Onward Journey by Moreen Doyle

 

The year is 1967 and I have just completed my QARANC basic training at the Royal Pavilion, Aldershot. My group are from all corners of the UK and we gradually form into small supportive cells to support each other. Discipline, square bashing, inspection, diligence, respect for other ranks and officers and a modicum of fitness are the order of the day. I recall 'bulling' the shoes until they shone! Parades and 'square bashing’ as it was called, was interesting and challenging to some who could not differentiate right from left! Serious but raised many laughs also! There was a stable at the end of the drive which one of our group practically lived in; it was the nearest you could get to the perimeter. The excitement when we could actually leave the premises, weeks later, to go into town and to the first social function, was exhilarating!

Freedom!.

On leaving Aldershot my first placement at the Royal Herbert Hospital in Woolwich is on the male Orthopaedic Ward, running the gauntlet of the bored squaddies with fractured limbs ! A steep learning curve in more ways than one!. A funny moment was when a lad called me Marilyn

because of my surname, ( anyone less like Marilyn Monroe you couldn’t imagine)! A trip to the office where Sister tore me off a strip for telling them my first name, not true! The offender was also spoken to!! I thought harmless fun but not acceptable apparently! Apart from the obligatory sluice and cleaning of shiny bedpans this was my first introduction to a Stryker frame with halo and a female patient in a full body plaster, a Senior Officer no less. I remember my trepidation in trying to attend to her personal care. I’m sure she was none too impressed with such a junior!

Discipline was still strict at the Royal Herbert with curfew at 11pm and no male visitors to the female quarters, a large sign at the entrance confirming this!

My group are now waiting to hear where our next posting will be and I am thrilled to learn that it will be BMH Singapore. It is November and sadly, my immediate friends in the block will be going to Munster in Germany and I shall miss them; it is amazing how close we have all become in a short period of time, maybe cohesion in the face of adversity! I recall sing songs in the lounge of the nurses quarter, accompanied by guitar, eating apples & cheese, on the recommendation of an Irish colleague, with scrumptious cherries from the market, a real treat, while trying to keep the place tidy for Mrs Green, the housekeeper. Good times!

I found the journey to Singapore amazing never having flown before. We flew in a VC10 from Lyneham airport and were able to visit the cockpit where the pilots pointed out all the lights as we flew down the Italian coast. Next stop Teheran, in the middle of the night. We had to disembark while they refuelled and we were joined in the lounge by a group of Mongolian travellers resplendent in their huge fur coats and hats. It was extremely cold and we were relieved to be back in the aircraft.

Next stop the island of Gan in the Indian Ocean; to see this speck in the ocean it is impossible to believe than any plane can land there, particularly a huge VC10. The runway is actually the length of the island! Not for the faint hearted.

Onwards to Singapore where we land at Changi airport. As the doors are opened I feel the blast of hot air, as never before! Trundling bags across to a mini bus, I feel rather tired and bedraggled after the long flight. Travelling along, the first thing to notice is the unbelievable smell, compounded by the heat. Our driver, seeing our expressions says ’ no worries that is just the monsoon drains and the kampongs, you will get used to it!" How true and how quickly!

BMH hospital looks lovely; a pristine white building with a red roof and gardens in front. The paths around the buildings are lined with trees covered in blossom and a sweet scent permeates the air.

Three nurses homes are situated at the rear of the hospital and we are guided into Margaret

House at the end of the drive. We have individual rooms, sparse but comfortable and are introduced to the Amah, a local Chines lady who, with her daughters, will do the cleaning and laundry.

We were to be very grateful for her help and support during our time there and a few of us would be invited to dine with her at her home for Chinese New Year; a tiny flat in a multi-storey block. The food usually consisted of 12 courses and was amazingly good. She was a very special part of our stay, unobtrusive but always smiling and helpful and our uniforms were always pristine!

The following day we were introduced to the School of Nursing run by Colonel Treacy, a lovely lady who made us very welcome. We enjoyed the visit as it was the only place we felt cool at this time; however as we acclimatised we were to find that the School of Nursing was the one place where we felt cold, being air conditioned, at 70* and were allowed to wear cardigans over our light grey polyester cotton uniform! The average daily temperature was in the 90*s.  At all times we felt incredibly supported by all ranks and disciplines within the hospital, very much a family atmosphere. I look forward to continuing with further information about the hospital, particularly the diseases prevalent at the time.

About the Author

Moreen Doyle, nee Munro, spent 2 years in student training at BMH Singapore but left the service on marriage, which was expected at this time. However, the time spent in the service underpinned a lifetime of nursing service in the NHS, specialising in Operating Theatres and Day Surgery and ended her career managing the service in Cayman Islands prior to retirement.