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McCarthy, Emma Maud (1859 - 1949)

GBE
Online SourcesPublished Sources
Nurse
Born: 22 September 1859  Paddington, New South Wales, Australia.  Died: 1 April 1949  Chelsea, England.
(Dame) Emma Maud McCarthy was a highly decorated war-time nurse. She received the Queen's and King's Medal (1902), the Royal Red Cross (1902) and a Bar (1918c), the Florence Nightingale Medal, the Belgian Medaille de la Reine Elizabeth, the French Légion d'honneur and Medaille des Epidémies and was appointed Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE). In 1891 McCarthy left Australia to study nursing in England. After graduating, she was appointed Sister at the London Hospital and served as Sister-in-Charge at the Sophia Women’s Ward during the South African War. This was followed by seven years service with the Army Nursing Service Reserve. When World War I broke out McCarthy was posted to the British Expeditionary Force and served in France and Flanders. As Matron-in-Chief, she was in charge of all British and Allied Nurses working in the extended region – around 6000 nurses at its peak. Dame Emma McCarthy returned to England after the war and worked as Matron-in-Chief of the Territorial Army Nursing Service from 1920 until her retirement in 1925.

Career Highlights

Chronology
1891 - c. 1894Probationer undertaking genral nursing training at London Hospital in Whitechapel
1894 - 1899Sister at the London Hospital
1899 - 1902Sister in the Army Nursing Service Reserve
c. 1902Royal Red Cross received
c. 1902Queen's and King's Medal received
1903 - 1910Matron with the Army Nursing Service Reserve at Aldersshot, Netley and Millbank military hospitals
1910 - c. 1914Prinicpal Matron at the War Office
1914 - c. 1919Matron, then Matron-in-Chief appointed to the British Expeditionary Force in Abbeville, France and Flanders
1918Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE)
1920 - 1925Matron-in-Chief with the Territorial Army Nursing Service
1925Retired

 
Online SourcesPublished Sources

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Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.Prepared by: McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993
Modified: 29 January 2007

Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007
Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
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Updated: 26 February 2007
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P001303b.htm

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