The Matron and the Major – Nurse Annie Jones

In early 1896 Annie Jones from Bendigo Victoria, was nursing in the Government hospital at Cue, Western Australia.  While she was recovering from a mild form of typhoid fever, word came by camel train that Mr Magnus Maxton Calder, a member of the firm Calder & Co of Cue, was suffering from typhoid fever in Lawlers.

She volunteered to go to the town and nurse him. Mr Lemperer, a member of the firm, travelled with her from Cue. It took four days to cover the 200 miles in a buckboard drawn by two horses. She was unable to carry much in the way of supplies as the horse feed took up a lot of the room.

On her arrival in May she found her patient had died but there were many other patients requiring her attention. A number of local businessmen formed a committee and asked if she could stay on as a district nurse.  The difficulty of tending men in their 6 feet by 8 feet tents, which meant she had to crawl in and take temperatures, and make them comfortable until her next visit, was most unsatisfactory.

William O Mansbridge standing second from left.

Matron Annie Jones seated front row.

Hospital Committee and Staff:- Back row second from left A G Clifton, seated on left Matron Annie Mansbridge nee Jones

The committee then erected a large tent in the main street so she could at least stay with her patients who were mostly suffering from typhoid fever and small accidents which she could manage with a few stiches.  She nursed with the help of a male orderly until the Government provided the aid to help build a hospital.

Mr Herbert Hoover, who was later to become president of the United States of America, was among the invited guests when she had the honour of opening the Battery at the Great Eastern Gold mine on the 17th September 1896, by breaking a bottle of champagne over the flywheel.

William Owen Mansbridge and Annie Caroline Jones were married on Thursday 17th September 1897, the first wedding to take place in Lawlers. Mr A G Clifton gave the bride away. Mr Henry Barnes was best man and the bride was attended by Misses Kay Solly and Beatrice McGregor. The Reverend Alf Craven of Cue officiated at the ceremony.

William O Mansbridge standing second from left.

William Owen Mansbridge JP standing second from left.

Civil Servants Lawlers c1897. Standing second from left Willima Owen M Mansbridge, Seated:- J B Solly, Colquohon,
A G Clifton, McGregor.

Annie Jones was to become Matron of the new hospital, Mr, or Captain Mansbridge, as he was known, was the Mining Registrar having previously worked under Warden Clifton in Halls Creek and Broome.

Annie and Owen were to have four children. Wurdel Olive Mansbridge born in Lawlers in 1898 followed by Franklin Oliver Mansbridge born Fremantle in 1900. Beatrice Annie born in the Murchison in 1902 and Muriel Edith Mansbridge born in Mt Magnet in 1904.  Annie and Owen were to spend a long life together with Annie passing away at the age of 86 in Perth in 1954 followed by Oliver four years later in 1958 also aged 86 yrs.

From the West Australian 5th July 1915

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN HEROES. MAJOR MANSBRIDGE, DS.O. Major William Owen Mansbridge is 43 years of age. His first commission, a second lieutenancy in the Goldfields Infantry Regiment, was secured in 1905, and two years later he was made a lieutenant. He was promoted to a captaincy in 1911, and only a year later received his majority. Prior to the outbreak of war, he was third in command of the 84th Regiment, but in the early stages of tho-hostilities he volunteered for service abroad and was appointed to a commission in the 16th Battalion. In private life Major Mansbridge was Mining Registrar at Kanowna, and his quiet and unassuming disposition secured to him a very large circle of friends on the goldfields. Prior, to receiving, the Kanowna appointment he was for many years stationed in the North-West and, in the light of the experience gained there he formulated a scheme for the organisation and training of the aboriginals of Northern Australis for defense purposes in case of a possible invasion in that quarter. An outline of’ this project was published last year, under his name in the “Australian Military Journal.”  Major Mansbridge was to become the first ever president of the Western Australian Branch of the RSL ‘Returned Services League’.

WO Mansbridge

W O Mansbridge 7th from the left front row.

The Opening of Hill 60 Mine at Mt Magnet:  From the Geraldton Guardian 21st March 1935.

The following two tabs change content below.
My name is Moya Sharp, I live in Kalgoorlie Western Australia and have worked most of my adult life in the history/museum industry. I have been passionate about history for as long as I can remember and in particular the history of my adopted home the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Through my website I am committed to providing as many records and photographs free to any one who is interested in the family and local history of the region.

Latest posts by Moya Sharp (see all)

Comments

  1. Heather Wright says

    I just love all the old pictures of Kalgoorlie

  2. Major Mansbridge became Lt Colonel William Owen Mansbridge during the first World War. He was born in Chester, England, his Father being a Major in the army. His brother Thomas Franklin was born in Ireland where their father was stationed. The boys were brought up in India for many years. Thomas Franklin fought in the Boer War at Spion Kopf and the relief of Ladysmith. At the outbreak of WW II, he came to WA to join his brother’s new regiment. He was killed in France in 1918. He was my grandfather, William Owen became my surrogate grandfather in later years. William Owen was given a state funeral in Perth. Michael Mansbridge-Wood

    • Dear Michael What a wonderful story, so glad you saw my article about the family. Would you allow me to add your story to the blog post? Kind regards Moya

      • please do – there is more – William Owen had his brother’s account of the battle at Spion Kopf and the march to Ladysmith printed in the West Australian – maybe worth looking up.

      • Melissa Rothnie says

        Thank you very much for the story Moya. My husband is a great grandson of W O Mansbridge, grandson of Mansbridge’s eldest daughter (Wurdell Olive), and we’re always keen to hear more about the family. I especially love personal insights such as the mention in Mary Durack’s book, Kings in Grass Castles, where she describes the “naughty nineties” in one of the closing chapters; “At Argyle the two spare rooms and wide verandahs were often taxed to capacity with visitors and the Chinese cook constantly threatened to go on strike. Amusing young men rode to and fro. Will Mansbridge, youthful magistrate for Hall’s Creek, played merry pranks ..”

  3. Coraleen says

    Hello iam the great grand daughter of William Owen Mansbridge and the granddaughter of Franklin Mansbridge . I just have a question my grandfathers middle name is Owen . I have some memories of great Aunty Olive. .My mother is still alive and is the last of Franklin’s children she also has many tales to tell . I would also like to link up to my mothers family as I been to Tom Mansbridege grave in France I have photos that I would like to transmit to his family .

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.