Charlotte Le Gallais

Charlotte Le Gallais (1881 – 1956) (also known as Lottie or Charlotte Gardner) was a nurse in the New Zealand Army Nursing Service.

Early life Charlotte Le Gallais was born on 1881 in Clevedon, Auckland, to Horatio and Eliza Le Gallais. She was the eldest of four siblings. After her mother's death in 1908, Le Gallais began training as a nurse and achieved registration in 1911. After achieving registration, Le Gallais joined the staff of Auckland Public Hospital.

First World War In June 1915, Le Gallais was selected as one of eleven New Zealand Army Nursing Service nurses who were to staff the hospital ship Maheno, which was the second contingent of nurses sent by New Zealand in World War I.

The Maheno arrived off the coast of Gallipoli on 26 August 1915, after which Le Gallais attended to the injured. Le Gallais wrote to her boyfriend, Sonnie Gardner on 13 September from Malta,—

We anchor about 1/2 mile from firing line - guns going off all round us shaking the ship and startling the life out of me each time they begin - its a dreadful place Gallipoli, dreadful and awful - don't think I regret coming - the work is terrible but we are needed badly.

Later, Le Gallais endured 'terrible clean-ups' aboard the Maheno as it transported wounded soldiers between Gallipoli and hospitals in Lemnos and Egypt. Le Gallias worked again at the Auckland Public Hospital and later nursed at the Featherston Military Camp during the 1918 influenza pandemic.