Australian Army Nursing Service sleeve badge : Staff Nurse A L Hunter, 1 Australian General Hospital, AIF

Embroidered Australian Army Nursing Service sleeve badge. The oval badge is embroidered in red and white cotton on a grey wool ground. It shows a red Geneva cross within a band bearing the words 'AUSTRALIAN ARMY NURSING SERVICE', all within a white wreath surnmounted by a king's crown. The badge is padded and has a buckram backing covered with grey cotton.

Embroidered badge associated with the service of Staff Nurse Anne Laycock Hunter, born in Sydney in 1880 to William Walton and Anne Hunter. She trained at the Coast Hospital, Little Bay, Sydney (now Prince Henry Hospital) for three years. Hunter enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service in January 1915, joining the reinforcements for 1 and 2 General Hospitals in March. She embarked from Sydney on 13 April 1915 aboard HMAT Kyarra and served in Egypt until March 1916 when she was sent to the Western Front where she served in hospitals at Rouen. Hunter was invalided to Australia in October 1916 on the Hospital Ship Karoola. After a few months back in Australia she left to return to England on 24 January 1917. In 1917 and 1918 Hunter served in the following hospitals: 3 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford, which treated patients with psycho neuroses and mental disorders, such as shell shock; 2 Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall, which treated amputees; and 1 Australian Auxiliary Hospital, which became an ear, nose and throat centre and included specialist cases, such as blinded men, and men needing physiotherapy or specialist surgery. On 2 June 1919 Hunter embarked for return to Australia. Anne Laycock James (nee Hunter) died in 1962. These badges were worn on the right sleeve of walking out dress in 1914 and 1915.