Events

1927 - 1929

Nursing training at the Royal Melbourne Hospital

1930

Completed midwifery training at the Queen Victoria Hospital, Melbourne

1931

Joined the Australian Army Nursing Service Reserve

1931 - 1935

Sister on staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital

1936 - 1939

Sister tutor at the Perth Hospital, Western Australia

19 December 1939

Appointed Sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service

March 1940

Called up for service with the Australian Imperial Force

May 1940

Posted senior sister of the 2/2 Australian General Hospital (AGH)

May 1940 - November 1940

Served in England

November 1940 - February 1942

Served in the Middle East

April 1941 - June 1941

Appointed temporary matron

September 1941

Appointed matron

March 1943

Appointed deputy Matron-in-Chief

1 January 1945

Awarded Associate Royal Red Cross

February 1945

Appointed Principal Matron

April 1945 - November 1945

Based on Morotai Island in the South West Pacific

1946

Appointed matron of the 115 Military (Repatriation General) Hospital, Heidelberg

March 1947 - January 1948

Appointed principal matron, Southern Command

1948

Awarded the United States of America's Bronze Star for her services

1950

Matron of the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg

June 1951

Rejoined Australian Military Forces

17 September 1952

Appointed matron-in-chief and granted the rank of honorary colonel

1953

Awarded a Florence Nightingale medal

1 January 1955

Awarded the Red Cross Medal

1957

Appointed honorary nursing sister to Queen Elizabeth II

1960

Gave the eighth annual oration for the New South Wales College of Nursing

31 December 1960

Appointed Officer to the Order of the British Empire

Sources used to compile this entry: Alexander, Joseph A (ed.), Who's who in Australia 1950, 14th edn, The Herald, Melbourne, 1950, 816 pp; Bassett, Jan, 'Bowe, Ethel Jessie (1906 - 1961)', in Australian Dictionary of Biography Online, Australian National University, 2006, http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130262b.htm.