Sister Alice Tryphena Le Messurier

Service Number:

Rank: Staff Nurse : Place of Birth – Hill End NSW : Place of Enlistment – N/A .

Unit: Convalescent Depot, Harefield Park, London and Special Reinforcements (Feb 1915 to Mar 1916)

Alice Tryphena born 30th Jan 1881 at Hill End, father Alfred Le Messurier, mother Harriet Elizabeth Swannell. Enlisted on 12th June 1915 with residence listed as Manly aged 34.

Alice attended Hill End Public School and the Women’s College at Bathurst. Alice’s parents Alfred and Harriet Le Messurier arrived in Hill End in the early 1870s from Sofala and for many years lived on the outskirts of town, on their twelve acre property “Sarnia” named after Alfred’s birthplace in the Channel Islands. Alfred was very active in civic affairs; amongst his many roles was Town Clerk from 1881 to 1908, treasurer of the Hill End District Hospital for 32 years until retiring in 1915. He was fondly remembered as “Dad” Le Messurier by townsfolk and well into his eighties could be seen in ‘his office doing important business in connection with local people and the town in general.

Alice trained as a nurse for three years from 1905 at the Coast Hospital at Little Bay in Sydney (later known as Prince Henry Hospital). She was a qualified Staff Nurse from 1908 and junior Sister from 1909, but left in May 1911 to become the joint proprietress of St Ronan’s Private Hospital at Manly, with her sister Lydia who was Matron. Alice enlisted at Sydney at the age of 34, on 12th June 1915, as a Staff Nurse in the Convalescent Depot reinforcements of the Australian Army Nursing Services. Prior to her departure overseas on 14th July, she made a hurried visit to Hill End to bid farewell to her parents and friends.

She sailed to England  on HMAT Orsova via Madras, Alexandria and Malta, commencing duty on 17th September at Harefield Park House, London (also known as No 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital).In March 1916 Alice was sick for a week and in April was granted a week’s leave. She was marched out from the hospital on 28th March 1917, for return to Australia, on duty on the “Barambah”, embarking on 8th April. This ship was previously a captured German vessel called the “Hobart”; on board there were five nursing sisters and a Matron for 900 patients. Alice was in care of the tuberculosis ward of 16 patients.

As she came home Alice kept a diary of each day of the wounded’s trip. This diary has been handed to the Australian War Memorial for safe keeping. (Information from Betty Wardman and Judy Adams). During her service Alice was recommended to be awarded a mention in despatches. She was discharged on 24th June 1917.

After the war Alice possibly returned to St Ronan’s in Manly, but in 1921 was back at Hill End, and in 1923 was nursing Alfred through an illness. In 1928 she left with Alfred to take up residence with Lydia at 40 Hay St, Collaroy. He died the following year and Lydia in 1942. Alice remained at Collaroy until her death on 27th Feb 1970, age 89 at her home at Collaroy.

Information supplied by Hill End & Tambaroora Gathering Group From the publication “Golden Diggers” Sept 20 15.