Australian Women in WW1

Russia

The world War one had a devastating impact on Russia. Russia had entered the war with the largest army.

Europe

The World War started in Europe because of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. British declared war on Germany on the 4th August 1914

America

America entered World War 1 on April the 6th 1917.

Up to that date, America had tried to keep out of World War One, though they had traded with nations involved in the war. They joined the World War One in the side of the allies.

Woman in World War One

Australia

Because only men were allowed to fight in the war most jobs had been vacated. This meant that woman had to fill in for the men. Their jobs would include Railway guards, ticket collectors, postal workers, police, fire fighters, bank tellers and clerks. New jobs were created because of the war. This included working as manufacturers in factories, civil service and leading horse carts on farms.

Australia was involved in three campaigns, The Gallipoli Campaign, The Middle East and the Western Front.

Woman in World War One

Source One

A studio portrait of Sister Rachael Pratt MM. Sister Pratt nursed at the Woman's Hospital in Melbourne, before enlisting in the Australian Army Nursing Service. Sister Pratt served in Lemnos with the 3AGH, she also went to Egypt with the 3AGH. In England Sister Pratt was assigned with the 1ACCS that lead her to France. Sister Pratt returned to Australia on the 24th August 1918.

By 1917 women were working in factories producing weapons. Woman were known as 'Canaries' because the chemicals turned their skin yellow. Women also served as Nurses in the war as well as any other medical workers. They served in places such as Egypt, Lemnos, England, France, Belgium, Greece, Palestine and India.

- There were 2139 women who served in the Australian Army Nursing Service.

- 130 served in the Queen Alexandra Imperial Nursing Service.

- 423 Nurses served in hospitals in Australia

- Before the war most woman did feminine jobs at home or in retail

- During the war not all women did male jobs. Some of the women sewed socks and clothing, making nursing kits or raising money.

Source Two:

Service medal awarded to Sister Evelyn Claire (known as Claire) Trestrail, born at Clare, South Australia on 10 December 1887. Her mother was a trained nurse and Acting Matron of the King Edward Hospital, Perth and actively involved in the Red Cross and St John’s Ambulance services. It is likely that her mother’s successful work influenced Claire, who from 1905 to 1909 trained at Wakefield St Private Hospital in Adelaide as a nursing sister, passing her final exams for the Australasian Trained Nurses Association in January 1911.

Australian Women in WW1

By Niamh and Grace