Australian Dress Register

This jacket was donated to the Port Macquarie Historical Society by sisters Ena Maude Wilson [1909-1985] and Marjorie Wilson [1919-2003] in 1985. The donor's were descendants of Thomas George Wilson [1819-1883] and Ellen Vaughan Wilson (nee Thompson) [1819-1887] who married in Sydney in 1845 and after a time in Sydney and then Walcha, settled at 'Willesbro' Rollands Plains, near Port Macquarie in 1867. Ellen was the daughter of Dr John Vaughan Thompson [1779-1847] and Martha Thompson (nee Solomon) [1800-1832].

It is believed that the jacket was handed down through the family together with the family property 'Willesbro' to T G Wilson's eldest son George John Wilson [1846-1919], and then to his son Roger Williamson Wilson [1880-1948] and then to his daughters, the donors Ena Maude and Marjorie Wilson.

The donors' nephew Roger Wilson has recollections of the jacket being stored in a lead lined trunk on the back verandah at 'Willesbro' and was told that it belonged to the 'old fellow' who the family had originally though was Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson, however it has become clear that the jacket could only have belonged to John Vaughan Thompson. Roger Wilson also recalls that it was often said that Ellen Wilson, Thompson's daughter was very close to her father.

This jacket is mentioned in a number of correspondences between the Port Macquarie Historical Society and R H Montague, who confirmed that the jacket was worn as part of an officer's uniform of the Royal Army Medical Corp and specifically as a Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals. According to Montague, Deputy Inspector of Hospitals was a similar rank to Colonel and the length of the gold bullion on the epaulettes indicates this. The jacket would have been worn only on full dress occasions and for everyday duty Thompson would have worn a  more practical dark blue single breasted frock coat which bore minimum decoration.

A hand-tinted calotype photograph portrait of Jonathon Croft [1785-1862] wearing a similar dress jacket and epaulettes is held in the Powerhouse Museum collection. Croft was appointed to the role of Deputy Purveyor of Hospitals at the Sydney (Rum) Hospital in 1836 and worked alongside John Vaughan Thompson. Croft's role was to ensure and control medical supplies, Thompson's role was to manage medical services and staff.

John Vaughan Thompson migrated to NSW in 1836 as the first Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals in the NSW colony. He was in charge of convict medical services and hospitals. His appointment was the result of a reorganisation of the Colonial Medical Service in 1836 to military rule. Thompson's responsibilites and lines of communication with his army superiors were precisely defined and the medical services also had certain civilian responsibilites. Early on this responsibility was a source of friction between Thompson and the Colonial Secretary as Thompson was allowed direct and personal contact with the Governor. Likewise Thompson's appointment was not popular with the Colonial Surgeons who saw a loss of position and location from the reorganisation, nor did they like Thompson's autocratic attitude. Thompson held the position for several years until his retirement in 1844.

The first military medical officers to arrive in Australia came with the first fleet in 1788. They wore the uniform of the Corps to which they belonged as had been the custom since 1660. From September 1797 it was laid down that the full dress for surgeons was to be a scarlet coat with the distinctive buttons of their regiment but without epaulettes or lapels, a plain red collar and cuffs with white waistcoat and breeches. In 1804 further regulations were introduced to define the dress worn by senior staff such as deputy inspector generals of hospitals. This was to consist of a scarlet coat with black velvet collar and cuffs with gilt buttons bearing the words 'Hospital Staff' around a crown in the centre. In 1822 the traditional scarlet jacket was changed to blue and in 1830 changed to scarlet again. King William IV reigned from 26 June 1830 to 20 June 1837 and was responsible for many changes to British Army dress between 1830 and 1834 and apparently felt strongly that all his soldiers should wear red coats.

The Andrews of Coleraine and the Wilsons of Willesbro, Roger Williamson Wilson, 2006, self published

Dictionary of National Biography Volume 56 John Vaughan Thompson, Frederick William Gamble

A History of Medical Administration in NSW, C J Cummins, 2003

Sydney Gazette, Saturday 18 June 1836, p4

Dress and insignia of the British Army in Australia and New Zealand, 1770-1870, R H Montague, 1981

Port Macquarie Historical Society archives and collection records

Exhibited at the Port Macqurie Historical Musuem in the Wilson family display from the late 1980s to 2012.

Decorative cord and gilt buttons used on collar and cuffs. Decorative cord detail, gilt buttons and silver filigree oak leaf appliques on split tails. Detachable gold bullion and silver filligree epaulettes decorate each shoulder.

Decorative cord at collar and cuffs

Jacket is made from red wool flannel with red velvet trim, gilt impressed buttons, silk, cotton and wool linings and has detachable gold bullion and silver filigree epaulettes with leather ties.

The jacket is entirely hand sewn.

Gilt buttons feature as decoration on the collar, cuffs and tails and also as fastenings at the jacket front. All buttons feature the words Medical Staff and the Royal cypher of King William IV.

The jacket front and underarms are padded with what appears to be wool wadding.

A couple of small holes and fabric damage appear to be caused by insects.