VAD or Red Cross Nurse?

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

This photograph of an unknown nurse has turned up in an old family history photograph album. I am wondering if she is a VAD or Red Cross nurse? The head covering seems about right for either, but my guess would be that she is a Red Cross nurse - there is no VAD arm-band.

[MartinWills]

A super portrait - one for Sue Light I guess and looking a bit better for a quick tidy up

[bobspark]

What a wonderful photograph, I wish I could turn up similar in our old family albums.

It almost looks to good to be WW1 era after all the out blurry images were used to seeing.

In my book she’s a Red Cross VAD nurse ,rather than St Johns as she is wearing a Red Cross on her apron. I understand the VADS had to make their own red crosses and sew them on there selves ,so no two are alike.

But we need to Sue Light to pass final judgement on this.

[bobspark]

Notice the forum has promoted me to Sergeant. Apologies to all for mistakes in above ,I will have to get my spelling and grammar right from now on.

[Sue Light]

All VADs were either attached to the British Red Cross or Order of St. John, so this woman is both a VAD and Red Cross nurse. However, the hat is all wrong for Great War period, and not really correct for pre-war. Based on collar style, hairstyle, the wearing of both wrist-watch and ring, and just the general 'feel' of the photo, I would perhaps think this more likely to be a post-war photo.

Sue

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

The reason I think she is a Great War nurse is because the picture was one of a small set which seem to have been taken when my paternal grandfather was in hospital after losing his leg. I have attached a further image, which shows another nurse who seems to have a wrist-watch on her left wrist (or is it a hankerchief?)

[Sue Light]

Yes, I don't think the wrist-watch is a definitive sign of post-war by any means, but in the second photo, even if you took the soldiers away, the hats are clearly WW1 style, and with the more usual stiff collars. And just as a little observation, I think the first nurse was probably left-handed (or the image is reversed)

Sue

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

I could not quite decide if the nurse in the initial picture was wearing a cap or a "VAD-style" headscarf knotted at the back. i remember reading somewhere that the lack of a red cross on a nurse's cap indicated the Great War period, up to about 1920 (?) I have, as a matte of interest, appended another pocture, which shows recovering soldiers taking part in some kind of hospital event; this picture must be post-1917, which is when my grandfather was wounded. He can be seen lying down on the extreme right - presumably giving his stump a rest.

[Stanley_C_Jenkins]

I am still trying to work out where these pictures were taken, and who the people were - although as my grandfather was in the Essex Regiment I suspect that the hospital may have been somewhere in that county. Looking at the nurses pictures, I am wondering if this could be the nurse in the initial post? The slightly bulbous nose and the dark complextion seem to be very similar, although this woman looks older - or could this have been something to do with stress? The enlarged picture shows what I take to have been the "standard" VAD head-dress.