Olive Kelso King papers, 1918-1920

A 5006

fonds

1918-1920

Textual Records, Graphic Materials, Drawings

1114971

Digitised

0.4 metres of textual material (1 volume)

Olive May King (1885-1958), ambulance driver, was born on 30 June 1885 at Croydon, Sydney, youngest daughter of Sir (G.) Kelso King and his first wife Irene Isabella, née Rand. Educated at home, and at Sydney Church of England Grammar School for Girls.

On a visit to England when World War I broke out, Olive King supplied her own vehicle and went to Belgium as a driver with a volunteer field ambulance service.
She then joined the Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service and went to France in spring 1915 with the Girton and Newnham Unit. After some six months the unit was sent to Serbia.

In 1916 she joined the Serbian Army as a driver attached to medical headquarters. She mastered their difficult language and lived in a hut made from an aeroplane case. For a time her large ambulance was the only vehicle available to transport hospital stores, take equipment and reinforcements to the front line twelve miles away and return with patients. She made many such journeys over hazardous roads and was promoted sergeant in April 1917. In August when fire destroyed much of Salonika, she drove for twenty hours at a stretch, often in danger, transporting civilians, medical personnel, patients and hospital records to safety. For this she was awarded the Serbian silver medal for bravery; a year later she received the gold medal for zealous conduct.

Long distressed at the plight of Serbian soldiers, Olive King appealed to her father for money to set up canteens. The committee he formed quickly raised £10,000; she administered the first Australian-Serbian canteen in devastated Belgrade late in 1918 and opened seventeen canteens to sell food, blankets, clothing and other necessities at cost price or below. Obtaining and transporting supplies presented great problems, for the railway system was in chaos, many roads were impassable and bridges destroyed. Often she slept on top of the stores in railway trucks, lorries and wagons to fend off marauding thieves. The last canteen closed in June 1920. For this work Olive King was awarded the Samaritan Cross and the cross of the Order of St Sava, personally bestowed upon her by King Alexander.

Back in Sydney in 1920, Olive King was active in the Girl Guides' Association of which she was State secretary in 1925-32 and assistant State commissioner in 1932-42. She received King George V's silver jubilee (1935) and George VI's coronation (1937) medals.

(Source: Hazel King, 'King, Olive May (1885–1958)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/king-olive-may-6962/text12045, published in hardcopy 1983, accessed online 18 March 2014)

A banquet in honour of alias Olive Kelso King was given on the evening of Thursday, January 13, by the Serbian Citizens of Sydney at Adams Hotel. The function was arranged to give the Serbs here a chance of expressing formally their gratitude to Sergeant-Major King for her services to their country, and to present her with an illuminated address. In replying, Miss King expressed her hope of returning to Serbia. Mr. K. Novakovich presided, and there were present Mr. Kelso King (who has been appointed consul for Serbia in Sydney), Mrs. Kelso King, Miss Hay, Messrs. H. Price, R. Frisser, G. Merrivale, Z. J. Nikclich, and many members of the Serbian community.

(Source: 1921 'SOCIETY DOINGS IN SYDNEY.', The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946), 22 January, p. 30, viewed 18 March, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140253274)

ITEM 01
Accounts of the Australian Canteens Fund for the Serbians, 1 October 1918-30 September 1920

ITEM 02
Olive Kelso King letter, 13 June 1921

ITEM 03
Australian Canteens for Serbians report, 14 June 1921

ITEM 04
Invitation from the Serbian Citizens of Sydney to Miss Olive Kelso King, 13 January 1921

ITEM 05
Photograph of Miss Olive Kelso King in the uniform of a Serbian army ambulance driver, ca. 1920

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