Alice Alanna Cashin, (6 March 1870 – 4 November 1939) was a decorated Australian nurse who served with

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 Army Medical Services, Medical Services. History Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corp ...

during 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 fightin ...

Early life and education

Alice Alanna Cashin was born on 6 March 1870 in Melbourne, the daughter of boot-maker Richard and Catherine Cashin (née Meehan). Her mother died the following year. The family moved to Sydney, where Cashin was educated at a private ladies college. Her father was later acknowledged as pioneer of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

in New South Wales. Cashin completed her nursing training at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, before working as a private nurse. In July 1901 she joined the

Australasian Trained Nurses' Association The Australasian Trained Nurses' Association was an association formed in 1899 to register nurses who had been trained in Australia. History Susan McGahey was a co-founder of the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association (ATNA) in December 1899 ...

. In 1909 Cashin sailed to England to develop her skills in therapeutic massage.

War service

Shortly after the outbreak of the

, Cashin was nursing in France with the British Red Cross. In 1915 she joined

Reserve. She was placed in charge of a hospital's surgical ward in Ras-el-din, Egypt. While there, she was twice

mentioned in despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

before being awarded the

Royal Red Cross The Royal Red Cross (RRC) is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. Foundation The award was established on 27 April 1883 by Victoria of the Un ...

in January 1917. In June 1916 Cashin was transferred to HMHS ''Gloucester Castle'', where she was matron of the hospital ship. On 30 March 1917 the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Before seeking rescue herself, she ensured that all the wounded soldiers on board as well as the nurses in her charge were transferred from the ship. Only three of the 399 passengers were killed. For this, she was awarded a bar to the Royal Red Cross. Cashin's next posting was two years as matron of the 400-bed Lichfield Military Hospital from 7 May 1917. As well as the fur cape, muff and cap given by Queen Alexandra to all members of the Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve, Cashin's service was acknowledged by the nursing staff of Lichfield Hospital who presented her with a gold link bracelet, inscribed with her war record.

Post war

Returning to Australia, Cashin cared for her elderly father and later was employed as a saleswoman. In 1924, representing the

Diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from ...

, she took part in a competition to raise funds for the Marrickville Anzac Memorial Hall. She was named Queen of Marrickville, receiving 75,346 votes, well ahead of Mrs Cruse (48,186) and Mrs Harris (42,369). Cashin died on 4 November 1939 at her home in Marrickville of chronic nephritis. Her funeral mass was held at St Bridget's Catholic Church, before her burial at Woronora Cemetery. She had never married. A memorial statue of Cashin was unveiled on her previously unmarked grave in 2016. Her medals and badges are held in the

Anzac Memorial The Anzac Memorial is a heritage-listed war memorial, museum and monument located in Hyde Park South near Liverpool Street in the CBD of Sydney, Australia. The Art Deco monument was designed by C. Bruce Dellit, with the exterior adorned wit ...

in Sydney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cashin, Alice 1870 births 1939 deaths Australian military nurses Australian women nurses Australian women of World War I Members of the Royal Red Cross