Page 4 - QARANC Vol 14 No 10 2015

2 QARANC THE GAZETTE
DANS Foreword
I am pleased to welcome you all to this edition of the Gazette in particular as we prepare for the next DANS’ Symposium, the Association AGM and the Reunion in May. Last year’s symposium was a ‘conceptual reset’ which examined what we need to know in order to be prepared for contemporary and future challenges. Little did we to know that the concepts that were being discussed in May last year would be put to the test within six months and 22 Field Hospital would be rapidly switched from a Vanguard Field Hospital, in a predominantly war fighting mode, to a humanitarian assistance role fighting Ebola virus in Sierra Leone. This demonstrates the exceptional agility of our nurses and our colleagues from the other Services as well as the other Corps in the AMS.
My proposal for the Symposium this year is to reflect on what we have learned over the last twelve months and to refresh our minds so that we are in
a strong position to look
further into the future
beyond 2020. As I have
said before, our mission
and vision needs to be
crystal clear, enabled by a
credible intent so that we
survive contact with the
next SDSR. This vision is
based on your input from
last year’s symposium and is currently being socialised within our routine round of Regular, Reserve and Association meetings culminating in my presentation delivered during the Corps’ Birthday Celebrations that was impressively hosted by 204 Field Hospital and the Northern Ireland Branch last month. I urge you all to put the Symposium and/or the AGM Reunion in your diaries (Thursday 14th, Friday 15th and Saturday 16th May 2015) as we have some exceptional speakers and guests lined up to help us deliver an exciting and relevant programme based on our vision. Rest assured that if you do not manage to get to any of these events everything that you need to know will be posted on the Association Web-Site and summarised in the Autumn edition of the Gazette.
You have all heard me talk about the importance of Op REFLECT or the Army’s strategic programme
of events covering the centenary commemorations of World War 1 some of which have been reported in these pages. By embracing the lessons of the past we can shape our future. Colonel Helen Singh, Commanding Officer of 205 Field Hospital, has taken up the challenge by agreeing to nest a conceptual study looking at what Army Nursing is through the lens of a World War 1 staff ride to Belgium in October. It is hoped that we will prove a definition of what Army nursing is and what makes it different to nursing in all other environments especially in light of the Whole Force Concept. My gut feeling is that we deliberately put our nurses into non-permissive environments to ensure that they are in the optimal position with in the mission space to
care for our sick and wounded. It was ever thus, and what the centenary commemorations have been doing is reminding us of the Nellie Spindler’s and Beatrice Allsop’s being killed or injured during bombardments on the Western Front. Some of you will have more recent memories of coming under direct or indirect fire in Iraq and Afghanistan or other operations. It also reminds us that the Whole Force Concept is not new; as we demonstrated in last year’s symposium, the Crimean Peninsula Campaign from 1854 and Western Theatre in WW1 both exploited the Whole Force Concept for logistics and medical
support.
Following this thread you will know
that we as a Corps have been invited to numerous events commemorating WW1 and I was privileged to be invited to Stoke Hospital to rededicate a memorial plaque to Margaret Mayne ARRC who was infected with meningitis whilst working as a Sister in Harwich and subsequently died in Colchester 1917. The Trust’s historians have located Margaret’s unmarked grave in Colchester and the Regimental Secretary with the Millbank Branch and 16 Medical Regiment are investigating the feasibility of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission taking over its management and providing a head stone. I flag this up because it is a good example of how cooperation and inclusivity between our civilian
colleagues, the Reserves, the Regulars and Retired members all working together can get stuff done! I look forward to reading Lieutenant Colonel Simon Davies’ article in the Autumn edition of the Gazette.
Finally we send our congratulations to our colleagues and their Director Lieutenant Colonel Lee Turner (who many of you will remember from his time in the QARANC) in the Royal New Zealand Army Nursing Corps who will be celebrating their centenary on the 12th May 2015.
The
Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps Spring
GAZETTE
Vol 14 No 10 2015
Front cover picture:
Members of QARANC Association planting Poppies at Tower of London