Anne Donnell

Anne Donnell joined the A.I.F. as Staff Nurse, No. 3 Australian General Hospital, aged 39 years 7 months. She was a South Australian (Cherry Gardens, Adelaide) from where she embarked on the Mooltan, 20 May 1915.

She was promoted to Sister on 5 May 1917.

Sister Donnell returned to Australia on the Margha, disembarking 28 February 1919.

• No. 19 British General Hospital (Deaconesses’ Hospital), Alexandria [also midwife for Col. Fiaschi’s wife] – August 1915
• Lemnos – 13/14 October 1915
• Disembarked from Mudros at Alexandria – 27 January 1916
• 3 A.G.H., Abbassia – February 1916
• Embarked for England HMT Karoola – 25 September 1916
• Arrived Brighton with 3 A.G.H. – 5 October 1916
• To France with 3 A.G.H. – April 1917
• 3 A.G.H., Abbeville – April/May 1917
• 38 Stationary Hospital, Calais – 12 July 1917
• 48 C.C.S., Ytres – 23 November 1917
• To Hosp. Sick, 2 S.H., Abbeville – 18 January 1918
• Hotel de l’Esterel (Lady Gifford), Cannes – 31 January 1918
• 3 A.G.H., Abbeville – 28 February 1918
• Admitted sick, 2 S.H. – 9 March 1918
• Adm. Southwell Gdns P.U.O. – 17 March 1918
• 2 A.A.H., Southall – 18 May 1918
• 1 A.A.H., Harefield – 24 May 1918
• Embarked for Australia – 18 January 1919

• Service Record – National Archives of Australia
• Anne DONNELL – The AIF Project

Anne Donell papers

• Series 01: Anne Donnell circular letters, 25 May 1915 – 8 July 1918 (Transcript)
• Series 02: Anne Donnell diary, 29 December 1917 – 31 January 1919 (Transcript)

Mitchell Library MLMSS 1022

• Letters and photographs [manuscript] 1915-1918
  Copies of 24 letters containing descriptions of her experiences in England, France and Egypt, including descriptions of her work of nursing the wounded, her experiences in the air raids and bombing, her impressions of Egypt and the conditions in France. There are also photographs from the war.

National Library of Australia NLA MS 3962

Anne Donnell collection, NLA

View our photos on Flickr

More about Sister Donnell

Parents were William Donnell (1830-1881) and Fanny Jacobs (1846-1918).

The Register of 7 June 1920 reports that Anne Donnell is matron of a South Australian Anzac Hostel.

She published her letters and diaries in a book entitled Letters of an Australian army sister (Angus & Robertson ltd, Sydney) in 1920.

The Register of 25 March 1926 reports she has resigned from the position of Matron at the ANZAC Hostel in Glenelg and is accompanying a Mr LW Walker, an incapacitated ex-serviceman, on a trip to Colombo.

The Register of 17 January 1928 reports she was training in New Zealand “drawn by her interest in mothercraft work and the world fame of Sir Truby King’s methods.”

Anne Donnell ran the Goldfields Infant Welfare Centre in Kalgoorlie from 1930s onwards. She was a member of the Kalgoorlie RSL.

Electoral Roll for 1931 has an Anne Donnell “trained nurse” at 89 Egan St Kalgoorlie; 1936 “nurse” 72 Ward St, Kalgoorlie; 1954 “retired” 24 James St, North Beach, Perth.

Died 23 September 1956 in Perth.

Credit: thanks to GWF members LeoMc & Kirsty Harris for information

Letters of an Australian Army Sister

[7.10.1915] P.S.-I am off to my final destination in a day or two so good-bye. My address will be No. 3 A.G.H., A.I.F., Turk’s Head Peninsula, West Point, Mudros, Lemnos, via Alexandria, Egypt.

Published Sunday July 24, 2011 · Last modified Thursday July 26, 2012
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