What Did You Do In The War, Aunty Mabel

This story was wriiten by my cousin Mabel McKenzie, I have not changed it in any way. Mabel is now dead.

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WARI, AUNTIE MABEL... I?

I joined the QAIMNS/R - military nursing service in June 1941. A year later I was on an overseas draft.

How to describe the year that followed? Start at the beginning aboard a troopship on the Clyde?
The days of waiting and slow movement down the river. Awakening one night and knowing, by the motion of the ship that we were on our way? We had gone to bed fully clothed, and remained so for three nights, until past the critical area of submarine attack.

Our arrival in Egypt after a seven-week voyage. MY posting shortly after with another Sister from the same draft, was to No.1 Mobile Military Hospital -'unique in the British Army, but it worked as a CCS (casualty clearing station). CCSs operated in a leapfrog action, the last in a line I'm not sure how many there were (three or four) going up to the front. There were surgical units further ahead. We joined our unit when it was at the tailend, on the outskirts of Alexandria. We were kitted out in khaki battledress men's uniform, three sizes only! Altered by the military tailor we were quite respectable. Others who followed us were not so lucky.

Immediately after the battle of Alamein, which proved to be the turning point of the war, our unit moved up. We were left behind at the 64th General Hospital We were told not to unpack much.

Came the day when the ward phone rang. I answered it, "Sister D-- Matron speaking. You are rejoining your unit. Hand over the ward immediately to Sister Leave your heavy luggage locked. It will be taken care of There will be a meal ready for you in the mess in half an hour You will depart immediately afterwards."

Seven of us including the sister in charge went aboard a hospital ship at Alexandria and disembarked at Tobruk.
"Tobruk". that name so well known in Britain. It had fallen and been retaken so many times. It was with a feeling of awe that I stepped ashore.

Was I actually in Tobruk? Here, we saw for the first time,- we were to see them often in the months ahead, the lines of white tape marking the safe lanes areas cleared of mines by
the REs. Within them lay safety, outside possible danger.

We stayed two nights with a New Zealand unit, already staffed by Sisters. We moved up with them and were dropped off, on reaching No. 1 Mobile.
This was when we realised that we had no caps to wear.The tail of a shirt supplied the necessary material. At a later stage the quartermaster procured the famous black beret for us. The troops didn't object to our use of them, but I did hear that the Brigadier was highly indignant.

No orders came to forbid their use, and we continued to wear them.

Our unit had its own transport, except for the conveyance of the Sisters. When on the move, we went up in ambulances, which had brought down the wounded. It was funny to see the reaction of the occupants of the vehicles coming towards us. We were in convoy at the first ambulance they weren't quite sure at the second "By jove they are!" by the third (ours) they were hanging out the windows. Women! We hoped none would fall out at the fourth. Naturally, they thought we were ATS.

The days on the move were like days off for us, as we had no responsibilities'. Occasionally there was a completely free day. One such occurred near Derna, where one of the Sisters met a former chief of the
hospital where she had trained; she and I were invited to visit the late headquarters of Rommel. He had moved out 48 hours before on that same trip we climbed the two of us a Roman amphitheatre. On reaching the top, a considerable height,we saw that the Colonel had someone with him we waved exuberantly, then scrambled down arriving somewhat breathless. We were abashed by our school girlish behaviour, on being introduced to
Tedder, head of the RAF. Later he became Lord Tedder, Marshall of the RAF and Chief of Staff.

Xmas and New Year were spent some kilometres beyond Benghazi. I was on night duty. The supply ship with the Xmas fare. as well as the normal food rations, was torpedoed. We were on short rations for a time. I have a recollection of a sardine and a half for supper one night. There was plenty of hardtack. Thanks to the organisers at base, and the RAF, the troops got their Xmas dinner on schedule. I have still, a little medal
which has on one side "Xmas Stocking" a replica of the Sphinx and "1942". . On the other side "Good Luck" from Friends in Egypt.

On Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) the staff on my own ward had a tumbler of rum awaiting me, when I went on duty. They were taking me at my word as I had said to them "I'll stand in for you at Xmas if you stand in for me at New Year" But a tumbler of rum! I had never tasted rum. It was dealt with, but not very much of it, by me. Nevertheless, on my final round of the wards in the morning, passing through the Officers Ward a body suddenly shot up a guest not a patient saying "Good God are you still on your feet?"

On the whole the weather was good, but we had to contend with storms, also. There was one of wind, which blew down a few tents, including mine. I woke up in time to grab my clothes and dive through the opening, before it collapsed completely. That night came the rain. There were beds in the main wards, but quite a number of the sick and lightly wounded lay on stretchers on the ground.

We hunted out jerrycans and whatever we could find to raise them up. In the morning the cookhouse was unable to function. Breakfast was' cold greasy bacon coming out of tins Ugh! All the patients were evacuated. That wasn't so easy, with the vehicles slithering, slewing and getting bogged down; but it was eventually accomplished.

About this time we had a visit from the Press and our photos appeared in the army magazine "Parade".

At one stage the water was full of magnesium sulphate (Epsom salts). The whole company was on the trot! I remember the prompt action of Corporal B ... when I fainted, ten minutes after going on duty. Before I had properly cometo, there was an ambulance at the door and I was conveyed to my tent. I became a patient for a day ~ the water truck was sent back to the previous waterhole or wherever water came from and that problem was settled.

During all these weeks the wounded and sick were admitted and evacuated.

Operations, type of wound, treatment were noted on their fieldcards, which were attached to them by the M0s. The system operated, to get them to base hospitals as quickly as possible. Some stayed but a day, others longer. It depended on their condition. Work varied in intensity, depending on whether we were at the head or the tail.

For a time we had a neurosurgical unit attached. These were difficult cases to nurse, under such circumstances.

Getting near to Tripoli we were looking forward to being there twentyfour hours after it was captured. Things didn't work out quite like that there was an unexpected battle at Homs. We were in transit and diverted into "the blue". Water was rationed to a waterbottle (2 pints) per person per day, and that included washing.

Tea was not included as we queued up at the cookhouse with our billycans and enamel mugs for meals. One ward was opened up for lightly wounded we had really a lazy time. on the 25th January '43 we moved back to the coast road and on to Tripoli. The road was jammed with every type of vehicle, moving at a snail's pace. We spent one more night at the roadside.

In Tripoli we were allotted what had been an Italian barracks. Everything had been deliberately broken ~ and it was filthy. We had to wait for the REs to clear it for boobytraps. Three of us, including one from the neurosurgical unit were sent to a functioning hospital, where a New Zealand unit and a South African one, were installed. They had split it down the middle so we took a floor each. The nuns were still in residence. What a problem it was to get clean sheets from the Mother Superior. She had them under lock and key. As we were there on a very temporary basis, we told the Sergeants in charge of the wards to carry on as was their custom. We would give a helping hand. Our great joy was to have a hot bath. We hadn't had one for nearly three months. When "Monty" gave his talk to the troops, the O/C of the New Zealand unit, invited us to go with them. In Tripoli we wore our proper uniform of grey with scarlet facings. On being recalled to our own unit, Major F O/C of the NZs, told us that he had had a deputation, asking him to keep the Sisters what higher honour could we wish for! After we left, they kept supplying us with bread as they had their own bakery such luxury! I have very pleasant memories of our sojourn with them ~ also of the others whom we met from the lst NZ division.

It was good to be back with our own crowd. They had done most of the hard work of clearing up. There were a few POWs in the ward, one a young German airman. He had superficial injuries and was soon up and helping His words to me "Sister, I do for the British all they need, urinal, bedpan, anything. Please do not ask me to attend to the Italians". Who then was friend? And who foe? When Churchill reviewed the troops in Tripoli we were the only women in all that great parade. As he and "Monty" passed us in their vehicle, Churchill was turned away from us Monty must have said something to him, for he turned round and saluted us. We felt like VIPs (I doubt if the expression had been coined at that time).

We moved on, back to our tents and khaki one incident stands out clearly. Two of us had walked to the shore.
We saw a group of the lads staring out to sea. We could see a speck on the water and joined the boys. We think it's a raft, they said. Very slowly it came nearer. Eventually we recognised it as a rubber dinghy.

We had to return on duty, but learned later, that the occupants were the survivors of an aircrash. They knew that they were very near the battlefront, but didn't know on which side they were going to land. Never in their wildest imaginings did they envision landing a few hundred yards from a hospital. They were not admitted to my ward, but I went to see them. You don't meet such luck every day. I hope it held out for them throughout the war.

Our last station was at Sousse. We were given one floor of a hospital. I found it the most difficult time of all. There were heavy casualties and insufficient staff to cope with the extra labour of several small wards.

The MO with whom I had worked had been posted and day and night there the incessant sound of gunfire. How I longed to be back in our tented hospital. There, when the convoys of wounded arrived, an ambulance drove up to each tent and the wounded were unloaded and into bed in a very short time. In the building at Sousse, only one ambulance at a time could unload at the main door, and there were corridors for reaching the wards. This, too, caused extra work.

The campaign ended and we returned by road to Egypt. After a period of leave I was posted to a General Hospital at Suez.

The photos enclosed show the ward, and staff with whom I worked. Truly representative of the United Kingdom the MO Welsh; the Corporal English of the three orderlies, one Irish, one Scots and one English myself, a Scot. The other photo was taken on the return journey, near Tripoli. A visit from the Chief Principal Matron, MEF (Middle East Forces) and the Principal Matron of the hospital established in Tripoli. The Sister incharge must have taken the photo as she is not included.

The photos allude to are no longer in our possession.

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