Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of John Wilkins PITCHFORD and Martha Grace nee McCOMB
Of 'Muirbank' Mornington, Vic.

Trained at Homoeopathic Hospital, Melbourne, Vic.

Did not marry

QUEEN'S HOME- MATRON

Melbourne Nurse in Charge

From the position of night sister at the Women's Hospital,' Melbourne, Miss E Pitchford has come to Adelaide, where she has received the appointment of relieving matron at the Queen's Home, Rose Park, during the absence of leave of- Miss E.C. Sketheway. Miss Pitchford has had an interesting career both in Australia and abroad. She was trained in Melbourne, and has done institutional and private nursing. During the war, which was in the early days of her career, she had three years of military service both at home and in India, Egypt, and England. On her return to Melbourne she had charge of a children's hospital ward for 12 months, and then began her midwifery training at the Women's Hospital, being in charge of the ante-natal department. She vacated this position to go to the United States of America, and spent three and a half years there and in the tropical regions, where she made a study of malaria, dysentery, and other diseases peculiar to those districts. For 18 months she was at Guatemala at the Fruit Company's Hospital, a modern institution with every facility for the study of general and surgical nursing. "There is no economising such as we know in Australia regarding hospital, equipment," said Miss Pitchford. "'There seems to be an inexhaustible supply of money to provide all the latest labor-saving devices, and hospitals in America are most up to date. It was a most valuable experience to me."Miss Pitchford returned to Australia in September of last year, and took a course in baby welfare in Sydney before resuming work , at the Melbourne Women's Hospital. She said that the scheme there was similar to that at the Queen's Home regarding midwifery, but surgical cases were also treated at the Victorian institution.

News Adelaide Tuesday 13 December 1927 page 8

Organiser Appointed

Miss Elsie Pltchfoid has been appointed organiser of the appeal for the Victorian Centenary College of Nursing which will be launched under the auspices of the Royal Victorian Trained Nurses Association Miss Pitchford who trained at the Homoeopathic Hospital has had an interesting career She served during the war in India Egypt and England returning to Australia in March 1920 when she was appointed sister in charge of the childrens ward at the Homopathic Hospital later joining the stall of the Womens Hospital. In 1923 she went to the United States whore she had extensive experience afterwards travelling to England via the West Indies before returning to Australia. Since October 1929 Miss Pitchford has been an inspector under the Nurses Board of Victoria and for a time she was acting registrar of the Nurses Board.

The Argus Thursday 01 February 1934 page 14