A memorial celebrating the service of nurses during both world wars has been dedicated following a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum by the creator of top period drama Downton Abbey.
Julian Fellowes was joined by the Countess of Wessex at a service at the Alrewas site marking a new memorial commemorating the service of professional and Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses during the First and Second World wars.
Mr Fellowes is a household name after creating the hit period drama about the goings at the fictional Downton Abbey where Lord and Lady Gratham live.
The hit series also followed the fortune of the Abbey's servants during the first and second world wars. The show starred the likes of Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery.
The memorial, which carries the names of the nearly 1,300 of the nurses - identified as having died during or as a direct result of their war service - is the culmination of more than six years of work by the Nursing Memorial Appeal.
Many would have served close to the fighting in field hospitals treating men with terrible wounds.
During the event at the arboretum, the Countess of Wessex was introduced to Margaret Bearley, a former Aid Detachment member, and Ethel Lote, a retired nurse.
These nurses came from across the world to serve, many from Commonwealth nations. The soldiers they worked alongside valued them highly, however they received very little political or public recognition for their service, said a spokesman for the arboretum.
Wartime conditions meant that many also returned home traumatised by their experiences and never felt comfortable to tell their story.
The British Red Cross and the Order of St John pooled their resources and worked collectively following the start of the First World War, providing thousands of Aid Detachment volunteers who performed invaluable roles abroad and in the UK, tending to the wounded and sick, and other vital war work, said a spokesman.
The Aid Detachment complemented the work of professional nurses and took the place of many men so they could then be released to enter active service. Its success during the conflict led to the Aid Detachment system also being deployed during the Second World War.
Ethel Lote, from Aldridge, in Staffordshire, was just a teenager at the outbreak of the Second World War when she began work as a nurse at Burntwood Military Hospital.
"The first convoy of soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk were taken to the hospital where she gained first-hand knowledge of the horrific injuries suffered by the soldiers. The hospital beds were never empty and as the conflict raged on the severity of the injuries increased.
Ethel met her future husband in 1939 while assisting with a post-mortem examination during an air raid, however despite becoming engaged later that year they were unable to see each other for five years as he was dispatched to East Africa with the Royal Naval Sick Berth.
They finally married in 1945; Ethel arrived at the chapel after having worked a night shift to discover a coach had been used to bring many of her patients to come and share in her special day, said the spokesman.
Ethel continued to work in nursing after the war and did not fully retire until she was 90. She continues to speak to people about her war time experience, leading talks and sharing her life story.
The Nursing Memorial Appeal was established in 2011 to raise funds for a permanent memorial at the arboretum in a bid to shine a light on the contributions of nurses during conflict.
The Countess of Wessex, Colonel-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, is Royal Patron of the Nursing Memorial Appeal. Lord and Lady Fellowes also attended as the most long-standing patrons of the campaign.
Lord and Lady Fellowes also announced a new initiative to provide an ongoing, living legacy of the appeal. ‘Extreme Nursing Today’ will fund bursaries and research grants for students in humanitarian and conflict nursing, they said.
The Nursing Memorial Appeal has teamed up with the University of Huddersfield with a view to developing a curriculum and providing accreditation.
D-Day Darlings
Straight from the finals of ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ the D-Day Darlings singing group attended a commemorative event alongside 38 D-Day veterans at the National Memorial Arboretum to mark the 74th anniversary of D-Day.
Many veterans attended the event on a tour organised by the travel arm of the Royal British Legion. Second World War veterans have been offered so-called LIBOR funds from the Treasury to enable all to return to where they served to ‘lay old ghosts to rest’.
The Royal British Legion organised this tour for D-Day veterans who are now unable to return to France for health reasons, but still want to pay their respects to their fallen comrades.
Nichola Rowlands-Smith, head of travel at the Royal British Legion, said: “We’ve very grateful to the Treasury for finding these tours. Thanks to their support we’ve been able to take hundreds of veterans back to where they served in a journey of remembrance.
"The tour was a wonderful occasion for veterans who now feel unable to make the journey back to France. All commemorations are always moving experiences and it’s lovely to see the veterans get together and share stories and remember.
“The D-Day Darlings really did provide the ‘icing on the cake’ they performed four songs and mingled with all of the veterans, which really made their day.”
Katie Ashby, director of The D-Day Darlings, said at the venue: “We were honoured to attend the event at the National Memorial Arboretum to commemorate D-Day.
"To again stand with our heroes, who gave so much for us, and to hear stories and anecdotes of their time serving for their country was truly breath-taking and left us immensely proud of each and every one of them, we can’t wait to see them all again soon.”
The Royal British Legion has been running LIBOR funded tours for the past four years. The tours are now available for all veterans who served in the Second World War.
More details are available by contacting the Royal British Legion’s tour operator - Arena Travel on 01473 660800, or by visiting www.arenatravel.com
