Naval Nursing Service nurses in their pre-QARNNS uniforms.

In the Crimean War of 1854, the Royal Navy set up a hospital at naval base at Therapia, near Constantinople. A team of six nursing sisters led by Miss Eliza Mackenzie was brought in to work there. These were the first female nurses employed by the navy.  The Royal Navy also sent six nurses from the Royal Victoria (military) Hospital at Netley, lead by Miss Jane Deeble, to South Africa during Zulu War campaign of 1879.

In June 1883, the Hoskins committee was established to enquire into the organisation and training of naval sick berth staff and the possible introduction of female nurses at naval hospitals. After visiting various civilian, military and naval hospitals and consulting surgeons and doctors, the committee sent their report to the Admiralty in December 1883. The following statement from the committee's findings shows their view : 'We are convinced that a trained female nursing staff is of the highest value to the sick and wounded and there is every reason to believe that nothing but good will result from its introduction'.

On October 17th 1884, the Admiralty issued an order for the establishment of a branch of trained sick berth staff and the introduction of trained female nursing staff in naval hospitals. At first the nursing service was a civilian one with Sisters from civilian hospitals and not subject to the Naval Discipline Act. Miss Henrietta Stewart and six nursing Sisters were appointed to the hospital at Haslar and Miss Belle Story with three Sisters to the Stonehouse hospital at Plymouth. Boys from the Greenwich Hospital school were sent to work at these hospitals.

An advertisement for naval nurses, published in 1885, stated ‘a limited number of trained Sisters of the position of gentlewoman are required for naval service’. Applicants had to be between the ages of 25 and 40 (between 30 and 40 for head sisters) and have a minimum of three years experience of working in civilian hospitals with male patients.

The Sisters' had responsibility for the practical training of the boys and staff forming the new Sick Berth Attendant Branch. The Sisters worked under the direction of the Medical Officers and precautions were taken to prevent the nurses from seeing any part of the patients' bodies other than the head, shoulders and feet.  In 1885, Fleet Surgeon MacLean commented, ‘The mere presence of these ladies exercises a restraining and humanising influence over the patients and this tends directly to the preservation of order and decency in the wards’.

In the Sudan campaign of 1885, Sisters from the Naval Nursing Service were stationed on the hospital ships at Suakin on the Red Sea tending the sailors and marines fighting there. Another group of nurses went up the River Nile with the Khartoum Relief Expedition as far as the northernmost Sudanese town of Wadi Halfa where they set up a hospital.

By 1900, there were 29 Sisters in the Naval Nursing Service working in the hospitals at Haslar (Portsmouth), Stonehouse (Plymouth), Melville (Chatham), the Lunatic Asylum at Yarmouth and the smaller marine hospitals at Cork, Portland and Walmer.  In 1902, the Naval Nursing Service was given royal patronage and became Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS).  This organization still provides naval nurses today. For information on QARNNS in World War One please click HERE to see the Nursing page in our Royal Naval Division 1914-18 section.

Uniform and Ranks.

Until 1902, the nursing sisters wore a uniform of a navy-blue serge dress, white apron, small navy-blue serge shoulder capes and white frilled caps with strings. They wore a badge with a red ‘Geneva’ cross on a white background on their right arm.  Probably in the 1890s, this was replaced in summer by a uniform consisting of a white blouse and blue skirt.  Their uniform was changed when the service became QARNNS.  In November 1888, the Head Sisters were added to the Navy list (i.e. recognized as officers) and by 1889, all qualified Sisters were on the Navy List.  The Sisters were addressed as Madam by both staff and patients. The ranks were as follows:

The Sick Berth Attendance Branch.

There had been surgeons and their assistants on board Royal Navy ships from start but the first Admiralty order to add the rating of 'Sick Berth Attendant' was in 1833. These ratings learnt their trade on the job and no organised schooling was provided. In 1884, the Sick Berth Attendance Branch was finally established giving the first formal system for medical training for enlisted men in the navy. As stated above some of this training was carried out by the newly appointed nurses at the naval hospitals.

All new entrants into the Sick Berth Branch had to sign on for twelve years continuous service with an option to do a further ten years after that. The boys from Greenwich Hospital School became 'Probationary Sick Berth Ratings' when they were fifteen and a half years old. This failed to attract enough boys to join the branch. All ratings serving under the 1833 system were incorporated into the new structure. Later Royal Marines were allowed to transfer to the branch for training.

The seamen in this branch were commanded by the ship's surgeon. Surgeons held Warrant officer rank until 1843, when they became 'true' officers ranking just below Lieutenants. Their assistants, originally ranked as Surgeon's Mate, moved from Warrant officer to 'true' officer in 1851.

Uniform and Ranks.

When it was formed, seaman of the Sick Berth Attendance Branch wore the same ‘square rig’ as other ratings.  In 1891, the Sick Berth Attendants were issued with ‘fore and aft rig’ along with many of the re-organised specialist branches of the navy.  The ranks in the Sick Berth Attendance Branch were: -

For information on the SBA branch in World War One please click HERE to see the Nursing page in our Royal Naval Division 1914-18 section.

Sources :-

Clark, Gregory. 'Doc' 100 year history of the Sick Berth Branch. HMSO, London, 1984.

Masson, Madeleine.  A Pictorial History of Nursing.  Hamlyn Publishing, Twickenham, 1985.

Royal Navy Medical Branch website.

QARNNS Association website (see links page).

(Version II text copyright - Nick Marshall - 31/12/2001 )

Back to Home Page