This certificate was issued to Mary Freitag on 6th June 1910 on completion of her three years' training at St. Vincent's Training School for Nurses. It is signed by Mary Berchmans Daly, the Mother Rectress, and by A. E. Rowden-White, the honorary lecturer. Mary Freitag registered as a nurse and then went on to join the Australian Army Nursing Service in June 1917 and was posted to the Deccan War Hospital at Poona, India, which had 1,200 beds. There she tended the wounded soldiers brought from the battlefiends of Mesopotamia (Iraq). In March 1919, Mary then served on the hospital ship Varela before leaving the nursing corps to marry in September 1919.This item is of historical significance as an example of a graduation certificate that was issued to nurses at that time. It is a record of the service of Mary Freitag and it includes the signature of the Mother Rectress, Mary Berchmans Daly.Certificate hard bound in board covered with black leather. Gold lettering and a gold border decorate the front of the cover. The cover folds out to show printed certificate inside. Certificate inside is printed with nurse's name and signatures in black fountain pen.Nurse's name handwritten in black ink on the certificate: "Nurse Mary Freitag" Certificate is signed at the bottom: "A. E. Rowden-White, Mr" Hon. lecturer and "Mary Berchmans Daly", Mother Rectress. "6th June 1910" is written on the lower left of the certificate.nursing, world war i, graduation certificates, australian army nursing service, hospital ship varela, deccan war hospital, st vincent's hospital melbourne