Page 20 - QARANC Vol 17 No 1 2019

18 QARANC THE GAZETTE
transfer to the Royal Albert Hall where we had a full-dress rehearsal before the first live show. We relaxed in Imperial College before the second live show on the BBC started.
We walked back to the Royal Albert Hall looking as smart as we possibly could and beaming with pride. We were called forward for our part and it was honestly a privilege, despite the nerves, of having the whole Royal Family, the families of soldiers who lost their lives, a packed auditorium and millions of television viewers, watching us.
The most emotional part of the night was singing the National Anthem, whilst staring Her Majesty the Queen in the eyes. I had goose bumps and it was spine tingling. It made both Corporal O’Connor and I proud to be nurses in the British Army and even more proud to be members of 208 (Liverpool) Field Hospital.
It was a privilege to take part in such a prestigious event; it was an honour to meet those who took part in it and, for both of us, something we will never forget and a night to remember.
Corporal Jessica Hindley
Northern Ireland
208 (Liverpool) Field Hospital: AMS contingent at The Festival of Remembrance, Royal Albert Hall
A Commemoration to WW1 Nurses: A Northern Ireland Connection
On the evening of 22 November 2018, eight serving and retired members of the QARANC had the pleasure of attending an evening of songs and readings commemorating nurses from Northern Ireland who served in WW1.
The evening was held in the Great Hall, Stormont Parliament Building, Belfast on behalf of the Royal College of Nursing History of Nursing Network Belfast, sponsored by Doug Beattie and Andy Allen MLA. On arrival at Stormont there was an opportunity to meet fellow nurses and families over tea and coffee with each person receiving a copy of Nurses Voices From WW1, a book produced by the RCN History of Nursing Network, Belfast supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The programme organisers, Margaret Graham and Heather Thompson, had created an evening of reflection, drawing the audience to remember the harsh and difficult conditions in which nurses had to care for the sick, wounded and dying in the Great War. Members of the History of Nursing Network told the stories of four local Northern Ireland nurses who had served in the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS); Lucy Sinton-
Kelly QAIMNS®, Sister Rose Ann McGibbon QAIMNS, Mary Ogilvie- Simpson QAIMNS(R) and Margaret
Rafferty QAIMNS(R).
Northern Ireland Branch: QA Association members who attended the Commemoration of WW1 Nurses: A Northern Ireland Connection
Their dedication and commitment, working long shifts with shortages of medicines and supplies, led to exhaustion and some to succumb to illness themselves, either during or after their return home from service. The Belfast Trust Choir provided a compilation of music and vocalist Carrie Alexander sang a beautiful version of From a Distance, the lyrics of which could not have been more appropriate for the occasion.
Much of the information had been researched by network members using archive material and by speaking to the nurses’ families, many of whom
attended the event. The RCN History of Nursing Network Belfast hope to mount a plaque in St Anne’s Cathedral with the names of the nurses from Northern Ireland that they have been able to discover and research so that they will not be forgotten.
I wish to thank everyone involved from the RCN who helped organise the event and for the invitation to such a memorable evening.
Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Byers Senior Nursing Officer, 204 (North Irish) Field Hospital