Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The new matron of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is Miss Phyllis Boissier. She was trained in the hospital that she now takes as matron, that was before it assumed its present formidable dimensions. Miss Boissier has the Royal Red Cross as an ornament, and has been through Egypt and France as a war nurse and matron, taking an important duty. At one time she was matron of Manly Hospital and managed it until war broke out, and she went with the first troops to Egypt. She afterwards gave good service in London in the 4th General Hospital. Now she has undertaken the difficult task of being matron in a Sydney hospital of city like dimensions.

The Newsletter: An Australian Paper for Australian People Saturday 23 February 1918 page 8

Head Sister Boissier, late of the Fifth Stationary Hospital at Dieppe, has returned to Australia for family reasons, wearing on her breast the order of the Royal Red Cross. Sister Boissier, who accompanied the contingent of wounded and invalided which landed on Sunday, formerly resided in Goulburn. Her mother died a few days ago. Sister Boissier left with the first draft of nurses for the front, and first went to Egypt, where she served to begin with at Meena Hospital. She is a sister from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, but before leaving for active service with the military, was matron of Manly Hospital, and was one of the first two dozen who volunteered as army nurses. After serving for a few months at Mena she transferred to Ghreahre, where she gained her first experience with Australian wounded with men who came back from the landing at Anzac Beach on April 25, 1915. The first contingent of men reached Ghezirch on May 3 of that year, and from that time onward the staff had its hands full. Here she won the decoration of the Royal Red Cross; her name appeared amongst those who were so decorated when the King's Birthday honours were announced that year. In September, 1915, she left Egypt for England, and was attached to the Fourth London General Hospital. Staying there for nine months, she went in September, 1910, to France, where she served in the Second Australian General Hospital at Wimereux as head sister. Then she went to No. 5 Stationary Hospital at Dieppe, and remained there as matron. After three years' absence from Australia she is glad to he home again. "I can tell you none of us slept much last night," she said on Sunday."We were looking out through the port holes for the first glimpses of the city of dear old Sydney, which after all for us Australians is the best place in all the world. And now we are home again." Her father, Mr. E. Boissier, was with her, and observed that a spray or two of flowers which she was wearing concealed the ribbon of her decoration, but she remarked that the ribbon would last, whilst the flowers would fade in a day.

Goulburn Evening Penny Post Tuesday 15 January 1918 page 4

Awarded Royal Red Cross (2nd Class)
Date of Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: 21 September 1916
Location in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette: Page 2622, position 60
Date of London Gazette: 3 June 1916
Location in London Gazette: Page 5602, position 2