Ordinary Lives of the First World War
I am honoured to feature this very special family story from the author, Rachel Sargeant
Sister Muriel Wakeford – a nurse at Gallipoli
Australian-born Muriel Wakeford,
trained as a nurse and became matron at two hospitals in New South Wales. At the outbreak of war, she volunteered to
serve in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She set off on the Kyarra in
November 1914, arriving in Egypt the following January.
During her time as a war nurse,
she kept a diary. Here is the first entry:
“Wednesday 24th of November
A momentous day indeed. At 4pm we
pushed off from Circular quay amidst wild enthusiasm and also a terrific storm.
The ferry boats all saluted, the crowd cheered and I felt pretty miserable. My
first experience at sea. The night was wild indeed – three sea men were knocked
over by the elements and one had to be operated on next morning. I was
fortunate enough to be able to assist at the operation. Unique experience at
sea.”
In April 1915 she was sent aboard
the hospital ship Gascon bound for the island of Lemnos, thirty miles from the
Dardanelles Straits. For the next few months, she and her colleagues cared for
thousands of injured, dying and diseased men.
Muriel wrote:
“Sun 25 Apr 1915
Bombardment of the Dardanelles
commenced 5 am. Moved off at 1am. Reached Gaba Tepe at 5. Shells were bursting
everywhere. At 9 the first lot of wounded came on board. At midday the place
was a fiery inferno. The London was lying almost touching us. Shells from the
enemy frequently burst quite close to us. The first landing party cut to pieces
by the Turks who fired shrapnel before the lighters even touched the beach.
At 6.30 left for Lemnos with 600
on board.”
A later diary entry read:
“Mon 9 Aug
By daylight the whole coast
presents a very different aspect to what it did when we departed here (Anzac)
nearly a month ago. Troops have landed and are holding the whole length of
coastline from Anzac beach to Cape Suvla (new landing place). Several cruisers
and transports are anchored there in Suvla Bay. 3 cruisers and several monitors
are shelling Turkish positions. Heavy fighting proceeds all day. Wounded
arriving continually.”
In early September 1915 she
travelled back to Australia on the Beltana, nursing invalided soldiers. She returned
to sea on 17th December aboard the Karoola, presumably heading for the Western
Front but we don’t have her diary for 1916 to confirm this.
Serving with Muriel on the Gascon
had been third mate Raymond Sargeant, a British-Belgian man. They married in
June 1916 in London. As was the norm for
the time, Muriel gave up her career when she married.
The couple made their home in
Mombasa, Kenya where Raymond was Port Captain. They had one son, Harry, who
became an army officer and saw action in the Second World War. Raymond and
Muriel later moved to South Africa.
At the age of fifty six, Raymond
returned to active service during the Second World War as a
Lieutenant-Commander with the South African Naval Forces. Muriel and Raymond
spent their retirement in Worthing, on the English south coast. Raymond died in
1958 and Muriel in 1965.
Muriel’s grandsons, Mark and
Nigel, have kept her 1915 diary. Nigel’s wife, Rachel Sargeant, is a writer who
has written a novel loosely based on the diary. Gallipoli: Year of Love and
Duty.
About Gallipoli: Year of Love and
Duty
In 1915 Sara Winwood writes a
diary. It begins as a grand adventure for Sara and best friend Bessie, two
newly enlisted sisters in the Australian Army Nursing Service heading into the
unknown to do their bit in a distant war.
At first they serve in Egypt
where nursing duties slot in around camel rides to the Pyramids and coffee at
Cairo’s Shepheard’s Hotel but then, together with four other nurses, they are
sent on board the hospital ship Gascon, bound for the Dardanelles. Adventure
turns to ordeal. The six women face an unrelenting barrage of blood, death and
disease with only the fortitude and humour of their patients – shrapnel-filled
men scraped off the hostile cliffs of the Gallipoli peninsula - to keep them
going. They don’t just see war; they touch, taste and breathe it.
By the end of the year, one nurse
will die, one will achieve greatness, one will mourn, two will deceive, and one
will learn to love.
About Rachel Sargeant
Rachel Sargeant is an Amazon
Kindle Top Ten bestselling author. She grew up in Lincolnshire. She has three
published novels, Gallipoli: Year of Love and Duty being her second. Her
stories have appeared in My Weekly and the Accent Press Saucy Shorts series.
Rachel has a degree in German and Librarianship from Aberystwyth University and
a Masters in Creative Writing from Lancaster University. She spent several
years living in Germany where she taught English and she now lives in
Gloucester with her husband and children.
Warmest thanks to Rachel for spending time with us today
And for sharing Muriels's diary with us, I feel honoured to share this poignant reminder
of Gallipoli by a nurse who was actually there.
~****~
