News

Posthumous Queen's award for nurse who helped others at London Bridge terror attack

Ms Boden awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery
Kirsty Boden

A nurse killed while trying to help people during last year’s London Bridge terror attack has been posthumously awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.


Kirsty Boden ‘took her training to care for others to the highest level’

Senior theatre recovery nurse at Guy’s Hospital Kirsty Boden was enjoying a night out with friends near Borough Market on 3 June 2017 when news of an incident near the bridge reached her.

While people near her ran into shops, cafés and restaurants, Ms Boden rushed to assist injured bystanders she could see lying on the ground. 

It was while she was trying to save their lives that she was attacked with knives and fatally wounded by the terrorists, who had earlier driven a van into pedestrians on the bridge.

Her actions on the night led to Ms Boden, who moved to London in 2013, being dubbed the ‘angel of London Bridge’.

Eight people died and 48 were wounded during the terror attack.

Courage and compassion

Australian-born Ms Boden’s commendation is one of seven revealed today as part of the annual Civilian Gallantry List announcements.

Her citation reads: ‘It is without a doubt that Kirsty Boden displayed courage and compassion when, without concern for her own safety, she went to assist those who were injured.

‘She could have taken cover to protect herself, as most people caught up in such a serious and life-threatening situation would have done.

‘However, being a nurse, she took her training to care for others to the highest level.’

Mother’s pride

Speaking to Ms Boden’s local newspaper in southern Australia after hearing of the commendation, her mother Christina said: ‘As you can imagine, we’re really proud of her, proud of the person she was.’

Chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust Dame Eileen Sills said: ‘We are proud of Kirsty and she remains a dearly missed colleague.’

Ms Boden’s bravery award comes after she was posthumously honoured in January with a distinguished alumni award from Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, which she graduated from in 2010.

The university also runs the Kirsty Boden Memorial Nursing Scholarship, which provides two third-year nursing students every year with AUS$10,000 each to support their studies.


Further information


In other news

Jobs