BROWN, Margaret Kate
| Service Number: | Nurse |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 November 1915, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Sister |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) |
| Born: | Maffra, Wellington Shire, Victoria, Australia , 14 November 1887 |
| Home Town: | Colac, Colac-Otway, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Nurse |
| Died: | Kew, Victoria, Australia, 25 August 1939, aged 51 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne Remains cremated and collected. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Nov 1915: | Enlisted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Staff Nurse, 1st Australian General Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Nov 1915: | Involvement Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Staff Nurse, Nurse, 1st Australian General Hospital, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Orsova embarkation_ship_number: A67 public_note: '' | |
| 12 Nov 1915: | Embarked Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Staff Nurse, 1st Australian General Hospital, HMAT Orsova, Melbourne | |
| 1 Oct 1918: | Promoted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) | |
| 3 Nov 1919: | Discharged Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) |
Chairman of Nursery School Board
At a meeting of the administrative committee of the Nursery School Board yesterday, deep regret was recorded at the death of Mrs. Margaret McMahon, who was chairman of the committee from its inception in April, 1937. Mrs. McMahon was one of the original members of the committee formed in 1931 to demonstrate nursery school principles. In 1937 she convened the representative meeting at which the Nursery School Board was formed to deal especially with the pre-school child. Lady Huntingfield's support and the energetic work of Mrs. McMahon and Dr. Newman Morris (president of the board) were important factors in the Federal Government's decision to establish demonstration centres in each of the State capitals.
The Argus 30 August 1939 page 2
Submitted 16 February 2016 by Faithe Jones
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Margaret Kate Brown
Life before the war
Margaret Kate Brown served as a nurse in WW1 at the age of 27 and was born in Maffra, Gippsland, Victoria. Her father was William Henry Brown, and she was single. Before enlisting, Margaret had 3 and a half years of experience working as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital Carlton and held a certificate in nursing. Prior to her service, she had no previous military service recorded on her record. On the 5th of November, she enlisted after being recommended by the Matron of the Civil Hospital.
Life during the war
Margaret enlisted as a nurse, on the 5th of November 1915, at the age of 27. From here, no further training was needed. The nurse’s training was very unregulated, meaning there was no real training. Yet, doctors discovered in 1916 that nurses were a very important figure when it came to war and battle. By WW2 all nurse had been trained prior to battle and most were nurses before enlisting, like Margaret. The role of a nurse was not necessarily to save the lives of soldiers, but more so help with their recovery. There a rarely any cases in which a nurse has saved a life of a soldier. All they did was take care of them and ensure a rapid recovery. She boarded the HMAT A67 Orsova on 12th of November 1915 from Melbourne, Victoria along with 45 other nurses and 72 soldiers. This boat took her to Heliopolis in Egypt.
This was the location of the Australian Army Nursing Service’s 1st general hospital, which was her unit. There, the nurse’s unit consisted of medical, dental and nursing. Many cases were treated and dealt with, including physical injuries, diseases, and shell shock. Shell shock is the term given to soldiers with a psychological issue from exposure to warfare and all that comes with it. This is different to PTSD, which caused a lot of suicides among the surviving soldiers, as it occurred during the war and not after they got home. If they got home, that is.
After about 3 years on the 19th of September 1918, Margaret was recommended for a promotion. On the 1st of October that year she was promoted and became a Sister. A Nursing Sister was basically a head nurse in charge of a nursing team.
On the 17th of February, 1920, she was discharged from service and mentioned in despatches, London Gazette. Those who received mention in despatches would have had a letter sent from a senior commander about their experiences and contribution to the service. She also received two oak leaves, one big and one small, on the 12th of October, 1920. In commonwealth countries, this shows that she was mentioned in despatches and is worn as a gallantry in its own right.
Life after the war
On the 3rd of November, 1919, she was discharged from the service and returned to Victoria, Australia on 10th of May that year. She returned with a British Star, British War Medal, and a Victory Medal. The isn’t too much information about her life after the war. Yet, she did return back home and continued her work as a nurse at the Children’s Hospital Carlton.
Biography contributed by Sandra Barry
In 1925 Margaret married Dr John Joseph McMahon.
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