{"id":1317,"date":"2019-08-26T12:17:28","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T01:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1317"},"modified":"2019-11-03T15:35:43","modified_gmt":"2019-11-03T05:05:43","slug":"sister-anne-donnell-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1317","title":{"rendered":"Sister Anne Donnell"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Text and Images: Karen Agutter<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne Donnell was born in Cherry Gardens to William Donnell and Fanny (nee Jacobs). Anne enlisted for service in 1915. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On her attestation she is described as aged 39, five feet two inches of medium complexion with light grey\/blue eyes and brownish grey hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A member of the New Church, Staff Nurse Donnell embarked on the Mooltan<\/em> in May 1915 and was posted to the British General Hospital (Deaconesses\u2019 Hospital), Alexandria, Egypt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donnell also served on Lemnos, in England, and in France. She was promoted to Sister on 5 May 1917 and returned to Australia on the Margha<\/em>, disembarking 28 February 1919. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On return she became the matron of the South Australian Anzac Hostel at Glenelg and later went on to train as a mothercraft nurse in New Zealand, and ran the Infant Welfare Centre in Kalgoorlie. Sister Donnell died in Perth in 1956. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Donnell published extracts of her letters in a book of her experiences in the First World War entitled Letters of an Australian Army Sister, <\/em>Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1920. She writes \u2018When I said \u201cau revoir\u201d to all my dear friends in South Australia, I resolved to spare a few minutes each day to write a line or two, but the shop had scarcely left the wharf when I was well and truly down to it\u201d [p. 1]. Sister Donnell\u2019s letters reveal the grim realities of war through her descriptions of her life as an army nurse and of the \u2018poor boys\u2019 she cared for. Night Duty 6 December 1915 Lemnos, \u2018During those fearful days our thoughts were constantly with the boys on the Peninsula \u2026 Thousands have been taken to Alexandria, hundred \u2026 were drowned because their feet were so paralyzed [sic] that they could not crawl away to safety in time. They endured agonies. Sentries were found dead at their posts, frozen, and still clutching their riffles \u2026 It\u2019s all too sad for words, hopelessly sad\u201d [p. 69]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Donnell is remembered on the additional plaque on the Lych Gate Memorial, Stirling. She is also the subject of a Sixty Minutes <\/em>episode and a children\u2019s picture book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sister Donnell\u2019s WWI service records re available at this link<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know any more about Sister Anne Donnell? Contact us at mldhsgateways@mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au<\/a> or drop into the History Centre at the Coventry Library, 63 Mount Barker Road, Stirling.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Text and Images: Karen Agutter Anne Donnell was born in Cherry Gardens to William Donnell and Fanny (nee Jacobs). Anne enlisted for service in 1915. On her attestation she is described as aged 39, five feet two inches of medium complexion with light grey\/blue eyes and brownish grey hair. A member of the New Church, … Continue reading “Sister Anne Donnell”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":709,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PaNLq6-lf","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":709,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=709","url_meta":{"origin":1317,"position":0},"title":"War, Peace & Memorials","date":"May 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Return to Gateways Topics Frank Allen Schantz ClevelandSnoswell The Lych Gate Edward Mullin Sister Anne Donnell Andrew Lonie Christie Summertown Women's Memorial Frederick Norman Collisson","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/frank-allen-schantz.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1314,"url":"https:\/\/mtloftyhistoricalsociety.org.au\/?page_id=1314","url_meta":{"origin":1317,"position":1},"title":"The Lych Gate","date":"August 26, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Text and Images: Karen Agutter Following the cessation of hostilities in Europe in 1918 thoughts turned to the establishment of memorials dedicated to those who had served in the Great War. 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