Edith Mary Lewis

Born 14 Feb 1882 - Died 7 May 1967

Service number: WWI 22/247 AWMM
WWII 42593 AWMM
WWI: 22/444
Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 10 May 2016 - Military Record
Also known as: Rudd AWMM
Edith Mary Rudd AWMM
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
New Zealand Army Nursing Service
Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 10 May 2016 - Military Record
Last rank: New Zealand Army Nursing Service, Trentham AWMM
War: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM

Enquire

Lay a poppy

Edith Mary Lewis — “Matron in Chief Emily May Nutsey with Second World War nursing officers.” (November 1943). Black and white photograph of Eva Constance Mackay (second left) Matron Emily Mary Nutsey (centre), Edith Lewis (right) speaking with guests at her retirement function in Cairo, Egypt. Photograph by George Bull. Returned Army Nursing Sisters Album; RANSA Album PH-ALB-398-p13-1. Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira. All Rights Reserved

Show empty fields Hide sources

Biographical information

The Florence Nightingale Memorial Medal is worn on the right hand side even when in official uniform.

Awarded the Royal Red Cross in June 1944, "Miss Lewis has rendered conspicuous service, both in this war and the last. She was appointed Matron, 1 NZ Hospital Ship on 29 March 1941and served in that capacity until February 1942. From March to August 1942 she was Matron of Trentham Camp Hospital, she was they reappointed Matron of 1 NZ Hospital Ship, a position which she holds at the present time. His ship has made many trips with sicka and wounded under her care, not only from Egypt to New Zealand , but also to South Africa, to Tripoli, and to England. She has proved herself a 'born' nurse, hardworking, energetic and cheeful, and has the happy facility for instilling confidence in her patients, even under the most trying circumstances. Moreover she is a first-class administrator who can handle her staff with firmness and tact. Her qualities have contributed in no small measure to the comfort and speedy reovery of many a wounded soldier." PJ Beattie and MJ Pomeroy, Gallant Acts and Noble Deeds New Zealand Army Honours and Awards for the Second World War. p. 172. AWMM
A rare Florence Nightingale medal and certificate was passed over from the Marlborough branch of the Red Cross to the Marlborough RSA last Thursday.
The award was originally presented to Matron Edith Mary Rudd (nee Lewis), who served as matron of Wairau Hospital for 20 years from 1921 until 1941.
Matron Rudd received the award in 1961 as an acknowledgement of her work for New Zealand Red Cross and the Army Corps during both world wars.
Spending six years nursing off New Zealand shores during the wars, Matron Rudd was first posted to hospital ship, Marama, which delivered her to Egypt, where she spent three years from 1915 to 1918.
After her time at Wairau Hospital, Matron Rudd was then appointed Matron of the number 1 New Zealand Hospital Ship, Maunganui, in 1941, on which she served until 1944.
Matron Rudd also had close ties to the New Zealand Red Cross Society, becoming a member of the Marlborough branch in 1925, of which she became president in 1952.
Matron Rudd received several other awards for her services, including a British War Medal, Victory Medal, Atlantic Star, Pacific Star, Italy Star, War medal, New Zealand War Service Medal, and the 1953 Queen's Coronation Medal.
She received a Royal Red Cross Grade 1 award, the highest military nursing award.
New Zealand Red Cross president Jenny McMahon, who has a Florence Nightingale medal, presented the Marlborough RSA with Matron Rudd's award last Thursday, at a ceremony attended by about 70 people.
The medal will be kept on loan in the Panama Room at the Clubs of Marlborough.
The Florence Nightingale medal is the highest international distinction a nurse can achieve, and is awarded to nurses and nursing aides who show "exceptional courage and devotion to the wounded, sick or disabled or to civilian victims of a conflict or a disaster", or "exemplary services or a creative and pioneering spirit in the areas of public health or nursing education".
It was instituted in 1912 by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 9 May 2016 - Malborough Express dated 7 Aug 2013

Sources

External links: Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24060796
Further Reference
Military Personnel File
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R24264845
Further Reference
New Zealand Military Nursing: New Zealand Army Nursing Service - Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps.
http://web.archive.org/web/20220126041404/https://www.nzans.org/index.htm
Further Reference
References: New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
Vol1: 416
Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 4 (Embarkations from 1st April, 1941 to 30 June, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 4: WW2 204
Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1945). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 9 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1942 to 31st December, 1942). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 9: WW2 231
New Zealand Military Nursing - A History of the R.N.Z.N.C. Boer War to Present Day
Kendall, S. & Corbett, D. (1990). p. 159
Service Women Project: Sponsorship to research this record was kindly provided by the Auckland Returned Services Association, Returned Servicewomen's Branch; Marjorie Traill, Dorothy Grant, Daphne Shaw and Margaret Woollett.
McNabb, S. (2015). 100 years New Zealand military nursing : New Zealand Army nursing service : Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, 1915-2015. Hawke's Bay, N.Z.: Sherayl McNabb.
McKinney, J. (1952). Medical units of 2NZEF in Middle East and Italy. Wellington, N.Z.: Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
Tolerton, J. (2017). Make her praises heard afar : New Zealand women overseas in World War One. Wellington, New Zealand : Booklovers Books.
Rogers, A. (2003). While You're Away: New Zealand Nurses at War 1899-1948. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland University Press.

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.

Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Edith Mary Lewis

Edith Mary Lewis

Identity

About

Images and documents

Images

Documents

Civilian life

About birth

Service

Wars and conflicts

Military decorations

Training and Enlistment

Embarkations

Prisoner of war

Medical history

Last known rank

Biographical information

Biographical information

Death

About death

Memorials

Memorial

Sources

Sources