Margaret Collins | |
Birth Date: | 13 February 1927 |
Death Place: | Henfield, West Sussex |
Allegiance: | United Kingdom |
Branch: | Royal Navy |
Serviceyears: | 1953–1983 |
Rank: | Matron-in-Chief |
Commands: | Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (1980–83) |
Awards: | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Royal Red Cross |
Margaret Elizabeth Collins, (13 February 1927 – 26 January 2023) was a British nurse and Royal Navy officer. Having served in the UK, Hong Kong, Malta and Gibraltar, she rose to become matron-in-chief of the Queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service (1980 to 1983), her period of command coinciding with the Falklands War.[1] [2] [3]
Collins was educated at St Anne's Convent School, then an all-girls Catholic school in Southampton. She trained as a nurse at Royal Victoria Hospital, Bournemouth, qualifying as a state registered nurse (SRN) in 1949. In the 1978 Queen's Birthday Honours, Collins was appointed Member of the Royal Red Cross (RRC). In the 1983 New Year Honours, she was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).