http://tinyurl.com/noorsociety http://tinyurl.com/begumnoor _____________________________________________________________________________ «¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»¥«¤» ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ \\\\\___PRINCESS NOOR APPRECIATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL 1998___\"-._ /////~~~ BEGUM NOOR CONNECTION ~~~/.-' _____________________________________________________________________________ FANY CELEBRATES CENTENARY ON JUNE 28TH, 2007 _____________________________________________________________________________ June 26, 2007 FANYs in the first aid front line Guy Liardet The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) celebrates its centenary on June 28. It owes its origin to a Captain Charles Edward Baker who was wounded in the Sudan campaign under Lord Kitchener. Realising that there was something missing from an Ambulance Department that had not materially changed since the Crimean War, in 1907 he raised a troop of young women volunteers, who had to qualify in first aid and home nursing while passing a course in horsemanship, veterinary work, signalling and camp cookery. They had to pay an enrolment fee and buy their own uniform. For years the War Office debated official recognition for the FANY. Before the First World War women were not accepted anywhere near the front line. By 1911 two stout-hearted ladies, Lilian Franklin and Grace Ashley-Smith, had succeeded Baker and established unofficial relations with, among other regular units, the Brigade of Guards, who allowed them free tents and other equipment. The outbreak of the First World War found the mere 30-odd FANYs struggling to find a niche. Helped by the Belgian Army, they were allocated to a hospital in a shabby convent school at Calais. There they immediately were confronted by the horrific wounds of the First Battle of Ypres, complicated by typhoid, bombardments from the sea and frequent air raids. Ashley-Smith managed to acquire a rarity, a brand-new motor ambulance, which gave impetus to unpaid FANY enthusiasm. With the co-operation of the British Red Cross, FANYs became in 1915 the only women drivers in France, establishing convoys of lorries and cars to carry the wounded to hospital. Reaching a peak strength of 450, FANYs also worked in hospitals at Amiens and St Omer while continuing to drive convoys to Calais. There is a story that the Calais convoy was at risk of closure by the Red Cross. All the FANYs were therefore sworn in as Soldats of the Corps de transport de Calais (Belge), the Red Cross then being told that it had no jurisdiction. It is possibly apocryphal, but these FANYs certainly wore Belgian military rank badges. 'But do they not get wounded, these demoiselles?' asked a French officer. 'Le Bon Dieu protège ses petites FANYs,' came the answer. By the war’s end, FANYs had been awarded 19 Military Medals, 27 Croix de Guerre and several other Belgian honours as well as 11 mentions in dispatches, a higher proportion than any other women’s formation. This outstanding record sustained the organisation during the interwar years despite falling numbers and reliance upon goodwill for training facilities. The WRNS and the WAACS had been demobilised summarily, but no one could demob the FANYs except themselves. Their situation was improved by royal patronage in 1933; Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, became the FANY’s first president. By 1937 a transport role had become dominant and prompted a change of title that lasted until 1999, the Women’s Transport Service (FANY). The year 1938 saw the birth of the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) which became the home of the majority of FANY-ATS who were in motor driver companies. Their separate status was being eroded gradually, but, in a chaotic period, their preparedness for war was demonstrated by their efficient recruitment and training of thousands of ATS drivers. It was the 'Free FANYs' - those not in the home transport field - who made some dramatic contributions to the war effort. The FANY constitution made it attractive to Maurice Buckmaster’s Special Operations Executive. As they reported to no one and drew no pay, they could go anywhere or do anything without questions being asked, thus providing a neat cover for clandestine operations. About 2,000 FANYs were recruited to SOE and served in most war theatres. They operated the wireless circuits that communicated with agents in occupied countries, packed parachutes, forged papers, performed top-level staff duties and provided cipher staff. Books have been written and films made about several of the 39 FANYs who were parachuted into France, 13 of whom were murdered by the Nazis. Three FANYs, Odette Hallowes, Noor Inayat Khan and Violette Szabo were awarded the George Cross (the latter two posthumously). Inayat Khan was entrapped in Paris, while Szabo was captured after a fierce gun battle. Inayat Khan was shot with three other SOE agents in Dachau in September 1944; Szabo was murdered with two companions, one also a FANY, in Ravensbrück in February 1945. After the war many FANY-ATS rejoined their parent organisation which today maintains a 24-hour response capability in London, working closely with other emergency services. Named the FANY (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps) since 1999, the Princess Royal having become their Commandant in Chief, the corps has reacted to emergencies ranging from the 1975 Moorgate Tube disaster to the terrorist bombings of July 7, 2005. The FANY (PRVC) remains independent, surviving by private donations. On June 28 in the presence of the Princess Royal a convoy of military vehicles will make itsway from Buckingham Palace to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, for a service to celebrate a century of devotion to duty. From: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/court_and_social/article1984109.ece _____________________________________________________________________________ Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html Doctrine of International Copyright Law _____________________________________________________________________________