大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Michael Huskisson of Suffolk Libraries on behalf of Freda M. Purdie and has been added to the site with her permission. The auther fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

I was 14 when the Second World War broke out. When I had finished my education I went to become a nurse. In October 1943 I started training at Kings College Hospital. I was sent to the emergency hospital at Epsom in April 1944. I was there until the following January. After the D-Day landings the wounded came to us on a hospital train.
In our hospital we also had civilian patients and also wounded German prisoners of war. I remember the Matron saying to us: "Remember you are Christians first and English women and Nurses as well, and you treat your patients accordingly."
We actually had a 14-year-old amongst those German prisoners of war who was Nazi Youth. He had been told dreadful things about us and swore accordingly.
I remember the flying bombs. In our hospital we had a lot of casualties from these. I remember five soldiers coming in who had been billeted in a house that received a direct hit.
I remember the first penicillin. I was given a phial of it and told "Don't you dare drop it nurse it is worth 拢5." That was a lot of money in those days. The penicillin was miraculous, we were only allowed to use it for service patients.
I felt particularly sad about the children who were casualties of the bombing.
In February 1945 when nursing in Kings College Hospital, London, I met my husband to be. He had been sent home from the fighting in Italy when he became ill.
I remember the end of the war, Victory in Europe day. There was one sister who I felt particularly sorry for. She could not celebrate victory as she had lost her husband earlier in the war. He was in the Merchant Navy.

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