Life in The Spiders during the mid 70’s by Eileen Nolan

Ahhh “The Spiders”, so aptly named!

For those of you who are too young to know what I am talking about, the Spiders were the wooden huts found at the bottom of the steep stone steps past the Louise Margaret maternity unit at the CMH and this is where the QA junior ranks lived. I don’t know exactly why they were called “Spiders” but I suspect it was due to them having a central corridor with “legs” in the middle and at each corner.

I could be wrong about why they were named as such but those of us who had the pleasure of living in the Spiders know they could have been so called for other reasons! You see, we humans knew we were not the only occupants! The other residents had many more legs than us and certainly moved a lot faster. A drill sergeant would have had great fun with them!

It wasn’t so much the actual real live spiders I minded – they eat flies after all, but I was more concerned about the hard-shelled cockroaches which ran about the floor, the occasional field mouse which came in out of the cold, the ants and the squirrels which held a barn dance on the roof every day when you were trying to sleep after night duty! I clearly remember waking up one morning and I opened my eyes to find one of those cockroach things on my pillow just looking at me. I have never moved so fast in all my life!

The ants of course were after our night duty rations! Remember them?……just in case you were likely to starve on night duty, we were issued with soup x 2 tins (assorted varieties), cream crackers x 1 packet, cheese triangles x 1 packet and sweet plain biscuits x 1 packet. Unless you had an airtight tin in your room, it was an open invitation to the ants!

The rooms in the Spiders were not very big but I was lucky to have the first room in the corridor which was bigger than all the others. The only problem with this was that it was the nearest room to the stairs which were wooden and had no carpet, hence the noisiest room. Everything was wooden – the walls, the floors, the roof, and the building echoed with the noise!! As for sleeping on night duty, let’s just say that the night duty rations came in handy! Well, you had to do something while listening to the squirrels on the roof, the regular grass cutting immediately outside your window and the doors banging from within.

My room was also the first room in the corridor to be subject to “bed check” every night when we were in PTS (Preliminary Training School). This bed check took place around 22.30hrs when the duty Officer and duty NCO came around and knocked on your door to ensure you were safely tucked up for the night. Of course, as soon as bed check was complete, those who wanted to go out, did so! I never did as I was too scared to disobey orders! If the gate was locked, no problem, as there was a convenient hole in the wire fence.

I lived in the second Spider on the left at the bottom of the steps. I cannot remember if this was F Spider or G Spider but whichever one it was, the first Spider at the bottom of the steps is where the only television, sitting room and phone were so we all spent most of our off duty time in that Spider which was a hive of activity. On one hand it was very noisy and you never got to watch the programme on television you wanted (we only had the choice of three programmes back then), but on the other hand it was lively and great fun.

The only telephone was attached to the wall just outside the sitting room and to get to the sitting room, you had to pass whoever was on the phone. If a call came in for someone, it was usually answered by whoever was in the sitting room at the time. If the intended recipient of the call, was not immediately there, the person who answered the call would often run to fetch that person for their call even if this meant running down the road to the next Spider! Sometimes however, if the intended recipient was not present, the caller was just told to ring back later. It made sense to plan calls in advance which was all very well so long as there was no-one else on the phone at that time. Remember, we didn’t have mobile phones in the 70’s.

The walls in the Spiders were very thin and although there was a door to the sitting room, this telephone was not the place for private calls – you definitely couldn’t have that cosy chat with a boyfriend, without everyone knowing about it! Most of the time this was a bit of a nuisance however, I remember a time in December 1974 when this lack of privacy came to my aid. It was in the evening and the sitting room was busy when I took a call from home and it was bad news. I ended up sobbing on the phone. The minute I put the phone down, the door opened and I was engulfed in a giant hug from my friends and colleagues. They didn’t know exactly why I was upset, just that I was. They got me through that evening.

Yes, the Spiders were noisy, draughty, and full of unwelcome visitors, but they were also full of fun, laughter and friendship. When I reflect on it all these years later, I know I would rather spend a year living in the Spiders with all its drawbacks than the few months I spent living in the brand new, purpose built, insect free accommodation at the QEMH where I rarely saw or heard anyone from one shift to the next.

So, did you live in the Spiders? Did you sneak out after bed check? I would love to hear your stories.



Eileen Nolan

1974 - 1978

Operation Fine Dining by Diana Wilson

 In1996 seismic changes took place in the Army Medical Services. No longer would there be care from ‘cradle to grave’ for British Military personnel worldwide. The majority of Army Hospitals and medical units would close, and civilian hospitals would undertake peacetime care.

I was working at the Training and Development Unit at Mytchett at the time, and with plenty of other ideas in mind, was happy to accept redundancy. As was Dee McElligott who at the time was I/C Military Training Wing. It was Dee’s suggestion that we should form a Dining Club to remind ourselves, in the best possible way, of days past. Rules were drawn up; no more than 8 persons, meet every two months, and that good, preferably gourmet, food was the main aim. Of course, the chat and comradeship went without saying. Founder members were Dee McElligott, Diana Wilson, Judy Evans, Margaret Easy, Pat Griffiths, Ethel McCombe and Anne Kerr.

And so it came to pass, and for the first few years we found many good local restaurants. As members started moving away to other areas in the South our footfall increased and Salisbury and Winchester, and all venues leading to them, were added to the list. Illness and dare I say it, age, sometimes took its toll and members had to fall out or move away, but vacancies were soon filled. And one ‘husband of’. Still, we continued to meet every two months. On our 10th Anniversary (who would believe it!) we had a very enjoyable day trip with Eurostar to Lille for a typical French Bistro meal.

Time moved on, and astonishingly we were approaching our 25th Anniversary. Then the pandemic and lockdown struck. We didn’t attempt Zoom meals or online social get togethers; we were true to our purpose. But in 18 months much can change. Distance, age, and different commitments were all having an effect. So, after an amazing 25 years it was agreed that wemight formally close the Dining Club, but go out in style. And so, we did, arranging a Champagne afternoon Tea at Tylney Hall Hotel.

It was only as we were leaving that we realised that we were too busy talking, laughing, and generally catching up to notice that we hadn’t had the champagne, and really were wondering why we were closing the dining club? And so we cancelled the closure, rewrote the rules to six monthly meetings and no night driving, and look forward to the next 25 years………………….

In addition to the first four founder members who are still flourishing, the following personnel make up the group of eight; Iona-Leith Macgregor, Marie Ellis, Keith Wilson and Tena McMachan.

Maj (Rtd) Diana Wilson

Meeting Princess Margaret by Karla Buswell

Just before I joined the army, I completed my Queen’s Guide Award as a girl guide young leader. This was the top award and quite an achievement. It’s like the Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. I was invited to Kensington Palace to be presented with my award from Her Royal Highness, Princess Margaret.

I needed a day off from ward duties and requested this from the ward sister. She informed me I needed the permission of Matron because Princess Margaret was our Colonel-in-Chief. It was decided that I would wear my No. 2 dress. A Guardsman, a patient at the time,  kindly bulled up my court shoes for me and taught me the trick of putting them in tights to protect them during storage and to maintain the shine.

It was during this time that the IRA were bombing London, so the CSM arranged transport for me, since I would be travelling in uniform.

One hot and sunny day in July 1989, I was taken from the Queen Elizabeth Military Hospital in a gleaming private black car to Kensington Palace.

We were put in a waiting room and called forward individually to meet the Princess. I was the only one in military uniform. When it was my turn to be presented, her eyes lit up upon seeing my QA No. 2s. She called me, ‘One of her girls!’ We had a brief chat about my time in the army so far. As you can see in the photo, I was then presented with my brooch in a box and the usher politely informed Her Royal Highness that she needed to stop chatting to me about the army and present more brooches to the other Guiders.

We were then ushered out of the room and sent on our way. I was disappointed not to have any refreshments, but it was worth it to see and speak with our Colonel-in-Chief.

During my time at the QEMH I volunteered as a helper at the local Brownie pack. This was conveniently located at the back of my accommodation in a large building across from the NAAFI. It was great fun and we had trips out to locations like Margate and Greenwich. Many of the staff’s children attended and I used to babysit for some of the families so that they could attend functions at the Messes. On my next posting I volunteered at a local Cub’s pack. Though this was civilian, there were a few sons of QAs and soldiers. We had great water fights during summer camps!

I completed my student nursing and qualified, at the Cambridge Military Hospital in Aldershot, in 1992. I enjoyed working on a male surgical ward for another year, before leaving so that I could accompany my husband, Chris, also a QA, to Cyprus, where our two children were born.

I look back fondly at my QARANC career and have made some great life-long friends. We recently had a reunion in Birmingham and caught up with each other’s lives. One of my friends is now a Dame and a Brigadier! We keep in touch via a group WhatsApp and I can’t wait for the next reunion. Some of us have had the BIG 50 birthday and several of us surprised one during his celebrations in Seaham where the famous Tommy sculpture is. It’s a breath-taking and humble sight.

I now work as a pet portrait artist and live in Aberdeenshire with Chris and his Mistress, his dog Lynne.

Private Karla Buswell (Nee Partridge) 1987-1992

Service in Bosnia with 24 Armoured Field Ambulance 1997. By Maggie Lane

I was called for service in September 1997 with 24 Armoured Field Ambulance (24 Armd Fd Amb) based in Catterick, who were being deployed to Bosnia in the former republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Bosnia was being ‘stabilised’ by SFOR/NATO forces. This operation was named OP LODESTAR.

With ongoing unrest in Bosnia, the main ethnic groups remained volatile throughout FRY.

Various packages of training were a pre deployment requisite and were called UNTAT training (United Nations Training Assistance Teams), These were located around the Salisbury Plain Training area. We spent this period billeted in Knook camp near Warminster.

The next days were spent in the Copehill Down Training facility. This being a mock-up village resembling the buildings and villages in the old Eastern bloc countries. The training was geared mainly to the infantry, but we still had to join in. We would to be carrying a loaded pistol with 6 rounds whenever travelling throughout Bosnia. I enjoyed the pistol training at Warminster, which was important but also fun, especially rolling around on the ground then having to shoot targets down the range.

Navigating the buildings in the mock-up village was something new for me! Jumping and climbing up and down buildings then crawling along underground drains was challenging, but all the females completed this. However, I hoped it was never going to be such a bad enough situation in theatre to employ these newly acquired skills.

Once this UNTAT training was completed, we were transported to 24 Armd Fd Amb in Catterick.

On arrival It was the day of Princes Diana’s Funeral, so everyone in the mess was ‘glued’ on the service, as were four Icelandic medical staff, two nurses and two doctors. Despite being part of NATO Iceland has no standing army.  However, their government provided doctors and nurses to accompany the Brits or the Norwegian medics. All spoke perfect English and had studied much of their medicine in English.

After meeting the CO and other staff of the unit, a few days later we set off on a Hercules for Split in Croatia. Split being the POE (Point of Entry) via Croatia into Bosnia.

After landing, we collected our baggage and weapons from a transfer store and proceeded in a coach up through Croatia to Bosnia.

I was ‘dropped off’ at a pre located isolated country junction to the east of Tomislavgrad where I was met by a waiting Land Rover and taken to our small camp called Lipa. 

Lipa was situated on a Divisional Supply Area between two rough roads named Route Gull and Kite. Weapons and fuel were located at this site for resupply to bases up country, including Sarajevo. Munitions and fuel were kept well apart! All the MSR’s (main supply routes) in Bosnia were named after birds.

Med Centre

Accommodation was in 2-man portacabins which were comfortable and warm. 

The medical centre was in a portacabin. 

The RLC (Royal Logistic Corps) oversaw the whole site.

I had been designated as the Officer in Charge of this small medical team which consisted of a Driver/Radio Operator, a sergeant plus seven medics.

Their training had been excellent, and our role was to attend any accidents within the camp and RTA’s on our sections of the MSR’s. My role was as a primary health care and minor injuries nurse to all troops, including Malaysians who patrolled the area in armoured vehicles. Patients requiring hospital treatment were evacuated by our ambulance or helicopter to Sipovo.

There was no water in the camp, therefore water was brought in by a ‘bowser’ (water tanker). This precious commodity was used very sparingly. Most of us managed to stand in a washing up bowl, then use a plastic bottle to recycle the water over our bodies from the bowl. Very refreshing!

There was great excitement when about 700 meters outside the camp a water source was found. Engineers attached a pump to provide a water supply up to the camp. All worked well until unfortunately, the locals spotted this valuable equipment, and it got ‘nicked’. So back to the bowser again. Another little bit of ‘fun’ indulged in by the locals (probably drink related) was to occasionally drive up past the camp and fire a few shots inside.

Our nearest SMO was based an hour away, at Kupres, and both he and the Icelandic doctors would alternate their visits to do small sick parades. This was a nice chance to meet up and for them to see some of Bosnia, which is a beautiful country. Likewise, I found an excuse to visit the medical facility at Gorni Vakuf further up country to drop off some mail and see the countryside. Sadly, much dangerous debris left by the Serbian army was still lying around.

Occasional visitors passed through the camp enroute to Sipovo. One American Officer introducing himself said he had been advised when introducing himself, was to say “Hi, my name is Randy”, not “Hi, I’m Randy”!

The main HQ of 24 Armd Fd Amb, and the hospital were located in Sipovo, the Serbian area. Getting there was a two-hour rough road journey via Kupres, crossing the IEBL (Inter Entity Boundary Line) but only if the snow had not blocked the route. The poor Malaysians guarded this very cold dividing line at a place called Rastacevo.‘Ice Station Zebra’.

During my six-month tour I was dispatched to Banja Luka medical facility for a break and asked to go out on patrol with the Queens Dragoon Guards around local areas.

Having completed my six month ‘tour’, my last duty was to be in charge of weapons being returned to UK. I wasn’t keen on this responsibility!

I enjoyed my time in Bosnia, a beautiful but ‘trashed’ country in parts. I have since read much about their past and recent history. I learned that not all was bad about the Ottoman Turkish rule. Any place name ending in Vakuf became communities, well established with schools and hospitals. Many Bosnian Muslims are converts due to this and were then well prized by the Turks as administrators.

Major M Lane (Rtd) 

A Taste of Basic Training at the QATC in the Summer of ‘74 by Eileen Nolan

Isn’t memory a funny thing? I can remember so much of my basic training as if it were yesterday but other things, not so much. For example, we were never fed at the QATC! It’s true! I clearly remember the fabulous food at the Cambridge especially the fruit pies, the gorgeous grub in Rinteln where I even learned to like Brussel Sprouts (!) and the superb savouries at Woolwich. But, for the life of me, I cannot remember ever eating at the QATC therefore, we were never fed!! Hold that thought!

My first memory of basic training began a few weeks before I even got to Aldershot when a plain brown envelope landed on the mat at home. On reading the Essential Packing List, my mum exclaimed “what on earth does a 17-year-old want with 2 pantie girdles?"  However, said items were purchased and travelled all the way from Belfast to Aldershot where they were safely tucked away in a drawer.

During that first week of basic, we were all measured for our Number 2 uniform which we were told would take several weeks to make/adjust as it had to fit perfectly. In the meantime, we were to wear our PT kit with huge grey knickers, so big I thought I was back at school! Several weeks later, it was with great excitement that we were issued with our Number 2 Uniform and that evening we all tried on our uniforms. It was at this point we all understood why we needed the pantie girdles! Some of us really struggled to get into our skirts, which is very strange considering we were never fed!

So much was alien to us those first few weeks:

Some of our group found remembering that “a QA is NEVER late, is NEVER on time, but is ALWAYS 5 minutes early”, a bit of a struggle but this is something I took with me throughout my whole nursing career even in the NHS. The trouble is that I expected others to share that philosophy and I was often disappointed.

Learning to salute – “longest way up, shortest way down” is all very well so long as there is no-one standing too close on your right and your arms aren’t too long. Fortunately I don’t have that problem. Saluting was something we all hated doing and knowing that we had to do it in town if an officer approached filled us all with almighty dread. When we were out in a group in Aldershot and we were in uniform, I always tried to be on the far left. Unfortunately, my friends cottoned on to this quite quickly and it was often a jostle when we saw an Officer coming to make sure you weren’t the one standing on the right! Believe me, in Aldershot, there was an Officer around every corner!

Now, weekly Pay Parade was an interesting event. For some of us, it was the first time we had ever been paid and it was certainly more money than most of us had ever had in our possession at one time. So, it was with great anticipation that we followed the orders given on how to conduct ourselves when we received our pay packet (and it literally was a pay packet)! Our orders were that we had to line up in single file in front of a desk according to our service number. On reaching the front of the queue, we had to step forward, salute, state our name, rank, and service number at which point, we would be handed our little sealed pay packet containing notes and coins. If I remember rightly, we were paid around £75. We then had to sign the book, take a step backward, salute again and say, “Pay and book correct Ma’am”, then do an about turn and march off. It was only after doing this for several weeks that it occurred to us that whilst the pay and book may have been correct, we were never actually given the opportunity to open the pay packet at the time or check what was written in the book, to find out if it was correct!!

Memories of square bashing and cross country runs at some ungodly hour in the morning are very fresh. Its funny how some people just never got the hang of “I left, I left, I left the tail of my shirt behind” and I can still hear that drill sergeant trying to “encourage” us to get it right! Which reminds me of the length some went to, to get out of drill. Early on, one of our group felt faint whilst on parade and she was allowed to sit it out while the rest of us carried on………big mistake. But the drill sergeant was not stupid and soon realised the reason for the increasing number who felt faint before drill!

Now, joining the army to undertake student nurse training meant we would be exposed to all manner of tropical diseases and exotic postings. Well, that was the theory anyway but several of our intake never so much as left the UK! However, that didn’t stop the need for vaccinations for all these deadly diseases. During the first week of basic, we were tested for our immunity for things such as TB (Heaf Test), Diphtheria (Schick Test) etc, then the following week we were vaccinated according to our immunity along with other vaccines such as Yellow Fever which I had never heard of at that time. Personally, I had no immunity to anything and got all the vaccines going. The ironic thing about this story is that we were not allowed to leave the QATC at all during that first week. We were given our vaccines on the Thursday and Friday of the second week and the first night we were allowed out was that Friday night and the weekend. Let’s just say that alcohol and several vaccinations so close together do not always sit well!

More basic training memories to come, but in the meantime, if anyone remembers being fed at the QATC, I would love to know what the food was like.





Eileen Nolan

BANGLADESH - A REFLECTION by Marjorie Bandy

I first went to Bangladesh by default. Our TA unit had been asked by the Bangladesh Armed Forces Medical Services [AFMS] to provide a team of nursing officers to teach and improve standards within areas of high dependency care for the Military. At that time our unit was commanded by a consultant anaesthetist of some renown, who spent a fair proportion of his time lecturing world-wide. He considered that based on his own experiences in the third world it would be necessary for the team to take with them an administrator to ensure that the team could spend its limited time in the country actually teaching.

It was decided that the unit admin officer should take up this task. Unfortunately, the planned time frame for this exciting venture had to be changed and the admin officer was then not available. Based on my previous experience I was asked to take his place. So it was that I became “the fat controller!” The first team deployed to Bangladesh in 1993 to work in a very administratively efficient AFMS and my skills as a nurse together were far more necessary than my skills as an administrator. To be fair it subsequently proved our CO right that it was essential that a fairly senior officer was needed to head the team to ensure the programme running “nearly” to plan, but able to manage unexpected and sometimes unusual changes.

To be able to appreciate the difficulties of working in Bangladesh at that time it is necessary to have some understanding of the country’s history. Bangladesh was originally part of the Bengal area of India but unlike much of the Indian continent the predominant religion was Muslim. Following independence for India there was conflict between Muslim and Hindu areas resulting in 1947 with an independent Muslim Pakistan of which Bangladesh was part. This was not a happy marriage and following a very bloody war and the loss of 3 million soldiers and civilians, Bangladesh became an independent country in 1973. The country is overpopulated and very poor, despite 3 rice crops a year unable to feed itself without importing food. The discovery of natural gas in the Bay of Bengal has helped to reduce poverty to some extent.

Each year the team was asked to provide a programme to teach three groups of 10 nursing officers,  ICU technicians and medical assistants. The first year was the most traumatic as the team had no idea what to expect. The culture shock and different way of working were much more difficult that we had imagined despite having done our best to be prepared. Added to this many of the hospital staff were not enthusiastic at our arrival, perhaps thinking that we would attempt to change things completely with no account being taken for their customs, culture and religion.

Within their system staff only look after patients of the same sex and indeed female patients and children are treated in a separate building with the exception of theatres, ICU and CCU. Medical officers who had an opportunity to undergo higher professional training in a western hospital were anxious to improve standards and to introduce a more hands-on care approach for nurses. Picture the scene where wards of 50+ beds had only one trained nurse on duty 0800 – 1400 six days a week and then on call for the rest of the time because there is no trained nurse relief. The task of trying to promote change without causing offence was initially daunting.

On the first visit little was available in the way of visual training aids. The maxim being if you need it take it with you. All of this does not take into account the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge of our students. On the first visit, aids such as Resus Annie were so old they were almost unusable, as was the overhead projector. On future visits equipment was gradually replaced and upgraded.

The initial plan was to run courses for the full duration of the visit, running separate and joint lectures. Lectures had to take into account the necessity for translation and explanation as we were teaching a group who overall, only spoke Bangladeshi. Once we arrived in theatre, we discovered that the students would be expected to sit a final examination in English. This meant some re-arrangement of our initial programme, that continued on for all successive visits, sometimes because of requests of change by our hosts or illness in a member of the team.

One of the most difficult areas was always practical teaching and hands-on practise by the students. Traditionally nursing officers led the wards in a mostly managerial capacity with nursing aids and relatives carrying out basic nursing care. We soon realised the nurses had little strength for such things as lifting. In addition, the Muslim culture doesn’t allow for physical contact with male patients or indeed work as a pair with a male colleague. Once these boundaries had been realised and our teaching plans adjusted it became easier to plan and implement teaching programmes.

Over a period of time changes and improvements took place. This was noticeable in ICU where patients were provided with nursing care such as washing and passive physio for the unconscious patient. Humidifiers were no longer being left with the same water in between patients, increased response times to dealing with emergencies achieved and protocols gradually being written and implemented are examples of improvements. All of this might seem very little for the cost of sending 6 people annually to Bangladesh, but when one considers the cost of extra days spent in hospital because of pressure sores and the lack of infection control measures, it is a cost saving expense. With the numbers passing through the one military hospital in Dakar alone the potential saving is enormous. 

For me personally the greatest satisfaction came in 1997 when I was given a copy of the Defence Advisor’s report to the Foreign Secretary which suggested that our team was one of the most cost -effective sent to aid this Commonwealth Country [military] during that year.

For everyone who took part in this venture it was a challenge and educationally stimulating, requiring a great deal of preparation to ensure the highest standards of teaching despite the limitations. Everyone learnt to be adaptable to meet with the unexpected. Without doubt everyone who took part gained from experiencing the difficulties of the Third world and to appreciate our NHS. Lastly it would not have been such a success without the work and enthusiasm of all the people who accompanied me.



Marjorie Bandy

Chair Jurassic Coast Branch

REFLECTIONS OF A RETIRED QARANC REGIMENTAL SECRETARY By Judy Evans

When I retired from the QAs in 1996 after a twenty-year career, which had been cut short by the changes in the structure of the armed forces, I never in my wildest dream thought that I’d return in a very different role, albeit as a civilian.

I had kept abreast of the Corps as a trustee of the QA Association, in the days when you put your name forward and were voted in by members after an election. Diana Wilson was the General Secretary at the time but indicated that she intended retiring in 2003 after seven years in post. I decided that I would like to apply to take over from her and after thinking I knew what the appointment entailed, I applied, was interviewed and was successful.  My title would be Regimental Secretary QARANC and General Secretary of the QARANC Association.

The four Regimental Headquarters of the AMS were being reorganised and although they remained sovereign, shared support staff, but I was unable to comprehend how diverse my role would be including General Secretary of the Association, Secretary of the Headquarter Officers’ Mess, Secretary of the Dress Committee and ‘Lady-in-Waiting’ to the Colonel Commandant.

When I came into post the Corps was about to change its ward uniform from the traditional dresses and white cap for women to tunic and trousers for both men and women. There was a lot to do to ensure we were on target to change on the date decided.

As Secretary of the Headquarter Officers’ Mess, I had to organise Regimental Dinners and the annual Corps Cocktail Party which was held at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Luckily one of the Regimental Headquarters’ administrative assistants did a lot in coordinating the guest lists and sending out invitations but it needed close attention to detail.

The role of the Colonel Commandant is to support the Director Army Nursing Services and has a responsibility for the esprit de corps of the QARANC and the morale of its Officers and Servicemen and women. Colonel Iona Leith-Macgregor had been in post for a while and was enthusiastic, enjoying meeting members of the Corps on her official visits. I had to ensure her programme was what she wanted, book all her tickets and, on occasions, accompany her which was a chance for me to see what was going on.

In 2002 HRH The Princess Margaret, our Colonel-in-Chief passed away and the Corps had been advised, by Buckingham Palace, that it was unlikely that another would be appointed in the short term. However, in July 2003, we received notice that HRH The Countess of Wessex would become our new Colonel-in-Chief. A telephone call from her Private Secretary, a retired brigadier, made it clear that my office would be responsible for coordinating our relationship with her staff who included an assistant Private Secretary and administrative assistants. The Colonel Commandant, DANS and I visited, and we discussed how her role could develop and we established an excellent working relationship, and she gave a generous amount of time getting to know us.

Early in 2003, many QAs were deployed to Iraq and although I was not directly involved, as time went on it became clear that Regimental Headquarters would be involved with supporting them. Fortunately, I did not have to organise the repatriation of any casualties as the RAMC Regimental Secretary sadly did. Not long afterwards, we entered Afghanistan.

I saw my major role as being General Secretary of the QA Association. It was a joy getting to know our veterans, chatting to them on the phone or visiting branches. Letters of thanks for gifts which they had been sent for their birthdays or Christmas were wonderful to receive. I realised that the senior officers who had scared me when I was a junior officer had become quite approachable! Sadly, one of my roles was to send flowers on behalf of the Association to funerals – always red flowers and grey foliage such as eucalyptus.

We began to support serving personnel more, contributing to adventure training and sports equipment, thus making the Association more relevant to them.

The Gazette which is published twice a year is an important part of the Association and fortunately I had two excellent editors in Alison Spires and later Dee McElligott.

For all Associations in the Army, benevolence and the support of its retired members is a prime function. Working with SSAFA, the Royal British Legion and other service charities, we are able to make grants to those who have fallen on hard times or who needed some help for children. Small grants can make all the difference although sometimes larger or regular sums are required which the trustees discuss and agree or otherwise. Sometimes more information is required which SSAFA or the Royal British Legion might provide.

I could go on. There were other jobs to do such as maintaining our corps history, liaising with the Director of the Museum of Military Medicine, as it’s now called. The march past of veterans at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday was one highlight of the year but there were many highlights in my seven years. 2007 saw the 60th anniversary of the Association which we celebrated with a garden party in the grounds of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the presence of the Colonel-in-Chief. We also organised visits to South Africa and Singapore and Malaysia, where several retired QAs could revisit old haunts.

Visit to South Africa

Without doubt I look back at my appointment with great pride. It was a pleasure working with all the DANS and Colonels Commandant who were in post at the same time as I was. Sadly, the administrative support in the reorganised AMS Regimental Headquarters had been gradually eroded and I felt I’d become a one-man band. It was time to retire but what an appointment – perhaps the best in the Corps!

Judy Evans

I served in the QARANC from 1976-96, first as a Midwife, then a Theatre Sister. I also had postings as Instructor for the Student Officer Basic Course at the QATC from 1984-6, Theatre Sister and Matron in the Falkland Islands