Page 9 - QARANC Vol 17 No 1 2019

THE GAZETTE QARANC 7
combine Assistant Director Nursing Services, (ADNS) with that of Matron. One of the highlights of her life was being presented to Pope Paul VI on a Military Pilgrimage to Rome in 1975.
Shortly after retiring, she and Robbie married in Aldershot. They set up home in Farnham where they were most hospitable and enjoyed entertaining family and friends, also making several trips to visit family in Australia and America. Margaret enjoyed golf whenever she had the opportunity. Robbie loved his garden and spent many hours tending it. Robbie died in 2009, and it was a very hard time for Margaret, but she continued living in Farnham in the home they had shared, latterly with the help of carers coming in daily. Unfortunately, she had one or two falls, the last one fracturing her hip and requiring a new one. However, she made a good recovery following surgery. It was at this point that Margaret decided she needed more care and was admitted to ’Woodlands’ Care Home in 2014. It was quite a difficult transition for one so used to being independent who had run her own home and managed her life until the age of ninety-five. But settle she did and is now one of the long stay residents making the most of everything that goes on in this busy well-run care home, and she is much loved by the staff and carers.
I first met Margaret in BMH Singapore in the late sixties where she was deputy Matron. She was also my Matron at the Cambridge Military Hospital in the early nineteen seventies; as one’s Senior Officer she was always most approachable, pleasant and kind and a good role model. It is a real privilege for me to have remained friends with this lovely lady for so many years. I enjoy my visits to her and the first question to me is invariably ‘Any new QA news?’, having first scanned a recent copy of the QA Gazette.
Colonel (Retd) Maggie Slattery
Margaret and her husband Robbie
British Military Hospital Singapore
The QARANC Association has received the following message via the RAMC Association from Tan DingXiang of Alexandra Hospital, Singapore (previously British Military Hospital, Singapore).
“We are from the Communications department, under the team of new permanent stewards at the former British Military Hospital Singapore (now Alexandra Hospital).
Since our takeover of operations at Alexandra Hospital in June 2018, we have had the pleasure of meeting former Army Medical Services veterans, many of whom worked under the Royal Army Medical Corps. We’ve also spoken to veterans from the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, who have informed us that, over the years, groups of AMS veterans have made pilgrimages to Alexandra Hospital, to commemorate victims of the massacre
at the hospital.
As we are a newly-established
team of permanent stewards, we unfortunately do not have any prior links or correspondence with any military veterans’ associations, or groups of veterans who have come by for pilgrimages.
Therefore, we hope that the RAMC Association can inform veterans who may be coming to the former BMH Singapore in 2019, to let the management of the hospital know of their plans, so that we can facilitate a guided tour and meeting with our senior management.
2019 is the 75th anniversary of World War II, and is also the year where Singapore commemorates its bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of the British founding of Singapore. Therefore, this year is especially significant.
If the RAMC Association knows of any plans by veterans to visit Singapore, we’d greatly appreciate it if you could let us know, by emailing us at alex_campus_comms@nuhs.edu. sg.
If no one has stated any intention to visit BMH Singapore this year, we hope that you could let your veterans know that we would be happy to welcome them back, and show them around.
We’d be keen to make proper arrangements and plans for them during their visit to the hospital, since this is a special year for us here.
Thank you for your kind attention, and we hope to hear from you soon”.
If you intend to or are thinking of visiting Singapore and the Alexandra Hospital, please let RHQ know, and hopefully a visit to the hospital can be arranged.