Evelyn Gertrude Brown, ( Brooke; 13 September 1879 – 11 February 1962), usually known as Eva, was a New Zealand civilian and

military nurse Most professional militaries employ specialised military nurses. They are often organised as a distinct nursing corps. Florence Nightingale formed the first nucleus of a recognised Nursing Service for the British Army during the Crimean War in 1854 ...

. She served 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 ...

and was the only New Zealand nurse to receive 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 ...

and

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

Early life

Brooke was born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, Taranaki, on 13 September 1879. Her father, Thomas Brooke, was a carpenter who died in 1891. Her mother, Kate (née Coad), moved to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

after his death and remarried. Brooke trained as a nurse at

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

Hospital from 1902 to 1904, and then at Wellington Hospital from 1904 to 1907.

Nursing career

After completing her training, Brooke nursed at a private hospital in

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was established i ...

, followed by a position at Wellington Hospital from 1910 to 1914. In August 1914, Brooke joined a group of six nurses who were sent to

German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state of Samoa, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the last ...

with the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. She was appointed second-in-charge, and promoted to matron while in Apia. She returned to New Zealand in 1915. Shortly after, she departed again as matron on the New Zealand Hospital Ship '' Maheno.'' The ship left Wellington for

Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...

, carrying 14 nurses from the New Zealand Army Nursing Service. In August and September 1915 the ''Maheno'' made five visits to Anzac Cove, nursing wounded and sick soldiers in the heat of the summer. In January 1916, Brooke returned to New Zealand and worked as matron of the Trentham military hospital near Wellington. In November 1916 she returned to a hospital ship, the '' Marama''. In May 1917, Brooke went to

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, England and took the position of matron at the New Zealand Hospital for Officers. At the end of the year, she was transferred to No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital at Wisques, France. She was presented with a letter of thanks by French soldiers who were nursed at Wisques. After the war, she returned to New Zealand, and was matron of the military hospital at

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

from June to December 1919, and then spent a year at Narrow Neck Military Hospital in Devonport, Auckland. In 1921, Brooke was appointed matron at the Rannerdale Veterans' Home in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, a position she held until her marriage in 1925.

Honours

In 1917, Brooke was awarded the

"In recognition of her nursing service in connection with the War." In the

1919 King's Birthday Honours The 1919 Birthday Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were made to celebrate the official birthday of The King, and were ...

she was awarded the

"In recognition of her valuable service with the Armies in France and Flanders." In 2014, Brooke's medals were part of a display at Archives New Zealand, "Two Wellingtonians at War". In 2015, an image of Brooke appeared on a New Zealand postage stamp, part of a series commemorating the centenary of the Gallipoli campaign.

Personal life

In 1925, Brooke married William John Brown of Nelson and they lived together in Christchurch. After his death, Brooke moved back to Wellington and worked as a private nurse until her retirement in 1955. She died in Wellington on 11 February 1962, and is buried in

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first cremato ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Evelyn 1879 births 1962 deaths New Zealand nurses New Zealand military personnel New Zealand women nurses People from New Plymouth 20th-century New Zealand people Burials at Karori Cemetery Female nurses in World War I Military nurses Members of the Royal Red Cross