What does all this mean?

[Forfarian]

I have found two references in the Gazette for Kathlen Greig Neilson (1911-1996).

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps .... The undermentioned Sisters from QAIMNS(R), Emerg Commns, to be Lts, 6th Feb 1951 .... Kathleen Greig Neilson (318909) [London Gazette, 6 February 1951]

Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps .... Army Emergency Reserve of Officers. Lt Kathleen Greig Neilson (318909) from RARO to be Lt, 15th May 1956, with seniority 13th June 1947. [London Gazette, 15 June 1956]

Not being familiar with the ways of the military, this raises several questions in my mind
(a) why Kathleen, who was already a Lieutenant in 1951, was appointed a Lieutenant again in 1956?
(b) what is RARO?
(c) why was she given seniority in 1956 to a date before her original appointment as a Lieutenant in 1951?
(d) what does QAIMNS(R) mean?
(e) was 40 not rather old to become a Lieutenant?
(f) are there possibly some appointments missing from her record as I have it at the moment?

Any clarification will be greatly appreciated.

[MaxD]

Regular Army Reserve of Officers

Quick reply to say she has three more (at least) London Gazette entries:

Transcribed as KG Neuron in Jun 44 when she is first appointed to a commission as a sister .

The 1947 seeming anomaly looks like a back dating of her seniority as she moves from the original nursing service (Queen Alexandra's Imperial Army Nursing Service (Reserve)) to the newly (1949)named QARANC.  Somewhere, not found, would be an entry for the 1947 seniority.

Under K G Neilson in Jul 60 and Dec 64 are two more entries.  Jul 60 she is promoted Captain and in  Dec 64 she resigns her commission.

If you look at all the entries she has approx 20 years service in the regulars and the reserves, in an organisation that changed its name in the process as did the title of the reserves (look at the headings of the places she is mentioned).  Perfectly normal for someone to have X seniority in one organisation and Y seniority when moved to another.

The army does it deliberately!

MaxD

[Forfarian]

Thank you, MaxD, for this. Especially for the last comment! As a mere civilian I find the ways of the military quite bewildering

It seems that her 1947 seniority didn't catch up with her in 1951, then - only in 1956?

[MaxD]

The difference between the 1951 entry and the 1956 is that in 1951 she was in the Regular Army Reserve of Officers in the QAIMNS and in 1956 is in the Army Emergency Reserve of Officers in the QARANC which, despite the title similarities, were not only different organisations but also had  different terms of service.  It would be necessary for her seniority within that organisation to be reviewed and adjusted.  Note also that in the 1951 entry she is moving from an Emergency Commission as a Sister to a Reserve Commission as Lieutenant, yet another variation of terms and conditions.

I won't pretend to be able to give chapter and verse, the business of seniority is fiendishly complicated within a complicated system and any attempt to lay it all out without access to the regulations of 50 years ago is, I would venture, doomed to failure!

The essence is that the army was/is not one organisation and the rules for different elements often/always differed from those for others.

If it is any consolation, my 36 years with the colours plus 8 as an MOD civil servant doesn't make me any expert on the niceties and complications of even my own time in the service!

MaxD

[Forfarian]

Apologies for omitting to acknowledge and thank you for further enlightenment, MaxD.