Page 8 - QARANC Vol 16 No 2 2018

6 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Association support for our older members
Jan Todman, a member of Millbank Branch, is in touch regularly with two ex-QAIMNS nurses who served in World War Two, Mary Crossey and Yvonne Lees.
Mary celebrated her 100th birthday in July 2018, and until well into her nineties she was able to attend the Annual Reunion at the Victory Services Club in London. Jan got to know Mary when they were both members of the Colchester Branch of the Association, and offered her a lift to meetings when she had to give up driving in her eighties.
Jan reports that Mary is reluctant to talk about her wartime career, but we know that Mary trained initially as a
fever nurse, and then did her general training at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Mary volunteered for service in World War Two, and spent some time in India. After the war, she held various positions and went to work in Scotland in a senior nursing role until she retired.
Mary returned to her native Norfolk in later life and remains a very formidable lady. She lived on her own until very recently, moving into a residential home. Jan says that Mary’s mind remains very sharp and she has to watch her Ps and Qs!
Jan became acquainted with Yvonne Lees when taking her to a luncheon club. Like Mary, Yvonne served in
Yvonne Lees with her Legion d’Honneur
Mary Crossey
QAIMNS in World War Two. She served in France, taking part in the Normandy Landings, and recently was awarded the Legion d’Honneur by the French Government. There is considerable local interest in Yvonne and her career and achievements, and an article about her appeared in a local paper.
Yvonne met and married her husband in the war, and celebrated her 98th birthday in August.
Many thanks to Jan Todman for the information about these two veteran QAs, and for supporting them so well.
The Legion d’Honneur
The French Government made it known to the Ministry of Defence in the 70th Anniversary year that, in conjunction with events to mark the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the Government of France has advised the Ministry of Defence that it wishes to award the Legion d’Honneur to all surviving veterans.
An application form is available for any veterans, including Royal Navy and Royal Air Force personnel who operated in support of the landings, who have not already received this award from the French Government, or have not been identified to take part in award ceremonies during the events in Normandy. In the section headed “reasons justifying the
proposal”, brief details should be given of service in France. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/d-day-70- application-form-for-award-of-the-legion-dhonneur
The application form can be submitted electronically to the following address people-dssec-cectmailbox@mod.gov.uk or by post to:
Legion d’Honneur Team, Floor 6, Zone C, Ministry of Defence, Main Building, LONDON SW1A 2HB
If you know of a surviving Normandy veteran who has not yet received the award, maybe you could tell them about their entitlement, and help them and their family with applying for one.