Tea at the Westminster Palace Hotel and Our Trailblazing nurses

Group portrait of the first 69 nurses and 11 staff to leave for World War I. Taken on the steps of the General Assembly Library, Wellington, by an unidentified photographer for The Press newspaper of Christchurch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Army_Nursing_Service

I spied this photo on Facebook. Just an orphan image floating in the ether of a post... no caption, no credit, no story. But it caught my eye. A quick Google image search later, and I found it tucked away in a digital archive. That one small clue opened a new side quest story. My search for Ann, (the mother of Timaru's first recorded European baby birth), has taken me all over the place, learning how the place of women in the home, that is a centuries-old, if not thousands of years old, concept, has shifted into something much broader. A place where women can be and do what they choose.

But that freedom... that idea of choice... didn’t just happen. I’m realising now how much it has taken generations of women and men, pushing to shift attitudes, challenge the rules, break glass ceilings, and create space for the rest of us and our children. Nothing about where we are today was accidental; it came down to bravery, perseverance, and hard work.

What I didn’t know, until I started chasing the source of this photo, was that when the First World War broke out in 1914, women weren’t even allowed to serve alongside the men overseas. That was the rule. Even trained nurses were blocked until the law changed...

Before official approval, over 400 women volunteered to serve, but their offers were initially refused. Six nurses were sent to German Samoa in August 1914, even before the NZANS was formally established.

In early 1915, the New Zealand government amended the Defence Act and created the New Zealand Army Nursing Service.

The Defence Act was amended in January 1915 to provide legal authority for the NZANS. The NZANS was officially formed in early 1915 when the British Army Council accepted New Zealand’s offer of military nurses. Hester Maclean, Assistant Inspector of Hospitals, became Matron-in-Chief. She had advocated for a nursing service since 1911. Cabinet approved the enrolment of 60 nurses; Hester Maclean selected 50 for the first contingent.

The first 50 NZANS nurses left Wellington on 8 April 1915 aboard the SS Rotorua, led by Matron Hester Maclean.

All women were unmarried, had at least six years of nursing experience, and averaged 27 years of age. The nurses were farewelled by large crowds and a band at Glasgow Wharf in Wellington. 

After more than 40 days at sea, they arrived in London on 19 May. The photo I found shows them being hosted for tea at the Westminster Palace Hotel by New Zealand’s High Commissioner, Mr Mackenzie. The nurses were taken on trips to Richmond, Hampton Court, and Kew. Some even visited wounded New Zealand soldiers at a hospital in Birmingham. Within a week, they were on their way to military hospitals in Malta and Egypt to treat soldiers wounded at Gallipoli. Their duties included treating bullet and shrapnel wounds, dysentery, typhoid, and heatstroke.

A second and third contingent of nurses followed, including service aboard hospital ships like the Maheno. Lottie Le Gallais, a nurse on the Maheno, described the horrific nature of shrapnel wounds and the suffering of patients.

Ten New Zealand nurses died when the troopship Marquette was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea on 23 October 1915.

These women were granted the status of officers, although still ranked below medical officers. It might seem like a small detail, but it marked a major shift. Just months earlier, their presence in these spaces wasn’t even allowed. Matron Maclean, who had been deputy registrar of nurses and midwives since 1906, helped shape that change – inspecting hospitals, advocating for standards, and leading by example.

Around 550 New Zealand women served in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service during the war, while others joined British organisations such as the Imperial Nursing Service. The NZANS uniform, designed by Hester Maclean, featured a grey wool dress and coat with a grey bonnet, with the option of a red cape and scarlet collar. As the war progressed and conditions in Egypt became more demanding, skirt lengths were shortened for practicality. The official badge displayed a red cross within a silver fern topped by a crown. Hester Maclean was awarded the Royal Red Cross (First Class) in 1917 for her leadership. The nurses of the NZANS played a vital role in New Zealand’s military and medical efforts, helping to change public attitudes towards women’s roles and paving the way for greater involvement in national service. Notable members included Hester Maclean, Evelyn Brooke, Jessie Bicknell, Isabel Clark, Jean Erwin, Mary Gorman, Helena Isdell, and Mabel Jamieson, among others who served with distinction.

But before I hold up a flag and say we’ve got there, I have to say we are not quite at the point where women are truly equal. When I finished high school and wanted to learn how to build websites, the qualification was seen as a nerdy boy’s domain... so I found a way to learn on the job. I wanted to be a graphic artist, so I studied on my own in seventh form by correspondence. I wanted to raise a family, contribute to the household income, and give to my community... and I found a way to do this. Sometimes it’s a mission to make it work, and a team effort, but it is nothing compared to what the women and men before me pushed through. And I am so grateful to them... that I can choose to be and do what I want.

Even recently, I heard an employer say they would choose a woman with older children because she would be more reliable. That quiet comment stayed with me. It reminded me that assumptions are still being made, that women are still being measured in terms of motherhood, responsibility, availability.

A friend of mine, who held a senior management role, found out she had been replaced by a man while on maternity leave, and that he was being paid more. Same job, same responsibilities, different value. It’s frustrating, and from what I understand far too common.

And when I see our local council going through a restructuring, I don’t see roles on offer that suit child-raising hours. There’s no sign of flexible, part-time options that actually fit around school pick-ups, care responsibilities, or family life. The message is clear – if you can’t work full time, you’re not part of the plan.

Don't get me started on kiwi saver... the funding for women's health... 

So while I’m proud of how far we’ve come, I’m also wide awake to the work that still needs doing. I hope that by helping to share these stories. We continue to reflect on the past, take notice of the world around us now, to make better choices for our futures. Every time someone speaks up or pushes back, it adds one more stone to the path that others will be able walk.

Left: circa 1941 to 1945 New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS). Kiwi nurses in Egypt with a pyrand. Nancy Carter, a nurse from South Canterbury is believed to be on the right of the group. South Canterbury Museum 2021/086.07 https://timdc.pastperfectonline.com/photo/AA21CAEC-A705-4B9A-93B7-491825111843
Right: Staff nurse Nancy Frances H Carter (service no.38635), pictured on a camel while serving the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) in Egypt, circa 1941 to 1944. South Canterbury Museum 2021/086.05 https://timdc.pastperfectonline.com/photo/1EE996F9-D1A8-42B2-B4C1-017057924051

The South Canterbury Museum had an exhibition that highlighted the important roles New Zealand women played during wartime, even though they were not allowed to fight on the front lines. I learned that women served in a variety of support roles overseas through organisations such as the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, and the Women's Royal New Zealand Naval Service. Although members of the naval service did not go abroad, many women in the other two groups did. Their responsibilities included clerical work, welfare duties, and operating radio communications. The first group of New Zealand women sent overseas travelled to Cairo in 1941 to help support the wellbeing of Kiwi soldiers. By 1944, more than 700 members of the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps were serving overseas.

The exhibition also explored the contribution of nurses and hospital volunteers. Over 600 women served abroad in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service, and many others provided essential support in hospitals through the Voluntary Aid Detachment. A particularly moving story was about former students of Timaru Girls' High School. Around 40 of them were involved in the war effort as nurses, members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, or in other support roles. One student, Margery Greenfield, was killed in a plane crash in France in 1945 while serving with the army corps. The exhibition was a powerful reminder of the courage and service shown by women from our own region during the war.

Joyce Guthrie, whose maiden name was Macdonald, grew up in Timaru and attended Waimataitai Primary School followed by Timaru Girls' High School. She trained as a nurse at Timaru Hospital and gained experience working in local hospitals before joining the New Zealand Army Nursing Service in 1941. For three years she served in military hospitals abroad, beginning in Egypt and the Middle East, and later following New Zealand troops to a hospital in Italy. She rose to the rank of lieutenant during this time. Her memoir, Away From Home, shows her strong dedication to the care of her patients, as well as a clear sense of adventure. While on leave, she travelled to places such as the Nile River, the Holy Land, Petra and Khartoum. One of these trips led to her being disciplined for returning late without permission. Joyce was particularly struck by the courage and resilience of the New Zealand soldiers she nursed, especially in the orthopaedic ward where she dealt with some of the most serious cases. After the war, she married, moved to Dunedin, and remained involved in community work through the Red Cross.

New Zealand. Dept. of Internal Affairs. Publicity Division. The 2nd New Zealand General Hospital in Italy where Joyce served later in her war [photograph]. Ref: DA-09235-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://natlib.govt.nz/records/23028579

LEFT: New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. Publicity Division. The 2nd New Zealand General Hospital, Italy [photograph]. Ref: DA-09076-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22876366 RIGHT  New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. Publicity Division. An interior view of a New Zealand military hospital in Italy, showing nurses attending to patients [photograph]. Ref: DA-07530-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22446814

Around 40 'Old Girls' fropm Timaru Girls High School served overseas during the war, as nurses, VADs, and WAAC, dided in a plane crash in France in 1945.

"The Homecoming from Gallipoli" by Walter Armiger Bowring. Painted in 1916, it shows the return of the first group of wounded soldiers from Gallipoli in 1915. Note the scarlet capes and grey uniforms of the NZANS nurses, assisting the men. -  Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_Army_Nursing_Service

The Homecoming from Gallipoli that brought a new battle to the shores of New Zealand

The Gallipoli campaign finally ended on 9 January 1916. It had started back in April 1915 when Allied troops landed along the Turkish coast, hoping to take control of the sea route to Russia. But from the very beginning, things went wrong. Many soldiers were put ashore in the wrong places, and the landscape made any kind of progress almost impossible. Over the next eight months, thousands died. Some were killed in battle, many more from disease like dysentery, which spread fast in the heat and filth of the trenches.

New Zealand troops played a key role, with the Wellington Battalion reaching the summit of Chunuk Bair before being pushed back. In the end, the Allies gave up on the idea of defeating the Ottoman Empire quickly. The last ANZAC forces left in December 1915, and the British followed in early January. The retreat was quiet and carefully planned. It was one of the only parts of the campaign that actually went smoothly.

By the time it was all over, more than two thousand seven hundred New Zealanders had died. That number might seem small next to the British and French losses, but for a country with such a small population it was huge. The Turkish death toll was even higher.

I found a painting of the moment the first wounded New Zealand soldiers came home. It shows them arriving in Wellington in 1915 aboard the SS Willochra. The painting is part of the national war art collection held by Archives New Zealand. There are around one thousand five hundred artworks in the collection, showing not just the fighting but the people, the places, and the lives caught up in it all.

But what happened after the war mattered just as much. The men came back, but they didn’t return alone. They brought something with them – influenza. The 1918 flu pandemic swept through the country soon after the soldiers came home. It killed more than nine thousand New Zealanders. The nurses who had cared for the men during the war stepped up again. Women across the country ran emergency hospitals, cared for the dying, and did what they could to hold their communities together.

War pushed women out of the private space of the home and into public life. Not because it was easy, but because it was needed. And once they were there, they stayed. The care they gave, the work they did, and the leadership they showed laid the foundation for everything that came after.

While trained nurses served at the war front, caring for the wounded in hospitals and on hospital ships, a huge effort was made at home. In Timaru, women who were not nurses supported the Red Cross through fundraising, packing supplies, and helping returned servicemen. Their work kept communities strong and extended the spirit of care well beyond the battlefield.

The Red Cross has had a strong presence in Timaru since the early years of the First World War, when local women’s groups, churches, and community organisations came together to support the war effort. Volunteers in Timaru knitted socks, rolled bandages, sewed clothing, and packed comfort parcels for New Zealand soldiers overseas. They organised fundraising events, patriotic concerts, and supported wounded servicemen when they returned home. During the Second World War, this work continued and grew, with Red Cross members in Timaru involved in training, canteen work, and first aid. In 1939, a public meeting was held at the Municipal Chambers, and it was agreed unanimously to form an official Timaru branch of the New Zealand Red Cross Society. Most of the people at the meeting were women, and 54 signed up that night. The mayor, Mr W. G. Tweedy, backed the idea, saying the Red Cross had an important role to play in any national emergency, whether in war or after disaster.

The wider Red Cross movement began in 1859, after a Swiss businessman named Henri Dunant witnessed the terrible suffering of 40,000 wounded soldiers following the Battle of Solferino. There was no real medical support, no organised evacuation, and people were left to suffer where they fell. Deeply moved, Dunant worked to create an international organisation that could give neutral care to the sick and wounded in times of war. In 1863, he gathered five others for a small conference in Geneva, which became the foundation of what we now know as the Red Cross. The movement grew steadily from that point, and by 1922, forty-eight nations had joined the League of Red Cross Societies. From the very beginning, the focus was on practical help, shared humanity, and care that reached across sides. That same spirit shaped the work of the Red Cross in communities like Timaru.

After the war years, the Timaru branch went on to run Meals on Wheels, home nursing classes, and support during emergencies. But the Red Cross also made a quiet difference in other ways. One example is the Red Cross Library Service, which started in the late 1970s and worked with the Timaru Public Library to bring books to housebound and disabled residents who had no family nearby. Volunteers dropped off books every two weeks and often stayed for a chat, offering companionship as well as reading material. At one point, 35 residents were receiving books with the help of 22 volunteer drivers. Another service, started in 1945, was the Red Cross Diversional Therapy Department at Timaru Hospital. It began when Dr Peter Sullivan asked the Red Cross to help returned servicemen manage their disabilities. The programme used creative work like cane weaving, macramé, and suede crafts to help patients rebuild their confidence and move towards recovery. A trained therapist guided the work and helped each person focus on doing their best, not just passing time. These efforts show that the Red Cross in Timaru has always been more than just emergency aid. It has been a steady presence in the community, shaped by the care, commitment, and quiet strength of its volunteers – especially the women who led the way.

Historical Newspapers and Public Records

Papers Past – National Library of New Zealand

A searchable archive of historic New Zealand newspapers, including The Timaru Herald, with reports on Red Cross activity, wartime efforts, and public meetings.

• Archives New Zealand – War Art Collection
  https://warart.archives.govt.nz
  Features paintings and documents relating to wartime experiences, including Red Cross work and the return of soldiers to New Zealand.

• Archway – Archives New Zealand
  https://archway.archives.govt.nz
  Holds government records related to the New Zealand Army Nursing Service, Red Cross operations, and wartime correspondence.

• Aoraki Heritage Collection – Timaru District Libraries
  
  Digital archive of local photographs, documents, and newspaper clippings, including Red Cross events and health services in Timaru.

Books and Scholarly Sources

1. Kendall, Sherayl & Corbett, David (1990). New Zealand Military Nursing: A History of the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, Boer War to Present Day. Self-published.
   A comprehensive history of New Zealand’s military nursing efforts, including the formation of NZANS.

2. Tolerton, Jane (2017). Make Her Praises Heard Afar: New Zealand Women Overseas in World War One. Booklovers Books.
   Focuses on the roles and experiences of New Zealand women serving abroad during the First World War.

3. Loveridge, Steven & Watson, James (2019). The Home Front: New Zealand Society and the War Effort, 1914–1919. Massey University Press.
   Covers the social history of New Zealand’s war effort, including community roles and Red Cross contributions.

4. Rogers, Anna (2003). While You're Away: New Zealand Nurses at War 1899–1948. Auckland University Press.
   A detailed account of New Zealand nurses' experiences across multiple conflicts.

Web Resources and Institutional Sites

1. NZHistory – New Zealand Army Nursing Service
   
   Offers background on the NZANS, key figures like Lottie Le Gallais, and New Zealand’s wartime medical services.

2. Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
   https://teara.govt.nz
   Covers broader topics including women's roles in wartime, Red Cross activity, and the 1918 influenza pandemic.

3. New Zealand Red Cross – Our History
   
   An overview of the development and key contributions of the Red Cross in New Zealand.

4. <>South Canterbury Museum – Online Exhibits
   
   Local exhibitions including “Enduring the Inferno: South Canterbury and the First World War”, detailing Red Cross contributions in Timaru.