Laidlaw, Annie Ina (1889 - 1978)

Annie Laidlaw devoted her life to nursing and served in both world wars. She completed her nursing training at the Children's Hospital (later Royal), Melbourne. In 1917 Laidlaw joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) and served in military hospitals at Bombay and Poona.

After the war Laidlaw returned to the Children's Hospital as ward sister. In 1925 she was granted a year of leave to complete midwifery training at the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney. Returning to Melbourne, Annie became assistant lady superintendent (assistant-matron) at the Children's Hospital. In 1930 she was promoted to lady superintendent of the hospital's orthopaedic section at Frankston. She held this position for 12 years.

Selected to head the Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service (RANNS) in 1942 she was in charge of the Flinders Naval Depot hospital as well as being in charge of the RANNS. After her discharge from the navy Laidlaw returned to her position at the Children's Hospital until 1950.

From 1951-52 she worked in London. On her return to Melbourne she took the position of Matron at the Freemason's Homes of Victoria, Prahran until her retirement in 1957. Aged 89, Annie Laidlaw died on 13 September 1978 at McKinnon, Victoria.

Events

23 January 1889	Born: daughter of James Adam and Annie (nee Gilchrist) Laidlaw
1914 - 1917	Trained as a general nurse at the Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Vic.
30 June 1917 - 21 May 1919	Member of the Australian Army Nursing Service
1919 - 1925	Ward sister at the Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Vic.
1925	Midwifery training at the Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney
January 1926	Appointed assistant lady superintendent (assistant-matron) at the Children's Hospital
1930 - 1942	Promoted to lady superintendent (matron) of the Children's Hospital orthopaedic section at Frankston, Victoria
1 October 1942 - 15 March 1946	Served with the Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service
March 1943	Promoted from superintending sister to matron
1946 - 1950	Worked with the orthopaedic division of the Children's Hospital
1951 - 1952	Home sister at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children, London
1953 - 1957	Resident matron at the Freemasons' Homes of Victoria, Prahran
1957	Retired and lived in the Returned Sailors', Soldiers' and Airmen's Imperial League of Australia's home for nurses at RSL House, St Kilda

Related Corporate Bodies

• Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) (1903 - 1948)

  [1917 - 1919]

• Royal Australian Naval Nursing Service (RANNS)

  [1942 - 1946]

Book Sections

• Vines, Patricia C, 'Laidlaw, Annie Ina (1889-1978)', in Ritchie, John (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 15, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Vic., 2000, pp. 45-46. [ Details... ]

Online Resources

• Department of Veterans' Affairs, 'LAIDLAW, ANNIE INA', in World War 2 Nominal Roll, 2002, http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/script/veteran.asp?ServiceID=N&VeteranID=1192378. [ Details... ]

See also

• Alexander, Joseph A (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1944, 12 edn, The Herald and Weekly Times, Melbourne, 1944, 906 pp. [ Details... ]
• Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, 'Where are the Women in Australian science?', 22 August 2003, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/wisa/wisa.html. [ Details... ]
• Jacobson, Gwendoline, 'World War II : Nursing Services', in Chisholm, Alec H (ed.), The Australian Encyclopaedia, vol. 9, The Grolier Society of Australia, Sydney, pp. 485-486. [ Details... ]
• Reid, Richard, Just wanted to be there : Australian Service Nurses 1899-1999, Commonwealth Department of Veterans' Affairs, Canberra, 1999, 121 pp. [ Details... ]