Lydia Abell

Lydia Abell, ARRC (13 June 1872 – 21 July 1959) was a civilian and military Australian nurse.

Early life Abell was born on 13 June 1872 in Newcastle, New South Wales. She was the daughter of Elijah Abell and Margaret (née Brown) and grew up in the suburb of Wallsend.

Nursing career Abell was one of the founding members of the Australasian Trained Nurses Association and later had a desire to serve in the war as a nurse. Abell trained at Newcastle Hospital in 1898 and hence worked there. Before the war, she worked as a private nurse for Thomas Cook of Turanville, a famous cattle breeder. She then travelled to England to join the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR).

First World War Abell made her own way to Europe, embarking on 18 September 1915 and arriving in Tilbury on 1 November. She volunteered her services to the military authorities and was assigned to Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve. She was designated to a military hospital at Talence, in the southwest of France near Bordeaux, then was transferred to No. 32 Stationary Hospital in the north of France at Boulogne. She was then appointed for hospital work on one of the canals and was frequently under fire, and as a result she was moved to No. 14 General Stationary Hospital at Boulogne, and was moved again to serve duty at a casualty clearing station in the danger zone. She received her ARRC on 15 May 1919 by George V at the Buckingham Palace. The ARRC is awarded for exceptional service in military nursing.