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| RRC on bow |
Obverse |
Obverse |
Reverse |
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| Side view |
Side view |
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The RRC was
founded on 23 April 1883 by Queen Victoria and was originally awarded in one
class only. The Second Class was introduced in November 1915 and the bar for a second award of the
First Class was instituted in December 1917. Those
awarded the First Class are designated "Members"
and those
awarded the Second Class are designated "Associates" with post nominal letters RRC and ARRC respectively. The award is only conferred on the Nursing
Services. The Statutes of the Order provide for
promotion from the Second to the First Class.
It is awarded to fully trained Nurses of the official
Nursing Services who have shown exceptional devotion and competency in the
performance of actual nursing duties, over a continuous and long period, or
performed an exceptional act of bravery and devotion to her post of duty.
The badge of either class is worn suspended from a bow on
the left shoulder. It has been said that the suggestion for the founding of this
decoration was made to Queen Victoria by Miss Florence Nightingale.
The RRC cross is
1.375 inches wide, enamelled red, and edged with gold, with a circular medallion
at its centre. The obverse of the RRC that was awarded during the Boer War shows a
veiled head of Victoria
in the centre, with the words Faith (top), Hope (left), Charity (right), and
1883 (bottom) in gold on the arms of the cross. The reverse has the Royal Cypher of the reigning monarch in the centre, surmounted by a crown. The light
blue ribbon is one inch wide, with red edge stripes (0.25" wide). A rosette is
worn on the ribbon in undress to denote a bar to the RRC.
The errata ‘SA Honours and Awards’
page 127 state that Supts Misses M Thomas, S E Webb, S E Oram, Nursing
sister Miss L W Tulloh were appointed to the RRC on 27 Sep 01 but that a
notice appeared in the Gzette on 26 Jun 02 cancelling that and stating that
they had been enrolled in Honorary Associates of the Grand Priory of the
Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.
