大象传媒

If we broke anything on the wards, we鈥檇 have to replace it.

I can remember my friends and I going around the markets looking for say a glass that we鈥檇 broken. The Pottery people were very kind to the nurses, we sued to plead 鈥淥h please, have you got a glass, I鈥檝e broken a glass鈥� and they鈥檇 do their best to find something.

I always remember 鈥� we used to have to cook the breakfast:
We used to make boiled eggs for the ordinary diets, and then we had special diets that we had to put out, like the diabetics used to have bacon and egg, and the gastrics used to have poached eggs. We had to cook that ourselves 鈥� the junior nurse did all the cooking.

Some of the miners used to say to me 鈥淥h nurse, go on fry me an egg鈥�, and they also used to give me oat cakes 鈥� I鈥檇 say 鈥淲hat on earth do I do with these?鈥� and they鈥檇 tell me 鈥減ut them in the bacon fat 鈥� fry it for me鈥�.

We used to make porridge for the ordinary diets as well, and I used to get a bit upset if they asked for second helpings as we only had half an hour to do it all.

But as I say, we cooked all the food ourselves, and one day I remember and my friend thought she鈥檇 save time boiling the eggs. We had a great big double saucepan, and my friend got a teacloth and she put all her eggs for boiling in this teacloth, and put it in the double saucepan. But it boiled dry and burned the teacloth, so she had to tell the sister, and next morning we were traipsing around the markets pleading. We鈥檇 have to give coupons otherwise you see.

If you broke a thermometer you had to take it to the matron, and you had to pay eight pence.

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
• 9) Theatres
• 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
• 20) My little bucket and I
• My visit to post-War Germany

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