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It seems strange now that after so many years spent nursing (which I have enjoyed) that I had not envisaged spending most of my life in the Nursing profession. Fate plays strange tricks on one and things do not always work out as planned — so before I commenced Midwifery training I found myself on a train heading for Berlin.

The only English person, my first trip abroad, I had been told on no account to alight at one of the frontiers. Two soldiers appeared emphatically indicating that I should go to a nearby shed as did all other passengers.

Flourishing my British passport and saying "no — no" they eventually gave up and left me alone. We reached the Russian sector — the guard came along and locked us all into our carriages. A three hour wait followed. At that time the Russians took people off trains. I was amazed that despite this the train arrived in Berlin exactly on time.

Berlin was a devastated city (but when I returned a year later it had been transformed). Streets were filled with people begging, people in the forests searching for nuts with which to make coffee.

I spend three months there and visited Hitler’s dug out. The Russian War memorial was in the English sector and on Red Army day, a long procession of vehicles with Russians sitting up very straight holding huge wreaths passed by.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ 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…
• 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
• 9) Theatres
• 10) The Nurse’s Home
• 11) The ‘Guinea Pig Club’
• 12) Mice in the washing and other tricks
• 13) Enamel washbowls on your heads
• 14) Extra Work
• 15) Shake and Shake…
• 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

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