ON Wednesday, December 2, Grace Nethacott, 93, in the company of family and friends, was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Ministry of Defence for her service as a Flying Nightingale during World War Two.

Grace, at the age of 25, joined the WAAF as a nursing orderly.

Grace was born in Lea-on-sea, she came to the West Country as a young woman and settled to live in Shebbear when she married Ken Sluggett. Following Ken's death she moved to Holsworthy and married her second husband Jack Nethacott.

Grace moved into the Abbeyfield home, known as Densham Court, after Jack's death, where she lived happily for over ten years. She then moved on to Fairlea Residential Home, Northam, where she currently resides.

The Flying Nightingales were nursing orderlies who braved the war, flying in RAF Dakota aircraft, bringing back the injured.

Their mission was to fly into Europe on Dakotas, which were full of materials, supply the allies and then bring home the wounded on the return flight.

Over the course of the war, the nursing orderlies brought back over 100,000 casualties.

Grace's lifetime achie­vement award in the form of a Florence Nightingale Trophy and a letter of congratulations from HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, was presented to her by the Group Captain Jackie Gross, Director of Nursing Services RAF and Wing Commander Phil Spragg.

Grace enjoyed a very memorable day, her family provided a celebration cake, beautifully decorated with the RAF wings, a WAAF in uniform and a Dakota aircraft.

The staff of Fairlea Residential Home generously laid on refreshments.