Ida Willis
Lizzie Ida Grace Willis OBE ARRC ED (29 December 1881 – 7 March 1968) was a notable New Zealand civilian and military nurse, hospital inspector, matron, army nursing administrator.
Ida Willis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 December 1881 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 7 March 1968 Raumati Beach, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service/ | New Zealand Military Forces |
| Years of service | 1914–1946 |
| Rank | Matron-in-Chief |
| Commands held | New Zealand Army Nursing Service (1933–46) |
| Battles/wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Officer of the Order of the British Empire Associate Royal Red Cross Mentioned in Despatches (2) |
Willis was born in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1881.[1] She was a nurse at Wellington Hospital. In August 1914, she was one of six nurses who went with the expeditionary force that took over German Samoa. In July 1915, she was a sister on the hospital ship, Maheno. In 1916 she was working in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) in France.[2]
In the 1918 New Year Honours, Willis was appointed an Associate of the Royal Red Cross.[3] In 1935, she was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[4] She was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (Military Division) in the 1944 New Year Honours, in recognition of her service as matron-in-chief of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service.[5]
References edit
- ^ Rodgers, Jan. "Lizzie Ida Grace Willis". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Tolerton, Jane (2017). Make her praises heard afar : New Zealand women overseas in World War One. Wellington, New Zealand: Booklovers Books. pp. 29, 96, 201. ISBN 978-0-473-39965-8. OCLC 1011529111.
- ^ "No. 30450". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1918. p. 57.
- ^ "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. Vol. CXIX, no. 105. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "No. 36309". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1944. p. 12.