Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service
Encyclopedia
Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) is the nursing
branch of the British
Royal Navy
. The Service unit works alongside the Royal Navy Medical Branch.
As of 1 January 2006, according to former Ministry of Defence
junior minister Don Touhig
, the QARNNS had a total strength of 90 Nursing Officers and 200 Naval Nurses (ratings) out of a requirement of 330..
The Navy List (2006) listed 92 QARNNS Officers, of whom 2 were Captains (including 1 DNNS/Matron-in-Chief), 7 Commanders, 19 Lieutenant-Commanders, 60 Lieutenants and 4 Sub-Lieutenants. The Navy List (1981) listed 146 QARNNS Officers, of whom one held the rank of Matron-in-Chief, 2 were Principal Matrons, 4 Matrons, 32 Superintending Sisters, 89 Senior Nursing Sisters and 13 Nursing Sisters; five of the 145 QARNNS Officers were non-nursing officers: 2 Senior Clerical and Quarters Officers and 3 Clerical and Quarters Officers.
and nursing care in the Royal Navy. As such, in 1884, a uniformed Naval Nursing Service was introduced, staffed by trained nurses. These nurses served on shore, initially at Haslar
and Plymouth
.
In 1902, Alexandra of Denmark
, the queen consort
of Edward VII of the United Kingdom
, became President of the Nursing Staff; in her honour, the Naval Nursing service was renamed Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.
Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve was established on 13 October 1910.
In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, QARNNS was significantly expanded, with many volunteers from the British Red Cross
and civilian hospitals; similarly, during the Second World War, many volunteer QARNNS nurses were deployed overseas.
In 1949 a nursing branch of the Women's Royal Naval Service
was formed; however, in 1960 these nurses were integrated into QARNNS, creating a single nursing service. In 1982 an integrated service was formed, allowing men to serve as nurses in QARNNS. The first man to join was Senior Nursing Officer Rajendrasen Purusrum, who was commissioned on 1 March 1983.
Although fully affiliated to the Royal Navy from 1977, QARNNS was technically a separate service until 31 March 2000, when it officially became part of the Royal Navy.
Queen Alexandra was President until her death in 1925. The following year she was succeeded by Queen Mary
. Princess Alexandra
became Patron in 1955.
The ranking system changed during the Second World War.
Rating
s, known as Naval Nurses, were introduced in 1960, with the integration of the WRNS nurses. Their ranking system was similar to that of Royal Navy ratings.
In 1982, in preparation for the introduction of male officers, the Nursing Officers' ranking system was changed.
In 1995 the QARNNS adopted Royal Navy
ranks, although the head of the Nursing Service was no longer a one-star equivalent, the senior Captain of the QARNNS was appointed Director Naval Nursing Service (DNNS) and styled with the historic post of Matron-in-Chief.
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
branch of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. The Service unit works alongside the Royal Navy Medical Branch.
As of 1 January 2006, according to former Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
junior minister Don Touhig
Don Touhig
James Donnelly Touhig, Baron Touhig, PC, KSS is a British Labour Co-operative politician from Wales. He was the Member of Parliament for Islwyn from 1995 until his retirement in 2010.-Early life:...
, the QARNNS had a total strength of 90 Nursing Officers and 200 Naval Nurses (ratings) out of a requirement of 330..
The Navy List (2006) listed 92 QARNNS Officers, of whom 2 were Captains (including 1 DNNS/Matron-in-Chief), 7 Commanders, 19 Lieutenant-Commanders, 60 Lieutenants and 4 Sub-Lieutenants. The Navy List (1981) listed 146 QARNNS Officers, of whom one held the rank of Matron-in-Chief, 2 were Principal Matrons, 4 Matrons, 32 Superintending Sisters, 89 Senior Nursing Sisters and 13 Nursing Sisters; five of the 145 QARNNS Officers were non-nursing officers: 2 Senior Clerical and Quarters Officers and 3 Clerical and Quarters Officers.
History
In 1883, a committee determined that improvements were needed in medicalMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and nursing care in the Royal Navy. As such, in 1884, a uniformed Naval Nursing Service was introduced, staffed by trained nurses. These nurses served on shore, initially at Haslar
Haslar
Haslar is place in England, at the southern tip of Alverstoke, on the Gosport peninsula, Hampshire. It takes its name from Anglo-Saxon hæsel-ōra = "hazel - landing place"...
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
.
In 1902, Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
, the queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, became President of the Nursing Staff; in her honour, the Naval Nursing service was renamed Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service.
Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service Reserve was established on 13 October 1910.
In 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, QARNNS was significantly expanded, with many volunteers from the British Red Cross
British Red Cross
The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom branch of the worldwide impartial humanitarian organisation the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with over 31,000 volunteers and 2,600 staff. At the heart of their work...
and civilian hospitals; similarly, during the Second World War, many volunteer QARNNS nurses were deployed overseas.
In 1949 a nursing branch of the Women's Royal Naval Service
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
was formed; however, in 1960 these nurses were integrated into QARNNS, creating a single nursing service. In 1982 an integrated service was formed, allowing men to serve as nurses in QARNNS. The first man to join was Senior Nursing Officer Rajendrasen Purusrum, who was commissioned on 1 March 1983.
Although fully affiliated to the Royal Navy from 1977, QARNNS was technically a separate service until 31 March 2000, when it officially became part of the Royal Navy.
Queen Alexandra was President until her death in 1925. The following year she was succeeded by Queen Mary
Mary of Teck
Mary of Teck was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, as the wife of King-Emperor George V....
. Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
became Patron in 1955.
Ranks
Initially there were only two ranks: Nursing Sister and Head Sister. In 1911 the intermediate rank of Superintending Sister was introduced. There was no overall head of the service until the introduction of the rank of Head Sister-in-Chief on 1 August 1927. By 1937 Head Sister and Head Sister-in-Chief had been renamed Matron and Matron-in-Chief.The ranking system changed during the Second World War.
| QARNNS rank | Equivalent RN rank |
| Nursing Sister | Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
| Senior Nursing Sister | Lieutenant |
| Superintending Sister | Lieutenant-Commander |
| Matron | Lieutenant-Commander/Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
| Principal Matron | Commander/Captain Captain (Royal Navy) Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the... |
| Matron-in-Chief | Commodore |
Rating
Naval rating
A Naval Rating is an enlisted member of a country's Navy, subordinate to Warrant Officers and Officers hence not conferred by commission or warrant...
s, known as Naval Nurses, were introduced in 1960, with the integration of the WRNS nurses. Their ranking system was similar to that of Royal Navy ratings.
In 1982, in preparation for the introduction of male officers, the Nursing Officers' ranking system was changed.
| QARNNS rank | Equivalent RN rank |
| Nursing Officer | Sub-Lieutenant Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of... |
| Senior Nursing Officer | Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
| Superintending Nursing Officer | Lieutenant-Commander |
| Chief Nursing Officer | Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
| Principal Nursing Officer | Captain Captain (Royal Navy) Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the... |
| Matron-in-Chief | Commodore Commodore (rank) Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always... |
In 1995 the QARNNS adopted Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ranks, although the head of the Nursing Service was no longer a one-star equivalent, the senior Captain of the QARNNS was appointed Director Naval Nursing Service (DNNS) and styled with the historic post of Matron-in-Chief.
List of Head Sisters-in-Chief/Matrons-in-Chief/Directors of Naval Nursing Services QARNNS
- Margaret Keenan, 1927–1929
- Mildred Hughes, 1929–1934
- Catherine Renwick, 1934–1937
- B. M. Martin, 1937–1940
- Annabella Ralph, 1940–1941
- Dame Doris BealeDoris BealeDame Doris Winifred Beale, DBE, RRC and Bar was a British nurse, and Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service for three years during the Second World War...
, 1941–1944 - Matilda Goodrich, 1944–1947
- Olga Franklin, 1947–1950
- Jeannie Gillanders, 1950–1953
- Kathleen Chapman, 1953–1956
- Barbara Nockolds, 1956–1959
- Helen Moore, 1959–1962
- Joan Woodgate, 1962–1966
- Mary Fetherston-Dilke, 1966–1970
- Christina Thompson, 1970–1973
- Cynthia Cooke, 1973–1976
- Patricia Gould, 1976–1980
- Margaret Collins, 1980–1983
- Jean Robertson, 1983–1986
- Eileen Northway, 1986–1990
- Jane Titley, 1990–1994
- Captain Claire Taylor, 1994–1996
- Captain Patricia Hambling, 1996–c.2000
- Captain Lynne Gibbon, 2003–2008
- Captain Helen Allkins, 2008–present
See also
- Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing CorpsQueen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing CorpsQueen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps is the nursing branch of the British Army and part of the Army Medical Services....
- Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing ServicePrincess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing ServicePrincess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921...
- Royal Navy Medical Branch