Maud Lilburn MacLellan

OBE 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 ...

(6 October 1903 – 21 May 1977) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

commanding officer of the

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANY (PRVC)) is a British independent all-female registered charity structured like a military reserve unit. which primarily provides surge relief to civil and military authoriti ...

(FANY). Whilst being obliged to serve with the ATS during the war she taught the future Queen Elizabeth to drive.

Life

MacLellan was born, one of three children, in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

in 1903. Her parents were Walter and Jane MacLellan. She joined in FANY in 1929 which was a volunteer organisation principally active in wartime. The FANY was led by Mary Baxter Ellis from 1932 who had led the FANY in Northumberland taking over from

Lilian Franklin Lilian Annie Margueretta Franklin OBE (1882 – 8 January 1955), known as "Boss", was the British commanding officer of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) until 1932. She took the organisation of six volunteers to organise hospitals and nurs ...

OBE.

Princess Elizabeth with the ATS in 1945 by unknown

Helen Gwynne-Vaughan Dame Helen Charlotte Isabella Gwynne-Vaughan, (née Fraser; 21 January 1879 – 26 August 1967) was a prominent English botanist and mycologist. During the First World War, she served in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and then as Commandant ...

was made Chief Controller of the newly formed

Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the World War II, Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existe ...

(ATS) in 1939. This was a role that Mary Baxter Ellis had turned down, but she agreed however to supply 1500 women to serve with the ATS as long as they could be independent. This was agreed, but Gwynne-Vaughan broke the agreement, and forced the FANY staff to be absorbed. Gwynne-Vaughan held the role to 1941. MacLellan was placed in a difficult position but she opted to join the ATS and lead the 4th Scottish motor company from November 1938. She was described as a good role model, leading by example, when many of the new recruits were unaccustomed to military discipline. In March 1945 she was summoned to a meeting at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

where she was told that she was to receive an important visitor. Princess Elizabeth was keen to learn how to drive and the ATS was chosen to supply a three week course which included map reading and mechanics. MacLellan was eventually able to say that she "taught the Queen to Drive". The Princess had called her Ma'am as she was treated as a junior officer getting her knuckles scraped as she completed the mechanics. Ellis retired in 1947 and was succeeded by MacLellan as leader of the FANY. In 1957 she was made an

. MacLellan was invited in 1974 to privately dine with the Queen. MacLellan died in

Helensburgh Helensburgh ( ; ) is a town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996. Histo ...

in 1977.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacLellan, Maud Scottish nurses 1903 births 1977 deaths Health professionals from Glasgow Auxiliary Territorial Service officers First Aid Nursing Yeomanry people Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire