Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust Singles

Lot 3572    Session 13 (2.30pm Thursday 22nd November)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Aust Singles

Estimate $2,500
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $3,600

INDIA GENERAL SERVICE MEDAL 1908-35, (GVR Kaisar-I-Hind), - clasp - Afghanistan N.W.F. 1919. S-Nurse I.E.Pearce. A.A.N.S. Engraved and impressed and officially renamed. Court mounted, glue on back of ribbon where it has been glued to a board, nearly extremely fine.

Ex Downies Auction 1994 (sold for $3,000).

Williams lists this medal as rare with only 7 issued to Australian nurses serving with Dunsterforce. In Australians Awarded by Clive Johnson, p210, he states only 8 awarded to Australians and explains the reason for renaming and gives some examples of the naming. One of the medals he mentions is that to Nurse I.E.Pearce.

Staff Nurse Pearce's medal was forwarded to Army Headquarters at Melbourne by the Under Secretary of State for India. The War Office, to whom the question of eligibility of an award to her was made, stated that she qualified for the British War Medal only, however, after the matter was referred to the India Office they stated she was entitled to the India General Service Medal. A letter dated September 1980 from the Australian Army stated that the above medal was her only entitlement for WWI service and she did not qualify for the British War Medal or the Victory Medal. With the lot there is a letter from professional dealers, Downie's of Melbourne, dated 20th October 1994 stating that this medal to Staff Nurse Ida Elizabeth Pearce has been verified by the Department of Defence as being officially re-named.

Ida Elizabeth Pearce, nurse, age 30, born at Crows Nest near Toowoomba, Qld; Enl.02Nov1918 having been a member of AANS 1st MD since 30Nov1917; Emb.09Nov1918 for India as Staff Nurse; posted to Freeman Thomas Hospital at Bombay 04Dec1918; posted to 43rd British General Hospital at Quetta 02Jun1919; Emb.03Sep1919 from Bombay for RTA; Disch.22Oct1919; WWII: Ida Elizabeth Horton Pearce (Q70215) mobilised and TOS 23Oct1940 as Sister Clerk; to T/Matron 01Jun1942; trf to AIF 22Sep1942 (QFX48911) with disability noted as 'over age' (age then was 54); to Major 23Mar1943; served in various military hospital, CCSs and camps in Australia; Appointment terminated 22Apr1944 as Major ex AANS HQ NC; to Retired List 28Apr1944; Died 01Jan1971.

Passed the Queensland State Nurses' Registration Examination held in March 1916 and qualified as a General Nurse. After WWI war service she returned to Queensland to work at St Martin's Hospital Brisbane and later as Matron at St Denis Private Hospital, Toowoomba. During WWII she served in Australia.

With research and two photos of the above medal.