Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Charles Traugott KUERSCHNER and Elizabeth Francis nee LOCKTON.

“Nurse Kershaw changed her name on 23 January 1918 from Mary Augusta Kuerschner.
Father, Australian German – Mother Irish – Grandmother English.”

She married Algernon Percival DAVIS on 03 June 1928 at the Church of the Holy Cross, Goodwood, SA

Mary was the daughter of Carl (Charles) Traugott KUERSCHNER & Elizabeth Frances LOCKTON and was born on the 30th of March 1886 in Black Rock Plain, SA.

Her parents were married on the 13th of April 1879 in Yarcowie, SA.

Her father was the son of Christian KUERSCHNER & Anna Rosina HEINKE and was born on the 6th of June 1851 in Light Pass, SA.
Her mother was the daughter of William LOCKTON & Elizabeth GANLEY and was born in 1858 in Kapunda, SA.

Mary was the fourth child born into this family of 11 children.

Mary’s father was a farmer and they lived on Section 133, Hundred of Black Rock, comprising of 333 acres.

Between 1893 and 1898 Mary lost 3 of her younger siblings and they buried them in the Orroroo Cemetery.

Mary and her siblings attended the Black Rock Plain School and the road to their home was named Kuerschner Road.

After completing his schooling Mary decided to become a nurse and she moved to Adelaide in 1914 and began her training in the Adelaide Hospital.

After completing her nursing qualifications she became a member of the Royal British Nurses Association & the Australian Trained Nursing Association.

On the 17th of September 1917 Mary completed her Australian Army Nursing Service questionnaire so she could join the AANS

On the 23rd of January 1918 Mary anglicised her name and changed it to KERSHAW.

At the age of 31, Mary enlisted into the Australian Army Nursing Service on the 2nd of March 1918 in Keswick, SA.
Mary enlisted under the anglicised name of KERSHAW.
She reported for duty the same day at the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick.

Mary embarked from Sydney on the 14th of October 1918 on board SS Wyreema as a staff nurse with 47 other nurses and 750 troops.

They sailed to Durban harbour and proceeded on November 7th towards Cape Town. Whilst passing Capt Town they received a wireless informing them of the Armistice and orders to return to Australia.
They turned about and anchored in Cape Town harbour, however, due to the Influenza Epidemic on the mainland they remained on the ship for 11 days before sailing home.

They arrived in Albany on the 13th of December after 67 days without having put foot on shore, which was a record for a transport ship.

Mary disembarked at Outer Harbour, SA at 7pm on the 20th of December and was then posted to the 7th Australian General Hospital at Keswick.

On the 23rd of January 1919 her name change was gazetted in the Australian papers and in May she returned home and spent her vacation with her parents.

Mary was discharged from the AANS on the 5th of June 1919, but was then reappointed and commenced service again.
In December she returned home to Black Rock to visit her parents and was presented with a gold medal by the Black Rock Soldiers Committee.

Mary served for another 12 months and was discharged from the AANS on the 14th of December 1920 due to the reduction of staff.

Mary married Algernon Percival DAVIS on the 3rd of June 1928 in the Church of the Holy Cross, Goodwood, SA.
Algernon was the son of Sam Archibald DAVIS & Frances Dorothea TOLARNO and was born on the 23rd of September 1889 in Terowie.
Algernon had enlisted into the 10th Battalion, 8th Reinforcements on the 28th of May 1915 (2835).
He then served with the 3rd Light Railway Operating Company.

They made their home at 15 Lloyd Street, South Road Estate and in the early 1940’ they moved to 101 Esplanade Road, Semaphore where Algernon was a soldier in 1943.

They never had children and moved back to 15 Lloyd Street, South Road Estate.

Algernon died on the 10th of August 1966 and Mary buried him in the Centennial Park Cemetery; Derrick Gardens, Path 37, Plot 251A.

Mary was then diagnosed with Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease with Fibrillation.

Mary died of Congestive Cardiac Failure on the 22nd of June 1967 at her home, 15 Lloyd Street, South Road Estate, SA.
She was buried the following day in the Centennial Park Cemetery; Derrick Gardens, Path 37, Plot 251A, with Algernon.

Military

At the age of 31, Mary enlisted into the Australian Army Nursing Service on the 2nd of March 1918 in Keswick, SA.

She listed her brother, father, of Black Rock, SA as her next of kin and reported for duty the same day at the 7th Australian General Hospital in Keswick.

Mary embarked from Sydney on the 14th of October 1918 on board SS Wyreema as a staff nurse with 47 other nurses and 750 troops.
They sailed to Durban harbour and proceeded on November 7th towards Cape Town. Whilst passing Capt Town they received a wireless informing them of the Armistice and orders to return to Australia.
They turned about and anchored in Cape Town harbour, however, due to the Influenza Epidemic on the mainland they remained on the ship for 11 days before sailing home.

No troops or nurses whatever were allowed on shore at either Durban or Cape Town, where the influenza epidemic was raging and at both ports the vessel was coaled by the soldiers on board.

They arrived in Albany on the 13th of December after 67 days without having put foot on shore, which was a record for a transport ship.

Due to their strict isolation there was no sign of influenza on the vessel unlike the Boonah who had arrived the previous day and was also anchored in the harbour.

The Boonah had sailed from Port Adelaide on the 22nd of October, 1918, bound for England via Fremantle and South Africa. She was the last Australian troop ship to leave Australia in World War One.
760 troops boarded at Adelaide and a further 158 boarded when the ship left Fremantle on the 29th of October. This included approximately 30 members of the Australian Army Medical Corps.
The Boonah arrived in Durban, South Africa on the 14th of November, just three days after the armistice was signed, and on hearing the news, arrangements were made to promptly return home. Before her departure however, local stevedores from the Spanish 'flu stricken city were used to load and unload supplies from the ship and in the course of doing so infected soldiers who were billeted in crowded conditions throughout the ship.

The Boonah had then experienced harsh weather conditions on the return voyage to Australia, cold temperatures, icy decks, and rough seas confining soldiers and nurses below decks for considerable time in crowded conditions creating growing numbers of influenza symptoms.
By the time the Boonah had arrived back at Fremantle on the 12th of December 1918, the day prior to Mary on board Wyreema, more than 300 cases had been reported.
Commonwealth immigration authorities initially refused to allow the soldiers and nurses to disembark, knowing of the global pandemic which was under way, but which had until then spared Western Australia.
After some delay approval was granted for the most unwell soldiers to be brought ashore to the Quarantine Station at Woodman Point.

Using the tug "Alliance", it took 3 days for 337 men to be brought ashore with strong south westerly winds causing delays. Five men died on the first day at the station. The condition of some deteriorated further with more dying as well.

Twenty nurses from the Wyreema were seconded to help with the Influenza cases at the Quarantine Station at Woodman Point.
Fortunately Mary was not one of these nurses as they also contracted Influenza and sadly 4 of these nurses died from the epidemic.

On board the Boonah where most of the men and nurses remained, conditions were said to be deplorable. A seven day incubation period with no new cases was required to prove that the disease had burnt itself out, but new infections and deaths continued, caused by the cramped and close living conditions.

Public outrage grew against the refusal of the immigration authorities to allow all of the soldiers and nurses ashore. Wrangling between the State Minister for Health and the Federal immigration authorities continued, and tensions increased to the point that the Returned Servicemen's Association made threats to storm the ship to return the sick men and women to shore.

Mary and the Wyreema arrived in Semaphore and anchored on the 17th of December and after spending 3 days in quarantine on the troopship, she disembarked at Outer Harbour, SA at 7pm on the 20th of December.

While they were anchored in Semaphore harbour, and after 9 days of acrimony, despite breaking quarantine regulations, the Boonah was ordered to depart from Albany, presumably to defuse the situation.

Another 17 cases of Influenza were discovered on the Boonah between Albany and Adelaide, and the remaining men and nurses were disembarked at Torrens Island Quarantine Station.
No further deaths occurred, but a total of 27 soldiers and 4 nurses died of influenza during the crisis at the Woodman Point Quarantine Station.

Mary was then posted to the 7th Australian General Hospital at Keswick and was then discharged from the AANS on the 5th of June 1919 and awarded the British War Medal.