Short frogged dress jacket worn by Miss Lillian A M Franklin, First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, 1909 (c)

Lilian Franklin (1882-1955) joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) FANY in 1909 and served with considerable distinction during the war. She was mentioned in dispatches in 1917 and awarded an OBE in 1918. A natural leader, she was in charge of the first convoy of FANYs driving for the Army in 1916, and became commandant of the FANY in 1924. This pre-war uniform is striking and feminine, requiring a corset underneath to ensure the correct fit. By the time of the First World War (1914-1918) the uniform had changed to a sober khaki, with a more practical split skirt worn over riding breeches.