Cora Beattie Anderson Roberton (4 March 1881–24 September 1962) was a decorated New Zealand nurse who ran several Allied hospitals in England during World War I. In time, she was appointed Matron to every major hospital for injured New Zealand soldiers in England. At 21 she was one of the survivors of an Australian steamer disaster when it sank off the coast of New Zealand in 1902. After the collision, she was picked up by the last lifeboat to leave the sinking ship.

Life and work

She was born Cora Beattie Anderson in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

as one of eight children of Annie Buchanan and City Engineer William Anderson and attended the local Girls Grammar School from 1895 to 1898. On 9 November 1902, she was rescued on the last lifeboat to depart the passenger steamer

Elingamite SS ''Elingamite'' was an Australian passenger steamer of 2,585 tons, built in 1887, and owned by Huddart Parker. The ship was wrecked on 9 November 1902 off the north coast of New Zealand carrying a large consignment of gold. Now the ''Elingami ...

that sank 35 miles off the coast of New Zealand. She was rescued while standing in waist-deep water on the sinking steamer, and spent an estimated 25 hours, cramped and extremely cold in the open boat, before it found dry land. Of the 136 registered passengers on the steamer, fatalities from the collision numbered 28 passengers and 17 crew members, many of whom died from drowning or exposure to the elements. Her experience was detailed in the local papers. Anderson went on to study nursing, graduating from the Thames Hospital in 1909 and finishing her midwife training at St Helen’s Hospital in Auckland. In 1910 she was appointed Matron of the Townley Maternity Home in Gisborne, and in 1912 she became a district nurse for

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

patients in the

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

district.

War service

With the start of

World War I 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 ...

in August 1914, Anderson was selected to serve among the first 50 nurses sent to England with 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 ...

(NZANS) under the direction of the

British War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

. She was 34 years old when her group sailed for London on 8 April 1915. They soon left England to staff a hospital in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

, Egypt where they treated many hundreds of Allied soldiers wounded during the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey. In June 1916, she was sent back to England and promoted to Matron so she could take charge of the No.1 New Zealand General Hospital at

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

. In December 1916, she was made Matron of the No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital No.3 at

Codford Codford is a civil parish south of Salisbury Plain in the Wylye Valley in Wiltshire, England. Its settlements are the adjacent villages of Codford St Peter and Codford St Mary, which lie some southeast of Warminster. The two villages are on th ...

on the

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...

, England, and then in April 1917, she became Matron of the Hornchurch Convalescent Hospital, in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, near London. That facility could handle up to 2,500 patients and treat 400 patients a day in its physiotherapy department. By 1918, about 20,000 patients had been treated at Hornchurch. Anderson was eventually appointed the Matron of each of the major New Zealand hospitals in England. In 1917, the Minister of Public Health recommended that Anderson receive specialized training to administer

anesthetics An anesthetic (American English) or anaesthetic (British English; see spelling differences) is a drug used to induce anesthesia ⁠— ⁠in other words, to result in a temporary loss of sensation or awareness. They may be divided into two ...

, which at that time, was given to patients only by doctors and not by nurses. Due to her own failing health in 1919, Anderson was sent on leave to New Zealand and was discharged from her official duties even though she remained on the Service and Temporary Reserve of the NZANS until her retirement in 1921. In total, she served overseas for more than four years. After the war, Anderson became President of the Auckland Branch of the Returned Army Nursing Sisters Association for several terms.

Personal life

On 1 October 1919, Cora married Eric Butterfield Roberton and changed her name to Cora Roberton. Eric Roberton, who had been a farmer at Tahora in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, New Zealand, before the war was wounded and sent to the New Zealand General Hospital at Brockenhurst in England in October 1917, while Cora Anderson was Matron there. In 1925, the Robertons had a daughter Elizabeth May and a son Craig and farmed in the Taranaki until 1948 when they moved to Auckland. Cora Roberton died there on 24 September 1962 at the age of 81. She is buried in Purewa Cemetery in Meadowbank, Auckland alongside her husband and daughter.

Distinctions and awards

She was awarded the following decorations and medals for her service during World War I. The medals and badges are held at the

Auckland War Memorial Museum The Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira (or simply the Auckland Museum) is one of New Zealand's most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history (and especially the history of the Aucklan ...

. *

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 ...

(1st Class) (RRC), 1919 * Associated Royal Red Cross (2nd Class) (ARRC), 1917 * 1914–1915 Star Medal *

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

1914–1919 * Victory Medal, with oakleaf

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberton, Cora 1881 births 1962 deaths World War I nurses People from Auckland New Zealand nurses New Zealand women nurses 20th-century New Zealand people