LXXIV: We used to have a 1* as head of the PMRAFNS until the draw-down in the early 90s and at least a couple of Group Captains. With the draw-down all three services lost their 1* nursing posts.
When you think of the size of the PMRAFNS in the 90s we had six hospitals: Halton, Ely, Wroughton, Wegberg, Akrotiri and Nocturn Hall plus things like the present CCAST, RMCs and station medical centres which all had PMRAFNS personnel. In the hospitals, Matron was ranked as a Wing Commander. The service actually increased in size in 1980 when male nurses were moved from the Med Tech branch to the PMRAFNS, same happened when people were offered a move into the Grey Mafia(QARANC's) from the RAMC, and that was a much larger organisation due to TA Field Hospitals etc.
OAB: I suspect that no-one ever thought about equalising retirement ages in the past and have been caught out, but I do agree with your thought that this was a nurse vs doctor thing as I stated earlier and in fact the RAF have admitted as much.
Last edited by air pig; 6th May 2014 at 16:18.