Elizabeth McRae
Elizabeth McRae enlisted in the army on April 26th, 1915. She earned her
General and Surgical Nursing Training Certificate at Orange hospital from
1903 to 1907. McRae worked as a sister in North Sydney and Kurri Kurri hospital. On May 15th, 1915, McRae sailed on RMS Mooltan to a hospital in
Cairo, then based on a hospital ship Nestor, taking wounded men back to
Australia in 1916. McRae was then stationed at Rouen, France from April 1917. In
1918 she was sent to a casualty clearing station behind the front line. McRae was promoted to head sister on September 1st, 1918, and went back to Rouen, France until the war ended. Throughout her nursing in WWI, she endured measles and was gassed and as a result, suffered from respiratory issues. McRae also survived the deadly influenza pandemic a year after the war. As Elizabeth McRae was a career woman, she had no children. Only her extended family and local MacArthur historian and newspaper editor, Jeff Mcgill remain to pass on her legacy, as well as other historians interested in her life. There is a street in Campbelltown city's Minto, which is named after Elizabeth McRae.
1878-1967
On Monday, May 8th, Jasmine and I interviewed Jeff McGill, a historian who spoke on behalf of Elizabeth McRae, a nurse who served in World War One. In the interview, Jeff McGill displayed strong feelings of the passion and enthusiasm in which he feels regarding the life of Elizabeth McRae. McGill had an abundant amount of information on Elizabeth McRae, which helped us significantly on furthering our understanding of her life.
McGill is extremely concerned at the seldom recognition regarding the role of women and their marginalisation in the warring period, in particular the nurses.