大象传媒

Mrs Greta Underwood, served as a 鈥榁AD鈥� (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse in India and Burma 1944 to 1946, and was awarded the Burma Star. The British Schools Museum, Hitchin is proud to enter her story, with her permission, to the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War archive. Greta still works as a volunteer in our museum. The story is provided in several parts, please read them all. This is part 2 of 4 parts. Part 1 is A4859571, part 3 is A4859715

A4859652 Part 2. The long journey to India

In Sept 1939 many of us had joined the civil nursing reserve, with auxiliary nurses, state enrolled assistant nurses, S.R.N.s and Sisters. Mobile VADs were called to serve anywhere in the UK. Just as there was an increase in the forces, so the BRCS increased by two more detachments, Herts 52, Herts 104, in addition to Herts 26. Maurice Underwood, my husband to be, joined the SJAB and Military Hospital Reserve.

VAD is an abbreviation for 鈥榁oluntary Aid Detachment' consisting of a group of mainly ladies who received basic training in First Aid, nursing and currently a member of British Red Cross Society (BRCS) or St John Ambulance Brigade (SJAB), to work in Emergency Hospitals in a crisis if needed.
Since April 1942, when we had been married for 15 months, Maurice was already on active service in the Far East. Tropical diseases and malaria in particular were rife in India, Burma and the Pacific. In 1943 drugs such as Mepacrine (used for malaria) and Penicillin were still in the research stage. Both British and Indian Military Nursing Services were overstretched. The Indian caste system was creating difficulty for local recruitment. The majority were mainly Anglo-Indian or Indian Christian nurses. Little was known of the war in the Far East. Lord Mountbatten and General Slim were becoming very concerned particularly in view of the likely casualties and tropical diseases ahead, and made repeated requests for medical and nursing staff because of the medical establishment being below strength. It was said that to every injured or wounded casualty there were 100 to 200 hospitalised suffering from tropical diseases - 86% rated as malaria.
It was about this time when somebody said 鈥淲hat about VADs鈥�! So in April 1944 an appeal went out to all detachments asking for VADs willing to volunteer for service in India and beyond. Many came forward from all corners of the British Isles to the selection board and medical board.

Eventually 250 passed various tests and interview. There was another VAD from Hitchin named Diana Cooper who lived in Bancroft. We were posted together until the last posting, which I shall mention later.
Our anticipation was intense as we waited for further orders. It was during the last week of June we received our movement orders. Diana and I boarded the train at Hitchin for Kings Cross complete with gas mask, tin hat, cabin trunk and cabin case. We were billeted in a large building with about 28 other VADs, 10 to a dorm, occupying the 鈥榬oom at the top鈥�. We were there for 7 days during which time we coped with doodlebugs and sleeping in the basement. We also collected our water bottle, identity disc and papers from India Office, in readiness for our further instructions.

On the eighth night 250 of us were collected from all over London, by a 3 ton lorry. We met on a deserted part of Kings Cross station and boarded a train about 11pm. Thirty hours later we found ourselves alongside a quayside in Scotland. A tender was waiting to take us out to the S. S. Strathnaver, a PandO liner converted to troopship. It was already loaded with our troops 鈥� and what a reception! Shouts, cheers and wolf whistles as we embarked. We climbed aboard and went down to our cabin on 鈥楤鈥� deck. We were in what used to be the 1st class cabin for 2 people. It now contained five two-tier bunks to accommodate 10 of us!

It soon became apparent that if we were to live in harmony for the period on board we must organise a rota. Ten people plus ten sets of cabin baggage under 5 bunks in 2-bedded room didn鈥檛 leave much space to manoeuvre, and it was a 鈥榳ork of art鈥� at all times. Special soap was provided for us to carry out our ablutions in sea-water.
We set sail under cover of darkness as part of a large convoy. For many of us it was the first time we had been on a large ship and we quickly learned that a 鈥榗himney鈥� was a 鈥榝unnel鈥�, the 鈥榮tairs鈥� a 鈥榗ompanionway鈥�, and the 鈥榖anister鈥� a 鈥榬ail鈥�. I also learned 鈥榩ort鈥� has as many letters as 鈥榣eft鈥�, which made it easy to remember, especially after boat drill that first morning.

Whilst the ship鈥檚 captain was making the daily inspection below, a senior army officer took charge of boat drill. Suddenly the officer shouted 鈥渇all in鈥�. We did 鈥� amongst a burst of laughter, None of us had a clue how to drill. From then on when we assembled on 鈥楢鈥� deck for boat stations, the only order as far as I can remember was 鈥渨ill you get into line please ladies?鈥�
We had been issued with lifejackets to carry around at all times (and shown how to put them on quickly) and fresh water in bottles daily. However, remembering our first attempt at drill, the officers barely kept a straight face when that same officer explained, 鈥渋n an emergency all boats and rafts will be lowered into the sea and without further orders, JUMP into the sea and swim towards the nearest boat or raft鈥�. This was followed by 鈥渨hen you jump, hold the life jacket down in front of you or you will break your neck鈥�. If that wasn鈥檛 enough, to frighten us to death, we heard later from one of those officers 鈥� they had instructions to throw us overboard if we lost our nerve! Thanks be, it wasn鈥檛 necessary 鈥� it looked a long way from top deck to the sea. Anyway, the life jackets made good if somewhat hard seats to sit on deck.

We sailed down the Atlantic and when we got closer to Spain we circled until nightfall. During those daily boat drills we were winding down the companionway when someone called out 鈥淕reta, what are you doing here?鈥� It was Geoffrey Cooling from Tilehouse Street Baptist Church. He and Maurice were printer compositors together at the Herts Express. I called back quickly 鈥淗ello Geoffrey鈥� but I didn鈥檛 see him again, not surprising when one thinks of the thousands of personnel on board. I found out later he served in the sick bay on the S. S. Strathnaver before taking up the ministry.

We sailed through the Mediterranean, continuing in convoy through the Suez Canal 鈥� more wolf whistles and shouts of 鈥測ou鈥檙e going the wrong way鈥�. It too three days for the whole convoy to sail through and to take on board provisions, fruit and fresh water before continuing our journey to India.
We continued to the Red Sea. Orders came to change into tropical kit. A canopy was put up to give some shade on top deck. By the time we arrived in Aden it was slightly cooler. We waited to join up with other convoys, then set off on our last lap through to the Indian Ocean. For days there was nothing but sea and sky as we watched the shoals of porpoise and flying fish by day and the fluorescence of the foam at night.

By this time we were beginning to feel weary of the inactivity and anxious to get on with the job we had been sent out to do. We attended lectures on 鈥榯he life story of the mosquito鈥� and tropical hygiene. I鈥檝e forgotten how many times we walked around the top deck to complete mile; some of us tried to walk three miles each day. During this time two pairs of shoes needed repairing.

At least we arrived in Bombay and came ashore with mixed feelings. There was none of the Eastern magic at first sight. The docks had been destroyed by fire from a ship鈥檚 cargo of explosives, which reminded me of London.

We disembarked in our tropical uniform complete with topee, white blouses, navy slacks. The train was waiting in the siding to take us to Poona, then by 3 ton lorry to Kirkee. What a sight we must have looked in those topees. They were either too small or in most cases too big. I鈥檓 sure they were left over from Clive of India.

We arrived at almost midnight on 15th August 1944 welcomed by a kindly WVS lady. Our transit camp consisted of a hospital wing at Kirklee General, with 36 beds to a ward and the luxury of fresh running water was a joy we experienced.
We had a very exhausting three weeks to follow.

This story continues at A4859715

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