Rose Dorothy Gillick was born on the 29 September 1886 at Craddock in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. The daughter of Patrick Gillick and Bridget (nee) McCauley she was one of six children.

Rose's father Patrick Gillick was a pioneer in the far north of South Australia. Born in County Cavan (Ireland) in 1843, at age 21 Patrick left the country of his birth to seek employment in Australia. Following a period of work with Radford Brothers of Clare he began a partnership with Mr Matthew Commane which led to them purchasing two farms in the Georgetown district. He later sold his share to Mr Commane and subsequently in 1877 purchased property near Craddock in the Hundred of Wirreanda.¹ On Patrick’s retirement, his only son Mr J. Gillick assumed management of the station. The remainder of the family then moved to St. Bernard's road Magill. Thus began their association with the Campbelltown area.

Rose spent four years training as a nurse at the North Adelaide Private Hospital. This experience equipped her for her enlistment on 9 July, 1915 as a Staff Nurse for service abroad. She embarked for Egypt on the HMAT Orsova out of Melbourne, Victoria on 17 July 1915.² She then enlisted with the rank of Sister in the Australian Imperial Force in Cairo on 16 June, 1916.³

Her nursing of Australia’s wounded in Egypt began at the 2nd Australian General Hospital situated in Mena House, a former royal hunting lodge. In June, 1916 Rose was sent from Egypt to Etaples in Marseilles, France where she nursed at the 23rd British General Hospital. Following a period of only 2 months in France she returned to the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Cairo in August 1916.⁴

In January, 1917 The Register, an Adelaide newspaper, published a letter Nurse Gillick had written giving a brief insight into her nursing work in Boulogne, France. She tells of her dislike of the French winter and her longing for the Australian summer. She also tells of her expectation of being sent on leave to Ireland. Rose talks of “groping about in the dark … the want of light caused by the fear of the Zepps”. Although she dislikes the inconvenience of the northern winter she expresses her concern for “the poor boys in the trenches standing in 3 ft of muddy freezing water”.⁵

Rose was detached from 2^nd Australian General Hospital to the 1^st Australian Casualty Clearing Station in August, 1917 and was later posted for duty in December, 1917 to 25^th General Hospital. In January, 1918 she was transferred to England and admitted to hospital (12 Southwell Gardens, South Kensington) suffering from appendicitis. On her recovery she began Australian Army nursing duties at the 2^nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at 4 Southwell Gardens at the end of January, 1918. It was from here in December, 1918 that she was detached for return to Australia.⁶ Her return in that month was aboard the Argyllshire. The official termination of nurses’ appointment in the Australian Imperial Force took effect from May, 1919.⁷

Following a short period home in Australia, Rose departed for the United States in 1920 and became a naturalised American on 6 March, 1933. Her return to Australia in January, 1955 required her registration as an alien.

Back home after 20 years in New York Rose told stories of her life in that city. Owing to the deprivations that war brought about in the USA, Rose was amazed at the abundance of food in Australia and noted that there was always two meatless days a week in America. She also tells stories of her accommodation in a women only hotel.⁸

Researched and compiled by Vaughan Williams and Sue Polkinghorn, from the Campbelltown Library “Digital Diggers” group.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the information in this local history article, please contact the Local History officer on 8366 9357 or hthiselton@campbelltown.sa.gov.au

References

1. 1928 'OBITUARY MR. P. GILLICK, MAGILL.', Southern Cross (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1954), 13 January, p. 12, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article167796369
2. NAA: B2455 pg 13, GILLICK R, National Archives of Australia, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearcjMRetroeve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5008946
3. NAA: B2455 pg 5, GILLICK R, National Archives of Australia, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearcjMRetroeve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5008946
4. NAA: B2455 pg 4, GILLICK R, National Archives of Australia, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearcjMRetroeve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5008946
5. 1917 'Nursing Life in France.', The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 - 1929), 12 January, p. 6, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article59902248
6. NAA: B2455 pg 4, GILLICK R, National Archives of Australia, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearcjMRetroeve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5008946
7. NAA: B2455 pg 20, GILLICK R, National Archives of Australia, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearcjMRetroeve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5008946
8. 1946 'Hotel for Women Only.', News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1954), 9 December, p. 7, viewed 7 May, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128373885