Letter · 6 Apr 1915
A bureaucratic muddle
Ella attended Grafton School in Auckland and completed her nursing training at Auckland Hospital. She died in Alexandria, Egypt. Her obituary in Kai Tiaki (NZ nursing journal) states: 'A sad death reported by cable from Alexandria is that of Sister Ella Cooke, who trained at the Auckland Hospital, and afterwards was a member of the Public Health Nursing Service. She went to England shortly before the war started and immediately went to work in France under the French flag, near Rouen. She was afterwards attached to the Queen Alexandra Reserve, and sent to Alexandria, where her death occurred accidentally [she was killed in a railway accident]. Sister Cooke was a devoted and clever nurse, and a very great favourite. Her loss is much deplored.'
Extracts from this letter
"Nurses are in great demand in London at present. It wasn’t so when I offered my services at the commencement of war & that is why I came out under the French Government instead of the British."
"You see the 'Ladies' have got tired of things, seeing the war has lasted so long & now they are giving trained women a chance."
"I blame the British authorities very much for allowing such muddles at first... Many women came over to France who had never done a day's nursing in their lives."
"But you see it was all for the “poor dear things and the officers” & of course they had to do something. Women went perfectly mad but I’m glad to think some have already recovered from their sentimental desires."
