Military nursing sister's double-breasted knee-length navy gabardine greatcoat (a) with wide lapels, burgundy satin lining and black plastic sew-through buttons; six buttons in two columns of three down the front of the coat and two buttons on each cuff; each epaulet is secured by a black plastic s…
Military nursing sister's double-breasted knee-length navy gabardine greatcoat (a) with wide lapels, burgundy satin lining and black plastic sew-through buttons; six buttons in two columns of three down the front of the coat and two buttons on each cuff; each epaulet is secured by a black plastic sew-through button and has two lieutenant's pips (b-e) and a brass "Canada" bar pin (f-g), each with clasp (h-k).
Number Of Parts
11
Part Names
a - greatcoat - Size: Length 102.5 cm x Width 44.7 cm x Depth 1.6 cm
b-e - pips - Size: Length 2.8 cm x Width 2.5 cm x Depth 1.4 cm
f-g - bar pins - Size: Length 3.8 cm x Width 0.6 cm x Depth 0.6 cm
h-k - clasp - Size:
Provenance
Owned by Miriam (Hartrick) Kelly; donated to museum by daughter Miriam Ruth Howard.
"TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO" moulded into the metal of the pips; "CANADA" moulded into the metal of the shoulder badges.
Permanent Location
(a) Storage Room 0010
0010 Closet
(b-k) Storage Room 0010
0010-C5-2
Condition Remarks
#1: Evidence of damage and repair to the liner; one of the breast buttons is loosely attached; lining is extensively creased and worn; #2: two buttons are loosely attached.
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Person
Book
Museum
Reference Comments
Doug Hildebrand, curator, Military Communications & Electronics Museum; War Dress Regulations for Nursing Sisters, 1940
Miriam Ruth Howard
“Nursing Sister’s apron, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC),” Museum of Health Care. http://artefact.museumofhealthcare.ca/?p=79
Research Facts
Owned and used by Nursing Sister Lieutenant Miriam Hartrick during World War II. Miriam (Hartrick) Kelly (1909-2001) graduated from Kingston General Hospital School of Nursing in 1931. She served in England, France and Italy during World War II. This is a spring-weight greatcoat; winter greatcoats are thicker and made of wool.
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.