| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | RCDIG0001392 |
| Collection number | PR05050 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | File |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Diary |
| Physical description | 127 Image/s captured |
| Maker |
Pocock, Mary Anne 'Bessie' Various |
| Place made | Australia, United Kingdom: England |
| Date made | 1917-1919; 2006 |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copying Provisions | Digital format and content protected by copyright. |
Transcript of diary of Mary Ann 'Bessie' Pocock, 1914-1918 (Vol. 4)
Description
Transcript of the First World War diary of Matron Mary Ann (Bessie) Pocock, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). The transcript was compiled by members of Pocock’s family and produced in 2006. The transcript covers the period from October 1917 and 5 December 1919, detailing her nursing service in England and return to Australia after the war. In this transcript she details her transfer to England in October 1917 to head up an Australian convalescent hospital at Cobham Hall in Kent. Pocock describes the her time at Cobham Hall and the experience of both the patients and nurses there. She also details her final appointment as matron of the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford, from January 1918 onwards. Whilst in England, she describes her sightseeing and memorable events, such as travelling to Buckingham Palace to be decorated with the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) and attending the memorial service for nurses St. Paul’s in London, with Queen Alexandra attending. The transcript is interspersed with photographs such as those of her fellow sisters, Christmas decorations, and from her time with 2nd Australian General Hospital.