Sleeve badge: Repatriation Nursing Service - Sister L A Walter, Australian Army Nursing Service, AIF

Hand embroidered cotton 'Repatriation Nursing Service' sleeve badge. Circular in shape, the badge is of brown cotton drill with white, red and black embroidery. At the centre is a red Cross of Geneva over which is embroidered the white letters, 'CA' (for 'Commonwealth of Australia'). Surrounding the cross, in a circular frame, are the words, 'REPATRIATION NURSING SERVICE' in white cotton. Outside this are four embroidered elongated panels separated by small orbs. Above is a King's crown with red embroidery.

The Repatriation Nursing Service badge was worn by the staff of Repatriation Hospitals - previously 'Base' Hospitals - in Australia during the 1920s.

This badge was worn by Lilian Agnes Walter who was born at Candelo near Bega, New South Wales in 1888. Miss Walter received her Nurse's Certificate from Sydney Hospital in January 1914 and enlisted as a nurse with the Australian Army Nursing Service in June 1915. One month later Sister Walter embarked on HMAT Orsova in Sydney as a reinforcement for 2 Australian General Hospital. She served with that unit for most of the war, but also saw service with 1 Australian Stationary Hospital (Maadi, Egypt), 2, 23 and 26 General Hospitals (France) during 1916 and 1 Australian Auxillary Hospital (Harefield Park, England) in 1918. She returned to Australia in December 1918 and was discharged in March 1919.