11/11/2025
An informal portrait of Australian Army Nursing Staff (AANS) homeward bound on HMAT Shropshire after service in WW1. From left to right are Nurses Quinn, Warner, Homewood, Baron and R.A. Skyring.
Their faces are weathered by their WWI service, a tired, purposeful resilience, tempered by the peace of finally coming home. We can only imagine what they truly experienced.
Formed in 1902, the Australian Army Nursing Service consisted of civilian nurses, primarily women who were educated and unmarried, between the ages of 25 and 40. Nursing was one of the few avenues for women to work in these times; yet, even in the army, women were paid approximately half of what their male rank counterparts earned.
Across the conflict zones and battlefields of WWI, they worked to deliver life-saving care in some of the most challenging conditions and were essential in the complex triage to transport and treat sick and wounded soldiers.
With 2,861 women in the AANS during World War I, they served across Europe, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Burma and India.
On the 11th day
Of the 11th month
At the 11th hour
We shall remember them.
Photo: Australian War Memorial
