Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') 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 Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

Medical Services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profess ...

History

Although an "official" nursing service was not established until 1881, the corps traces its heritage to

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during t ...

, who was instrumental in lobbying for the support of female military nurses. The Army Nursing Service, which had been established in 1881, and which from 1889 provided Sisters for all Army hospitals with at least 100 beds, had only a small number of nurses in its employ. In 1897, in an effort to have nurses available if needed for war, the service was supplemented by

Princess Christian Princess Helena (Helena Augusta Victoria; 25 May 1846 – 9 June 1923), later Princess Christian of Schleswig-Holstein, was the third daughter and fifth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Helena was educated by private tutors chosen ...

's Army Nursing Service Reserve (PCANSR). Nurses registered for the service and by the beginning of the

First Boer War The First Boer War ( af, Eerste Vryheidsoorlog, literally "First Freedom War"), 1880–1881, also known as the First Anglo–Boer War, the Transvaal War or the Transvaal Rebellion, was fought from 16 December 1880 until 23 March 1881 betwee ...

the reserve had around 100 members, but swelled its membership to over 1400 during the conflict. PCANSR eventually became the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. On 27 March 1902, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) was established by Royal Warrant, and was named after

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

, who became its president. In 1949, the QAIMNS became a

corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

in the British Army and was renamed as the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. Since 1950 the organisation has trained nurses, and in 1992 men were allowed to join. The associated Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

. Queen Alexandra was president from 1902 until her death in 1925. The following year she was succeeded by Queen Mary.

Territorial Force Nursing Service

The

Territorial Force Nursing Service The Territorial Force Nursing Service (TFNS) was established in 1908, part of the reform of the British auxiliary forces introduced by Richard Haldane which created the Territorial Force. Nurses with at least three years of training were able to ...

(TFNS) was originally formed to staff the territorial force hospitals at home, and the majority of its members spent their wartime service in the United Kingdom, not only in the 25 territorial hospitals, but also in hundreds of auxiliary units throughout the British Isles. Within a short time they were also employed in the eighteen territorial hospitals abroad, and alongside their QAIMNS colleagues in military hospitals and casualty clearing stations in France, Belgium, Malta, Salonica, Gibraltar, Egypt, Mesopotamia and East Africa.

Territorial Army Nursing Service

The Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS) was formed in 1920, when the Territorial Force was renamed the Territorial Army. It existed until 1949, when both regular and reserve nurses joined the QARANC. Territorial Army nurses served alongside QAIMNS nurses all over the world, and in all campaigns during WW2.

Ranks

The initial ranking system used by the QAIMNS was as follows.

Senior Corps Appointments

The Colonel In Chief is

The Countess of Wessex Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, (born Sophie Helen Rhys-Jones, 20 January 1965) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, the youngest sibling of King Charles III. Sophie grew up in Brenchle ...

GCVO GCStJ CD. The Corps has two Colonels Commandant, Colonel

Carol Kefford Carol Margaret Kefford (née Poulten; born 1958) is a British nurse who has served as Clinical Director and Chief Nurse for Nuffield Health (May 2017-October 2021) and since 2017 is a Colonel Commandant of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursi ...

, who was appointed in 2018, and Colonel Kevin Davies MBE RRC OStJ TD DL, who was appointed in 2020. In January 2016 a new post, Chief Nursing Officer (Army), replaced the role of Matron-in-Chief and the Director Army Nursing Services.

List of Chief Nursing Officers (Army)

*Colonel Karen J Irvine (January 2016 – January 2018) *Colonel Alison McCourt OBE ARRC QHN (February 2018 – 2019) *Colonel Alison Farmer ARRC QHN (December 2019 – current)

List of Matrons-in-Chief QAIMNS/QARANC

Nursing Recommendation of Annie Burns (nee MacKenzie)

* Dame Sidney Browne (1902–1906) *

Caroline Keer Caroline Keer, (1857 – 29 December 1928) was a British military nurse and nursing administrator, who served in Natal during the Second Boer War. Nursing career Keer served with the British Army's Nursing Service from December 1887, where she ...

(1906–1910) * Dame Ethel Becher (1910–1919)Such was the expansion of QAIMNS during the First World War that there were three Matrons-in-Chief simultaneously (Becher, McCarthy & Oram). * Dame Maud McCarthy (1914–1919) (France & Flanders) * Dame Sarah Oram (1915–1919) (Middle East) *

Beatrice Isabel Jones Beatrice Isabel Jones, (21 September 1866 – 14 January 1921) was a British nurse who, after serving in several civilian hospitals, volunteered for military service. She served in the Second Boer War in South Africa and then later served during ...

(1916–1920) for

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

* Dame Anne Beadsmore Smith (1919–1924) * Florence Hodgins (1924–1928) *

Rosabelle Osborne Rosabelle Osborne, (died 8 May 1958) was a British military nurse and nursing administrator. She served as Principal Matron at the War Office in 1924 and as Matron-in-Chief at the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (QAIMNS) fro ...

(1928–1930) * Marguerite Medforth (1930–1934) * Daisy Martin, 1934–1938) *

Catherine Roy Catherine Murray Roy, (24 January 1883 – 14 August 1976) was a decorated Scottish military nurse who served at the front during the First World War. She was later Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. Early li ...

(1938–1940) * Dame Katharine Jones (1940–1944) * Dame Louisa Wilkinson (1944–1946) * Lilian Hunnings (1946–1948) * Brigadier Dame Anne Thomson (1948–1952) * Brigadier Dame Helen Gillespie (1952–1956) * Brigadier Dame Monica Golding (1956–1960) * Brigadier Dame Barbara Cozens (1960–1964) * Brigadier Dame Margot Turner (1964–1968) * Brigadier Barbara Gordon (1968–1973) * Brigadier Helen Cattanach (1973–1977) * Brigadier Joan Moriarty (1977–1981) * Brigadier Vera Rooke (1981–1984) * Brigadier Rita Hennessy (1985–1989) * Brigadier Jill Field (1989–1992) * Brigadier Hilary Dixon-Nuttall (1992–1995) * Brigadier Jane Arigho (1995–1999) * Colonel Bridget McEvilly, 1999–2002) * Colonel Kathy George (2002–2005) * Colonel John Quinn (2005–2008) * Colonel Wendy Spencer (2008–2011) * Colonel Pete Childerley (2011–2013) * Colonel David Bates (2013)

List of Matrons-in-Chief TFNS/TANS

* Dame Sidney Browne (1909–1920) * Dame Maud McCarthy (1920–1925) * Dame Anne Beadsmore Smith (1925–1931) *

(1931–1936) * Agatha Phillips (1936–1940)

References

Order of precedence

External links

Official website

QARANC Association Official website

History and information about Army Nurses (QARANC Association Official history website)
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 British administrative corps Health in Surrey Medical units and formations of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1902 Army medical administrative corps 1902 establishments in the United Kingdom Nursing organisations in the United Kingdom Organisations based in Surrey Staff College, Camberley