Beret, Colonel Sylvia N Short, Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps, 1997 (c)

Blue-grey beret with General Staff bullion badge, 1997 (c).

Colonel Sylvia Nina Short (née Quayle) was the first Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps officer (Regular or Territorial Army) to command a Field Hospital.

Short attended Leeds High School and Yorkshire Ladies Secretarial College. She trained at the Nightingale Training School (1967-1970), and became a State Registered Nurse in 1970. Short was commissioned into the Territorial Army in September 1973. In 1974 she became a Registered Clinical Nurse Teacher at the South Bank University, London.

In the 1970s Short worked at St Thomas' Hospital and Lewisham District General Hospital, in London. From 1981 to 1985 she was Assistant Chief Nursing Officer at Nuffield Hospitals.

Having served with 257 General Hospital, Colonel Short became Commanding Officer of 256 (City of London) Field Hospital in 1997, 1997-2000.

Short received an OBE for her work with the charity Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association Forces Help.