Many women who signed up to ‘do their bit’ in World War Two were also looking for excitement, a career move, a chance to go overseas or wanted to join other family members who were also serving. Muriel Isabella Moss Borthwick (Anderson) achieved all these wishes.

She was born on 29 November, 1916 in Otago, the only daughter of Ada Isabella and Walter Borthwick. Walter had served as a rifleman in the Otago Infantry Regiment and was wounded during World War One.¹

According to her family she had a hard childhood with her parents losing their family farm during the Depression.² She worked hard in a number of roles, willing to have a go at anything. She was a cleaner, a waitress and played the piano at dances.

At the start of the war Muriel was a seamstress and began her war effort sewing neck bands on army jerseys. But she thought she could do more, so used her experience as a St John Ambulance Voluntary Aid to enrol as an army nurse in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) (Service Number 71989).³

Muriel, a keen sportswoman, had played hockey and represented Otago in cricket as a batswoman and a wicketkeeper. The Otago Women’s Cricket Association held a social evening in her honour to mark her selection in the WAAC.⁴ Her sporting interest came to the fore in Egypt where she picked up a hockey stick to play in a game between nurses and doctors.⁵

She embarked for overseas just before Christmas 1941 with the rank of Private Nurse and spent four years in service, including two years at the New Zealand No.1 Hospital in the Middle East before being posted to England for a few months. It was here that she had a great thrill in meeting up with her brother, Flight Sergeant Frederick Walter Alexander Borthwick. He had gained his wings in Canada and was serving in Bomber Command.⁶ Frederick survived the war, dying on 4 October 1982.⁷ Muriel returned to New Zealand in April 1945 and was discharged in November 1945.

While in England Muriel worked at an internment camp in Scotland and toured both England and Scotland. Muriel’s daughter, Deni Anderson recounts that her mother worked at Buchanan Castle, near Drymen, which was used as a hospital during the war, and nursed German soldiers.

After her stint in England, Muriel continued nursing in Italy. During this time a patient made a lead pencil on cardboard drawing of Muriel which he gave her as a thank you present which is still held in the family.  

Her daughter Deni said that Muriel always thought her sister-in-law, Joan Anderson, also in the WAAC,⁸ didn’t get enough recognition for the part she played working in the Quartermaster’s store at the camp in Egypt - “she ran the place.”

Muriel told her family many stories about the war, recounting that she spent one day with a cousin, Thomas Borthwick and went back on night duty only to sadly hear one of the incoming wounded say to another, “Borthwick bought it.” It was the first time she had met Thomas and had only left him two hours previously.  It always made her sad to talk about his death.

On another occasion she was called up to the hospital in Egypt to see Archibald Aitchison - a family friend who Muriel had known since she was a baby. He had been asked by the family to find what had happened to a missing cousin of Muriel’s, Charles John Herbert. He had found him incorrectly buried in an English civilian cemetery and arranged for Muriel to have a week’s leave to go with him to the grave. Charles was later moved to the Alexandria (Chatby) Military and War Memorial Cemetery.⁹ In her nineties Muriel was able to give his granddaughter a photograph of his original grave, saying “this belongs to your family.”

Muriel found herself in the line of fire at the 1 General Hospital at Senigallia.  She described it as a mile long camp of tents where you had to ride a bicycle from one end to the other with the new wonder drug - penicillin - that could only be out of refrigeration for a short time.  The camp was not far away from the front line and the British were bombing over the camp. She overheard an argument about the bombing with the Kiwis wanting it stopped, but the British wouldn’t change it. Muriel remembered sitting on the toilet which was a tent with no roof with the bombs going overhead.

There were many sad stories, said Deni, but there were also happy stories of some of the hijinks they got up to, including playing hockey, cards and going to the Officers’ Club in Cairo.  She made lifelong friends and particularly liked working with the soldiers from the Maori Battalion. She thought they were well disciplined and very friendly.

Later life...

After her husband Gib died on 21 December 2000 she lived on her own. When the earthquakes hit Christchurch she was not afraid. She got under her sheet and told her family, “You can’t do anything about an earthquake. “  She said that it was not as scary as London during the blitz.

She had a birthday party when she turned 100, but continuing to think of others, she donated all the leftover food to a charity for the homeless. Her secret to a successful old age was “being a nice person”, said Deni.

Muriel died in her home on 27 November 2017, two days before her 101^st birthday. There was a birthday card on the table from New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern. Muriel had a very strong sense of helping other people and a sense of serving her country. Her family remember her as a role model in their lives with her memory always in their hearts.

With thanks to Muriel’s daughters Deni Anderson and Isobel Wyatt.

Pauline Weeks

Pauline Weeks is a qualified librarian and has worked in journalism and public relations. She has been researching genealogy and family history for 30 years and has completed the Diploma of Family History with the University of Tasmania.

Originally from Auckland, Pauline lives in Sydney. She is a member of the Society of Australian Genealogists (SAG) and facilitates meetings for its New Zealand Interest Group.

Pauline is also a member of the New Zealand Society of Genealogists (NZSG) and is the Society's area contact for New South Wales and the ACT, delivering and coordinating presentations for these members.

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