Joining the QA’s in 1956 by Diane Welsh

I’m 85 now and joined the QAs to train as a state registered nurse when I was 18 in 1956, leaving a small village near Salisbury. From the age of 7 I had wanted to be a nurse and I imagined myself like Florence Nightingale; I wanted to join to nurse the soldiers.

We started off at Hindhead for 2 weeks, just the new QA’s collecting uniform, before we went to Elizabeth Barracks in Aldershot for the next 3 months . The training was a mix of army and nursing training. We wore khaki, learnt to march and go on parade, and then in the classroom we had lessons on map reading and nursing. We were 2 in a room and had to be up at 0630 to clean our room before breakfast, followed by parade and general tidying before starting lessons. At 12md we marched; lunch 12md – 1300; more lessons until 1700 when we had tea; then back in the classroom until 2100, five days a week. There was a free hour spent in the NAAFI with the medical corps, before we had to be in at 2200, when the doors were locked and in bed by 2300. It was very strict. We were allowed 2 late passes every month and taught to write a letter “Dear Ma’am, I have the honour to submit this, my application…..” We worked 5 days a week until 9pm at night. After passing our basic examinations we were sent to hospitals and I was posted to Catterick.

I was at Catterick for 2 years working on the wards and undertaking block training with the Sister Tutor and loved it. The hospital and accommodation were very old and I was in a billet of 10 of us with a coke fire in the middle of the room. We worked 6 days a week and I cannot remember if we had ½ day off or one day, but do remember being told that in the army it was 24 hours a day and 7 days a week! I do remember the long hours from 0800 -1700 or more commonly split shifts from 0800 – 1400 and back from 1700 – 2200. Our routine was usually to clean the wards when we came on duty, pulling out the beds into the middle of the room, wash down the floors, followed by the bumper machines to polish the floor. At 1000 we started the treatments for the patients. One day I had just finished my 0800-1700 shift when matron saw me and said “Nurse Willmot, I need you back on night duty tonight to do a special”, then another time I was on a ½ day off and laying on my bed when deputy matron appeared to tell me I was babysitting that night for the Commanding Officer. There was no choice. Can you imagine nurses doing that today? During my time at Catterick there was a huge outbreak of influenza in the country and this was hard work, but there was great camaraderie, perhaps like it was in the recent COVID pandemic.

We still had a bed time and were locked in at Catterick. One night I was in the NAAFI, as I enjoyed dancing, a friend and I were locked out as we were so late. We had to climb though a window, but were caught. Deputy matron made us scrub the lavatory walls down as a punishment.

For meals we had a QA section, that separated us from the men from the medical corps, by a huge board. They would make comments as we walked through and then occasionally they would throw something over the board, like a rock cake. It was all with a sense of fun.

I was posted to a hospital in Germany and that was very different. The hospital was very small and modern, with just 8 QAs and lots of medics, located out in the country. I was based on the gynaecological ward and we carried on with block training with a Sister Tutor. Here I had my own room and we shared a maid who did all our cleaning for us. There was no NAAFI club, but a small NAAFI, where the men had formed a band and that was great fun. We were not allowed out of camp and still had to be in. The only parts of Germany I saw were when we had transport to a shopping centre on a Saturday and when I travelled on the train home for my leave. I used to do a lot of nights where we worked 3 weeks on then had a week off, so I used my travel warrant to go on the train to the Hook of Holland to catch the ferry to Harwich. There were always others to travel with.

It was in Germany I met my husband. I was in the NAAFI at the Juke Box and I saw this man looking at me. The next day one of the QAs who worked in the operating theatre gave me a note from him asking to meet me. Well, that was that. He was shortly to be demobbed after two years on National Service with a one-year extension and as I was going to marry him I had to leave the QAs. This meant I did not take my final examinations to be an SRN as I left just before.

Looking back, I loved my time, it was a good life and I made lots of friends, particularly from our time in the NAAFI.

Formerly Private Diane Willmot QARANC

1. NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes, who provide bars and clubs (and more) for socialising across the world for the Forces community.

A QARANC tale about what went bump in the night by Lynne Jones

I was born in Scotland in the early 1950’s and raised in both the UK & Canada. In 1971, at age 19 and at loose ends, I left Vancouver for Scotland with no particular plan in mind.

I was told about the QARANC: full pay as a Private; no costs; world travel; paid holiday trips back to Scotland; a paid trip back to Canada every 2 years; army officer in 4 years. Who could resist? I signed up. 13 of us travelled from Aldershot to the Queen Alexandra Military Hospital in London, located around the corner from the Tate. In addition to functioning as a military hospital, it also specialized in providing medical and nursing care for British soldiers and (women) spouses worldwide, who required the cancer treatments offered in London civilian hospitals. As such, we were learned of rare forms of cancer and their treatments.

There were intakes of new SRN (State Registered Nurse) students every 3 months; the hospital was primarily staffed by these students, with a nursing sister and a staff nurse on each ward. After 6 weeks of basic training, we were fully integrated into the wards. The training & experience were excellent; every student nurse senior to you was responsible for your performance, and there wasn’t a chance that they were going to be disciplined because of your error! Over nights we worked 14 x 12 hour shifts in a row, with 7 days off following. After 6 months, I was ‘night special’ for the entire hospital and not concerned or afraid. That is how good the training was. You might conclude – she must have completed it! The answer is that I did not; I will get back to that.

All of the single student nurses lived in sex segregated barracks. We 13 lived in a large old Victorian house in Pimlico, where we shared bedrooms. The house was staffed by a civilian housekeeper, with a WRAC Sergeant whose job it was (on her off time from work) to maintain military order, which included the exertion of control over aspects of our personal lives. As such, there was no love lost between us and the Sergeant; I will also get back to that.

What was it like to be a 19 year old Scottish/Canadian student nurse in the QA’s in the early 1970’s? I was most certainly a product of my times both as a young woman socialized in the 1950/60’s, and my dual experience as a Scot and a Canadian. How did it show itself? In two ways: one specific to my dual upbringing, and one common to young women of that era.

First off, apparently from the perspective of the army nursing instructor, I was a “a big mouth from the colonies” who did not know her place whatsoever. Then again, perhaps my reaction to learning that the QA student nurses had a curfew while the RAMC student nurses did not, had something to do with her opinion? When I brazenly expressed my disbelief and shock, the Major responded “Well Lynn, when British parents send their daughters to the QARANC, they expect them to be kept safe”. My 19 years old colonial self responded, “Then they should keep them at home!”. This was not deemed to be an acceptable response from a Private to a Major, and it set myself and the Major on a rocky interpersonal road. Nonetheless, she was a consummate professional, and our ongoing interpersonal dynamic did not impact my training, nor her positive reviews of my nursing practice.

Second, I was most definitely a product of the times, which for girls and women meant a pink collar ‘service to others’ job, with the requisite laser focus on romance and then marriage, as the GOAL. How did this show itself within my QA experience? We started out as 13 students, with only 2 going on to graduate as SRN’s. The rest fell victim to the times.

In addition to a daily 11pm curfew, a key part of the army’s attempt to keep us ‘vulnerable young things safe', while maintaining both military order & socially prescribed decorum and control, was that male guests were strictly forbidden from entering the house. But…and you might guess it….it wasn’t unusual for male guests to visit us…. overnight…. and in our shared bedrooms to boot! As well, the Sergeant’s overnight guests were not infrequently found wandering the hallway in search of the loo. This was to be her downfall.

Here’s what happened. The first of us fell prey to the lure of marriage; this required a celebration; off we all went to a pub, trooping in at 11:20, to be met by an extremely irate Sergeant who lorded it over us and threatened us with a charge. Up we went in front of Matron, with revenge in our collective mind. Side stepping the issue of being late for curfew, we quivered in our boots, crocodile tears running down our faces as we relayed how terrified we all were, with Sergeant’s men friends frequently wandering the halls of the house during the night! Matron, steely eyed, demanded to know why we had not spoken of this previously!!! We vulnerable young things stammered that ‘we were just too afraid’.  

Within the week, the Sergeant silently and unexpectedly departed for Germany. No charges followed for the QA student nurses.

For myself, I too soon fell prey to my 1950/60’s socialization, married an RAMC student nurse, and as was allowed only for women at the time of marriage, chose to leave – one of life’s BIG regrets! In 1976 when my then husband was able to leave the army, we emigrated to Vancouver. 

With 2 young children, I then went on to university, and am a semi retired Master of Social Work. I have 3 grandchildren and live with my partner of 20 years – a woman – in British Columbia. I have never forgotten my training and I have not returned to the UK since. One day - hopefully soon….

A Guest of the Countess of Wessex at the Platinum Jubilee Party by Laud Afam-Adjei|

For the past 70 years, the Queen, Elizabeth II, has reigned as the United Kingdom's sovereign monarch and head of the Commonwealth. As a serving soldier from the Commonwealth, I can attest in a small way to her exemplary leadership, thoughtfulness, and selfless commitment to her role thus far, and I couldn’t be more appreciative. Following the impact of the Corona-virus pandemic, the celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee offered a great opportunity to socialise, come together, and enjoy a typical British bank holiday with somewhat questionable summer weather.

For me, the celebration began on Thursday, June 2nd, when I attended a picnic hosted by the DHE Hybrid Branch of the QARANC association. It was a simple yet entertaining event that saw me jumping on a bouncy castle like a 7-year-old, attempting to compete in a soft play gladiator duel and various other sports such as 'tug of war' and volleyball. The day also provided me with the opportunity to consume beers and eat my weight in cake, scones, and assorted pastries. My team finished third in the tug of war competition, but that didn't stop me from drinking beers late into the evening and dancing around the fire to questionable music.

My celebrations continued in London, where I was honoured to be a guest of the Countess of Wessex, the Colonel in Chief of the Queen Alexander Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC), at the Queen's Jubilee party at Buckingham Palace. 

The live experience was incredible; the lights, energy, and atmosphere made me a very proud and an honoured British citizen. With this being my first concert, there were many acts that inspired and entertained me, with the scene of Paddington Bear having afternoon tea with Her Majesty being my favourite of the night. There was a lot of dancing and cheering from me all night. Many memorable and beautiful speeches were read, the majority of which thanked The Queen for her service and included a message from her about protecting the environment for future generations.

My celebration concluded with a peaceful street party in my hometown of Ipswich, where my children and other children in the neighbourhood rode bikes in the street. I laughed with my neighbours and shared cakes again, and our neighbourhood looked alive for the first time in two years, with everyone having a good time.

 

Cpl Laud Afam-Adjei, Student Nurse(ADULT) QARANC

Corps Day Service 2022: My First QARANC Association Experience by Meg Lydford

 

On the 3rd April 2022 I attended a QARANC Association Church Service at this beautiful church, followed by lunch at a local pub in my home town of Weymouth. I felt honoured to take part in the first Jurassic Coast Branch Corps Day event for 3 years, due to the Covid pandemic restrictions.

The whole service was dedicated to the QARANC, with the vicar reading the QARANC collect prayer:

 

O God, who through the healing touch of thy dear Son didst recover the sick and relieve their pain, grant to us who serve beneath thy Cross in the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps such love towards thee and devotion to our duty that the shadows may pass from those entrusted to our care, their darkness lighten into faith and hope, and thy love bring healing peace, for his sake who was content to suffer for all mankind, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The organist played and we heartily sang the QARANC Corps Hymn, sung to the tune of The Churches  One Foundation.

 

O Father, by whose servants

Our Corps was built of old;
Whose hand hath crowned her children
With blessings manifold;
For thine unfailing mercies
Far shown along our way,
With all who passed before us
We praise Thy name today.

The changeful years unresting

Their silent course have sped,
New comrades ever bringing
In comrades' steps to tread;
The days of old have dowered us
With gifts beyond all praise;
Our father make us faithful,
To serving the coming days.

Before us and beside us,
Still holden in Thy hand,
A cloud unseen of witness,
Our older comrades stand;
One family unbroken
We join with one acclaim,
One heart, one voice uplifting
To glorify Thy name.

Meeting the retired and serving QAs and hearing their stories about their amazing careers was inspiring to me as a trainee QA. And the lunch was pretty good too! I will definitely be looking forward to their next event; wine tasting in September!

Joining the QAs has been fantastic so far, and I’ve met some friends for life. Birmingham has a tradition for military health care and we train alongside the NHS nurses, but as QAs we stand out from the rest which was reinforced to me after meeting the mainly retired QAs and hearing their stories. I think it is important as trainees to be a part of the Association as it motivates and inspires our future careers.


Pt Meg Lydford QARANC Student Nurse

From Infantry to Infirmary by Danny Shilling

31st May 2009, I was 18 years old and sat on a train, feeling both nervous and excited. This was the start of my new chapter. I was heading to the Infantry Training Centre, Catterick, to conduct the 24-week Combat Infantryman’s Course.

11th December I passed out into the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in front of my proud family. I was looking forward to some much-needed leave before joining my new unit. Thinking I would get a week or two, you can imagine my dismay when I was told to report to Cavalry Barracks’ guardroom in Hounslow, London at 0800hrs on Monday 13th!

The first half of 2010 was spent preparing for and conducting Public Duties. The pride felt whilst standing outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle compensated for the hours spent starching my Number 1’s and bulling my Ammo boots. One particular memory stands out: being told to fill my boots with sand, melt beeswax onto them using a mini blowtorch and then bull them made me raise an eyebrow. I’d already been sent to the stores for the keys to the indoor tank range!

In August 2010 the battalion moved to Celle, Germany for 2 years. We were told we were going to deploy to Kenya and started Pre-Deployment Training. One morning our Platoon was late for transport due to a heavy night on the lash. As soon as our boots hit the training area, our Platoon Sergeant taught us the implications of missing transport. He gave us an orientation to the ground in 30 minutes! Finishing off with the well-known phrase: “It pays to be a winner”. I did not want to go again! I sprinted up this mound used as a tank firing point, wearing kit weighing more than half my body weight. Overdoing it on the descent I lost my footing and tried to combat roll out of it. Instead, the weight of the body armour, webbing and daysack caused me to hit the ground, shoulder first!




Screaming in pain, the other lads thought it was part of this “remedial training”. They threw me on a lightweight stretcher and casevac’d me 200m. the bouncing caused further pain, causing louder cries. They thought I was going for an Oscar! I was lowered to the floor and told to get up. Our Sgt realised something was wrong as I continued to clutch my arm close to my chest. Turns out I had dislocated my Acromioclavicular Joint, requiring 3 months off and physiotherapy. Instead of deploying to Kenya, my fate was to be on rear-party over Christmas, limited to light duties.

August 2012, the Fusiliers continued on to our next rotation: Cyprus! Based in Dhekelia we were 30 minutes from Ayia Napa. A dangerous location for young soldiers who get paid Local Overseas Allowance! 2013 I passed the Fire Teams Commanders Course (FTCC) and returned to battalion 7 weeks later as a Lance Corporal. Despite nearly 2 years living in the sun with the beach as our back garden, the Battalion’s darkest day was upon us. Due to Army cuts, the battalion was to be disbanded.

This resulted in the majority of us being posted back to the UK and joining the First Battalion in Tidworth. 1RRF were an Armoured Infantry battalion and was equipped with the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Before I knew it I had completed my Gunner’s course and was appointed as the Platoon Commanders gunner. One day we were on exercise and I was scanning the ground using the Warrior’s sighting systems, traversing the turret to get a 360 view. The commander’s turret control overrides the gunners and without warning the turret turned, trapping my legs down the driver’s tunnel! You can imagine the obscenities I unloaded on the young boss.

In 2016, I returned back to Sennybridge and the Brecon Beacons to complete the Section Commanders Battle Course (SCBC) which promoted me to Corporal. This promotion also meant I was a prime candidate to be a Vehicle commander and then was sent on the Regimental Instructor of Gunnery course. Despite coming second on the course, I was not confident with teaching gunnery. I did not enjoy the armoured role and became disengaged.

I began to question my career, not only in the Fusiliers but also in the Army. Fortunately, a posting to the Army Training Centre (Pirbright) became available and in October 2017 I became a Phase 1 instructor. This 2-year posting was one of the highlights of my career so far. Being able to take a civilian on day 1, spend 14 weeks training them, and then watch them march of the parade square as soldiers was an incredibly proud moment. A feeling which never dulled and always reminded me of my own pass out in 2009.

With Pirbright being a multi-cap badged establishment, I was able to explore the other roles the Army offered and gain feedback from other instructors. Being part of Chavasse Company, I was introduced to the 4 Corps making up the Army Medical Services: the RAMC, RADC, RAVC and QARANC. The Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps... wait... the British Army has their own nurses?! How did I spend 8 years not knowing nursing was a thing in the Army?!

I decided a medical profession would be my preferred job role. I thought about becoming a Combat Medical Technician but something there was missing. I wanted more. I wanted to get the most from the Army. I wanted to help people and have more opportunities in the future. I looked into nursing and was sold immediately. It ticked all the boxes and gave me a new challenge. A new purpose. However, I did not tick all the boxes. I only achieved a grade D in science at school and Nursing required a C or above. Many people didn’t believe I could do it and said I should “just be an HCA”. This made me more determined. One, to prove to them I was capable and two, to prove to myself I was able to complete a university degree. I spent 9 months completing an Access to Nursing course and then attended the nursing board.

January 2020, I moved to Birmingham and became a phase 2 trainee again.......

Cpl Danny Shilling QARANC Student Nurse