A Nominal Roll of Australian Nurses who served in the First World War (The History of Australian Nurses in the First World War: An Australian College of ... Centenary Commemorative Trilogy. Book 4)
Description
'The History of Australian Nurses in the First World War: An Australian College of Nursing Centenary Commemorative Trilogy' by Dr Ruth Rae features 'A Nominal Roll of Australian Nurses who Served in the First World War'. The printed box set trilogy and nominal roll is only available from the Australian College of Nursing (publications@acn.edu).
Unlike the Australian service nurses of today, who are highly educated professionals trained in all aspects of wartime and peace keeping nursing, the nurses listed in this Nominal Roll trained in civilian hospitals throughout Australia under the Nightingale system of nurse training. This system of civilian nurse training persisted until the transfer of nurse education into the university sector in the 1980s. These civilian trained nurses donned an army uniform in 1914 and worked under some of the most trying conditions imaginable. At the very least, 100 years since, they deserve to be named.
In summary, the Nominal Roll identifies 2,468 qualified – that is, registered with the Australasian Trained Nurses’ Association (ATNA) nurses who, primarily, gave service overseas.
In the main, they joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), but this number also includes those who were required to wear the uniform of the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR) when they were ‘loaned’ to the British nursing service.
Australian nurses who served in India, which was considered by the authorities to be ‘home service’, have also been included.
Table 2 includes the names of a further 65 nurses, with varied qualifications, who were Red Cross ‘nurses’ and/or members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VADs) and/or ‘Bluebirds’. Within each of these groups some nurses were given awards, some died – they all contributed. The author has estimated half were qualified nurses, therefore a safe approximation is that 2,500 ATNA qualified Australian nurses served overseas during the First World War.
A separate table (Table 3) includes the names of 32 masseuses who were not qualified nurses but were required to join the AANS and are therefore included in the Australian War Memorial (AWM) nominal roll. As detailed in the Trilogy their contribution was invaluable to the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, but a distinction has been drawn as they were not qualified nurses. A number of qualified nurses who served in various nursing units also held a qualification in massage and their name is included on the nominal roll.
There were a small number of male qualified nurses who were ATNA registered at this time. However, they were not permitted to join the AANS but had to join the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC). The names of three male nurses, including Arthur Thomas Sprague, who died during the influenza pandemic are included on the Nominal Roll.
Unlike the Australian service nurses of today, who are highly educated professionals trained in all aspects of wartime and peace keeping nursing, the nurses listed in this Nominal Roll trained in civilian hospitals throughout Australia under the Nightingale system of nurse training. This system of civilian nurse training persisted until the transfer of nurse education into the university sector in the 1980s. These civilian trained nurses donned an army uniform in 1914 and worked under some of the most trying conditions imaginable. At the very least, 100 years since, they deserve to be named.
In summary, the Nominal Roll identifies 2,468 qualified – that is, registered with the Australasian Trained Nurses’ Association (ATNA) nurses who, primarily, gave service overseas.
In the main, they joined the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), but this number also includes those who were required to wear the uniform of the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve (QAIMNSR) when they were ‘loaned’ to the British nursing service.
Australian nurses who served in India, which was considered by the authorities to be ‘home service’, have also been included.
Table 2 includes the names of a further 65 nurses, with varied qualifications, who were Red Cross ‘nurses’ and/or members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VADs) and/or ‘Bluebirds’. Within each of these groups some nurses were given awards, some died – they all contributed. The author has estimated half were qualified nurses, therefore a safe approximation is that 2,500 ATNA qualified Australian nurses served overseas during the First World War.
A separate table (Table 3) includes the names of 32 masseuses who were not qualified nurses but were required to join the AANS and are therefore included in the Australian War Memorial (AWM) nominal roll. As detailed in the Trilogy their contribution was invaluable to the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, but a distinction has been drawn as they were not qualified nurses. A number of qualified nurses who served in various nursing units also held a qualification in massage and their name is included on the nominal roll.
There were a small number of male qualified nurses who were ATNA registered at this time. However, they were not permitted to join the AANS but had to join the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC). The names of three male nurses, including Arthur Thomas Sprague, who died during the influenza pandemic are included on the Nominal Roll.
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