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Dreadful Ordeal

The nurses followed the previously practised drills to put on life belts and went to their allotted stations without any obvious panic. The ship’s severe list made the lowering of the lifeboats difficult and dangerous. Those who didn’t get into a lifeboat had to take their chances and jump into the sea regardless of whether they could swim or not. One of the medical officers,  Major Wylie NZMC, in a statement described the lowering of the lifeboats.

“Owing, however, to the unfortunate bungling of the lowering of these boats a series of catastrophes occurred on each side of the vessel…seriously injured several of the nurses as to kill them outright, or...to make their subsequent existence in the water impossible.”

Over the next seven to eight hours, they tried to survive by clinging to each other in life boats, or hanging on to a life boat, or to pieces of floating wreckage and by swimming around trying to find something to cling to.

One of the nurses described the bravery of her friend in a letter to Nona Hildyard’s mother:

"Nonnie and I were in the same boat, but it heeled over shortly after reaching the water, and I got separated from her. She regained the boat with several others, and was very bright and cheerful, singing…and helping the others’ courage up…But the poor child eventually died from exhaustion before we were picked up.”

Letters to Hester Maclean from some of the survivors were published in the New Zealand Nursing Journal: Kai Tiaki (January 1916).

“I managed to get into one of the boats, but was pitched out again, and, after turning several somersaults, landed in the water where I commenced to swim. It all happened very quickly.

“They were so brave, and all three of them died from exhaustion and cold”

“We were seven hours in the water. I was not in a boat, but my life was saved by holding on to a raft which was occupied by three men. About a dozen were holding on all round, including Sisters Gould, Christmas, and myself…We three and the New Zealand boy were the only survivors.”

 

 

 

Acknowledgments:

Kendall, S. & Corbett, D. (1990) New Zealand military nursing: a history of the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, Boer War to present day.
Kai Tiaki: The Journal of the Nurses of New Zealand: January, 1916. & January, 1919.
Rogers, Anna. (2018) Stand for All Time.