CUFFS : AANSS : 1914 - 1918

Accession Number	REL/10481
Collection type	Heraldry
Object type	Uniform
Maker	Unknown
Place made	Australia
Date made	c1914-1915
Conflict	First World War, 1914-1918

Description

PAIR DETACHABLE DARK KHAKI CUFFS WITH 5mm WHITE EDGING AT WRIST. CUFFS ARE POINTED AND HAVE TWO BUTTONHOLES BUT NO BUTTONS. DEPTH OF CUFF 9CM; DEPTH OF POINT 12.5CM. WORN WITH A KHAKI UNIFORM BY SISTER E. J. IMLAY

History / Summary

Associated with the service of Ellen Jean Imlay. Imlay was born in Toowoomba, QLD on 15 April 1881 and was a nurse on enlistment in the Reinforcements for 1 and 2 Australian General Hospitals (AGH) on 20 March 1915. She had previously served with the Australian Army Nursing Service Reserve for three years. With the rank of staff nurse she embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT Kyarra on 13 April.

On arrival in Egypt Imlay worked initially at 2 AGH, later transferring to 3 AGH at Abbassia in February 1916. In May 1916 she was promoted to sister. Allocated to No 2 Sea Transport Section Imlay left Egypt as head sister aboard the Clan McGillivray on 10 July, supervising the return of sick and wounded men to Australia. After leave in Sydney she was appointed temporary matron (sister in charge) on the troopship Ceramic when it left for England on 7 October.

On arrival in England Imlay reverted to the rank of sister. She was posted to 3 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford, where she remained until the beginning of 1918, when she transferred to 2 AGH in France. In August 1918, as the final offensives before the end of the war began, Imlay was detached to serve in British medical units, who needed additional staff to deal with the influx of sick and wounded men, and to relieve exhausted nursing staff. In quick succession she worked at 19, 47 and 59 Casualty Clearing Stations, 6 and 12 Stationary Hospitals and 25 General Hospital. Her own health broke down and after treatment at 14 General Hospital at the beginning of December she was evacuated to England on 19 December and given 21 days sick leave. Imlay was invalided back to Australia on 2 April 1919 and discharged on 2 June.

Retiring from the AANS Reserve in 1930, Imlay married Harry Ninham Gooch on 10 July 1945. She died on 11 June 1978.