Good Morning/Afternoon ladies and gentleman. Welcome to the Australian War Memorial. This special place was established to tell the story of and commemorate the First World War and all who have sacrificed many things to serve their country. The War memorial is only designed to cover what is known as the Anzac Legend which is a narrative that centres on the Gallipoli campaign of 1915 and the experiences of the soldiers that served Australia. Although this is how schools tell history today, there is a lot more to the ANZAC story than realised. The exhibition I am here to open broadens our view of history by showing us the significance of nurses volunteering in war and gives us another perspective of Australia's experiences.
In 1915 a war broke out unlike any others before that, they called it World War 1. As women were prohibited to participate in combat out of patriarchal principles, one of the roles favoured by many were to serve as nurses. Approximately 3,000 Australian nurses served in military hospitals during the Great War (Duffy, 2008). Many soldiers that survived have them to thank for their lives and their contribution to the war earned them great respect and proved that nurses were essential to military medical service (Australian Government, n.d.). …show more content…
Others signed up because nursing provided opportunities for independence and travel or sometimes with the hope of being closer to loved ones serving overseas. (Australian Government, n.d.) From this source we get a better view of World War 1 as it shows that women wanted to participate just as much as men and it acknowledges the women who served
In 1915 a war broke out unlike any others before that, they called it World War 1. As women were prohibited to participate in combat out of patriarchal principles, one of the roles favoured by many were to serve as nurses. Approximately 3,000 Australian nurses served in military hospitals during the Great War (Duffy, 2008). Many soldiers that survived have them to thank for their lives and their contribution to the war earned them great respect and proved that nurses were essential to military medical service (Australian Government, n.d.). …show more content…
Others signed up because nursing provided opportunities for independence and travel or sometimes with the hope of being closer to loved ones serving overseas. (Australian Government, n.d.) From this source we get a better view of World War 1 as it shows that women wanted to participate just as much as men and it acknowledges the women who served