AIRFORCE HOSPITAL MATRONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 July 1945, Page 6

AIRFORCE HOSPITAL MATRONS

N.Z. TRIBUTE TO SERVICES. (Official News Service.) LONDON, July 25. Matrons in Air Force blue from R.A.F. hospitals in several different parts of Britain sat around a luncheon table in London, yesterday, and heard Mr. Jordan warmly thank them and their staffs lor all they had done for sick and wounded New Zealanders throughout the war. Mr. Jordan gave a lunch in their honour as an expression of the gratitude of the Government and people of New Zealand for the skill and devotion with which .New Zealanders had been cared for in British service hospitals. Mr. Jordan said that personally he had seen miracles of recovery ’ and heard many expressions of gratitude from New Zealand patients. Far from .home as they were they deeply appreciated and so did their people in New Zealand the attention they had been given. Mrs. Jordan, Lady Freyberg, Air Commodore K. Caldwell, R.N.Z.A.F., Brigadier J. M. Thwigg and Lieut.Colonel B. Myers, Red Cross, joined Mr. Jordan in tribute. The R.A.F. Matron-in-Chief, Miss Taylor, said on behalf of the 10 Matrons present that they held New Zealanders .in particular esteem, and it had been a pleasure and privilege to have been able to help them. Appreciation was also expressed of •Mr. Jordan’s frequent visits to hos-_ pitals and opportunity was taken of praising the remarkable work throughout the war of Miss Mabel Thurston who was Mairon-in-Chief of the N.Z.E.F. in Britain in the last war and who was a familiar and greatly esteemed figure among New Zea»landers here in this war. Miss Thurston spoke of. the pleasure and satisfaction her had given her. " Also present at the luncheon were Matron M. J. Scott, of the N.Z.E.F., Prisoner of War Hospital at Margate and Mr. Jordan’s daughter, Dr. Gwen Jordan, who is a medical officer in the R-A.F. .