“COURAGE UNDER FIRE” - 1917
Australian War Memorial.
One night, early in July 1917, Sister Pratt was on duty at a casualty clearing station in Bailleul, France, when a German bomb exploded near her tent.
Metal fragments tore into her back and shoulders, puncturing her lung, but she continued to care for her patients right up until she collapsed. She was awarded the Military Medal for her "bravery under fire".
Following surgery in Britain, Pratt was posted to various Australian auxiliary hospitals there before returning to Australia at the end of the war.
As a result of her war service, she suffered from chronic bronchitis for the rest of her life.