Veteran Notes/Bio
Although she was awarded the Royal Red Cross, this award has no connection with the Red Cross organisation. It was established by Queen Victoria in 1883 to recognise exceptional service in miliary nursing. This memorial refers to the WWI nurses it names as the "Red Cross contingent", but this was a mistake although an understandable one. Apart from Lydia Abell who was with the QAIMNSR, ie the British military nursing unit, they were all members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). The Red Cross was a completely separate organisation although it did supply voluntary nursing aides ("V.A.s") to assist trained staff at war hospitals in Australia, Britain and areas of conflict.