ANZAC Day is observed annually on the 25th April. It commemorates the death of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers who lost their lives in Gallipoli during World War 1 (WW1). Not only do these two sovereign nations share the same remembrance day, but both countries feature in its name (Wikipedia, 2002).

While many people pay tribute to the fallen soldiers, something that is often overlooked is the role of women. Nurses were officially recognised as part of dedicated army services during WW1. While they were not on the front line, they certainly faced danger and were just as courageous as the men who were out there fighting (Tasmanian Lighthouse, 2014; Stewart, 2017). 

Around 5 000 Australian civilian nurses are thought to have volunteered for active service during WW1, of which 2 498 were part of the official Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) (Harvey, 2014; Tasmanian Lighthorse, 2014). Not only did this allow women to participate in the war, it provided them with opportunities for independence, travel, and to be closer to their male friends and family members (Australian War Memorial, n.d.). 

Four of the five Malcolm family siblings served during the First World War. Source

As @ravenruis proposed the ANZAC Day writing challenge 'Unsung Heroes', this post is dedicated to Eileen King, who is very much an unsung hero of her time. War nurses were extremely hard workers under conditions that were far from ideal. They endured poor facilities and resources, staff shortages, disease, language barriers, harsh climates, and a constant stream of and wounded and traumatised patients (State Library of Victoria, 2018) 

What makes Eileen unique though, is that she one of only eight Australian nurses awarded the WW1 Military Medal, the highest Imperial award that was available to them. The Military Medal is the nurses’ equivalent of the Victoria Cross, but little is known about the women who received them or their acts of bravery. Eileen King is the least known of them all (Stewart, 2010).

Eileen King and the Military Medal. Source

Eileen and Amy King were born seven years apart to Thomas Mulhall King, a retired Auditor-General and Commissioner of Railways of Queensland, and his first wife, Jane (nee MacDonnell) (Ford, 2014). They also had a brother, Reginald, who was the Deputy Premier of Queensland from 1929–32 (Gill, 1983). 

Despite the small amount of historical information available on Eileen King, it is clear that she shared a strong bond with her older sister up until her death. Their fates were intertwined, reuniting them on several occasions throughout the war, across two continents.

Although they grew up in Brisbane, Eileen and Amy both trained as nurses in the Homoeopathic Hospital in Melbourne. This qualified them to participate in WW1 (1) (Ford, 2014). Amy was the first to leave in November 1914. Most of Australia's war nurses (Amy included) were part of the AANS and were sent wherever the Australian troops went. This included Burma, India, the Persian Gulf, Egypt, Greece, Italy, France, and England (Tasmanian Lighthorse, 2014). Amy's first post was in Egypt attending to the wounded from Gallipoli (Grave Secrets, 2013b).

(L-R) Nurses in Egypt; Wounded soldiers evacuated from Gallipoli arrive alongside the hospital ship Gascon;  Casualties from Gallipoli in the former skating rink in Cairo. Source

In early 1915, the British Government made a special request that nurses be sent to England to join Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) (Ford, 2014). What is interesting about this organisation is that it started 12 years before WW1 during a time of peace. Its membership remained low in the early years due to the strict rules about who could join. Nurses had to be single, aged over 25 years, and of high social status. However, given the overwhelming number of WW1 casualties these rules were relaxed, which resulted in 10 000 qualified nurses joining Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNS[R]) (QARANC, n.d.). Eileen King was around 26 years old when she and three other women (2) were selected by the Australian Department of Defence to join the QAIMNSR. Eileen sailed to London from Melbourne on the 14th of April 1915 (Ford, 2014).

Eileen was deployed to France on the 9th June 1915. She initially worked in the 7th General Hospital in St Omer before being transferred to the to the 14th General Hospital at Wimereux (Ford, 2014). Australian nurses were well regarded by their peers, and Eileen was no exception. She was considered to be an excellent nurse who was liked by her patients (Ford, 2014). 

Australian nurses during WW1. Source

It wasn't until the 29th November 1917, that Eileen came truly face to face with the dangers of war. She was working at the No. 63 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) at Haringhe, Belgium when the Germans began bombing the area. Throughout the bombings, Eileen remained on duty and managed to get her patients out of the burning tent (Ford, 2014; Grave Secrets, 2013b). Although disappointed that she was only able to save six of them, the soldiers who knew her described her as one of the bravest women they had ever met (Stewart, 2010; Grave Secrets, 2013b; Ford, 2014).

 

Source 

Quoted text from newspaper:

“The day sisters had all gone to bed when the warning was received, and the patients were prepared for quick transference. Sister King was amid the din, but took no notice until she was thrown down, and, being unable to move, it was found that she was struck in the thigh and calf of the leg.” 

Eileen's injuries consisted of bomb wounds to the right thigh and the left calf, which resulted in a compound fracture of the left fibula and destruction of her Achilles tendon. She also had burns to her left foot (Ford, 2014).

Eileen was subsequently evacuated to the 14th General Hospital, where she'd previously worked. Here she was reunited with her sister Amy, who had been transferred in to care for her (Ford, 2014). The sisters travelled to London on the 2nd January 1918 where Eileen became a patient at Southwell Gardens. This hospital opened in London in July of 1917 specifically for ill Australian nurses (Ford, 2014).

Nurses and patients playing cricket at Isleworth, Military Hospital, UK. Source

In February 1918, Eileen's bravery was officially recognised by the King as reported by The Times (Ford, 2014):

“It was announced on Jan 30th that the King has been pleased to approve of the award of Military Medal to the following lady for bravery and devotion to duty on the occasion of a hostile air raid on a casualty clearing station. …..”

Amy returned to France in April and Eileen began undertaking light duties at London's Sister’s Hospital for the QAIMNS in July. However, her left leg never healed and she continued to take sick leave (Ford, 2014).

In February 1919, Eileen was invited to Buckingham Palace where the King presented her with the Military Medal for her bravery at the CCS (Ford, 2014). Only eight Australian nurses were awarded the Military Medal in WW1. On top of that, Eileen was the only one that was not part of the AANS (Stewart, 2010).

Following her presentation, the Medical Board deemed her unfit for work for long periods, and she was repatriated to Australia. Both she and Amy left Europe only days apart and returned to Melbourne via a short stop in Brisbane (Ford, 2014). Still being cared for by Amy, Eileen had surgery on her left leg, but with little benefit. Unable to work as a nurse, she took on the role of assistant matron at Melbourne Grammar School, before her health deteriorated once more (Ford, 2014). 

Eileen returned to England in 1937 as a nurse leading into WW2 (Stewart, 2010). In April 1939 she was invited to toast Fallen Comrades at the Diggers Abroad reunion dinner in London (Ford, 2014). This high profile event was attended by the Duke of Kent and Field-Marshal Lord Birdwood. Amy was also in England, and afterwards, the sisters took a trip to Paris (Ford, 2014).

On the 22nd March 1943 March Eileen boarded the MV Melbourne Star in Liverpool to return to Australia. The ship was carrying munitions cargo and 121 passengers and crew (Ford, 2014; Melbourne Star, n.d.). As it was crossing the Atlantic towards the Panama Canal, it was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-129 on the 2nd of April. Only four crew members survived and were rescued. Everyone else including Eileen, was declared missing and presumed dead. She was 54 years old (Ford, 2014; MV Melbourne Star (n.d.). 

Eileen is commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website

MV Melbourne Star. Source

Thank you Eileen for your service and bravery. Lest we forget.

Read other ANZAC Day tribute posts here.

Endnotes

1. To qualify for the AANS at least three year's service was required in Medical and Surgical Nursing in a recognised hospital. Nurses had to be between 21 and 45 years old and either single or widowed (Grave Secrets, 2013a). 
2. The three other nurses Eileen travelled to England with were Katie Heriot, Constance O’Shea and Estelle Doyle (Ford, 2014).

References

Australian War Memorial (n.d.), Great War Nurses. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/nurses/ww1. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Ford, H. (2014), 'Eileen King', Discovering ANZACS. Available at: https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/901330. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Gill, J. (1983), 'King, Reginald Macdonnell (1869–1955)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University. Available at: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/king-reginald-macdonnell-6963/text12093. Accessed 23 April 2018.

Grave Secrets (2013a), Australian Nurses in World War 1. Available at: http://ww1nurses.gravesecrets.net/. Accessed 23 April 2018.

Grave Secrets (2013b), Australian Nurses in World War 1. Available at: http://ww1nurses.gravesecrets.net/ki.html. Accessed 23 April 2018.

Harvey, E. (2014), 'World War I: Thousands of Australian nurses missed out on recognition', ABC News. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-04/world-war-i-australian-nurses-missed-out-on-recognition/5642274. Accessed 23 April 2018.

Melbourne Star (n.d.), MV Melbourne Star, Available at: http://www.melbournestar.co.uk/Attack.html. Accessed 23 April 2018.

QARANC (n.d.), QAIMNS World War I Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service QAIMNS Nurses. Available at: http://www.qaranc.co.uk/qaimns.php. Accessed 23 April 2018.

State Library of Victoria (2018), Researching Australian nurses, Australians in World War 1. Available at: https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/wwone_soldiers/nurses. Accessed 23 April 2018.

Stewart, E. (2010), 'Nurses under fire', Wartime, Issue 50. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/wartime/50/stewart_nurse. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Stewart, E. (2017), 'Devotion under fire', The Australian, 19 July. Available at: https://specialreports.theaustralian.com.au/818401/devotion-under-fire/. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Tasmanian Lighthorse (2014), Australian Nurses in WW1. Available at http://www.tasmanianlighthorse.com/australian-nurses-in-ww1/. Accessed 24 April 2018.

Wikipedia (2002), ANZAC Day. Current revision: 24 April 2018. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_Day. Accessed 24 April 2018.

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