Lettitia Gladwys Moreton (1891 - 1916)

Ancestors

Biography

Sister Gladys Moreton

Lettitia Gladwys Moreton was born in 1891 in the village of Brim, in the Wimmera region near Warracknabeal, Victoria (Australia). Gladys, as she was known, was the older daughter of Samuel Moreton and Letitia Milledge. ^[1] Railway came to Brim in 1893, mostly to carry mineral sands from nearby Hopetoun to Hamilton. Brim is today known for renowned Brisbane artist Guido van Helten's 2015 murals on its large grain silos that stand on the railway station site. ^[2]

Gladys became a Nurse and was later promoted to Sister. ^[3] Her parents moved into Melbourne's suburbs, living at Kingunwell Stanhope Street, Malvern until moving again in 1919 to 8 Curral Road, Elsternwick. ^[4]

On 12th June 1915 Gladys enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She was posted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital, at Mena Camp (outside Cairo). From there, she was detached to the Station Hospital at Queeta, in the north west of British India (now in Balochistan, Pakistan). She was the only Australian nurse there when she contracted enteric haemorrhage (or typhoid) and succumbed on 11th November 1916. Then, there were no effective treatment or antibiotics. She is buried in the Quetta Government Cemetery. ^[5][6] The Ballarat Star published the following tribute on 1st December: ^[3]

"Miss Gladys Moreton, daughter of Mr and Mrs Moreton, Leigh Creek and niece of Dr Moreton, Geelong, and Mr I K Moreton, land proprietor, Ballengeich, has died in India. Sister Moreton, who was well advanced in her profession, was in all respects quite adapted for the calling. She was of a gentle and kindly disposition. After volunteering for service in Egypt and elsewhere she was transferred to India, where she contracted enteric fever, to which she succumbed."

Lettitia Gladwys Moreton's name is on the Australian Military Nurses Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Delhi Memorial (India Gate), Kapunda Dutton Park Memorial Bullwinkel Memorial and Maryborough Nurses Honour Board, ^[3] as well as the Gong Gong Methodist Church Sunday School Honour Board. ^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #7703/1891; forename was spelt Lettitia for both mother and daughter
2. ↑ The Wimmera Mail-Times 10 Jul 2016 (includes photgraph of silos); accessed 11 Nov 2022
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Virtual War Memorial Australia; accessed 11 Nov 2022
4. ↑ Naional Archives of Australia, AIF Attestation Form; accessed 11 Nov 2022
5. ↑ Australian War Memorial Staff Nurse Letitia Gladys Moreton; accessed 30 Jul 2020
6. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission; accessed 11 Nov 2022
7. ↑ Federation University-Australia: Letitia Gladwys Moreton; accessed 11 Nov 2022