´óÏó´«Ã½

Explore the ´óÏó´«Ã½
This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Find out more about page archiving.

15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

´óÏó´«Ã½ Homepage
´óÏó´«Ã½ History
WW2 People's War Homepage Archive List Timeline About This Site

Contact Us

Wartime Medical Studies: Southampton and North Africa

by billwhite

Contributed byÌý
billwhite
People in story:Ìý
william gordon white
Location of story:Ìý
U K and Overseas
Background to story:Ìý
Army
Article ID:Ìý
A1993737
Contributed on:Ìý
08 November 2003

I spent my first 20 years in Rochester and attended Kings School. I prepared to study medicine and at the outbreak of war I had a short time in the Auxillary Fire Service in Rochester and then went on to join Kings College, London to study Anatomy and Physiology. I never got to Kings College; it was evacuated with most of its staff first to Glasgow University and later to Birmingham University. Clinical Medical studies were to be undertaken at Charing Cross Hospital, which in turn had been largely evacuated to Ashridge ,Berkhampstead. It was staffed by Charing Cross consultants and nurses together with nurses from University College Hospital
Short spells of leave at home in Rochester gave experience of air-raids, sleeping in a shelter in the garden, dogfights during the battle of Britain and Short Sunderland flying boats swooping over the roof to land on the river.. We were also to sample the raids on Birmingham where we were in lodgings and shaken up for nights on end.
Several of us arrived in Boxmoor in Jan 1941, after passing 2nd M.B. Exams. We were lodged at Chaulden House, Boxmoor in dormitories, 6 to a room, and went daily to Ashridge by the Medical School Bus with sandwiches. I was able to drive and help maintain the beast, an ancient A.J.S (They were motor cycle makers) In Aug 1943 after qualification, I took up a house appointment at the Hospital and lived on there in various capacities until Aug 1945. It was primarily an EMS Hospital with several Military wards. I was one of a team which was on standby for care of casualties for an emergency (the invasion). We were on short time notice and collected by Green Line Ambulance and taken to an unknown destination. It turned out to be the Royal Southants and Southampton Hospital and with several other teams, we were on 8 hour shifts and accommodated in their Governors room which was made into a dormitory. We treated the casualties brought back from the beaches in Northern France.
I can fill in quite a few details about life at Ashridge during this time but it would be largely medical names and the very pleasant times we had in the bar which was then in the crypt and our adventures to the Alford Arms. We were good friends with the lay staff and shove ha’penny was played daily.
I was involved with the early use of Penicillin. It was in very short supply and tried out both by local application to wounds and by very painful injections and at hopelessly low doses.
One incident I recall, related to the new idea of early mobilisation following surgical operations. There was until then rest in bed after the most minor procedures and my little patient was featured in the London News Chronicle because of gentle exercises which I arranged. I was firmly reprimanded for my initiative
My personal transfer to Military service took me to Malta, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, and Kenya — mainly in military hospitals partly in the capacity of Venereologist. I accompanied a patient home in 1948 in a BOAC York aircraft from Nairobi; this needed several stops and included a rest period in a hotel in Cairo.
I was demobilised soon afterwards and began a 30 year career in Occupational Medicine in Oxford.

If you want any other details or enlargement I shall be pleased.

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

Forum Archive

This forum is now closed

These messages were added to this story by site members between June 2003 and January 2006. It is no longer possible to leave messages here. Find out more about the site contributors.

Message 1 - Penicillin and wartime diseases!

Posted on: 08 November 2003 by paul gill - WW2 Site Helper

Bill, read your article with interest.
Ashridge is now a management training college and I myself attended a course there 10 years ago.

You might be interested in what my father, Reg Gill,he said about the Italian fleet surrender. See link from my personal page.
For reasons you'll understand better than most, it is conceivable that Penicillin played a small part in the surrender! I did wonder if it was too indelicate to mention!

Reg said there was a polio outbreak on Malta probably in 1943. Was the disease endemic or was the news censored?

I'll be writing an item on the bombing of the 39th General hospital in Malta in the next few days.

Archive List

This story has been placed in the following categories.

Working Through War Category
Medical Units Category
Hampshire Category
North Africa Category
icon for Story with photoStory with photo

Most of the content on this site is created by our users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the ´óÏó´«Ã½. The ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. For any other comments, please Contact Us.



About the ´óÏó´«Ã½ | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy
Ìý