Alice Cashin

RRC
Sister Alice Cashin, in front of a tent in the grounds of a British General Hospital in Calais, France, c. 1915
Birth nameAlice Alanna Cashin
Born(1870-03-26)26 March 1870
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died4 November 1939(1939-11-04) (aged 69)
Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia
Buried
Woronora cemetery, New South Wales
AllegianceGreat Britain
Years of service1914–1919
Battles/warsFirst World War
AwardsRoyal Red Cross & bar
Mentioned in Despatches (twice)

Alice Alanna Cashin RRC (6 March 1870 – 4 November 1939) was an Australian nurse during World War I.

Early life and education

Alice Alanna Cashin was born on 6 March 1870 in Melbourne, daughter of boot-maker Richard and Catherine Cashin (née Meehan). Her mother died the following year. The family moved to Sydney, where Cashin was educated at a private ladies college.[1] Her father was later acknowledged as pioneer of IOOF in New South Wales.[2]

Cashin completed her nursing training at St Vincent's Hospital in Darlinghurst, before working as a private nurse. In July 1901 she joined the Australasian Trained Nurses' Association.[1]

In 1909 Cashin sailed to England to develop her skills in therapeutic massage.[1]

War service

Shortly after the outbreak of World War I she was nursing in France with the British Red Cross.[2]

In 1915 she joined Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve. She was put in charge of a hospital's surgical ward in Ras-el-din, Egypt. While there, she was twice mentioned in dispatches before being awarded the Royal Red Cross in January 1917.[1]

In June 1916 she was transferred to HMHS Gloucester Castle where she was matron of the hospital ship. On 30 March 1917 the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat. Before seeking rescue herself, she ensured that all the wounded soldiers on board as well as the nurses in her charge were transferred from the ship. Only three of the 399 passengers were killed.[3] For this, she was awarded a bar to the Royal Red Cross.[1]

Her next posting was two years as matron of the 400-bed Lichfield Military Hospital from 7 May 1917.[1][4] As well as the fur cape, muff and cap given by Queen Alexandra to all members of the Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve, Cashin's service was acknowledged by the nursing staff of Lichfield Hospital who presented her with a gold link bracelet, inscribed with her war record.[4]

Post war

Statue of Alice Cashin in Woronora Cemetery

Returning to Australia, she cared for her elderly father and later was employed as a saleswoman.[1]

In 1924, representing the Diggers, she took part in a competition to raise funds for the Marrickville Anzac Memorial Hall. She was named Queen of Marrickville, receiving 75,346 votes, well ahead of Mrs Cruse (48,186) and Mrs Harris (42,369).[5]

She died intestate on 4 November 1939 at her home in Marrickville of chronic nephritis. Her funeral mass was held at St Bridget's Catholic Church, before her burial at Woronora cemetery. She had never married.[1][6] A memorial statue of Cashin was unveiled on her previously unmarked grave in 2016.[7]

Her medals and badges are held in the Anzac Memorial in Sydney.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Cunneen, Chris, "Cashin, Alice Alanna (1870–1939)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 1 May 2020
  2. 1 2 "A Brave Matron". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954). 25 April 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  3. ↑ "Cashin, Alice Alanna RRC (Matron, b.1870 – d.1939)". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  4. 1 2 "A Woman's Letter David John Smart Millinery (5 February 1920)". The Bulletin. 41 (2086). 5 February 1920.
  5. ↑ "Queen of Marrickville". Sun (Sydney, NSW : 1910 - 1954). 14 October 1924. p. 6. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  6. ↑ "Probate Jurisdiction". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 2001). 7 June 1940. p. 2514. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
  7. ↑ Barlass, Tim (11 October 2016). "Matron Alice Cashin, finally a statue for grave of World War I heroine". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  8. ↑ "Matron Alice Cashin's Medals & Badges". Anzac Memorial. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
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