TITLE:
Australian Military Nursing from ANZAC to Now: Embracing the Ghosts of Our Nursing Ancestors
AUTHORS:
Narelle Biedermann
KEYWORDS:
Australian Nursing History, Military Nursing History, War Nursing, Military Nursing
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Historical Studies,
Vol.6 No.2,
June
21,
2017
ABSTRACT: Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914.
The following day, Australia was also formally at war. Australian nurses were
quick to volunteer to support Australia’s war effort, and what was to follow
for these women was unprecedented up until that time-professionally and personally. War and nursing are
historically linked; where there is war, there is death, injury and illness,
and where there is suffering, there are nurses and carers determined to
alleviate that suffering. The fact that there are Australian military nurses
serving overseas right now validates this. The purpose of this paper is to
explore Australian military nursing from the contexts of World War 1 and
contemporary military operations. At this time when commemorations to mark the
centenary of Australia’s involvement in World War 1 are ever most present
around the nation, encouraging us to reflect upon and learn more about
Australia’s military history, it is important that this comparison occurs as a
means of reinforcing the significance of the contribution made by our nursing
ancestors and acknowledge their influence on the practice of military nurses
today. An analysis of practice between the two eras highlights that whilst
there are obvious differences, there are some important parallels that have
implications for both the military and civilian nursing profession.