6 thoughts on “Staff Nurse Catherine Mary Doohan…”

1. Dave Martin 04/03/2016 at 12:20 pm

   Hello Christine….I may be able to help.

   Catherine “Mamie” Doohan was my grandmother on the maternal side of my family.
   She met my grandfather whilst returning to Australia in 1919 on the troopship Anchises and they married in 1921.
   She died at Concord Repatriation Hospital in 1968.

   Coincidently, only yesterday, I was researching more of my grandfather’s WW1 service history when I found a link to your wonderful site.

   Regards,
   Dave Martin

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2. Great War Nurses from Newcastle & the Hunter Region Post author04/03/2016 at 1:14 pm

   Thanks for that information, Dave, always good to hear from a descendant. Were there any stories about her military service that got passed down?

   Cheers, Christine

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   1. Dave Martin 08/03/2016 at 12:21 pm

      Christine, unfortunately my grandmother didn’t pass on any war service diaries and very little was discussed about her service.
      She was the eldest of four girls.
      Two of her male cousins enlisted in Singleton at the outbreak of WW1 into the 2nd battalion and tragically both were killed in action.
      A 3rd cousin survived the War.

      https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=81653

      On the Trove site I have found a few references to Catherine in a Tamworth newspaper.

      http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/103744446?
      http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105025878?
      http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105032936?
      http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104838185?

      Cheers,
      Dave

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      1. Great War Nurses from Newcastle & the Hunter Region Post author08/03/2016 at 12:45 pm

         Thanks for your reply Dave, including the links!
3. Dave Martin 08/03/2016 at 11:28 am

   Christine,
   She never spoke to me about her war service and didn’t pass on any diary details, if indeed any were written?
   She died when I was 13 years old and unfortunately I didn’t take time to ask her about her nursing experiences during WW1.

   https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=81653

   However I have found a few links to Tamworth newspaper articles on the Trove website.

   http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/103744446?
   http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105032936?
   http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/105025878?http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104838185?

   Interestingly, Catherine had at 3 male cousins volunteer for army service.
   Two enlisted in Singleton at the outbreak of war in 1914 in the 2nd battalion.
   Tragically both were subsequently killed in action.
   Plenty of patriotism in the Hunter Valley in those days!

   Cheers,
   Dave

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   1. Great War Nurses from Newcastle & the Hunter Region Post author08/03/2016 at 12:47 pm

      The families paid a high price for that patriotism, sad to say.

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