Una Marguerite Duncanson  was the eldest daughter of James Mitchell Duncanson and Annie Ferguson who married in the Glasgow area in June 1888. The couple had two sons before Una was born on 22 August 1892 in Abbey, Renfrewshire. Another two children were born into the family before they moved south to Kent when Una was six years old.

When the census was taken in April 1901 the family, now with six children, was living at Park Farm, Langley. James was a farmer, employing men. We know from newspaper reports that Una attended Maidstone Grammar School when she was old enough. By the time the next census return was made, there were nine children in the family and the two eldest boys were working as assistant farmers.

Eighteen year old Una had left school and the family employed a live-in nurse housemaid.  With the advent of war in the summer of 1914 the Duncanson offspring soon volunteered their services. At least two of Una’s brothers served in the army; Roy in the West Riding Regiment and Ian in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, whilst all three daughters volunteered to join the V.A.D. 

Una helped in the soldiers’ recreation room at King Street church, Maidstone, then when she joined the V.A.D. in October 1915, served as assistant cook at Howard-de-Walden Hospital in Maidstone. Amongst other duties Una would have been responsible for preparing food and washing up. She served a total of 936 hours in a part time capacity without pay.

Whilst Una was serving at the Howard-de-Walden Hospital her brother Roy was killed in action in France. This period of employment terminated on 1 April 1917 when Una was seconded to the York Military Hospital, where she took up nursing duties. Una had been in Yorkshire a little over five months when her younger brother Ian was killed in action in Belgium.

Una was determined to serve overseas and towards the end of the year was posted overseas. She was to travel aboard HMS Osmanieh, along with her friend Doris Carpenter, who had also attended Maidstone Grammar School and served in York with Una, to Alexandria.

A passenger ship that had been requisitioned by the Royal Navy in 1916, HMS Osmanieh set sail from Southampton, carrying soldiers and medical personnel, on 17 December bound for Alexandria. Una and Doris travelled by train through war torn France to southern Italy, where the ship was making a stopover at Taranto.

Here the two young nurses embarked for the last leg of the journey to Alexandria. As the ship arrived on 31 December and they approached the harbour entrance in Alexandria, it was struck amidships on the starboard side by a naval mine from a minefield left a few days earlier by a German submarine. The ship sank quickly, with the loss of 209 people, 8 of them nurses. 

One of those nurses was 25 year old Una Marguerite Duncanson, the third member of her immediate family to die in service in eighteen months. Her body was recovered the same day and she was buried in Hadra War Memorial Cemetery. She is also remembered on the East Farleigh war memorial in St Mary's churchyard.  For her service to her country Una earned the Victory Medal and a War Gratuity Payment of £10. Her father was granted probate of her estate in November 1918. On 4 March 1919 it was announced in the Tuesday Express that a scholarship was to be established in Una's memory.

Una’s friend Doris was rescued and taken to hospital in Alexandria. She continued to serve with the V.A.D. until April 1919. Una’s parents were living at Pimps Court, East Farleigh by 1921, remaining in the Maidstone area for the remainder of their lives.