Bosun Bob Posted 17 February , 2020 Share Posted 17 February , 2020 (edited) My wife's grandmother has always remained a figure of some mystery for her family here in New Zealand. You see, Miss Mundy, was one of several British Nurses who married soldiers from New Zezland. Most all of them wounded, which of course, was how they met. I am unable to speak with any authority about how these unions faired in the long term and is outside of my families Immediate need to seek in more depth information about the nurse relative who was instrumental in their creation. However, of the two examples of cross cultural marriages resulting from circumstances arising from The Great War that I am personally aware of did not, to say the least, have good outcomes. So after that long winded preamble, I am hoping that the knowledgable people here would provide me with some guidance to where I can go to research their nurse Grandmother and now more recently, Great Grandmother.? These are all the formal details that I have been able to acces locally and were taken from her husbands Army Records, now digitized, at the National Library of New Zealand. Please see attached. Her name: Mundy: Florence Emerline. Last recorded address as: Mrs. F. E. Syme 33 Pitts Lane Chitterne Codford. (Wilts) my inclusion & parenthesis) Marriage details as supplied to the NZ Military authorities as Mundy: Florence Emerline. Spinster Chittererne. Date: December, 31 1917 Name of Officiating Minister: Rev. J. T. Conner. With little substantiated detail about Florence Mundy and due to subsequient events it may well have been that Miss Mundy may not have been a medical nurse and could well have been a civilian volunteer at Codford NZ No 3 General Hospital. Perhaps just a local girl. That is all I have. Kia Ora Mai And with kind regards Bruce Gibbins. Edited 17 February , 2020 by Bosun Bob Correcting spelling mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marilyne Posted 17 February , 2020 Share Posted 17 February , 2020 (edited) Hi Bob, I don't think Florence Mundy was a nurse either... can't find any trace of her in the National Archives service records, so yes, she probably was a volunteer at the hospital, a local girl helping out where she could. During the car, the Codford area was a training/transfer camp and a depot with at times thousands of NZ troops waiting to move to France... they were bound to be dependant on the local population for the logistics of the camp. There is Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Codford: the second largest New Zealand War Grave Cemetery in the UK. Codford is until today today still strongly attached to ANZAC. I hope you find out more about her... M. Edited 17 February , 2020 by Marilyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 17 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Just to add I can find nothing on the British Red Cross VAD site either. Welcome to the forum and good luck with your research. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin DavidOwen Posted 17 February , 2020 Admin Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Florence appears on the 1911 census as being born in 1898 (so she would have been 19 when she married). The daughter of a Shepherd Charles and his wife Eliza. She was one of six children at the time (brothers Frederick, Alfred and Leslie, sisters Anna and Emily). None of the sons would have been old enough to have served overseas in the war. Find My Past link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRC Posted 17 February , 2020 Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Might be worthwhile obtaining a copy of the marriage certificate to see if the brides' occupation is listed. She could have been a domestic servant employed at the hospital rather than on the nursing staff. Cheers, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosun Bob Posted 17 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Hello Marilyn. Many thanks for your response. After being discharched from Hornchurch, one of my own relatives, Great Uncle Frederick (Fred) Thompson spend time in Codford undergoing preparation, as most of these young fellas were, prior to being returned to The Front. In more modern parlance, this could be described as being made "match fit". Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosun Bob Posted 17 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Hello David. Thank you also for your valuable information - this is golden and of immense value to my wife and her family. None of what you have detailed has been known to any of them. Florence has only one serviving daughter now a sprightly 92. I appreciate your welcome too. Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bosun Bob Posted 17 February , 2020 Author Share Posted 17 February , 2020 Hello Peter. Thank you also. Your marriage certificate suggestion is a good one and once located, will bring forth more interesting information still. Cheers Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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