Historical information

The Female Relative's Badge was issued to the wife and/or mother, or to the nearest female relative of soldiers, nurses and masseurs who had left Australia for active service abroad during the First World War. The service number of the relative is inscribed on the back of the badge. A bar(s) suspended below the badge was issued for each additional relative, son or daughter serving. (taken from awm.gov.au).
The provenance of this badge is unknown. A search on the defence force numbers has been unsuccessful to ascertain the owner of the badge. More research would be required.

Significance

Shows the importance placed on having relatives serving in the Defence Forces.

Physical description

Silver badge with blue enamel and safety chain. A.I.F. in cutout script in the centre of an oval. Oval has blue enamel with silver text "Issued by the Dept of Defence to Women of Australia". An enamelled scroll beneath this contains the word "For Duty Done". The badge is surmounted by a King's Crown. A brooch fastening and a safety chain are attached to the back, the original safety pin is missing. Two bars are suspended from the bottom of the badge indicating a total of 3 relatives serving overseas.

Inscriptions & markings

Defence force numbers 33370, 20232 and 20233 inscribed on back. Manufacturer mark "WM Mclean & Co / Melb / STG SIL"