The Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service (RAAFNS) was a branch of the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, which existed from 1940 to 1946, and from 1948 to 1977. Members served in World War II, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, and the Vietnam War.

History

Foundation

The RAAFNS was founded in July 1940 at the suggestion of Air Vice-Marshal Victor Hurley, the Director-General of Medical Services. Margaret Irene Lang, who had served with the

Australian Army Nursing Service The Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) was an Australian Army Reserve unit which provided a pool of trained civilian nurses who had volunteered for military service during wartime. The AANS was formed in 1902 by amalgamating the nursing servic ...

during World War I and was then serving as matron of the Victoria Police Hospital, was appointed its first Matron-in-Chief. By December 1940 it had only 45 members, but this had increased to 616 by December 1945. The RAAFNS was not a part of the

Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve, as well as by the Chief of the Air Staff, who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service ov ...

(which was not established until March 1941), but a branch of the RAAF itself. All members held commissioned rank, and wore RAAF badges of rank along with the RAAF medical badge on their tunic lapels and capes, but did not use Air Force rank titles.

World War II

Four RAAF Nursing Service sisters at Darwin in December 1943

Most RAAFNS nurses served in clearing stations, base hospitals, station sick quarters, and rehabilitation centres in Australia, but all were obligated to serve overseas if required (unlike members of the

, who could choose to serve overseas or not). From November 1942, shortly after the close of the

Kokoda Track campaign The Kokoda Track campaign or Kokoda Trail campaign was part of the Pacific War of World War II. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 in what was then the Australian Territory of Papua. It was prima ...

, RAAFNS personnel set up a medical receiving station in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...

, New Guinea, and were present during the Battle of Port Moresby. Others sailed on troop convoys, accompanying contingents of airmen to Great Britain, Canada or South Africa. Between November 1942 and November 1943

No. 1 Medical Receiving Station RAAF No. 1 Medical Receiving Station (1MRS) was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) field hospital unit during World War II. History 1MRS was formed at Daly Waters, Northern Territory, on 23 March 1942. The field hospital was constructed near 5 Mile W ...

at Coomalie Creek, south of Darwin, was bombed by the Japanese on several occasions. In 1944 No. 1 Medical Air Evacuation Transport Unit was created staffed by

flight nurse A flight nurse is a registered nurse who specialises in the field of providing comprehensive pre-hospital, emergency critical care, and hospital care to a vast scope of patients. The care of these patients is generally during aeromedical evacua ...

s of the RAAFNS. After the surrender of Japan in August 1945, RAAFNS personnel took part in the care of returning prisoners of war, until it was finally disbanded in November 1946.

Korean War

In 1948 the RAAFNS was reformed as a peace-time service. During the Korean War members of the RAAFNS served at the British Commonwealth Mobile Surgical Hospital in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, and the Medical Air Evacuation Unit flew patients to

Iwakuni is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History Iwakuni was formerly the castle town of the Iwakuni han, which was formed by Lord Hiroie Kikkawa after he was banished there for supporting the defeated shōgun. The Kikkawa clan ruled ...

from where they were taken by

hospital train A hospital train is a railway train with carriages equipped for the provision of healthcare. Historically this has ranged from trains equipped to transport wounded soldiers, with basic nursing and first aid facilities on board, to fully equipped ...

to the British Commonwealth General Hospital in

Kure is a port and major shipbuilding city situated on the Seto Inland Sea in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. With a strong industrial and naval heritage, Kure hosts the second-oldest naval dockyard in Japan and remains an important base for the Japan M ...

. Between 1950 and 1953, 12,762

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

casualties took this route. RAAFNS members also accompanied 728 patients on flights from Japan to Australia via

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

, or Port Moresby. All members of the RAAFNS in Korea were trained civilian nurses who enlisted for four years, but served only a one-year tour of duty in Korea or Japan. The last nurses returned home in 1956.

Vietnam

During the Vietnam War the RAAFNS operated

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

flights from Vietnam to Australia. The first flight took place in June 1965. Casualties were flown from

Vũng Tàu Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is the largest city of Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province in southern Vietnam. The city area is , consists of 13 urban wards and one commune of Long Sơn Islet. Vũng Tàu was the capital of the pr ...

Biên Hòa Biên Hòa (Northern accent: , Southern accent: ) is the capital city of Đồng Nai Province, Vietnam and part of the Ho Chi Minh City metropolitan area and located about east of Ho Chi Minh City, to which Biên Hòa is linked by Vietnam Hi ...

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

to the hospital at RAAF Butterworth in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

, and from there via the

Cocos Islands ) , anthem = "''Advance Australia Fair''" , song_type = , song = , image_map = Australia on the globe (Cocos (Keeling) Islands special) (Southeast Asia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , map_caption = ...

, to RAAF Pearce in Western Australia, then to

RAAF Richmond RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...

in New South Wales.

The end

In 1977 the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service ceased to exist as an independent branch when it was integrated into the Royal Australian Air Force.

Ranks of the RAAFNS

All RAAFNS recruits were commissioned on entry with the rank of flying officer, though they had their own rank structure.

References

External links

* {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 All-female military units and formations :Air Australian Z Military nursing Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1977 Military units and formations of the Royal Australian Air Force in World War II Military units and formations of Australia in the Vietnam War