Page 29 - QARANC Vol 16 No 1 2018

THE GAZETTE QARANC 27
Remembrance
Royal College of Nursing
RCN Defence Nursing Forum Remembrance Ceremony
The RCN Defence Nursing Forum was delighted to hold its fourth Remembrance Ceremony and ‘Turning of the Pages Ceremony’ at RCN HQ in Cavendish Square, London. Present were RCN President Cecilia Anim (centre) and from left to right Grp Capt Priestley (Head RAF Nursing), Capt Hofman RN (Defence Nurse Advisor) Acting Surgeon General Maj Gen Bricknell, Padre DMS Whittington, Col Irvine L/QARANC Chief Nurse Army and Comdr Selwood representing Capt Spencer RN, Head of RN Nursing.
Lt Col Debra Ritsperis
Members of the Association waiting to march past at the annual Cenotaph Act of Remembrance
Remembrance
2018 marks one hundred years since the end of the First World War and it’s clear from the ever- increasing number of articles published in each edition of the Gazette that QAs everywhere consider remembrance to be an important part of what we do, and what we are. So for this edition of your Gazette, I have collected together all the articles on remembrance events into one section to give an overall picture of what we were doing in 2017.
What comes over very strongly from these writings is the sense of pride we all feel when we represent our Corps and Association at large national events such as the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, as well as at smaller, more local events. Those who watched the televised commemoration in the summer of 2017 of the Battle of Passchendaele could not fail to be moved by Capt Amelia Cummings’ reading from the diary of an Army nurse; a timely reminder for us all that war affects those not directly in the face of battle in different ways to those engaged in fighting on the front line.
2017 was also the year in which we commemorated 100 years
of women in the armed forces. Of course our own Corps was formed as QAIMNS in 1902, but the formation of Queen Mary’s Army Auxiliary Corps (QMAAC) in 1917 was a milestone in the emancipation of women. QMAAC was disbanded when the war ended, but re-established as the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) in World War Two and became the forerunner of the Women’s Royal Army Corps (WRAC). The WRAC exists no longer, its members transferring to the Corps and Regiments appropriate to their trades, and we welcomed men into the QAs. It took a long time for this equality to happen; but it goes to show that war can be a focal point in enabling social change, and that alongside remembering the sacrifice of young lives in the trenches, we can also be thankful that their sacrifice has enabled us to have the freedoms that we enjoy today.
I am grateful to all those regular, reserve and retired members of the Association who contributed articles and photographs for this section.
Alison Spires Editor
Scottish
Branch
Seven members of the Scottish Branch attended the opening of the Edinburgh Remembrance Garden on 30 October 2017. This is held at the foot of the Scott Monument in Princes Street Gardens, the field of crosses to the west and the Garden of Remembrance to the east. Poppy crosses were laid at the QA plot by those present. On Remembrance Sunday Laura Murray laid the QA wreath at the Stone of Remembrance at the City Chambers, followed by the church service in St Giles Cathedral.
Isobel Gibson Secretary