Page 49 - QARANC Vol 18 No 1 2020

The Gazette QARANC Association 47
Following a year as a staff nurse at MRI, Mary applied to Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) and was commissioned as a Sister on 2 December 1942. Mary then spent the remaining war years in North Africa, Italy and Greece, working in various military hospitals in those theatres of war.
In 1952, Mary resumed her civilian nursing career, taking a Midwifery (Part I) qualification at Walton-on-Thames. Sadly, her older sister, Elizabeth, became ill and died that year at the young age of 42, leaving two young sons. Mary immediately took on family responsibility and moved into the family home in Sheffield.
Subsequently, Mary settled in Dyserth, where her mother and others in the family lived. She held a Senior Sister’s post at the Prince Edward War Memorial Hospital in Rhyl (closed in 1973), and was particularly involved in orthopaedic nursing in the operating theatre, ward and out-patients’ departments.
Mary continued to serve in the Territorial Army as a reservist after the war. QAIMNS became Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) on 1 February 1949 and on 18 September 1950, Mary became a Lieutenant in QARANC (TA), with seniority back to 19 December 1944. She was promoted to Captain on 28 June 1955, was awarded the Territorial Efficiency Decoration on 8 March 1957, and relinquished her commission as Captain (acting Major) on 10 May 1960. During her military service, Mary met F W (Steve) Stevens, who had served as a Major in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and they married in 1966. Sadly, Steve passed away in 1982.
At Mary’s 90th birthday celebrations, her older brother, James, remarked
Mary Cronshaw, at the time of her QAIMNS commission in 1942
how ‘in all the many stages of her life, Mary helped many patients, friends and family with her keen interest in ways to bring joy to all’.
Earlier last year, Mary reached her 100th birthday - a special day for a special person. Her family of nephews and nieces were there, along with friends, to share the occasion with her in her retirement home close to Dyserth. We all enjoyed reminiscing with Mary how she had a way of sharing her life with us all – sprinkled with a liberal dose of fun and humour.
The MRI Nurses Fellowship and QARANC both acknowledged the special day, alongside Her Majesty the
Mary Cronshaw (right) and a QAIMNS colleague, probably in Greece 1945
Queen’s special card. An officer from QARANC came from Chester, in full uniform, spent some time with Mary during the morning and presented her with an arrangement of flowers and a card.
Mary passed away peacefully six months later and QARANC was there again, as a guard of honour at her funeral, alongside her family and friends.
Enid Joanne Dawrant (née Cronshaw) – representing Mary’s family of nine nephews and nieces
and elderly care. He was employed in Northern Ireland most recently in HM Prison Service where he attained a commendation for life saving services.
Des joined the Territorial Army in 2002 as a Nursing Officer spending time on
Des Wilson
31 October 1960 – 24 January 2020
A quiet man with a kind heart and solid, determined attitude, a lover of life and people, Des Wilson was a Nursing Officer with 204 Field Hospital in Belfast who left Reserve service as a Major on 31 May 2018.
He was taken from us too early as the result of a tragic road traffic collision aged only 59 years.
Des qualified as a nurse in 1981 and worked in various areas including psychiatric nursing, general nursing