Staff Nurse Emily Follington - Australian Army Nursing Service
Emily Follington was born in Ryde NSW in 1892, one of nine children born to Edwin and Amelia Follington. All the children were born in NSW, Edwin (1884), Herbert (1885), Harold, (1887), Amelia (1888), Beatrice (1890), Albert (1891), Elise (1893) and Stella (1895). Emily received her early education in NSW but in 1896 the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Spearwood, which was then in the Fremantle district. Emily completed her schooling at White Gum Valley Primary School.
Edwin worked for the WA Government Railways, became a justice of the peace and was also a member of the Fremantle Roads Board.
Emily pursued a medical career and after leaving school went into nursing. Emily had been working as a Certified nurse at the Children's Hospital in Perth but in 1916 enlisted into the Australian Army Nursing Service. For the first six months of her service in the Australian Army Nursing Service she spent at No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle.
On the 19th May 1917 Emily departed from Fremantle Harbour aboard the transport ship Benalla and after a two month sea voyage arrived at Plymouth in the UK on the 19th July 1917.
She was then attached to the Australian Army Nursing Service in London. On the 4th August 1917 she was then detached for duty with the Croydon War Hospital. Emily remained there for the next few months but on the 15th December 1917 was transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford.
Emily remained at No.3AAH for the whole of 1918. On the 25th January 1919 she left England aboard the transport chip Ceramic and set sail for home, arriving at Fremantle on the 3rd March 1919. She then returned to duty at No.8 AGH in Fremantle
She was discharged from the AANS on the 16th November 1919.
In 1922 in Perth Emily Eugenie Follington married Robert Ednie Davidson. Robert, also from Fremantle, had been a Lieutenant with the 16th Battalion AIF in the Great War and they most likely met during their service. They were married on December 23rd 1922 at St George's Cathedral Perth.
They then went to live in Mt Lawley and then Maylands.
Emily Davidson (nee Follington) died on the 13th December 1971 aged 79.
