Kit McNaughton

Catherine Ryan
Kit McNaughton in 1916
Birth nameCatherine McNaughton
Nickname(s)Kit
BornMarch 1884
Geelong, Victoria
Died14 February 1953(1953-02-14) (aged 68)
Werribee, Victoria
AllegianceAustralia
Service / branchAustralian Imperial Force
Years of service1915–1919
RankSister
UnitAustralian Army Nursing Service
Battles / warsFirst World War
AwardsRoyal Red Cross
Mentioned in Despatches

Catherine "Kit" Ryan, RRC (née McNaughton; March 1884 – 14 February 1953) was a decorated Australian nurse who served in the First World War. She kept a detailed diary of her experiences, the basis of which was later published by Janet Butler as Kitty's War (2013).

Military service

McNaughton was mentioned in despatches in 1917,[1] and awarded the Royal Red Cross in 1919.[2]

McNaughton's diaries were the subject of the 2013 book Kitty's War, written by historian Janet Butler. The book won the New South Wales Premier's Australian History Prize in 2013 and the WK Hancock Prize by the Australian Historical Association in 2014.

McNaughton was one of the six Australians whose war experiences were presented in The War That Changed Us, a four-part television documentary series about Australia's involvement in the First World War.[3][4] Her war experiences also formed the basis of the characters in the ANZAC Girls television series.

References

  1. ^ "Somme Battles". The Argus. Melbourne: National Library of Australia. 3 January 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Presentation to Returned Soldiers". Werribee Shire Banner. Werribee. 11 December 1919. p. 2.
  3. ^ "The War That Changed Us". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  4. ^ "The War That Changed Us". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 12 September 2014.

Further reading

  • Butler, Janet (2013). Kitty's War: The Remarkable Wartime Experiences of Kit McNaughton. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press. ISBN 978-0-7022-4967-9.