Red Cross dressing gown : Captain E G Ireland, Australian Army Nursing Service, 2/5 Australian General Hospital

Green checked woollen dressing gown. The gown is long sleeved and secured by one wooden button at the centre front and a twisted cotton girdle run through two belt loops. The gown has a long collar extending down to the button. It is faced with dark green wool and is edged with green and white braid which continues down the front of the gown to the bottom hem. There are two patch pockets sewn on the front and both the bottom of the sleeves and the pockets are decorated with braid stitched in a loop pattern. A makers label has been stitched into the inside of the collar above a label of the Red Cross. The words 'AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY' surround the cross symbol and underneath are the words 'VICTORIAN DIVISION'.

NFX34695 Captain Elsie Grace Ireland of Murrurundi, New South Wales joined the Australian Army Nursing Service and was assigned to 2/5 Australian General Hospital. She sailed for the Middle East aboard HMT Queen Mary on 19 October 1940. After first serving in Palestine the nurses of 2/5 AGH moved to Greece on the 10-12 April 1941. They served at Ekali until evacuated. Most sisters were evacuated from Greece on 25 April, but a number who had been chosen to remain behind with their patients were evacuated a few days later. The dressing gown was given to Captain Ireland by the Red Cross at some stage after evacuation as most of the nurses' belongings were left behind in Greece or destroyed before evacuation. Captain Ireland went on to served in New Guinea.