Page 40 - QARANC Vol 19 No 1 2021

38 The Gazette QARANC Association
Norah Bryson ARRC
Editor’s note: A recent short article on Norah published in the Gazette (Spring 2020 edition) contained some inaccuracies, so her family have now provided a more full account of her time in the Corps as she celebrates her 100th birthday year!
I thought you might like to hear a little of the interesting life of my aunt (by marriage), Norah Bryson (nee Letch) who will be 100 years old on February 24 2021.
Norah enrolled as a Pupil Nurse at the age of 17 after spending a period of time in hospital for a tonsillectomy, because she was so impressed with the care that she received she had determined to become a nurse herself. Norah trained at the Isolation and TB Sanitorium in Southampton, somewhat of a baptism of fire for such a young woman, as they nursed patients who were brought straight from the ships which docked there from all over the world, carrying all sorts of infectious diseases, and they had a ward always kept ready in case of a pandemic striking. They also nursed patients from the county with measles, diphtheria and polio (in iron lungs) and any other infectious diseases, and were at constant risk of contracting illnesses themselves. Indeed, Norah was seriously ill for a few months, which delayed her training.
After three years, in 1941, she transferred to Southampton General Hospital to do her general nursing training, becoming a ward sister. These were very difficult times as Southampton was subject to intense air raids, being an important dock, and also having the Spitfire factory in the city. One of her stories of that time is of trying to get back to the hospital after leaving a cinema when bombs began falling and being thrown to the ground by a military warden and told to take shelter until she produced a card saying she must return to the hospital immediately. He insisted on escorting her there on the long and arduous journey back to the hospital in Shirley. She was very grateful for this very brave man who protected her with his helmet but Norah never found out his name. She arrived with her civilian clothes in tatters and had to find a spare uniform dress to wear but without the cuffs. It was only half prepared and so she
was improperly dressed and was not recognised by her colleagues.
As all the children and TB patients had been evacuated the wards were filled with large numbers of service men, since troops were secretly amassed in the area in preparation for the invasion of France. They were then inundated with casualties fresh from the battlefield as D-Day commenced. Men were brought in straight from the ships and planes, still in battledress, to wards, including Sister Norah’s. They were cleaned and given the necessary emergency treatment to enable them to be transferred out, often the next day, to an area away from the bombing s the injuries were extreme and varied they were then gradually moved to specialist hospitals in Wales and Scotland. A huge sadness for her is that she never learned of the fate of any of ‘her boys’, how many survived or went on to eventually lead meaningful lives, all except for one.
One night Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, the Brigadier Commander of the 1st Special Forces Brigade (the newly formed Commandoes) was brought in with severe wounds. After many hours of emergency surgery, and after his condition had improved, he was put in a side ward, where he was nursed before being transferred north. During those days he was secretly visited by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. The Queen also visited the other service casualties whilst there, giving a great boost to morale. Norah was later able to follow his life story, pleased to know that at least one of ‘her boys’ survived, and after a long convalescence led a very meaningful life.
After the war Norah qualified as a midwife, becoming a district midwife and carrying out home deliveries for several years in Guildford until in 1951, after her mother died, her only close family, she decided to join the Army to travel the world. She enrolled as a nurse and midwife at the age of 28 into the QARANC. She served in the Corps until 1967, rising to the rank of Major, and was awarded the ARRC upon her retirement. She has many incredible stories to tell of her postings abroad, which included Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Malaysian jungle during the rebel uprisings, and her final one in Jamaica.
One of the happiest stories though
Norah Bryson at her birthday party with Major (Retd) Jill Machray (R) and Elizabeth Webb (L)
was whilst Norah was stationed in Singapore in 1954. A ship called the Stanley Angwin docked for a few days, on relief from duty as the communications support vessel to the SS Gothic, the then Royal Yacht, as it returned from the Queen’s Commonwealth Tour (the Yacht Britannia was just coming into service and met Her Majesty at Gibraltar to convey her on the final leg of her tour). A few of the senior nursing officers serving in the hospital in Singapore were invited to a dinner aboard the Stanley Angwin, and it was there (involving a long and humorous story), that Norah met Thomas Bryson, a marine engineer on the ship, the man who eventually became her husband. However, their romance was a long and tricky one, mostly conducted by letter and telephone, as Norah’s postings moved her around the world as did Tom’s work. He became a respected senior engineer specialising in turbines and was sent out to deal with engine emergencies at sea, including on the liner the Queen Elizabeth II.
Norah completed her career as a QA at the Louise Margaret Maternity