An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 11 Military nursing for nearly a centenary by SGT WAYNE FITzGERALD PHoToS SGT MICK BURKE I n 1922, the emerging Irish Free State set up the Army Nursing Service (ANS) to take over the running of mili- tary hospitals from the withdrawing british army. The service continued on an ad hoc basis until it was formally established in 1924 as part of Óglaigh na hÉireann. On 9th December 2014, an event to mark the 90th an- niversary of that establishment was held in Ceannt NCOs Mess in the DFTC, Curragh Camp. This was attended by serving and retired members of the ANS, invited guests and members of the General Staff. In his address to those present, DCOS SP Rear Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, said that throughout the years, the health of members of the De- fence Forces had been in good hands. Rear Admiral Mellett also launched 'Nursing the Forces', a commemorative booklet that was meticulously edited and put together by Comdt Niall Donoghue (OC Med Sch). The booklet, printed by the DF Printing Press, provides an enjoyable and informative look at the ANS's 90-year history, with plenty of colourful and interesting photographs and articles fondly looking back at the generations of nurses, sisters and matrons who have served us so well for every day of the last 90+ years. Lim- ited copies of the booklet are available from the Informa- tion Office, PR Branch. Contact +353 (0)45 44 5308 or email admin@military.ie by BRIG GEN PAUL FRY, GOC AIR CORPS C apt Andy Whelan (retd) recently presented me with a fine scale model of an AS365Fi Dauphin helicopter painted in Air Corps colours, which was donated by his brother David Whelan. Capt Whelan served in the Air Corps helicopter unit during his career and was a former student of mine during his Wings course in 1983 on the gazelle helicopter. He subsequently flew the Dauphin extensively on 24-hour search-and-rescue (SAR) operations as well as the many other tasks that fall to the helicopter type. He is now enjoying his second career in Aer lingus. The Dauphin served the Air Corps from 1986 until 2004, when it was retired from service. All were capable of performing SAR, with two of them specifically engineered and equipped for embarked operations from LÉ Eithne. The helicopter type was also very active in VIP flying, troop transport and case- vac/medevac training and operations. The Dauphin was not equipped, however, for pilot night-vision equipment (NVE) use; hence it was limited when it came to night-time missions. The Dauphins were sold back to Aerospatiale/Eurocopter-France for refurbish- ment to ship-borne specification with new cockpit instrumentation replacing the old equipment previously used by the Air Corps. The four surviving examples are currently being operated by the Chilean Navy, with the fifth having been lost tragically along with its crew during a SAR mission in Tramore in July 1999. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anam. Remembered

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