Excerpt from The Age, 21st December 1915:
Miss Helen Bowie, who was one of the first women to join the staff of Lady Dudley's First Australian Field Hospital, has just returned to Melbourne. Miss Bowie is a bacteriologist, a golfer of repute, and a surgical nurse. She left Australia two years' ago with her relatives, Dr. and Mrs. George Horne on a visit to Europe.
When Miss Bowie sailed from these shores she hoped to have the opportunity of increasing her bacteriological knowledge, and of trying her golfing ability against that of golfers of other lands. During her two years' absence she has had unique opportunities in both directions, and under conditions totally different from anything she had ever anticipated. Miss Bowie had just returned to London after a trip to Norway and Southern Germany when war was declared. If her return had been delayed a few days she would have been in Hamburg. She doubtless would have had an entirely different story to relate. Miss Bowie offered her bacteriological and nursing knowledge, which were speedily accepted. She was included in the staff which was sent to France with Lady Dudley's First Australian Field Hospital.
She spent thirteen eventful months working at this hospital, and has many interesting experiences to relate. "As soon as I decided to go to France," she said, when relating these experiences recently, "a friend collected £50 for me to purchase the materials to equip a bacteriological laboratory. Before we left I had the necessary microscope, incubator and other essentials.'"
It was some little time before Miss Bowie found the opportunity to use these articles. She crossed from England to France, and landed at Havre with 50 nurses, at a time when it was thought that the Germans were approaching that town. The possibility of a German descent upon the town was so real that the entire body of nurses was placed for safety upon Lord Dunraven's yacht, which had just brought Lady Dudley to France. They remained there for four days with every thing in readiness to sail at a moment's notice. At the end of that time it was decided that they should proceed to St. Nazaire and open a hospital.
"We arrived at St. Nazaire," said Miss Bowie, "just at the time of the retreat from Mons. We were able to begin work at once in a French doctor's private hospital, and it was no time before it was filled with English soldiers and German prisoners. After spending two months in this hospital we were ordered to move northwards to Boulogne, where the base had been established. Instead of remaining at Boulogne we went to Wimmereux, some miles distant, by train, and proceeded to convert the local golf hotel into a hospital."
An almost Herculean feat was accomplished in the first thirty six hours which the staff of the Lady Dudley hospital spent at Wimmereux, and at the end of that time, a fully equipped hospital in readiness to receive patients, had taken the place of the hotel.
"As you can imagine," explained Miss Bowie, "we all worked at top pressure. We scrubbed, swept, washed and polished without any thought of rest or food, and we had just finished when the patients began to arrive after the first battle of Ypres."
The first week's work done in Lady Dudley's hospital was certainly a record as far as war or peace were concerned, and Miss Bowie did a large share of this work. She did not even have time to begin her bacteriological work, as she was called upon to take the place of the theatre sister, who had fallen ill.
"We did over 70 major operations in the hospital during the first week," she said. "We began work at 8 o'clock in the morning, and worked on until one o'clock the next morning. There was no time to leave the theatre to have a meal, so we had to be content with cocoa and sandwiches, which were hastily eaten at the door of the operating theatre."
Most of the patients who received attention at this hospital were English "Tommies" and German prisoners. In discussing her impressions of the latter, Miss Bowie said: "The men were very grateful for all we did for them. Most of them could speak English, and told us repeatedly that they were thankful to be in the hospital, and that they had not wanted to fight, but had been forced to defend their country. The officers were quite different in their attitude. They showed their hatred of the English and the autocracy of their natures in the way in which they demanded attention. They could not or would not speak English, so it was not always easy to know what they wanted."
After spending the three weeks in the operating theatre at the Wimmereux Hospital, Miss Bowie was able to begin bacteriological work. The laboratory was un- der the charge of Major Dick, of New South Wales, but Miss Bowie was practically responsible for the bulk of the work done in it during the thirteen months she was at the hospital. In addition to this she spent her spare time in attending lec- tures given by Professor Dryer, the well- known Oxford pathologist, at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Boulogne.
"Professor Dryer used to give demonstrations of his methods of dealing with typhoid germs and paratyphoid germs," said Miss Bowie, "and he was also doing some interesting experimental work in blood."
Sir Almroth Wright, the famous English pathologist, from St. Mary's Hospital, London, was also at work at the First General Hospital at Boulogne. Before the war he had done a tremendous amount of research work in connection with the blood of human beings, and he was practically the originator of the vaccine treatment which has been of such tremendous value since the outbreak of the war. Miss Bowie had the opportunity of seeing Sir Almroth Wright working in his laboratory, and this, despite the fact that he is a notorious woman hater. She did not have time to do any research work in the laboratory at the Wimmereux Hospital, as the routine work in connection with the hospital patients required all her attention; but one of the most interesting things which came under her notice was the fact that many Englishmen who had never been out of England before became infected with malaria.
"The Indian soldiers must have brought it to France, and the mosquitoes in the trenches must have carried it to the English soldiers," she said. As the Wimmereux Hospital was situated on a golf links, Miss Bowie had splendid opportunities of playing golf, and she occupied the position of instructress to many of the officers of the hospital, who used to seek an hour's relaxation after strenuous and harrowing work within the hospital.
Members of the Royal Ornithological Union met in Melbourne on 9 July 1919, and welcomed at a dinner comrades home from the war.
The returned members were: -
Helen was an accomplished golfer and held the distinguish position as the first woman to hold the office of president of the St Andrew's Golf House Club, Flinders, Victoria.
SUMMER AT FLINDERS
Flinders has awakened from its winter sleep. Many golfers have come to take part in the tournament arranged by St. Andrew's Golf House, which is to go on until the end of the week.
This year Miss Helen BOWIE has been elected president of the club. She is the first woman to have held the office, and probably the first woman to be president of any golf club in Victoria.
She presented one of the trophies for the men's handicap match, which was played on Boxing Day. It was won by Mr. W. K. Gill, with Mr. S. Darley and Mr. J. P. Tindley, equal second. The mixed foursomes, which were played in the afternoon, were won by Mr. T. G. Brown and Mrs. A. Renfrey, with Mr. John Devine and Miss Mary Devine second. Mr. Herbert Austin, who, with Mrs. Austin, is staying at St. Andrew's, has given the trophy for the women's handicap stroke match.
Flinders has awakened from its winter sleep. Many golfers have come to take part in the tournament arranged by St. Andrew's Golf House, which is to go on until the end of the week. This year Miss Helen Bowie has been elected president of the club. She is the first woman to have held the office…
References:
"As you can imagine," explained Miss Bowie, "we all worked at top pressure. We scrubbed, swept, washed and polished without any thought of rest or food, and we had just finished when the patients began to arrive after the first battle of Ypres."
The first week's work done in Lady Dudley's hospital was certainly a record as far as war or peace were concerned, and Miss Bowie did a large share of this work. She did not even have time to begin her bacteriological work, as she was called upon to take the place of the theatre sister, who had fallen ill.
"We did over 70 major operations in the hospital during the first week," she said. "We began work at 8 o'clock in the morning, and worked on until one o'clock the next morning. There was no time to leave the theatre to have a meal, so we had to be content with cocoa and sandwiches, which were hastily eaten at the door of the operating theatre."
Most of the patients who received attention at this hospital were English "Tommies" and German prisoners. In discussing her impressions of the latter, Miss Bowie said: "The men were very grateful for all we did for them. Most of them could speak English, and told us repeatedly that they were thankful to be in the hospital, and that they had not wanted to fight, but had been forced to defend their country. The officers were quite different in their attitude. They showed their hatred of the English and the autocracy of their natures in the way in which they demanded attention. They could not or would not speak English, so it was not always easy to know what they wanted."
After spending the three weeks in the operating theatre at the Wimmereux Hospital, Miss Bowie was able to begin bacteriological work. The laboratory was un- der the charge of Major Dick, of New South Wales, but Miss Bowie was practically responsible for the bulk of the work done in it during the thirteen months she was at the hospital. In addition to this she spent her spare time in attending lec- tures given by Professor Dryer, the well- known Oxford pathologist, at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Boulogne.
"Professor Dryer used to give demonstrations of his methods of dealing with typhoid germs and paratyphoid germs," said Miss Bowie, "and he was also doing some interesting experimental work in blood."
Sir Almroth Wright, the famous English pathologist, from St. Mary's Hospital, London, was also at work at the First General Hospital at Boulogne. Before the war he had done a tremendous amount of research work in connection with the blood of human beings, and he was practically the originator of the vaccine treatment which has been of such tremendous value since the outbreak of the war. Miss Bowie had the opportunity of seeing Sir Almroth Wright working in his laboratory, and this, despite the fact that he is a notorious woman hater. She did not have time to do any research work in the laboratory at the Wimmereux Hospital, as the routine work in connection with the hospital patients required all her attention; but one of the most interesting things which came under her notice was the fact that many Englishmen who had never been out of England before became infected with malaria.
"The Indian soldiers must have brought it to France, and the mosquitoes in the trenches must have carried it to the English soldiers," she said. As the Wimmereux Hospital was situated on a golf links, Miss Bowie had splendid opportunities of playing golf, and she occupied the position of instructress to many of the officers of the hospital, who used to seek an hour's relaxation after strenuous and harrowing work within the hospital.
 |
| ST NAZAIRE, FRANCE, 1914. AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTARY HOSPITAL, 1914-09/11, WITH FOUR HOSPITAL CARS LINED UP ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF THE TENTS. THE HOSPITAL WAS STAFFED BY LADY (RACHEL) DUDLEY'S UNIT. (DONOR D. MASSY). |
Members of the Royal Ornithological Union met in Melbourne on 9 July 1919, and welcomed at a dinner comrades home from the war.
The returned members were: -
- General Sir Charles Ryan,
- Majors William Macgillivray and H. W. Wilson,
- Colonel George Home,
- Captains .T. Anderson and G. Findlay,
- Messrs. W. Maclennan, A. N. Sullivan, L. C. Chandler.
- Charles Barrett, H. Slaney,
- and Sister Helen BOWIE,
- Colonel H. W. Bryant was unavoidably absent.
Helen was an accomplished golfer and held the distinguish position as the first woman to hold the office of president of the St Andrew's Golf House Club, Flinders, Victoria.
SUMMER AT FLINDERS
Flinders has awakened from its winter sleep. Many golfers have come to take part in the tournament arranged by St. Andrew's Golf House, which is to go on until the end of the week.
This year Miss Helen BOWIE has been elected president of the club. She is the first woman to have held the office, and probably the first woman to be president of any golf club in Victoria.
She presented one of the trophies for the men's handicap match, which was played on Boxing Day. It was won by Mr. W. K. Gill, with Mr. S. Darley and Mr. J. P. Tindley, equal second. The mixed foursomes, which were played in the afternoon, were won by Mr. T. G. Brown and Mrs. A. Renfrey, with Mr. John Devine and Miss Mary Devine second. Mr. Herbert Austin, who, with Mrs. Austin, is staying at St. Andrew's, has given the trophy for the women's handicap stroke match.
Flinders has awakened from its winter sleep. Many golfers have come to take part in the tournament arranged by St. Andrew's Golf House, which is to go on until the end of the week. This year Miss Helen Bowie has been elected president of the club. She is the first woman to have held the office…
References:
- Trove - The Age, 21st December 1915
- Trove - The Age, 31st December 1915
- Trove - The Australian: 05 Jan 1935 - SUMMER AT FLINDERS
- Faye Threlfall
- Susan Mackay
