Page 22 - QARANC Vol 19 No 2 2021

20 The Gazette QARANC Association
Honouring the Heroic Sacrifice of Anne Fletcher
Anne Veronica Fletcher was born in 1891 to parents Daniel and Mary (nee Kelly) and was one of 12 children. Following nurse training at Bradford Hospital, Anne joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service as a staff nurse on 7 May 1915 at the age of 24 years.
Anne was subsequently posted to the East Leeds War Hospital where she cared for serious cases of wounded soldiers, many fresh from the battlefields in France and Belgium. It is widely believed that during a visit to the East Leeds War Hospital, the King complimented Anne on her abilities and skills in bandaging.
Anne continued to work at East Leeds War Hospital until 1917 when she had to resign on grounds of ill health. Medical Board reports
indicate she contracted tuberculosis early in 1917 and by June she had left the service and was admitted to the Walton Sanatorium. As with all nurses who contracted tuberculosis her illness was described as ‘in’ but not ‘by’ her service.
Anne was awarded the Silver War Badge in 1917.* She unfortunately died at home on 14 March 1918 aged just 27 years.
Her obituary in the Derbyshire Courier published on 23 March 1918 read...
‘Heroic sacrifice, the result of untiring devotion to duty in nursing wounded soldiers
fresh from the battlefields,
was made by Nurse Ann Veronica Fletcher’.
Anne was laid to rest close to her childhood home, in Spital Cemetery; a cemetery occupied by many other war heroes who fought and died during the First and Second World Wars. The cemetery is overseen by a voluntary group called ‘Friends of Spital Cemetery’ who are dedicated to its preservation, conservation and restoration, as well as researching the stories of the people who are buried there.
On International Women’s Day on 14 March 2018 the ‘Friends of Spital Cemetery’ held an event with Chesterfield Borough Council and representatives from UNISON and from the Chesterfield and District Royal Engineers Association, at the graveside of Anne Fletcher in Spital Cemetery. It was 100 years to the day since Nurse Fletcher had died. Skip ahead three years and on the 27 July 2021, we were honoured to be invited to represent Queen Alexandra’s Army Nursing Corps at a ceremony to unveil a Blue Plaque dedicated to Nurse Anne Fletcher. The plaque, funded by the QARANC Association, has been placed on the front of Anne’s childhood
home in Spital, Chesterfield.
Alongside the Friends of Spital
Cemetery, QARANC Colonel Commandant Colonel Carol Kefford, Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay Baigent, Major Gail Whittle and myself were joined by the Mayor of Chesterfield for the ceremony. Members of Anne
Fletcher’s family were also in attendance; some hadn’t known of her existence until contacted by the Friends of Spital Cemetery.
The unveiling was performed by Colonel Kefford and was followed by a visit to Anne’s grave. Lieutenant Colonel Baigent laid a wreath on behalf of the QARANC Association. I read the words of the QARANC
Corps Collect aloud before we all took a moment of silence to reflect on the hard work, dedication and daily
The Silver War Badge
The four QARANC representatives at Spital Cemetery. L-R Corporal M Godfrey, Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay Baigent, Colonel Commandant Colonel Carol Kefford, Major Gail Whittle
Heroic sacrifice, the result of untiring devotion to duty in nursing wounded soldiers fresh from the battlefields