Female Relatives Badge : Mrs A E Chudleigh

Sterling silver and enamel Female Relatives Badge. Silver 'AIF' is set within a blue enamel oval with the words 'TO WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA. ISSUED BY THE DEPT OF DEFENCE'. Beneath is a blue enamel scroll with the words 'FOR DUTY DONE'. Badge is surmounted by a king's crown. Reverse bears impressed serial number '183642' and the manufacturer's name.

The Female Relatives Badge was issued to the wife and/or mother, or to the nearest female relative of, soldiers, nurses and masseurs who had left Australia for active service abroad. A bar was suspended below the badge was issued for each additional son/daughter serving. This badge was the property of Mrs Annie Chudleigh, and recognises the service of her son, Ernest George Chudleigh. Chudleigh was born at Bigga, near Goulburn, NSW in 1896. He attended Agriculture High School at Hurlstone (near Campbelltown, NSW) before graduating to Hawkesbury Agriculture College, where he attained an Agriculture Diploma, studying courses in Veterinary Science and Practice. In December 1914, Chudleigh enlisted for service with the AIF at the age of nineteen. He was allocated the service number 160 and recruited to the 1st Veterinary Section of Australian Army Veterinary Corps (AAVC) and embarked for Egypt that month. Due to the shortage of university trained and professionally recognised veterinarians available for service, many men like Chudleigh, who held practical experience, were recruited as registered veterinarians for the AAVC. Before embarking for the Western Front in March 1916, Chudleigh was promoted to the rank of veterinary sergeant and posted to 2 Field Artillery Brigade, 1 Division. In France, Chudleigh was Mention in Despatches during operations at Zillebeke and Sanctuary Wood on 31 July and 1 August 1917, for his work in 'rendering first aid not only to animals of his own battery, but to wounded belonging to the whole brigade.' In April 1918 at le Peuplier, Chudleigh's actions were again recognised when he was awarded the Military Medal. Intense enemy shelling had caused fire and damage within the battery's wagon lines. Chudleigh, with others, rescued both soldiers and horses 'with a total disregard for danger.' Chudleigh returned to Australia in November 1918 and continued to work on the land at Bigga. With the outbreak of the Second World War, he enlisted with the Volunteer Defence Corps with the rank of lieutenant and was discharged from service in September 1946. Chudleigh's service diaries from the First World War are held in the Memorial's collections. They provide an interesting insight into veterinary work within the AIF. They provide daily accounts of the animals he attended to, the wounds and injuries they suffered - from gassing to colic, and counts those unfortunately killed.