Description
Object description
simple name
Physical description
Double-breasted open-collared jacket of midnight blue fabric with two rows of three black plastic crested buttons, St John's Ambulance Brigade insignia to the right breast, Mobile VAD patch the lower left sleeve, and four small horizontal Maltese Cross emblems below. To the epaulettes are attached white metal titles wit ht he text, "NORTHANTS".
Label
Voluntary Aid Detachments (VAD) were initially recruited from members of The Red Cross Society, St John's Ambulance Brigade, and St Andrew's Ambulance Association. Members were classified as either Mobile or Immobile, the former agreeing to serve overseas, the latter within reach of their homes. Mobile members were aged between 21-40 (later changed 19-45), whilst Immobile were 18-65. The role of these two respective groups was thus that Mobile members were to provide staff for Service hospitals, whilst their colleagues would be employed in Emergency Medical Services Hospitals.
Depending which Service the Mobile VAD served with, she would wear an Outdoor Uniform that featured additional badges and insignia that would identify the branch of service. For example, the dark blue cap, white shirt, black tie, dark blue skirt & jacket would feature RNH/anchor patch to upper left sleeve for naval appointments, whilst those attached to the Army would wear the RAMC badge to their left breast, and those with the RAF would wear a gilt winged caduceus on the collar points. All would wear the cloth embroidered Mobile badge to the lower left sleeve. Red trim around the cap band would indicate officer status, whilst white was worn by British Red Cross Members.
History note
Part of the 'Outdoor Uniform' worn by Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse Alma May Rouse during the Second World War. Rouse, born 3 March 1916 in Northampton, joined the St John Ambulance in Northampton on 25 September 1935, trained in nursing at the RAF Hospital, Cranwell in 1939 and became a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) shortly after the outbreak of the Second World War. From January 1942 to February 1945, Rouse served at MH St Hugh's in Oxford, a military hospital specifically for head injuries. In March 1945, Rouse was assigned to the 21st Army Group in Europe, where she served at 111 British General Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, followed by 105 British General Hospital in De Haan, Belgium from November 1945 until her release in March 1946.