HS REWA - postcard and medical / nursing staff photo

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf McM,

Thanks for the advice. Here's what I have gleaned from the Sister's records.

regards Zeze

 

Florence Nightingale Medal

The pressure on the Hospital Ship Medical Staff during the summer period of 1915 was immense.

Fleet Surgeon Frederick J. A. Dalton was clearly impressed by the way the four Reserve Nurses bore the work of dealing with the thousands of wounded brought on board “Rewa”. He writes:

‘S.N.O. Malta 692 24.7.16 ‘“Rewa” 6.7.16. Report by Fleet Surgeon Dalton states that all 4 Nursing Sisters in Hosp. Ship “Rewa” did marvellously good work on many occasions only lying down from 2 to 4 hours out of the 24. The work of Reserve Nursing Sisters Chibnall and Marshall being specially mentioned.’

[TNA ADM 104/163 p.109]

Sister Chibnall’s Q.A.R.N.N.S.R. record also has the following note:

17 Sept. 1915, Fleet Surgeon F. Dalton writes that: ‘Miss Chibnall is a lady and has much influence over the Sick Berth Staff. She is the Sister who set such an excellent example to the other three Sisters & the S.B. Staff by calmly going on dressing cases when the first batches of bullets began striking the decks & ships side’ [TNA ADM 104/162 p.48]

Sister Hilda Florence Chibnall, awarded ARRC 2nd Class [Edinburgh Gazette 22.12.1916 p.2373].

[Florence gives her account of hospital ship work off the Gallipoli beaches in JRNMS 1916 Vol 2 p.27 – 29]

Sister Marion Simpson Marshall, awarded ARRC 2nd Class [Edinburgh Gazette 02.01.1918 p.92]

Sister Jean P. Cullen, awarded ARRC 2nd Class [Edinburgh Gazette 02.01.1918 p.92]

Sister Alice Margaret Lockhart, I have not found a record for the award of the Royal Red Cross medal to Sister Lockhart.

Alice applied on 11th December 1916 to resign from Q.A.R.N.N.S.R. owing to her forthcoming marriage. In early 1917 she married T/Surgeon John Lambert who continued to serve on the “Rewa’ until it was torpedoed in Jan 1918 (he survived).

Alice’s record contains a letter in which she asked for permission to wear one gold chevron for her service at sea - this was granted. There is also a note dated 20.11.1919, in which Fleet Surgeon Dalton forwards a recommendation to the British Red Cross Society that Miss Lockhart (now Mrs John Lambert) be awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal. [TNA ADM 104/162 p.139]

During the Great War no distribution of this medal was made, however the British Journal of Nursing, 5th June 1920, announced forty-two Florence Nightingale Medals (world wide) had been awarded for exceptional service in connection with nursing. Mrs John Lambert was awarded the very rare medal ‘for services in 1915 and 1916, especially on the hospital ship Rewa at Gallipoli’.

No criticism of any of the four nurses intended as they all completed ‘sterling service’ but I wonder if Sister Chibnall knew & what she might have thought.

[alf mcm]

Thanks ZeZe,

   Very interesting, especially the information regarding the Florence Nightingale Medal.

  All 4 nurses mentioned above were also awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and British Victory Medal. Alice's medals are recorded under 'Alice M. Lockhart'.

Regards,

Alf McM

[alf mcm]

Zeze,

  I have the following additional names for your timeline, for the period January 1915 until March 1917;-

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Grace Glen AINSWORTH, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/46

On passage from Malta 14/12/1916 to 23/12/16

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Martha Alice BATTERSBY, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/47

On passage from Malta 19/12/1916 to 24/12/16

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Annie CUMBERLAND, QARNNSR

ADM/104/163/44

On passage to Malta 21/04/1916 to 24/04/1916

 

Nursing Sister Janet CURWEN, QARNNS

ADM/104/161/77

On passage from Malta 20/07/1916 to 29/07/1916

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Christina McIntosh DEWAR, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/63

On passage from Malta 14/12/1916 to 23/12/1916

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Annie Bertha GAGE, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/68

On passage from Malta 15/02/1917 to 26/03/1917

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Agnes Grant HECTOR, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/53

On passage from Gibraltar from 19/12/1916 to 24/12/1916

 

Nursing Sister Ethel Madeline Gertrude HIRST, QARNNS

ADM/104/161/117

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 28/08/1914 to 18/02/1915

 

Nursing Sister Gladys B. MARTIN, QARNNS

ADM/104/163/69

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 02/03/1917 to 30/08/1917.

 

Nursing Sister Mary Jane ROBERTS, QARNNS

ADM/104/161/164

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 22/02/1917 to 30/08/1917

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Vera Lickley SPARK, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/37

On passage to Malta 21/05/1915 to 29/05/1915. On passage from Malta 14/12/1916 to 23/12/1916.

 

Nursing Sister Frances Florence TARLETON, QARNNS

ADM/104/161/84

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 28/08/1914 to 15/06/1915 [Already on your list]. On passage to Malta 03/08/1916 to 12/08/1916.

 

Nursing Sister Dora Margaret TEBBUTT, QARNNS

ADM/104/161/104

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 28/08/1914 to 18/02/1915

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Dorothy Helen TROBRIDGE, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/120 & ADM/104/162/123

On passage to Malta 20/04/1916 to 29/04/1916. On passage from Malta 10/06/1916 to 17/06/1916

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Emily Agnes TURNER, QARNNSR

ADM/104/162/20

On passage from Malta 14/12/1916 to 23/12/16

 

Reserve Nursing Sister Harriet Frances WELLS, QARNNSR

ADM/104/163/70

Nursing Sister on ‘Rewa’ 02/03/1917 to 30/08/1917

 

I think @seajane would be interested in your timeline.

Regards,

Alf McM

[seaJane]

4 hours ago, alf mcm said:

think @seajane would be interested in your timeline

You think right! Having retired, I can't be professionally interested any more, but I shall send my former colleagues of the QARNNS archive a link to this thread.

sJ

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf McM,

Thanks for the info. I’ll add them to a revised "Rewa". I included a few of the ‘transit’ nurses just to illustrate because there’s a photo of a nurse on board, or maybe a note in a ships nurse’s autograph book, it doesn’t necessarily mean that person was a member of ships nursing staff. Been down that rabbit hole quite a few times as I’m plodding on with a general ‘hospital ship nurses who served at Gallipoli’ database, the records are sparse and adding a nurse in transit is an easy error to make.

There is now similar time line for HMHS Soudan on the forum. Couldn’t spot everyone – Willamia MACILWAIN’s relief stumped me. Found TNA ADM 104/92 p.587 a bit of a jumble.

I have one more Hospital Ship staff timeline for “Dongola” which to me has been the most interesting of all. I’ll post it soon when I have checked a new source of info I have just stumbled across.

regards ZeZe

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

  Your timelines will be a great help for identifying group photographs where 1 or 2 names are already known.

  I started a database a couple of years ago to try and record all nurses in ADM/161-5. Haven't quite finished yet as the files are sometimes difficult to follow. I will eventually get it finished.

Regards,

Alf McM

[seaJane]

On 20/07/2022 at 10:52, ZeZe said:

Florence gives her account of hospital ship work off the Gallipoli beaches in JRNMS 1916 Vol 2 p.27 – 29

Online here: https://archive.org/details/JRNMSVOL2Images/page/n33/mode/2up

[ZeZe]

Updated timeline, better refferences, additions thanks to Alf McM.

Regards ZeZe