Lady Dudley lived in Ireland while her husband served as Lord Lieutenant and in Australia as the consort of the Governor-General.

After her marriage ended, she set up the Australian Voluntary Hospital in France in 1914 and she was awarded the Royal Red Cross and made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

It was initially called the NSW Bush Association and its purpose was to "provide gratuitously or otherwise Trained Nurses and other requisites and attention for sick and injured persons in country towns and districts".

Its success was assured when the National Council of Women became involved and the state supplied funding in 1912.

There were relatively large numbers of Australian doctors and nurses because advanced qualifications required a trip overseas.

The hospital was formally offered to the British government by the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sir George Reid on 15 August 1914.

[10] In 1918, in recognition of her service, she was awarded the Royal Red Cross and she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).