Orders, Decorations and Medals

The Second World War G.M. group of three awarded to Dr. Alison McNairn, the Medical Officer in Charge of the Obstetrics Department and the Childrens’ Wards at City General Hospital, Plymouth during the “Blitz”: afterwards commissioned into the R.A.M.C., she attained the rank of Major

George Medal, G.VI.R., 1st issue, on Lady’s riband bow (Miss Alison Jean McNairn, M.B., B.S.), in its card box of issue; Defence and War Medals, these two with addressed card forwarding boxes, possibly a minor official correction to ‘M.B., B.S.’, nearly extremely fine (3) £2000-2500

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Ron Penhall Collection.

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She had been reassuring the mother of a newly-admitted patient in the children’s ward which had suffered most damage and which, in addition to sick children, provided shelter for a number of babies and toddlers who had been taken into care. Immobilised as she was, she had to warn rescuers not to walk all over her as they strove to reach those casualties that they could see in the poor light. Despite her injuries and the effects of shock, once she had been released, she went into the area in which she could see that children were being laid out in a row and then spent the rest of the evening establishing which were still alive. These she carried, one at a time, to the adjoining maternity wing where they were put into beds beside the patients already tucked up there, these children remaining there, comforted, until their needs could be attended to.

She also gave assistance to a woman in labour, then dealt with injured patients brought from other hospital wards and certain air-raid casualties which had been admitted from outside. Dr. McNairn did not consent to having her own injuries dealt with until surgical operations were again in progress in the hospital and the pressure of duties was lessening. Despite having been on duty since 8 a.m. on the 20th she continued to work although suffering considerable pain which persisted even after being treated, and did not go to bed until 6 a.m. next morning, at the end of a period of duty extending over twenty-two hours. Afterwards, in spite of her injuries, she returned to her duties without taking any time off - the very thought of which she has since described to the author as ‘ridiculous!’. Her medal was presented to her by H.M. The King at an investiture in Buckingham Palace held on 4 November 1941.

At the end of 1942 she was commissioned into the R.A.M.C. and, during her military service which included treating A.T.S. and military families in Bovington Camp, Dorset and Catterick Camp, Yorkshire, she became interested in psychological aspects of her specialisation.’

Released in the rank of Maior in 1946, McNairn retired in 1977 and settled in Rotherham, Yorkshire; also sold with a cassette recording of her wartime reminiscences.