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Australian Women
Corporate entry
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Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service (RAAFNS) (1940 - ) |
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| Function: Armed services organisation | |||
Established in July 1940 The Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service (RAAFNS) personnel expanded from 45 in December 1940 to 616 in December 1945. Miss Margaret Irene Lang was appointed Matron-in-Chief and her staff’s conditions of service were similar to those of the Australian Army Nursing Service. The nurses were orginally attached to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases in Australia, and later in New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. With the Medical Air Evacuation Transport Unit (MAETU), established in 1944, nurses helped with aerial evacution of casulties and were involved with the liberation of Prisoners of War from Singapore and other areas. The service was disbanded at the end of the war, but in 1948 a peace-time service was formed and RAAF nurses have served in the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency and the Vietnam War. They continue to attend to the sick and injured at RAAF hospitals. |
| Sources used to compile this entry: The Australian Encyclopaedia volume VI pps 485-486, http://www.raafmuseum.com.au/raaf2/html/a6.htm accessed 2003-10-01 and http://www.awm.gov.au/atwar/thismonth/jul.htm accessed 2003-10-01. | |
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Published by National Foundation for Australian Women on Australian Women's Archives Project Web Site Comments, questions, corrections and additions: awap@womenaustralia.info Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 23 December 2008 http://womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0573b.htm |