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1939-45  • Civil Nursing Reserve & VAD

.• Nursing Auxiliary • CNR and Voluntary Aid Detachment • VAD
CNR Auxiliary Nursecivil nursing reserve badge

Anticipated civilian injuries from air raids prompted the government to recruit a further reserve of Nursing Auxiliaries.
The Civil Nursing Reserve was formed for this purpose.

CNR Nursing Auxiliary 1943
Nursing Auxiliaries, as here, wore a blue overall with the letters NA on the chest & a "Halifax" cap.
The letters NA are often hidden by the apron bib so look carefully at your photograph.

The CNR were primarily intended for work in Civilian Hospitals and First Aid Posts. They were in addition to Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses who were for use in Military hospitals.The Civil Nursing Reserve was one of the choices which faced young women called up for National Service . Untrained women could become Nursing Auxiliaries.A full time CNR Auxiliary who lived at home was paid £2 per week.CNR Nurses were given a chrome badge to wear on Civilian clothing.

For Red Cross VAD nurses the apron bore a large red cross with a smaller cross on the headscarf. The high starched collar worn during the Great War was not worn by VAD nurses of the Second World War and the bib of the apron was fixed by two safety pins.


• Above date about 1944

Age about 19 years old  • Estimate: born 1925 ± 3 years
VAD