Minister for Reserves, Julian Brazier MP, has visited the headquarters of a voluntary organisation that provides assistance to civil and military authorities during major events or incidents in London.
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps helps the capital during events or in planning and exercise roles, so as to protect life and relieve human suffering. It is made up of women who come from all walks of life.
The FANY is affiliated to the Army and this year has provided more than 470 days of unpaid support to events and exercising Regular, Reserve and Cadet Force units, as well as other government bodies. It also regularly trains with the City of London Police.
The Minister visited the headquarters in Westminster on December 9 to learn more about its work and he met key member of the Regimental Board before observing recruits in training.
Founded in 1907, the FANY were originally meant to form a small unit of nurses on horseback to provide a link between the battlefield and the Field Hospitals. In the First World War they drove ambulance convoys in Flanders and France, and ran field hospitals on the battlefields. In the Second World War, some 4,000 served with the Special Operations Executive and Auxiliary Territorial Service as agents, drivers, coders, signallers and support staff.
Today the FANY are on call to the City of London and Metropolitan police services to support their casualty bureaus by taking calls from the public, processing incident data and providing incident support officers. In 2016, they will participate in Exercise Unified Response - the biggest disaster exercise in Europe to date involving a national and international response. It is supported by the European Union and will test a European-wide reaction to a mass casualty, transportation and building collapse incident in central London, with rescue teams being mobilised from as far afield as Hungary, Italy and Cyprus.
During the visit the Minister observed the recruits doing command tasks where they have an objective to achieve which tests a number of skills such as communication, team working, leadership and common sense. Examples include building a bridge with newspaper, constructing the tallest possible tower and crossing an imaginary gap without falling into the “swap”.
The Minister said:
It was interesting to observe this organisation’s training and to learn about its fascinating history and the role it plays today. The members provide important support in a variety of situations and I wish the current recruits the best of luck as they work towards passing out in May.
There are currently 120 members trained and on call 24/7. The majority of members are in full-time civilian employment. A comprehensive training programme ensures that members obtain the necessary core skills and capabilities relevant to their roles.
