Female Relatives Badge : Mrs J Skinner

Silver Female Relative's badge with a blue enamelled oval around the voided letters 'AIF'. The oval contains the words 'ISSUED BY DEPT OF DEFENCE TO WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA'. An enamelled scroll beneath this contains the words 'FOR DUTY DONE'. The badge is surmounted with a King's Crown. The badge is marked on the reverse 'STOKES & SONS MELB STG. SIL.' in raised letters and is impressed with the number '49883'.

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. This badge was worn by Mrs Jane Skinner, wife of Private H E Skinner, 4 Battalion, AIF. Born in January 1866 near Totnes, Devon, England, Henry Edward 'Harry' Skinner falsified his age, increasing it so he could enlist in the British Royal Marine Light Infantry in April 1882. 2548 Private Skinner initially served with 30 Company Royal Marines and aboard HMS Superb, and later saw service in the Sudan, fighting at El Teb and Tamaai where he was wounded in the neck in March 1884. Skinner later emigrated to Australia and was working as a 'navvy' with the New South Wales Gas Company when he again falsified his age - this time decreasing it - to enlist in the AIF in April 1916. 6328 Private Skinner embarked aboard HMAT Euripides at Sydney on 9 September 1916 with the 20th Reinforcements to 4 Battalion. At fifty years of age, Private Skinner served in France until he was injured and returned to Australia 1917. Harry Skinner's son, Francis Leonard 'Len' Skinner and two grandsons, Harold Leonard and Laurence Frederick 'Laurie' Skinner all served with the Australian Army during the Second World War. His third grandson, Roy Edwin Skinner served with the Citizen Military Forces (militia) and later the Australian Regular Army and saw extensive service with the United Nations in the Middle East. The Memorial holds additional material relating to the service of the Skinner family.