CLEMENTINA HAY MARSHALL
In Honour of the skilled Nursing work of a SYDNEY HERO,
CLEMENTINA HAY MARSHALL.
Born 22nd April 1879 in Dornoch north Scotland, travelled to Australia age 9, Passed away Urunga northern NSW in August 1968.
The families of Clementina, acknowledge this wonderfully courageous skilled Nurse who enrolled as a trainee in 1903 at Sydney Hospital, & enlisted into the AANS (Australian Army Nursing Service) in May 1914, before WW1 was announced, her enlisted Nurse number was AANS #7.
Clementina was one of over 2000 Australian Nurses who gave Life saving Hospital care in the War zone fields of WW1 & on the
Hospital Ship Gascon, on the Mediterranean sea stationed 2kms off the Turkish Gallipoli beaches during 1915 to give care, administer theatre operations, & save the lives of Australian, New Zealand, British & French soldiers.
Clementina was on board Hospital Ship Gascon on the 25th of April 1915 & for 7months thereafter during the attempt to capture Turkey, which ultimately failed, & cost about 20,000 young ANZAC lives.
Clementina then served as AANS nurse in English Hospitals in 1915, 1916 & 1917 & then was presented The Royal Red Cross 2nd class medal at Buckingham Palace London, by King George V on the 17th March 1917.
Clementina then saved lives of ANZAC soldiers in the French Western Front war zone & fields during WW1.
On returning to Australia in 1920, Clementina worked as Head Operating Theatre Nurse at Sydney hospital, & in 1921 worked as Matron from May to October 1921.
During the 1920`s & 1930`s Clementina nursed in other Sydney hospitals & travelled the World.
During her lifelong devoted Nursing career, Clementina was the epitome of the newly emerging full time career Nurse, studying medicine in all the new sciences, working 12 hour shifts 6 days per week to care for patients lives showing kindness in peoples long dark suffering hours, & showing great spiritual encouragement for her fellow ANZACs. Clementina was invited every year from 1930`s to her passing in 1968 to drive in the Coffs Harbour RSL, & Urunga RSL Presidents motorcar to Lead the ANZAC day parade.
Her nursing skills & care are remembered, acknowledged by many old soldiers who cherished & revered Clementina as saving their lives during the 5 years of battle during WW1.
Her family cherish her Loyalty to the newly formed ANZACs.
DONALD MARSHALL, 8 JOYNER ST. MOORABBIN MELBOURNE 2015. MT#0419373434 Copyright approved 9/9/2015
Clementina Hay Marshall’s WW1 NURSES diary, written on board troopship SS Argyllshire 1914 and on board Gallipoli Hospital Ship Gascon. This diary includes notes about troop movements & actions, & soldier’s injuries in Egypt, Malta, Ismailia, Alexandria, London, Wandsworth, Harefield and Wimereux, France and tours around the Mediterranean. The diary is 101 years old, handwritten, ORIGINAL. This Study and research, started 2013 By Donald Marshall , CHM Great Nephew.
CLEMENTINA HAY MARSHALL, first child of Robert Wiseman Marshall and Margaret Hay Marshall, Clementina was BORN 22ND APRIL 1879, IN DORNOCH NORTH SCOTLAND.
Some of the Famous people Clementina Hay Marshall met on her life journey, with other significant events noted; –
1888 Clementina was 9 years old when she emigrated to Australia from Dornock, North Scotland, with her mother Margaret, brother Alexander, sister Elizabeth, & My grandfather Robert Williamson Marshall. ( BABY JAMES DIED 1886 AGE 2YEARS. ) ( The father Robert Wiseman Marshall traveled out another time before or after ?? ) The family traveled with the mother ONLY, they were passengers on board the emigrant steam sailing ship SS Aberdeen. On board was Captain Taylor, 67 First class, 350 steerage passengers & the importer of Australia’s first set of 6 matched breeding Scottish Clydesdale horses, here Clementina fell in Love with horses. A stormy voyage of 10 weeks, via Rio De Janiero, Cape of Good Hope & Melbourne.
1890’s Marshall family toured NSW with early pioneers of Sydney, Peakhurst, Bega and Pambula, NSW.
1903 The early nursing Matrons and nursing sisters at Macquarie Street, Sydney Hospital, CHM enrolls as a trainee nurse, where CHM meets Matron Creal, Sister Hallet (later Matron) & Nurse Bessie Pocock, & Nurse Miles Franklin.
1913 Australia’s first Radiologist Dr Herschel Harris at Sydney hospital.
Operates with Surgeon Dr. Fiaschi.
1914 Principal Matron Gould 1st Matron of Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS)
17-10-14 CHM boards S.S. Argyllshire as an AANS nurse, with Sister Bessie Pocock, Clementine shook hands with Australia’s Governor General, Mr Duffield.
28-2-15 At Heliopolis Hospital in Egypt, CHM nurses the first war injured New Zealand soldiers.
22-4-1915 Clementina Marshall has her 36th Birthday on board the British Hospital Ship Sicilia in Alexandria, then steam sails to Lemnos Harbour, in the Mediterranean sea. Next day CHM boards the British Hospital ship H.S. Gascon, (Both were Steam Ships), 2 days before the ANZAC Gallipoli attack,
23-4-1915 CHM Boards H.S. Gascon with Captain Stanley, Matron Woolley the British Matron in charge, Nurse Muriel Wakefield (who trained at Sydney Hospital) , Nurse Ella Tucker (who trained at Launceston), Sister Katherine Porter, Sister Sophie Durham, Sister Alice Kitchen, ( then after September 1915 Sister Hilda Samsung and Sister Christine Dickson). All the Sisters on board were A.A.N.S. from Australia. Clementina was the Theatre Sister in Charge with Surgeon Colonel Syme & Major Owen of the Royal Australian Medical Corp.
25th April 1915 The first war wounded & dying soldiers from Gallipoli are taken aboard HS Gascon at 9am, & continue to be loaded for the next 7 months, transporting them to Alexandria.
18th May 1915 Clementina is the private nursing sister to care for General William Throsby Bridges, the commanding officer of the ANZAC forces, unfortunately, he dyes on board after operations to save his life, and Clementina signs his death certificate.
1915 Australia’s official war correspondent C. W. Bean, on board H. S. Sicilia & H. S. Gascon
Andrew Banjo Patterson, who was also Sydney Morning Herald correspondent ,who reported back to SMH newspaper. Later on, she met Andrew Banjo Patterson again in Wimereux (France) and also at Mena House in Cairo
10-6-1915 Meets General Sir Ian Hamilton on board HS Gascon
2-9-1915 CHM Leaves Gascon at Alexandria (Egypt) with Sisters Durham, Porter and Wakefield
17-3-1917 Meets King George V (King of England) at Buckingham Palace and is presented with the Royal Red Cross, ( RRC 2nd Class is for Nurses, only Matrons get 1st class RRC ) then CHM meets Queen Alexandra (sister of the Czar of Russia by marriage). Meets the King and Queen of England at Marlborough House for afternoon tea.
1918 Lady Rachael Duffield (wife of the Governor General) whom CHM meets and works with at Wimereux Clearing Station Hospital.
AUGUST 1968. CLEMENTINA MARSHALL PASSES AWAY AGED 89 & IS BURIED AT URUNGA NSW CEMETERY, HER WHITE GRAVESITE IS DECORATED WITH AN IMPRESSIVE LARGE RED CROSS & AANS COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVESITE WITH HER BROTHER & SISTERS GRAVES.
Referencing to Australian Heroines, SDV & others, Donald Marshall research. Copyright approved 9/9/2015