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Christmas in Hospital All leave was stopped on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. This began at 9.30.pm Christmas Eve with all nursing staff wearing uniform with their capes and caring lanterns, touring the wards singing carols. Afterwards, coffee and mince pies were served to the nurses. There was no "off duty" Christmas Day or Boxing Day, but you were allowed to visit your friends on the other wards and admire their decorations. After the war when there was more food about many parties were given by all departments and Christmas dinners and dances for the nursing and medical staff. During the war our matron kept chickens and ducks in derelict houses next to the hospital. We never saw an egg but we did have chicken at Christmas. It was also the job of a night nurse to go and feed them before she came off duty and collect any eggs. Visiting of Patients Each patient was given two visiting cards, which allowed two people into the patient. This was only allowed every Wednesday and Sunday afternoon. Evening visiting came in about the early 50's and open visiting about the mid 60's. Visitors were never allowed to sit on the beds. Visiting in the maternity wards was much more restricted. Husbands only every evening and grandparents one afternoon per week. Visiting cards were issued and some homes I worked in, Fulham Borough Maternity Home and Elizabeth Garrett-Anderson, a nurse stood at the door and let cardholders in and then closed the door - no need for security staff. Nursing in the Civilian Hospitals in the Second World War Everything was in very short supply. Rubber gloves were only used in theatres and these had to be patched (the job of the nursing staff). No central sterile supply units, we had to make our own dressings and pack the drums both for wards and Theatre and then sterilise them in autoclaves. Hypodermic syringes (glass) and needles were boiled and used until they were worn out. Clinical thermometers (glass) for taking patients' temperatures, when we broke one we had to take it to the matron and pay for it (5d). Any equipment broken or damaged had to be taken to the matron always with fear that you would have to pay for it, but apart from thermometers, we usually got off with a lecture on the care of equipment and the cost. During the war the London hospitals evacuated any patients who were fit to travel twice per week to the hospitals in the country. Our hospital like many others lost one block of wards during the air raids. This made the other wards very overcrowded. Wards always had beds down the centre and included six beds on the open balcony (Pulmonary T.B.'s awaiting beds in sanatoriums). When we had large numbers of air raid casualties, out patients department became casualty as it had three theatres, X-rays Department and Plaster room. The less severe casualties were treated there. Major cases went straight to the wards and main theatre. I remember being given one 5ml syringe and a receiver of needles and a rubber capped bottle of anti-tetanus serum and told to give all casualties a dose of anti-tetanus serum, and we never had one reaction, we had around 200 minor casualties. The bomb dropped on an open street market on a Saturday mid-day. The major cases were admitted straight to the wards, whilst the present occupants were evacuated to the country hospital. Just before our final exams, we were sent out to a country hospital in order to have more time to study. I was sent to Preston Hall which before the war had been a TB Sanatorium run by the British Legion for ex-service men. Extra huts were built to accommodate civilians. A few miles down the road was an R.A.F. station and we often had their crash casualties. One morning at breakfast, my name with several others was called to go to a large pavilion in the grounds, which was not in use, and we were rather puzzled. When we walked in we had the shock of our lives. We had the first of the "D-Day" casualties. These soldiers still had their field dressings on and this was the only time I have ever seen maggots crawling in wounds. They were only with us a few days and then they were evacuated north. Penicillin was being manufactured but was only available to the armed forces. It became available to civilian hospitals in about 1945. It was so precious it had to be checked by a sister. It was given by intra muscular injection and it smelt like musty hay throughout the ward. It was administered by INI. When we had air raid casualties we often worked long hours without off duty which was never made up and of course never paid, but nobody seemed to notice or complain. Margaret Morris. to be concluded next month. |
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page last updated 1 APRIL 2001 |
