Royal Red Cross Medal - Australian WW1 Nurse Recipients.

Cased R.R.C. medal, Garrard and Co. Ltd., 24 Albemarle Street, London, England, 1914-1918; awarded to Elizabeth Batten, Senior Sister in Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve at the Royal Free Hospital

The Royal Red Cross is a military decoration awarded in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for exceptional services in military nursing. It was established on 27 April 1883 by Queen Victoria, with a single class of Member. A second and lower class, Associate, was added during World War I in 1917.
The Royal Red Cross (RRC) was the first example of an Order exclusively for women. Men became eligible only in 1976.
The award is made to a fully trained nurse of an officially recognised nursing service, military or civilian, without restriction to rank who have:
'shown exceptional devotion or competency in performance of nursing duties with the Army in the field, or in Naval and Military or Air Force hospitals or in an Auxiliary War hospital over a continuous or long period or who has performed some exceptional act of bravery or devotion to the post of duty'.
Holders of the second class who receive a further award are promoted to the first class, although an initial award can also be made in the first class. Holders of the first class who receive a further award are awarded a bar.
Royal Red Cross is awarded in two levels - First Class with post-nominal RRC and for a lesser degree of service in a Second Class (known as the Associate) with post-nominal ARRC.

 The badge for RRC is in the shape of a golden cross, 1.375 inches wide, the obverse enamelled red, with a circular medallion (now bearing an effigy of the reigning monarch) at its centre. The words "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity" are inscribed on the upper limbs of the cross, with the year "1883" in the lower limb. The reverse is plain except a circular medallion bearing the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch.
The badge for ARRC is in the shape of a silver cross, 1.375 inches wide, the obverse enamelled red, with broad silver edges around the enamel; a circular medallion (now bearing an effigy of the reigning monarch) at its centre. The reverse has a circular medallion bearing the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch, as well as the words "Faith", "Hope" and "Charity" inscribed on the upper limbs of the cross, with the year "1883" in the lower limb.
The ribbon for both grades is dark blue with crimson edge stripes.
To recognize further exceptional devotion and competency in the performance of actual nursing duties or some very exceptional act of bravery and devotion at his or her post of duty, a bar may be awarded to a recipient of the RRC. The bar is linked to the cross and is made of red enamel. A rosette is worn on the ribbon in undress to denote a bar to the RRC.The RRC was last awarded to an Australian in 1982. No Australian men received the Royal Red Cross or Royal Red Cross (second class).

Australian recipients in the First World War included Lemnos nurses such as Matron Grace Wilson, Principal Matron Gertrude Davis and Sister Catherine McNaughton as well as Salonika Front's Principal Matron Jessie McHardie White.
The full list is:

1915
Matron I GREAVES

1916
Matron Evelyn Augusta CONYERS
Matron Ellen Julia GOULD
Matron Ethel GRAY
PplMatron Jessie McHARDIE-WHITE
Matron G M WILSON

1917

Matron Alice Ellen CASHIN
Matron Mary Mackenzie FINLAY
Matron Margaret GRAHAM
Matron Adelaide Maud KELLETT
Matron JN MILES-WALKER
Matron Ethel Tracy RICHARDSON

1918
Headsister Margaret ANDERSON
Matron Alma BENNETT
Matron Beryl Anderson CAMPBELL
Matron Alice Ellen CASHIN
Matron Ethel Sarah DAVIDSON
Sister Clarice Molyneux DICKSON
Matron Annie Elizabeth DOWSLEY
Matron Teresa J DUNNE
Sister Katie Payne HODGE
SNurse Estelle Venner KEOGH
Sister Ida O'DWYER
Sister Minnie Farquharson PROCTOR
Sister Clara Louise ROSS
Sister Louisa STOBO

1919
Sister Jessie Helena BUCHANAN
Sister Eva Helen CHAPMAN
Matron Alice Mary COOPER
Matron Edith CORNWELL
Matron Rose CREAL
Matron Jessie Ross GEMMELL
Headsister Julia Mary HART
Sister Nellie Francis HILL
Sister Eleanor Wibmer JEFFRIES
Headsister Constance Mabel KEYS
Sister Catherine McNAUGHTON
Sister Gertrude France MOBERLEY
Sister Laura Cumming PRATT
Matron Alice Marion PRICHARD
Sister Anastasia ROCHE
Sister Christine SORENSON
Matron Ethel Maud STRICKLAND
Sister Alice Joan TWYNAM
Ethelda Runnals UREN
Sister Evelyn Clara WILSON

1920
Pmatron Gertrude DAVIS

This information is from the Faith Hope and Charity - Australian Women and Imperial Honours 1901-89. To go to the website, click here.For further information on the Royal Red Cross, click here.



Lest we forget the Australian nurses who served in WW1


Jim Claven
Secretary
Lemnos Gallipoli Commemorative Committee