207:
36:
238:
642:
Correspondence from the War Office, Kensington, London, Ref: A.M.D.4. (H). P/246129 22 November 1946, on display
Kiltimagh Museum, Kiltimagh, Ireland; Recommendation for Award for McNicholas, Lily Rank: Sister Service No, 1944 (T.N.A., Wo 373/68/928) (www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk) Retrieved
276:
The impact of the mine destroyed one half of the vessel, killing all the men in the engine room. As the ship lay broken and sinking in the water, McNicholas disregarded her place in No. 3 Water
Ambulance, going back into the ship to bring grievously injured men up from the hospital deck. It
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McNicholas was recommended for an M.B.E. in recognition of "gallant conduct in carrying out hazardous work in a very brave manner." According to a magazine article written in 2013, McNicholas declined to attend her
769:
305:, travelling instead to visit the bereaved parents of her best friend. McNicholas had tragically witnessed fellow nurse Molly Evershed go down with the ship after getting stuck in a
749:
566:
Recommendation for Award for McNicholas, Lily Rank: Sister
Service No, 1944 (T.N.A., Wo 373/68/928) (www.discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk) Retrieved 20 October 2018.
739:
774:
198:
to Thomas and
Bridget McNicholas. After attending the St. Louis Convent Secondary School in the town, she left Ireland in the 1930s to study nursing in England.
219:
128:
754:
265:
to sink. An official record states that the sinking was the result of "enemy action," and it was widely reported in the press that the ship was hit by a
714:
759:
546:
280:
McNicholas was forced to jump from the ship as it capsized. Unable to swim, she 'fell ill' and was assisted in the water by the ship's
288:, McNicholas was rescued from the sea and continued to provide medical aid to the injured men as they were pulled from the water.
779:
764:
310:
175:
138:
317:; the official recommendation record; medal and medal case, show that McNicholas did in fact receive an M.B.E.
214:
Little is known of McNicholas' early nursing career, but on 5 October 1942 she was granted a commission as a
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reportedly took eight minutes for the ship to sink, with the loss of 106 lives including ten medical staff.
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250:
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709:
104:
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20 October 2018; M.B.E. medal and M.B.E. (Mily) case, on display, Kiltimagh Museum, Kiltimagh, Ireland.
590:
Manning, Patrick. "The sinking of the S.S. Amsterdam 1944" (www.bbc.co.uk) Retrieved 20 October 2018.
734:
729:
653:
269:. Other accounts, including the testimony of a sailor on board, agree that the ship struck a German
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195:
155:
695:
O'Connor, Steven, 'Why did they fight for
Britain? Irish recruits to the British forces, 1939-45'
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469:
426:
365:
can be seen at the
Kiltimagh Museum in Mayo, Ireland. 'Sister Lily McNicholas' is featured in the
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497:"Why did they fight for Britain? Irish recruits to the British forces, 1939-45"
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30 December 1944 (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Retrieved 20 October 2018.
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McNicholas' M.B.E. medal, War Office correspondence and life jacket from the
226:, who served in the British forces over the course of the Second World War.
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58:
222:(QAIMNS) Reserve. McNicholas joined an estimated 70,000 men and women from
149:(16 October 1909 – 5 March 1998) was an Irish nurse who volunteered in the
261:, when disaster occurred. There are differing accounts of what caused the
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165:
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in March 1946 and released from service in June that year. She moved to
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trying to escape. According to some sources, McNicholas was awarded an
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announced that McNicholas and two other nurses were to be awarded the
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168:, France. The incident was widely reported in the press after the
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in 1947, where she continued nursing in hospitals and for the
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M.B.E. medal on a bow ribbon awarded to Sister Lily McNicholas
153:. On 7 August 1944, McNicholas survived the sinking of the
241:
Sister Lily McNicholas M.B.E. case, Kiltimagh Museum
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Queen
Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officers
349:company. McNicholas retired in 1976 and resided in
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Queen
Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
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98:
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72:
45:
20:
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249:was on her third cross-Channel voyage to pick up
710:Patrick Manning Testimony: BBC WW2 Peoples War
690:Quiet Heroines: Nurses of the Second World War
576:Quiet heroines: Nurses of the Second World War
533:Quiet heroines: Nurses of the Second World War
8:
750:Members of the Order of the British Empire
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584:
129:Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps
40:Sister Lily McNicholas wearing her uniform
34:
17:
371:National Museum of Ireland - Country Life
683:Irish Volunteers in the Second World War
627:Irish Volunteers in the Second World War
369:temporary exhibition, on display at the
164:transporting casualties to Britain from
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740:British Army personnel of World War II
775:Health professionals from County Mayo
515:– via journals.openedition.org.
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524:
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452:
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373:, during October and November 2018.
755:Military personnel from County Mayo
537:. London: Hogarth Press. pp.
325:McNicholas went on to postings in
14:
284:. On the arrival of an American
760:People from Oak Lawn, Illinois
699:, 40-1 (2015), pp. 59–70.
1:
313:but correspondence from the
259:Battle of the Falaise Pocket
139:Order of the British Empire
796:
353:, until she died in 1998.
178:for their heroic actions.
495:O'Connor, Steven (2015).
33:
529:McBryde, Brenda (1985).
629:(Dublin, 2002), p.185;
347:International Harvester
186:McNicholas was born on
253:casualties and German
242:
211:
780:People from Kiltimagh
402:Western Morning News,
390:Liverpool Daily Post,
240:
209:
105:Army Medical Services
218:(No. 246129) in the
765:Shipwreck survivors
601:"Second Supplement"
470:"Second Supplement"
427:"Second Supplement"
697:Études irlandaises
681:Doherty, Richard,
607:. 29 December 1944
501:Études Irlandaises
433:. 26 December 1944
351:Oak Lawn, Illinois
243:
212:
83:Oak Lawn, Illinois
688:McBryde, Brenda,
654:"Our Irish Women"
625:Richard Doherty,
548:978-0-7011-2939-2
476:. 4 December 1942
303:Buckingham Palace
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704:External sources
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404:30 December 1944
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392:30 December 1944
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255:prisoners of war
162:hospital carrier
151:Second World War
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715:101 Mayo People
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692:(London, 1985).
685:(Dublin, 2002).
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676:Further reading
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367:Our Irish Women
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230:Sinking of the
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147:Lily McNicholas
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56:16 October 1909
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28:Lily McNicholas
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578:(1985), p. 173
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116:Service number
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93:United Kingdom
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80:(aged 88)
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745:Irish nurses
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661:. Retrieved
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609:. Retrieved
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509:. Retrieved
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414:The Citizen,
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339:demobilising
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292:M.B.E. award
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109:British Army
78:(1998-05-05)
15:
735:1998 deaths
730:1909 births
633:(May 2013).
459:(May 2013).
299:investiture
192:County Mayo
182:Early years
63:County Mayo
724:Categories
663:21 October
611:19 October
511:20 October
480:20 October
437:19 October
377:References
321:Later life
315:War Office
89:Allegiance
76:5 May 1998
52:1909-10-16
363:Amsterdam
263:Amsterdam
257:from the
247:Amsterdam
232:Amsterdam
188:Kiltimagh
156:Amsterdam
59:Kiltimagh
307:porthole
166:Normandy
99:Service/
343:Chicago
282:captain
267:torpedo
224:Ireland
196:Ireland
107:of the
67:Ireland
545:
357:Legacy
335:Bombay
327:London
286:cutter
251:Allied
216:Sister
202:Career
176:M.B.E.
135:Awards
120:246129
101:branch
23:Sister
331:Egypt
311:O.B.E
665:2018
613:2018
543:ISBN
513:2018
507:: 60
505:40–1
482:2018
439:2018
333:and
271:mine
245:The
125:Unit
73:Died
46:Born
539:173
301:at
726::
656:.
603:.
583:^
557:^
541:.
521:^
503:.
499:.
472:.
447:^
429:.
337:,
329:,
273:.
194:,
190:,
160:a
65:,
61:,
667:.
615:.
551:.
484:.
441:.
158:;
54:)
50:(
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