Australia’s repatriation system was generally considered one of the most generous in the world when it was established during World War I, but the care it provided to veterans has been the subject of much debate since its inception. In the 1950s, the Repatriation Department faced specific criticisms from voluntary organisations, such as the Returned Services League of Australia and Edith Cavell Trust Fund, over access to repatriation hospitals and aged care for returned nurses of World War I. Focusing on these debates between the voluntary sector and the federal government around the care provisions for this group of veterans, the article explores the reactionary attitudes of the Repatriation Department to the needs of these women as they reached old age. It argues that returned nurses faced considerable disadvantages in accessing benefits from the department on the basis of gender, which were further accentuated as they aged.

第一次世界大战期间，澳大利亚的遣返制度被认为是世界上最慷慨的制度之一，但自成立以来，它对退伍军人的照顾一直是许多辩论的主题。在1950年代，遣返部在第一次世界大战中归国护士的遣返医院和老年护理方面面临着来自澳大利亚回国服务同盟和伊迪丝·卡维尔信托基金等志愿组织的具体批评。志愿部门和联邦政府围绕对这批退伍军人的照顾规定，文章探讨了遣返部对这些年老妇女的需求的反应态度。