TOPIC:

Johanna / Jean /‘Joey’ CHARLESON R.R.C
1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Mentioned in Despatches vide Sir G. White's Despatches ~ Gazette : 2nd December 1899
Awarded The Royal Red Cross vide Edinburgh Gazette 4th November 1902

Born 1877 the daughter of Hector & Johanna CHARLESON of The Commercial Hotel, Forres, Moray, Scotland.

In about 1887 her brother Duncan CHARLESON (B 1881), took up a post with Standard Bank in Kimberley, and subsequently in 1895 joined the French North Rand Estates Gold Mining Company. He moved to Johannesburg where he was joined by 18 year old Joey who kept house for him.

The distress and misery she witnessed in the general population, prompted her to return to Britain and to undertake training as a nurse. Her older sister Helen travelled to Johannesburg to take over the household.

After training Joey returned to South Africa to join her brother and sister who were now in Transvaal and began her nursing duties in the care of typhoid and surgery cases. In June 1899 they moved to the Royal Hotel, Ladysmith, and were there when hostilities commenced.

Brother Duncan enlisted in the Imperial Light Horse and subsequently War Correspondent to the Daily Chronicle ~ awarded Queen's South Africa Medal.

On the very eve of the siege commencing, writing from ‘ Army Nursing Sisters Quarters, Camp Ladysmith, Natal 1st November 1899 to her father she described the conditions she was working under. She was obviously in some danger from shell fire in Ladysmith , but on 5th November 1899 by agreement between the combatant commanders a neutral hospital camp was set up about 5 km south east of the town between the the Klip River and the Intombi Spruit. In the Gazette entry regarding the award of the Royal Red Cross she is shown as serving at Intombi Hospital Camp

WWI records show her still in service:~

May 1915. Sister in Charge ~ Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve Malta

1st November 1915 ~ Alexandria Egypt

In 1918 in post at The Royal Infirmary, Newcastle of Tyne

On 21st May 1937 arrived London on P&O Kaisar I Hind from Bombay


Died 12th February 1955 In Edinburgh.

Sources:-
Forres Elgin and Nairn Gazette, Northern Review and Advertiser
Forres, Moray, Scotland 20 December 1899

Intombi Military Hospital and Cemetery by S.A. Watt
[ samilitaryhistory.org/vol056sw.html ]