The receipt for £1 in payment for the application for naturalisation submitted by Gertrude was date stamped '15JUN.1916'. The certificate was finally issued in August 1917. The process took 14 months during what must have been a very difficult time in wartime Britain for anyone regarded as an alien.

The terminology used in the application pro forma seems somewhat archaic now. The application is referred to as The humble Memorial of and the applicant the Memorialist. This meaning of the word memorial has fallen out of usage - a statement of facts.

Section 7 required the applicant to state the grounds for seeking to obtain the rights and capacities of a natural born British Subject. Gertrude, age 29 years when she completed the application, wrote: I find it extremely difficult to obtain a livelihood as a nurse owing to my being unable to travel from place to place for fear of getting into a prohibited area. As my parents are dead & I have no home in Roumania, I have no desire to return there. In August 1914 at the outbreak of the war the Aliens Restriction Act was passed and foreign nationals or aliens were required to register with the police. The act was aimed at German or enemy aliens i.e. citizens of Germany or its allies (which did not include Romania) but affected all foreign nationals living in the country. The designation of areas prohibited to enemy aliens was part of the legislation and included areas important to national security, such as defence works, military bases and, by November 1914, the whole of the east and most of the south coast were designated as prohibited. The prohibited areas should not have affected Gertrude as she was not classified as an enemy alien.

Hence the note in the Minutes on 3rd July 1916 - Ask her to explain what difficulty she has experienced with regard to travelling. Enclose copy of regulations as to alien friends.

The letter below was duly despatched to Gertrude on 5th July.