Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Miss Amelia B. Stephenson, who has also been selected, was trained in the Adelaide Hospital from March 2, 1891, till April 2,1894, and has had private nursing, both medical and surgical, from Miss Tibbits's' Hospital for two years. She has been a charge nurse of the Theatre ward in the Adelaide Hospital from February 21, 1898, till the present time.

The Express and Telegraph (Adelaide) Saturday 10 February 1900 page 4

A NURSING SISTER.
RETURN OF MISS STEPHENSON.
Nursing-Sister A. B. Stephenson, who went to South Africa about 18 months ago,
has returned to Adelaide in good health.
Miss Stephenson states that on arrival at Cape Town she and her comrades were ordered to the Wynburg Hospital for duty, and remained there for three weeks. Then they were sent up the line to the Bloemfontein Hospital. At Wynburg Hospital they treated the majority of the Paardeburg wounded.
"The sights," Miss Stephenson says, "were not so terrible as might be supposed,
because the nickel bullet generally used makes a small, clean puncture. The expanding bullet makes a gaping wound. We lived under canvas for three weeks at Wynburg, and we rather liked the life. It was quite a new experience for us. At
Bloemfontein fever and dysentery were very prevalent complaints when we arrived.
We were amongst the first nurses up there."
The Boer wounded, she found, were very grateful for all the nurses did for them.
They, however, spoke but seldom, and she formed the opinion that they, were very bitter against the British, and also very ignorant. The nurses had plenty of work to do, and their hours were from 6.30 a.m. till about 10 o'clock at night. Miss Stephenson remained at Bloemfontein for twelve months, and then went to England on a transport, and on arrival there went on two months' leave of absence.
How did you like military nursing? asked our representative.
"I did not like it at all."' was the candid reply. "It is not exactly the discipline.
There is such a frightful lot of red tape." Were the wounded looked after well?
"Yes. Both British and Boer wounded were treated alike. Many statements have
been about the hospitals which were absolutely true, but no one was to blame -
no one could help the unfortunate state of affairs. We had a lot to do, and we were hampered through the necessary equipment not coming up. The line from Cape Town to Pretoria is single and narrow gauge. The track was often torn up by the Boers, and we were greatly delayed in our work in consequence. During the first four months of our stay at Bloemfontein there were on an average 30 deaths a day. The hospital was adjacent to the cemetery. The dead were sewn up in their blankets for burial, but we had so much to do that we hadn't time to think much about such terrible things?"
Will you return to South Africa? "Yes. I am going back to Johannesburg about the end of the year to settle. I don't like South Africa as a whole, but Johannesburg is a rather nice place, and fairly up to date."
Miss Stephenson then referred to the future of South Africa. "I should not advise any woman or man either," she said, "to go there yet, unless they have something to go to. Living is so expensive. It is also very hard to find a place in which to live, for everything is upset on account of the war."
Speaking of the treatment meted out to the Boers, by the British, Miss Stephenson said:-'The British have treated the Boers with too much consideration. The refugees are being treated as they have never been in their lives."'
When Miss Stephenson left South Africa Nursing-Sisters Cox and Shanahan were in England, Miss Glennie was at Johannesburg, Miss Watts was at No. 2 Hospital,
Pretoria, and Miss Bidmead was at Bloemfontein. The returned nurse states that
all the nurses were treated with the greatest respect by officers and men of the British army.

The Advertiser Thursday 29 August 1901 page 5