Brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

Dame Evelyn Marguerite Turner, (10 May 1910 – 24 September 1993), known as Margot Turner, was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

military nurse and nursing administrator. A

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she resumed her career following liberation and served in a succession of foreign postings.

Nursing career

Turner commenced her nursing career as a student nurse in 1931 at St.Bartholomew's Hospital, London. On joining the

Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') was the nursing branch of the British Army Medical Services. In November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army Medical Corps and Royal Army Dental Corps ...

(QAIMNS) in 1937, Turner was posted initially to

Cambridge Military Hospital Cambridge Military Hospital was a hospital completed in 1879 in Aldershot Garrison, Hampshire, England which served the various British Army camps there. During World War I, the Cambridge Hospital was the first base hospital to receive casualti ...

, at

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

and then to India. In 1941 she was posted to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

working in

Changi hospital Changi Hospital is a now-defunct and abandoned general hospital located in Changi, Singapore. Its closure came with the merging with the former Toa Payoh Hospital and was renamed as the Changi General Hospital, which relocated new operations to ...

and then

Alexandra Hospital Alexandra Hospital (AH) is a district general hospital located in Queenstown, Singapore, Queenstown, Singapore that provides Acute care, acute and community care under the National University Health System#Alexandra Hospital, National University ...

, until ordered to evacuate before the

fall of Singapore The fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore, took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire of Japan captured the British stronghold of Singapore, with fighting lasting from 8 to 15 February 1942. S ...

. Turner served with

from 1937 to 1949 and

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC; known as ''the QAs'') was the nursing branch of the British Army Army Medical Services, Medical Services. In November 2024, the corps was amalgamated with the Royal Army Medical Corps and Ro ...

(QARANC) from 1949 to 1968. She served as Matron-in-Chief of QARANC and Director, Army Nursing Services (1964–68) and was

Colonel-Commandant Colonel commandant is a military title used in the armed forces of some English-speaking countries. The title, not a substantive military rank, could denote a senior colonel with authority over fellow colonels. Today, the holder often has an honor ...

of QARANC from 1969 to 1974.

Prisoner of war

Turner's obituary in ''The Independent'' recounted her horrific experiences as a

held by the Japanese. The television series '' Tenko'' was created by Lavinia Warner after she had worked as a researcher for the edition of the television programme '' This Is Your Life'' which featured Turner, and was convinced of the dramatic potential of the stories of women prisoners of the Japanese.Warner and Sandilands ''Women Beyond the Wire: A Story of Prisoners of the Japanese 1942–45'', 1982, dustjacket

Honours

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE; 1946) *

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(DBE; 1965)

Death

Turner died at St Dunstan's home for disabled ex-servicemen and women in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

on 24 September 1993, aged 83 with nurses and her carer Geoffrey Wilcock present.

External links

Disposition of Dame Evelyn Turner's willOxford Biography Index entry #101053383 (subscription required)

Nursing career

Prisoner of war

Honours

Death

External links

References

Further reading