Jessie McHardy White
Born24 July 1870
Helensville, Victoria, Australia
Died26 October 1957
Hawthorn, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation(s)Army matron, army nurse
SpouseThomas James White

Jessie McHardy White (24 July 1870 – 26 October 1957) was an Australian army principal matron.[1]

Early life and education

Jessie McHardy White was born on 24th of July in the year 1870, at Yarra Flats, which is located near Healesville in Victoria. She was the fifth child to survive out of the offspring of John Williamson, a farmer, and his wife Mary, who was formerly known as Mary McHardy. Both John and Mary were born in Scotland. On the 21st of December in 1893, Jessie McHardy White got married at Scots Church in Melbourne.[2]

White pursued a career in nursing, undertaking her comprehensive training at the Alfred Hospital from December 1896 to February 1900. Following that, she furthered her expertise in midwifery by completing her training at the Women's Hospital from February 1900 to March 1901.[3]

Career

In 1906, she took charge of a private hospital in Melbourne and became a member of the Australian Army Nursing Service Reserve. In October 1914, Sister White set sail with the initial group of the Australian Imperial Force and reached Egypt on December 4th. She was assigned to a British military hospital and also served on a hospital ship.[4] Additionally, she briefly held the position of matron at the 1st Australian General Hospital. In early 1916, due to a reorganization of the Australian Army Medical Corps and the A.A.N.S., she was appointed as the principal matron of the A.I.F. in England. After Matron-in-Chief Evelyn Conyers arrived in London, White returned to Australia in August, having received the prestigious Royal Red Cross (1st Class) for her exceptional contributions.[5]

Jessie White, who received the M.B.E., was commended in dispatches, and was honored with the Greek Medal for Military Merit and the Serbian Order of St Sava, was recognized for her exceptional work at Salonica. She concluded her service with the A.I.F. on 7 August, upon returning to Australia on 28 June 1919. Throughout her nursing career, she remained actively involved in the affairs of returned nurses and dedicated twenty-five years as president of the Salonica Sisters' Group.

Personal life

White married with Presbyterian forms Thomas James White, a bookkeeper of Fitzroy. She widowed at a young age; she was only 26 when her husband of three years was tragically killed in 1896.[6] White died on 26 October 1957 in East Hawthorn, Melbourne.[7][8]


Awards

References

  1. ↑ Pajic, Bojan (2019-03-24). Our Forgotten Volunteers: Australians and New Zealanders with Serbs in World War One. Australian Scholarly Publishing. ISBN 978-1-925801-44-6.
  2. ↑ McCarthy, Perditta M., "Jessie McHardy White (1870–1957)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 2024-01-13
  3. ↑ Davies, Ross (2015-01-05). Three Brilliant Careers: Nell Malone Miles Franklin Kath Ussher. Boolarong Press. ISBN 978-1-925046-82-3.
  4. ↑ "Principal Matron Jessie McHardie-White". www.awm.gov.au. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  5. ↑ Historical Records of Australian Science. Australian Academy of Science. 1992.
  6. ↑ "Encyclopedia of Yarra Glen and District". www.yarraglenhistory.com.au. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  7. ↑ "White, Jessie McHardy (1871-1957)". AWR. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  8. ↑ "Wh". Australian Nurses in World War 1. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
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