Anne Donnell’s WW1 History

On Thursday May 20^th 1915, aged 39 years 7 months, Anne Donnell enlisted in WW1, joining the A.I.F. as staff nurse of the 3^rd Australian General Hospital. Anne was described as five feet two and a half inches tall of medium complexion with light blue grey eyes, with her brown hair already starting to grey. She was a South Australian from Cherry Gardens, Adelaide. Anne sailed on 26^th May 1915 on the “Mooltan” going first to England, then back to Egypt via Malta. Anne’s war took her to Greece, Egypt, France and England. None of it was easy. The Great War was a vicious part of history.

20.05.1915  Departed Adelaide on board the RMS Mooltan.

27.06.1915  RMS Mooltan arrives Plymouth England, nurses prepare to serve in France.

02.07.1915  Anne receives orders to proceed to Mudros Harbour on Lemnos.

09.08.1915  No. 19 British General Hospital (Deaconesses’ Hospital), Alexandria.

23.09.1915  General Babtie would not allow Mrs Fiaschi to go to Lemnos after reaching Alexandria, consequently Anne stayed behind as midwife.

09.10.1915  Anne is on HM Hospital ship S.S. Galeka.

12.10.1915  Anchored in the outer harbour at Mudros.

14.10.1915  Anne arrives Lemnos, the Australian sisters were still living in tents. The British and Canadians were living comfortably in huts. By now there were many hospitals and convalescent camps situated on Lemnos.

31.10.1915  Today I’m wishing myself a happy birthday.

14.01.1916  Boarded HM Hospital ship Oxfordshire in Mudros harbour.

21.01.1916  Anne left Lemnos Island, Greece, after the evacuation of Gallipoli.

23.01.1916  Disembarked at Alexandria.

Feb 1916     Abbassia Barracks, Egypt, 3^rd Australian General Hospital.

10.04.1916  Still on night duty, Anne diagnoses a patient with smallpox.

17.05.1916  Anne has been officially informed to be packed up and ready to leave in six weeks.

01.09.1916  Wattle Day, our Hospital was all astir early this morning in getting away over 300 of our boys and sending them home.

25.09.1916  Anne leaves Egypt for England on the first Australian hospital ship Karoola.

05.10.1916  Anne arrives in Brighton, England with the 3^rd AGH.

06.10.1916  Kitchener Hospital

23.01.1917  The rumours have started again, and the latest one is that we are going to France.

10.02.1917  I am afraid of what we all dreaded most is going to happen, the breaking up of our family.  We are told there are to be no Units and we’ll be placed here and there by the wills of the powers that be.

27.04.1917  Anne leaves for France with the 3^rd AGH.

03.05.1917  Abbeville, France. We see the acutest work and the havoc the war plays on our precarious human lives.

05.05.1917  Anne was promoted to Sister.

June 1917   Hospital LeTreport, acute hut 40 beds.

12.07.2017  38^th Stationary Hospital, Calais B.E.F. France.

22.11.1917  48^th Casualty Clearing Station, between Ytres & Etricourt

18.01.1918  Sick Sisters Hospital in Abbeville via Perone & Amiens.

01.02.1918  Hotel de l’Esterel (Lady Gifford), Cannes.

28.02.1918  Anne returns to active duty 3^rd AGH, Abbeville.

09.03.1918  Admitted sick to 2^nd Stationary Hospital, Abbeville.

17.03.1918  Admitted Southwell Gardens P.U.O.

18.05.1918  No. 2 Australian Auxillary Hospital, Southall.

24.05.1918  No. 1 Australian Auxilliary Hospital, Harefield Park Middlesex, England – night duty.

11.11.1918  Harefield Park, England. ‘The Kaiser has chucked his job in’.

17.01.1919  Boarded the Margha, 10 nurses and approximately 600 troops left Devonshire, England 19.01.1919.

28.02.1919  Sister Anne Donnell returns home to Australia.