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23-459: In 1911 Hester Maclean had been given the title of 'matron-in-chief' of a proposed military nursing reserve, but despite her efforts (and those of Janet Gillies before her) no service existed by the time New Zealand entered the First World War. New Zealand nurses were motivated by the same sense of duty and patriotism as men who volunteered to serve, but despite over 400 women coming forward in

46-510: A pleated coat can be spread out as a blanket once the strap is unfastened. The name comes from a martingale strap used in the horse tack to restrict the movements of the horse's head; another theory suggests that the martingale coat originated in the 15th–16th centuries when a design of a man's martingale breeches included a flap between the legs buttoned to the belt in the back. The word martingale comes from Occitan : martegalo through French : martingale . The Occitan word

69-434: A long grey woollen dress and a coat with a grey bonnet with ribbon ties. The dress featured a Chinese style collar and had small brass NZ Army buttons on the bodice. An option for outdoor use was a short red cape and the coat which had a scarlet collar. The coat had only a half-belt at the back, but many nurses added a full belt for which they were reprimanded. The nurses were permitted to have uniforms made providing they used

92-492: A number of her watercolour sketches were sold to benefit the Registered Nurses' Association. Half-belt A martingale (also martingale belt ) is a strap on a dress or a half- belt on a coat or a jacket , used to adjust the fullness of the cloth . The martingale is typically attached to the piece of clothing by buttons. In a military overcoat, a martingale is a common and practical feature, as

115-670: A number of hospitals in New South Wales and Victoria, including the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne and Kogarah Hospital in Sydney. In 1905 she travelled to England and trained in midwifery. On her return to Sydney, she successfully applied for the position of Assistant Inspector of Hospitals in Wellington, and moved to New Zealand in 1906 to replace Grace Neill , who was retiring. She held

138-615: A silver fern, surmounted by a crown. It was worn on all the outdoor and working uniforms. Hester Maclean Hester Maclean , RRC (25 February 1859 – 2 September 1932) was an Australian-born nurse, hospital matron, nursing administrator, editor and writer who spent most of her career in New Zealand. She served in the First World War as the founding Matron-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service , and

161-628: A third contingent of 11 nurses had departed aboard the hospital ship Maheno. Ten nurses lost their lives when the troopship Marquette was torpedoed and sank in the Aegean Sea on 23 October 1915. Approximately 550 woman served in the NZANS, while other New Zealand woman served with organisations such as the Imperial Nursing Service. The first nurses who left New Zealand in August 1914 to serve with

184-459: Is a feminine version of "from Martigues ", where martingale breeches with (in the words of Rabelais ) "a drawbridge on the ass that makes excretion easier" supposedly originated. It is also possible that the association between the pants and inhabitants of Martigues is due to the latter having a reputation for naiveté and extravagance. In France, martingale breeches were apparently popular, being worn by Francis I of France , " mignons " of

207-601: The New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) and led the first large contingent of New Zealand nurses overseas in the First World War , embarking with 50 nurses on the Rotorua in April 1915. Among other tasks, Maclean designed the NZANS's uniform. In 1923, Maclean retired from the Department of Health and wrote her autobiography, Nursing in New Zealand , which was published in 1932. Maclean died in Wellington on 2 September 1932. She

230-535: The 50 nurses led by Hester Maclean departed on the SS Rotorua , from Glasgow Wharf in Wellington. The nurses were farewelled by a large crowd with the nearby buildings were decorated with bunting, parting gifts were given to them, while a band played popular tunes such as “The Girl I Left Behind Me”. In choosing the nurses Maclean had drawn from as many hospitals as possible. All of the women were unmarried, with at least six years of nursing experience and their average age

253-629: The Mother Country asks us to provide nurses, it would be a presumption to send them." Six nurses were sent to German Samoa on 15 August 1914. Eventually Allen bowed to pressure (in particular from Hester Maclean) and on 7 January 1915 sent a telegram to the War office in England offering to dispatch 50 trained nurses, which the British accepted on 25 January. On 25 January 1915, the offer of nurses from New Zealand

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276-572: The NZAS contributed to a surge of interest in woman interested in becoming nurses. By August 1915 Waikato Hospital was struggling to cope with the number of applicants it was receiving for nurse training and had a waiting list of over 100. At short notice in March 2015, a dozen nurses were requested by the Australian government to join a nursing contingent sailing to Egypt and they departed on 1 April. On 8 April 1915

299-621: The New Zealand Medical Corps in Samoa wore a uniform based on a design by Hester Maclean, that was similar to those being worn by other overseas organisation. Once the NZANS was officially formed Maclean proposed In October 1914 that the official uniform include a large cloak. This cloak was however replaced in the final proposed design with more practical long coat. The final uniform was approved in February 1915. The outdoor uniform consisted of

322-580: The Registered Nurses Association, but retained the position of editor until her death. After some encouragement during her travels around the country on inspections, the four provincial nursing associations amalgamated in 1909 into the New Zealand Trained Nurses Association. Maclean was elected the first national president and remained active in the organisation for the remainder of her life. Maclean also established

345-484: The first two months after the outbreak of war, their offers were refused on the basis that enough nurses would be available from England. Hester Maclean pushed for nurses to be sent overseas, writing in the October 1914 issue of the nursing journal Kai Tiaki , “Britain’s sons are eager to save her. Her daughters too, are all for helping.” The New Zealand Defence Minister, James Allen was however reluctant, stating that "until

368-530: The implementation of the Midwives Act 1904 and setting midwifery standards. In 1907, Maclean proposed the establishment of a journal for nurses to exchange ideas and keep up to date with the latest international developments in nursing. She produced and funded the magazine herself, with the first issue appearing in January 1908. Maclean continued to operate the journal until her retirement in 1923; she then sold it to

391-496: The position for 17 years under Thomas Valintine , the Inspector of Hospitals. During her tenure, Maclean was responsible for establishing schemes for rural district nursing, native health nurses and school nurses. She also oversaw the extension of the St. Helen's hospitals for midwifery training. As Assistant Inspector, with Jessie Bicknell and Amelia Bagley , she played a major role in

414-451: The same style. While there were variations over the course of the war generally due to different tailoring and use of different materials it remained basically the same. As the need for a lighter uniform became evident when the women were serving in Egypt this led towards the end of the war to the skirt length becoming shorter. The official badge of the NZANS consisted of a red cross enclosed within

437-452: The sand. Lottie Le Gallais, a nurse in a later contingent who served aboard the hospital ship Maheno wrote "Terrible, terrible wounds. The bullets aren’t so bad but the shrapnel from exploding shells is ghastly. It cuts great gashes, ripping muscles and bones to shreds. Thirty-nine men have died on board so far and every one suffered great pain and discomfort." By August 1915 a second contingent of nurses from New Zealand arrived in Egypt, and

460-514: Was 27. On arrival in London, the 50 nurses were given orders to sail on to Egypt to tend to the wounded arriving from Gallipoli . Hester Maclean accompanied them and remained in Egypt to meet further nursing contingents from New Zealand. Along with tending the terrible wounds of the soldiers, the nurses had to treat dysentery, typhoid and heat stroke. They were working long hours in high temperatures, and sometimes in tented hospital accommodations pitched on

483-750: Was buried in Karori Cemetery , after a full military funeral. In 1917 Maclean was awarded the Royal Red Cross , first class. In June 1920 The International Red Cross, Geneva awarded her the Florence Nightingale Medal . MacLean was also a keen amateur watercolourist. She exhibited at the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Two of her works are in the collection of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. After her death

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506-532: Was finally accepted, and Hester Maclean was asked to select 50 nurses to travel to England. Meanwhile, Allen had submitted a proposal to Cabinet recommending that authority be given to provisionally enrol 60 nurses and that the Defence Act be amended to make provision for the New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS). This proposal was approved by cabinet on 11 January 1915. The establishment of

529-559: Was one of the first nurses to be awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal . Maclean was born in Sofala in the Colony of New South Wales on 25 February 1859. Her parents were Emily (née Strong) and Harold Maclean. She was educated at private schools and was inspired by her father's nurse to become a nurse herself. Maclean trained at Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, completing her certificate in 1893. After completing her training, Maclean nursed in

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