大象传媒

Zilla Purse was my great aunt, born in Liverpool in 1891. She trained as a nurse during WW1, and then went to live in Greece in the twenties as a children's nurse. She worked with the American Women's hospital with Dr Elliot organising camps and hospitals for the refugees from Smyrna in 1922 and was matron at three hospitals in Athens. In 1941 she was evacuated to Alexandria. There was a bit of a to do because on the morning of the Greek Good Friday, she'd been rung by the local ARP at 7am to say the boat had been cancelled. At 11am she was rung again to say get down to the quay immediately as the boat was about to leave. She had to leave everything behind, as did so many others. In Cairo,she managed to find work at Military HQ and also with Lady Freiburg in the New Zealand canteens. In October 1941 she was evacuated to Bombay via Suez, and spent about five weeks in Pedder Road flats before being sent to the British Rest Camp in Satara in 1942. She was then moved to the British Evacuee Camp in Coimbatore, a couple of months later. Through contact with Lady Wavell, she was able to leave the camp and enlist with the Indian Nursing Service [she had tried to enlist with the Britsh Nursing Service by taking ten years off her age, only to be told she was six months too old]. She was more successful this time and served in CMH Kamptee [or is it Kampri] 1942-1943, IMH Deolali, 16CM GH Karachi and CMH Mehgaon. She was then sent overseas to a hospital in Rome and then to the 16th General Hospital in Salonica for a year. She returned to India with the 4th Indian Division and was demobbed in 1946. She had a boyfriend called George, who was in the Army we think, but who was killed. I don't have his surname, but know he was mentioned in despatches. I have a photo of a QA nurse, Sister Brewster from CMH Kamptee. I'd like to hear from anyone who possibly knew my aunt or could tell me about any of the places I've mentioned.

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