A WEEKEND IN CHINA IN 1978 By Judy Evans

I was posted to the British Military Hospital in Hong Kong in September 1976. Two or three days later came the news of the death of the Chinese ruler, Mao Tse-tung (Mao Zedong). He had ruled for 27 years and under his dictatorship China was a completely closed country. During the following two years, there were gradual changes until in 1978 it become possible to visit by joining an organised tour.

I was working, on attachment, in HMS Tamar and the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service sister and I decided to seek permission to join such a tour. This was granted although security briefings were necessary both before and after travel and we were warned of possible problems which we might encounter. We had to obtain visas and told to keep our passports with us at all times.

We joined the tour at Hong Kong railway station for the journey up to Canton (now Guangzhou). The train was elderly but comfortable enough for the relatively short journey and we were regularly served cups of tea from a large thermos flask into china mugs as the journey progressed. We travelled through the New Territories and then had to disembark at the border for our papers to be checked and then on we went. We passed paddy fields with mainly women working in the fields, few cars but many bicycles and rickety, ancient lorries.

At last we reached our destination, the rather grand Canton railway station. I recall that there were approximately twelve people in our party with a guide from Hong Kong but we met our Chinese guide when we boarded the minibus which would transport us around the sights.

The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly Sun Yat -sen’s Memorial Hall which was obviously a place of huge pride. He had been the first chairman of the Republic of China and died in 1926 and the Hall was completed in 1931. It was indeed very impressive and surrounded by beautifully tended gardens. 

However, in these early days of tourism there was not much else to see. We did visit a couple of factories, one of which produced the tiniest clay figures of which I bought a couple which survive to this day. 

Add caption

We were taken to a state owned department store but there was little to buy. There were a few Chinese state owned department stores in Hong Kong with much more stock than here. Everything was poorly made and rather tacky. My impression is of crowded streets with people dressed in grey and many many bicycles. There was an attempt to tell us how good things were but the comparison with Hong Kong could not be denied. We were not encouraged to walk around without our guide. 

Our hotel was clean but very basic but what could we expect? Cantonese food is perhaps the least tasty of Chinese cuisine and back then even more so perhaps with congee which is a rice porridge and very bland at breakfast and meat and vegetables in a thin sauce with rice for the other two meals each day. The beer though was most satisfactory!

Being a tall Caucasian woman, I found myself being stared at quite a lot. I smiled and they tended to look away! We returned to Hong Kong where we were debriefed by a representative from the Intelligence Corps at HQ British Forces but we could report nothing out of the ordinary. We had met great courtesy throughout the visit but we were happy to get back to the hustle and bustle of capitalist Hong Kong from where I was to be posted a week or so later. I was fortunate to have been in the country when I was, as over the next few years China was to change out of all recognition.

Judy Evans

WET FEET - Rae Gunn

1984 a year to be remembered for so many different reasons, but a year for adventures and surprises and taking on the world. 

I’m going to go back a few months to the beginning of Autumn of 1983 - the year I turned 21 and the year I qualified as a State Enrolled Nurse (SEN). Today there is no such thing, but back then just over 2 years into becoming a QA I qualified along with the rest of the girls in our intake. I was on my first ward as a trained nurse at RAF Wroughton and many of us were starting to go our own way on separate postings for the first time leaving our friends behind ... at this point I was set to stay in my posting at Wroughton for the foreseeable future and I was happy ... Fast Forward to the end of October of this year and a close friend was heading down the road of getting married and had just received her first posting as a qualified nurse .... The Falkland Islands (new husband was heading to Ireland - not unusual in those days for husbands and wives to go in very different directions). To say she was distraught is an understatement.

So Fast Forward to April 1984 , and there I was stationed in the Falkland Islands, and had been there four full months, having volunteered to take her place, a decision I definitely do not regret.

With little time off while we were there, we found that there was never a dull day off to be had, and with very few girls amongst the troops at that time we were always invited to something on our days off and nights off, heading out for a party somewhere meant nice clothes and generally wellies, mine were yellow and had probably belonged to a few other QAs before myself.

So on this particular day we were invited to a Magical Mystery tour - just turn up they said - so turn up we did , our transport would be awaiting for us they said , and it was in the form of a helicopter - now it was a long time ago so I don’t recall the type I just remember getting on with the other girls very excited - fearless in those days to try something new, we flew over the islands loving the ride not a clue where we were to land - landing it turned out was not an option - they flew us out to sea , and then pointed out where were going , there in front and just breaking the surface was a nuclear submarine - what probably didn’t enter my mind at that point was how we were to get on board

Sometime later following what involved a harness a winch and a lot of encouragement to step out of a flying helicopter , I found myself inside the conning tower of the submarine - climbing down the ladder and eventually coming out inside the main body of the sub - now if I was to say that the inside of the conning tower is dark and the ladder does not go straight down and there were hands of guidance on the way down I am sure you will use your imagination - the days of men only at sea.

The sub was amazing, never could I have imagined how small it was inside and at what close quarters they lived .. our tour was fascinating, we listened to whale sonic wave sounds and were able to see where the nuclear war heads were stored in readiness. At this point knowing we were deep beneath the South Atlantic never crossed my mind - as we were technically still in a war zone we were not to stay on the surface for very long - whilst we were below the weather had turned and the surface was not a good place to be, as a submarine has very little stability when surfaced - but a small group of QA officers and junior ranks being accommodated overnight on board was not an option , not because of where we could be bunked for the night , but because we were woman - the thought for the crew was unthinkable ...

It was decided to bring the helicopter in even though the flying conditions weren’t great .....So here I was again heading this time up the conning tower , it was dark and I think they were very keen for us to leave as there felt like many, many hands pushing me from the rear end, shall we say, to ensure I kept moving upwards ... the sub was very, very unstable on the surface and the helicopter was hovering above , from somewhere in the dark as it was now late in the evening a winch and harness appeared and I was strapped in for the ride of my life - just as they started to winch the South Atlantic sea surged, the submarine rocked to the side and the helicopter dipped, not the best combination when its cold dark very windy and you are suspended somewhere in the middle dangling about in mid-air, or so I thought, with one big wave I found myself paddling far out to sea , boots and trousers now wet and freezing cold, bright lights shining from above, but thankfully still very much attached to the winch ...heading up I think I would be forgiven for thinking I was heading towards the ‘ Other’ light on this occasion ...but thankfully no .... once safely in the helicopter and all other members of our party were aboard the submarine went back below and we headed back to Stanley, on a total high from the day we had had , very tired and some of us rather wet ...

Rae Gunn

Former QARANC

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTHCARE EDUCATION

During the year where everything has been cancelled or put on hold, DHE were determined to still go ahead with Remembrance Day commemorations by holding a virtual event for both the Chain of Command and Tri-service Nursing students across three years of training.

After an opening address by the OC DHE Major Burden, a recording was played from three retired QARANC nursing officers – Lt Col M Bate, Major K Foster and Captain J Westbury. They highlighted the vital role of military nurses during the Gulf War and the trials they faced caring for such a vast multitude of patients while also sharing their own personal views on events during the war. I believe this also provided a reflection for nursing students on how medicine has advanced so rapidly upon viewing the pictures that were shown to us and the stories which were shared.

There were also recordings from two past QARNNS nurses, R Webb and PONN J Nicholls who shared their own personal experiences from working as Naval nurses, their journeys in their military careers and, also their careers within the NHS after leaving the Royal Navy. This gave an insight to the opportunities available to military nurses during their careers with many opportunities for specialisms and motivation to those still in training.

At 11am, the last post was sounded and a two minutes silence was observed in order to remember those who have served and lost their lives in giving the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms both during the First and Second World Wars and also more recent conflicts.

Several nursing students including myself also shared personal accounts of what Remembrance Day meant for us, with some students sharing pictures of them at military events and other in their clinical uniforms. Cpl Bushnell-Shilling also gave an insightful piece of the history of the poppy and its significance during Remembrance Day Commemorations.

It was a real joy to see the number of nursing students across the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who were so willing to get involved in this event making it a Remembrance Day to remember in a year when the impact of COVID-19 has compromised so many events.



AB Leah B Badger Student Nurse QARNNS

2020:REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

The pre-Covid noise and bustle of the London street on which Westminster Abbey stands, the queuing traffic, the sounding of horns and the faces of frustrated car and van drivers. The exhaust fumes from the stationary traffic. Pedestrians walking quickly along the pavements, heads down, eyes focused on their phones. Everyone in such a hurry, wrapped up in their own world. 

If one stops to pause and look up at the splendour of Westminster Abbey, to take time to stand still and think about the building one might remember that within the walls of the Abbey there lies the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. 

In 1920, it was proposed that the body of an unknown soldier, sailor or airman lying in an unmarked grave abroad be returned to England for burial in Westminster Abbey. This was to symbolise all those who had died for their country, but whose place of death was not known, or whose body remained unidentified.

It is generally agreed that between four and six bodies were exhumed from each of the main British battle areas on the Western Front on the night of 7 November 1920, and brought to the chapel at St Pol, in northern France. Each was covered with a Union Jack.

The commander of British troops in France and Flanders, Brigadier General Wyatt, picked one. This was placed in a coffin which was taken to Boulogne, where it was transported to Dover on HMS Verdun. The other bodies were reburied.

On the morning of 11 November 1920 - the second anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War One - the body of the Unknown Warrior was drawn in a procession to the Cenotaph. The Cenotaph a new war memorial on Whitehall, designed by Edwin Lutyens was then unveiled by King George V.

At 11 o'clock there was a two-minute silence, and the body of the Unknown Warrior was taken to Westminster Abbey where it was buried at the west end of the nave. The text inscribed on the tomb says 'They buried him among the kings, because he had done good toward God and toward his house'.

In the week after the burial an estimated 1,250,000 people visited the abbey, and the site is now one of the most visited war graves in the world.

Thousands of Navy, Army and RAF personnel have no known grave. The RAF memorial at Runnymede in Surrey is just one of thousands of war memorials in the UK. It is a place that provides the opportunity for quiet reflection as one walks along the colonnades pausing to look at the ranks and names of the 20276 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Second World War who have no known graves. They came from all parts of the Commonwealth.

As I stand at the gallery window and look out across to West London, I think about the hundreds of airplanes that fly every day over the memorial at Runnymede as they take off from and land at Heathrow. I wonder whether the passengers look out and realise that the freedom they have to travel freely across the world on business and leisure is only possible because of the sacrifice made by those whose names are listed on the memorial plaques.

Every year my husband, a retired RAF Officer, and I visit Runnymede to pay respects at the plaque listing his uncle Richard and the crew of his plane who were shot down in June 1940 by the Luftwaffe as they returned from defending the beaches of Dunkirk during the evacuation of British and other Allied forces in Europe. Their final resting place, a watery grave somewhere near Godwin Sands.

During last year’s visit we saw a group of children laying a Royal British Legion remembrance cross at each plaque and standing for a minute with their heads bowed. It was poignant moment.

Their teacher explained that he arranged for his pupils to do this every year because it was so important for everyone, especially those for whom WW2 is something they read about it in history books, to recognise the sacrifice made by so many.

‘When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us and Say,

For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today.'

Lt Col (Retd) Merrill Bate ARRC 1980-2002: Served for 22 years in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.
Nursing Officer 1980-1982
Clinical Nurse Teacher 1982-1985
Nurse Tutor 1986-1990
Senior Nurse Tutor 1990-1996
Head of Army Nurse Education 1996-1999
Head of School of Healthcare Studies, Royal Defence Medical College 1999-2002
NHS Leadership and Talent Management Consultant 2003 -2016

Remembering Remembrance by Merrill Bate

 

REMEMBERING REMEMBRANCE

    

It’s October 1984 and in the midst of a posting to the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital (QEMH) I get summoned to Matron’s office, why I wonder? Funny how I always think I’ve done something wrong when summoned to the ‘top corridor’! To my relief it’s good news. I have been selected to be one of the 8 QAs who will be representing the Corps at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. What an honour.

There are 4 of us from the QEMH who will be joined by 4 QAs from the Louise Margaret Maternity and Cambridge Military Hospitals. Unfortunately, I didn’t know anybody who had been part of ‘The Muster’ but I did know that my marching skills needed some serious practice. I hadn’t marched anywhere since my Passing Out Parade in June 1980. Help!

Assistance came from the RSM who soon had the 4 of us marching everywhere. He was determined that we would not let the QAs down. Every day for a week the RSM had us marching up and down the car park, through the hospital and up the stairs, along the corridor (goodness knows what the patients coming back from lunch in the Patients Dining Room thought) and back down the stairs. Again, and again. “Left, right, left right”. “Don’t look down when you are coming down the stairs”. “Look up”. “Keep in Step” were words that rang in my ears every day.

Uniforms were inspected. A new grey ward dress was ordered and my best Tippet dry cleaned. My best white veil was starched with copious amounts of Dip and carefully pressed before being stored flat. My shoes were polished by one of the RAMC Nurse Tutors so they looked like mirrors and just in case many pairs of ‘pearl grey’ tights were purchased from M&S!

The Thursday before the ‘big day’ we were joined by the “Aldershot 4” and the RSM really began to work us hard. He had 1 day to whip us into shape as a squad – forget teaching or nursing duties - every hour was spent rehearsing.

Friday saw us at the Royal Albert Hall for rehearsals. We quickly realised that although we were very accomplished at marching down the stairs at the QEMH the steps at the Albert Hall were completely different.

So, to the amusement of many we practised marching along the circular corridor outside the main auditorium, up and down stairs. Friday: practice, practice, rehearsal 1. Saturday: practice, practice, dress rehearsal and then…...

As the last of the Royal Navy contingent make their way down the steps into the auditorium the heartbeat quickens. We begin to march on the spot remembering that the London District RSM said this was a good way to ensure we didn’t falter on the first step. Left, right, left, right, keeping in time to the music. We inch forward slowly. We are standing in formation lining the corridor behind the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards and the Gurkha’s.

We are nearly ‘on’. Help! There’s no going back now. Must not let the Corps down.

Raymond Baxter announces “The Army”.

We’re on!

…… and we did it. In step all the way down the stairs, across the auditorium floor

and up the stairs again taking our places beside the Gurkha’s.

A sigh of relief and a quick look up at the box where my parents were seated. My mother was dabbing her eyes with a tissue and my father, a WW2 veteran, well I think you can imagine how proud he was!

“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old: age shall not weary them, not the tears condemn. 

At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember them” (L.Binyon) 

What an honour and privilege and a memory which will stay with me forever. 

Afternote: there is a recording of the QAs contribution to the 1984 Festival of Remembrance available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN8mzNqIwaw





Lt Col (Retd) Merrill Bate ARRC 1980-2002: Served for 22 years in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.
Nursing Officer 1980-1982
Clinical Nurse Teacher 1982-1985
Nurse Tutor 1986-1990
Senior Nurse Tutor 1990-1996
Head of Army Nurse Education 1996-1999
Head of School of Healthcare Studies, Royal Defence Medical College 1999-2002
NHS Leadership and Talent Management Consultant 2003 -2016