“Bluebirds”

The horror of modern war was brought home to people in Australia as reports of appalling casualties and horrendous conditions on the Western Front filled newspapers. The German assault on Verdun in 1916 cost the lives of 370,000 French and more than 330,000 German soldiers. French morale was shattered and its army on the brink…

They Also Served

They Also Served

Sister Ida Jeanette Moreton was one of twenty trained nurses from New South Wales who volunteered to serve in French hospitals and medical centres during the Great War. Affectionately known as “Bluebirds” they wore a dark blue cloak trimmed in pale “NSW blue”. The Bluebirds served with the French Red Cross and although highly regarded…