Hi,
Here is my research into Noonan’s Lot 139 (I didn’t buy the medals but it may be of help to the new custodian)
Sister J. Cameron, Q.S.A. & K.S.A. medals as shown above.
There’s an interesting article by Jo Meer about Alfred Brown and the work of the Edinburgh and East of Scotland Hospital already on the forum here:
www.angloboerwar.com/forum/5-medals-and-...ospital-alfred-brown
A little more information regarding Sister J. Cameron’s service during the Boer War.
The Nursing Record & Hospital World 24th March 1900 states:
Miss Jessie Cameron - “Trained in the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, 1892 – 96, and has since been engaged in private nursing.”
Jessie was selected by the Committee of The Edinburgh and East Scotland Hospital to be one of the six Nursing Sisters under Matron A W Gill who sailed for South Africa on the ‘Briton’ on 24th March 1900. All had enrolled in the Army Nursing Reserve Service.
The original Nursing Staff were:
Matron, Miss Annie Warren Gill
Sister, Miss Mary S. Boyd
Sister, Miss Annie Buchanon Cameron
Sister, Miss Jessie Cameron
Sister, Miss E. J. Cumming
Sister, Miss Jane Galloway
Sister, Miss Effie M. Herriot
Mentions of the Sister’s extracted from the Report of the Edinburgh and East Scotland South African Hospital:
“As at first there could be no proper accommodation for the sisters, the Surgeon-General desired that they should join No. 6 General Hospital at Naauwpoort, but whenever the Edinburgh Hospital was able to receive them they would be sent to duty with it. This arrangement for the sisters was carried out and they left Cape Town by the mail train on the evening of the 11th April and worked at Naauwpoort until the 17th May, at which date they were sent on to Norval’s Pont.”
“While the sisters of the Edinburgh Hospital were working with No.6 General Hospital at Naauwpoort, Sister Mary S. Boyd was struck down with acute dysentery, and died on 15th May, after a short illness.”
“The proportion of sisters to patients in the Edinburgh Hospital was rather above that of most military hospitals. This tended to make nursing more efficient.”
“In August, as losses had been sustained by the nursing staff by death, and by illness necessitating the invaliding home of one of the sisters, [this was probably Effie M. Herriot] two additional sisters were sent out by the committee.”
The two additional Sisters were Clementina Kemp and H. G. Miller.
Edinburgh and East Scottish Hospital Orderly, William Dick, died of enteric fever on 16th September 1900.
The Edinburgh and East Scotland South African Hospital treated Officers, Non Commissioned Officers, Men and Civilians between 3rd May 1900 and 14th October 1900. 507 patients were admitted into the hospital and upwards of a 1000 out-patients were seen and treated.
Shipping records:
The ‘Dilwara’ left Cape Town for England on 25th October 1900. Nursing Sisters onboard were A W Gill, E J Cumming, J Cameron, A B Cameron, J Galloway, H G Miller, A M McDonnell & E Walker.
(I can find no evidence that A M McDonnell & E Walker served with the Edinburgh Hospital and were probably other nurses returning at the same time)
Several of the nurses including Sister Jessie Cameron returned to South Africa in 1901 and continued to serve there into 1902 thereby qualifying for the K.S.A. Medal.
Shipping records:
Nursing Sister J Cameron returning on the ‘German’ which left for England on 28th September 1902.
It doesn’t appear that Sister Jessie Cameron continued to work in military nursing (Q.A.I.M.N.S. Jessie Catherine Cameron N.A. WO 399/1272 is a different nurse) but at least three of her Edinburgh and East Scotland South African Hospital colleagues did serve in WW1 and their files are available to download from the National Archives.
Miss Annie Buchanon Cameron O.B.E. R.R.C. – WO 399/1262
Miss Jane Galloway – WO 399/2981
Miss Clementina Kemp – WO 399/4532
* * *
Sources:
Report of the Edinburgh and East Scotland South African Hospital
archive.org/details/b21461867
The Nursing Record & Hospital World / British Journal of Nursing
rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/volumes/24/Volume%2024%20Page%20233
WW1 Nurses Records
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-yo...e-records-1914-1918/
Shipping Records of the London Times are in ‘Miscellaneous information’ of this web site.
Regards ZeZe
