Page 54 - QARANC Vol 19 No 1 2021

52 The Gazette QARANC Association
Dorothy Anne Higson
Dorothy was born on 7 February 1944 in Manchester and has a brother Tony. She was schooled in Manchester before becoming a child’s nurse at Mirfield at a children’s home that was connected to the College of the Resurrection, Mirfield in Yorkshire, at the age of 14 for which she earned about £1 per week. Dorothy was passionate about becoming a nurse and learnt some basic skills when she joined the St John Ambulance Brigade.
When she was old enough Dorothy joined QARANC which after a while she left to work in Wythenshawe, Manchester. It was during a spell at A and E that she could be seen travelling the district in heavy snow on her scooter! She was not one to put off until tomorrow anything that could be done today.
Dorothy however, missed the camaraderie of the QAs and so she joined up again and became an officer
within the Corps, of which she was very proud. It was whilst with the QAs she trained as a midwife.
Dorothy spent time in Canada and Libya before working at the Canadian Memorial Hospital, Taplow near Maidenhead. She eventually became a school nurse in the Forces schools in Germany where she met Peter, who was in the Royal Signals.
They were married at the William Temple Church in Wythenshawe on 24 August 1979. Dorothy then followed Peter to Northern Ireland and then onto Cyprus before he left the Regular Army and joined the TA in London.
Peter and Dorothy eventually went to North Lincolnshire where Dorothy worked as a nurse for the Lincolnshire Health Clinics. They eventually moved to Crewe about three years ago.
Whatever Dorothy did she would to the very best of her ability and during her last illness bore the suffering bravely and stoically.
She was very proud to be a member of the QARANC Association, and valued her friends and colleagues within the that great Corps.
May she rest in peace – under the white cross (of Christ) – Sub Cruce Candida.
on and never complained. She was well known for telling district nurses and care staff how to do their job and was widely respected as an ‘independent woman’. I write this in italics as she taught me to be just that from an early age.
Pauline/Mam will be missed and remembered for all the right reasons; funny, kind, warm, loving and generous. She possessed a great sense of duty and purpose and I am certain she learnt some of those qualities as a QARANC nurse. Not bad for a lass from Hull. RIP, Mam. Sub Crucia Candida.
Valerie Redmore-McDonald Retired Warrant Officer 2 QARANC Proud Daughter
Private/Mrs Pauline Loftus
Pauline was born, raised and passed away in Hull, East Yorkshire; she was a proud Yorkshire woman all of her life. An only child, she was idolised by her loving parents, Alexander and Eleanor (Nell). Pauline’s father was a trawlerman/chef and instilled in her ambition and the joy of adventure.
After a scholarship education, Pauline left school at age 14 and after taking a few jobs locally, Pauline followed her calling and joined the QARANC at the age of 18 as a pupil nurse. Pauline travelled to Liphook and undertook basic training; she described it as ‘one
of the happiest times’ in her life. During her service as a QA, Pauline was posted to military hospitals in Malta and Benghazi, Libya. Pauline wrote home as she travelled to Malta on 2 June 1953, Coronation Day; she always embraced an adventure and
like any soldier, loved her food! Following her demob, Pauline returned to Hull and carried on with her nurse training at the Western General Hospital. She made many lifelong friends and was active in the hospital Nursing League until a few years ago. Sadly, she never qualified as she met and married Terry and settled down to life as a wife and mother. Pauline had two daughters, Janet and Valerie and she idolised her only grandchild, Michael. Both Janet and Valerie joined the Army and Pauline was very proud of their service in the WRAC and
QARANC, respectively.
Many happy years were spent in
various caring roles at schools and then she retired due the start of ill health in her 5Os. Pauline was a keen writer of letters, loved history, had many friends and made the best of ‘her lot’.
The last decade held a lot of health challenges for Pauline, but she carried