White cotton organdy square nurse's veil with a 5.5 cm hemmed border with a decorative faggot stitch above the hem.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Worn by Nurse Sarah Phillips
Dates
1914
1945
circa 1914-1945
Date Remarks
Nursing Sisters wore this type of nurse's cap, a white veil, especially for nursing sister's uniforms during World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945).
Material
fabric: white
Permanent Location
Storage Room 0007
0007 V Box 2
Temporary Location
To exhibit: "For Service to Humanity", Nursing Gallery: Showcase West, Museum of Health Care, 13 Nov. 2008.
Length
91.0 cm
Depth
90.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Dimension Notes
Length 91.0 cm x Depth 90.0 cm
Condition Remarks
Some small rust stains; hand stitched areas along decorative faggot stitching.
Military Uniforms, "Branch of the Master General of the Ordnance", Effective 1 Nov 1939
“Nursing Sister’s apron, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC),” Museum of Health Care. http://artefact.museumofhealthcare.ca/?p=79
Research Facts
Nurse Phillips came to Canada from England around 1915-20 to look after the Dalton family living on the corner of King Street West and Barrie St, Kingston; then to donor's uncle's family in Hillcroft before looking after the donor and her brother, the Hawley children, at 68 Centre Street in Kingston. By the time the youngest brother was able to look after himself, Nurse Phillips was at retirement age, so donor's mother invited Nurse to stay living with them as a member of the family. Always known as "Nurse". Information provided by donor.
Dress Regulations, Nursing Sisters Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, 1940: describes the regulation uniform for Nursing sisters: Veil - white organic veil, one yard square, with two inch hem.
More than 4000 women served as military nurses during the Second World War playing a vital role in the care and comfort of wounded soldiers, sailors, and airmen. As commissioned officers known by rank and title as Nursing Sisters, they served as fully-integrated members of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Most of them worked overseas in military hospitals and casualty clearing stations. After the lean years of the 1930s when there were few available positions for graduate nurses, even with the dangers of warfare, military nursing offered a job with a good salary, benefits, status, and a chance to travel.