Nurses in the field during South African War

Nurses in the field during South African War

New Zealand nurses were anxious to serve in the war. The first group left for South Africa in early 1900, and by the end of the war, at least 35 had served.

The four women pictured here were from the Christchurch Public Hospital, and were based at No. 4 General Hospital of the Mooi River Camp in Natal. Nurse Emily Peter, seated first from the left, described this hospital as:

...the largest field hospital that has ever been known ... all under canvas... We have to wear gumboots and macintoshes as we go about our work from tent to tent.

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Anonymous

Posted: 21 Aug 2022

From about the age of 12-18(1956-62) I delivered the Gisborne Herald, 6 evenings a week in the Te Harpara suburb of Gisborne.Two of the recipients were a lovely elderly couple who lived in a very small house in School Road.Try as I might I cannot remember their surname. The wife was crippled and spent her days in a wheelchair, in the tiny lounge, with a tartan rug across her knees. I always took their paper inside the house, to hand to her. She often told me wonderful but sad tales of her experiences as a very young nurse in the Boer War in South Africa. I guess she was about 80 years of age when I knew her and her very gentle husband. She always gave me a Blackball sweet as a thank you for hand delivering the paper. A lovely lady.