Rose Hinchey
Rose Hinchey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 June 1910 Bluff, New Zealand |
| Died | 4 August 1981 (aged 71) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1937–1965 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (1937–1949) Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (1949–1965) |
| Battles / wars | Second World War Korean War |
| Awards | Royal Red Cross United Nations Service Medal for Korea |
Rose Moore Hinchey, RRC (21 June 1910 – 4 August 1981) was a New Zealand civilian and military nurse.[1]
Early life and education
Hinchey was born in Bluff, New Zealand, on 21 June 1910. She was the eldest of four children of William Hinchey and Henrietta Goetze (née Thompson). Her parents ran the Eagle Hotel and her father was also the mayor of Bluff.[1] Hinchey attended Bluff School and Southland Girls' High School. She then trained as a nurse at Kew Hospital in Invercargill, followed by midwifery training at Alexandra Hospital in Wellington.[2]
Nursing career
On completing her training, Hinchey nursed at a hospital in Bowen Street in Wellington.[3] In 1936, she travelled to England and worked at an obstetric hospital alongside fellow Southland expatriate Charles Read.[1][4]
She was commissioned into the nursing branch of the British Army, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service, in 1937 and initially nursed at the Cambridge Aldershot Military Hospital for two years. In January 1939, she was posted to a military hospital in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), India.[5] During the Second World War, she served in a number of war zones, and after the war she served in India, the Middle East, Africa, Korea and Malaysia. She attained the rank of major in 1949, which she held until her retirement in 1965.[6]
Later life
She resettled in Wellington, New Zealand, and died there on 4 August 1981.[1] Hinchey's medals are displayed in the entrance hall of Southland Girls' High School, and include the Royal Red Cross and the United Nations Service Medal for Korea.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Thomson, Jane, ed. (1998). Southern People: A Dictionary of Otago Southland People. Dunedin, New Zealand: Longacre Press. p. 227. ISBN 1-877135-11-9.
- ^ "Maternity Nursing". Evening Post. No. 8. 10 January 1935. p. 13 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Current Notes". The Press. 23 March 1936. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Personal Notes". Evening Post. 4 May 1936. p. 17 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Current Notes". The Press. 6 January 1939. p. 2 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "Rose Moore Hinchey". Online Cenotaph. Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 10 July 2025.