Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Second World War Royal Red Cross group of four awarded to Matron Mary B. Charlesworth, Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service

Royal Red Cross, A.R.R.C., G.VI.R., the reverse officially dated 1943; General Service 1918-62, 1 clasp, Palestine (Sister, P.M.R.A.F.N.S.); Defence and War Medals, with box of issue and forwarding letter for G.S.M., and transmission slips for the last two, extremely fine (4) £180-220

Royal Red Cross, 2nd class London Gazette 2 June 1943.

Mary Beresford Charlesworth trained at the London Hospital 1915-17, and registered as SRN No. 907 in November 1921, when she was working in Wombwell, Yorkshire. She was appointed to Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service as a Staff Nurse in January 1923, becoming Sister in July 1926, and Senior Sister in December 1941. Before the war she served in a variety of postings in the UK, Baghdad, Palestine, Aden and Iraq. During the war, she appears to have served only in the UK. In 1941 she was serving at R.A.F. Henlow, and the recommendation for her A.R.R.C. was made from R.A.F. Matlock. She became Matron in January 1947 and retired as Principal Matron on 24 May 1949.