Sue Light Posted 18 March , 2010 Share Posted 18 March , 2010 I've recently bought a postcard of a group of 'nurses' - it's a well-worn card, but I had a feeling that it might be something out of the ordinary. Now I've got it, I can see that all the women are wearing brassards with the letters 'MMC' on them. The British Almeric Paget Military Massage Corps wore a service badge on their uniforms, not letters like these, and I wondered if these women could be part of the Australian Military Massage Corps? I don't know anything about it, other than it existed - can anyone confirm details of the uniform? There are twenty-two women and a male officer in the photo. Of course, it could be something entirely different ... Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonym Posted 18 March , 2010 Share Posted 18 March , 2010 Sue Anything on the reverse to indicate the origin of the postcard. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 18 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 18 March , 2010 No, apart from a lot of grubby marks, it's an ordinary postcard back, with a small horseshoe emblem where the stamp goes, with the initials 'T.I.C.' Nothing other than that, front or back. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 18 March , 2010 Share Posted 18 March , 2010 Sue This gives a brief background: http://ajp.physiotherapy.asn.au/AJP/vol_01...rv1i4Casely.pdf and there also appears to be a book: http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/4273381 TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 18 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 18 March , 2010 Yes, I saw there was a book - is it possible for you to pop over and have a look for me? Hopefully it's nearly time for the Australians to wake up. And for comparison, this is the arm of a member of the Almeric Paget MMC, so definitely not the same. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 18 March , 2010 Share Posted 18 March , 2010 Sue I'm just filing a flight plan now. I think my arms might give out mid-way though. TR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frev Posted 19 March , 2010 Share Posted 19 March , 2010 Hi Sue Unfortunately Neil Smith’s “The Military Massage Corps” is one of his I don’t have – however the blurb on his website states: An outline history of this poorly documented British Army group with alphabetical roll for those who served overseas including Australian and other Commonwealth personnel. So I’m wondering if it’s about the Almeric Paget MMC & those Aussies etc that served in it, and therefore not much help to you anyway. I actually thought that our female masseuses were lumped under the AANS (same uniform, no other identification) – which this photo from the AWM portrays: Description Dartford, Kent, England. 1917. Group portrait of members of the massage staff at No. 3 Australian Auxiliary Hospital. Back row, left to right: Miss Lowe, Masseuse; unidentified; Miss Morton, Masseuse; Sergeant Dewar; Miss McRae, Masseuse; Staff Sergeant (S Sgt) Quinn; Miss Rooke, Masseuse; Private Mitchell. Second row: S Sgt Beattie; Miss Yates, Masseuse; S Sgt Mackie; Miss Kircaldy, Masseuse; Captain Hugh Murray, Medical Officer in Charge; Mrs unidentified, known as "Mrs Anzac"; S Sgt F. Staweski; Miss Bulmer, Masseuse. Front row: Private (Pte) Burnie; Pte Shaw; Pte Lucas. (Donor Beattie) However, having said that – only last night when I was trawling through endless records on nurses, hospital ships etc – I remember reading something about the introduction of …?. Massage Corps – and didn’t pursue it (thinking I was so good not to get sidetracked!)….and now I can’t for the life of me remember where I saw it!! Sorry I can't be of much help......but odds are someone on this forum will be able to Cheers, Frev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frev Posted 19 March , 2010 Share Posted 19 March , 2010 Sue - hi, me again Haven't had a chance to read through this yet - but you may find it of some help. http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/first_worl...p?levelID=67900 Scroll down to Section III, Chapter XII - The Australian Army Massage Service Cheers, Frev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 19 March , 2010 Author Share Posted 19 March , 2010 Thanks Frev, particularly for that chapter, which is really interesting. I tend to think now that this card is something different. The OH refers to the service the whole way through as the 'Australian Massage Service' or 'Australian Army Service for Massage' and never uses 'Military Massage Corps' except when referring to the British service. Also, I find it rather hard to see why twenty-two female members of the service would be photographed in a garden with one officer, when the Australian Massage Service seems to have had a high proportion of men employed. As far as uniform goes, I feel doubtful that they would wear the same uniform as the AANS - they were a different service, and not necessarily trained nurses, but your photo does show that they did wear army-style nurses' hats. Looking again at my image, most of the women, if not all, seem to have white overall-style dresses over something else. I shall have to keep my eyes open for something else that might fit. Thanks again --- Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjharris Posted 6 May , 2010 Share Posted 6 May , 2010 Hi Sue and Frev, I have a list of Australian masseuses who were not part of the Australian Army Nursing Service - just seconded to hospitals overseas as required. But I have found no reference to a military massage corps in any of my Australian-oriented readings. cheers Kirsty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angrybudgie Posted 13 May , 2010 Share Posted 13 May , 2010 Sue, Don't know if this will help, but found this article in an online copy of the Melbourne paper 'The Age' dated December 23 1915 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300...pg=3096,7236848 they talk about a military massage corps. Elizabeth p.s. hope the link works..I tried to copy the article but it wouldn't let me... p.p.s. this might work better http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5mI8A...=3096%2C7236848 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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