Lorna Aylmer Rattray (10 January 1875 – 23 October 1915) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

nurse who served in 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 died when the SS ''Marquette'' was torpedoed and sunk in 1915.

Early life

Rattray was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. After qualifying, Rattray nursed 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 / ...

First World War

In July 1915, Rattray enlisted in 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 ...

and left

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 ...

on board the SS ''Maheno''. The ship sailed to

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and the contingent of nurses worked in a stationary hospital there. In October 1915 she was on board the SS ''Marquette'' when it was torpedoed by a German submarine and sunk.

Recognition

Two years after her death, the Otago Nurses' Association created the New Zealand Nurses' Memorial Fund in memorial to Rattray and fellow Otago ''Marquette'' victim,

Mary Rae Mary Helen Rae (29 September 1880 – 23 October 1915) was a New Zealand nurse who served in the First World War and died when the SS ''Marquette'' was torpedoed and sunk in 1915. Early life Rae was born at Raes' Junction, near Dunedin, on 2 ...

. Donations from the medical community in Dunedin started the fund, which aimed to be a practical fund of "people helping people". Most grants are given to retired nurses who are struggling financially. Rattray is named on the

Mikra British Cemetery The Mikra British Cemetery is a World War I-era British military cemetery in Kalamaria, a suburb of the city of Thessaloniki in Greece. It was opened in April 1917, and used until 1920. Following the Armistice the cemetery was greatly enlarged by ...

in Greece and in the Nurses' Memorial Chapel at Christchurch Hospital. She is also remembered in the Five Sisters window at

York Minster The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archbis ...

r in York, England. There is a commemorative plaque to Rattray in St. Matthew's Church, Dunedin.

Film

In 2014, actress Robyn Paterson played Lorna Rattray in the Australian television mini series ''

ANZAC Girls The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comman ...

'', appearing in the episodes "Duty" and "Endurance".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rattray, Lorna 1875 births 1915 deaths New Zealand nurses New Zealand military nurses Female nurses in World War I 19th-century New Zealand people New Zealand women in World War I Nurses killed in World War I Sinking of the SS Marquette Health professionals from Dunedin New Zealand women nurses