All lives are filled with stories. Rich and relatable, but never exactly the same. For those born at the end of the 19th-century, it was difficult to avoid narratives punctuated by the First World War. The story of Alice Clara Searell, the subject of this blog, was etched deeply with the realities of this brutal conflict.
Alice was one of a small group of New Zealand women who experienced the war first-hand. Between 1915 and 1919, she served overseas as a nurse with the army. Her heroism was awarded with a Royal Red Cross in 1919. But, her bravery did not stop there. Servicemen returning home to Aotearoa were in desperate need of convalescent care. It seems likely Alice would have heard their call louder than others, having supported them throughout the conflict. Upon her return, she accepted a nursing role here in Rotorua, at King George V Military Hospital.
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| New Zealand nurses on board the Rotorua, during World War 1. Commons family: assorted negatives, photographs and postcards relating to the Commons family. Ref: PAColl-0321-001. Alexander Turnbull Library, wellington, New Zealand. (https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22881884) |
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| Nurse Alice Searell in Mrs Walton's home with Mrs Walton's son and two unidentified soldiers. Photograph from page 58 of First World War Photograph Album. Ref: 1992.1156.1. National Army Museum of New Zealand. (https://nam.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/3887) |
Life through a lens
When Alice passed away in 1972, after an impressive 92 years, her legacy was fragile. She never married or had children. Her stories could have easily been lost to time. Thankfully, glimmers remain in photographs preserved in archives across Aotearoa, including the community archive here at Te Aka Mauri. We are lucky to have been gifted an album depicting her life at King George V Military Hospital.
Through the camera lens, we see a glimpse of what Alice experienced. The photographs are also a significant record of our history. We encounter the men and children she looked after. The ways in which she and her colleagues passed their time. Smiles, giggles and awkward expressions. And, a landscape that has since changed.
Images from Ams 178/1: photograph album in Rotorua Library’s community archive:
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- Untitled photograph showing two convalescing servicemen in Ĺhinemutu, with the hospital in the background.
- A trip out to The Dragon’s Mouth, Wairakei.Valley.
- Photograph titled “Self and Leiut. Comm. Takeska”.
- Japanese marines playing tennis in the hospital grounds.
- Photograph titled “He deserves some too”!
- Nurses after Christmas dinner, 1934. This was the year the hospital was taken over by the Waikato Hospital Board and Alice Searell retired.
- Sister McPatrick with patients. The poliomyelitus epidemic of the 1920s made it necessary for the hospital to specialise in orthopaedic treatment, for which it became a major centre.
Alice's Timeline
1883: Born in Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.
1909: Completed the state examination of nurses in medical and surgical work at Timaru Hospital.
1909-1914: Worked as a staff nurse at Kew Hospital in Southland and then as a district nurse in Invercargill.
1914-1919: Served overseas with the New Zealand Army (Reg No 22/42 NZANSC). Alice departed Aotearoa for Egypt 8 May 1915 and served in Field Hospital Alexandria. She was one of the first 50 nurses to enlist. For further details of her time nursing overseas, please refer to this page on the National Army Museum’s website.
1919: Returned to Aotearoa for demobilisation and then worked in a military hospital in Dunedin.
1919: Awarded Royal Red Cross in recognition of valuable nursing services in connection with the war.
1920: Started work as a nurse King George V Military Hospital.
1924: Became matron of King George V Hospital.
1934: Left her role at the hospital, after it was taken over by the Waikato Hospital Board, to take up a role as matron of the Dental Nurse Hostel in Wellington.
Late 1930s or early 1940s: Retired to Auckland.
1975: Died in Auckland at the age of 92. She was cremated at the Purewa Cemetery.
Returning to Rotorua
In 1961, Alice returned to Rotorua for the first time in 27 years. She was amazed to see two familiar faces: Mr “Bunny” Davis, who had been the office boy in her time, and Mr Russell, the hospital dispenser. The article explains that, since her retirement, Alice had not lived a quiet life: “She is a member of the Returned Sisters Club, holds bridge parties at her home, and is a keen gardener. Her pet hobby is teaching her budgie, “Chatterboy,” to talk.”
References
Alice Searell returns after 27 years. (1961, November 4). Rotorua Daily Post, p.3
Invercargill Nurse Decorated for Duty to the Sick. National Army Museum. https://www.armymuseum.co.nz/invercargill-nurse-decorated-for-duty-to-the-sick/
New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981. Ancestry. https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/search/collections/1836/
SEARELL Alice Clara - Auckland – Spinster. Archives New Zealand (R13110977). https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE40624193
Wilson, Kathryn Faye, 1945- (1998). Angels in the Devil's pit: nursing in Rotorua, 1840-1940. Karo Press.
