Grace Margaret Wilson CBE RRC (1879–1957) was a high-ranked nurse in theAustralian Army during World War I and the first years of World War II. Wilson was born in Brisbane, and completed her initial training as a nurse in 1908. After the outbreak of World War I she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) and subsequently transferred to the First Australian Imperial Force. From 1915 until 1919 she was the principal matron of the 3rd Australian General Hospital. She served as the temporary matron-in-chief in the AIF Headquarters, London from late 1917 until early 1918. Wilson returned to Australia in 1920 and left the AIF to work in civilian hospitals. She was appointed the matron-in-chief of the AANS in 1925, and in September 1940 joined the Second Australian Imperial Force. She served in the Middle East until August 1941, when she returned to Australia due to ill health. She left the Army the next month, but from September 1943 worked in the Department of Manpower Directorate (Victoria)'s nursing control section.
Tall, slim and attractive in her youth, Wilson had that 'rare quality which inspired deep and lasting loyalty'. A self-disciplined leader, she had a sympathetic ear for her staff; believing it a privilege to help soldiers, she was proud of the A.A.N.S. She had a great gift for living.
She bought a private hospital, 'Somerset House', in East Melbourne in 1922; her medals are at AWM. Biography in ADB.
She was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal in 1935.
Australian Dictionary of Biography
National Archives of Australia