Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Tessa Evelyn Youngman was born in 1882 in Creswick, Victoria. She was the eldest of the four children of the Reverend Edward Youngman (1851-1926) and his wife Mary Eleanor (nee Furner) (1850-1933).

Tessa's father emigrated from Kidderminster, Worcestershire and was a pioneer Methodist missionary in Australia, particularly to the emigrant Chinese community. His obituary described him as a man of 'marked literary gifts' and Tessa and her siblings grew up in a household that valued education highly. Tessa's mother Mary Eleanor (nee Furner) came from a long line of storekeepers and landowners in Goulburn, NSW.

Tessa's interest in nursing may have been encouraged by her marriage to a Doctor Frederick Michael Thomas in 1902. She was married at the Methodist Parsonage in Warwick, Queensland and the quiet ceremony was performed by her father.

After the sad demise of her husband (pneumonia) in early 1909, Tessa enrolled to train as a Nurse at the Alfred Hospital - training from 1909-1912 and gained the Alfred Hospital Certificate. She completed the registration requirements for the Royal Victorian Trained Nurses Association.

Nursing was a mobile profession, and on her Australian Army Nursing Service enrolment form, along with her reference from Matron Ayres (from Alfred Hospital), she stated the following nursing supervision experience:
• 6 months in charge of Diptheria Tents in Western Queensland (as organiser and
supervisor during above epidemic)
• Acting sister 3 months Alfred Hospital
• Matron of Diptheria Tents and Charge Nurse at Private Hospital

Tessa appears on the 1914 electoral roll as living at Alfred Hospital, Prahan, occupation listed as nurse. She is also listed around the same time as being a Nurse at St. Aiden’s, Puckle street, Moonee Ponds.

Tessa formally enlisted on 3 November 1914, the same day as her colleague Sister Alice Ross King (who had also trained at the Alfred Hospital). They both sailed later that month with the 1st Australian General Hospital on the first official hospital ship “Kyarra”, along with 65 other nurses, including Matron Jane Bell.

The "Kyarra" travelled via India, the Red Sea and Suez and arrived in Port Said at 1am on 13th January 1915. Shore leave was allowed from 11am-4pm. The “Kyarra” weighed anchor and left for Alexandria at 5.30 p.m. Arriving in Alexandria on 14th January, the Kyarra did not berth until 7 a.m on Sunday, 17th January 1915.

Arriving in Egypt, Tessa got her orders to report for duty at the "Egyptian Military Hospital". In 1915 there were several ‘military’ hospitals in Egypt, mostly for the use of the Army of Occupation. It would appear from other sources that the Cairo “Egyptian Military Hospital” that Tessa got orders to report for duty to, was the 250 bed, relatively newly built (1906) “Egyptian Army Hospital, Pont de Koubbeh” at Cairo (in a suburb known as “Abassia” or “Abbasiyeh”).

After the disastrous 25 April 1915 landing at Gallipoli, the 1st Australian General Hospital (1AGH) were inundated with casualties; this would continue during the entire terrible Gallipoli Campaign. The rush of sick and wounded from the Dardanelles necessitated the adjoining Luna Park, “Atelier” and Sporting Club being taken over for beds as auxiliary hospitals.

Along with Sister Heath (in charge), Sister Alice Ross-King, Sister Nichols and Sister Bleach, Tessa was sent to Luna Park to set up a Convalescent Station. The horror of the injuries that they must have seen and the poor soldiers they tended to must have been like hell on earth for the nurses.

On 23rd September 1915 Tessa was detached for duty to England. She was to nurse at Queen Mary's Military Hospital, Whalley, Lancashire, working with Sister Eunice Paten. According to Eunice Paten's biography, she and the other Australian nurses disliked 'the poor training' of the English nurses and reputedly, Sister Paten persuaded the doctors to allow Australian nurses to do all the dressings. (Source: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/paten-eunice-murielharriett-
hunt-7970). The hospital was so big and had to handle so many injured troops, that it had its own railway siding to bring the injured soldiers almost directly to the doors of the wards. Many of the men came straight in from the front, with their uniforms still covered in mud.

On 1 December 1915, Tessa was promoted from Staff Nurse to Sister in England. There were evidently tensions between Australian nurses serving in Egypt and those who had been sent to England. In early June 1916, Tess and four other Australian nurses were awarded the Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) medal - for conspicuous services and in recognition of valuable services in connection with the war. Sister Alice Ross-King, a keen observer of those around her, notes in her diary, "9th June....Sister Douglas has the 2nd Class royal red Cross. I am glad. Tessa Thomas has it also though goodness only knows why. Miss Findlay should have had one. Three Alfred nurses have it....". (source: Transcript of diaries of Alice Ross-King, 1915-1919 | Australian War Memorial. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RCDIG0000976/).

At some point, whilst in England, Tessa became engaged. However, in Sister Ross-King's diary, she later notes "Tessa Thomas has broken off her engagement". We can only speculate as to who the affianced had been and why it was called off.

On 16 February 1917, Tessa is attached for duty to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall, again working under Sister Eunice Paten. At the end of February, Tessa was detached to return to the 1AGH, arriving in Rouen, France on 10 March 1917. 1AGH was based at the racecourse in Rouen from 17 April 1916 until 7 December 1918. Tessa was at Rouen from mid March to early October 1917.

She received orders on 3 October 1917 and was posted for duty to the 10th Stationary Hospital at St. Omer. However, within 4 days she was posted to the 3rd Australian Casualty Clearing Station (3ACCS) at Nine Elms, near Poperinghe (Belgium). This location was very close to the front and located near a railway line, meaning the 3ACCS was subject to aerial bombings from time to time by the Germans. In its first 24 hours of opening, the 3ACCS had received over 3000 wounded men through its "doors".

Tessa was posted back to 1AGH (still in the Field) not long after the Armistice was signed on the 11th of the 11th. By 5 March 1918, she was back in Rouen with the 1AGH preparing for transport duty. Marched in to AANS Admission Headquarters in London, 6 March 1918, 6 days later she was marched out to return to Australia. On 13 March 1918 she was on board the “Dunvegan Castle” as Sister in Charge of Nursing Staff, returning to Australia in about mid June 1918. Appointment was terminated 25 November 1918.

Tessa resumed her profession as a nurse on her return to Australia. She moved back to Queensland, settling in Brisbane, where in 1920 she opened Holyrood Private Hospital in Gregory Terrace, Brisbane (roughly opposite Brisbane Girls Grammar School), in conjunction with her ex-AIF friend, Eunice Muriel Harriett Hunt Paten. They both ran this private hospital as Matrons. The 1921 and 1925 Electoral rolls show Tessa as “Matron”, living at Holyrood Private Hospital, Gregory Terrace, Brisbane.

Tessa married Cyril Fryar Bennett on 15 December 1926. Cyril Bennett was a Land Surveyor who had a long and successful career in Queensland. He was born at Coorparoo, youngest son of James S. Bennett secretary of the Land Council, Department of Lands, Queensland. Grandson of Sir William Fryar, Surveyor. Bennetts Road, Fryar Street, Ethel Street, Cyril Street are named after the family and the original home is still there. He was one of the two surveyors who survived in practice in Brisbane through the 1929-30 depression years. In 1958 he formed a business partnership with Robin Tremlett Francis “Bennett and Francis” and they are one of Queensland’s oldest and most respected Surveying firms.

Eunice Paten bought out Tessa’s share in Holyrood Private Hospital after she married Cyril. After Eunice’s mother passed away in 1936, Holyrood closed as a hospital and was turned into a woman’s hostel “Holyrood Hostel”. The Country Women’s Association - CWA - later bought this building to use as a hostel for non-uniformed woman involved in the WW2 war effort. Later, it was used by the QCWA as a club for its members visiting Brisbane. It was demolished sometime later.

Tessa passed away in Brisbane on 3 September 1948. Her funeral service left her home “Camoola” (189 Chatsworth Road, Coorparoo) on 6th September and she was cremated at Mt. Thompson (Holland Park, Brisbane) later that day.

R.I.P. Tessa. One of the "Anzac Girls" who valiantly fought to save the lives of our brave, injured Anzacs.