| Accession Number | PR06220 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | 1 wallet: 1 cm |
| Object type | Letter |
| Maker |
War Office |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 1916 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Atkinson, Blanche
Description
One original handwritten letter, dated 5 August [1916], from the War Office, Whitehall S.W. to Nurse Blanche Atkinson, Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley. The signature on the letter is not clear, but the writer thanks [Nurse Atkinson] "very much for all your good work" and remarks "It is very nice indeed to know that you have been as happy as we could make you". The original envelope accompanying the letter is also included. The letter would have been written just prior to Nurse Atkinson leaving England, where she had been suffering from tuberculosis. She arrived back in Australia in September 1916, but did not recover from her illness and died on 9 December 1916. Nurse Atkinson was born in Crafers, South Australia, trained as a nurse at Adelaide Hospital, and during the First World War went to England to join Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service where she was on staff at the Brockenhurst Military Hospital. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross medal for her devoted service.