Frances Anderson was the daughter of William John Anderson and Alice Margaret Stewart Anderson (nee Lindsay) of Wanaka, Otago. Her sister Lucy (service number 71960) served in the same hospital in Egypt during the war.

She was the first New Zealand woman to die overseas in WW2.

Her funeral 'was the most sad and impressive thing that we have ever seen. She was the first member of this hospital to have died and has been over here two years..... There was a service here at 4 and nearly the entire hospital went, just a skelton staff working and all the up patients going too and girls came over from Helwan and Miss Nutsey. Then we were all out into ambulances and trucks and cars and the coffin in an ambulance and went to Heliopolis Military Cemetery. This is right on the edge of the desert and is so bare and blank with rows of little graves just cemented out of the brown sand itself with little wooden crosses. We all slowly marched to the grave we girls alongside the coffin and then all the sisters and officers and ranks following. There was a short service, then the three volleys fired, the Last Post, the flag removed and most gorgeous flowers placed over her hat on the coffin. It was all terribly sad and we are so sorry for Lucy and above all her parents who must be frantic.' From the letters of Stephanie Vanoosten (nee Lee) who served in the same hospital. Copies of these letters are held in the Museum Library. AWMM