Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

A NURSE FOR THE WAR.
Nurse A. G. Cock, who went to the war nearly three years ago with the small, but exceedingly, useful band of nurses from this state, and returned home on Sunday, speaks in high praise of British soldiers generally. "We could not have been treated better," she says.' "The soldiers are fine fellows, and excellent, patients; I never heard them murmur during those early, days of war, when fractured bones were common." Nurse Cock was moved about by the military authorities a great deal.
For three weeks her field of labour was at Wynburg, and'she spent ten months at Bloemfontein, two months at Pretoria, and five months on the hospital ship Arcania, in Delagoa Bay, in addition to doing duty in other places. A trip to England was included in the programme, and also a run
down to New Zealand, as a grand finale to a splendid record of service. Miss Cock is not tired of South Africa and she has decided to go to Johannesburg shortly to settle. In her opinion "South-Africa is a money-making place."- From acquaintance with the Boers she is able to say that they are "very obedient patients, but rather sullen." She adds—"I never heard a British 'Tommy' 'talk at' the Boer patients, or say nasty, things to them." Nurse Cock was at the Mooi River when peace was proclaimed. The British officer in command there read out the terms of the compact, and the natives danced for joy.' "I was very sorry the war was over in one way," she confessed, "but for the sake of the sick and wounded, the soldiers on trek, and in camp, and of the wives, children, and relatives of those fighting I was glad that peace had been agreed upon. Nobody, could ever get used to the sights we saw in the hospitals in the early, days of the war, when it was difficult to get supplies up the line, and when the accommodation was unavoidably primitive. We buried as many as 60 patients in one day at Bloemfontein, and there were 30 deaths a day, for months. Twenty, thirty, and some times forty sick men would be placed in a room where we afterwards put only a dozen beds, and a tin of milk had to last for about a dozen men, whereas when the line was clear the same quantity would be , issued to one patient." . However, the medical authorities did all that they could to allay suffering and to save life, and to this end money was spent as fast as it was required.

The Express Telegraph Tuesday 09 September 1902 page 1

Miss A. G. Cocks was for three years in the Adelaide Hospital, which she left in
November, 1898, having received the usual certificate. Subsequently she was engaged in nursing in connection with Miss Josling's Nurses' Home.

The Express and Telegraph Saturday 10 February 1900 page 4

Miss Agnes Cocks, who died on June 28 from pneumonia supervening on a severe burning accident, belonged to a well known pioneer family, her grandfather having come to South Australia In 1836 on the Buffalo. Miss Cocks, who was a nursing sister, received her training at the Adelaide Hospital, and was one of the Australian Sisters who did such excellent work with the colonial forces during the South African war. On the declaration of peace Sister Cocks went to Johannesburg, where she settled for some years, establishing a private nursing practice. Later on she went to England, and continued to engage in nursing in London. She made several trips to Australia to see her relatives, and it was one of her great egrets that she was not present in the Commonwealth when war was declared in 1914, and so was unable to join the Australian nursing sisters. She immediately placed her services at the disposal of the Imperial military authorities, however, and served with a nursing unit in France. During the war she was prominently associated with the hospital established by Millicent Duchess of Sutherland. The strain of war work told considerably upon her once robust constitution, and at the close of hostilities she determined to return to Australia. For several years she had been living with her mother, Mrs. Cocks, of South-terrace. Her health had failed considerably. She leaves three sisters, Misses Edith, Jean, and Dolly Cocks, all of South-terrace, and one brother, Mr. Harry Cocks, of Gladstone.

The Chronicle Saturday 11 July 1925 page 21