Imagine being 6 years old and finding out you are now a member of the Navy. Not because you wanted to be. But because it was the only way you could get medical help. This is exactly what happened to Nancy Bentley. A little girl whose unusual encounter with a snake made her part of Australian Naval History.
In 1920, Nancy was sitting with her brothers and sisters on the headland, enjoying the musical performance on board the Royal Australian Navy Cruiser HMAS Sydney (I). As the ship was moored temporarily within Carnarvon Bay, it was quite a unique experience for the local children.
Throughout the day, Nancy’s mum asked her to come home. As Nancy was running down the grassy hill, she fell and landed on a snake.
With no medical assistance nearby, it would have taken approximately four hours to travel by horse and cart to the nearest town. Nancy’s dad knew that if she waited or travelled by land, she could be in danger.
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He decided to do something drastic. Nancy was placed into a small rowboat and travelled to the nearby HMAS Sydney. Hopefully, there would be assistance on board.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple.
At this time, there were strict Navy rules and guidelines in place that no civilians could receive medical assistance on an Australian warship. Women were also not allowed on board. Captain Henry Cayley wanted to assist Nancy, but letting her on board could cause him issues.
Rather than turn the father away, Captain Cayley decided to do something unique. Nancy was officially enrolled as an honorary member of the Royal Australian Navy. She was given the ‘mascot’ rating. This meant Nancy could legally receive assistance.
This was a very unique situation for a young girl who would have never thought she would join the Navy.
Nancy was helped by the medical staff on the ship. She was then transferred to Hobart and received further medical assistance. During her time on board, for eight days, she was considered a unique and welcomed member of the ship.
During her short navy career, she got to wear a navy blue uniform provided by the sailors and spend time with them. Her parents also visited often and brought her fresh milk from a cow. As her time was coming to an end, she received many boxes of chocolate.
Interestingly though,
The incident was recorded as a scorpion bite. This was interesting when looking into the incident many years later. The snake could have been a young tiger snake or a white-lipped snake, according to reptile expert Simon Fearn. However, we will never know what type of snake it actually was.
Also important to note that antivenom wasn’t available in Tasmania until 1931. This means that Nancy was lucky to survive. Don’t think that venomous snake bites aren’t dangerous just because she survived.
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After eight days, Nancy was discharged from the Navy. The reason given was ‘required by parents’. This was quite funny for an incident that could have been deadly.
Nancy became famous throughout the Australian Navy. She was recognised as the first female to enter the Royal Australian Navy. Her image can now be found on the First Lady of the Fleet trophy, which is given to the longest-serving commissioned vessel in the Australian Navy.
This brave six-year-old girl had entered a warship to get medical treatment. She didn’t enter the Navy to serve her country or for an adventurous career. She entered because the captain decided to show some kindness.
Sometimes the most remarkable moments of history start with someone refusing to turn a child away.
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