Uniform, Nursing Sister, First World War

Uniform, Nursing Sister, First World WarIt can be challenging to tell the difference between the various types of uniform worn by members of the military nursing services during the Great War. Each of the individual services were distinguishable by slight variations in their uniforms.

The regulation uniform of the Canadian Military Nursing Service had been virtually unchanged since 1881. Their grey dresses were similar to those worn in many civil hospitals, except the red shoulder cape or ‘tippet’ was a unique feature that clearly identified them as part of the Army.

In 1904, the solid red cape was confined to the permanent staff of Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) with members of the Army Nursing Service Reserve wearing a similar style in grey serge with a scarlet border, a pattern that then continued through more than five decades. When the Territorial Force Nursing Service formed in 1908 their uniform followed the same style with minor changes to the cape which was described as ‘blue-grey’ but with the same scarlet border.

Seniority in the service was marked in different ways. For work, all nurses below the rank of Matron (Matron is the job title of a very senior or the chief nurse) wore similar mid-grey cotton dresses. Matrons wore grey serge dresses rather than the ‘washing’ cotton of the other members, with scarlet cuffs to their dresses but no sisters’ stripes. Matron or the chief nurse uniforms were different than regular nursing sisters who worked under their supervision.

Uniform, Nursing Sister, First World War  - image2Nurses’ capes were an important part of the nurse’s uniform and became a symbol of nursing and care outside of the rest of the uniform.

Uniform, Nursing Sister, First World War  - image3Belt buckle (Left) and Lion’s Head fastener (Right) described in separate documents. Uniform, Nursing Sister, First World War  - image4

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