Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Archibald CONWAY and Frances Anna nee BIRT
Embarked from Australia 08 April 1915 per 'Malwa'
Enlisted 14 May 1915
Served in Egyptian Expeditionary Force
Served for 6 months on the hospital ship 'Assaye' taking wounded from Gallipoli
Continued service at Port Said and Cairo
88th General Hospital Cairo - March 1st, 1919 - Confidential Report
'Sister Kathleen L Conway QAIMNSR has been attached to this Hospital since January 8th, 1919. She has been in charge of Men's Surgical Division. Her work has been very good. She appears to be a thoroughly well trained nurse, reliable conscientious tactful, and very kind to the patients. She is neat, and is punctual on duty. Her ward has been kept in good order. Conduct very good. I consider her suitable for further Military Service. - A M PURCELL, Matron QAIMNSR.'
Awarded Royal Red Cross 2nd Class 03 June 1919
Demobilised 05 May 1919
Returned to Australia 07 May 1919 per 'Kildonian Castle'
Married Saumel Arthur TURNER 27 October 1919

Kathleen Lydia CONWAY was born on the 29th of April 1891 at Fifth Creek, Montacute, SA (reg. Norwood) – the daughter of Archibald CONWAY and Frances Anna BURT, who married on the 2/1/1884 at St Matthew’s Church, Kensington, SA. Archibald died in 1904 and Frances in 1907.

Siblings: Frances Emily 1884 – 1902; Archibald 1887 – 1894; Robert George 1889 – 1894;
Emily b.1892 – Kindergarten Teacher at Tormore House School; Barry b.1894 – WW1: Pte 1815, 43rd Bn, RTA 26/9/17 – d.4/1/1978; Dorothy b.1896 – marr R. McNEIL; Letitia b.1896 – marr KIDMAN

Trained in nursing at the Adelaide Hospital for 3 years – including 3 weeks as acting Sister in a surgical ward whilst still a Probationer.
Member of the Royal British Nurses Association
Resident of Montacute 1914

WW1 Service:
Kathleen applied to join the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) on the 28/9/1914 and was examined for enlistment on the 30/10/1914. Unfortunately, there were far more nurses wishing to serve overseas than vacancies existed, but in January 1915 she was temporarily appointed to the 4th Military District (Adelaide). Then the British War Office called for Australian nurses to be sent to join the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR), and on the 30/3/1915 she was selected by the ADF for enlistment, and joined one of the two groups which were sent in April. Embarking on the 8/4/1915 on the RMS Malwa, she disembarked in Egypt on the 1/5/1915.

Officially joining the QAIMNSR for duty on the 14/5/1915 Kathleen served first in Egypt, including an auxiliary hospital of the 1st Australian General Hospital at the Racecourse Pavilion, Heliopolis. She was then chosen to serve on the Hospital Ship Assaye, under Matron Bessie Pocock (AANS), and joined the ship at Alexandria on the 2/9/1915. For the next 6 months, the Assaye continued to carry patients from the Gallipoli campaign to Malta, Egypt and England.
During this time the nursing staff spent from the 20/10/1915 to the 8/11/1915 in the UK while the ship was undergoing repairs in dry dock. Sailing from England on the 9/11/1915 they experienced very bad weather and the entire staff was dreadfully sick for 4 days.

Following the evacuation of Gallipoli, orders came through in January 1916 that the Assaye would be diverted to the India run, without nursing staff. So, on the 20/1/1916 Kathleen and her fellow nurses left the ship and returned to hospital work in Egypt.
On the 6/3/1917 Kathleen was posted to the 31st British General Hospital at Port Said where she remained until the start of January 1919.
During this time she was granted 14 days Leave from the 23/7/1917 to the 5/8/1917, and 8 days from the 30/12/1918 to the 8/1/1919. She was promoted to Acting Sister on the 1/1/1918; and admitted to hospital as a patient on the 22/8/1918, rejoining the 31st GH on the 31/8/1918.
Following her last lot of Leave, she was then attached to the 88th General Hospital, Cairo (8/1/1919).

Confidential Report, Matron A. M. Purcell, 88th GH, 1/3/1919 (p.16 of SR):
“Sister Kathleen L. Conway, Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. has been attached to this Hospital since January 8th 1919. She has been in charge of a Men’s Surgical Division.
Her work has been very good.
She appears to be a thoroughly well trained nurse, reliable, conscientious, tactful, and very kind to the patients.
She is neat, and is Punctual on duty.
Her ward has been kept in good order.
Conduct very good.
I consider her suitable for further military service.”

Her services no longer required, Kathleen returned to Australia on the Kildonian Castle, embarking 2/4/1919 and disembarking 7/5/1919. Her appointment with the QAIMNSR was terminated on the 5/5/1919.
She was awarded the Royal Red Cross 2nd Class (ARRC) for her services in Egypt [Supplement to London Gazette, 3/6/1919]

Having settled her affairs at home, Kathleen then returned to Egypt to be married, embarking in Adelaide on the Orsova on the 26/9/1919, and arriving Suez 19/10/1919. She married Samuel Arthur TURNER on the 27th of October 1919.

Samuel had been born on the 27/5/1888 in Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire – the son of Samuel and Sarah Ann – he was an Assistant Teacher in 1911
WW1 Service: Pte 986, 1/6th Manchester Regt – HQ Palestine – served Egypt and Gallipoli from 25/9/1914 / Received his commission 14/1/1916 – Lieut, Lancashire Fusiliers / Capt, Royal Air Force – M.B.E.
To be Flight Lieutenant July 1924

The couple were living in Manchester, England by 1921

Children (3):
*Arthur Barry C b.9/4/1921 Manchester, England; *Jim b.2/12/1922 Manchester; *Donald Malcolm Conway b.21/5/1924 Sheppey, Kent – WW2: 2nd Lt, Corps of Royal Engineers (1944) – d.8/2/2009

Residents of Langley Way, Watford, Hertfordshire in 1939, 1950

Samuel died on the 19/1/1958 in Sth Australia, aged 69
Kathleen applied for Repat in 1960

Kathleen died on the 14th of August 1979 in Sth Australia, aged 88.
She is buried with Samuel in the Centennial Park Cemetery.

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The Mail (Adelaide, SA), Sat 2 Jan 1915 (p.3):
PERSONAL
The following appointments (temporary) to the Australian Army Nursing Service, 4th Military District, have been approved: – ……………………..; Nursing Sister K.L. Conway, vice L. White, seconded; ………………………..
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59299363

The Register (Adelaide), Fri 2 Apr 1915 (p.7):
NURSES FOR THE FRONT
Six nurses of the Royal British Nursing Association will leave for the front by the Malwa on Thursday – Nurses Wilkinson, Conway, Stacy, Hook, McManis, and Frost.

The Register (Adelaide), Fri 11 Jun 1915 (p.5):
Adelaide Nurse’s Letter
Sister Lillian McManus, in a chatty letter to her sister, Mrs F. Harris, of Payneham, written from the 1st Australian Hospital, Heliopolis, on April 6 [sic], recounts the arrival of Nurses Conway, Wilkinson, and herself at Heliopolis, where Miss Graham, of Adelaide, is matron of the “infectious” department. Lieut-Col (Dr) Ramsay Smith took them in a motor which belonged to a prince to see their new home, “which was gorgeous, and the lightings and hangings glorious.” About 20 nurses live together, and they have Egyptian servants and an English housekeeper, the former waiting at table in white robes with red belts, red felt slippers, and red fez caps. A motor ambulance night and morning takes the nurses to and from the hospital.

The Register (Adelaide), Sat 26 Jun 1915 (p.10):
HEROIC NURSES IN EGYPT
“Largest Hospital in Existence”
Writing from “Luna Park Infectious Hospital, April 27,” a well-known Adelaide nurse says: –
Writing again on May 10 the same nurse said: – “We moved from Luna Park nearly a fortnight ago into the racecourse pavilion at 10 minutes’ notice – 110 patients and all their belongings. Now we are quite straight. It is a beautiful place, and overlooks the soldier’s tents. We cleared it up and have a nice sitting-room, one large ward with 38 beds, two smaller wards, and a piazza double-banked with beds for sitting-up patients. In a dome upon a flat roof we sleep, 16 light-duty men. The other nurses landed a week ago. I have Sisters McManus and Conway with me. Luna Park is filled up with wounded, and there are other nurses there. Miss Graham is matron of Luna Park, and with her we nurses are living in a place of our own, and running our own mess, right on the edge of the desert. There are 23 of us from Luna Park and the Pavilion.”
On May 23 the same correspondent writes – …………………………………
When the sisters by the Kyarra arrive, which may be at any moment, our 23 of the R.A.M.C. will move on further to Alexandria. There is work for plenty more nurses. …………………………….
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/59607611

The Register (Adelaide), Thur 8 May 1919:
RETURNED SOLDIERS WELCOMED
The troops from the Kildonian Castle were released from quarantine on Wednesday morning, and arrived at the Outer Harbour by the launch Vigilant at half-past 10, ………………
Those landed who were not in the list were: ………… Sisters K. Conway and L.V. McManus …….

The Register (Adelaide), Wed 1 Oct 1919:
CONCERNING PEOPLE
The following first and second saloon passengers left Adelaide by the Orsova on Friday for London and Port Said: London ……………. Port Said – Second saloon, Sister K.L. Conway.

Observer (Adelaide, SA), Sat 23 Apr 1921 (p.27):
BIRTHS
TURNER (nee K. Conway) – On the 9th April, at Manchester, England, the wife of Capt S.A. Turner – a son.

The Register (Adelaide, SA), Sat 9 Dec 1922 (p.8):
BIRTHS
TURNER – On the 2nd December, at Manchester, England, the wife of S.A. Turner – a son. Sydney papers please copy.