大象传媒

There were three theatres: there was the theatre which was looked after the by Theatre Superintendent 鈥� she was very proud of it, and we called her Holy Mary, then there was Theatre Two, and Theatre Three)

First of all you started off in the packing room 鈥攚here you packed all the drums - because you didn鈥檛 have sterile supplies then. So you started by packing the drums, then one day you鈥檇 be told you were going out in to theatre. You started by doing what you call 鈥榬unning鈥� 鈥攕ort of actually getting everything that they needed. You had to put the swabs out in sixes, and woe betide you if they weren鈥檛 right 鈥� they鈥檇 count them to make sure they were all correct.

Ultimately, you were promoted to going into Theatre two and three, with the three sisters 鈥� including the Superintendent. She鈥檇 say 鈥測ou鈥檙e going to take the case today鈥�, and you had to learn what they called this 鈥榥on-touch technique鈥� where you used forceps and threaded everything like that- not using your hands at all.

You spent quite a long time on Theatre. You had to wash the tiles top to bottom, every night, and set up all the needle trays, and mend the gloves 鈥� because of course; you couldn鈥檛 get rubber gloves during wartime. You had to patch them up.

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Becky Barugh of the 大象传媒 Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Patricia Davies and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Pat's stories:

• 1) I suppose it was inevitable鈥�
• 2) Getting used to being on the wards
• 3) The unchanging rota
• 4) Othopaedic Wards
• 5) The Miners
• 6) Keeping coffee warm in the sterilizer
• 7) Mouth gags and tongue clips
• 8) Dear Flower Girl
• 10) The Nurse鈥檚 Home
• 11) The 鈥楪uinea Pig Club鈥�
• 12) Mice in the washing and other tricks
• 13) Enamel washbowls on your heads
• 14) Extra Work
• 15) Shake and Shake鈥�
• 16) Little Nurse
• 17) A lot of things were introduced during the War
• 18) Only two nights off
• 19) Making and Breaking
• 20) My little bucket and I
• My visit to post-War Germany

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