Fanny Wilson, RRC

Fanny Wilson (1874–1958) was a notable New Zealand army nurse and matron. She was born in Christchurch, North Canterbury, New Zealand in 1874.

Fanny Wilson was a member of the first contingent of nurses that went to German Samoa with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914.

She returned to New Zealand in March 1915 in time to be among the first 50 members of the nursing service to be sent to England. The nurses left on 8 April on board the Rotorua. Two weeks after reaching Plymouth they embarked for Egypt, arriving at Alexandria on 16 June. Wilson worked as a theatre sister at No 2 New Zealand Stationary Hospital near Cairo (renamed No 1 New Zealand General Hospital in 1916). For her service there she was mentioned in dispatches in March 1916.

She was awarded the Royal Red Cross, second class, for valuable services in 1917, and mentioned again in dispatches in 1918. She received the Royal Red Cross, first class, in April 1919.

Biography:

• M. J. Kelly. 'Wilson, Fanny', from the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Documents:

• Military Personnel File Links:
• Cenotaph Record