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.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/220809 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Rae, Ruth Lillian |
| Publisher | University of Sydney. Clinical Nursing |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English, en_AU |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Rae, Ruth Lillian;http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/copyright.html |
Page generated in 0.002 seconds