Delaney, Eily Beatrice
Staff Nurse Eily Beatrice Delaney - Australian Army Nursing Service
Eily was born on the 7th July 1895 in Prahran Victoria to Samuel and Isabella and was one of four siblings, with Olive 1887, Ruby 1890 and Leslie 1893.
She was educated and grew up in Prahran but the family moved to WA in early 1900's and her father was a mine manager at Mt Magnet.
Eily then trained as a nurse in Perth and Fremantle and had qualified as a certified nurse by the time of the Great War.
Eily was living in Fremantle and was working at No.8 Australian General Hospital in South Terrace Fremantle. On the 11th May 1917 she offered her services for the Australian Army Nursing Service overseas. She was accepted as fit for service, with the medical examiner recording her physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 6 inches;
Weight - 132lbs;
Chest measurement - 34 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Grey;
Hair - Fair.
After he successful enlistment she remained working at No.8 AGH in Fremantle. On the 24th November 1917 she embarked on the transport ship Canberra for service as a nurse in India.
After disembarking in Bombay, Eily was sent to the 34th Welsh General Hospital at Deolali. She remained working here till the 5th December 1918 when she was transferred to the Southern Hospital at Belgaum. Eily nursed here for several months and on the 16th July 1919 was transferred to the 19th British General Hospital at Rawalpindi.
After a month Eily was then transferred for duty to the 18th British General Hospital at Charial. She only remained there till the 29th August when she was transferred to the Sisters Hospital at Kuldana.
On the 2nd October 1919 Eily was transferred to the Officers Hospital at Abbottabad. She was then promoted to Sister on the 20th November 1919.
On the 8th December 1919 Eily left India aboard the transport ship Janus and returned to Australia. She disembarked in Melbourne on the 11th January 1920. She was then discharged form service on the 29th January 1920.
On the 2nd February 1920 Eily enlisted for further service in the Australian Army Nursing Service. She was demobilised after a months service.
It appears that Eily then returned to India and on the 21st June 1920 got married in Bombay India to (later Group Captain) Conroy "Roy" Richdale. Conroy had served in the Great War with the British Army in the Indian and Mesopotamian theatres and had met while Eily was nursing. They lived in India till 1922 when Conroy resigned from the Indian Army and they moved to England.
Initially living in Kent, Conroy joined the RAF in the 1930's and by 1939 they were living at Fitzmaurice Place in London. According to the Australian War Memorial, Eily now joined the,
99th (Bucks) RAF Company of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (British) 1938-11, transferring to the WAAF on its formation the following year.
She then served in the WAAF through World War Two.
After World War Two they continued to live in Kensington London but later moved to South Africa.
Conroy died on the 15th June 1969 in Natal South Africa, and Eily died 23rd June 1981 in Natal.
A very extensive biography on Eily can be found at