Australian Women At War

War Reaches Australia: Bombing of Darwin 1942

Amongst the exhibits in the Australian War Memorial is a beige cotton working dress with links to the bombing of Darwin in 1942. The…
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Dr James Barry: The first woman General in the British Army

Dr James Barry: The first woman General in the British Army

On the morning of 25th July 1865, a secret was unveiled at Cavendish Square, London that would scandalise Victorian Society – the claim that…
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From Lilian Violet Cooper to Australia’s other pioneering female military surgeons of World War I. Image: Fig. 1. Cooper and Bedford outside their tent in Serbia. Photo courtesy of the Alexander Turnbull Library New Zealand.

From Lilian Violet Cooper to Australia’s other pioneering female military surgeons of World War I

The war service of Lilian Violet Cooper, the first female surgeon of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, is well recognized. Not so well…
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Dr Phoebe Chapple MM: A WWI Australian Doctor On The Western Front. Left: Figure 1. Dr Phoebe Chappel, Graduation photograph (courtesy of the State Library of South Australia). Right: Figure 2. Dr Phoebe Chappel’s Medals including the Military Medal (courtesy of the Australian War Memorial).

Dr Phoebe Chapple MM: A WWI Australian Doctor On The Western Front

Dr Phoebe Chapple was one of 15 Australian women doctors who undertook overseas military service during World War I and became the first Australian,…
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NOTE: If you are trying to research a family member, please start with the War Memorial in Canberra or your state or territory. This form is only for helping us to share your stories.