Army Nurse Jane Eleanor Turner

In this post we look at another World War One Army Nurse with a connection to the Casey Cardinia region. Jane Eleanor Turner was born in Lysterfield on October 27, 1887 to Josiah Stansfeld Milne Turner and his wife and Lucy Ida (nee Billington) (1).  Soon after her birth, the family moved to Kilcunda Road, Kongwak and that is where her six sisters were born. They family operated a sheep and cattle farm (2).

Jane's birth notice 

The Leader November 5 1887 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article196496197

Jane undertook her training at the Heathcote Hospital and qualified in November 1914 and worked there until her enlistment (3). As a matter of interest, her sister Bon commenced her nursing training at Heathcote in June 1914 and completeted it in May 1919 at Colac (4).

Jane Eleanor Turner successfully passes her Victorian Trained Nurses' Association examinations.

Bendigonian December 29, 1914 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92054275

Jane enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service on July 13, 1917 at the age of 29 (5).  The Great Southern Advocate (6) reported  that on July 23, a very successful farewell social was tendered to Staff-nurse Turner, of Kilcunda Road on Monday night by some of her many Friends, prior to taking her departure for Salonika to fulfil military duties. Mr F. Bunn, on behalf of the residents, on presenting Nurse Turner with a handsomely engraved set of solid silver brushes, mirror and comb and a purse containing a considerable amount of money, said that he was in a position to know that their guest possessed many fine qualities as he had known her from childhood, and he felt very proud of her (7). 

Jane embarked from Sydney on August 31, 1917 and was assigned at the 31st General Hospital at Abbassia, Cairo where she commenced duty on October 5, 1917. 

31st General Hospital at Abbassia, Cairo, where Jane worked. 

Photographer: John Dougal Cramb. Australian War Memorial Image J05644

Jane left Abbassia on June 13 1918 and arrived at Salonika, Macedonia nine days later where she was assigned to the 52nd General Hospital and later to the 42nd and 43rd General Hospitals. During this time she was admitted to hospital with Influenza (8).

Jane also worked at the 52nd General Hospital

Patients' huts at 52nd British General Hospital. Australian War Memorial Image H15755

Not only did the nurses, soldiers and patients have to battle disease, they also had to battle mosquitoes, at the 52nd General Hospital as this amusing photo, below, shows. 

 A group of Australian Army Nursing Service nurses at the 52nd British General Hospital at Kalamaria ready for night duty wearing headdress provided for protection against mosquitoes. 

Kalamaria is just south of Salonika.

Australian War Memorial Image H15761

On March 3 1919, Jane departed Salonika for England. After arriving in London, she was granted leave to attend a Motor Driving course at the Mansion Motor Training Garage. She finally left Engand on August 9, 1919 to return to Australia, arriving on September 27 (9).  

Nurse Turner was welcomed home at a function held at the Bena Mechanics' Institute on Friday October 10. Once again the Great Southern Advocate (10) reported on the function - The Bena Mechanics' Institute was crowded to the doors on Friday evening last when a public welcome home was tendered to Staff-Nurse Turner, just recently returned from active service. Nurse Turner has seen two years' service in Egypt, two in Solonica (11) and some time in England, but despite the fact that she has gone through all the many hardships involved in the ardous life of a Red Cross nurse she has returned looking exceedingly strong and well......A very fine collection of musical talent had been got together, and the large audience highly appreciated each item....At the conclusion of the musical programmne, Mr Whittet called upon Nurse Turner, for the purpose of presenting her with an inscribed gold medal, in honor of her return......congratulating Nurse Turner on her safe return and good health; and trusted she would live long in the freedom she had helped to gain.  You can read the full report, here.

We can trace her life after she returned home through her address in the Electoral Rolls (12).  In 1926 she was living at Koo Wee Rup and working, I assume, in the Hospital. A Bush Nursing Hospital had opened in the town in July 1918 and in May 1923 a new Fallen Soldiers Memorial Hospital was opened in Station Street. In 1931 she was living with her parents at 14 Green Street, Ivanhoe. They had moved there from Kongwak.  Stansfeld Turner passed away at Ivanhoe in September 1927 (13) and Lucy in November 1937 (14).  The next address I can find is in 1943, where Jane is living in Kew. In 1949 she had returned to Heathcote, the town where she had undertaken her nursing training, and was living with her sister, Bon Tranter. In 1954 Jane was at Melvin Street in Frankston and this is where she died on May 28, 1957, aged 69 (15). 

Jane's death notice

The Age May 29, 1957

Footnotes

(1) Indexes to the Victorian Births, Deaths and Marriages; Birth notice in The Leader November 5, 1887.

(2) Kilcunda Road, Kongwak address came from this report of a party at their house in the Great Southern Advocate, August 8 1895, see here.  The sisters were Hester Lucy (1889), Sara Elizabeth 'Bessie' (1894), Bon (1896), Violet May (1898), Ruby Alison (1900) Marjorie Ada (1905). Farming activities  - advertisement for a sale of one of their Alderney bulls in the Great Southern Advocate January 16, 1891, see here and report of sale of their sheep Weekly Times, March 30 1912, see here.

(3) I am assuming that she only worked at Heathcote as that is the only place of work listed on her enlistment paper in her  First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920   https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=1920646

(4) Bon Turner -  her succesful application to be a Probationer Nurse at Heathcote Hospital is from the McIvor Times June 4, 1914, see here. Bon Turner's  completion of her nursing exams at Colac comes from The Age, June 28, 1919, see here.

(5) First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, see here. 

(6) Great Southern Advocate July 26, 1917, see here.

(7) Great Southern Advocate July 26, 1917, see here.

(8) Details of service comes from her First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, see here.   

(9) As per Footnote 8.

(10) Great Southern Advocate October 16, 1919, see here.

(11) They have mistakenly reported that she was away for four years - it was two years.

(12) Electoral Roll available on Ancestry.com

(13) Stansfeld Turner's death notice was in The Argus, October 1, 1927, see here.

(14) Lucy Turner's death notice was in The Age, November 24, 1937, see here.

(15) Jane's Death notice was in The Age May 29, 1957. Jane was cremated at Springvale.