大象传媒

This story was submitted to the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by ^{About links} on behalf of Alex Whitelock and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

In October 1942, I was posted to Totland Bay Hospital on the Isle of White. This was a hotel which had been commandeered and refurbished as a war-time hospital.

When we got off the lorry we were marched into the hospital past a large conservatory. Watching us from the windows was a line of nursing sisters probably wondering what this intake had brought them as ward orderlies.

Next morning we paraded outside the hospital again and the Corporal detailed us to our wards. When he got to me he said, 鈥淐ome and stand by me, you鈥檙e the sisters鈥� new mess waiter.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what those sisters were up to yesterday, 鈥� I thought, 鈥渄eciding which one of us they鈥檇 pick!鈥�

The Home Sister escorted me to the sisters鈥� quarters in an old country house situated in very picturesque grounds about two miles from the hospital. As we walked, she outlined my new duties. I鈥檇 have to lay the tables for meals and serve, always starting with Matron. I confessed I鈥檇 never done any waiting and she told me, 鈥淎lways serve from the right and collect empty plates from the left using a clean cloth if the plates are hot. Only speak when you鈥檙e spoken to. You must also keep the coal boiler stoked up and put the black-outs up in all the rooms each evening and take them down in the morning.鈥�

The cook, from the Army Catering Corps, was a perfectionist who made the best of meals with the minimum resources. One Monday morning he said to me, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what I鈥檓 going to give the sisters for lunch today. All I have is this鈥�, and he produced a two inch-square piece of roast beef left over from the Sunday joint. In a flash he said, 鈥淚 know, I鈥檒l make sausage rolls.鈥� So, with bread, onions, Bovril, herbs and the tiny piece of beef all minced up together he made the best sausage rolls I鈥檇 ever had. He made delicacies such as I had never tasted before. One day, as he cut up apples from the garden, he asked if I鈥檇 ever had apple fritters. I said, 鈥淲hat are they?鈥� 鈥淎pples dipped in batter and then fried,鈥� he said. They were gorgeous!

The matron and sisters treated me like a brother. I received about five shillings a week extra in my pay for working there. This I learned came out of their mess funds from which they also sometimes gave me cigarettes which were always welcome.

Putting up blackouts could lead to embarrassing situations. Once I was greeted at her bedroom door by a Welsh sister clad only in a bath towel. She asked me in but I said I鈥檇 come back later. This same sister was always coming to the kitchen asking for things. One evening after dinner, she came to ask if she could have a 鈥榙ecent鈥� slice of bread. I gave her the knife and the loaf and she cut what we called in the East End a 鈥渄oor step鈥�. I have often thought she was making a pass at me but there were strict rules and other ranks did not court Nursing Sisters.

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.