The Australian Women's Register

After her husband’s death in 1896 Jessie White commenced her four year general training at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne. She completed her midwifery training at the Women’s Hospital (later Royal) in 1901. Five years later she was in charge and running her own private hospital as well as serving as a reservist in the Australian Army Nursing Service.

At the outbreak of World War I White enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service. In October 1914 she travelled with the first convoy to Egypt where she was attached to a British Hospital. During the Dardanelles campaign she worked on a hospital ship which carried patients from Gallipoli to the hospitals on Lemnos Island. In December 1915 White was transferred to England where under the re-organization of the Australian Army Medical Corps she was appointed Principal Matron of the Australian Army Nursing Service. On 3 June 1916 White was awarded the Royal Red Cross (1st class) for her services. Due to personal reasons she resigned from the Service and returned to Australia.

On 5 June 1917 White rejoined the Service and departed for Salonika where she was given the task of staffing four British general hospitals. While ministering to the sick and wounded soldiers the nurses had to contend with terrible living conditions, the extremities in temperatures, fire, snow, mud, malaria, dysentery, typhus, flies, lice, lack of food supplies, marauders and friction from the British medicos.

In recognition of her service White was mentioned in despatches, awarded the Greek Medal for Military Merit, the Serbian Order of the St Sava and on 7 June 1918 she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.

She returned to nursing in civilian life in August 1919 and continued working until she was in her 70s. White was active in the Returned Nurses Association especially the Salonika Sister’s Group of which she was President for 25 years.