BRUCE, Lydia

Original items held by the Army Museum of Western Australia

Lydia Bruce

Conflict	World War 1
Service Arm	Australian Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment
Unit
Service No.
Service Arm	Army
Date of Birth	1882
Birthplace	Terang, VIC
Residence	Fremantle, WA
Date of Death	2 Aug 1969
Relatives	Father - William Holmes Searl Mother - Mary Ann Blanchard Husband - Arthur James Bruce

Lydia volunteered with the Red Cross as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) and served in Perth. When the British Red Cross called for assistance to staff the British Hospitals in August 1916, Lydia volunteered to travel to Britain as part of a group of 30 Australian VAD's. The transport ship, 'Osterley' sailed from Fremantle on the 4th October 1916 and arrived in Portsmouth, England on 10th November 1916.

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While in Britain she was registered with the British Red Cross and served as a VAD nurse at the 2nd Northern General Hospital in Leeds for 7 months. She was then sent to France to serve at the Military Hospitals in Le Treport, Harfleur and Wimereux for 21 months. She transferred back to Britain to the Military Hospital in Woking, Surrey before returning to Australia on the 'Orsova' on the 18th July 1919.

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