In October 1916, Donnell travelled to England to work at the Kitchener War Hospital in Brighton.

Female doctors were not permitted to join the medical services as it was thought women would be ‘too delicate’ for war medical work.

Donnell arrived in France in April 1917 with the 3rd Australian General Hospital, based in Abbeville.

Donnell was a nursing sister with the 3rd Australian General Hospital.

Donnell worked in the acute medical ward dealing with many cases of pneumonia and ‘trench nephritis’, inflammation of the kidneys from infection in the trenches.

Donnell embarked on 20 May 1915 for England, and then travelled on to Alexandria.

2139 Australian nurses served in World War I. Of these, 130 worked as part of the British nursing service.

Donnell began work at the field hospital on the Greek island of Lemnos on 12 October, treating the casualties from Gallipoli.

Donnell returned to Egypt in January 1916 and worked at the Abbassia Barracks in Cairo.