Isabella Kate Jobson, (1878 – 6 July 1943) was a decorated Australian nurse who served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

Early life and career

Jobson was born in

Clunes, Victoria Clunes is a town in Victoria, Australia, 36 kilometres north of Ballarat, in the Shire of Hepburn. At the 2016 census it had a population of 1,728. History Pre-colonial The Djadja Wurrung people were the first inhabitants of the regi ...

, in 1878 to Christopher Jobson, a merchant from

Northumberland Northumberland () is a ceremonial counties of England, county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Ab ...

, England, and his second wife Elizabeth Cameron (née McColl), from Scotland. She was the younger sister of

Alexander Jobson Brigadier General Alexander Jobson, (2 April 1875 – 7 November 1933) was a senior Australian Army officer during the First World War. Early life and career Alexander Jobson was born on 2 April 1875 in Clunes, Victoria. He was educated in the ...

. She was educated at

South Melbourne College South Melbourne College was a co-education boarding school in South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The school was founded by Thomas Palmer in 1883. John Bernard O'Hara became a partner in 1889 and became sole proprietor in 1893-4. In his ha ...

and, in 1893, passed the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

's matriculation examinations in algebra, geometry, arithmetic and geography, and gained honours in French. She trained as a nurse at

the Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital, is a leading tertiary teaching hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria, and the oldest Melbourne hospital still operating on its original si ...

in Melbourne, where she met and became friends with Leah Rosenthal; in late 1910 the two women took over the running of Windarra Private Hospital in

Toorak Toorak may refer to: * Toorak, Victoria, an inner south-eastern suburb of Melbourne *Toorak College, Mount Eliza, approximately 40 km south of Melbourne * Toorak Gardens, South Australia, an inner eastern suburb of Adelaide initially named Toorak * ...

. They left the hospital, and Australia, together in December 1915 and travelled to England to serve in the

Nursing career

In England, Jobson and Rosenthal joined

Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') is the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage t ...

(QAIMNS) and in February 1916 they were assigned to Baythorpe Military Hospital in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

. In April of that year they embarked for duty in France. Jobson was assigned to stationary hospitals and casualty clearing stations and served until January 1919, when she resigned her appointment. She returned to Melbourne in May 1919 and she and Rosenthal again bought a private hospital to run together. The hospital had previously been named St Luke’s Private Hospital, however Jobson and Rosenthal re-named it Vimy House, perhaps after the site of the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of ...

, one of the battlegrounds where the pair had nursed in France during the war. Following Rosenthal's death in 1930, Jobson ran the hospital alone. Jobson was awarded the

Associate 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. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Me ...

for her service in France. She died at Vimy House on 6 July 1943 after a long illness. A private funeral was held and Jobson was buried at Melbourne Cemetery, Carlton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jobson, Isabella 1878 births 1943 deaths Australian military nurses Australian women nurses Australian women of World War I Associate Members of the Royal Red Cross People from Clunes, Victoria Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officers