Item MM 132384 Negative - Group of Voluntary Aid Detachments Workers, Victoria, 1914 or later

Summary

Black and white copy negative depicting women wearing aprons with the Red Cross motif - the uniform of those serving in the Voluntary Aid Detachments. According to Goodman (1991), VADs had to provide their own uniforms, and none was paid.

The original image belonged to Betty Anderson of Kew. Betty (Elizabeth) was the daughter of James Caldwell Anderson and Mary Lloyd Anderson, and grand-daughter of renowned architect Lloyd Tayler. Born in 1889, Betty was one of four siblings, all of whom she outlived. The family lived at 'Mynda', 5 Molesworth Street, Kew, Melbourne. Betty served in the Red Cross during World War I, although details are confined to a nurse's apron and a photograph. She never married, and lived to the age of 92, passing away in 1982.

Betty (and her mother Minnie) had several items of black clothing in this period, which could suggest mourning clothing. Her father and brother had both died in 1915 (their deaths were not related to World War I). Although she was actively involved in World War I, apparently serving as a nurse, Betty never married. It is not known if she lost others to whom she was close during the War.

Description of Content

Portrait of a group of Red Cross workers in a garden.

Physical Description

Black and white large format copy negative of a photograph.