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Nurse gave care from the air

Margaret Wilson remembers well the day she heard that the war raging in Europe had ended.

It was May 8, 1945, and the young nurse was on a mission to fly wounded British soldiers back to England for treatment when the news broke.

The pilot of the Dakota plane called out, "Hey, boys, the war is over'," Mrs Wilson said.

"I had never been kissed by so many men in my life. We were all crying and laughing at the good news."

Mrs Wilson, 93, was just 17 and living in London when war broke out in 1939. A student nurse, she was nearing the end of her training in 1943 when she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force and volunteered to become a member of the air ambulance service.

The nurses were dubbed the Flying Nightingales and flew on military aircraft to evacuate wounded soldiers out of Europe after the D-Day landings in 1944.

Mrs Wilson said their Dakota plane carried ammunition and supplies on the way to Europe, so were unable to fly the Red Cross symbol that would have given some protection. She said she knew of two Flying Nightingales who lost their lives.

At times the plane was so full that Mrs Wilson sat on ammunition boxes on flights. On the return flights, the plane was crammed with wounded men.

Sometimes one nurse would care for more than 20 men. Mrs Wilson said the men's wounds were horrific. "It was not a pretty picture," she said.

Mrs Wilson said nurses were given two bags - one with medical supplies, the other cigarettes, chocolate and drinks.

"We also had a parachute but were told we were only allowed to use it if the plane was in trouble going to Europe, never on the way back because you had to stay with your patients," she said.

The Flying Nightingales helped evacuate more than 100,000 soldiers and for their service and bravery were paid the equivalent of about 5¢ a day.

Mrs Wilson, who left the WAAF in July 1945 and moved to WA in 1972, said she believed she was one of only two Flying Nightingales still alive.

In 2007, her service was recognised by the British Government when she received a letter from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and the British High Commission organised a ceremony to thank her.

More recently, Mrs Wilson received help resolving health- related issues for which she said she would like to thank Stephen Pryde, of the Royal Air Force Association, and Rosalind Howat, State welfare officer for the Returned and Services League.