Annie was born on the 27th of July 1878 in Canterbury. She grew up as part of a rural family and like her brothers and sisters became a strong, practical, and able member of the community. Annie was raised in a family that held education and intellect in high regard and like her siblings was raised to not be afraid to ask questions or to assert herself, but always to do so politely.

In 1904, at the age of 26 after training as a nurse at Waimate, South Canterbury, Annie took, and passed the state nursing exam and became a registered nurse. Working initially at Waimate, when war came in 1914 she was quick to volunteer her services when nurses were called for.

Nurses from across New Zealand had argued strongly to be included in the NZEF. Seven nurses had sailed with New Zealand troops to Samoa in August 1914 but returned to New Zealand after several months. The New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) was finally formally established in 1915 after the Army Council in London had accepted New Zealand’s offer of 50 nurses in January of that year.

Those first 50 nurses were deliberately selected from hospitals across New Zealand, they were all unmarried, all pakeha, all had at least 6 years of nursing experience and their average age was 27. The contingent sailed on 8 April 1915 on SS Rotorua from Wellington and amongst their number was Sister Annie Buckley who had volunteered for service with the NZEF on the 26th of March, 1915.

The nurses initially sailed to the United Kingdom, but in fairly short order found themselves in transit to Egypt where they were staffing hospitals set up to handle the casualties coming from the Gallipoli Peninsula. Annie found herself being rotated between service on hospital ships transporting the wounded away from Gallipoli and in hospitals in Egypt. Annie eventually became matron of the Morant Hospital in Brockenhurst, England, and was made an Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC) for her work there, in addition to the ARRC, Annie was also Mentioned in Despatches twice for her service.

After the war, Annie returned to New Zealand where she resumed her nursing work, became an accomplished beekeeper, and was active in church and nursing associations. Annie led community and nursing organisations throughout the 1930s and the war years. Her work in nursing training and leadership was recognised in 1947 with her creation as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

The New Zealand nurses were the first New Zealand women to have been deployed to a war zone. They initially faced a hostile reception from male medical staff who questioned their abilities and commitment. However the first 50 nurses had been well selected and despite having to wear traditional heavy, restrictive nursing uniforms and work in, what to them, were completely foreign and at times horrific environments, they rapidly proved themselves as hard-working, practical, and more than up to the task.

Whilst in the Mediterranean, Annie kept a diary and it is in this diary that she recorded a trip to Cairo on May 4, 1916, during which she purchased a brass gong. That gong that hung in her house, then in her nephews who served with the New Zealand Army in World War Two and The Korean War before it came to hang on my wall. I served with the New Zealand Army in Timor Leste and that hallway gong, purchased by that remarkable pioneering nurse, unites us all in service.

Annie was born on the 27th of July 1878 in Canterbury. She grew up as part of a rural family and like her brothers and sisters became a strong, practical, and able member of the community. Annie was raised in a family that held education and intellect in high regard and like her siblings was raised to not be afraid to ask questions or to assert herself, but always to do so politely.

In 1904, at the age of 26 after training as a nurse at Waimate, South Canterbury, Annie took, and passed the state nursing exam and became a registered nurse. Working initially at Waimate, when war came in 1914 she was quick to volunteer her services when nurses were called for.

Nurses from across New Zealand had argued strongly to be included in the NZEF. Seven nurses had sailed with New Zealand troops to Samoa in August 1914 but returned to New Zealand after several months. The New Zealand Army Nursing Service (NZANS) was finally formally established in 1915 after the Army Council in London had accepted New Zealand’s offer of 50 nurses in January of that year.

Those first 50 nurses were deliberately selected from hospitals across New Zealand, they were all unmarried, all pakeha, all had at least 6 years of nursing experience and their average age was 27. The contingent sailed on 8 April 1915 on SS Rotorua from Wellington and amongst their number was Sister Annie Buckley who had volunteered for service with the NZEF on the 26th of March, 1915.

The nurses initially sailed to the United Kingdom, but in fairly short order found themselves in transit to Egypt where they were staffing hospitals set up to handle the casualties coming from the Gallipoli Peninsula. Annie found herself being rotated between service on hospital ships transporting the wounded away from Gallipoli and in hospitals in Egypt. Annie eventually became matron of the Morant Hospital in Brockenhurst, England, and was made an Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC) for her work there, in addition to the ARRC, Annie was also Mentioned in Despatches twice for her service.

After the war, Annie returned to New Zealand where she resumed her nursing work, became an accomplished beekeeper, and was active in church and nursing associations. Annie led community and nursing organisations throughout the 1930s and the war years. Her work in nursing training and leadership was recognised in 1947 with her creation as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

The New Zealand nurses were the first New Zealand women to have been deployed to a war zone. They initially faced a hostile reception from male medical staff who questioned their abilities and commitment. However the first 50 nurses had been well selected and despite having to wear traditional heavy, restrictive nursing uniforms and work in, what to them, were completely foreign and at times horrific environments, they rapidly proved themselves as hard-working, practical, and more than up to the task.

Whilst in the Mediterranean, Annie kept a diary and it is in this diary that she recorded a trip to Cairo on May 4, 1916, during which she purchased a brass gong. That gong that hung in her house, then in her nephews who served with the New Zealand Army in World War Two and The Korean War before it came to hang on my wall. I served with the New Zealand Army in Timor Leste and that hallway gong, purchased by that remarkable pioneering nurse, unites us all in service.