World War 1 : Nurse Harriet Mary Hazel Bain

Harriet Mary Hazel Bain

Address : 13 Darebin Street, Northcote

Next of kin : father, Mr John Bain (mother, Winifred Louisa,nee Jones)

Although Hazel Bain was the last of the nurses connected to Darebin to be uncovered, hers was a  significant tale to tell in that she was the only one of the Darebin group that was forced to resign due to her marriage while still serving. (Amy Simpson, later Cordingley married, but after her time with the Nursing Service had expired).

Because of the marriage, Hazel’s time with the Australian Army Nursing service in India was brief, but her post-war background is amongst the most fascinating in our archives.

It was in fact a report in The Argus of the marriage of Staff Nurse Hazel Bain “eldest daughter of Mrs and Mrs J. Bain of Northcote, late of Romsey” to Captain Alan E. C. McGavin that brought her background to light.  The announcement of the marriage was unlikely to have caused any great surprise to family or friends in Melbourne; although the notice was published on 31 July, 1919, the ceremony actually took
place on 9 March at  Deolali, India, the services conducted by the Rev. Boats, military chaplain.

Just when Mr. and Mrs Bain moved into Northcote is uncertain – Hazel, then 27,enlisted late in June 1918 and embarked for Indian service from Sydney on 16 October, 1918, just three weeks before hostilities on the Western Front ceased, but many months before nursing services, especially in the sub-Continent were demobilised. Her father was then shown at “Grantham”, Moorhouse Street, West Richmond and may himself have been in the medical profession given the proximity of the address to the Epworth and Bethesda hospitals.

She had completed the three-year Certificate at the Austin Hospital and had served locally with the Australian Army Nursing Service before embarking. She disembarked at Bombay on 14 November and was appointed to the 34th Welsh General Hospital at Deolali, but in what appears to have been a whirlwind romance was forced to resign under the terms of enlistment with the A.I.F. just over three months later following her marriage. There was no Alan McGavin with the Australian forces; the assumption based on later evidence is that he was probably an administrator with the British Colonial Government.

Attempts to locate her as late as 1925 when her British War Medal remained unclaimed proved fruitless – John Bain had not advised his change of address and mail to Moorhouse Street returned unclaimed. The couple remained in India and Second World War records show they had a 22 year-old son, Alan Stewart Denzil James McGavin born in Calcutta.  He was serving as VX14106, Temporary Captain with the 14th Australian Infantry when he was killed in action in Papua New Guinea on 28 November, 1942.

An obituary revealed that he was educated at St. Edmund’s College, Hertfordshire, England, where he received his early military training and qualified for a commission from the Officers’ Training Corps. He was mentioned in despatches for distinguished service in Syria, and was at one point posted as Missing in New Guinea, but re-joined his unit two months before he was killed.

His parents were then living in First Street, Black Rock, his father noted as Mr. A. E. C. McGavin. M.B.E., J.P., “retired administrator and Judge of the Political Department of the Government of India”.

When the family moved to Australia is uncertain, but there are strong indications it was only a year or two before the Second World War broke out, the report revealing that Alan junior had attended the local Duntroon Military College for a year before joining the A.I.F. in May, 1940.

Later In Memoriam notices placed annually by his parents suggest he was known as “Chummy” and had a brother, Peter who was born in Hazaribagh, India who served as VX24412, Private also with the 14th Infantry. [1]

National Archives also reveal that Alan senior twice offered his services to the A.I.F., but in what capacity and whether they were accepted is not stated.

Presbyterian, Hazel was born in Maryborough, remarkably as one of a family of eight sisters, two of whom died as infants. She died in Seaford in 1971 at 81 years of age, Alan pre-deceased her, dying in Mordialloc in 1970 at 86 years of age.

[1] Unfortunately, it is impossible from Army records to determine who was the elder of the pair – Peter’s date of birth is shown as 25 March, 1920, Alan’s just four months later on 25 July, 1920!