Deutsche version hier.
During the war I worked at County Hall three days on and three days
off. I worked with Evacuees as a 'Journey Nurse', picking up children
who were not happy or who were disabled and taking them to safety.
There would be expectant mothers as well.
In September 1939 I had taken part in a practice evacuation by bus
with 62 children. We ended up in Dymchurch on the South coast of England
and stayed there until the following May. These were disabled children
who had previously lived at home. Very soon the authorities realised
that being on the coast put us at some danger from enemy planes so
we were moved inland to Oxfordshire.
Where we were staying there were no air raid shelters, which meant that if there was an air raid they got under their beds (which wasn't always easy with some of the children who were physically handicapped).
I also worked in various stately homes and large mansions around the
country which had been given by their owners for use with evacuees.
I remember one very splendid country house where the children all
slept in the ballroom, as many as seven to a bed - sideways on - while
Lord and Lady so-and-so lived in a couple of rooms in a different
wing. We brought in our own cooks and employed house-mothers from
London residential schools.
Very early on I applied to be a nurse. I was only 19 and couldn't
have general training until I was 21 but I was told I could be a 'fever
Nurse'. The funny thing is that when I got to 21 they said I wasn't
tall enough (I had to be 5'3") so I couldn't be a general Nurse. That
was in London; provincial hospitals weren't so fussy so I did my training
in Northampton and was there for 4 years.
