Page 49 - QARANC Vol 18 No 2 2020

The Gazette QARANC Association 47
Margaret Monica Carhart-Harris 18 June 1921 – 11 April 2020
Monica was born om 18 June 1921 at Ushaw Farm near Durham, the eldest of 10 children (five girls and five boys) to John George Dixon and Annie (nee Snowden). Monica’s mother had been a VAD in France in World War 1.
Monica began her nurse training at the Royal Infirmary in Newcastle on 28 August 1939. War was declared on 3 September and that night the RVI had its first air raid warning. After three months training (six weeks study and six weeks practical tuition), Monica was put on to day duty from 7am with lectures in the evening until 9pm, paid one old penny an hour and provided with free food and a room in the nurses’ home. Once Monica qualified as a State Registered Nurse, she joined the Army. On 1 March 1944 she was taken on the strength of 121 British General Hospital formed at Goodwood House in Sussex as Sister MM Dixon, QAIMNS(R). She was one of 44 sisters and 19 RAMC officers with the unit at that time.
On 12 July 1944 they boarded a hospital ship, the Earl of Jersey, for the crossing to France and disembarked at Courselles sur Mer, Normandy. On 15 July the hospital pitched canvas at Subles, near Bayeux and on 25 July the first convoy of wounded arrived. Monica’s fourth patient was a German POW.
In September 1944 121 BGH moved on to Arques le Bataille near Dieppe, then in November to Amiens in Northern France. On 5 April 1954 121 BGH began the journey into enemy territory, and in mid-April they reached Celle in Germany and took over a former training school for gas warfare. Nearby Belsen had been liberated the day before. Monica’s time in Celle was spent on night duty nursing injured soldiers, often in their last hours. As Monica slept during the day she missed the VE celebrations on 8 May 1945. In June the unit moved to Brunswick.
Later in 1945 Monica needed an operation and she was sent back to the UK for surgery. On discharge from the RVI in Newcastle, she was sent home by ambulance, and then received a telegram ‘Report for duty immediately at Catterick. You are absent without leave’. Monica had unwittingly gone AWOL by
going home to her family instead of home to her Army barracks. She went before a board at Catterick, who gave her official leave to convalesce.
Once back in Germany, Monica was nursing more general conditions, getting patients back to health. One of her patients was a young Life Guards officer, who fell in love with his nurse. Trevor served with 2nd Household Cavalry Regiment, Armoured Division, in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. Monica and Trevor left the Army in mid- 1946 and married on 29 June 1946 at Esh Laude, Durham. They live in Newcastle until 1952, then Hertfordshire and had four children – Peter, Michael, Susan and Gordon. In 1963 the family moved to County Durham, a few miles from Monica’s birthplace.
Trevor died in 1987, and later, Monica’s adult life turned full circle when she joined the QA Association, initially at her old Army barracks where she had enrolled in the Army over 40 years before. Trevor and Monica rarely spoke of their war experiences to their children, but when Monica joined the Association, she spoke to her grandchildren of her time spent as a frontline nurse during World War 2.
Monica was an active member of the QA Association. She joined other QAs on Remembrance Sunday on the first occasion the QAs were invited to march past the Cenotaph, and on Remembrance Sunday 2003 Monica carried the wreath on behalf of the QA Association. She has visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire which now has a QA memorial. On 9 July 2005 Monica attended the unveiling of the Memorial to the Women on World War 3 in Whitehall, and the following day attended a commemorative event in Horseguards Parade to mark 60 years since the end of World War 2.
\until recent months, Monica attended regular meetings and also gave talks to QA Association members at Fenham Barracks speaking of her nursing experiences. She was the oldest member of the branch.
In June 2019 Monica was one of a handful of female Normandy veterans aboard the MV Boudicca for a week
Monica in later life with her World War 2 medals
Monica as a young QAIMNS(R) sister
of D Day 75 commemorations in the UK and France. She felt proud and privileged to be recognised for her small part as a Normandy veteran, attending Portsmouth celebrations on 5 June and the service at Bayeux Cemetery on 6 June 3019. Although she had made private family visits to Normandy, this was her only official visit as a Normandy veteran.
In the French Honours List of 14 July 2019, 75 years after 121 BGH landed in Normandy, Monica received France’s highest honour, the Legion d’Honneur, becoming a knight (chevalier) of the order. Monica received her medal and letter from the French Embassy by post, but had not been officially presented with her medal at a ceremony. Monica had not expected accolades, saying ‘it was the men who were fighting, we were only doing our duty’. She was both modest and proud of her achievements.
In her 70s and 80s Monica would say she didn’t feel old, after all she aimed to live to 100, and she very nearly did.
Monica is survived by her four children, who have 65+ years of treasured memories, 13 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.
Susan Laidlaw (Daughter)