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From Australian Remembrance Army

Staff Nurse Edith Annie Hodgson, an Australian veteran of World War One, is one of only two nurses among almost 800 previously unmarked WWI veterans’ graves in Lutwyche Cemetery whose graves we have now honoured with plaques recognising their service to Australia.

On 23 September 2023, her plaque was unveiled in Lutwyche Cemetery, along with a further 300 plaques on the previously unmarked graves of Australian World War One veterans:
See Australian Remembrance Army Facebook page

Edith Annie Hodgson was born on 30 September 1869 in Dunolly, Victoria to parents Emily Amelia Nonmus and Isaac Hodgson. She was the second born of eight children and had three sisters and four brothers.
Edith trained to be a nurse at The Alfred Hospital in Prahran, and also was a registered midwife after completing her training at the Women’s Hospital in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton. On 14 November 1917, Edith enlisted with the Australian Army Nursing Service and was a Staff Nurse in the No 3 Section Sea Transport Unit. The unit embarked at Melbourne on SS “Indarra” on 26 November 1917, disembarking at Southampton, England on 16 January 1918. Edith was attached for duty to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital and worked in Southall, London from February through to July 1918.

On 10 July, Edith along with three fellow nurses, left England on board the transport ship, HMAT “Barunga”. The ship was carrying troops back to Australia and left with approximately 800 invalided men on board. At 4.45pm, the periscope of a U Boat was seen on the starboard bow around 200 metres from the ship. The U Boat fired a torpedo which hit the ship and exploded.

The life boats were lowered and the nurses and the hospital cases were taken to the nearby destroyer which was one of a number of escorts. It was found that there was only water in 2 holds so the ship would not be likely to sink rapidly. Rafts were deployed over the sides and the men told to jump in.

As told by Private Herbert (“Cock”) Newman of the 3rd Pioneers Battalion and on board:
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦,” 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘸𝘮𝘢𝘯, “𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 – 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦. 𝘞𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘺; 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘺 6𝘱𝘮. 𝘐 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘵𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 – 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵, 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭.”
Port was reached the following morning and all were transported to Weymouth. Edith left England on 21 July 1918 on board HMAT “Boonah”, arriving in Victoria on 20 September 1918.

Edith continued her work as a nurse in Victoria before moving to Parramatta, New South Wales in 1926 where she was registered as a midwife. Edith lived in O’Connell Street until 1935 when she briefly moved to Hurstville, New South Wales before moving in to her home named “Essendon” in Mott Street, Gaythorne – a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Edith lived in this home for 16 years before passing away at the Greenslopes Repatriation Hospital in Brisbane on 18 January 1953 at the age of 84 years. She was buried four days later at Lutwyche Cemetery, in ANAZAC Portion 8.

After decades without recognition at her place of burial, her grave now bears a plaque commemorating her service to Australia — ensuring her name endures among those remembered for their duty and sacrifice. Her dignity and identity have now been restored.

We have remembered Edith.
Lest We Forget