´óÏó´«Ã½

Of course it was a very big mining area in Stoke-on-Trent and so we had these huge miners’ wards.

The miners were wonderful. I had and still have an enormous affection for the pottery people — they were absolutely superb to nurse. The Miners used to come in with horrific injuries, and we had these miners reception area- and they used to come in covered in dirt — it was coal, but we called it dirt. In the reception area they had a washing facility where the stretchers were absolutely level with the washing facility, and we used to have to try and get as much of the dirt off as possible.

The ward looked most peculiar because most of the patients had peculiar contraptions on to aid their injuries; but we still had to change the bottom sheets every night. We had to take every bottom sheet off every night and shake it because you get plaster dust and that would predispose towards bedsores. No matter how heavy — some of them would have equipment with great weights on pulling their legs out, but we still had to do our jobs. They used to try and help us as much as possible.

When you went on duty at night it was wonderful — you’d hear this singing floating up to you from the main hospital — it was the Miners singing.

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
• 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
• My visit to post-War Germany

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