Biographical Notes |
Note: The adopted daughter of Allen Frederick and Emily Agnes Wilson (nee Lines) ETHEL SARAH DAVIDSON (1872 - 1939) the 3rd child by the 2nd marriage of Capt. William (1872 - 1939) Davidson, master mariner. His first wife Susannah Hickson died at Batavia on 19 Jul 1863, during a voyage of the "Omagh" - leaving 6 children:(1) Dorothy (Dora) b. 1851 (2) Julia b. 1854 (3) John b. 1856, (4) Thomas b. 1858 (5) William b. 1859 (6) Mary b. 1861.
Capt. Davidson remarried on 17 Jan 1867, Elizabeth Jane Green, a sister of the 2nd Mrs. Oscar J. Lines and said to have been also a governess, as was her sister. Ethel was born at Woodville, S.A. on 19 Jun 1872.
Early in 1877 Capt. Davidson took his wife and younger children (with the exception of Ethel who was ill with measles) with him on a coastal voyage to Fremantle W.A. in the "Emily Smith". On the way they called at Kangaroo Island and stayed for some days with the Calnans at Kingscote before continuing. On the return, off Kangaroo Island they struck boisterous weather and the "Emily Smith" was wrecked off Cape Borda. Of 39 persons on board, 35 perished, only 4 were rescued. Amongst the dead were Capt. Davidson, Elizabeth his wife, their sons Oscar William (b. 24 Mar 1868, so aged 9). Alwyn Turton (b. 10 Aug 1870, aged 6) and Agnes Lizzie (b. 21 Feb 1875) and aged 2), together with an aboriginal nursemaid, not named. Constable George Snelling of Kingscote attended the wreck.
So on May 15th 1877 before she was 5 years of age, Ethel was orphaned Her eldest half-brother was his father's First Mate but had not gone on this particular voyage. None of the grown up Davidsons were in a position to care for Ethel, her aunt Mrs. Oscar Lines did not offer, so the Allen F. Wilsons who still had no children of their own, "adopted" her, though Ethel was to retain her own surname. Only Dorothy (Dora) of her half-brothers and sisters kept in touch to see that all was well with her.
Ethel lived at the Yorketown farm until 1890 when she was aged 18, then trained as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. Subsequently she was a District Nurse and also did private nursing. She joined the AANS Reserve in 1904 so was called up at the start of WW1 and served from September 1914 to December 1919. She was in Egypt at 2 AAH Southall; at 2 ACCS Trois Arbres; Matron of British Station 38; Matron under O.C. Major Gray at Mena Convalescent Depot. Mina House was 12 miles from Cairo and taken over as a convalescent depot. Meals for nurses were contracted out at 4 shillings a head. The site located at the foot of the pyramids was far from satisfactory, being very hot in summer with myriad flies and uncomfortable bamboo beds (1915). No. 38 British Stationary Hospital Genoa (1918). From 14 Jul 1917 she had been matron at 35 AANS, Calais.
After WW1 Ethel was Matron at 7 AMN, Keswick Barracks, S.A.; 1924 PM4 MD; Matron Repatriation Hospital 1921 - 1933 and President of the Returned Army Nurses Association from 1922 - 1926. She retired at the age of 60 in 1932. Ethel died shortly before the start of W.W.2 in 1939, the exact date not located by E.M.S. but her decorations were C.B.E., R.R.C., M.I.D. She was aged 67 years. She had kept in touch with the Allen F. Wilson family and left many of her things to Mabel daughter of Allen F. Captain Davidson gave Marion Wilson (Mrs. Lakeman) some cowrie shells after one of his voyages. E.M.S. has these now and also, of Ethel's souvenirs brought home from Egypt after WW1 a brass container incised with Egyptian figures, a figurine of a camel with Bedouin rider (in the style of Lawrence of Arabia) of casein (moulded, not carved like ivory but with the appearance) and part of a chess set. The really valuable chess set in ivory, in full, is now in the possession of the present Allen Wilson of Point Sturt, S.A. A brass topped table is at Strathalbyn with Violet Stevenson's (nee Lakeman) younger daughter, Betty Muller.
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