Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service honour for the life-saving heroics of field hospital nurse Reservist Captain Jonathon Nolan

Published: 12th November, 2010
by PETER GRUNER

A MILITARY nurse from Highbury is to receive a top honour from the Queen for saving the lives of injured soldiers in Afghanistan.

Reservist Captain Jonathon Nolan has won the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service (QCVS).

Captain Nolan, 30, is a member of the capital’s only field hospital, 256 (City of London) Field Hospital (Volunteers), and serves with D Squadron.  

He is a qualified nurse and a member of Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. He was the only member of his unit to be recognised in this way.  

In civilian life Captain Nolan is a medical services manager with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With more than 90 of his fellow reservist medics he was deployed to an Afghanistan military hospital in Camp Bastion last year. He and his colleagues saved the lives of many injured military personnel and civilians caught up in the conflict.  

As an infection control nursing officer, Captain Nolan’s exceptional treatment of casualties who sustained ophthalmic trauma injuries is recognised by the award. 

Field hospital commanding officer Colonel Jerry McBride said: “I and all members of the hospital are immensely proud for him and his family on his QCVS accolade.”

Captain Nolan said he felt that everyone he served with deserved the award. He  added: “In fact, I’m sure that had the team there not been so utterly professional I would not have been able to have such a good tour from a clinical perspective.”  

It is expected that Captain Nolan will be invited to Buckingham Palace in December to receive his award from the Queen.