WHITE, Erica Virginia
| Service Numbers: | Not yet discovered |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 December 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Sister |
| Last Unit: | 14th Australian General Hospital |
| Born: | Hallett, South Australia, 28 August 1892 |
| Home Town: | Clare, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Hallett Public School |
| Occupation: | Nursing Sister |
| Died: | Streaky Bay, South Australia, 11 February 1982, aged 89 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Streaky Bay Cemetery, S.A. Hexigon Niche Wall |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Dec 1916: | Enlisted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Staff Nurse | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1916: | Involvement Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Fremantle embarkation_ship: SS Kaiser-i-Hind embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 18 Dec 1916: | Embarked Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), SS Kaiser-i-Hind, Fremantle | |
| 4 Dec 1917: | Promoted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, 14th Australian General Hospital, temporary - confirmed 18-12-18 | |
| 2 Apr 1919: | Embarked Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, 14th Australian General Hospital, RTA per H.T. Kildonian Castle | |
| 5 Jun 1919: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, London Gazette | |
| 9 Nov 1919: | Discharged Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, 14th Australian General Hospital |
Help us honour Erica Virginia White's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Paul Lemar
Daughter of Edward & Louisa WHITE nee HART
Of Clare, South Australia.
She married Robert FLEMING in 1936
Biography contributed by Dara School
Ericia Virginia White was born in Hallett, a small farm town in South Australia, on the 28th of August 1892 to parents Louisa Hart White (1852-1940 and Edward White (1842-1893). Erica had five older sisters (findagrave.com, n.d; vwma.org.au, n.d).
She presumably went to Hallet public school as it was the only school in the area. She was and her family were a part of the Church of England for her upbringing, the religion staying with her for the rest of her life (vwma.org.au, n.d; National Archives of Australia, 2001).
When Erica was 20 years old, she began to work at Kalgoorlie hospital, staying there for four years until her enlistment. Whilst working there she achieved her qualifications. She enlisted into the Australian Nursing Corps on the 13th of November 1916 with a recommendation from the Maiden at Kalgoorlie hospital. This gave her enlistment preferability as it showed that she had skills in the medical field (National Archives of Australia, 2001; vwma.org.au, n.d).
On the 18th of December 1916 Erica embarked on the long journey to Kashgar, Egypt. She stayed here, presumably in training, until the 16th of April 1917 when she began her service in the 21st General Hospital. This hospital, however, was not Australian. Erica, along with many other Australian nurse at the time, was working at a British Army hospital in Egypt to support them (adfa.edu, 2024; National Archives of Australia, 2001).
On the 26th of April, not long after joining the 21st General Hospital there was a meeting at Stanley Flat SA in her honor. This meeting occurred at Mrs Pattullo’s home, where around 50 women met up to share gifts for Erica, as she was the only women from the area serving in the war. These gifts were collected by Ericas mother, Louisa, who shared her extreme gratitude with Mrs Pattullo and the other women (Trove.nla, n.d).
On the 30th of July 1917 Erica transferred to the 14th General Hospital. This hospital was in Abbassia, Cairo. Unlike her last placement, this hospital was under Australian control (National Archives of Australia, 2001).
On the 3rd of December 1917 Erica ranked up to sister nurse, quite a prestigious honour. During this time, she was still at the 14th general hospital. During December 1918, nearing to the end of the war, Erica once again moved higher in the ranks when she became a Sister (National Archives of Australia, 2001).
In October 1919 the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette published that Sister E.V. White was Mentioned in Despatches as she was worthy of mention for services rendered during the period from 19th September 1918 to 31st January 1918.
In 20th of September 1919, when Erica was 27, she returned to Australia after the long and painful journey that she undertook during the war. She had gone through something that no-one should have to have gone through. Through the words of Nurse May Tilton, we can see the pain that these nurses went through daily (National Archives of Australia, 2001).
‘Things here are just too awful for words. We found only a bare piece of ground with wounded men in pain, still in filthy, bloodstained clothes, lying amid stones and thistles. As we lacked tents, beds, or medicines, we could do little for most of our patients.’
These are the words of Matron Wilson, a nurse serving in World War One. This account demonstrates the suffering and trauma that all WW1 nurses undertook.
Erica appeared to have a love of travel and sense of adventure even after her war experience. According to a letter in her service record written by her mother, Erica travelled to the United States to see one of her sisters in 1921.
The contribution of the Nursing Corps during WW1 changed people's thoughts on what women were capable of, moulding the future for all women.
Click images to start slideshow.