大象传媒

鈥淲HAT WAR MEANS TO ME鈥� - No.13
Kent Stevenson interviewing Nursing Sister Michelle Carey (Who did not want her nme to be mentioned as her parents were living in German-occupied Guernsey)

KENT: And to continue your own war story鈥︹��
M鈥︹��..: Well, After Dunkirk I was posted to first one military hospital then another. There were plenty of air raids. One night at the second hospital high explosives brought it down, the surgical side completely. I was on duty all night, The casualties were brought over to us. But the black out had been blown in with our windows. We had no light, no water, no heat. Everything that needed doing just had to be done by xxxxxxx torch-light.
KENT: Flashlight.
M鈥︹��..: The patients were marvellous.
KENT: And so were the nurses, I expect鈥︹��
M鈥︹��..: And then I was posted to West Africa.
KENT: To West Africa!
M鈥︹��..: Yes to Nigeria! It was not really a surprise. All my contemporaries had gone abroad. I was very pleased
KENT: Any incidents going out to Nigeria?
M鈥︹��..: No, but the boat in from us was torpedoed, but with no loss of life fortunately.
KENT: And whom did you nurse in West Africa?
M鈥︹��..: African troops mostly. They were very good patients. Very friendly. If one of them had a pain in his tummy, he would show you exactly where it was.
KENT: Were you dependant on sign language?
M鈥︹��..: No, we had interpreters. And some of the Africans spoke English very well. And we picked up a smattering of their language.
KENT: All in a nurse鈥檚 work.
M鈥︹��..: We had quite a lot of social life - - riding, swimming, dancing. But the climate was terribly wearing, hot and sticky. I had two bad goes of malaria.
KENT: How long were you out there?
M鈥︹��..: Over 18 months, - The average tour is 18 months, on account of health. The climate makes you very irritable, You have absolutely no vitality towards the end. Everything is an effort. I was anxious to get back to England.
KENT: Any incidents on the return voyage.
M鈥︹��..: No, though once again, the boat before us was torpedoed, and that time four of the sisters lost their lives.
KENT: Oh, that was terrible.
M鈥︹��..: It makes me feel that nothing very much has happened to me by comparison.
KENT: Well, I shouldn鈥檛 say that. And how did you find England?
M鈥︹��..: Well, better than I expected. Except for the black out. That鈥檚 a trial. We didn鈥檛 have black out in West Africa, and I鈥檇 forgotten about it. I can鈥檛 stand it at any price.
KENT: Did you miss the fruit?
M鈥︹��..: Not at first. We鈥檇 had such a glut of it in West Africa, that we got rather tired of it 鈥� I鈥檓 beginning to miss it now.

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