Today in 1920, the Royal Australian Navy added a woman to its ranks for the very first time.
Her name was Nancy Bentley, and while she was a groundbreaker, she wasn’t trying to push for women’s rights or make the military more equitable.
She wasn’t even trying to join the Navy at the time.
Nancy Bentley was six years old, and the Navy “enlisted” her in an effort to save her life.
Bentley lived in Port Arthur, Tasmania, with her parents and brothers.
The kids had been out by the coast, listening to music from a band from the Navy ship HMAS Sydney.
As they started to head home, walking through tall grass, Nancy tripped over a whip snake, which bit her.
It’s never good to get a snakebite, but it was especially bad in 1920s Tasmania; the nearest doctor was miles and miles away.
But there was another option: HMAS Sydney had a medical team on board.
Bentley’s father rowed the girl out to the ship to see if they could treat her for snakebite.
They could, but Captain Henry Cayley realized there were a couple issues: technically, HMAS Sydney was not supposed to treat civilians, and there were strict naval regulations forbidding any female on board a ship.
But Cayley came up with a workaround: they could treat Nancy Bentley if she was part of the crew.
So they signed her up for the Royal Australian Navy, with a rank of “mascot,” and she got first aid treatment on board.
They sailed her to Hobart to get further treatment, and kept her comfortable and entertained while she recovered (at one point she even got to go to see a movie with her fellow sailors).
After eight days as a Navy mascot, Nancy Bentley was discharged to her family.
Her official conduct sheet said she was an “exceptional” crew member with “very good” character.
And her shipmates sent her home with her very own custom-made Navy uniform, and lots and lots of chocolate.
Starting tomorrow in New Orleans, it’s Beignet Fest.
The annual event raises money for kids with autism and their families in the sweetest, tastiest way possible: fried dough covered with sugar and other delicious toppings.
I’m not gonna say no if you want to bring a few my way.
Before her time – the tale of Navy’s first female sailor (NavyHistory.au)
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Photo held by John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, via Wikicommons