Connection with the Hunter Valley – Sister Amy Sarah Cann was born in Vacy and trained at Maitland Hospital.  Amy remained friends with her fellow trainee from Maitland Hospital, Sister Ethel Janet Lackey, throughout her life – perhaps because of the bond created by their shared experiences as war nurses.  They enlisted on the same day in 1915 and embarked for Egypt together on the Orontes. Amy Cann died in Collaroy on 12 May 1944 and is buried in East Maitland General Cemetery.

Training – trained Maitland Hospital, 1908-1912

Service – Australian  Army Nursing Service (AANS)

Service location – Egypt , France and UK

Medals -1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

        More detail and references:

Enlisted – 20 July 1915, age 33

Residence before embarkation – Vacy, near Paterson NSW

Port of embarkation, vessel and date – Sydney / Orontes / 31 July 1915

Return to Australia – embarked for return to Australia on the Derbyshire 2 March 1919, disembarked 17 April 1919

Next-of-kin as indicated in service record – mother, Mrs Sarah Cann, “Elmshall”, Vacy

Discharged – June 1919

Relative in AIF – Frederick William and James Cann, both of Paterson, may have been related to Sister Cann.

Honour roll – Gresford School of Arts, St John’s Anglican Church Vacy and Paterson Citizens’ Memorial

Marital status / married surname – Single

Parents / where born or birth registered – Frederick William and Sarah Cann, born Vacy (registered Paterson district)

References:

National Archives of Australia B2455 CANN A S

Nominal Roll of the First AIF Australian War Memorial (AWM) 133, 08-073

Embarkation Roll of the First AIF AWM Nurses (July 1915 – November 1918)

Sydney Morning Herald, 25 April 1919, page 9, retrieved from Trove 8 August 2010

Newcastle Morning Herald, 2 October 1919, p.6

Maitland Mercuy, 18 August 1919, p.2

Ann Campbell,  Maitland’s Great War – WW1 extracts from the Maitland Weekly Mercury and Maitland Mercury, Maitland NSW, Maitland Family History Circle, 2002, pp.26, 68 and 78

Esme Meehan, Maitland Hospital, the way we were, the author, Largs NSW, 1996, p.67

Do you know more?

________________________

© Christine Bramble 2013