WW1 Nurses
The first world war from 1914 - 1918, also known as WW1 or the great war was between the allies and the central powers. The Allies included countries such as Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan, and the United States. The central powers included counties such as Germany, AustriaHungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman empire.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was on the 28th of June 1914 and one of the main causes of World War 1. Archduke was an important figure in the Austria-Hungary empire as he was the next in line to be Empire. On the 28th of June Archduke and his wife went to the capital city Sarajevo of Bosnia where they were both shot in their car by a 19-year-old Serbian nationalist by the name of Gavrilo Princip. Austria-Hungary found out about this, and with the help of Germany, they declared war on Serbia on July 28th, a month to date after his assassination
The cause of the war was built off of four main reasons summarised by the acronym M.A.I.N. Militarism is a country’s ability to expand their military force to be able to wage war. Alliances are an agreement between countries to provide military aid in the event that they may be attack or fight in war. Imperialism is when a country takes another territory into their control for political, wealth or cultural benefits. Nationalism is the pride of one’s own country and rivalling other countries or providing support to smaller nations. These main reasons followed by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28th of June 1914, meant that war was declared beginning WW1.
There are multiple reasons for Australia’s involvement in the first world war. The war began when Britain and Germany went to war on august 4th 1914. Prime minister Joseph Cook, and opposition leader Andrew fisher pledged full support for Great Britain also known as the mother country. Australia’s involvement in WW1 could also be linked to the fact that Australia could gain benefits from fighting the war as well being viewed as a strong and loyal country.
Australians served in many places overseas such as the Suez Canal, Beersheba, Romani, and Jerusalem, but mainly served in Gallipoli, the western front and in the middle east 416,809 Australians enlisted into WW1 324,000 of these Australians served overseas 8 141 Australian soldiers died at Gallipoli, 46,000 Australian soldiers died at the western front with over 156,000 wounded and 1,300 Australian soldiers killed in the middle east
Nurses served during the first world war from 1941 to 1918. 2861 women enlisted into the AANS and served overseas. 25 of the nurses that served during this time died while serving. The nurses that served in the AANS during WW1 served in many places overseas. Some of these places include Egypt, Belgium, England, India, France, and Greece. These nurses also worked in Australian and allied hospitals, casualty clearing stations, on board trains and ship hospitals and in veteran hospitals back in Australia.
Women who served as nurses during WW1 experienced many horrible things. Nurses often witnessed other nurses be killed by disease and injury, get taken hostage or kidnapped and listed as missing. Nurses often saw many soldiers that were placed into their care die due to severe injuries and illnesses that couldn’t be treated because of lack of personnel and medical equipment. These nurses were unable to treat many soldiers because of this, they could only feed them and dress their wounds.
The conditions that the nurses were required to work in were also dangerous and unsanitary. These conditions can be summarised by a quote from Rachael Pratt describing the soldiers in desperate need of help on island Lemnos. “Things were in rather a state of chaos when the wounded began to arrive. Their dressing which had been applied on the hospital ships were saturated and covered in flies. Dysentery was a scourge on the island… many of the wounded fell prey to the disease… the cold weather brought frost bitten patients. It was pitiable to see gangrene feet.” (Australian war memorial, 2023). Many soldiers obtained contagious diseases from the trenches that couldn’t be treated properly in the hospitals. This led to many nurses catching the diseases and falling ill. The hospitals were cramped and extremely understaffed. It was difficult to keep them clean and useable to prevent any further illness.
Nurses who served in WW1 experienced many long and short-term impacts because of it. Some shortterm impacts include death due to illness and injury while serving. 25 nurses were killed while serving during WW1 and many others were injured. There was not enough equipment or personnel to treat the wounded. In one case there was 557 wounded soldiers on board of a ship with only 7 nurses capable to treat them on board. There was also the constant risk of being attacked. Nurses performed their duties under fire even when in direct danger. In the case of Rachael Pratt, she was on duty at a casualty clearing station in France when a German bomb exploded near her tent. Shrapnel tore into her back and shoulders which punctured her lungs. She continued to tent to her patients right up until the moment she collapsed. (Australian war memorial, 2023).
Some long-term impacts include severe trauma and mental health issues. Almost every single nurse suffered from some form of trauma or mental health issue due to the horrors that they had witnessed during the war. Disabilities from illness and injury. Many nurses obtained disabilities and permanent illnesses and health issues from their time serving in the war. Some of these issues being missing limbs, visual impairment, loss of hearing, and many more health complications affecting them for the rest of their lives.
Rachael pratt case study map
Rachael Pratt was born in Heywood, Victoria on the 18th of July in 1874 as the ninth child of her family. She attended Mumbannar state school. She lived with her parents William and Phoebe, but after they died, she moved in with one of her brothers.at aged 31 in 1909, she began her training to become a nurse at Ballarat hospital. She received a certificate of competency august 1912 and was employed 2 months later at the royal women’s hospital, Melbourne. In May of 1915, aged 41, she decided to serve her country and enlist into the AANS and the AIF as a staff nurse.
On the 18th of May, Rachael was sent off to Europe to work in one of the hospitals but ended up being sent to Lemnos in August when the hospital got transferred there. After being assigned to work at the no.3 A.G.H she was transferred to Abbissia, Egypt and continued to work there until the 25th of September. She was then assigned to work in the no.1 A.G.H. on the 4th of July Rachael Pratt was tending to patients in the first casualty clearing station in Bailleul when an air raid hit. She was severely injured by a piece of shrapnel that sliced through her shoulder then punctured her lung. She continued to tend to her patients until the moment she collapsed. She was awarded a medal for bravery under fire the next day. She was 1 of only 8 Australian nurses who received this medal.
Rachael was discharged from the military after this and returned home to Australia. She lived in a house which she purchased in Upwey, Victoria where she lived for the rest of her life.
Rachael fell sick of chronic bronchitis and other shrapnel related injuries and was admitted to the Repatriation general hospital, Heidelberg. She remained at the hospital until she died on the 23rd of March 1954 due to these injuries.
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