Timeline of Army Nursing
From British Army Nurses
British military nursing services post-Crimean War
Reference summary compiled by Alison Spires, February 2015
Contents
- Army nursing services
- Royal Navy nursing services
- Royal Air Force nursing services
- Male nurses in the military
- Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces
Army nursing services
Following the Crimean War, the British Army developed a succession of organised nursing services, culminating in the formally constituted Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) in 1949.
| Name of service | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Army Nursing Service | ANS | Officially established 1881–1902. No records held at TNA apart from medal rolls for the Boer War. |
| Princess Christian's Army Nursing Service (Reserve) | PCANS(R) | 1897 until final disbandment in 1907. No records held at TNA apart from medal rolls for the Boer War. Some transferred in 1902 to the new QAIMNS. |
| Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service | QAIMNS | 1902–1949. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s. |
| Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service (Reserve) | QAIMNS(R) | 1908–1949. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s. |
| Territorial Force Nursing Service | TFNS | 1908–1921. Records held at TNA, weeded in 1920s and 1930s. |
| Indian Army Nursing Service | IANS | 1893–1903. Records held at The British Library. Designated to nurse British troops in India. |
| Queen Alexandra's Military Nursing Service for India | QAMNSI | 1903–1926. Designated to nurse British troops in India. Amalgamated with QAIMNS. |
| Queen Alexandra's Military Families Nursing Service | QAMFNS | 1921–1926. Designated to nurse families of British soldiers. Amalgamated with QAIMNS. |
| Territorial Army Nursing Service | TANS | 1921–1949. Members became QARANC Territorial Army in 1949. |
| Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps | QARANC (Regular and Reserve) | 1949 — formally constituted Corps of the British Army, continues to present. Men admitted 1992. |
Royal Navy nursing services
| Name of service | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Naval Nursing Service | NNS | 1884–1902. |
| Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service | QARNNS (Regular and Reserve) | 1902 — continues. Reserve founded 1910. Early records held at TNA. Became officially part of the Royal Navy in 2000. Men admitted 1983. |
| Women's Royal Naval Service Nursing Branch | — | 1949–1960. Integrated into QARNNS in 1960. |
Royal Air Force nursing services
| Name of service | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service | RAFNS | Formed 1918 from QAIMNS volunteers. Became permanent 1921 and continues. |
| Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service | PMRAFNS (Regular and Reserve) | Royal Patronage 1923. Officially part of RAF 1949. Men admitted 1980. |
Male nurses in the military
Prior to integration into the tri-service nursing corps, male nurses served within the respective medical services before transfer.
| Organisation | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Army Medical Corps | RAMC | Instituted 1898. Male nurses were members until 1992, then transferred to QARANC. |
| Royal Navy Medical Service | RN | Male nurses were members until 1983, then transferred to QARNNS. |
| Royal Air Force Medical Service | RAF | Male nurses were members until 1980, then transferred to PMRAFNS. |
Other organisations with a nursing link to the armed forces
Several civilian and semi-official organisations provided nursing or medical support alongside the military services, particularly during the World Wars.
| Organisation | Abbreviation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Voluntary Aid Detachments | VAD | Founded 1908. In WWI and WWII, VADs were volunteers from the St John Ambulance Brigade and British Red Cross Society, undertaking short training to assist military medical services. Not qualified nurses; included both men and women in roles such as nursing assistance, cooking, administration, and ambulance driving. |
| First Aid Nursing Yeomanry / Women's Transport Service / Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps | FANY / WTS / PRVC | Privately founded 1907 as a first aid link between field hospitals and the front line. Not an officially constituted part of the army; in WWI provided ambulance and hospital services to Belgian and French armies. In 1938 FANY became the motor driver companies (WTS) of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Parent organisation for some female SOE agents. Renamed PRVC 1999. Still not a military organisation, though run on military lines. |
| Scottish Women's Hospitals | SWH | Founded 1914 by Elsie Inglis, Edinburgh surgeon, after her offers of help were rejected by the War Office. By the end of WWI, 14 fully equipped and staffed medical units had mobilised to various European locations. Staffed mainly by women. |
| Women's Hospital Corps | WHC | Founded by Dr Flora Murray and Dr Louisa Garrett-Anderson. Provided two hospitals in France early in WWI, and later the Endell Street Military Hospital in London (1915–1919). Staffed entirely by women. Louisa Garrett-Anderson archive held at the London School of Economics. Associated with the Women's Social and Political Union. |
Compiled by Alison Spires, February 2015
