Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2999-01-01

There is an abundance of historical and anecdotal material relating to the experiences of the Australian soldier during World War 1. These soldiers were conscious both during and after the war that their contribution was important and that it was recognised as such by Australian society at large. Conversely there is an almost total absence of historical or anecdotal material about the role of the Australian nurse who served during this same conflict. Whether these nurses had the same degree of consciousness, either during or after the war, that their contributions were valued or seen as important by Australian society remains, largely, unknown. This thesis attempts to redress, in part, this absence by telling the story of a nurse, Jessie Tomlins, who served in the Australian Army Nursing Service during this period. At the same time specific aspects of the historical events surrounding World War One will be explored. Jessie Tomlins served, first as a Staff Nurse and later as a Sister, in the 14th Australian General Hospital in Egypt during 1916. At the same time her brother, Fred Tomlins, was already serving in the 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment and spent the entire four years of World War 1 in Palestine and Egypt. At the end of 1916 their younger brother, Will Tomlins, also joined the Army and became a member of the Anzac Mounted Division. The letters, postcards and photographs that Jessie, Fred and Will sent home to their mother and family, as well as Fred's fourteen diaries, form the foundation of this thesis. This thesis provides a meaningful snapshot of one woman from rural Australia who completed her nurse training during the war and then served her country during one of the most brutal periods of humankind. Her own words clearly tell the story of her war time experiences whilst, at the same time, conveying her expectations, prior to, during and after, this event. The development of the Australian Army Nursing Service, as it affected Jessie, over this period is also considered. It will be demonstrated that whilst ordinary men, soldiers, were at the military front line so too were ordinary women, nurses. The thesis will provide support for the contention that the contribution of Australian nurses in World War One, especially that of the ordinary nurse caring for the ordinary soldier, has been poorly recorded and as a result remains under-valued.

There is an abundance of historical and anecdotal material relating to the experiences of the Australian soldier during World War 1. These soldiers were conscious both during and after the war that their contribution was important and that it was recognised as such by Australian society at large. Conversely there is an almost total absence of historical or anecdotal material about the role of the Australian nurse who served during this same conflict. Whether these nurses had the same degree of consciousness, either during or after the war, that their contributions were valued or seen as important by Australian society remains, largely, unknown. This thesis attempts to redress, in part, this absence by telling the story of a nurse, Jessie Tomlins, who served in the Australian Army Nursing Service during this period. At the same time specific aspects of the historical events surrounding World War One will be explored. Jessie Tomlins served, first as a Staff Nurse and later as a Sister, in the 14th Australian General Hospital in Egypt during 1916. At the same time her brother, Fred Tomlins, was already serving in the 1st Australian Light Horse Regiment and spent the entire four years of World War 1 in Palestine and Egypt. At the end of 1916 their younger brother, Will Tomlins, also joined the Army and became a member of the Anzac Mounted Division. The letters, postcards and photographs that Jessie, Fred and Will sent home to their mother and family, as well as Fred's fourteen diaries, form the foundation of this thesis. This thesis provides a meaningful snapshot of one woman from rural Australia who completed her nurse training during the war and then served her country during one of the most brutal periods of humankind. Her own words clearly tell the story of her war time experiences whilst, at the same time, conveying her expectations, prior to, during and after, this event. The development of the Australian Army Nursing Service, as it affected Jessie, over this period is also considered. It will be demonstrated that whilst ordinary men, soldiers, were at the military front line so too were ordinary women, nurses. The thesis will provide support for the contention that the contribution of Australian nurses in World War One, especially that of the ordinary nurse caring for the ordinary soldier, has been poorly recorded and as a result remains under-valued.

No description available.

This is the first monograph to be published on the work of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) in the Great War. The historiography of British military nursing during this period is scant, and research based monograph are negligible. What exists, does not focus specifically on the work of the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, (QAIMNS) the Reserve, (QAIMNSR) or the Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) but tends to concentrate on the work of the volunteer, untrained, Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurses. Unfortunately, this has resulted in factually inaccurate representations of British WW1 nursing. The mass mobilisation of nurses by professional and voluntary nursing services led to rivalry between the different groups and my research addresses the relationship that develop between the trained and volunteer nurses. Also, my research examines the climatic and environmental conditions that impacted upon the effective delivery of nursing and casualty care and the mismanagement of services and supplies by the War Office and the Army Medical Services. Additionally, the political controversies and scandals over inadequate planning for the care, treatment and transportation of mass casualties is addressed. Furthermore, diseases and traumatic injuries sustained by nurses on active service are examined and, shell-shock, hitherto considered a combatants' condition is cited in relation to mental health issues of nurses on active service. Moreover, my research examines the deaths and disability rates within the ranks of nursing services. My research features individual awards for acts of bravery and mentioned in Dispatches. On the Home Front the politics of nursing are addressed. Nurses campaigned for professional recognition and many were supportive of universal suffrage and they argued for both professional and personal liberation. The struggle for professional recognition led to divisions within the civilian nursing leadership because they failed to arrive at a consensus on the content of the Nurse Registration Bill. Also, the supply of nurses for the war effort was consistently problematic and this led the Government to establish the Supply of Nurses Committee. Before it had its first sitting it had already become contentious and controversial. The issues are discussed. Using extensive primary sources, the monograph moves away from the myths, and uncritical and overly romanticised views of WW1 military nursing. It is hoped that by examining the personal, professional and political issues that impacted upon nurses the monograph will make a significant contribution to the historiography of WW1 military nursing and to the history of the Great War more generally.