大象传媒

In spite of the extreme danger,un-ending toil,lack of supplies and untold hardships,when they looked back they all agreed that it had been worthwhile and in a strange way particularly rewarding.During these three and a half months hundreds of patients passed through their hands and Miss Field was particularly proud of her units achievments-especially the comparitively low mortality-attributed in large measure to the available equipment,which,while totally basic was of the highest quality for those days.
After three and a half months with the Nurses keeping in reasonable good health-apart from brief bouts of Malaria-Miriam contracted the recurrent type and also the serious Amoebic Dysentery.When more Nursing Sisters were brought forward the original five were withdrawn as a Unit,they were sent to C.C.S.25 which was further from the front. Here the work appeared light, as compared with C.C.S.22,23,and 24,mainly because the five were now staffing a single station and not three.Regular off duty became possible and the conditions gradually improved-together with better news of the war situation itself.Miss Field later was decorated,receiving The Medal of The Red Cross,in recognition of her Unit's outstanding service.The Unit was then disbanded and each member of it was posted separately to other centres.
Miriam was posted to Jamshedpur and later still back to Quetta.She had become engaged to F.O. Peter Gilroy before going to the Arakan and on reaching Quetta for the second time they were married in the Cathedral. She had bought a veil in Calcutta but it was eaten by ants,her bouquet didn't arrive so the resorceful "Ginger" Hayes cut the best flowers from the Quetta Hospital gardens and tied them with a piece of ribbon taken from a box of chocolates received by Miss Field! Miriam was given away by Peter's Wing Commander with a Guard of Honour provided by the Q.A's and the R.A.F. After the wedding they flew to Kashmir in an old Dakota for a short honeymoon on a houseboat. Peter Gilroy after their return from honeymoon was posted to Burma and Miriam was actually a patient herself,later being sent home on a Hospital ship destined once again for Netley,where it all began so to speak.En route home V.J.day was announced but on arrival at Southampton there was Peter who had flown home.They set up home in a flat in Andover and he served in England until his demob,having been promoted to Squadron Leader,Miriam was demobbed in 1946.

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