Page 4 - QARANC Vol 14 No 9 2014

2 QARANC THE GAZETTE
DANS Foreword
By the time that you are reading this edition of your Gazette we will be well into our Op REFLECT programme commemorating the centenary events of World War One. It was a privilege for the Corps to be asked to unveil the English Heritage Blue Plaque to Dame Maud McCarthy GBE RRC who was Matron-in-Chief QAIMNS British Expeditionary Force from 1914 to 1918. There was strong representation from the Corps’ Association, Reserve and Regular membership plus some Friends of Millbank at 47 Markham Square on the 24th June. Professor Ronald Hutton introduced the context of the Blue Plaque scheme and Professor Christine Hallett spoke about Dame Maud’s life and work. The residents of the square are thanked for their hospitality as everyone was invited into their communal garden for a buffet supper following the unveiling ceremony. Markham Square is not far from the Royal Hospital so anyone planning to attend the Corps Cocktail Party this year or visiting the renovated National Army Museum should make a point of visiting the spot. The English Heritage press release is at: https://www.english-heritage.org. uk/about/news/blue-plaque-fww- head-nurse/ and it is featured on Sue Light’s ‘Scarlet Finders’ web-site, Sue being the champion of this memorial to Dame Maud. Unsurprisingly, this edition includes other WW1 related material such as battlefield studies, The Not Forgotten Association which was formed soon after the First World War and another article on the Coltman Honour Walk which is fast becoming a regular feature of Armed Forces Day. Surgeon Commodore Buxton, his wife and the British Legion in Malvern are making a major
contribution to this event’s success which remembers the most highly decorated British soldier of WW1.
All of this is important
to record and display
as it is our heritage
but as I keep pressing home, establishing its relevance to current and future operations is vital
to sustain the spirit of
the Corps well into the future.
Success in Afghanistan remains our main effort with 34 Field Hospital and 30 Squadron of 1 Armoured Medical Regiment providing the core elements of the last Medical Group to deploy in Helmand Province. It is envisaged that they will be home before Christmas this year but a small number of our Corps will remain in Afghanistan supporting the National Support Element and Afghan National Security Force Officers’ Academy both located in Kabul. We still have our nurses deployed on the ‘Green Line’ in Cyprus and individual augmentees are involved in many other operations and exercises around the world. So looking to the future, Captain Beedie’s article explores how we will do Mission Specific Validation in York to ensure our readiness for a diverse set of missions ranging from individuals and short term training teams providing technical advice right up to traditional war fighting. A similar concept is planned to validate the Medical Regiments and Unit Aid Posts which may even feed into what goes on in York. Training for operations will always be combined with competitive sport and adventurous training wherever possible. As we all know, these activities develop physical and psychological courage in
individuals,
which in turn contributes to increasing individual and team resilience. There is a good spread of activity recorded in this edition of the Gazette despite people being busy on other tasks.
It is pleasing to see the Association’s membership rising with more retired members joining and strong representation from Regular soldiers and officers much of this is down to the continuous hard work put in by Heather Duncombe, the RHQ team and the Branches. The new Yorkshire and Humberside Branch is welcomed and we look forward to seeing them and their activities in future editions of the Gazette. We do need to put extra effort into attracting more Reserves into the Association and the Branches adjacent to Reserve units are urged to engage more closely to ensure that everyone understands our objects and the benefits that Association membership brings. The Northern Ireland RCN Defence Nursing Network is a good example of an ‘all informed net’ where this messaging can be effectively broadcast and well done Major Smyth for your hard work setting this up.
Finally we bid a fond farewell to Colonel Rosie Kennedy as Colonel Commandant and thank her for the sterling work that she has done to support and develop the Corps during her tenure. Colonel Jane Davis has succeeded in the appointment. We also have a change of Corps Regimental Sergeant Major (CRSM) with WO1 (RSM) Donna Martin from MDHU (Portsmouth) following a two extension of her tenure handing over to WO1 (RSM) Donna Price in MDHU (Northallerton). Both Colonels Commandant, the CRSM and the Association will be intimately engaged with developing the Director’s vision and intent, which will ensure a credible transition plan taking Army Nursing into the next decade.