In the ‘Grey Battalion’: Launceston General Hospital nurses on active service in World War I

Abstract

Nearly fifty nurses from the Launceston General Hospital served with the Australian Army Nursing Service or the British nursing service during World War I. These nurses served in countries that included Egypt, France, India, Greece, Italy and England. They worked in various roles including as a surgical team nurse close to the front working under fire; nursing on hospital ships carrying the wounded; or managing wards overrun with patients on ships at Gallipoli in 1915, whilst dealing with a lack of hospital necessities. This case study, of one group of nurses, shows that their experiences reflected the skills and roles needed to be a military nurse of the time, significantly different to the skills required to nurse in Australia.