Margaret Rogers

Margaret ROGERS. Staff Nurse 22/175 NZANS. New Zealand No1 Stationary Hospital.
Born 11 December 1887 at Oamaru, New Zealand to Thomas Brisbane and Janet Dale Rogers, nee Stevenson of Beach Road , Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand. Nursing training from 1911 to 6 July 1915 at Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch New Zealand. District Nurse
Christchurch Hospital Christchurch July 1915. October 1915 she was on board the H.M. Transport. SS Marquette en-route to Salonika when it was torpedoed by a German submarine and sunk. She survived the sinking of SS Marquette in the Aegean Sea 23 October 1915. Her body was found in a lifeboat by a Royal Navy Minesweeper and was identified by her wristwatch which had her name etched into it. She was aged 29. At rest in Mikra British Cemetery, Kalamaria, Greece.

Notes from her service records
Enlisted 6 July 1915 aged 28 years and 5 months. She embarked from New Zealand on SS Meheno bound for Egypt. Disembarked in Egypt and posted to New Zealand No 1 Stationary Hospital, Port Said. Embarked from Alexandria on troop ship SS Marquette 19 October 1915. Ship torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat the Aegan Sea 23 October 1915.

Extract from Cable dated 30 October 1915.
Two nurses taken from an overturned boat at Zagora. Gold watch marked Margaret Rogers together with badge 1366 NZANS from one body has been forwarded to the British Consul, Volo Badu. Buried at Zagora this morning 30 October 1915.
P.S. The other nurse was Helena Kathleen Isdell
The bodies were found by a Royal Naval Minesweeper.

Letter dated 1 February 1916 Re22/175 Nurse Margaret Rogers. to to P.E. Patrick Esq. P.O. Box 1527, Wellington.

I have now to advise having received a cablegram from Alexandria worded as follows.
“ Your telegram BR 138 Bodies of two nurses recovered from overturned boat a Zagora stop gold watch with inscription of Margaret Rogers together with badge N.Z.A.N.S. 1366 taken from one body stop there are no other means of identification stop sent effects to New Zealand December 24th per “Tofua” stop Bodies buried at Zagora October 30th , in the in south corner near
church stop no other bodies have been recovered”.
They were given a Naval funeral