Just Do Something - Life in Officer Training at the QARANC by Wendy H. Jones

 

There are some things that are forever imprinted on your mind – my time as an Officer in Training at the QATC is one of those things. To use a well-used phrase, from the wonderful Charles Dickens, ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. For me. It was a confusing time.

 

Let me take you back seven years when I joined the QARNNS as a student nurse. Bear with me, this is relevant. They shaped me up and taught me how to march, how to salute and behave like a good sailor on any ship would. The important word here is ship. Saluting - short up, short down, make sure you don’t have your palm showing. No flashing those mucky tar or coal covered hands to royalty. Marching – use as few steps as possible, there’s not much room on a ship. Okay, I’ve got that. I can do this. 

 

Then, I get accepted into a commission in the QARANC. Lieutenant Jones, tuns up bright eyed and bushy tailed at the QATC knowing exactly where she was going with all of this. I can do this. Then, I discovered quite quickly that I really couldn’t do it. Saluting – long up, short down. Marching – multiply the naval count by three. You’ve got loads of room. My body was willing to do what the Army wanted. My brain was saying not on your nelly. Every time I tried to salute, my hand wavered in the air trying to make a decision. This led to our OIC, Major Laura Curwen, saying - on many occasions - Lieutenant Jones, just do something. I think by this point she didn’t care which I did, as long as I completed the salute. She was long suffering indeed. 

 

The QATC did have its high points and its laugh out loud points. Who could ever forget being taught how to open a banana with a knife and fork? For those newer to the corps, I kid you not. I, personally, will never forget Major Curwen’s face as she showed us how to wear our handbag correctly. I wish we’d been allowed to take photos. Anyone who was at the QATC will also remember the one rather fancy toilet decked out for visiting Royalty. At least we weren't painting the coal white for visiting Royalty, which my mother had to do during her time in the WRAC.  

We were asked to put on a review. I wrote a song based on John’s Brown’s Body, all about our time at the QATC and we all sang it together. Here’s a bit of it below.

Now we're in the Army, Major Curwen is our head,

Making sure we're up at dawn we cannot stay abed,

Shaping, moulding, telling us we're now in grey and red,

We're exhausted all the time.

Now we’re in the army Major Quickfall and Captain Field,

Teach us all about the blast, the heat the flash the yield,

Then it’s in the CS gas check respirators sealed,

We’re exhausted all the time.

 

I was destined for a writing career even then and perhaps that is what set me on my future career as an author. Something else to thank the QATC for.  

 

So, on balance, I can say it was the best of times, not the worst of times. I had a blast and it led to 17 years of adventure and personal and career development. I cherish every minute and the friends I made. I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

 

About the Writer

 

Wendy H. Jones served as a Nursing Officer in the QARANC between 1987 and 2004 leaving with the rank of Major. She never went on an operational tour but undertook many exercises as well as serving in numerous units in both the UK and overseas. Hong Kong and Jerusalem had to be two of the highlights. Moving into nurse education, she was proud to have served as Tri-Service Head of Pre-Registration Nurse Education. This brought her full circle to where she started as a student nurse in the QARNNS. She is now an author and lives in Scotland. 

Why Jurassic Coast? - by Marjorie Bandy and Pat McKay

On the South Coast originally was the Bournemouth Branch which after many years had run its course eventually leading to branch closure. Three of the members who were left, Marjorie, Pat and Dot decided to explore the possibility of forming a new branch. We contacted everyone we know in the area and this contact list was boosted by the enthusiasm of the late Pauline Nowak who seemed to be in contact with everyone! Consequently a “tester” meeting and fish and chips lunch was held at the Lobster Pot besides the Portland Bill lighthouse. We were delighted to welcome 17 ex QA’s including Mary Gardiner and Eveline Duff both well into their 90’s.

At the lunch everyone agreed that it was worth going forward with our plan. The name of the new branch was obvious as we were sitting right on the Jurassic Coast. Pat immediately christened us the Old Fossils!! Pauline came back straight away with Dynamic Dinosaurs. Boosted by this success we applied to RHQ to open a new branch. The inaugural meeting took place on 21st January 2012 at the Red Lion Salisbury. As this was the first new branch in a very long time the then Director Colonel Peter Childerley joined us for lunch.

Our philosophy has always been “you join an association not just a branch” and to that end we have welcomed members from branches across the UK to our various events. We have also welcomed partners and friends to join us on our jollies.

Since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic the branch has enthusiastically embraced a new kind of drinks party thanks to Zoom, [ we previously thought that this was the first line of a children’s nursery rhyme.] On Saturday evenings we have been enthralled by the variety of adventures that some of our Dynamic Dinosaurs have undertaken. This has led to our perceived need for a Branch BLOG. Few of us keep diaries these days and experiences since the end of WW2 are likely to go unrecorded. This is your platform fellow association members, to record all those seemingly ordinary events during your service, which civilians could not comprehend as “an ordinary day.” We look forward to reading your stories.



Lt Col [Retd] Marjorie Bandy RRC Branch Chairman Served 1975 – 2003

Major [Retd] Pat McKay ARRC Branch Secretary Served 1976 - 1996