AWM41 1038 - [Nurses Narratives] Staff Nurse Vivian A Lee Shea

[*Butler Collin.*]
AWM 41
6/44

[* 6[[?]]

[[?]]

([[?]] *]

AUSTRALIAN

ACCESS STATUS

OPEN

STAFF NURSE VIVIAN A. LEE SHEA.

A.W.M.

LIBRARY

Classⁿ No 373.2

Cat^d

Illu^ns

Indexed

Maps

Indexed

[1038]

The Official War Historian of the Commonwealth
Government (Dr. C. E. W. Bean), after his study of the
collection of private war records preserved in the Australian 
War Memorial Library, wrote:
"The private diaries in this collection furnish some of its most
valuable historical records, but, like all private memoirs which were
not compiled with any historical purpose, they should not be
regarded as first-hand evidence except where it is certain that they
are so. The diarist is almost always sincere in his desire to record
accurately, but he is subject to no obligation or inducement to
indicate whether he is recording his own observations or incidents
told to him by friends or heard at third or fourth hand at the mess-table.
Thus, in some of the diaries in this collection, scenes described with
vivid detail, and without warning that they are told at second 
or third hand, have been found to be completely inaccurate in
important details. A certain number also have been written up
or revised long after the events, though doubtless usually from notes
made at the time. In most cases the student must rely on his
experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is
and what is not likely to be historically accurate." 

 

[*Miss V. Shea*]
84/115*]
Australian Red Cross Society

(A.R.C.S.)
Red Cross Rest Room

We left Australia in June 1917 almost

300 Sisters on board the R.M.S. Mooltan

in route for Salonika.

We comprised four nursing units

lent to the R.A.M.C. by the Australian

Government for service in Salonika.

We arrived in Salonika in August &

on arrival were drafted, according to

our units, to the various British

General Hospitals we were to staff.

No 1 unit from Victoria staffed the

66^th General Hospital.  No 2 unit from

New South Wales went to 50^th General.

The 3^rd & 4^th units were made up of

Sisters from all the States & Tasmania

& staffed the 60^th & 42^nd General

Hospitals respectively.

I belonged to the 3^rd unit & went to

60^th General a Hospital situated

on a plateau fifteen kilos from

the City & Port.

We arrived in the midst of summer

& the height of the Malaria & Dysentry

season, & work commenced right

away.  We had much to learn

Australian Red Cross Society

(A.R.C.S.)
Red Cross Rest Room

We were all new to each others ways & the

medical Staff & personnel had only

just landed as we ourselves had.

The Hospital was rather well

situated at an elevation of about

2000 ft above sea level & this gave

us a cooler summer, but made it

impossible to live there in the winter

months.

During the winter months we occupied

the Prisoners of War Hospital in

the Base area.

Here we nursed British Troops, as

well as Prisoners of War, the latter

were representatives from practically

every one of the Balkan States.  Germans

Bulgars, Turks, Ronmanians, Greeks

Albanians & Serbs, in fact any one

found in enemy lines.

Salonika was quite a large city

modern in parts but largely occupied

by Turks & Spanish Jews.

Much of the modern position of the

city was destroyed by the big fire

of 1917 just six days after our landings.

No European civilians lived there

 

Australian Red Cross Society

(A.R.C.S.)
Red Cross Rest Room

at all, & with the exception of Regimental

Concerts or Football matches the

British troops had no means of

recreation, leave was a thing read

of in home papers but only realised

by a minute percentage of the men.

We had two summers and almost

two winters out there.  After the Armistice

all troops began very slowly to evacuate.

Hospitals closed & in February 1919

the last of the Australian Nursing Service

left Salonika.

We came over to England for 

embarkation to Australia at the 

expiration of our leave.

V.A. Lee Shea

 

Australian Red Cross Society

(A.R.C.S.)
37 Holland Park

Notting Hill

Red Cross Rest Room
12.6.17

Dear Miss Kellett,

Enclosed please

find a small account of my experiences

abroad.

I am sorry I am unable to write

a better account.

Truly yours

Vivian A. Lee Shea

S/n

A.G.N.S.

Item Control
Australian War Memorial
Barcode - see original document
005172282