Uniform question

[Squag1]

My grandmother!!
What's the uniform anybody know.
She was a nurse in uk for most of her life. She was in a military hospital at some point I'm told.

Would she have been employed by Ministry and was she then military personnel?

 

[Jaws]

Hard to say but it looks like the army issue coat that was issued to nurses who were brave enough to take on permanent ambulance duty
There was not that many of them.
I got a lecture about them from my step mother who was an NCO in the women's auxiliary air force during the war

 

[Squag1]

There is some sort of symbol on the coat.
Brave enough.......she'd have scared anybody.

 

[Squag1]

Looks very like the coat. Edging of collar and hat different. Maybe a different rank

Apparently CD means civil defense

 

[Jaws]

Same sort of..
The picture of you nan shows black collar trim, bade with black background, the other ( who would have been a civy ), white collar trim black badge background
I will post the picture elsewhere for you and see if I can get a definitive answer

 

[DEG5Y]

The black collar could also be for blackout reasons, especially if on the front line.

 

[Ned52]

Could it be a Salvation Army hat Badge.

 

[Jaws]

My grandmother!!
What's the uniform anybody know.
She was a nurse in uk for most of her life. She was in a military hospital at some point I'm told.

Would she have been employed by Ministry and was she then military personnel?View attachment 50444

Got it.
Lady on other forum recognised it straight away..
Your nan was a FANY ( PRVC ) Member of the Princess Royal Volunteer Corp., from which many S.O.E. members were recruited

This site makes really good reading:
https://www.fany.org.uk/history

 

[Jaws]

My grandmother!!
What's the uniform anybody know.
She was a nurse in uk for most of her life. She was in a military hospital at some point I'm told.

Would she have been employed by Ministry and was she then military personnel?View attachment 50444

An update for you Alec

 

[Squag1]

An update for you Alec

View attachment 50447

Where did that come from???

 

[Squag1]

Got it.
Lady on other forum recognised it straight away..
Your nan was a FANY ( PRVC ) Member of the Princess Royal Volunteer Corp., from which many S.O.E. members were recruited

This site makes really good reading:
https://www.fany.org.uk/history

Well done!!!

I don't think she was sent outside UK.
She lived in Southampton for a long time and I wonder if she worked in the military hospital there, Netly.
She worked in Glasgow and Sidcup.

I have a staff photograph of Sidcup, it's about a metre long. St Mary's Frognal Sidcup.

She came back to Dublin around 1955.
I never asked the questions I should have.
She always had extra packets of tea and other stuff under the stairs, I suppose wartime hoarding habits.

What is S.O.E ??

Her father was in the police, "under the crown". When he retired he lived in the old barracks. My mother was brought up by him as her father died when she was only a year old. He worked for the local "landed gentry" and my mother told of the IRA in the 20s, I'd say, calling to let him know that they knew who he was, in case he might be inclined to "inform"

I read a report from the 20s where the IRA "interviewed" a man because they thought he was cooperating with police.

They weren't sure from the interview whether he was or not so 'they shot him just in case'

There are lots of such contemporaneous statements from that time. It was a cruel time.

 

[Centaur]

SOE was Special Operations Executive I believe.

 

[Jaws]

Where did that come from???

You of course !

 

[Squag1]

You of course !

But it's coloured up now!!!!

 

[Jaws]

But it's coloured up now!!!!

You noticed !! Well spotted

 

[Squag1]

You noticed !! Well spotted

You sitting on yer ass doing nothing???

 

[Jaws]

You sitting on yer ass doing nothing???

Same as every day !

 

[andyBeaker]

@Pow-Lo

Don't.

Just don't......

 

[Pow-Lo]

@Pow-Lo

Don't.

Just don't......

Who? Me?

 

[andyBeaker]

Who? Me?

Yes.

You.