| Personal Details |
| Name: | Sister E McCalman |
| Type: | Staff |
| Born in camp? |
No |
| Died in camp? |
No |
| Gender: | female |
| Race: | white |
| Camp occupation: | trained nurse |
| Unique ID: | 18554 |
| Camp History |
| Name: | Kroonstad RC |
| Date departure: | 18/9/1902 |
| Reason departure: | transferred |
| Destination: | Relief Works, Strydfontein |
| Notes: | 17/2/1903: HGA to Col Sec: Am I to understand that Col Wilkins vouches for the accuracy of their statement that they really landed in SA with the avowed object of rendering service in the concentration camps. If so when did they land. Within what period of time after landing were they engaged and what is their total service under the RC Dept. If they are really and truly deserving cases I should be prepared to approve of passages being given them, but I want some really reliable evidence that they did come to SA with the express purpose of helping us before sanctioning their passages.
20/2/1903: AJ Tonkin, Actg CSRC to SRC Kroonstad: Re passage money for Srs B Clark and E MacCalman, sends enquiries. Please make known the contents to the sisters and obtain from them a written statement coveing the questions put forward by HE the Gov.
23/2/1903: SRC Kroonstad to Srs B Clark and E McCalman: Asks them to comply with request.
24/2/1903: Srs Clark & McCalman in reply: State they did come out to this country with idea of nursing in the RCs and were in CT only 3 weeks when engaged by the Cte to work in the camp in Kroonstad; were there for 12 months until the breaking up of the camps.
26/2/1903: SRC Kroonstad: Forwarding above.
3/3/1903: CSRC to Sr B Clarke, Kroonstad: Asks specifically:
1. If you really landed in SA with the avowed object of rendering service to the CCs.
2. When did you land?
3. Within what period of time after landing were you engaged?
4. What is your total service in the RCs?
3/3/1903: CSRC to Mrs Thomson: Asks for above information.
4/3/1903: CSRC to Sr A Champley, Winburg: Asks above questions.
9/3/1903: Sr B Clark in reply:
1. We did land in SA with the intention of rendering service to the RCs.
2. We landed in SA on 31/12/1901.
3. We were engaged on 24/1/1902.
4. We worked in the RC from 24/1/1902 to 7/2/1903.
12/3/1903: Sr A Champley in reply:
1. I was sent out by the Society of Friends in England for the express purpose of rendering service as a trained nurse in the RC.
2. I landed in CT on 30/1/1902.
3. I had to wait until telegrams were exchanged with officials in the ORC and was engaged for camp work on 7/2/1902, leaving for Vredefort Road a week after landing.
4. Total period of service in camps eleven and a half months as hospital matron.
26/3/1903: Mrs Thomson in reply: Apologises for delay in replying. The nurses in question called at our rooms on 17/1/1902 and all our communications were verbal. I applied to Govt Hse, from where they brought us an introduction, but Lady H-H was ill and it took some time for me to get any reply from there, which is nothing after all. We remember the two ladies quite well - we were impressed with their superiority to the general run of nurses. We cannot remember if they came out actually to the cmaps but they came out willing to serve in any capacity, knowing there was a crying need for nurses. It seems to us that the fact of their having been so long in the camps might entitle them to a passage home - all the more because they paid their passage out.
30/3/1903: CSRC to Hon the Col Secy: forwarding the above information.
4/3/1903: CSRC to Sr A Champley: Asks the above questions.
9/3/1903: B Clark, Kroonstad in reply:
1. We did land in SA with the intention of rendering service to the RCs.
2. We landed in SA on 31/12/1901.
3. We were engaged on 24/1/1902.
4. We worked in the RC from 24/1/1902 to 7/2/1903.
12/3/1903: Anne Champley, Winburg to CSRC: Replying to above questions.
1. I was sent out by the Society of Friends in England for the express purpose of rendering service as a trained nurse in the RCs.
2. I landed in CT on 30/1/1902.
3. I had to wait until telegrams were exchanged with officials in the ORC and was engaged for camp work on 7/2/1902, leaving for Vredefort Road a week after landing.
4. Total period of service in camps eleven and a half months (as hospital matron).
26/3/1903: Mrs Thomson, Burgher Camp Female Employment Cte to CSRC: Apologises for delay in replying. The nurses in question called at our rooms on 17/1/1902 and all our communications were verbal. I applied to Govt Hse from where they brought us an introduction, but Lady H-H had been taken ill and it took some time for me to get any reply from there, which is nothing after all. The only other member of the cte at present in CT is Mrs Noble. We remember the two ladies well - we were impressed with their superiority to the general run of nurses. We cannot remember if they came out actually to the camps but they came out willing to serve in any capacity, knowing there was a crying need for nurses. It seems ot us that the fact of their having been so long in the camps might entitle them to a passage home - all the more because they paid their passage out.
30/3/1903: CSRC to Hon the Col Secy: Gives the above information fairly positively. Also cites the case of Miss Champley. |
| Sources |
| Title: | SRC 42 |
| Type: | Correspondence: appointments |
| Location: | VAB |
| Reference No.: | 42 |
| Dates: | June-July 1902 |
| Notes: | A1795: 11/8/1902: CSRC to SRC Winburg and related correspondence |
| Title: | SRC 47 |
| Type: | Correspondence: appointments |
| Location: | VAB |
| Reference No.: | 47 |
| Dates: | Jan-Apr 1903 |
| Notes: | A2393: 17/2/1903: HGA to Col Sec and related correspondence |
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British Concentration Camps