QA Association
The QA Association serves the present and past members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps to help members stay in touch with serving members and those who have left the service.
The QA Association serves the present and past members of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps to help members stay in touch with serving members and those who have left the service.
All ranks of the QA's can join the QA Association at www.qarancassociation.org.uk
QARANC officers and other ranks are invited to join the QA Association when they leave the army, though can join at any time.
History Of The QARANC Association
Dame Louisa Wilkinson (DBE, Royal Red Cross) formed the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Association in 1947. Though prior to Corps status it was called the QAIMNS Association (Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service). It became the QARANC Association on the 1 February 1949.
The objectives of the QA Association include:
- Record achievements
- Record the history and traditions
- Share records
- Keep traditions going
- Offer practical help and support to members
- Offer friendship
- Keeping past and present members in touch with each other
- Organise social gatherings
- Represent members
- Hold a yearly re-union and Annual General Meeting
- Encourage acts of benevolence amongst members
These beautiful flowers were on display on the tables during the 70th anniversary reunion.
The serving Colonel-in-Chief is the Patron of the QA Association. This is currently Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex.
The Director Army Nursing Services (DANS) and Matron-in-Chief (Army) automatically becomes the ex-officio President of the QA Association whilst in this appointment. The current serving Colonel Commandant QARANC, the most senior currently serving QA Warrant Officer and the General Secretary also automatically serve as ex-officio members.
The QA Association is managed by a Central Committee. It is run on a day to day basis by the General Secretary who is also the Regimental Secretary of the Corps. The Central Committee consists of a board of trustees of a:
The Motto of the QA Association is Friendship.
Branches of the QA Association exist throughout the UK and the world (see below). Personnel can join their nearest branch or elect to just remain on the central Headquarter Roll.
QA Association branches will host functions and events to bring members together,
QA Gazette
The QA Association publish the QA Gazette magazine twice a year. These magazines have articles of interest to existing and former members such as news, sporting events, medal awards, birth, death and marriage notifications and articles. Branches and individual members are encouraged to contribute letters and articles.
The first QA Gazette was published in January 1950 (cited in the book Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (Famous Regts. S)
by Juliet Piggott).
How To Join The QA Association
Contact the QA Association at:
QARANC Association
Regimental Headquarters QARANC
Army Medical Services HQ
Former Army Staff College
Slim Road
Camberley
Surrey
GU15 4NP
Telephone: (01276) 412754
www.qarancassociation.org.uk
Costs And Prices Of Joining The QA Association
There is a small yearly fee to join the QA Association and the cost depends on the area you live because
of postage prices for sending the QA Gazette. There are listed below. We would advise contacting the secretary of the QA
Association for up to date prices and direct debit forms. You will normally be required to send a cheque for your
first year membership and to complete a direct debit form for the yearly membership thereafter. This annual payment
will normally be taken directly from your bank or building society in January.
Annual Subscription including Gazette for the UK, Northern Ireland or the Isle Of Man is £12
Annual Subscription including Gazette for Europe and Eire is £16
Annual Subscription including Gazette for all other destinations is £20
Members can also buy a QA Association Brooch for £5.
The links below take you directly to the official Army website for pdf printable forms for:
QA Association Application Form
QA Association Direct Debit Form
QA Association Gift Aid Certificate
QA Association Branches
The branches of the QA Association are Aldershot, Catterick, Colchester, Chester, Jurassic Coast Branch (Devon area), Midland, Millbank (London), Newcastle, Portsmouth, West Country, Yorkshire and Humber, Scottish, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The overseas branches of the QA Association are Cyprus and Germany.
Pictured above is Private Karla Partridge from Woodbridge at her passing out parade in 1987 at the QATC. Pte Partridge went on to her student nurse training at QEMH Woolwich and CMH Aldershot.
60th Anniversary Celebrations of the QA Association
The photograph below was taken at the 60th anniversary celebrations of the QA Association which were held in the grounds of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the presence of the Colonel in Chief and the Patron of the QA Association, HRH The Countess of Wessex in 2007. 250 past and present members of the Corps enjoyed one of the sunniest days of the summer. The photo was of a group of past and present theatre sisters.
There is a photo of the HRH The Countess of Wessex cutting the 60th anniversary cake on the Colonel in Chief page.
In 2009 members of the QARANC Association made a trip to the Far East. Read more with photos on the QARANC Association Pilgrimage to Singapore and Malaysia 2009 page.
The crest of the association, at the top of this page, has kindly approved for replication by the association whose website can be found at www.qarancassociation.org.uk
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.
Along the way, he pairs up with fellow survivor Imogen. But she enjoys killing the living dead far too much. Will she kill Jason in her blood thirst? Or will she hinder his journey through this zombie filled dystopian landscape to find his pregnant wife?
The Fence is the first in this series of post-apocalyptic military survival thrillers from the torturous mind of former British army nurse, now horror and science fiction novel writer, C.G. Buswell.
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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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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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Buy the Paperback.
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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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.
Can they infiltrate the Al-Queda insurgents' camp, stay undetected, and call down their own drone missile strike and get home safely?
Will they all survive to fight another day?
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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This website is not affiliated or endorsed by The Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC) or the Ministry of Defence.
