Laura Elizabeth James (12 December 1880 – 23 February 1969) was a New Zealand nurse. She served in the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service during

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 ...

and was one of the most decorated nurses of World War I.

Early life

James was born in

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, to David James and Jane Clayton. Her father was a medical doctor from England. Her parents divorced in 1883 and her father returned to England in 1884. James was educated at Mrs Croasdaile Bowen's Private School 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 Rive ...

and at

Wellington Girls' College Wellington Girls' College was founded in 1883 in Wellington, New Zealand. At that time it was called Wellington Girls' High School. Wellington Girls' College is a year 9 to 13 state secondary school, located in Thorndon in central Wellington. H ...

Career

From 1906 to 1909, James trained as a nurse at Wellington Hospital under Francis Payne, completing her national nursing examination in 1909. In January 1910 she left New Zealand for Europe, accompanying a pregnant woman to

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

, Italy. At the end of that year she applied to join the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service and was accepted as a Staff Nurse. She served in London and Wiltshire, and when World War I broke out she was sent to France. James was initially stationed at Rouen, and later took charge of a field ambulance station at Arras. In June 1917 she was promoted to the rank of Sister and moved to work in a stationary hospital, then a casualty clearing station and an ambulance train. In 1918 she was appointed Acting Matron of a general hospital in Genoa, Italy. During World War I, James received six medals and was mentioned in dispatches twice. The awards were the

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

, the Military Medal, the

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British World War I campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in No ...

, the General Service War Medal, the Victory Medal, and the Allies' Medal. She also received five overseas service chevrons. In 1919, James returned to England from Italy and requested permission to travel to New Zealand to settle her father's estate; he had died in 1916. Her request was declined and instead she requested a transfer to London so she could consult with a visiting lawyer regarding her father's matters. In 1924 she was posted to Gibraltar and then Malta. She returned to England from 1926 to 1931, and was then posted to India, where she was appointed Matron of a hospital in Poona. She worked there until 1933, when she returned to England. She retired from the QAIMNS in 1937 and died in a nursing home in Sussex in 1969.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Laura 1880 births 1969 deaths People educated at Wellington Girls' College People from Hokitika Female nurses in World War I Recipients of the Military Medal New Zealand Associate Members of the Royal Red Cross