Tippet on a Sister's Uniform

[Bairbre]

In W. M. Letts' poem A Sister in a Military Hospital (published in The Spires of Oxford and Other Poems; publ. 1917) she describes the sister as:

Blue dress, blue tippet, trimmed with red,

White veil, coif-like about her head.

Starched apron, cuffs, and cool, kind hands,

Trained servants to her quick commands.

Wikipedia says a Tippet is 'a stole or scarf-like narrow piece of clothing, worn around the arms and above the elbow. ... The ceremonial scarf worn by Anglican ministers is called a tippet.

The only reference I can find on this forum is Pete Starling's reply "'men of good character' were admitted to QAIMNS as male nurses and wore the bronze QAIMNS tippet medal on their normal uniform but on the right side."

What would 'tippet' mean in the poem or is it poetic licence ?

Many thanks

Bairbre

[royalredcross]

Blue tippet trimmed with red sounds like Queen Alexandra's Royal NAVAL Nursing Servuce.

NGG

[royalredcross]

A tippet was a sort of very short cape which covered the back and breast obove the elbows. Regular military nurses wore a scarlet one and Reserve nurses a grey one edged red. The Territorials wore a blueish cape so I suppose the poet could be referring to that.

The tippet was part of the normal uniform of the military and naval nurse. It was said to have been invented to keep the nurses warm and the officers cool.

NGG

[Sue Light]

I think the combination of blue dress and tippet must be Royal Naval Nursing Service, I've attached a rather poor scan of a group of QARNNS Sisters in the early years of the 20th century, wearing their tippets - unfortunately the red edging won't be obvious, but you can see it clearly on the woman seated at the front, on our right. The word 'tippet' is still used today for military nursing sisters' shoulder capes.

Re the other query Bairbre, I'll get back to you as soon as I've done some serious searching of my hard drive - won't be till tomorrow.

Sue

[Bairbre]

Thank you both for that.

Bairbre