3) The unchanging rota

The unchanging rota was 3 months days — 3 months nights — even a day missed was ‘made up’. We were called at 6 a.m., breakfast 6.30 a.m., on duty 7 a.m. One hour spent cleaning, 2 hours off duty — off 6 p.m. before day off. Night duty — on duty 9 p.m. — ½ hour for tea — off duty 8 a.m. providing all soiled linen counted and bagged and cutlery correct. Two nights off duty per month.

There a change list always came up in the dining room. There were lots of groans “Oh heavens, I’m not going on there am I?”

I can’t just remember the first ward I went on to but I think it was surgical. There was a Sister, a Staff Nurse, a Senior Nurse, a Senior Junior, a Junior and a Ward Maid. We were Juniors. The Junior had one side of the ward for which she was responsible, and the Senior Junior had the other side. We were responsible for everything to do with that side. We had to pull the beds out every morning. We were called at six o’clock, we had our breakfast at half past six and went on duty at seven. We pulled the beds out, dusted behind them, pushed them back then did the waters and that sort of thing. The Senior Nurse then took the Junior to make the side of beds and the other nurse took the other one.

The patients had already had their breakfast and so after we had done this routine, jugs & glasses, bed making, we went in a relay to have a coffee break. When you went down for the break, you had to go and make your own bed. If you had pulled it out before you went on duty, the Home Sister would have stripped it right back so you had far more work to do! When you had your coffee break, one morning we had dripping, which was very nice, the other morning we had black treacle; I didn’t like that very much. Considering it was wartime, we were very lucky really. The food was not bad. They looked after us very well.

This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Becky Barugh of the BBC Radio Shropshire CSV Action Desk on behalf of Patricia Davies and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

See more of Pat's stories:

• 1) I suppose it was inevitable…
• 2) Getting used to being on the wards
• 4) Othopaedic Wards
• 5) The Miners
• 6) Keeping coffee warm in the sterilizer
• 7) Mouth gags and tongue clips
• 8) Dear Flower Girl
• 9) Theatres
• 10) The Nurse’s Home
• 11) The ‘Guinea Pig Club’
• 12) Mice in the washing and other tricks
• 13) Enamel washbowls on your heads
• 14) Extra Work
• 15) Shake and Shake…
• 16) Little Nurse
• 17) A lot of things were introduced during the War
• 18) Only two nights off
• 19) Making and Breaking
• 20) My little bucket and I
• My visit to post-War Germany

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