PORTER, Katherine Agnes Lawrence
| Service Numbers: | Sister, Nurse |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 March 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Sister |
| Last Unit: | Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) |
| Born: | Milton, New South Wales, Australia, 17 December 1882 |
| Home Town: | Milton, Shoalhaven Shire, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Nurse |
| Died: | Influenza, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia , 16 July 1919, aged 36 years |
| Cemetery: |
Waverley Cemetery, Bronte, New South Wales Grave Reference: R.C. Vault. 16. 649A. (GRM/2*). |
| Memorials: | Australian Military Nurses Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Kapunda Dutton Park Memorial Bullwinkel Memorial, Maryborough Nurses HB, Melbourne St. Paul's Cathedral AANS Great War Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Mar 1915: | Enlisted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Staff Nurse, Sister, Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1915: |
Involvement
Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Nursing Sister, Nurse, 1st Australian General Hospital, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' |
|
| 13 Apr 1915: | Embarked Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Nursing Sister, Nurse, 1st Australian General Hospital, HMAT Kyarra, Sydney | |
| 16 Jul 1919: | Involvement Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Claudia San Miguel
Katherine Agnes Lawrence Porter was born on the 17th of December 1882 in Milton, New South Wales to her parents Mary Guthrie and John Porter. Katherine trained as a nurse at Sydney Royal under the name of Lawrence, which was her grandmother’s maiden name as there was already another nurse Porter enrolled for training.
Katherine was a nursing sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She enlisted in Sydney on the 3rd of April 1915 whilst she was on the staff of Sydney Hospital. During the war, Katherine was stationed in a small town in Roye on the Somme in 1918 when the town was captured by the enemy during the war. Luckily Katherine narrowly avoided being taken a prisoner and managed to escape. All her souvenirs and some of her other belongings were lost. Only the wounded could be removed. After fleeing from the enemy Katherine returned to Sydney on the transport provided and returned home.
She was welcomed home to Milton in June 1919 with a special celebration. She was met by her family and friends in her home town at Conjola, New South Wales. Later that day Yatte Yattah presented Katherine with a bouquet of flowers. Afterwards, Mrs Charles Kendall, the President of the Local Red Cross gave Katherine an official welcome to the Milton School of Arts. Katherine was also engaged to Dr Bullock of Sydney. Not long after she came home to Sydney she died. Six months after her arrival home on the 16th of July 1919 in the 4th Australian General Hospital, Randwick, Sydney, New South Wales, Katherine died from influenza. She contracted influenza after returning home. Katherine was later buried at the Waverly Cemetery Roman Catholic section Sydney NSW, with full Military honours. Katherine received the Royal Red Cross for her service in the war to the armed forces looking after the injured and wounded people during the war. Her mother was presented with the medal by the representatives of AIF and the British Army.
Sources:
WW1 Australian Women Deaths - Looking for the Evidence. 2017, https://sites.google.com/site/archoevidence/home/ww1-australian-women-deaths#TOC-Katherine-Lawrence-Porter. [Accessed 13 June 2017].
RSL Virtual War Memorial | Katherine Agnes Lawrence (Kitty) PORTER RRC, MiD. 2017. RSL Virtual War Memorial | Katherine Agnes Lawrence (Kitty) PORTER RRC, MiD. [ONLINE] Available at: https://rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au/explore/people/160075. [Accessed 13 June 2017].
Reading Room Manchester. 2017. Casualty Details. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2745571/PORTER,%20KATHERINE%20AGNES%20LAWRENCE. [Accessed 13 June 2017].
Katherine (Kitty) Lawrence Porter | Ulladulla.Info. 2017. Katherine (Kitty) Lawrence Porter | Ulladulla.Info. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.ulladulla.info/katherine-kitty-lawrence-porter. [Accessed 18 June 2017].
Katherine Agnes Lawrence Porter | The Australian War Memorial. 2017. Katherine Agnes Lawrence Porter | The Australian War Memorial. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1655296?search. [Accessed 18 June 2017].
Biography
"Sister Porter... enlisted on 20 March 1915 and served in Egypt and France with the Australian Army Nursing Service. She had been stationed in the small town of Roye on the Somme in 1918 when it was captured – she narrowly avoided being taken a Prisoner of War. Kitty returned home to Australia in June 1919 and was welcomed home in a celebration in her home town of Milton. Sadly, after providing so much comfort to the wounded and their loved ones at home, Sister Porter also became a casualty of the war. Kitty had cared for the sick and wounded throughout the voyage home, and contracted influenza soon after arriving in Australia. She died on 16 July 1919. Her funeral was attended by full military honours, and Sister Porter received the Royal Red Cross award for her dedicated service. Buried in Waverly General Cemetery in Sydney, her name is on panel 188 of the Roll of Honour." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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