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British Military Hospital Egypt BMH AlexandriaThe history of BMH Alexandria Egypt including events in the Second World War such as the battle of El Alamein During the Second World War Allied and British casualties who fought to stem the advance of Germany and the troops under the command of Rommel were evacuated to Egypt for further treatment aboard hospital ships from places like Tobruk. The Matron of No 1 British General Hospital was Miss Miller of the QAIMNS (Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service). During WWII Egypt was at the height of the war and female nurses were on an alert to leave at a moments notice. Most kept a packed bag to make evacuation swift. Miss Miller had a more practical approach - she kept a large hatpin in her head veil to fight off any attacking Germans! (cited in Quiet Heroines: Nurses of the Second World War  by Brenda McBryde).
Many QAs were left in Egypt to care for the wounded soldiers and they were the few females in the area. FANYs (First Aid Nursing Yeomanry), ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service), WAAFs (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) and WRNS (Women’s Royal Naval Service) personal had already been evacuated in mid 1942. The more seriously wounded servicemen were evacuated to Palestine and South Africa. A QARANC wall plaque and shield is available to buy through Amazon. The QA shield is hand made and ready to hang on the wall. . Buy Now. 
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Battle of El Alamein A service of intercession was held in the Cairo Garrison church and as the remained QAs made their way back to the hospital to await a new influx of casualties so the servicemen went to the Battle of El Alamein. This notorious battle lasted for a dozen days and the Eighth Army Desert Rats under the command of Lt General Montgomery were able to fight off the advancing German Army, though at a cost of over 13,500 British and Commonwealth lives. The many wounded were given emergency treatment at the dressing stations and then evacuated to hospitals like the 63rd British General Hospital (BGH) at Helmieh where the Matron was Miss Monica Johnson QAIMNS who later became the Director of Army Nursing Services and then the Colonel Commandant of the QARANC (Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps). Quiet Heroines: Nurses of the Second World War tells the story of how two patients on different wards were brought together by the Matron because they were friends from the same regiment and whilst one had lost his hands and the other his eyesight together they could help each other physically and keep their morale high.
Even during Worlds War Two love blossomed and on our love stories page there are two love stories of QAs who fell in love and married servicemen in Egypt during the Great War and the Second World War. QA Song Sister Vi Cox was a QA in Egypt in World War Two where she met and married Major George Edward Nelson Watson. They were married in Cairo, and she was given away by Brigadier Arthur Porritt ( later Lord Porritt) of the RAMC. Her best friends were Kay Porritt ( his second wife) and Betty Clarke ( who nursed Winston Churchill - read more about her on the QA World War Two Nursing page). Vi is now 93 and living in Cumberland. She has many wonderful and amazing stories of her time in Egypt and Dunkirk. She sang this song to her daughter, Patricia, in October 2008 which she described as being sung by many QAs to keep up their spirits: There's a home for tired nurses, above the bright blue sky. Where Matrons never grumble, and Colonels never pry. And all the little sorrows are drowned in cups of tea. And all the bloody bed pans... rest eternally! The words and music are based on the well known and well loved hymn written mainly for children which starts There's a friend for little children, above the bright blue sky... She also recalls how when they used to take off the soldier's dressings, there would inevitably be armies of maggots there, and they would 'run a book' to guess how many maggots there were ! She also says that the reason they wore short capes, was that it was thought that it would be less distracting for the soldiers and patients as their bosoms would then be covered up! Jane Pugh 
Jane Pugh was born in 1915 and served with the QAIMNS from 1940 to 1945. During these World War Two years Jane was posted to Oxford in 1940 and then embarked from Greenock in Scotland on the Queen Mary to Palestine in June of the same year. Sister Jane Pugh served in Greece and Crete before being evacuated back to Egypt where she spent 2 years in the British General Hospital in Alexandria. She was then posted to Tripoli and then Italy. She married a Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) doctor called Alan Grant in April 1944 at Naples.
Jane Pugh died in 2005 and is survived by her son David Grant. He would love to hear from anyone who knew his mother or has information about her, perhaps from searching their family history. David has written more about his mother and her service life with more photos at http://www.grantonline.com/pugh-family-genealogy/pugh-jane-1915/jane-pugh.htm which also has David's contact details. 
Details of a letter from the Matron in Athens to the Matron-in-Chief about the evacuation from Athens can be read on the QA World War Two Nursing page. The book The Roses of No Man's Land  by Lyn MacDonald has an account written by Sister Cathy Mellor of her time at No. 15 General Hospital, Alexandria during the First World War. She wrote about first caring for patients in the dysentery ward. They lie there in agony, night and day. Oh, the pity of it all. Great strong men, young, looking as old as men of sixty years.
Sister Adeline Palmer of the QAIMNS(R) worked at the Citadel Hospital in Cairo and described the treatment of dysentery with Emetine injections and enemas of sodium bicarbonate, silver nitrate and tannin. Another account in the book The Roses of No Man's Land by Lyn MacDonald comes from VAD nurse Kit Dodsworth of No. 19 General Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt about how she heard of the Armistice being signed after a busy day caring for victims of an influenza outbreak that cost many lives.
If you would like to expand this page with more details about this former army hospital and include a photograph or if you are a former or serving member of the QAIMNS we would love your help. If you would like to contribute any info, photographs or share your memories of BMH Alexandria then please contact me. Qaranc.co.uk have been told the rather naughty tale about the local peanut seller who would call to the British Military Hospital Egypt BMH Alexandria. He spoke little English and was "helpfully" told by some servicemen that if he called out a certain phrase his sales would rocket. Unfortunately the peanut seller chose to shout out this new and really naughty phrase below the window of Matron. He was escorted off the premises and told not to come back! Sadly the story teller did not tell the Qaranc website what the phrase was that upset Matron. 1st No1 Scottish General Hospital in Cruden Bay The following photos of a Great Aunt have been handed down through a reader's family. They are of Nurse Annie Thom who was born in Aberdeen. She is thought to have served with the Queen Alexander’s Imperial Nursing Service, Territorial Force Reserve. She had always been talked about within the family as ‘Matron’ Annie Thom, but could have been a Sister. The photographs have the address of 1st Scottish Cruden Bay which is a reference to 1st No1 Scottish General Hospital (Territorial Force). It is thought that Annie Thom may have served there about 1938-1939 in the Cruden Bay Hotel which was requisitioned by the War Office (it is now a golf course). 
This photo to the left is with Lady Killearn, whose Husband was British Ambassador to Cairo in Egypt during the Second World War. It is unknown if the photographs were taken in Scotland or somewhere in Egypt. The date on the reverse of the picture is 25 March 1944.
 The next image shows Sister Thom with Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery. If you can help with any information about the 1st No1 Scottish General Hospital in Cruden Bay or QA Sister Annie Thom then please Contact Us.There is another photograph of Sisters of the QAIMNS, taken on the same day, with Field Marshall Montgomery in the book Sisters In Arms: British Army Nurses Tell Their Story  by Nicola Tyrer. The caption reads "Field Marshall Montgomery, commander of the Eighth Army, visits No.2 General Hospital shortly after their capture of Tripoli at the beginning of 1943. Montgomery was exceptional among army top brass in expressing his appreciation of the work of the QAs."
The following information was provided via the British Genealogy Forum B-G Forums sponsored by Parish Chest Ltd: Nurse Ann Forsyth Thom, 30th May 1941 promoted to Sister 30th Dec 1941 The King has been graciously pleased to give orders for the following promotions, in and appointments to, the Royal Red Cross:- To be Members of the Royal Red Cross, First Class Miss Ann Forsyth Thom Matron (215005),Territorial Army Nursing Service Territorial Army Nursing Service The under mentioned Principal Matrons Relinquish their commns, 1st Aug. 1950and are granted the hon rank of Principal Matron A. F. Thom (2150050) The Real Tenko The latest book about British Army nurses and nursing describes a dark chapter in the history of the QAs. The Real Tenko: Extraordinary True Stories of Women Prisoners of the Japanese  by Mark Felton is an account of the fall of the Far East to Japan. It comprehensively covers war atrocities performed by the Japanese troops to women stationed in places such as Singapore and Hong Kong. This included Sisters of the QAs who were stationed in hospitals such as
BMH Bowen Road Hong Kong and
BMH Singapore. Read the Qaranc.co.uk review or
Buy Now
with free delivery available.
View more British Army Nursing Books - with free delivery available. If you would like to contribute to this page, suggest changes or inclusions to this website or would like to send me a photograph then please e-mail me. The photos and pictures on this page have been kindly sent to us for inclusion on this page. If you would like to contribute photographs then please contact us. For the official Army QARANC webpage please go to www.army.mod.uk/home.aspx For the QARANC Association website please go to www.army.mod.uk/army-medical-services/qaranc/9884.aspx *********************************************** Help Needed A reader of Qaranc.co.uk is researching the exhumation of Heinrich Himmler in Luneberg, Germany circa 1945-46. He thinks that two nurses from the QAIMNS attended the exhumation due to the poor state of health of Walter Schellenberg. He would like to learn if any of the nurses kept a diary of the events leading up to the exhumation or sent any personal letters home to friends or family that may have provided an insight into Walter Schellenberg and the exhumation. Please contact Qaranc.co.uk if you have any information. Qaranc.co.uk have recently learnt about two former Military Hospitals that we would like to write about. These are the British Military Hospital at Wuppertal in Germany and BMH Benghazi. If you know any information, would like to share your memories or have photographs that we can use on the site then please contact Qaranc.co.uk A reader is writing an article about the demise of the Military Hospital for the RAMC Magazine and seeks some help. There was, in Kuala Lumpur, a hospital called BMH Kinrara. He would like to know when it opened and closed, what happened to the buildings and the staff. He thinks that Kinrara closed as Terendak opened and that the staff were transferred across to 34 Company RAMC? He would also like any information about the Military Maternity Hospital, Penang. If you can help then please contact Qaranc.co.uk There is a lovely photo of three QA Midwives from the 1960s about half way down on the Royal Herbert Hospital page. If you can help with information about the Maternity Unit in Woolwich or identify the QA Officers then please contact Qaranc.co.uk The BMH Dhekelia has new photos which includes a stunning picture of the demolition of the original building and some staff photos. The contributor would like some help with the date it was demolished and would love to hear from anyone who worked with her relative. |
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