Queen Alexandra Royal Naval Nursing Service

 

A flat lay image of books mentioned in this blog, a pair of glasses and some hairclips

I am often asked about my experiences of training and working as a naval nurse. I can only share my experiences which will be different from other peoples and it is worth remembering that they are now from quite a while ago. 

Being in the armed forces has a lot to do with a lifestyle over anything else and it can be all consuming if you live and work within the service environment. There is an expectation of time spent away from home for training, exercises and drafts although there is sometimes stability with longer drafts. It is a culture of working and playing hard, a structured hierarchy with rules can seem odd to others and a culture of high standards and pride in being part of something special. The payoff from having less freedom is the opportunities that others may never get. A chance to visit places, meet people, learn new things. Naval nurses are part of the Queen Alexandra Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) which is now completely affiliated with the Royal Navy and is represented by the crossed A’s monogram of Queen Alexandra. You can find yourself spending the day in working clothes up to your arms in mud or body fluids then changing to smart uniform or dressing up for an event in the evening. I travelled to Egypt for a global training exercise, took part in sporting competitions, organised a ball, flew in a helicopter, drove an all terrain vehicle and an ambulance and took part in the Florence Nightingale service at Westminster Abby. 

Me stood in front of a helicopter on an open day at an air station

As a nurse I was posted to military hospitals, NHS hospitals and to a medical centre on an airbase - all very different experiences but with wonderful chances to explore transferable skills. There were chances for additional professional training and to drive improvements in patient care. Whilst there are no longer any military hospitals, there are NHS hospitals which have a ministry of defence hospital unit attached such as University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust (Derriford) in Devon and Frimley Health Foundation Trust (Frimley Park) in Surrey. The feeling of belonging to something big and with such a distinguished history is a significant part of being in the forces. The uniforms change over time but the sense of connection to both the history and future of the forces is strong. I was fortunate to wear the uniform of hat (five folds for the oceans, seven pleats for the seas), apron, dress and cuffs (elasticated for on the wards and hard ones for outside). I still have and treasure my red lined hooded cloak. The clinical uniform now, quite rightly, is much more practical and in line with modern NHS uniforms. 

QARNNS belt and belt buckle, nursing badges and fob watch

In addition to the the requirements of active duty, ashore and overseas, the medical branch is responsible for both primary and secondary care provision of healthcare to serving members of the forces and their families and provision of service through the NHS to local populations. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend anyone else doing it? Yes, as long as they know what they are getting into and feel that it is a good fit for them.

I trained at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire. The hospital is now closed but the buildings are still standing having taken patients constantly from 1753-2009. It is one of two contenders as the origin of the saying ‘up the creek without a paddle’ and was built with high walls to keep patients in at a time when many sailors were pressganged into service. It was a place for pioneering medicine -James Lind the father of both Naval medicine and clinical research trials (proving the cause of scurvy) served here and the first blood bank in the country was established at Haslar. Patients from the Napoleonic wars, the Crimean wars, both World Wars, the Falklands and the Gulf wars have been welcomed in through to the hospital. Some came by ferry, others delivered by wagons running on rails right into the centre of the hospital and others in more recent times by helicopter. The site is now being brought back to life with a range of housing and health needs being met in the old hospital.

Red brick buildings of Haslar hospital

Useful links to find out more:

Royal Navy | Healthcare and Medical

Naval Nurse (Qualified) | Royal Navy Jobs | Surface Fleet

Royal Navy Medical Branch | Nursing Times Jobs

Haslar Heritage Group - The Royal Haslar Hospital

Books about Naval Nursing and the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar:

Queen Alexandras Royal Naval Nursing service by Kathleen Harland. This history book from the 1990s is now out of print but occasionally copies come up in second hand bookshops and on auction sites and makes for an interesting read

Memories of Haslar - Haslar Heritage Group compiled by Eric Birkbeck this book is an anthology of recollections and stories of the Royal Hospital Haslar from patients, staff and families. (* I have a story included in this anthology but didn't and don't receive anything for or from sales of the book)

The Red and Green Life machine by Rick Jolley. An incredible man, Rick Jolley is the only person to have been awarded both an OBE and an Argentinian Orden de Mayo. He was highly respected and well known throughout the medical branch. This book tells of the hospital set up on the Falkland Islands and the innovative work achieved there.

Lillian Harry. A girl called Thursday. This one is fiction but it is an enjoyable book. Lillian Harry always infuses her books with a real sense of place. Delving into the history her books are based around you can picture the characters moving around the hospital grounds and the surrounding town. A flavour of what nursing was like for the VADs who served at Haslar.