Wenches In Trenches
The Roses of No Man's Land fundraising walk by the ladies of the Wenches in Trenches to raise the profile of women of the Great War which also raises funds for UK military and medical causes
Wenches In Trenches are a volunteer group of ladies with an interest in World War One and are raising the profile of women of the Great War. Their aim is to raise funds for UK military and medical causes, and to honour the memories of nursing staff and medics who served alongside our troops in all conflicts, past and present.
Some, like Beverley Gall, are former members of the QARANC. She knows more than most about the sacrifices of serving your country - her husband is still serving and her 16 year old son is about to join the Army.
She told us:
My husband Antony and I are actively involved with our local branch of the Royal British Legion in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. We live in a beautiful part of England, and 100 years ago so many brave men and women, including young men from our village, made the ultimate sacrifice - laying down their lives for their fellow countrymen.
Wenches In Trenches are commemorating the centenary of the start of WW1 with their own poignant campaign: The Roses of No Man's Land.
During the weekend of 13th & 14th September 2014, fifteen women will be walking the battlefields of Ypres dressed in the uniforms of Voluntary Aid Detachment and nurses of the Great War, each walking in memory of nurses involved in the conflict, and paying their respects at the many war cemeteries on route. The walk - entitled 'The Roses of No Man's Land' - culminates on Sunday 14th September with a wreath laying ceremony at the Menin Gate war memorial, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of WW1, and whose graves are unknown.
The Roses of No Man's Land walk is going to be really, really special, said Beverley, not just because of the centenary but because of what we do - a great bunch of women from all walks of life, cherishing the memory and work and dedication of nurses, VADs and other medical staff. This is particularly special to me as I was a Combat Medic with 257 General Hospital (TA) and my regiment was the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Corps. I will be wearing a replica Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service uniform.
The Wenches are each walking in memory of a named nurse who served in the Great War. Beverley will be walking in memory of QAIMNS Matron in Chief of the BEF France and Flanders Dame Maud McCarthy, in Beverley's view: A legend of a woman!
All the Wenches walkers are raising sponsorship and the funds raised will be used to honour the memory of nurses and VADs that served in WW1. This forms part of a wider programme of events that will take place 2014-2018.
www.wenchesintrenches.co.uk
Below is a photo of Beverley taken during their last walk in 2012 at The Somme where she laid a wreath at the Thiepval Memorial.
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My PTSD assistance dog, Lynne, and I have written a book about how she helps me with my military Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, and depression. I talk about my time in the QAs and the coping strategies I now use to be in my best health.
Along the way, I have had help from various military charities, such as Help for Heroes and The Not Forgotten Association and royalties from this book will go to them and other charities like Bravehound, who paired me with my four-legged best friend.
I talk openly about the death of my son by suicide and the help I got from psychotherapy and counselling and grief charities like The Compassionate Friends.
The author, Damien Lewis, said of Lynne:
"A powerful account of what one dog means to one man on his road to recovery. Both heart-warming and life-affirming. Bravo Chris and Lynne. Bravo Bravehound."
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This beautiful QARANC Poppy Pin Badge is available from the Royal British Legion Poppy Shop.
For those searching military records, for information on a former nurse of the QAIMNS, QARANC, Royal Red Cross, VAD and other nursing organisations or other military Corps and Regiments, please try Genes Reunited where you can search for ancestors from military records, census, birth, marriages and death certificates as well as over 673 million family trees. At GenesReunited it is free to build your family tree online and is one of the quickest and easiest ways to discover your family history and accessing army service records.
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Another genealogy website which gives you access to military records and allows you to build a family tree is Find My Past which has a free trial.
Former Royal Air Force Regiment Gunner Jason Harper witnesses a foreign jet fly over his Aberdeenshire home. It is spilling a strange yellow smoke. Minutes later, his wife, Pippa, telephones him, shouting that she needs him. They then get cut off. He sets straight out, unprepared for the nightmare that unfolds during his journey. Everyone seems to want to kill him.
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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.
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The death of the Brotherhood will be avenged.
RAF gunner Jason Harper and a team of Special Air Service operators are enraged after the death of their brothers by a terrorist drone strike. They fly into south-eastern Yemen on a Black-op mission to gather intelligence and avenge the death of their comrades.
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Operation Wrath is a free, fast-paced adventure prequel to the non-stop action The Fence series by military veteran author C.G. Buswell.
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