CURTAIN, Mary Kate
| Service Number: | Sister |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Sister |
| Last Unit: | 1st Australian General Hospital |
| Born: | Elderslie, Tasmania, Australia, 1876 |
| Home Town: | Elderslie, Southern Midlands, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Nurse |
| Died: | Gosford, New South Wales, Australia, 3 November 1932, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Point Clare General Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia Sect. RC 1 Row 5 Plot 4 Mary Katharine Beatrice Sumner |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 5 May 1915: | Enlisted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, Sister, Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1) | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 1915: | Involvement 1st Australian General Hospital, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: RMS Mooltan embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 18 May 1915: | Embarked 1st Australian General Hospital, RMS Mooltan, Melbourne |
Transferred to New Guinea
Well-known Nurse Transferred
Nurse Kate Curtain (formerly a member of the staff of the Queenstown District Hospital, and subsequently matron at the Campbell Town Hospital) has just been transferred to the Naval and Military Hospital, Rabaul, New Guinea. Nurse Curtain saw much and strenuous war work in Egypt and France, and after her return she was at the Base Hospital, Hobart, for a considerable period. She has not only an exceptional qualification as a nurse, but she is a splendid administrator and a very fine woman into the bargain. Nurse Curtain is a native of Elderslie (Tas.) and is one of a large family which has rendered quite remarkable war services in various spheres of activity.
Zeehan and Dundas Herald Friday 21 January 1921 page 2
Submitted 16 February 2016 by Daryl Jones
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Daughter of David CURTAIN and Maria nee McGUIRE
Married Ronald Hamilton SUMNER
Lived at Terrigal near Gosford, Sydney
CAMPBELL TOWN
The matron of the Hospital, Nurse K. B. Curtain has received word from the military authorities that her services have been accepted as a nurse for the seat of war. Nurse Curtain sent her name in immediately after the declaration of war, and as it is such a long while since, she thought she had been overlooked. She received word on Thursday, and she is to report herself to headquarters on May 1. Her place as matron of the Hospital will be hard to fill. She is also the untiring secretary of the local branch of the Red Cross Society, to whose effort such a splendid response is due.
Daily Telegraph Wednesday 28 April 1915 page 8
Well-known Nurse Transferred
Nurse Kate Curtain (formerly a member of the staff of the Queenstown District Hospital, and subsequently matron at the Campbell Town Hospital) has just been transferred to the Naval and Military Hospital, Rabaul, New Guinea. Nurse Curtain saw much and strenuous war work in Egypt and France, and after her return she was at the Base Hospital, Hobart, for a considerable period. She has not only an exceptional qualification as a nurse, but she is a splendid administrator and a very fine woman into the bargain. Nurse Curtain is a native of Elderslie (Tas.) and is one of a large family which has rendered quite remarkable war services in various spheres of activity.
Zeehan and Dundas Herald Friday 21 January 1921 page 2
MRS. MARY SUMNER
USEFUL WAR WORK.
The death, in Gosford (N.S.W.), of Mrs. Mary Katherine ("Kit'') Sumner, formerly Sister Curtain, brings to a close not only a useful life, but one that was intimately associated with the Great War. Sister Mary Curtain was one of four sisters who enlisted for service with the Australian Army Nursing Service overseas. She sailed from Tasmania early in 1915, and was attached to the First Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis, Egypt, being later attached to the British Base Hospital at Rouen, France. She returned to Australia in 1918, and was appointed matron of the T.B. Soldiers' Sanatorium, Launceston.
From there she was appointed to a post on the nursing staff at Namanula Hospital, Rabaul, where she remained till 1926, becoming acting-matron, which appointment she resigned on her marriage with Mr. R. Sumner. The funeral, in Gosford, was one of the largest seen for a long time. Members of the Returned Soldiers' League formed a guard of honour at the church and followed the coffin to the grave. Rev. Father Donovan conducted the ceremonies, and at the conclusion of the service "The Last Post" was sounded. The mourners included the widower, Mr.
Ron Sumner, and three sisters of the deceased, Mrs. Arnold Mayfield (Newcastle), Mrs. J. Keith (Sydney), and Miss L. Curtain (Melbourne).
An impressive ceremony was carried out in the evening, when a number of members of the Gosford sub-branch of the Returned Soldiers' League stood to attention, facing the West, while the "Retreat" was sounded in token of a fallen comrade. Two sisters of the late Mrs. Sumner are resident in Hobart, Mrs. Tyler, Short Street, Glebe, and Mrs. Dalco, 87 Argyle Street.
The Mercury Friday 02 December 1932 page 6