Recognising women’s role in WW2
World War 2 evokes images of soldiers making great sacrifices but they were not the only ones who rallied to the cause. Australian women were a large part of assisting in the war effort on the home front but their stories often remain untold.
For Carinity Aged Care – Shalom resident Lorna Urquhart, the war turned her life as a department store seamstress in Rockhampton upside-down.
“I was nineteen when I enlisted in Rockhampton. The questioning was extensive and it took about three months before I was accepted.”
“I was given orders to report to Brisbane to the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service. The only experience I could offer was being a seamstress but it was a job they needed.”
“I never strayed too far from the Barracks and I kept my head down mending items from Greenslopes Hospital. I never heard any stories from the front.”
“The discipline was hard to get used to but I had never lived away from home so it was actually incredibly exciting to be part of the war effort. It gave a lot of young women freedom and experience they may not have had the opportunity for before.”
“My family were very supportive of me but I believe it was because I was going to be on Australian soil. I am unsure how they would have reacted had I gone overseas.”
The Australian Army Medical Women’s Service was an armed services organisation established in 1942. It was disbanded in 1949 and duties were incorporated into the Royal Australian Nursing Corps.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Emma Sugget, Communications Officer, Carinity
Ph: (07) 3550 3769 / 0409 865 930
Email: emma.sugget@carinity.org.au
