Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

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Lot 2137    SESSION 11 (9.30AM THURSDAY 31ST MARCH)    Orders, Decorations & Medals - Australian Groups

Estimate $5,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $13,000

GROUP OF SIX TO AUSTRALIAN NURSE: Royal Red Cross First Class (GRI) with ribbon bow; 1914-15 Star; British War Medal 1914-18; Victory Medal 1914-19 with MID; Greek Medal for Military Merit 4th Class; Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve Cape Medal. First and fifth medals unnamed as issued, Sister L.E.Barrow. Q.A.I.M.N.S.R on second medal, Matron L.E.Barrow on third and fourth medals, L.E.Barrow 20th May. 1915 on last medal. The second to fourth medals impressed, the last medal engraved. The first and last medals loose, the last with pin-back ribbon suspender, the remaining four medals swing mounted, very fine - extremely fine.

Together with Gerrard & Co Ltd case for Royal Red Cross 1st Class.

RRC 1st Class: LG 12/12/1919, p15446 to Miss Lucy Emma Barrow, A.R.R.C., A/Matron, Q.A.I.M.N.S.R.

RRC 2nd Class: LG 1/1/1917, p46 to Sister, Miss L.E.Barrow.

Greece MM 4th Class: LG 26/11/1919, p14640 to Sister (acting Matron) Lucy Emma Barrow, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve).

MID: 1918 (no Gazette details).

Lucy Emma Barrow, born 30Jun1878 at Crystal Brook, Sth Aust; after school was trained in nursing at Adelaide Hospital (and Rua Rua Hospital) for 3 years and was appointed Probationary Nurse in Feb1906; completed a course in Invalid Cookery at the School of Mines and Industries, Adelaide in 1908; served as a Charge Nurse for 5 years and 4 months, Assistant Matron for 2 months and also completed 4 years and 5 months of Hospital Theatre work; member of Australian Trained Nurses' Association and the Royal British Nursing Association.

WWI: Volunteered 21Apr1915 and joined AANS and appointed 15May1915; Trf to QAIMNS 20May1915; Emb.20May1915 from Adelaide on the Mooltan for Egypt and began duty 15Jun1915 serving at No.17 General Hospital, Alexandria; then served 4 1/ 2 months on a hospital ship in the Aegean and then as a Theatre Sister at No.15 General Hospital in Egypt; awarded RRC 2nd Class in January 1917; Trf from Egypt to Salonika on 09May1918 serving at 25th Casualty Clearing Station, B.S.F. and was awarded the Greek Medal for Military Merit 4th Class; final posting was to 48th General Indian Hospital in Constantinople, Turkey as Acting Matron; RTA 18Sep1920; Arrived at Sydney, NSW 20Oct1920.

Post WWI: appointed Matron of the Hutchinson Hospital, Gawler, Sth Aust from 15Aug1923; then served at the Repatriation General Hospital, Keswick, Sth Aust from c1924 to 1938 (Sister Barrow was in a public relations group photo with Bert Hinkler during his visit to the Keswick Military Hospital - News, Adelaide Tuesday 17 April 1928, page 11); Died 10May1946 at a private hospital in Adelaide, Sth Aust; Buried at AIF War Cemetery, West Terrace, Adelaide.

Note: Lucy Barrow's brother, 229 Sgt Percival Gilbert Barrow, 6LHR, was killed in action on 8Nov1917 and buried in an orchard at Jemwawa, later exhumed and reburied at Gaza Military Cemetery.

An article published in the Bunyip, Gawler, Sth Aust on Friday 20 February 1920, page 2 reads as follows.

'Sister L.E.Barrow, daughter of Mr R.Barrow, N.S.W., and grand-daughter of the late John Barrow, of Ashwell, Templers has been honoured with the much coveted decoration of the Greek Order, and is now Matron of the 48th Indian General Hospital at Constantinople. This hospital contains 1,000 beds, and is maintained for the services of the Army of Occupation of the Black Sea. Nurse Lucy Barrow left South Australia on May 20, 1915, first going to Alexandria, thence to Lemnos Isle, where she assisted in the work entailed by our men in the attempt to open the Dardanelles. She then returned to Alexandria, to the 17th General Hospital, remaining there the greater part of the Egyptian and Palestine campaign. During this period she received the decoration of the Royal Red Cross Order. Sister Barrow then took up transport duties on hospital ships, and afterwards spent 15 months at the 25th Casualty Clearing Station, B.S.F., at Salonica, where she gained her Greek Order. In the Spring of 1919 she was ordered to Constantinople to take charge of the Hospital there. Sgt P.Barrow, a brother, was killed in Palestine in November 1917.'

With copies of Gazette pages and other research.

Estimate / sale price does not include buyer's premium (currently 22% including GST) which is added to hammer price. All bids are executed on the understanding that the Terms & Conditions of sale have been read and accepted. For information on grading and estimates please refer to the Buying at Auction advice.

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