大象传媒

A brief wartime experience

Written by Doreen Beaven

During the year 1939 I was a trainee nurse at a London hospital.

On September 2nd about a third of the nursing staff were evacuated to hospitals in 鈥淪afe鈥� areas. Owing to some unknown reason we couldn鈥檛 go that day and so we were to sleep the night in unoccupied wards (the patients had already been evacuated). There was a terrible thunderstorm that night, but I was the only one to sleep through it.

Early on September 3rd we boarded buses and made our way to Joyce Green Hospital, Dartford.

We knew Mr Chamberlain was to 鈥淪peak to the nation鈥� on the radio at 11 am. So the coach stopped at Blackheath and we all listened to his famous speech declaring War on Germany.

We re-entered the bus and continued on our way, arriving at Joyce Green just before lunch. Then the sirens sounded, we weren鈥檛 frightened 鈥� we were rather excited to think that already we were a part of things to come. Fortunately it was a false alarm.

Joyce Green had originally been a fever hospital and large 2 storey wards were arranged barracks fashion around the grounds.

About 20 nurses were allocated to the primitive nurses houses and we had to set about cleaning it up and making up the beds. The lavatories had been sealed with old newspapers, some dating back to 1918.

We soon settled in and were allocated to various wards. Of course there were no patients because this hospital among many, were reserved for war casualties. We spent our time making dressings and patching old rubber gloves and chatting a lot.

After a few months of the 鈥減honey鈥� war patients were sent down from London and we carried on as if there was no war鈥ntil on May 31st 鈥� June 1st all hell broke loose.

I was working in Theatre at the time and was rudely awakened on my day off at 5:30 am by a night nurse who told me Matron had ordered us to attend theatre pronto. She didn鈥檛 know why, so after a hasty toilet I dressed and reported for duty.

All the other theatre staff had received a similar summons. We were then told about the evacuation of Dunkirk.

We set up all the theatre trolleys. The big chromium sterilizers were boiling away, the instruments were beautifully set out. In fact everything was perfect. In those days theatre garb was a creamy colour and the surgeons wore short white wellies on their feet.

Eventually about 11am the bell from the porters lodge rang and we knew the first ambulance full of casualties had arrived.

We were ready (or so we thought).

I remember the first patient so well. His name was? French and his wounds were horrific. The surgeons did what they could, but unfortunately he died the next day.

The speed with which patients were wheeled in was terrific but we coped like automatons. Every trolley was used for operations and as fast as one patient was wheeled away the instruments were dropped into the sterilizers and the trolley re-laid. The cleanest of the surgeons gowns were quickly folded and put into the drums for re-sterilization 鈥� their boots were cleaned of the spilled blood 鈥� the porters mopped up the floors almost between the feet of the operating staff. We nurses were kept on the go and if we saw a surgeon struggling we were there beside him to help 鈥� I learned more about operating and assisting that day, than ever before or after.

Periodically Matron would appear and send three nurses for a 20-minute meal break.

I remember about ten pm one of the surgeons looking up and asking if anyone had thought of the Blackout. Fortunately Mary Case had remembered and so we were OK.

We continued to battle on as case after case came in 鈥� one lad whose name I never knew had his leg amputated below the knee. I had to support the leg as the surgeon sawed through the bone and nearly dropped it when the final cut separated the lower area from the rest of the leg.

We just carried on with every flat surface, even Sisters desk being used.

Some of the lads were French and even with my schoolgirl French I couldn鈥檛 understand much of what they were saying.

Gradually the rush died down and at 3:15am Matron decided that although there was a lot of cleaning up to do and lots more sterilization needed, we, both doctors and nurses must have a proper meal and bed.

There is so much more to tell and as I write I remember more, but that must wait for another day.

DOREEN BEAVEN

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