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This story was submitted to the People's War site by Katherine Kissane from WM CSV Action Desk on behalf of Mollie Kissane and has been added to the site with he permission. Mollie Kissane fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

Mollie left Ireland the year before the outbreak of the Second World War to work for East Sussex County Hospital. She has many happy memories.

‘There was a great social life. We had plenty of places to go — dances, pictures, watching games, and cricket. Stool ball became my favourite. We went to dirt-track racing, the Monkey Puzzle and on visits to Glyndebourne.

One of Mollie’s favourite hobbies was dancing. Magham Down dancehall was very popular with the locals and nurses. We got to know a lot of local people. We also had a big hall in the hospital where we had concerts, and had a lot of local talent shows and plays. A hospital dance was held once a fortnight.

One fundraising dance was called ‘Put the Lid on Hitler’s Coffin’ It was held to raise money for the building of a new ship. ‘We had a good time. We were all young and enjoying ourselves! The military all looked very smart in their dress uniforms.’ Some of the soldiers arrived even if they were on crutches. ‘We enjoyed every day. You were happy with your work and looking forward to your nights.’

‘We had a great life — plenty of enjoyment, even though we had to do two hours fire spotting, four nights a week. Nurses had to walk around the hospital grounds in twos to watch for any bombs dropping, or aircraft on fire coming down. There were plenty of planes overhead at all times.

Christmas was very good. Nobody got Christmas day off but we had great parties. We never had turkey or chicken. Instead, it was roast pork and stuffing, and rabbit pie for Boxing Day. We got used to it and they were good at making pastry.

‘The food was very good. We got a cooked breakfast every morning, and all our main meals six days a week. On our days off, we had to provide our own food. That worked out quite well, as there was a little restaurant down at the bottom of the hospital drive, which always had plenty of food. We had plenty food in the hospital, but I could not send anything back to Ireland for my family because the ports were closed.

There was no public transport, so we had to walk anywhere we wanted to go. Everyone was walking so we got very used to the roads. There were no cars. One bus a day went to Eastbourne, but then the bombing got bad and the evacuation of Dunkirk started. That was the end of our trips to Eastbourne. It was all barbed wire and concrete blocks, and nobody was allowed near the stretch all along the seafront.

I went up to London a few times. I wanted to see how London looked in the dark. My friends and I were staying in a bed and breakfast in Euston the night the Duke of Kent was killed. When we went back to Eastbourne the next day, Buckingham Palace was in mourning. Black ribbons were draped across the front windows.

By the end of the war, Mollie was working for a doctor in London. ‘All my friends were leaving, so I wanted to be nearer London’. She had to get a permit to leave the hospital as the war was still on.

She was in London for VE Day, and she travelled to the city centre on the tube from Stanmore. She went to Buckingham Palace to join the huge crowds in the mass celebrations.

‘They were great years; I would have done the same again’.

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