St John Archive

Explore Your Archive 2024: Fashion

Posted Monday 25th November

Museum of the Order of St John Sophie Denman (Archivist)

Today is the fifth day of Explore Your Archive, a of celebration of archives of all kinds across the nation, organised by the Archives & Records Association for UK & Ireland, and today’s theme is ‘Fashion’.

St John Ambulance is not an organisation you might immediately associate with fashion. However, its members wear uniforms that, while not created for fashion, echo the styles of the time.

Here are two photographs of Australian St John Ambulance Brigade members c.1920 wearing their uniforms. What do you notice about the uniforms? Would you like to wear these uniforms while on public first aid duty?

A black and white full-length photograph of a white woman wearing uniform. She has plain black low-heeled shoes on her feet and dark tights. She is wearing a dark overcoat with badges on the left arm, and visible underneath is a white collar. She is wearing a dark rounded hat with a wide brim on her head. — An Australian St John Ambulance Brigade nurse wearing the uniform of a nursing sister (Museum ref: PHA4021/2)

A black and white full-length photograph of a white man wearing uniform. He is wearing dark trousers and a dark jacket, with medals pinned to his left breast. He has a dark belt around his waist, and is wearing a dark cross-body bag from his right-hand shoulder. A white shirt with a dark tie is visible under his jacket. He is also wearing a dark peaked cap with a light coloured badge in the centre. — An Australian St John Ambulance Brigade officer wearing his officers’ uniform (Museum ref: PHA4021/1)

An Australian St John Ambulance Brigade nurse wearing the uniform of a nursing sister (Museum ref: PHA4021/2)
An Australian St John Ambulance Brigade officer wearing his officers' uniform (Museum ref: PHA4021/1)