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B 1890 D 1968

At 168¿ª½±¹ÙÍø’s around 1908

Ella McLean served as a nurse in India and Egypt during World War I.

She was the eldest of ten children, born to an established farming family in Roma. She received her early education with a governess before enrolling as a boarder at 168¿ª½±¹ÙÍø’s.

After graduating from 168¿ª½±¹ÙÍø’s, Ella completed her nursing training at the Brisbane General and Children’s Hospital. By the time the First World War had begun, Ella was working as a staff nurse at the Warwick Hospital.

In May 1915, the then 24-year-old Ella joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), now known as the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC), and was initially placed on home service, working at the Kangaroo Point Military Hospital.

In May 1917, Ella embarked on the ship SS Khiva for overseas duty, her first post being India, initially at Bombay and then at the Welsh Hospital at Deolali in Maharashtra. She arrived in India in July of 1917. During this post, Ella and her colleagues served in British hospitals where their patients included Turkish prisoners of war, as well as wounded British, and other Allied troops. In addition to harsh weather conditions, including monsoonal rains, they battled disease, sometimes in makeshift tent hospitals. Ella, who preferred surgical work, was transferred to the surgical ward dealing with British troops in October 1917.

Sister Ella had been eager to serve on the frontlines in Egypt and was eventually posted there. Cairo presented its own challenges, including a lack of equipment and exceedingly long work hours.

In May 1919, her service overseas came to an end, and she arrived back in Australia on board the S.S. Nestor. Ella McLean soon became Ella McWilliam, getting married at St Peter’s Anglican Church Southport on 30 December 1919 to engineer Russell John McWilliam.

On 15 December 1922, the Governor of Queensland, Sir Matthew Nathan, presented Ella with a medal for her services during the First World War. 

On 6 October 2017, Australia Post issued a series of stamps under the title ‘A Century of Service: Women in War’. The 1918 image of Ella in her tippet was chosen to represent all nurses who served during the 1914-1918 conflict. A commemorative Prestige Cover was also produced as a part of this collection, and again, Ella’s image, as well as an excerpt from a letter to Canon Garland, was included.

Credit: Information in this profile was first published on Anglican Focus, the news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland.