Life After War: The Ongoing Contributions of Queensland’s First World Nurses After the War

Abstract

<p>This study examines the post-war lives of Queensland trained nurses who served overseas in the Australian military during the First World War. These nurses were primarily members of the Australian Army Nursing Service, the nursing arm of the Australian Imperial Force, while a small number of the nurses served in New Guinea as members of the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force and its successor, Tropical Force</p><p> The post-war lives of Australian male military personnel who served in the First World War have been extensively studied in recent years. In contrast, there is little research on the nurses, leaving a gap in the scholarship of these women's lives despite the centenary of the First World War. This study fills this gap by drawing on a range of source material, including some government records newly available, to establish how these women progressed their lives after active service.</p><p> After the conflict, these nurses' lives went in two main directions. Many became nurse leaders or champions of new nursing roles and, by using their wartime experiences and advanced skills, they forged new directions and developments for their profession. Other nurses became wives and mothers, filling important roles in society that largely incorporated a 'White Australia' policy and sought to re-establish pre-war family values.</p><p> The returned nurses contributed appreciably to Queensland and Australian nation-building as both paid and unpaid citizens. They often supported male and other female veterans through formal and informal networks. Critically, these women in both professional and family roles undertook community activities to benefit others in society. Out of the devastation, destruction and grief of the First World War, this cohort of Queensland returned nurses emerged as champions of hope and societal reconstruction, with some still acknowledged today as leaders in their fields.</p>