Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of H MANSFIELD
Sister of Mrs. W F STEPHENS of Hobart
Has been a nurse under engagement to Dr. Drake
Left Australia on the ' Aberdeen' Saturday 31 March 1900
Returned to Australia - invalided home ill September 1900 per 'Wakanui'
Married W H DAWSON in 1901
Died 29 September 1935 at 'Eyam' 28 Montague Street, New Town, Tas.
Buried St. John's Church Cemetery, New Town, Tas.

OBITUARY: MRS. LYDIA DAWSON, PROMINENT NEW TOWN RESIDENT.

Mrs. Lydia Dawson, widow of the late Mr. W. H. Dawson, died yesterday at her home, Montague Street, New Town. Mrs. Dawson was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. H. Mansfield, and a sister of Mrs. W. F. Stephens, of New Town.

Before her marriage in 1901 Mrs. Dawson trained for the nursing profession at the Launceston Public Hospital, and after leaving that institution engaged in private nursing until the outbreak of the Boer War.  Mrs. Dawson (then Sister Mansfield), with Sisters White and Robinson, volunteered for service, and embarked at Hobart on a troopship for Durban, all three sisters paying their own fares. On the relief of Ladysmith tho three sisters were, sent through by the first train after the line was opened and were engaged in the military hospital at Ladysmith nursing troops. After some months of service Mrs. Dawson contracted enteric fever, and subsequently was invalided home. Mrs. Dawson treasured an autographed photo of the late Lord Roberts and the Queen's South African Medal. During the Great War Mrs. Dawson took an active part in the training of girls for tho V.A.D. and in Red Cross work. In later years Mrs. Dawson was a member of the committee of tho Blind, Deaf, and Dumb Institution and of the Girls' Industrial School.

The Mercury, Monday 30 September 1935, page 8.

Sourced by Faithe Jones

​DAWSON – On September 29, 1935 at Eyam, 28 Montague Street, New Town, Lydia, widow of W H DAWSON

Funeral Notice
DAWSON – Funeral of the late Mrs. Lydia Dawson will arrive at St. John’s Church and Cemetery, New Town, on Monday Afternoon (This Day) at 4 o’clock

NURSES FOR THE FRONT
HOBART, Monday.— By the steamer Aberdeen, which left here yesterday morning for the Cape, filters Mansfield and White and Nurse Robinson departed with the object of getting attached to the Red Cross Staff of the British Army. They carry with them letters of introduction to Sir Thomas Fitzgerald and the British medical officers from many of the leading doctors of Hobart, also one from the Governor (Lord Gormanston) to Sir Alfred Milner, Commissioner of South Africa. All the young ladies ate proceeding to the Seat of war at their own expense.

Daily Telegraph Tuesday 03 April 1900 page 2

PRESENTATION TO A NURSE.
HOBART, Tuesday. — A very pleasing ceremony took place at Government House, the occasion being the presentation to Mrs W. H. Dawson, nee Nurse Mansfield, of the South African medal gained by Her during the late war. His Excellency, in making the presentation, said he had been specially requested to perform what to him was a pleasing duty, and he congratulated Mrs Dawson on the excellent work she and others had done.

Daily Telgraph Wednesday 03 September 1902 page 5

NURSE: MANSFIELLD DANGEROUSLY ILL AT LADYSMITH.
HOBART, Wednesday.
Mr. W. F. Stephens received the following cablegram this morning from the' Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies:-"Regret to inform you that
Nursing Sister L. Mansfield was reported on June 24 from South Africa to be dangerously ill at Ladysmith."

Examiner (Launceston) Thursday 28 June 1900 page 6

INVALIDED HOME.
TROOPER VAUGHAN AND NURSE MANSFIELD.
HOBART, Monday.
The Premier has received a cable from Sir Alfred Milner to the effect that the s. Wakanui has left Capetown for Hobart, having on board Trooper Vaughan and Nursing Sister Lilian Mansfield.
Trooper Vaughan belongs to Sandy Bay, and left Tasmania with the second contingent. Sister Mansfield left Tasmania some time later for South Africa, and joined the nursing staff, but she was subsequently taken ill.

Examiner (Launceston) Tuesday 18 September 1900 page 6

RETURN OF NURSE MANSFIELD.
A VICTIM OF ENTERIC
Nurse Mansfield, who was one of the first batches of Tasmanian nurses to go to the front, returned from South Africa in the s. s. Wakanui early yesterday morning. Miss Mansfield had a severe attack of enteric, brought on by a long spell of arduous work in the unhealthily situated hospital outside Ladysmith. She has been greatly benefited by the voyage over, but enteric is no passing malady and she is still far from well. She was visited by a representative of " The Mercury " yesterday. Very courteously Nurse Mansfield received the reporter, explaining that, though she was too unwell to talk at length she was willing to say what she could. " Only, " she said " my experience while novel to me, and exciting enough, was not particularly varied or sensational. I can tell you nothing of special interest as to the conditions and horrors of war and I saw little of its picturesque side. One has, of course, stirring experiences in a hospital ward , but they have been described before by people strong in health with readier tongues than mine. " " You must not let me tire you, " said the journalist, " and I will not question you as to your experience of horrors at all. But some of us - if you will permit me to say so - have a theory that if peace ever becomes a permanent condition the happier men of that time, looking back to our wars, will be apt to award some of the greenest laurels for courage and devotion to the nursing sisters. Tell me, if you will, of your experiences as a nurse. " " Well, you must not expect a romantic narrative from me. We nurses all went out, I think, moved solely by a sense of duty and a great desire to help alleviate the sufferings of our soldiers, and we went prepared to work hard, and as unselfishly as we could : that is what our profession teaches us. I left with Nurse White and Nurse Robertson in March, and when we reached Durban we got orders from the P. M. O. appointing us to the hospital at Ladysmith ; or, to be precise, to the Tin Camp Military Hospital three miles out of Ladysmith. The hospital was full ; there must have been 2,000 patients there ; so that we had plenty to do. There were a few West Australians amongst us , but the majority of the nurses were from London and Netley. We had a lot of Sir Redvers Buller's men in our wards, with others from various regiments ; and there were a few Boers - but my duties were not concerned with them." " And how were the nurses treated? " "Oh, admirably! I wish to be very clear as to that. From everybody - British officers and men, and everybody connected with the military forces - we had constant courtesy and kindness. Our patients, too, had nothing to complain of, in the circumstances. You see, hospitals organised hastily in war time, especially for the purposes of the war, cannot possibly be so perfect in all details of administration and equipment as old - established hospitals in peaceful cities are. Sometimes it was impossible to get everything just as it was needed. Once, for instance, we had to face a great scarcity of milk ; and that was
naturally hard for the patients. But everything that expert brains could devise to make the hospital treatment effective and humane was done. The military authorities were tireless, and no effort was spared by any of us. Then, in the middle of it, I got enteric myself, and was very ill. In August, when I could be moved, I was taken to the Military Convalescent Home at Pietermaritzburg."
" Speaking of Ladysmith. Were the conditions really very unhealthy? " " Very. That was admitted ; indeed, the hospital has now been moved to Howick, miles away, where it has been re-established on a very suitable and healthy site. When I left, Nurse White and Nurse Robertson were working hard at Howick, in excellent health. " " And after Pietermaritzburg? " " I left Durban for Capetown in the Orient, which has been chartered by the Home Government. We had a lot of Boer prisoners on board. Some of them had been wounded ; and some had suffered from enteric. I went to the hospital at Winburg, outside Capetown for a time ; it is the finest hospital I have ever been in." "We heard a good deal at one time of the embarrassment of the authorities owing to the inflow of amateur nurses. Did you see anything of that ?" "Well, at the beginning I believe there was some trouble. But it has been over, I should think, for some time now. All the nurses I met were trained. Of course, the motives of the amateurs were good enough, and one can understand women, at a time of patriotic need, being' anxious to assist in woman's duty at the front. Still, you know a woman who goes out as a nurse without knowledge, goes foolishly. An amateur, however willing, must, as a general thing, be a serious hindrance to the active work of a military hospital, where all work must of necessity be so prompt and orderly. " " And were the nursing arrangements generally good? " " Remarkably good. At Ladysmith we had far more patients than we could take care of in ordinary circumstances; but things went very well. " It was apparent here that Nurse Mansfield had gone to the limit of her strength just then. The journalist rose to go. " You will not forget to make it plain that I have been treated splendidly by everybody? " she said as he left. Sister Mansfield is still, of course, far from strong and we are requested to state that her doctor has most emphatically enjoined absolute rest and seclusion for at least a week or ten days.
Her many friends will, therefore, understand that they can give her no better proof of their friendship than by kindly deferring for a while all congratulatory visits.

The Mercury Thursday 04 October 1900 page 2

THE REWARD OF MERIT.
Mrs W. H . Dawson, who was prominently before the public as Nurse Mansfield, one of the first nurses to volunteer for active service in South Africa, has just received an autograph photograph of Lord Roberts, bearing the signature “ Roberts, F. M.” T his is a graceful tribute from a great man to one of those who worked silently and unremittingly in the service of her Queen and Empire, and to whom our soldiers owe so much.

Tasmanian News Tuesday 07 January 1902 page 4