Red Cross Volunteer Motor Corps enamel badge
c. 1915World War One era oval, slightly convex Red Cross Volunteer Motor Corps metal and enamel badge. The badge has a broad border of dark blue enamel in which the words 'Red Cross Volunteer Motor Corps' are embedded in gold letters. The blue band is bordered on both sides by a thin layer of gold metal.
The central image is of a gold vintage car with the bonnet facing to the left on a white background. A red enamel cross is positioned below the centre of the car and extends through the blue border to the bottom edge of the badge.
The reverse is plain metal with a central stamped maker's mark, reading 'Stokes & Sons Melb.'.The reverse also has a horizontal brooch pin for attachment.
The Australian Red cross Society set up a transport service in 1915, driving soldiers who had returned on the hospital ships to their homes or convalescent facilities. By the end of 1916 the Service included 2,500 cars, with more than half overseas, working on the battlefields of France, Italy and East Africa. Transport duties included daily ambulance rounds to hospitals, weekly outings with patients, and delivering and collecting materials. The Australian Red Cross also developed the Cycle and Motor Cycle Corps, with volunteers delivering special Red Cross messages or small parcels.
The busiest time for the Transport service came at the end of World War Two when volunteer drivers met thousands of wounded servicemen and returning prisoners of war.
This badge is believed to date to the World War One period based on the style of vehicle depicted and the use of the description 'Motor Corps' rather than Transport Service. A certificate issued to one of the volunteer drivers is held in the collection.
Details
Details
In centre of reverse:
"STOKES & SONS
MELB."
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