The Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) was an
Australian Army Reserve
The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...
unit which provided a pool of trained civilian
nurse
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...
s who had volunteered for military service during wartime. The AANS was formed in 1902 by amalgamating the nursing services of the colonial-era militaries, and formed part of the
Australian Army Medical Corps
The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...
.
During World War I, more than 2,286 women joined the AANS AIF for overseas service. Many of them served in
Casualty Clearing Stations. Hundreds more served in the AANS AMF on home service in Australia.
[Harris, Kirsty, 'Two heads are better than one': Melbourne as the hub of Australian Army nursing administration in World War 1', '' Victorian Historical Journal'', Vol. 83, No.2, November 2012, pp 235–254] After WWI, the AANS reverted to a Reserve. The AANS was mobilised again during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, and many of its members served overseas. Following the war several AANS nurses were posted to
Japan as part of the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
The British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) was the British Commonwealth taskforce consisting of Australian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952.
At its pea ...
. Th