Branch of Service

Army

Conflict

World War I (1914-1918)

Date of Enlistment

05/05/1915

Date of Discharge

31/03/1919

Place of Enlistment

Melbourne, Victoria

Gender

Female

Date of Birth

17/03/1880

Place of Birth

South Yarra, Victoria

Address (at enlistment)

East Melbourne, Victoria (previously Duntroon ACT)

Occupation

Nurse

Next of Kin

Emily Blundell (mother), Upper Macedon, Victoria

Service Number

Nurse

Final Rank

Sister

Final Unit

3 Australian General Hospital

Patricia Blundell was appointed a nursing sister at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in October 1914 where she was in charge of internal arrangements at the hospital and assisted the Medical Officer. One source refers to her as matron. She was not related to the local Blundell family but came from Melbourne where she had previously worked at the Melbourne Children's Hospital. On 5 May 1915 she was mobilised for the Australian Army Nursing Service, embarking from Melbourne on 18 May 1915 and being attached to the 3rd Australian General Hospital, Lemnos from August 1915 and from February 1916 at Abbassia in Egypt. She also served on the hospital ship 'Gilford Castle', at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford, England and the 2nd Australian General Hospital in Wimereux, France. Blundell was suffering debility and left England on the 'Barunga' in July 1918 to return to Australia but the ship was torpedoed in the Bay of Biscay. She survived and caught another ship, arriving safely home before being discharged in March 1919. She later lived in South Yarra in Melbourne where she died in 1968 aged 88 years.

Ross Howarth, 'Civilians employed at the Royal Military College of Australia, Duntroon, from 1911 to 1931', RMC Duntroon, November 2000
Ross Howarth, 'History of the RMC Hospital', 2007
Royal Military College Report 1913-14
Janet Newman and Jennie Warren, 'Royal Canberra Hospital. An Anecdotal History of Nursing 1914-1991', 1993 (p.424)
Information provided by Dr. Kirsty Harris
Stories from the ACT Memorial, 'A Brother and Sister at Arms at Gallipoli' by Peter Fielding, www.library.act.gov.au/find/history/stories_from_the_act_memorial
Stories from the ACT Memorial, 'Dangerous Seas', ACT Heritage Library www.library.act.gov.au/find/history/stories_from_the_act_memorial
NAA RecordSearch - Series B2455 (First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920)