Doris Beale

{{Infobox military person

|name= Dame Doris Beale

|image= DorisBeale.JPG

|image_size=

|alt=

|caption=

|nickname=

|birth_date= {{birth date|1889|08|09|df=yes}}

|birth_place= Forest Hill, London, England

|death_date= {{death date and age|1971|01|14|1889|08|09|df=yes}}

|death_place= London, England

|placeofburial=

|allegiance= United Kingdom

|branch= Royal Navy

|serviceyears= 1917–1944

|rank= Matron-in-Chief

|servicenumber=

|unit=

|commands= Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (1941–44)

|battles= First World War
Second World War

|awards= Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Royal Red Cross & Bar
Florence Nightingale Medal

|relations=

|laterwork=

}}

Dame Doris Winifred Beale, {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|DBE|RRC1}} (9 August 1889 – 14 January 1971) was a British military nurse and nursing administrator who served as Matron-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service from 1941 to 1944 during the Second World War. In the 1944 Birthday Honours she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), a first in the Royal Naval Nursing Service.

Early life

Beale was born in Forest Hill, London to George Beale and his wife, Annie Maria (née King).{{cite ODNB|title = Beale, Dame Doris Winifred (1889–1971)|first=Penny|last=Starns|id=51957}} She was educated at Lewisham Prendergast School and later received as a probationer at London Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1912, where she completed her two years probation, achieving a "very satisfactory" examination result in October 1914.

Nursing career

After two years further training, Beale joined Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (QARNNS) in 1917. She served at Royal Naval Hospitals in Plymouth and Portsmouth, before spending three years at the Royal Naval Hospital Gibraltar. During this time she was admitted as a member of the College of Nursing, becoming a registered nurse in 1923. She then had two spells nursing at RNH Chatham (1923–25 and 1927–30), either side of two years at RNH Bighi in Malta. Between December 1930 and August 1933, she was in charge of the Cadet Sick Quarters at Dartmouth, before becoming Superintending Sister at RNH Chatham.

On 24 February 1937 Beale was presented with the Associate Royal Red Cross at Buckingham Palace.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19370224/047/0009|title=King George Holds First Investiture|date=24 February 1937|work=Nottingham Evening Post|access-date=15 February 2019|issue=18294|page=9|url-access=subscription |via=British Newspaper Archive}} The following month she was promoted to the position of Matron at RNH Haslar, Portsmouth, and a year later she moved to RNH Stonehouse, Plymouth, where she stayed during the Blitz. In July 1941 she was again promoted, to Matron-in-Chief of QARNNS, retiring in 1944.{{Cite news |date=16 January 1971 |title="Obituary : Dame D. W. Beale." |work=The Times |pages=14}} On 23 September 1941 she received the Royal Red Cross (RRC). In 1943 she became an Officer (Sister) of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, before receiving a Bar to her RRC in January the following year.[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540891.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-152131 Profile], ukwhoswho.com; accessed 17 March 2019.{{subscription required}}{{Cite news |date=12 May 1944 |title="Investiture at the Palace ." |work=The Times |pages=7}}

She was Deputy Matron-in-Chief of the Joint War Organisation of the Red Cross Society and the Order of St John of Jerusalem, 1944-1946

Beale was made a Dame on 8 June 1944.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36544/supplement/2572 London Gazette notice of Beale's damehood], thegazette.co.uk; accessed 22 July 2017. She received her British Red Cross Society (BRCS) Distinguished War Service Certificate from the Queen in 1946. In 1951, she was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal and Certificate by the International Red Cross Committee, presented to her by the Duke of Gloucester.{{Cite news |date=Autumn 1951 |title=Florence Nightingale Medal |work=The International Nursing Bulletin London, England |pages=28 |volume=7 |issue=3}}

Beales was governor of Prendergast School, Lewisham from 1945-1964. In 1969 she became a Vice-President of the Hostel for Disabled Women Workers. She was then made the first President of the QARNNS Association in 1970.{{cn|date=July 2017}}

Travel to the Middle East

Between October and November 1949, Beale travelled to the BRCS Commission, Jordan, to see the relief work being carried out by British nurses in the area. During this time, she also visited Israel, Syria and the Lebanon. After the visit, she produced a report for the BRCS, giving her findings and outlining her recommendations for future action. In conclusion, she stated:

{{quote|I should like to place on record my deep appreciation of the kindness shown to me by all members of the Commission and to express my opinion that the splendid work which is being done for refugees by the BRCS Commission cannot fail to raise the standard of British prestige in the Hashemite Kingdom of the Jordan.}}