It started as a bit of a curiosity and now it's turned into a full blown investigation. Just who was Sister Winifred Starling and what was her connection to a small Mountains village?
Wentworth Falls Chamber of Commerce's John Bushell stumbled across the name on the Anzac Honour Roll at Wentworth Falls and, having a military background, thought the lone honorific 'Str' was a bit out of the ordinary on the war memorial in Coronation Park.
Bit by bit he's been piecing together some of her story, with the help of volunteers at Tarella Cottage History Museum and by doing his own research through military archives and newspaper searches, but he would like the community to help solve the mystery of just what was her connection to the town.
The Vietnam War veteran said Sister Starling was a nurse who worked in Surrey, England, as a Voluntary Aid Attachment at the New Zealand Army Hospital, and was lost at sea "five weeks short of her 40th birthday".
Her ship was torpedoed by a German submarine in October 1918 - she was one of 500 from 770 on board who lost their lives. She was planning on returning to Australia soon after that voyage.
"She would have seen terrible injuries, a lot of casualties," he said.
The nurse was one of nine children who hailed from Burwood in Sydney's inner west. Her father worked as a general manager for Palings Music warehouse.
He believes her oldest sister Ruby may have lived in the area and campaigned to put her on the Honour Roll and said he's been advised to "look at period electoral rolls or phone books" for the area.
"I've sort of run into a dead end," he said.
This year the retired major has also opened up a competition for Wentworth Falls Public School and Blue Mountains Grammar School students to write biographies of the 15 names on the memorial. Special replica WW1 medals will be awarded by the schools' teachers for the best efforts.
The WFCC is responsible for the management of the park and the Anzac Day and Remembrance Day services after rapidly declining membership forced Wentworth Falls RSL Sub-Branch to stop operating. Badges and poppies sold at the schools and in the village go directly towards the upkeep of the park.