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1917 Army Nurse Corps Uniform Coat

 

This 1917 vintage Army Nurse Corps coat made of wool was originally dark blue however, over the years the blue faded to a brownish-purple color. On the lapel is the then new Army NurseCorps branch insignia - ANC over the Medical Corps symbol. The chevrons on the left sleeve indicate one year of service in France.1917 Army Nurse Corps Uniform Coat.

The Army Nurse Corps (1901) and the Medical Reserve Corps (1908) maintained a small number of nurses on reserve status; these nurses were mobilized when America entered World War I. Over 5,000 Army nurses served in Europe between 1917 and 1919. (Today's Army Reserve is a direct descendent of the Medical Reserve Corps).


                                                                                       


The National Museum of the Army Reserve is located in the Army Reserve Command Headquarters building at Fort McPherson, GA. The hours of operation are M-F 0800-1600, closed Federal holidays. Admission is free. Visitors are required to have a government issued photo ID for access to Fort McPherson. For more information, please call (404) 464-8465. 1917 Army Nurse Corps Uniform Coat

Historical information provided by the museum's Chief Curator, Christopher Kolakowski.
Photographs by Christopher Ruff, Museum Curator.

World War I U.S. Army Nurse Indoor Cap

Preserved and pressed into the pages of an Army nurse's photo album, this cap was part of the uniform of American Expeditionary Force (AEF) nurses in World War I. The Army Nurse Corps was officially established in 1901 by an act of Congress as a permanent part of the Army Medical Department.

This cap belonged to a nurse recruited for one of the AEF Base Hospital units. The cap is made of fine linen and sports a front double band with the Geneva cross symbol of the American Red Cross and a button back. As a nurse making her rounds, headgear such as this would have been a welcome sight to the wounded doughboys.
 

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