THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Personal Accounts of members of the Nursing Services
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In addition to the transcriptions of Great War accounts, I have now started transcribing some documents held at The National Archives, which take the form of personal accounts sent to Katharine H. Jones, Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service. After the evacuation of France in the early summer of 1940, Miss Jones sent out requests to members of the nursing services who had been working with Casualty Clearing Stations, asking them to relate their experiences during those final weeks. The results are varied; some are brief, hand-written notes with a minimum of information, while others are long, descriptive accounts of difficult times. There are also accounts sent from nurses working in other theatres of war, from the olive groves of Sicily, to the desperate days of early 1942 when so many members of the nursing services lost their lives at the hands of the Japanese in the Far East.
As many as possible will be included here - one or two have so far defied my best efforts of translation due to illegibility, though most, being typed, have not proved difficult. I have also added, where possible, a short biographical note on the authors, not all of whom, sadly, survived the war. I have tried to leave the form of the letters the same as in the originals, with a minimum of editing or correction.
Peacetime - an account of QAIMNS in 1938
Evacuation from France 1940
Ambulance Trains in France during May and June 1940
India to Iraq and Persia 1942
Polish Prisoners of War 1942
Egypt and Benghazi 1943
Sicily 1943
Italy 1943-44
Malta
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A NOTE ON SOME RECIPIENTS OF THE LETTERS
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Katharine Henrietta Jones,
Matron-in-Chief, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service
from 23rd July 1940, and previously Principal Matron with the British
Expeditionary Force in France.
Born 3rd February 1888, the daughter of a member of the Bengal Civil Service. She trained as a nurse at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London between 1913 and 1917, and joined the QAIMNS Reserve for wartime service on 15th May 1917. Following the end of the Great War she was retained on the Reserve, being appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service in November 1920.
Geraldine Catherine Ball, Principal Matron, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Born 20th November 1885 in Dublin, the daughter of a bank clerk. Trained as a nurse at the West London Hospital, Hammersmith between 1909 and 1913. She served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve during the Great War from May 1915 until December 1919, when she was appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service.
Margaret Russell, Matron at the War Office, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Born 4th February 1890, the daughter of a Free Church Minister. Trained as a nurse at Glasgow Royal Infirmary between 1912 and 1915. She served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve during the Great War from December 1917, and remained on the Reserve until being appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service in 1921.
Born 3rd February 1888, the daughter of a member of the Bengal Civil Service. She trained as a nurse at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London between 1913 and 1917, and joined the QAIMNS Reserve for wartime service on 15th May 1917. Following the end of the Great War she was retained on the Reserve, being appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service in November 1920.
Geraldine Catherine Ball, Principal Matron, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Born 20th November 1885 in Dublin, the daughter of a bank clerk. Trained as a nurse at the West London Hospital, Hammersmith between 1909 and 1913. She served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve during the Great War from May 1915 until December 1919, when she was appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service.
Margaret Russell, Matron at the War Office, Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service.
Born 4th February 1890, the daughter of a Free Church Minister. Trained as a nurse at Glasgow Royal Infirmary between 1912 and 1915. She served with the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Reserve during the Great War from December 1917, and remained on the Reserve until being appointed a Staff Nurse in the Regular service in 1921.
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