大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People's War site by Katherine Hobart, a volunteer from 大象传媒 Radio Northampton on behalf of Leoni Seymour and has been added to the site with her permission. Leoni Seymour fully understands the sites terms and conditions.

1939 War had begun. I was nineteen. Having attended nursing V.A.D. (Voluntary Aid Detatchment) classes, I was called to work in Chelmsford General Hospital. We wore long-sleeved grey dresses, black stockings and shoes, white starched aprons with a Red Cross motif on the bib. On our heads we wore white linen squares gathered at the nape of the neck. A Red Cross was sewn on the forefront. We also wore black red lined shoulder cloaks. Celluloid white cuffs finished the uniform on special occasions. Chelmsford Hospital was headed by a wonderfully efficient matron. She had her finger in everty department-we all looked up to her. I worked twelve-hour shifts-this included nights-eight p.m.to eight a.m. Night duty was eerie-sitting in a dimly lit ward-one table lamp on the central desk. I heard the patients breathing when they slept and then a call would come and I would go over and attend to personal needs. When not carrying out routine jobs we had to make up balls of cotton wool and wind bandages. When morning dawned-night staff went down to the kitchens to start the porridge cooking. I was not good at this-could never get rid of the lumps! I liked the children's ward and casualty-the latter always busy and full of variety. Few service patients were admitted, those who did come were not serious cases. Air raid wardens came round at night-no chink of light was permissable through the black out curtains. When the siren went I felt a slight amount of fear, especially when I could hear planes overhead. Were they ours or enermy planes? Not many bombs were dropped over Chelmsford, just a few, probably planes unloading en route for home. The hospital had a balcony at the back overlooking the county cricket ground. I wheeled beds out onto the balcony in summer so patients could watch the play. When I travelled from home to hospital in my Baby Austin to night duty I could see searchlights sweeping the sky in the distance. Mother decided I should stay in town rather than carry out the four-mile journey, so I stayed eventually with friends in the centre of town. We had experience in every hospital department, including theatre and post-mortem area. Every time we went out we had to carry our gas mask in its canvas haversack and our tin helmet. Gas drill was quite an occasion as well as first aid lectures. I worked at the hospital for about eighteen months, then a friend asked me if I would join the Woman's Transport First Aid Nursing Yeomanry-a body first formed in the 1914 war, the FANY corps was soon amalgamated with the ATS to form one company. The FANY flash was allowed to remain, sewn onto the upper arm of the tunic. I left nursing and went to a Transport meeting.

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