| Royal Air Force Nursing Service | |
|---|---|
 RAF General Hospital in Brussels during the Second World War | |
| Active | 1 June 1918–present (originally as Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service) |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Allegiance | HM The King |
| Branch |  Royal Air ForceRAF Medical Services |
| Type | Nursing |
| Role | Medicine |
| Size | 498 nurses |
| Garrison/HQ | Air Command, RAF High Wycombe |
| Engagements | World War II, Korean War, Falklands War, Gulf War (Op GRANBY), Bosnian War, Kosovo War, War in Afghanistan, Gulf War II (Op TELIC) |
| Commanders | |
| Matron-In-Chief | Group Captain Charlie Thompson |
| Patron | Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy |
| Insignia | |
| RAF Ensign |  |
| Red Cross Emblem |  |
Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (PMRAFNS) is the nursing branch of the British Royal Air Force.
It was established as the Royal Air Force Temporary Nursing Service (RAFNS) in 1918, and became part of the permanent establishment as the Royal Air Force Nursing Service on 27 January 1921. It received the Royal prefix after Princess Mary agreed to become its Patron in June 1923.
It was a women-only branch until 1980, when men were also permitted to join. Until the Second World War, it was only open to unmarried women, or childless widows. There was also a Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (Reserve) (PMRAFNS(R)) to supplement the regular service during times of war or emergencies.
A history of the service was commissioned from the writer Mary Mackie and appeared in 2001.[1] An updated and extended edition covering subsequent decades (including service in Afghanistan) was published in September 2014.[2]
- ^ Mary Mackie: Sky Wards - A History of the Princess Mary's Royal Air Force Nursing Service (London: Robert Hale, 2001).
- ^ Mary Mackie: Wards in the Sky – the RAF's Remarkable Nursing Service (The History Press, UK, 2014, ISBN 9780750959568).