Spanish War - Return of New Zealand Nurses
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) a number of New Zealanders, including nurses, made their way to "fight for Spain and humanity." However due to an allied non-intervention pact getting to Spain was not always easy, as three New Zealand nurses soon found out.
On 18 May 1937 - the day René Shadbolt, Isobel Dodds and Millicent Sharples were due to leave for Spain - they were summoned to the Central Police Station in Auckland and interrogated for three hours about their reasons for going. "The police took a ‘slightly different tactic’ with each woman" notes nzhistory.net.nz: "Shadbolt was accused of being a member of the Communist Party and Dodds of having an illegitimate child. Sharples, the oldest member of the group, was seen as simply naïve." Nonetheless, the three made it to Spain in July 1937, joining other nurses from around the world.
The return of the New Zealand nurses also contained some drama. On 21 January 1938 the NZ Spanish Medical Aid Committee wrote to Prime Minister Savage, asking whether the government would honour their service abroad by organising an official reception in Wellington. Their request was denied - Savage writing that "the Government will be unable to arrange for a Government reception on the occasion."
Archives Reference: IA1 Box 3017/ 158/282
collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=R19967842
More information on this event can be found at nzhistory.govt.nz/war/spanish-civil-war/nz-medical-support
For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ
Material from Archives New Zealand
Spanish War - Return of New Zealand Nurses
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) a number of New Zealanders, including nurses, made their way to "fight for Spain and humanity." However due to an allied non-intervention pact getting to Spain was not always easy, as three New Zealand nurses soon found out.
On 18 May 1937 - the day René Shadbolt, Isobel Dodds and Millicent Sharples were due to leave for Spain - they were summoned to the Central Police Station in Auckland and interrogated for three hours about their reasons for going. "The police took a ‘slightly different tactic’ with each woman" notes nzhistory.net.nz: "Shadbolt was accused of being a member of the Communist Party and Dodds of having an illegitimate child. Sharples, the oldest member of the group, was seen as simply naïve." Nonetheless, the three made it to Spain in July 1937, joining other nurses from around the world.
The return of the New Zealand nurses also contained some drama. On 21 January 1938 the NZ Spanish Medical Aid Committee wrote to Prime Minister Savage, asking whether the government would honour their service abroad by organising an official reception in Wellington. Their request was denied - Savage writing that "the Government will be unable to arrange for a Government reception on the occasion."
Archives Reference: IA1 Box 3017/ 158/282
collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search#/?q=R19967842
More information on this event can be found at nzhistory.govt.nz/war/spanish-civil-war/nz-medical-support
For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ
Material from Archives New Zealand