An ongoing series
highlighting gems from
the Special Collections
and Rare Books Section at
the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library
, James
Cook University. The first in
this series dealt with
the fine examples of early
bookplates in the Edna Shaw
Collection and included
one which had been made for Dr
Aeneas J. McDonnell , of Toowoomba , Queensland, who took
Elizabeth Kenny into his household
and treated her for a broken wrist when she
was
a young girl , strongly
influencing her future career.
******************************************
An autograph book at the
bottom of a storage box in
the Sister Kenny Collection provides an unusual insight into her World
War 1 experiences , long
before she became world famous for her innovative treatment of
polio sufferers
. The contents present a picture
of bravery , patriotism , stoicism
,
trench humour and home sickness .
 |
| Drawing by W.Carmody , SS Suevic |
Apart from numerous autographs , there are cartoons drawn
by servicemen, poems , and praise for her in particular and nurses
in general , see above drawing where the awards for bravery - Iron Cross ( German ) , Victoria Cross (British ) and the Legion of Honour (French )- "The Woman's Cross of Honour" for nursing has been added. On May 30, 1915,aged 31, having used a letter from Dr McDonnell describing her nursing experience , she enlisted in the Australian
Army Medical Corps as a staff nurse and served on troopships bringing back wounded . On November 1, l917, she was promoted to Sister . A brief account of her war service said she had been wounded in the leg in
France when
a medical post was
hit and a
patient killed .
An entry of particular note is
an emotive poem –TO AUSTRALIA! - by Military
Medal
and Victoria
Cross recipient, Lieutenant
Albert Charles
Borella , of the 26th
Battalion , Australian Imperial Force, penned aboard His
Majesty’s Transport, Marathon, December 27, 1918
.
Borella, a Victorian, was in the Northern
Territory when war broke
out and had
to travel to Townsville , North Queensland , to
enlist , because military authorities were not accepting Territory volunteers. How Borella
got to Townsville to enlist is a saga in itself. Working as a
cook for a survey
party at Tennant
Creek , north of Alice Springs, he set out for
Darwin ,
intending to catch a
boat
for Queensland .
At one stage
of his
overland trek he was
accompanied by an Aboriginal man , Charlie, for some
140 kilometres . Along the
way he had to swim flooded rivers . On a
borrowed horse, he made
Katherine , caught the
mail coach to the railhead at Pine Creek, and travelled
on to the Territory capital. From
there he sailed
for Townsville on March
8, 1915, with four other men
who were among the first
15 NT volunteers for active service.
Borella fought at
Gallipoli , was evacuated
with jaundice, served in France
and was wounded at the Battle of Pozieres Heights on July 29, 1916 .The next year he was awarded
the Military Medal for conspicuous bravery and in 1918 , aged
37, took part in action which
resulted in him receiving the Victoria
Cross , the citation reading –
During the
period 17/18 July...
Lieutenant Borella, whilst leading his
platoon charged and captured an
enemy machine-gun, shooting two gunners.
He then led
his party, by now reduced to 10 men and two Lewis guns
, against a very strongly
held trench , using
his revolver and
later a rifle with great
effect and causing
many casualties. Two large dug-outs were
also bombed and 30
prisoners taken....
On July 1,
1917 , Captain Richard Hill , of the 4th Field Artillery, wrote in Sister Kenny’s autograph book: You were the lady with my lamp – a
reference to Florence
Nightingale . Over the years,
Sister Kenny acquired the desk
and prayer book of Florence Nightingale , which she bequeathed to the United
Nations .
There is a
short poem
THE LANDING AT THE
DARDANELLES , April 15, l915 - the disastrous Gallipoli
campaign- unclearly signed
780 Drum Major, 7th
Battalion ...It reads :
We landed as you know we did / With all our men and guns / And fought like true Australian sons / We did our best, just like the rest / Of Britons bravest sons.
Sergeant J.R. Cunliffe ,13th Battalion AIF
, on March 13, 1916 , drew the above lion’s head , representing the
British Empire, with the title The Glory of
the Lion is in its Mane ... the mane made up of
the countries Canada, India , Australia , New Zealand and
African Colonies . Aboard the SS Demosthenes ,W. Jock Law penned a verse SONG OF THE AIR , apparently expressing the wishes of a pilot should he die fighting .
There is a cartoon in the style of Captain Bruce Barnsfather whose humorous Old Bill drawings of men in the trenches were popular , made into postcards , souvenir items , still traded on ebay and elsewhere . The drawing in the autograph book , below, is headed ... Extract from letter : "I've been jolly lucky up till now ." It is signed G. C. Fenton, HMAT , No 31, Nov. 1916.
An inscription says there is no place like
home –Melbourne. NEXT
: Sister Kenny's battle to have her polio treatment accepted *** She is voted the most respected woman in America *** Saves the life of M*A*S*H star Hawkeye and an unexpected Northern
Territory connection.
