Greatcoat : Mrs G Furse-Roberts, British Women's Civil Defence Corps

Dark blue wool cloth double breasted greatcoat, with stand and fall collar, shoulder straps, slanted welt pockets over each front hip, and a centre back vent which can be fastened in a closed position with a single internal button. The neck can be worn open or buttoned to the throat. There are five pairs of black plastic buttons down the front, each carrying raised letters 'CD' surmounted by a King's crown. Similar pattern, smaller buttons fasten the shoulder straps. The head of each sleeve bears a yellow embroidered 'WARDEN' title. Each upper arm carries a pair of narrow yellow cotton braid chevrons for the rank of Warden. The sleeves and upper body of the coat are lined with black polished cotton. The pocket bags are of black heavy cotton twill. The head of the proper right sleeve lining is stamped in white ink, 'N W [ broad arrow symbol] D 845'. The right front facing is also stamped in white, 'IS 5/S - 10'. Beneath it is a printed white cotton label reading, 'GREATCOAT Women's C.D. (A.R.P. 70) SIZE 18...PRICES TAILORS LTD., Proprietors of THE FIFTY SHILLING TAILORS MAY [in purple ink] 1943 [broad arrow symbol] M2 [in purple ink]'.

Part of a British Civil Defence uniform issued to Mrs Gabrielle Furse-Roberts, nee Barton, born 13 November 1890 at Gladesville, NSW. Gabrielle married George Furse-Roberts on 22 February 1912 at All-Saints, Galle, Ceylon, where he was a civil servant. They had two sons, Anthony and Adrian, who were both born in Australia, but no records can be located relating to the date of the Furse-Roberts' return to Australia. Gabrielle's two brothers, 1313 Private Anthony Nolan Barton, 7 Battalion, AIF and Second Lieutenant Francis Maxwell Barton, 13 Battalion, AIF had both been killed in France in August 1916, in separate incidents.

In 1931, Gabrielle travelled to England in 1931 with her two sons after her separation or divorce from George. Her sons undertook tertiary education in England and remained there after the war.

During the Second World War, Gabrielle volunteered with the Civil Defence as an air-raid shelter marshall in London, in charge of a shelter at Marylebone which housed 200 people every night. This is the uniform which she wore during that period. Shelter Marshalls (later known as Shelter Wardens) could be male or female, and were usually responsible for larger capacity shelters which may have been located either in large basements or in Underground stations. Their responsibilities included the maintenance of order, allocation of spaces, and the supply of first aid.

Throughout her life Gabrielle regularly returned to Australia to visit relatives. Reports of her activities in England in the Civil Defence appeared in the Australian press in 1941.

• Trousers : Mrs G Furse-Roberts, British Women's Civil Defence Corps
• Beret : Mrs G Furse-Roberts, British Women's Civil Defence Corps