Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade (Q.A.T.B.) silver badge

The Q.A.T.B. was formed in 1902, evolving from the City Ambulance Transport Brigade (C.A.T.B.) which began in Brisbane in 1892. The badge features a red Maltese Cross, a common symbol in ambulance services, designed by two C.A.T.B. Bearers, Seymour Warrian and Eustace Jack, while travelling to and from Ipswich by train for first aid instruction in 1892. The Maltese cross was highly favoured by Queen Victoria, arising from her special sympathy for the sick and injured, and her high regard for those who served others.
The Q.A.T.B. was responsible for instructing in first aid, transporting the sick and injured, and teaching basic nursing and sanitation principles.
In 1991, the Q.A.T.B. became a state-run service, transitioning into the Queensland Ambulance Service (Q.A.S.).

The maker of the badge was jeweller Wallace Bishop, who arrived in Queensland in 1909 having experience of jewellery and goldsmithing in England in the late 19th century. He was initially employed by jewellers in Queen Street, Brisbane before establishing his own manufacturing business in 1917, dating the badge to after that time.