Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Alexander Sinclair WOOD and Marion nee FAWSSETT
Of 42 Barton Terrace East, North Adelaide, SA
She trained at Adelaide Hospital and was Matron of Burra Hospital. She did not marry.

The most varied war service of all, perhaps belongs to Miss Sinclair Wood, of South Australia, who left Australia at the outbreak of the war and returned when hostilities had ceased. For 12 months she was engaged on transport duty in the Mediterranean, after having served for a while in Egypt. She was
also in England, France and at a casualty clearing station in Belgium. At present she conducts a private hospital for general and maternity cases in Adelaide.

The West Australian Tuesday 23 March 1937 page 4

Miss Wood, who was born in Adelaide in 1885, served throughout the war in France, England and the Mediterranean, leaving Australia in 1914 and remaining on service until after hostilities had ceased. On her return she became a matron at Broken Hill and later at the Ru Rua Private Hospital, North Adelaide. She then became matron and owner of the Hutt Street Private Hospital. Miss Wood is the principal matron of the Fourth Military District.

Advertiser Saturday 13 February 1937 page 24

Matron Sinclair Wood For Coronation

Matron J. Sinclair Wood, of the Hutt-street Private Hospital, sister of the secretary of the Pastoralists' Association of West Darling (Mr. C. Sinclair Wood), who has been selected, as South Australian representative in the wartime" nurses section of the coronation contingent was matron of the Broken Hill District Hospital about 16 years ago.
She has been principal matron, 4th Military District, South Australia, since June 1927. She is also vice-president of the Returned Army Sisters' Association.
Miss Wood, who is a trainee of Adelaide Hospital, enlisted in the Army., Nursing Service, on September 21, 1914 and left for active service a week later in the Kyarra. She was in Egypt for a while and afterwards served, for about a year in the hospital ship Formosa, operating in the Mediterranean. The vessel evacuated many wounded Australians from Gallipoli.

WORK IN HOSPITALS

Work in military hospitals in England came as a welcome change, but after a few weeks Sister Wood ' was sent to France, where she served in casualty clearing stations, which were often only tents, well within, range of enemy artillery fire, up to the armistice.
In her service, which extended until demobilisation in June, 1919, Sister Wood had only one week's sick leave. That was due to a frozen toe in the rigor of the French winter of 1917. When interviewed, Matron Wood said that she was delighted at the prospect of revisiting England, where she had relatives. Her trip, however, would be only a short one-less than six months.
She dismissed her war service with the remark that her duties and risks were the same, as shared by other nurses. She recalled that her casualty clearing station near Poperinghe was shelled on one occasion, creating confusion. The hospital had to be evacuated.
After her return from the war, in February, 1919, Matron Wood was attached to Keswick Military Hospital staff for several months.
On demobilisation she went to Broken Hill. She was afterwards matron of Burra and Ru Rua (North Adelaide) hospitals. She took over Hutt-street Private Hospital about 11 years ago.
In recognition of her army nursing work, Matron Wood was awarded the Jubilee Medal.

Barrier Miner Tuesday 09 February 1937 page 3

Sister J. Sinclair-Wood, who served throughout the war, and who went to England with the coronation contingent last year, did not take her usual place at the head of the nurses' procession. On Hospital Ship for the first year of her war service she was a sister, together with nine others; on board a hospital transport ship, which travelled from Lemnos to Egypt and Naples, and often back to England; with wounded and sick soldiers. She was stationed in Egypt at the time of the landing at Gallopoli, and her first experience of hospital transport work was in taking, away the wounded from there."Our ship was supposed to be able to hold 250 patients," she said, "but we used to get on board sometimes between 700 and 800 by installing the less sick ones on deck on mattresses. Life on the sea in those days was fraught with danger, and there were often warnings of enemy craft nearby. They frequently received S.O.S. messages from doomed ships, but were never close enough to go to their rescue. Subsequently the hospital ships had to travel in darkness, because the Red Cross did not enjoy immunity. Sister Sinclair-Wood later went to France where she remained for the rest of the war.

News Monday 25 April 1938 page 6

Death Of Matron Sinclair-Wood

Miss Janet Sinclair-Wood, former matron of the Broken Hill and District Hospital, died at the Hutt Street Private Hospital, Adelaide, on Sunday night. One of the most distinguished figures in the Australian nursing world, her services to the profession were outstanding. She was held in high esteem by nurses who were associated with her through-out her long  career of civilian and military nursing.

An examiner for the S.A. Nursing Board for many years, Miss Sinclair-Wood was a member of the Council of the Australian Trained Nurses' Association. She served with distinction in both world wars. In the period between the two wars Miss Sinclair-Wood was principal matron of the AMP. on the reserve"

She was chosen as the representative nurse from South Australia to accompany the Australian military group which went to England to attend the coronation of King George VI. and Queen Elisabeth in May 1937.

With the outbreak of the second World War, Miss Sinclair-Wood organised the voluntary nursing service at Woodside Camp. Later as principal matron of the 4th military district, she was in charge of nursing services at all military camps in South Australia.

In 1949 she was appointed Matron-in-Chief of the Australian Military Forces. She received the rank of colonel and was stationed at Headquarters, Victoria. She retired from that post in 1943.

Later Miss Sinclair-Wood acted on the nursing division of the Department of Labor and National Service and was a member of the Red Cross Hospitals war effort.

Former secretary of the Broken Hill Pastoralists' Protection Board. Mr. C. Sinclair-Wood, now of Adelaide, is a brother to the late Miss Sinclair-Wood, and Mrs. T.A. F. Davoren is a niece).

Barrier Miner Wednesday 22 March 1950 page 2