A World War 1 nurse. Mrs Elvie Thirwell,88, Matamata chats with the president of the RSA women's section, Mrs Joan Leggatt

Elvie Jane Thirwell (nee Kidd) was born on 3rd February 1889 at Equent village in the picturesque Taranaki region of New Zealand. She came from a farming family and had four brothers who all served with the NZ Forces during WWI, Arthur Preston, Robert Guthrie, Stuart Oxley and Richard James, the latter being the only one to survive. Elvie died in 1970

Elvie also had a sister Doris and they both ran the nursing side of a private hospital "Hill Crest" in Richmond, Nelson, and both married late in life to two ex WWI servicemen, sadly neither had children

The photos below have been sent in by a nephew of Elvie and portrays her life in England, some are of the hospital at Brockenhurst and others photographs of places she must have visited. Also included is what is written on the back of each photo.

Our grateful thanks for these goes to Gurthrie C. Stewart, Aukland NZ

Footnote courtesy RNZAMC Museum Burnham CampChristchurch
#325 Staff Nurse EJ Kidd.Trained at Taranaki Base Hospital New Plymouth NZ. SRN 1914. Enlisted in NZANS Jan 1916 Served in Military Hospitals at Colchester, Brockenhurst,1 NZ Stationary Hospital France. Invalided home to NZ 1917.