24/04/2026
🇦🇺 This , we remember not only those who served on the front lines - but those who fought just as bravely behind them.
Alice Ross-King was one of them.
Her story is one of quiet courage, resilience, and service - the very spirit of .
Today, we honour her, and all who have served.
Major Alice Ross-King served in both WWI and WII.
On the night of 22 July 1917, when the Australian Casualty Clearing Station she was working in near the trenches in France was bombed by German aircraft, she ran into bomb shattered tents to rescue patients - either by carrying them to safety or placing tables over patients' beds in an effort to protect them.
Alice and three other nurses, Dorothy Cawood, Mary Jane Derrer, and Clare Deacon, were awarded the Military Medal for their actions during the attack.
When WWI finished, she returned to Australia, and met her husband Sydney Theodore Appleford on the boat home. They settled in South Gippsland and had four children.
During the Second World War she enlisted for full-time duty with the VADs. By 1942 the VADs had developed into the Australian Army Women's Medical Services and Alice Appleford was commissioned as a major and appointed senior assistant controller for Victoria. She was awarded the Florence Nightingale medal in 1949 by the International Red Cross.
Alice was an absolutely incredible woman. She was a selfless leader who truly embodied the ANZAC spirit.
We share her story in honour of Women's History Month, and take this opportunity to thank all our dedicated service nurses. Lest we forget.
