Naina Cox, the youngest British nurse to care for Allied troops returning from the D-Day invasion, shared her remarkable experiences in a letter written in 2005, prior to her death that same year. At just 16 years old, whilst working as a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse for the British Red Cross in Portsmouth, she assisted soldiers evacuated from Normandy's Sword Beach.
Cox, reflecting on D-Day, recounted being urgently summoned to Queen Alexandra's Hospital on June 6, 1944, where she helped strip, clean, and care for exhausted soldiers. She also tended to young German prisoners of war, describing their startled and frail appearances.
Despite her young age, Cox continued volunteering throughout and after the war, providing comfort and care. Her story highlights the significant contributions of VAD nurses during World War II.
The British Red Cross has preserved her letter in its museum archives, showcasing it in the Museum of Kindness in London, which celebrates the charity’s 150 years of humanitarian work.