Leah Rosenthal, (23 April 1879 – 4 October 1930) was a decorated Australian nurse who served in 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 ...

Early life

Rosenthal was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Victoria, on 23 April 1879, the daughter of Joseph Rosenthal and Martha Avinsky. She trained as a nurse at

the Alfred Hospital The Alfred Hospital, (also known as The Alfred or Alfred Hospital) is a leading tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Victoria. It is the second oldest hospital in Victoria after Melbourne Hospital which is still operating on its original site. The ...

in Melbourne, where she met and became friends with

Isabella Jobson Isabella Kate Jobson, (1878 – 6 July 1943) was a decorated Australian nurse who served in the First World War. Early life and career Jobson was born in Clunes, Victoria, in 1878 to Christopher Jobson, a merchant from Northumberland, England, ...

. In late 1910, the two women took over the running of Windarra Private Hospital in

Toorak Toorak () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Toorak recorded a population of 12,817 at the 2021 census. The name ...

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

Career

In England, Rosenthal and Jobson joined

Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') was the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. In November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army Medical Corps and Royal Army Dental Corps ...

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

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. In April of that year, they embarked for duty in France. Rosenthal was assigned to various stationary hospitals and casualty clearing stations and served until April 1919, when she resigned her position. Rosenthal returned to Melbourne in May, and she and Jobson 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. In 1931, Jobson inaugurated an annual prize in Rosenthal's name for nurses at the Alfred Hospital, the Leah Rosenthal prize for best theatre nurse of the year.

Awards

Rosenthal was awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

and the Associate Royal Red Cross for her service in France.

Death

Rosenthal died on 4 October 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenthal, Leah 1879 births 1930 deaths Associate members of the Royal Red Cross Australian military nurses Australian women nurses Australian recipients of the Military Medal Australian women of World War I Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officers