- Contributed by听
- salisburysouthwilts
- People in story:听
- Margaret Trussler
- Location of story:听
- Stourton, Wiltshire;Frome, Bath
- Background to story:听
- Civilian
- Article ID:听
- A5823371
- Contributed on:听
- 20 September 2005
At the time war broke out I was at home at Home Farm, Stourton leading a peaceful but busy life. Within forty-eight hours life changed as friends from the London area were asking if their wives and children could come to the country for safety.
At the same time the 5th Devon鈥檚 arrived at the farm, and we had soldiers sleeping in the barns and out buildings. Luckily this situation of soldiers and evacuees did not last long and the following year I joined my sister, who was running a coffee shop and catering business in Frome. I joined the St Johns Ambulance Brigade and did many hours of voluntary work in the local hospital and duty in public places. I also did fire-watching on a regular basis which meant walking around certain streets at regular hours throughout the nights to watch out for incendiary bombs when the air raid sirens went off.
In 1943 I was called up for full time nursing as a St John Ambulance nurse in the Civil Nursing Reserve and spent most of this time at the Royal United Hospital in Bath where in September 1944 there was a Casualty Clearance ward for casualties from Arnhem.
After peace was declared in returned to helping my sister and the following year got married and as the fairy tales tell, have lived happily ever after since.
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