A RETIRED Army nurse has donated her uniform and a host of artefacts to go on display at Dawlish Museum.

June Sutton, now aged 93, was a nurse in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.

June, who lives at The Rise nursing home in Dawlish, was a lieutenant colonel having joined the army at the age of 16 in 1947 and later being recruited into the Queen Alexandra’s after her nursing training.

During her long service, she rose through the ranks promoted to an Officer in 1959 at the age of 28 and rising to a Lieutenant Colonel when she ultimately retired.

She served in many British Military Hospitals around the world including Munster, Germany, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Cyprus and Nepal.

During her stay in Cyprus, she was presented to Princess Margaret.

All the nursing staff had to practice how to curtsey beforehand but June can only remember the event because Princess Margaret chain smoked throughout their meal and had a servant on hand with an ashtray.

During her time in Dharan in Nepal where she was nursing Gurkha soldiers, she was invited to the factory where the Cukra weapon, a curved bladed knife which forms part of the weaponry carried by their soldiers, is manufactured.

There she was shown how they were made and the one photographed was presented to June when she left.

June has donated her collection of memorabilia and her uniforms which will go on display at Dawlish Museum.

Museum spokesman Liz Botterill said: ‘We are very proud to have received from June the uniform and artefacts relating to her time in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps.

‘Although we are only able to display a small portion of the items donated to us, everything has been conserved and photographed, and an album is available alongside the models of her dress uniform and ward dress.

‘Although we received many items of her uniform, we were missing the usual starched white head dress.

'We are indebted to the Museum of Historic Medicine for the loan of one from their archives to complete the ensemble.

‘Unfortunately, even this loaned item was slightly damaged and not suitable for display.

‘However, Clare from Crafters in Dawlish came to the rescue and made two starched replacements for us which she kindly donated to the display.’

June visited the museum to see the layout, accompanied by members of her family.

Museum volunteers are currently gearing up for the summer season opening on Wednesday June 4.

The new display in the main room will be featuring some of the shops which have been loved and lost and some which remain today.

In the hall will be a special commemoration board of the 80th anniversary of V.E. Day.

Lots of the rooms have been updated and new displays have been installed.

Piper Bill Millin’s bagpipes played on Sword Beach at D Day still have pride of place in his own room alongside the new displays.