From:Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum
Name/TitleAIF Female Relatives' Badge
About this objectBadge made from silver and decorated with blue enamel. A blue enamel circle surrounds the voided word 'AIF' and is inscribed with the words 'Issued by the Dept of Defence to Women of Australia’. Beneath the oval is a scroll inscribed ‘For Duty Done’, and the oval is capped with a crown.
Female Relative's Badge from the Great War. Under Military Order 280 of 1917 (later Military Order 1818 of 1918), badges such as this were issued by the Department of Defence ‘To Women of Australia for Duty Done’. Badges like this one were issued to the closest female relative of soldiers, airmen, nurses, and masseuses who left Australia for active service abroad. An alternative badge was also issued to the closest female relative of sailors serving in the Royal Australian Navy.
The original owner of this badge remains unknown. It has a serial number of 29426. NAA: MT1384/2, BOOK 129, Register of Mothers' and Widows' Badge - 4th Military District, WWI - South Australia, p. 239, lists the number, but no name was recorded. Bars were added to the base of the badge to indicate other relatives serving overseas.
MakerWM McLean and Co
Maker RoleManufacturer
Date Made1914-1918
Period1914-1918
Place MadeAustralia
Place NotesMelbourne
Medium and MaterialsSterling Silver
Inscription and MarksOn the front: ISSUED BY DEPT OF DEFENCE - TO WOMEN OF AUSTRALIA
On the scroll: For Duty Done
On the back of the crown: WM McLean & Co. STG. SIL
On the back: 29426
Measurements32 x 30mm
Subject and Association KeywordsAustralian Imperial Force (AIF)
Subject and Association KeywordsDaily Life
Subject and Association KeywordsWorld War I
Subject and Association KeywordsMedals
Subject and Association KeywordsThe Great War
Object TypeBadges/Medals
Object number2025.969
Copyright LicenceAll rights reserved
