大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Site by a volunteer from CSV Actiondesk on behalf of Nancy McQueen and has been added to the site with her permission. Ms McQueen fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

In 1941 I arrived at Tyne Dock to start my two years SRN (State Registered Nurse) training at Harton, South Shields. I was already a qualified Fever Nurse. Alas, just as I was going to start my soup (Supper) the siren went and it was a case of 鈥済et a pillow and your gas masks鈥� and into the air raid shelter. That night the Market was bombed and it was terrible; I had been in Manchester when it was blitzed but I had never heard big guns like 鈥楤ig Bertha鈥� and 鈥楢ggie鈥�, the guns along the coast. The noise was terrific. I never saw South Shields before it was almost obliterated and I never got my supper that night!

After gaining my SRN Certificate in 1943 I joined the Army as a Nursing Sister in the Queen Alexandra鈥檚 Imperial Nursing Service and was sent to Surrey to look after soldiers who had been in India and had contracted dysentery. However, my first real posting was to Cairo in Egypt. I had never been abroad before. We travelled on a boat that had been a Canadian luxury Liner called the Rena Del Pacifico (Queen of the Pacific). The hospital in Cairo was set up in bell tents and we nursed mainly eye cases. I remember it being hard work and very hot and smelly in the city. After six months my next posting was announced at 3.00 am in the morning, I was going to Mombassa. This was to nurse on the European ward which was general nursing and on the Officer鈥檚 ward which was surgical. Many of the soldiers had malaria. One night I had to stand in for Matron on night duty and was going around the wards greeting the officers with 'good evening sergeant' when much to my surprise and joy I saw on the list of patients the name of an old friend from Forest Hall, Geoffrey Hasler. He did get a surprise when I greeted him with 'Good evening Geoffrey', he nearly jumped out of his bed and mosquito net. The last time I had seen him we had been dancing in Benton Parish church hall. He was so pleased to see me and we made all sorts of arrangements to meet but later that night my next posting was announced - Madagascar and we never got to meet up. I do know he made it home safe and sound after the War.

My first reaction to this posting was 鈥業 don鈥檛 know where Madagascar is!鈥� This time I went on my first aeroplane, a Sunderland bomber, which was exciting. I stayed here for six months treating African soldiers who had malaria. There were seven nurses in the hospital and during the rainy season we had to wear Wellington boots to go between the wards. I had to ask the patients to help pull the Wellingtons off as my feet kept getting stuck in them. It was extremely hot and humid and I remember how grateful we were for the fresh lemon drinks the orderlies would regularly bring us, so refreshing.

I was all set for my next posting, Burma, and had collected my 'Burma greens' (uniform) but I contracted malaria from a very simple mistake - I forgot that after 6.00 pm we had to button sleeves on our uniforms to protect against mosquitoes. I was quite ill with malaria, in fact at one point I wished I could die I felt so bad, however I was sent for two weeks recuperation up country to the Officer鈥� Club where it was cooler and not a malaria district. Once I felt better I had such fun as there were only two women at the Offers's Club, myself and the hostess. I never made it to Burma.

My next posting was to a 鈥榗old station鈥� 鈥� Nairobi, which is where I was on VE Day. I arrived on the Friday and spent Saturday and Sunday learning to salute as we were to be in the Victory Parade 鈥� the Sergeant Major鈥檚 heart was broken as he said it looked as if we were all waving! However, we were in the Parade on the main street but did not have to salute as we wore our white veils. We had great parties in the Officers鈥� and Sisters鈥� Messes and everyone was happy. On VJ Day I was in Somaliland (Mogadishu)and we were like royalty, only three Sisters and a Matron and we stood on the VIP balcony of BMA Headquarters and this time we watched the troops marching by.

I returned to Nairobi to continue nursing and stayed there until 1947 when I sailed for England on Christmas Eve. This was my first trip home since I had enlisted. Most of my nursing was aftercare and I usually had an Infectious Ward as I was the only Sister in East Africa with R.F.N. training, nursing patients with smallpox, chicken pox, typhoid, leprosy etc. I am afraid no heroics and I never did anything spectacular although I was decorated.

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