Evelyn Gertrude Brown, ( Brooke; 13 September 1879 – 11 February 1962), usually known as Eva, was a New Zealand civilian and

military nurse Most professional militaries employ specialised military nurses or nursing sisters. They are often organised as a distinct nursing corps. Florence Nightingale formed the first nucleus of a recognised Nursing Service for the British Army during the ...

. She served during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and was the only New Zealand nurse to receive the

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. It was created in 1883, and the first two awards were to Florence Nightingale and Jane Cecilia Deeb ...

and

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

Early life

Brooke was born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

, Taranaki, on 13 September 1879. Her father, Thomas Brooke, was a carpenter who died in 1891. Her mother, Kate (née Coad), moved to

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

after his death and remarried. Brooke trained as a nurse at

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

Hospital from 1902 to 1904, and then at Wellington Hospital from 1904 to 1907.

Nursing career

After completing her training, Brooke nursed at a private hospital in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was establishe ...

, followed by a position at Wellington Hospital from 1910 to 1914. In August 1914, Brooke joined a group of six nurses who were sent to

German Samoa German Samoa officially Malo Kaisalika / Kingdom of Samoa (; Samoan: ''Malo Kaisalika'') was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the Independent State ...

with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. She was appointed second-in-charge, and promoted to

matron Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse in a hospital in several countries, including the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries and former colonies. Etymology The chief nurse, in other words the person in charge ...

while in Apia. She returned to New Zealand in 1915. Shortly after, she departed again as matron on the New Zealand Hospital Ship '' Maheno.'' The ship left Wellington for

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

, carrying 14 nurses from the

New Zealand Army Nursing Service The New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) formally came into being in early 1915, when the Army Council in London accepted an offer of nurses to help in the war effort during the First World War from the New Zealand Government. The heavy losses ...

. In August and September 1915 the ''Maheno'' made five visits to Anzac Cove, nursing wounded and sick soldiers in the heat of the summer. In January 1916, Brooke returned to New Zealand and worked as matron of the Trentham military hospital near Wellington. In November 1916 she returned to a hospital ship, the '' Marama''. In May 1917, Brooke went to

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, England and took the position of matron at the New Zealand Hospital for Officers. At the end of the year, she was transferred to No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital at

Wisques Wisques (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France 4 miles (6 km) southwest of Saint-Omer. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 8 ...

, France. She was presented with a letter of thanks by French soldiers who were nursed at Wisques. After the war, she returned to New Zealand, and was matron of the military hospital at

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

from June to December 1919, and then spent a year at Narrow Neck Military Hospital in Devonport, Auckland. In 1921, Brooke was appointed matron at the Rannerdale Veterans' Home in

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

, a position she held until her marriage in 1925.

Honours

In 1917, Brooke was awarded the

"In recognition of her nursing service in connection with the War." In the 1919 Birthday Honours (New Zealand), 1919 King's Birthday Honours she was awarded the

"In recognition of her valuable service with the Armies in France and Flanders." In 2014, Brooke's medals were part of a display at Archives New Zealand, "Two Wellingtonians at War". In 2015, an image of Brooke appeared on a New Zealand postage stamp, part of a series commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

Personal life

In 1925, Brooke married William John Brown of Nelson and they lived together in Christchurch. After his death, Brooke moved back to Wellington and worked as a private nurse until her retirement in 1955. She died in Wellington on 11 February 1962, and is buried in Karori Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Evelyn 1879 births 1962 deaths New Zealand nurses New Zealand military nurses New Zealand women nurses People from New Plymouth 20th-century New Zealand people Burials at Karori Cemetery Female nurses in World War I World War I nurses New Zealand Members of the Royal Red Cross