Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Rev. David Stewart & Mary Ann nee JONES
Of 61 Hughes St., North Unley
Appointed matron of the Jamestown Hospital December 1912
Occupation prior to enlistment Nurse at Burra Hospital

Elsie Mabel WYLIE was the daughter of Rev. David Stewart WYLIE & Mary Ann JONES and was born on the 31st of August 1880 in the Wesleyan Parsonage, Laura, SA.

Her father was born on the 22nd of June 1841 in Tranmere, SA and was the son of David WYLIE & Elizabeth LITTLE.

Her mother was born on the 23rd of September 1840 in Gawler, SA and was the daughter of John JONES & Parnell PENDLEBURY.

David & Mary were married on the 9th of April 1868 in the Wesleyan Chapel, Gawler East, SA by the Rev. Thomas LLOYD.

Elsie was the youngest child born into this family of 5 children, 1 boy & 4 girls.

Elsie’s Siblings;

Florence May WYLIE (1869 in Tonga - 13.09.1956) She married George Alfred ILLIDGE in 1905 in Deniliquin, NSW.                                                      Children; Nancy May (1908-1909), George Alfred (1910-1910), and an adopted daughter Mrs R KELLEHER)

Amy Gertrude WYLIE (1870 born at sea – 09.12.1962) She married Thomas Rowland WILKINSON (AIF 3928) on 04.06.1905 in Perth, WA. 

Children; Stewart Rex (19.06.1907 – 30.07.1999), Hugh Merritt (23.01.1909 – 24.01.1976), Rowland (20.04.1910- - ?), Elsie Merle (06.11.1911 - ?), Beatrice (06.02.1913 - ?), Marjory (10.12.1914 - ?)

Frank Stewart WYLIE (1874 in Fiji – 19.06.1959) He married Edith Boroondara BONNEY in 1907 in Victoria. No Children

Kassie Gordon WYLIE (17.06.1876 in Fiji – 11.04.1963 in London). She married Dr. Henry Augustus ELLIS on 04.04.1914 in Kalgoorlie, WA. No Children

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Elsie's father was one of 10 siblings and was the first Australian born Methodist Minister to enter upon work in the foreign mission field.

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Her great grandfather was Mr. David Stewart WYLIE (1771-1856), a noted Greek and Hebrew scholar and a minister of the Established Church of Scotland.

Her grandfather David WYLIE M.A graduated from Glasgow University in 1818.

He had married Elizabeth LITTLE in 1837, daughter of John Little of Stapleton.

They had arrived in South Australia on the 2nd of May 1838 on board the Canton from London.

On the 29th of April, just before their arrival her grandfather wrote a letter to their ships captain, Captain J Mordaunt. 

Dear Sir,
Anticipating our speedy arrival at Port Adelaide, we beg to return you our sincere thanks for
the courtesy and kindness we have experienced from you since we came on board. We feel
especially grateful for that vigilant exercise of your nautical skill, which, by inspiring
confidence, has relieved us from much of the anxiety naturally incident to our situation.
Should we reach our desired harbour in safety, one of our warmest wishes will be for your
happy return to the bosom of your family.
And if at some future period Providence should bring you again to the shores of our adopted country, be assured, Dear Sir, you will meet with a hearty welcome.

Upon their arrival in the colony he applied for and was granted an 80 acre section of land; section 273 on Magill Road and named his property “Tranmere” after a place near Birkenhead, where he had lived when he was for 13 years secretary to the Literary and Philosophical Society of Liverpool.

(Tranmere is now a suburb in Adelaide).

He had opened a school on the property by 1840 and it played an important role in South Australia. Many of the future leaders of the colony attended this school.

He died on the 8th of August 1853, aged 55 years, after a prolonged period of illness, and was buried in the West Terrace Cemetery.

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Elsie’s father had received his education at his father's academy, Tranmere School.

He at first attended, the Congregational Church at Kensington, known as Cheetham's, in old High Street, then had joined the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and shortly afterwards began preaching.

He then entered the ministry in 1863, and in the same year received his first appointment at Goolwa.

His subsequent fields were Mount Gambier, Gumeracha, Kapunda, Wallaroo, and Kooringa.

 

After her parents were married in 1868, her father offered his services for foreign mission work, with their first posting being Tonga.

This was quite a hazardous posting as the previous missionary; Rev. Shirley Baker, was killed by cannibals.

Elsie’s eldest sister Florence was born in Tonga the following year.        

After nearly 2 years in Tonga they were posted to Fiji and Elsie’s sister Amy was born at sea on the mission schooner John Wesley when her parents were sailing from Tonga to their new circuit in Fiji.

They spent 8 years in the Fijian Group and 2 more of Elsie’s siblings were borne here; Frank in 1874 & then Kassie in 1876.

Whilst there they witnessed the excitement which led up to the annexation of the islands by the British Government.

They returning to South Australia in 1879 and her father was appointed to the Strathalbyn Wesleyan Church in April.

He was then appointed to Pt Pirie in January 1880 and then to Laura in April the same year and Elsie was born in the Parsonage.

Their next move was to Moonta and Elsie attended her first day of schooling at the Moonta Public School.

By 1883 her father was transferred to Goolwa so the family relocated here for 3 years before transferring to Clarendon in 1886 for 3 years.

The family then moved to Essex Street, Goodwood and her father took charge of the Wesleyan Circuit in the area.

Whilst they were here Elsie attended the Sturt Street Primary School in Adelaide in April 1889.

By 1893 the WYLIE family were on the move again, this time to Naracoorte for 12 months before being transferred to the Redruth Wesleyan Circuit and Elsie attended the Burra High School.

In June 1895 Elsie and her parents were attending a special gathering at the Kooringa lecture hall and had left Elsie’s eldest 2 sisters at home in the Wesleyan Parsonage.

During the evening one of her sisters went into her fathers study with a candle to find something and shortly afterwards the study was on fire.

After a great deal of trouble and assistance the fire was brought under control, but not before her father’s stock of valuable books and papers were destroyed.

Her sister Florence decided to become a nurse and trained at the Burra Hospital.

Her father was then transferred to Mintaro for 2 years before being transferred to the Meadows Circuit in April 1900 and by now Elsie was the only sibling still living with them.

They lived in Meadows for 2 years and her father preached at Meadows, Ashbourne, McHargs Creek and Giles Flat.

When her parents were transferred to Minlaton, Elsie decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and became a nurse.

She completed 3 years training in the Burra Hospital before being transferred to Mt Gambier.

During this time Florence had been transferred to Naracoorte as Matron for the local hospital, then to the Wycheproof Hospital in Victoria. She had then gained a position in the Deniliquin Hospital in 1903.

When Florence married George Alfred ILLIDGE in 1905 in Deniliquin, Elsie successfully applied for her sister’s position as Matron of the Deniliquin Hospital.

In 1908 her parents purchased a home at 61 Hughes Street, North Unley.

Her sister Kassie became a school teacher and by 1910 was teaching in Western Australia.

Elsie then gained employment in 1910 in a Private Hospital in Western Australia and then returned to the Burra Hospital as acting Matron for a few months.

In December 1912 she gained the position as Matron of the Jamestown Hospital before returning to the Adelaide Hospital and living with her parents.

On the 28th of April 1917 Elsie completed her questionnaire for enrolment into the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).

At the age of 36, Elsie enlisted into the Australian Army Nursing Service, as a Staff Nurse on the 18th of May 1917 in Keswick, SA.

She listed her father of 61 Hughes Street, North Unley, as her next of kin.

On Wednesday the 5th of September Elsie and 4 other Staff Nurses (Roach, Rogerson, Whitfield & Dart) left Adelaide on the Melbourne Express on their way to Sydney.

Elsie embarked from Sydney on board HMAT A33 Ayrshire on the 15th of September 1917 with other Medical Officers, disembarking in Suez on the 27th of October and was posted to the Nasrieh Hospital in Cairo.

This was originally an Egyptian Government Primary School, known as Nasrieh School, and became a British Military Hospital with 584 beds. 

On the 27th of June 1918 she was detached to duty at the 31st General Hospital in Abbassia

On the 29th of August 1918 Elsie was struck off strength of her attachment suffering from Hysteria.

Elsie embarked for Australia the following day on board HMAT Wiltshire, disembarking in Sydney on the 3rd of October 1918.

She returned to Adelaide two days later by train and was admitted into the Keswick Military Hospital.

Two weeks later a welcome home social was held for Elsie in the local hall at Burra when Elsie and her mother went back for a visit.

Elsie spoke regarding her work in the war, especially among the light horse, and was presented with a fountain pen by the residents.

Elsie was discharged, medically unfit, from the AANS on the 21st of January 1919.

Her father died at his residence on Monday the 24th of May 1920 and they buried him in the West Terrace Cemetery.

Elsie then moved to Whyte Yarcowie.

Her mother died on the 23rd of September 1929 on the evening of her 83rd birthday and they buried her with their father in the West Terrace Cemetery.

After her parents died their home was transferred to Elsie, but she remained in Whyte Yacowie for a few more years and in 1931 she purchased a grave site in the North Road Cemetery.

Elsie moved into her parents home in 1934, but sold it 2 years later and purchased a home at 9 Oakington Street, New Mile End (Torrensville).

Florence’s husband had died in 1935 in Chatswood Sydney and in 1944 Florence moved back to Adelaide and resided with Elsie.

Florence died on the 13th of September 1946 at Elsie’s home and Elsie buried her with their parents in the West Terrace Cemetery.

Elsie died at her home on the 20th of February 1957 and was buried in the North Road Cemetery on the 22nd in her plot; Path 40 S, Plot 7949.

Her grave is UNMARKED