The Lake Mac Heritage Series was placed to pay homage to the people, places and events that contributed to building and pioneering the Lake Macquarie region. The pick and shovel were chosen in this geoart series to symbolise the hard work the people of Lake Macquarie put forth into the region.

Lake Macquarie Nurses In WWII

Much has been written about men in the Great War, their hardships and suffering, while up until recent years the role women played in World War I has escaped notice of researchers. Nurses played a key role in attending to the sick and injured, working long hours in adverse and often appalling conditions. A memorial to honour the role these women played was unveiled in Canberra in October 1999, some ninety years after the war ended. A reserve unit to the Australian Imperial Force, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), was formed in 1902. It was the only avenue through which the Australian Military would accept women during WWI, although some made their own way overseas and enlisted through other services, for example Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR) in Britain. To enlist nurses had to be between the ages of 21 and 40, unmarried and completed a minimum of three years approved hospital training. Resignation was mandatory on marriage, though in the early days of the war it seems that was not strictly adhered to. Recent research determines around two and half thousand nurses served through AANS and over seven hundred nurses and masseuses through other allied units. Of those, twenty five are known to have died and close to four hundred were decorated.

The first draft of nursing staff left Australian shores aboard troopships on November 1 1914 alongside Australian and New Zealand servicemen. A second party left a month later. On departure they believed they were heading to England and then France, to assist in establishing hospitals. However a diversion to Egypt was commanded by British military leaders. Gallipoli provided their introduction to the volume of casualties, which was to seldom lighten for the next four years in several fields of battle. Just two nurses from Lake Macquarie are known to have served overseas. They are Mary Ann May Martin from Martinsville and Kathleen Byrne from Swansea.

The puzzle

All historical and heritage information courtesy of Lake Mac Libraries

Any questions regarding this puzzle cache or the LMHS geoart series will be answered by clicking HERE

*** The LMHS geoart was placed in conjunction with the OzGeoMuster 2018 mega event. The OzGeoMuster 2018 committee would like to thank the following people for their contribution to this series. ahomburg, day1976, sedgwickDave, The Morris, bobbiesgirl, and the_garbageman.***

Enjoy!

Marcus Vitruvius