Australian Nurses at War

A tribute to the women who have dealt face-to-face with war. The involvement of Australian women as nurses in war began in 1899 with the formation of the New South Wales Army Nursing Service Reserve. Around sixty nurses served in the Boer War from the Australian colonies. Since the time of the Boer War, Australian nurses have served, caring for the sick and wounded in every conflict to which Australia has committed troops. This exhibition is a tribute to those women who have dealt face-to-face with war—the sick, the wounded, and the dead. Those who served close to the battlefield experienced firsthand, not only the discomforts of makeshift field hospitals, including mud, dust, bad food, and lack of amenities, but also the risks and horrors of war. Many army nurses sacrificed their health and well-being in the service of Australia. Some sacrificed their lives.