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This, to my mind, historically important medal comes with the kind permission of Keith Sparrow - the current custodian.

Katherine Gertrude Hill

Civilian Nurse and Matron, Victoria Hospital, Mafeking – Anglo Boer War

- Queens South Africa Me-dal (no clasp) to Nursing Sister K.G. Hill

Kate Hill was an extraordinary woman as were most who pursued a career in nursing in Victorian England and who had the added gumption to travel to South Africa to help the British forces in their hour of need.

What made researching her frustrating was the intermittent use she made of the name Catherine and the very few examples of where she made use of her middle name – one she does not appear to have been fond of.



An Irish girl by birth – she was born in County Cork in 1871. Having finished her schooling she enrolled in Monkstown Hospital in nearby Dublin for her nursing training. She also worked at Adelaide Hospital in Dublin one of the most notable and forward-thinking hospitals of its time and one which would have given a young probationer nurse like Hill a solid grounding which would put her in good stead for the rigours she was shortly to face.

By the time October 1899 rolled round the war which had threatened between the two Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal finally erupted into open conflict. Britain, or certainly the British military presence in South Africa was woefully understaffed and inadequate to face the Boer onslaught. The Boers, in turn, were better prepared and made it their first order of business to try and take the major towns en route to both the Cape Colony and Natal.

Within days of war having been declared commandos headed for Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith laying siege to these three centres and causing great hardship for their inhabitants. It was especially on the nursing front that the lack of expertise and staff was felt the most keenly. There were simply not enough trained and qualified nurses and doctors to cater for the needs of the military and civilian populations.

Whilst undergoing her training at Adelaide Hospital a young Katherine Hill met and worked with one of the most eminent consulting surgeons of his day – Dr (later Sir) Kendal Franks. Franks was a brilliant and very artistic man but one who was doomed to marry women whom he outlived. After he had lost his second wife at a young age he remarried for a third time but, again, to a woman who was in indifferent health. Determining to take her to South Africa where the climate would be better suited to her health he made the move in the late 1890’s. It is uncertain as to when Hill followed suit but the records indicate that she came out to South Africa to administer to Franks’ wife.

As already indicated the country was crying out for trained, experienced medical personnel and Nurse Hill came as a godsend to the sleepy town of Mafikeng, under siege from the Boers two days after the war had commenced. For details of how she was engaged we must turn to the October 28th 1899 edition of the Nursing Record and Hospital World. Here on page 53 we get a rough picture of conditions in Mafeking as follows,

“Miss Hill is the Matron, and Dr Hayes the medical officer of the Mafeking Hospital, which is a somewhat primitive place. The institution, just before the war, was in very low water, with an overdraft of £200. In an article on its behalf we read: - “If there is any wealthy and generous person who wants to do some real good, he might offer to supply some linoleum. Footsteps sound so loudly on the bare boards, and we all know how much noises worries invalids.”

The siege endured for a period of 217 days and was lifted only on 17 May 1900. Of military casualties there were not many – certainly not many shot and wounded by Boer bullets or cannon but, as can be imagined, foodstuffs and other vital supplies were soon in short supply. Colonel Robert Baden-Powell described the situation in his report published in the London Gazette of 6 February 1901. It read, in part, as follows,



“General Cronje with an army of 3000 Boers and 10 guns, surrounded the place. On the approach of the enemy we sallied out and, in a sharp little engagement, dealt them a severe blow, by which they lost 53 killed and many more wounded, and which had a lasting moral effect. During the first phase of the siege, October and November, General Cronje made various attempts to take the place. These attacks we beat off without difficulty in every case and responded by sorties , varying their nature every time as far as possible, and making them so sudden and so quickly withdrawn as not to give the enemy’s supports time to come up and overpower us.

The enemy’s losses in this period were very heavy compared to ours.”

Baden-Powell went on to make specific mention of those whose conduct had warranted distinction – these mentions included the Victoria Hospital (Mafeking Hospital) and the Nursing Staff: Miss Hill (Matron) and three nurses, assisted by four volunteers and also by Mother Teresa and six sisters (nuns). So there it was – a 29 year old nurse had been catapulted into bearing the responsibility of a hospital in wartime with the full status of Matron.

Baden-Powell went on to say that,

“On outbreak of war I took over the town hospital, but at first the administration was not satisfactory, on account of want of supervision, over expense of sores, and sanitation. I therefore appointed an issuer and storekeeper and a sanitary inspector. Both Doctors and Nurses did excellent work. Always shorthanded, and frequently under fire. (All the hospital buildings were struck by shells and bullets), and the first convalescent hospital was wrecked and the second damaged by 94 pound shells.)

In another section of his report he mentioned that, “Miss Hill, the Matron of the Victoria Hospital, was assisted by a number of lady volunteers, in addition to her regular staff. The above ladies worked with the greatest zeal and self-devotion throughout the siege. The protracted strains of heavy work, frequently carried out under fire, told on most of them, Miss Hill being at one time prostrated by overwork. It was largely due to their unremitting devotion and skill that the wounded, in so many cases, made marvellous recoveries, and the health of the garrison remained so good.”

High praise indeed and, with such glowing testimonies of her skill and devotion being laid bare to the British public it was no small wonder that a Mention in Dispatches was followed by the highest accolade accorded to nurses in the Boer War – the award of the RRC – The Royal Red Cross decoration. Her services did not go unnoticed by civilians either – F.D. Baillie in his “Diary of the Siege” wrote that,

“The Red Cross flag, at the commencement of the siege floated over the railway embankment, the first dressing station, the refugee dressing station, the convent, which is fitted up as a hospital, and the Victoria Hospital. General Cronje stated, and with some show of reason, that he could only recognise one hospital. However prior to this he had sent many shells through the convent, possibly from its being a two-storied building and naturally a conspicuous mark. Consequently Victoria Hospital, always the main hospital, became the only one used throughout the operations. Dr Haves was the PMO, Miss Hill the Matron, and here, on behalf of the garrison of Mafeking, I must endeavour to convey our feelings of deep gratitude and admiration for the work done by this lady, the nurses and their assistants during the siege.

I can testify personally to their devoted care and attention to patients, and Britain may well be proud of them. One 94 pound shell went through the hospital wrecking a ward and killing a native boy. shells fell all around it, and bullets were continually hitting it, indeed, wounded and already wounded man, but these ladies continued their work undisturbed.”

The besieged garrison also, in indomitable British style, managed to produce their own newspaper. This sheet, entitled The Mafeking Mail was issued daily “shells permitting.” The Special Siege Edition dated Tuesday, December 12th 1899 carried an article on a sports meeting arranged no doubt to relieve the monotony of the siege.

The correspondent referred to “Miss Hill, the courageous and charming Matron of the Victoria Hospital, presented the very handsome prizes at the conclusion of the meeting, after which three hearty cheers for Miss Hill and three more for Colonel Baden-Powell ended a good days sport.” That Matron Hill immersed herself into the life of the town was beyond doubt – she appears to have been universally liked and respected and, in a letter from (religious) Sister Mary Stanislaus written to her brother on Christmas Day 1899 she writes how,

“A few shots were fired in the morning – the rest of the day was calm. Miss Hill, matron of the hospital, gave ingredients for a plum pudding.”

A week or so later this worthy nun, in another letter to her brother wrote that, “Trench life was hard on some of the sisters, others bore its inconveniences with no ill effects. Miss Hill, Matron of the Hospital, offered Reverend Mother a room for typhoid fever patients, but it was afterwards decided to house the fever-stricken in a downstairs room in the convent.”

That Katherine Hill knew the hero of Mafeking was not in any doubt – the Nursing Record and Hospital World edition of 9 June 1900 (after the siege was lifted) under Army Nursing Notes mentions that,

“When Major General Baden-Powell, the great defender of Mafeking, addressed the garrison, after relief of the town, he spoke to each unit separately, commencing with the nurses, whom he complimented on their pluck and devotion, shaking hands most warmly with Miss Hill, the Matron of the Hospital. Happy Miss Hill!”

With Mafeking relieved a lady like Matron Hill was not going to stand idle – she moved on to Vryburg a short distance away and assisted at the hospital there for a period before moving down to Wynberg in Cape Town where she continued her sterling work. She was awarded, in addition to the RRC, the Queens Medal - sadly she was unable to sport the Defence of Mafeking clasp on her medal as nursing staff were deprived of this honour no matter how richly deserved.

Inevitably affairs of the heart took control and, on 27 June 1902, a couple of months after the cessation of hostilities, she wed a dashing 33 year old Lieutenant in the Cape Police – Claud Edward Wimble – at St. Cyprian’s Church in Kimberley. No longer a child herself at 31 years of age she signed herself “C.G. Hill” for the last time. In an obvious hurry to commence a family, Ernest Alfred Hugh Edward Wimble was born in Kimberley on 17 November 1902 – just over nine months after his parents had tied the knot.

In 1910 Hewitt Edward Mervyn was born to the couple – he sadly gave his life in the cause of freedom at El Alamein on 23 October 1942 as a Lance Corporal with the Rand Light Infantry. Perhaps Katherine Hill had been spared the news? There is no report on hand to inform us as to when and where she died.

Very nice piece of research Rory......

A perfect example as to why Nurses should have gotten bars especially the ones in the sieges.....

Mike

Hello Rory,
I think most people would agree with you, I certainly think this example is historically important, a really lovely medal and well done for taking the time to research it for it's owner.
Regards Frank

Mike.
Quite frankly, I think they were robbed, a girl like the recipient here, found herself I the thick of it, from the moment those shells started to land, very unfair.
Frank

QSAMIKE wrote: Very nice piece of research Rory......

A perfect example as to why Nurses should have gotten bars especially the ones in the sieges.....

Mike

Good Morning Frank......

If this was in my collection and I had a spare DofM bar I when mounting for display would add it to the medal about 1/2 down the ribbon and then explain about the nurses not getting any bars...... But for display only......

Mike

Very nice indeed Rory,

As a side line. I had the great pleasure a few years ago to have had in my hand Mr Wimbles group of medals, which included a QSA with the DOM clasp.

Perhaps he was a patient of hers at some point??

Great medal and super write up.

Cheers