The Military Medal awarded to Alice Ross-King in 1917 recognized her efforts to sustain patient care while tents collapsed around her during a night bombing raid at the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station. This act of gallantry solidified her reputation as one of Australia’s most distinguished military figures, marking a career that spanned both world wars.
Early Training and Enlistment
Born Alys Ross King in Ballarat in 1887, she underwent nursing training at The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. By 1914, she had established herself as a qualified theatre sister. Upon the outbreak of the First World War, she joined the Australian Army Nursing Service. To avoid confusion with another nurse named Alice King, she adopted the hyphenated surname Ross-King and simplified her first name.
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In 1914, Sister Ross-King deployed to Egypt with the 1st Australian General Hospital. She later served at a clearing station for Gallipoli casualties and assisted with wounded troops returning to Australia. In 1916, she moved with her unit to Rouen, France, to support the Somme Campaign. After briefly serving at the 10th Stationary Hospital in 1917, she transferred to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station near Trois Arbres. Following the bombing raid of July 1917, she received the Military Medal, an honor shared by only seven Australian nurses during the conflict. She was also mentioned in despatches and became an Associate of the Royal Red Cross in 1918.
Interwar Period and Second World War Leadership
After the war, she married Dr. Sydney Appleford and settled in Lang Lang, Victoria. She remained active in the nursing profession, focusing on the training of Voluntary Aid Detachment personnel. During the Second World War, she returned to military service with the rank of major. Appointed as senior assistant controller for Victoria within the Australian Army Medical Women's Service, she oversaw medical personnel in the state until 1951. In 1949, she received the Florence Nightingale Medal for her contributions.
Legacy and Recognition
Following the death of her husband in 1958, Alice Appleford lived in Cronulla until her passing in 1968. She was buried at Fawkner Memorial Park in Melbourne. Her service is commemorated through the annual Alice Appleford Memorial Award, established in 1970 for non-commissioned members of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps. In 2008, she was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, and her story reached a wider public through the book The Other ANZACs and the television series ANZAC Girls.
Fast facts
- Born: 1887, Ballarat
- Died: 1968, Sydney
- Highest Rank: Major
- Notable Award: Military Medal
- International Honor: Florence Nightingale Medal (1949)
- Professional Role: Theatre Sister
- State Recognition: Victorian Honour Roll of Women (2008)
Questions readers ask
Why is Alice Ross-King considered highly decorated?
She was one of only seven Australian nurses to receive the Military Medal for gallantry during the First World War and was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal in 1949.
What was her role in the Second World War?
She served as a major in the Australian Army Medical Women's Service, acting as the senior assistant controller for the state of Victoria.
Achievements
- Military Medal
- Florence Nightingale Medal — 1949
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