Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps (QARANC). The origin of the Corps can be traced back to the battlefields of the Crimea in 1854. Together with a small team of nurses, Florence Nightingale, 'the lady with the lamp', showed conclusively that a caring, efficient and organised nursing service is as important to the British Army as the most dashing cavalry regiment. In base and field hospitals, in casualty clearing stations, ambulance trains, hospital ships, mobile surgical teams, and refugee camps, QAs have made an outstanding contribution to the health of the British Army.