A DEEP sense of mourning was cast wide across Southampton exactly one hundred years ago following the untimely death of a young Southampton nurse, whose dedication to the cause of helping the wounded and sick had earned her an admirable reputation during the earlier part of the First World War.

Miss Teresa Collet was mobilised for duty as a sister with the 60th Hants Voluntary Aid Detachment of the British Red Cross Society at the start of the war in August 1914.

Her dedication seemed to know no limits as she provided limitless care to the wounded and remained on duty right up until she was taken ill in the spring of 1915, before passing away at the residence of her parents at the beginning of June 1915, aged just 21.

Described as a young lady of a very bright and cheerful disposition, Teresa Collet was stationed at the garrison detention hospital, in Prospect Place, Southampton.

In addition to undertaking a busy schedule of work there, Teresa also managed to assist at a pair of local hospitals while still finding the energy to devote a good portion of her time in looking after the welfare and comfort of soldiers visiting the Carlton rest station in Southampton, where her presence was always very much appreciated.

The daughter of Mr J.F.H. Collet, of Lansdown, Regents Park, Teresa was also the sister of celebrated aviator Lieutenant Collet, of the Royal Flying Corps, who was one of the first flying officers mentioned with distinction in the early part of the war, after he flew over the Rhine and dropped bombs on the Zeppelin sheds during a daring sortie over Dusseldorf.

In moving scenes of collective grief, a great number of Miss Collet’s relatives and former colleagues gathered at the Roman Catholic portion of the Southampton Cemetery where the young nurse’s body was buried with full military honours.

Outside the Hill Lane entrance to the Cemetery stood a firing party of a dozen members of the 5th Hants Regiment, under Sergeant Morton, and twentyfour members from the Voluntary Aid Detachments of the British Red Cross Society.

The firing party headed the mournful cortege through the cemetery, with head bowed and arms reversed, to lead those who had come to pay their last respects at the funeral service, which was impressively conducted by the Rev. J.S. Sharaham, of St Boniface, Shirley.

Following solemnly behind the mourners was a plethora of floral tributes that was slowly transported to the graveside from the glass panelled car that had delivered the deceased girl’s parents to the cemetery.

At the conclusion of the service the polished oak coffin containing the remains of Miss Collet and covered with a Union Jack flag was lowered into the grave lined with evergreens as the firing party fired a volley of three shots over the grave before presented arms while a couple of buglers sounded the “Last Post”.

It was reported that alongside Collet’s grave an impressively vast and handsome collection of floral tributes that had been received from a broad and varied range of local institutions each keen to offer their deepest sympathies to the loss of the young woman who had done so much in such a short space of time.