Muir was born and raised in south Taranaki , in New Zealand 's North Island . Her parents were farmers in Oaonui . Muir completed her nursing training at New Plymouth Hospital in 1909 and worked as a district nurse in her home area . In 1915 she joined the New Zealand Army Nursing Service and departed on the SS Maheno . However , Muir contracted typhoid and was sent back to New Zealand . After recuperating at Trentham Military Camp , Muir went back to England and nursed in a general hospital there . She was later sent to France and served on the Western Front at Amiens . For her war service , she received the 1914 Star and the Victory Medal
1914 Star
1914 Star
Mary Muir