Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

branch of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921. It received the Royal prefix after Princess Mary agreed to become its

Patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

in June 1923. It was a women-only branch until 1980, when men were also permitted to join. Until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, it was only open to unmarried women, or childless widows. There was also a Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (Reserve) (PMRAFNS(R)) to supplement the regular service during times of war or emergencies. A history of the service was commissioned from the writer

Mary Mackie Mary Mackie (née Kathleen Mary Whitlam, born early 1940s) is an English writer of over 70 fiction and non-fiction books since 1971. Work of hers has been translated into 20 languages. She is known especially for light-hearted accounts of life lo ...

and appeared in 2001. An updated and extended edition covering subsequent decades (including service in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

) was published in September 2014.

Ranks

The initial ranking system used by the PMRAFNS was as follows. From 1 June 1943, PMRAFNS personnel were granted emergency Commissions, and wore

rank Rank is the relative position, value, worth, complexity, power, importance, authority, level, etc. of a person or object within a ranking, such as: Level or position in a hierarchical organization * Academic rank * Diplomatic rank * Hierarchy * H ...

insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. On its own, an insignia is a sign of a specific or general authority and is ...

corresponding to their equivalent Royal Air Force

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

rank. On 1 February 1949, the women's forces were integrated into the Armed Forces, and a new ranking system was introduced, although professional titles were still used on the wards. Other Ranks were introduced in 1956, although unqualified Nursing Orderlies had previously served in the

Women's Auxiliary Air Force The Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), whose members were referred to as WAAFs (), was the female auxiliary of the Royal Air Force during World War II. Established in 1939, WAAF numbers exceeded 180,000 at its peak strength in 1943, with over 2 ...

and

Women's Royal Air Force The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994. On 1 February 1949, the ...

. They held standard RAF ranks. Officers used the separate ranking system until 1980, when they too adopted RAF ranks.

Hospitals

The RAF had several hospitals which were staffed by nurses from the PMRAFNS. These were located at Akrotiri, Albrighton, Wolverhampton, Ely, Halton Nocton Hall, Lincolnshire,

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon. Situated west-northwest of Charing Cross, it is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Uxbrid ...

Wegberg Wegberg (; li, Berk ) is the northernmost town in the district of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Wegberg is situated between Mönchengladbach in the northeast and Erkelenz in the southeast; the town of Rheindahlen is to ...

and

Wroughton Wroughton is a large village and civil parish in northeast Wiltshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and lies along the A4361 between Swindon and Avebury; the road into Swindon crosses the M4 motorway between junctions 15 an ...

Matrons-in-Chief

* Dame Joanna Cruickshank, 1918–1930 * Dame Katherine Watt, 1930–1938 * Dame Emily Blair, 1938–1943 * Dame Gladys Taylor, 1943–1948 * Air Commandant Dame Helen Cargill, 1948–1952 * Air Commandant Dame Roberta Whyte, 1952–1956 * Air Commandant Dame Alice Williamson, 1956–1959 * Air Commandant Dame Alice Lowrey, 1959–1963 * Air Commandant Dame Veronica Ashworth, 1963–1966 * Air Commandant Dame Pauline Giles, 1966–1970 * Air Commandant Ann McDonald, 1970–1972 * Air Commandant Barbara Ducat-Amos, 1972–1978 * Air Commodore Joan Metcalfe, 1978–1981 * Air Commodore Joy Harris, 1981–1984 * Air Commodore April Reed, 1984–1985 * Group Captain Mary Shaw, 1985–1988 * Group Captain Elizabeth Sandison, 1988–1991 * Group Captain Ethnea Hancock, 1991–1994 * Air Commodore Valerie Hand, 1994–1997 * Air Commodore Bob Williams, 1997–2001 * Group Captain Annie Reid, 2001–2004 * Group Captain Wendy Williams, 2004–2006 * Group Captain Jackie Gross, 2006–2010 * Group Captain Phil Cushen, 2010–2013 * Group Captain Phil Spragg, 2013–2015 * Group Captain Michael Priestley, 2015–2018 * Group Captain Fionnuala Bradley, 2018–2021 * Group Captain Emma Redman, 2021–

References and notes

External links

Official WebsiteMinistry of Defence Hospital Unit Peterborough MDHUPDefence Medical Services
{{Authority control Medical units and formations of the United Kingdom Military medical organizations Military nursing Nursing organisations in the United Kingdom Organizations established in 1918 Royal Air Force Medical Services 1918 establishments in the United Kingdom

Ranks

Hospitals

Matrons-in-Chief

See also

References and notes

External links