Regards,

 

Alf McM

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This is a rather nice miniature collection along with a Salonica badge worn by Sister L Chapman who was a member of the TFNS with Staff Nurse Nicholl, and like her 1014211447_SisterLChapmanTFNS.JPG.8fbc56c10d01df1b2a2457f9312ff8a5.JPGalso got her MID in Salonica.

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I have downloaded Nurse Nicolls service papers and they are very interesting . One of the documents dated February 7 1921 states that she was MID twice , the first was on March 3 1917 and the second was on June 3 1919 however I think maybe that one of these might be the Annie Nicoll mentioned in David's reply.

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I think her first "Mention" was B Mention from the Secretary of State and as such wasn't gazetted and there was no emblem for a B Mention.  I was reading her file through the watermark and gained the impression that she may have been awarded an ED or equivalent.  Regards, Terry

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1 hour ago, Terry_11 said:

ED

Efficiency Decoration?

Had to look that up.

 

[BTW There are TNA records for two Annie Nicolls. One got married in 1917 and became Annie Robertson-Nicoll and continued to serve under that name.

The other was Annie Thomson Nicoll (the Thomson is a middle name).]

 

Regards

David

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  • 4 years later...

Annie Robertson Nicoll from Dundee. Her medals pictured

 

Annie Robertson Nicol was born 20 High Street , Lochee , Dundee on the 12th of November 1880. University educated she joined the TFNS aged 34 in 1914 and entered the Western Front on the 25th of January 1915 where she took her post as a Staff Nurse in the front line casualty stations one being Number 10 Stationary Hospital at St Omer , she was commended for her work as a Ward and Theatre nurse, and on the 24th of November 1915 she was promoted to Sister.

As the War went on Annie was involved in the Somme campaign , a battle which had a terrible effect on her. She also worked in a Hospital Train.

On the 9th of April 1917 she was Mentioned in Despatches by Field Marshal Haig and her name appeared in the London Gazzette.

In her appraisals she was described as “ An excellent surgical assistant ,loyal and has good influence. She is suited to her present position as a charge Sister”.

The strains of active service and the horror she must have seen during her service has a profound affect on her and she was diagnosed with the condition “Debility “ the cause being because of the strain and stress of her War Service , in her papers she was described as being exposed to Shell Shock and Shell Fire on active service.

In August 1917 she returned to England to work in the second Eastern General Hospital, in Brighton

On the 19th of March 1919 she was declared as being permanently unfit for military service and was invalided from the service.

She returned to Dundee and her known addresses were 3 Ancrum Terrace and at her Sisters house at Helen Bank ,Dundee.

Little is known of her movements after her war service she did have connections with Glenkilrie near Blairgowrie in the Highlands.

 

Annie Robertson Nicoll remained single and died aged 85 on the 7th of August 1966 at Carnegie House , Hillside Montrose, a Hospital which also incorporated a Nurses Home.

 

She was described on her death certificate as a “ Retired Army Nursing Sister”

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For info here is Annie Robertson Nicolls death Certificate. The middle name Robertson was her Mothers maiden name. 
 

 

IMG_3127.jpeg

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Annie Nicoll Robertson claimed for a disability pension. This is recorded on Fold 3 with a middle name of 'Rovertson', Her card is stamped 'Overseas', so perhaps she lived abroad after the war?

image.png.1a3f486eb535d1ecb236e7e633c08a42.png

Image courtesey Ancestry/Fold 3.

Passenger records on Ancestry confirm she did travel afterv the war. In April 1926 she returned to UK from Batavia, Indonesia.

In October of the same year she travelled to Genoa.

There may be other passenger records.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/6817415:1518?tid=&pid=&queryId=3a13a8aeeb111b633133d43a04720fb5&_phsrc=SIn8021&_phstart=successSource

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/discoveryui-content/view/40578365:2997?tid=&pid=&queryId=3a13a8aeeb111b633133d43a04720fb5&_phsrc=SIn8022&_phstart=successSource

Regards,

Alf McM

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