Wartime Nursing

In JUne 1939 I started nursing in London. This was in spite of myage having informed them I was ayearolder. It was my morning off on
sunday 3rd September I went to church ,were we were told that we had declard war, almost immediatly the air sirens went so we were told to go home or down to the shelters Icchoose to go back to the hospital crying my eyeat the nurses i was meet by the home sister and told to act my agei grew up there was work to be donsome patients were transferred to other hospitals (I was nursing in Shepherds Bush area) room was made for casualies. I waas busy making win dows safe by puttin g brown paper onthe glass. early inJanuary I started my training at a hospital in West Hendon all of the nurses had agood sociallife. Off to dances where we made dates with one laddy and came home with another. Then the bobing started our hiospital wason the direct path to Hendon airdrome.. so we suffered most nights for quite som e weeks. During this time we were bombed by both incendary and high explosives/ The nurses home was a hit and we had to use the shelter when off dwe soon found out the a local pup was an air raid post andif we went there could be back in Ithad a dance fl;oor and was very popularto service men and the locals,fsome nights when returning to the hospital we would b e escorted by the present boy friend... But the air raid wardens would not let us say good night to them in the street as it was dangerous so we spent time saying good night in the damaged(bombed)houses in thi met my husband at this hospital at one of the nurses dances and on compleating my training followed him to Scotland and managed to stay happy for over 50 years till his death The was was hard but for us in our teenage years had a wonderful time flirting and working hard It ios this that helps us now still be standing aand taking noticde of what is there to do//

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