Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Annie Heath was born in Piccadilly near Crafers to Edward and Ann Heath and during her childhood the family moved to Macclesfield. In 1905 at the age of 24 Annie began her training at the Adelaide Hospital in a three year course to become a professional nurse. At the completion of her training she migrated west, like many young people at the time following the growth of Western Australia due in no small part to the booming gold mining towns. She began nursing in Perth and in 1908 enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), a reserve element of the evolving Australian Army.

With the declaration of war in 1914 the first convoy of troops assembled to depart from Albany. Among the tens of thousands of men of the newly formed AIF were 25 nurses from the AANS, regarded as the elite of the nursing reserve, and one of the two selected from Western Australia was Sister Annie Heath, sailing aboard the troopship Ascanius.

Not much is known of Sr Heath during the early months of 1915, due to her service record not being commenced until March 1916. What we do know, is that as a member of the 1st AGH in Cairo Sr Heath was well involved with the large influx of wounded as a result of the Gallipoli landing. The hospital wards that had been set up at the Heliopolis Hotel were far from adequate, as the expected numbers of casualties had been chronically underestimated and it did not take long before the numbers of wounded that needed to be transported back to Australia and New Zealand began to build up.

At the beginning of the war the NZ Government had yet to establish a structured nursing service for the army and as a result the nurses serving in Egypt from NZ had joined up with the AANS. Meanwhile as the NZ casualties began to mount, the troopship Willochra was tasked to return the wounded and maimed Kiwi’s back to their homeland. The ship was loaded with 281 casualties, 80 of which were stretcher cases. To care for these men on their return home were only 2 doctors and 8 Australian nurses who were put in the charge of the now acting Matron Annie Heath.

The Willochra was the first ship to return any soldiers back to NZ and as news of the campaign in the Dardenells was scant, the number of people waiting on the docks in each port for news or a glimpse of a loved one, numbered in the thousands. The streets were lined with bands and bunting as the crowds swelled and the dignitaries lined up to welcome their wounded countrymen.

The news of the care that the wounded had received for their injuries on their voyage home soon spread and some of the biggest cheers from the crowds were saved for the Australian nurses as they disembarked.  One newspaper, the Sun, had an article that stated “ When the vessel left Egypt she took 280 odd, of whom 80 had to be carried on board. It was expected that there would be anything up 60 deaths, but so carefully have they been tended that not a single life was lost, and there are only 15 who cannot walk ashore to-day. Every man on board speaks in terms of the highest praise of the eight Australian nurses, under Matron A. Heath, who attended the wounded on the voyage home. The nurses worked with the greatest energy, and the troops had every possible attention.”

So highly were Sr Heath and her nurses regarded, they were thanked for their efforts in the New Zealand Parliament and were feted around the country for three weeks. They were taken on a tour around to the major cities and towns where they were greeted by the Prime Minister, and Governors and Mayors holding receptions in their honour. After many presentations and ovations Sr Heath would give a talk to the crowds telling them of what was happening at Gallipoli and how their wounded sons and brothers were being cared for. This was most appreciated by the families of soldiers who felt that they were briefly reconnected to their loved ones.

On their return journey to Egypt Annie took the opportunity to for a short stop over in Macclesfield to catch up with family and friends before catching a mail boat to head back to the war. Annie arrived back in Egypt in October 1915 and remained with 1st AGH for the remainder of the Gallipoli campaign before moving on to France in early 1916. After a stint at Rouen, Annie was transferred to England to be in charge of St Albans, a convalescent home for the AANS. After continuous bouts of illness, Annie was to be returned to Australia for discharge, this time it would be her turn to be cared for on the voyage home.

Before she left England however Annie was able to spend a week of leave with her brother Harold who was convalescing also in England. Annie and Harold had already met earlier in the war in Egypt after he was evacuated sick from Gallipoli. Sadly just before Annie sailed home, Harold was killed on the western front.

The long journey home was not to prove to be uneventful, as Annie would meet a young officer from the 50th Battalion who was being invalided home after losing an eye at the front. Captain Richard Wilton would marry Annie Heath on their arrival back in Australia and have one daughter. In family life Annie would now take on home duties and Richard would go to become the Chief Engineer for Water for the SA government until his death in 1946. Following Richards death Annie moved to Victoria to be with her daughter Dorothy’s family until illness saw her admitted to the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital where she passed away in 1953.

Biography completed by Ella Frost from Mt Barker High School is attached. Winning entry for 2023 Premier’s ANZAC SPIRIT School Prize.