Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Peter (deceased) and Mary CLARE
Of 34 Lynch St., Footscray, Vic.
Trained 3 years at Stawell Hosptial

How an Australian Nurse was Buried in India.

Sister Hilda Lapidge, of Hyde Park, writing from Deolali, in India, on October 19, 1918, to her sister, Miss Freda Lapidge, who saw service in France as a nurse, said :—

“By the time you get this, you will know that we have lost one of our girls”.

She took 'flu,' and pneumonia supervened.

The pneumonia they are getting is not ordinary, but is sort of plague-infected, and it does not matter how hard we fight, it generally beats us.

This girl came out on our boat, and has only recently come up to the 34th General Hospital; and less than a week ago she was doing nights in the busiest ward here.

I will tell you all about the funeral, because, although so heartbreaking, it was grand and impressive.

At 5.30 her body was taken into the Roman Catholic Church, where a short service was held, and was then carried by three R.AM.C. and three garrison officers and placed on a guncarriage. The carriage was covered with the Union Jack, and her hat and cape placed on the top.

The Convalescent Band went ahead and played 'Go bury thy sorrow.' Then came we girls, in mess dress with black arm bands, then the officers (even the Hindu officers were there), then the R.A.M.C., the Depot, the Convalescent, No.6 Camp, No.4 Camp, the 44th Orderlies, and so on.

Truly, I never thought there were so many troops in Deolali. The road was lined most of the way with troops and hundreds of patients. An 'Aussie' boy, who is a patient here, went with we girls, and also the padre, the only two 'Aussie' men here.

Just as the sun was setting, they lowered her into her flower-lined grave.

One girl placed a crown of tuber roses on her coffin, and sorely it was a fitting symbol of the crown of life which is hers, and as the rifles fired and the bugle sounded 'The Last Post' the rays of the setting sun caught on the Crucifix, and seemed to cast a radiance around, and the sky reflected the glory also, for it had the most beautiful pink and golden shades.

And as it went, so the moon rose, and gave just that touch of peace over everything, that made it all seem just the time and place where we should leave her to rest.

And I am convinced of this, that no statesman has ever had a more fitting farewell than that accorded to our 'Aussie' sister by these Englishmen and native officers.

I believe that this is the third Australian sister to die in India.