大象传媒

This contribution to People鈥檚 War was received by the Action Desk at 大象传媒 Radio Cleveland and submitted to the website by Jane Tombling, with the permission and on behalf of Nancy Pierce (nee Whitaker)

During 1939 after leaving school I joined a domestic science course at Leeds鈥� 鈥淧udding School鈥�. I enrolled on the one year 鈥淏ride鈥檚 Course鈥� which was undertaken in order to fill in the year prior to my enrolling at St Thomas鈥� Hospital in London where I intended to train as a Physiotherapist.

However, the war intervened and I and my friends volunteered to join the ATS where we were attached to the local Territorial Army 鈥� The Duke of Wellington鈥檚. The TA moved and we were split up, I was seconded to Chesterfield. As there was a shortage of clerical staff in the Army and as I had good typing skills I was relocated to the Motor Transport Office where I was allocated my own personal typewriter!! The winter of 39/40 was a particularly bad one. During that time I contracted one illness after another, when septicaemia set in, I was sent home on sick leave. However, I did not return to the ATS 鈥� but that is another long story. As soon as I was declared fit by my local GP, I was accepted to train in Physiotherapy at Manchester Royal Infirmary 鈥� Physiotherapy being a reserved occupation.

My three year course was hugely enjoyable, life was very strict; having said that I and my fellow trainees (20 in each year) had a good time and made the most of life during the Manchester Blitz, all in all it was a very happy time. We were often given tickets to attend the Opera, Halle Orchestra concerts etc., which we enjoyed in the company of the many male medical students! The Infirmary was bombed one weekend 鈥� fortunately I was away staying with my parents in Keighley that weekend. When I returned to Manchester I discovered our hostel 鈥� down the road from the Eye Infirmary 鈥� remained in tact 鈥� not so the Infirmary.

Although Manchester Infirmary was not a military hospital 鈥� our patients in the main were from civvy street 鈥� we were involved with the rehabilitation of men and women who had been injured during active service.

During my three year course, I met a medical student, who I subsequently married in 1942. My husband had qualified as a Doctor and volunteered to join the RAF - as a Doctor. We decided to marry regardless of the war. It was of course difficult getting all arrangements in place 鈥� from getting sufficient clothes coupons for a wedding dress 鈥� to having a 鈥榤ake do鈥� wedding cake. Some kind person donated a bottle of champagne which was a very welcome addition to the day.

My husband went off to war 鈥� Bomber Command in Lincolnshire 鈥� and I returned to live with my parents in Keighley. I secured work as a Physiotherapist at St Luke鈥檚 Hospital Bradford, I would commute daily on either the bus or train and this was my way of life for some months. At one stage it was decided that children from nearby Bradford should be evacuated. My parents home was inspected and we were given three little boys as evacuees. However, their stay with us was short lived 鈥� three or four weeks if I remember rightly, their parents decided that as Bradford had not been the subject of any bombing campaigns, it would be safe for them to return home and so back to Bradford they all went!!

Upon giving up work during the early part of 1945 in order to have our son, I continued living in Keighley. It was decided by the local council that all babies born on VE day would be awarded a commemorative mug, however we missed it by one day!!

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