Air Commandant Dame Veronica Margaret Ashworth, DBE RRC (25 December 1910 – 12 January 1977) was a British nurse, midwife, and Royal Air Force officer. From 1963 to 1966, she served as Matron-in-Chief of Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service.[1][2]
Early life and education[]
Ashworth was born on 25 December 1910.[1] She was educated at St Katharine's School, an all-girls independent school in Wantage, Oxfordshire.[2] She trained as a nurse at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London from 1930, becoming a state registered nurse (SRN) in 1934, and then moved to Leeds Maternity Hospital, becoming a state certified midwife (SCM) in 1935.[1]
Military career[]
Ashworth joined the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) in 1936, and after training was appointed to the permanent service on 1 April 1937.[3] During the Second World War, she served in Algiers, Tunisia and Italy, with a mobile field hospital.[2]
Ashworth served as matron of the hospitals at RAF Wroughton and RAF Uxbridge in England, and at RAF Fayid in Egypt.[2] She was awarded a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force on 1 February 1949 with the rank of flight officer.[4] She was promoted to wing officer on 1 January 1958,[5] and to group officer on 1 January 1961.[6] On 4 August 1963, she was appointed Matron-in-Chief of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service and made an acting air commandant.[7] She was promoted to air commandant on 1 September 1963.[8] She stepped down as Matron-in-Chief in 1966, and retired from the Royal Air Force.[1]
In the 1959 Queen's Birthday Honours, Ashworth was appointed a Member of the Royal Red Cross, First Class (RRC).[9] She was made an Honorary Nursing Sister to the Queen (QHNS) on 1 September 1963.[10] In the 1964 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).[11]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Ashworth, Air Commandant Dame Veronica Margaret" (in en). Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. Digital object identifier:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u151853. https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-151853. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Dame Veronica Ashworth". The Times. 14 January 1977. p. 18.
- ↑ "No. 34385". 2 April 1937. p. 2127. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34385/page/2127
- ↑ "No. 39043". 17 October 1950. p. 5161. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/39043/supplement/5161
- ↑ "No. 41266". 27 December 1957. p. 7596. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/41266/supplement/7596
- ↑ "No. 42241". 30 December 1960. p. 32. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/42241/supplement/32
- ↑ "No. 43069". 26 July 1963. p. 6459. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43069/supplement/6459
- ↑ "No. 43107". 13 September 1963. p. 7675. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43107/supplement/7675
- ↑ "No. 41727". 5 June 1959. p. 3732. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/41727/supplement/3732
- ↑ "No. 43097". 30 August 1963. p. 7363. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43097/supplement/7363
- ↑ "No. 43200". 31 December 1963. p. 8. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/43200/supplement/8
External links[]
- Portraits of Dame Veronica Margaret Ashworth at the National Portrait Gallery, London
The original article can be found at Veronica Ashworth and the edit history here.