I feel unable to let this 80th anniversary of D-Day pass without mention of the Nursing Sisters involved in such historic events.
One was personally known to me throughout my life, who I remember well.
Her name was Kate (Nellie) Kearsey, from Charlbury in Oxford, who had trained alongside my mother at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. She was always known to me as Aunt Kate for all her life. Her Mother was a WW1 war widow, leaving her and two brothers who were both farmers.
Much is written, filmed and documented about this defining moment in history, but less is written about the Nursing Sisters, who landed and followed the invading armies, three days after D-Day.
Kate volunteered for Nursing Duties with the Territorial Army Nursing Service (TANS), at the outbreak of war in 1939 and was mobilised at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle. She was then posted to a field hospital being sent to the Middle East. I am unsure if she was part of 201 Field Hospital or another unit.
This posting lasted for a while until both she and her colleague asked the CO during his regular round with his retinue, if the patients could have a little more food in their rations, as they were still hungry.
Although the request was not dismissed, the pair felt that this request was classed as ‘trouble’ because both sisters were posted to another unit shortly afterwards!.
Moving on in time, Kate found herself back in the UK at the Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) with many colleagues preparing for D-Day with lectures, kitting out and training.
The photo below shows Kate (at the front) and her colleagues in 1944 in front of the RVH Netley, between training sessions, prior to D-Day. The large cedar tree up the bank behind them exists to this day, despite the long-gone main hospital. One exception is the deconsecrated hospital chapel, now serving as a museum.
In Normandy somewhere near Caen
Kate mentioned little of the crossing and disembarkation, but clearly recalls the tentage, and hessian screening used to provide some privacy around the latrines. It is well known that hessian sags and drops in time, and more so when wet. She recalled with amusement when a Frenchman daily passed by on his bike always shouted a ‘bonjour Madam’ to which she responded. Initially the man could not see her face, but as the hessian began to sag slowly, her face was more visible, but the courtesies continued despite facial recognition of each other, until the unit ‘moved’ on.
Moving on through Europe
Once Normandy and Brittany had been liberated, Kate’s unit moved on through Belgium and the Netherlands, and on into Germany.
It was in Germany where Kate and her medical colleagues came across their biggest ever challenges, never previously experienced. Most know of the horrific conditions found in the concentration camps, but it was new to the troops who encountered these places. Bergen-Belsen was 11 miles north of Celle, and although not an extermination camp, deliberate starvation was the policy of the Germans causing thousands of deaths. Disease was rife, such as Typhus, which accounted for hundreds more deaths (including Anne and Margot Frank) shortly before the liberation.
Kate worked within a team that washed and clothed inmates. She recalls as soon as they gave out blankets some of the prisoners made them into a rough type of clothing. Food given out was secreted away by inmates. Some of the prisoners' names were so complicated to spell and document, because many came from countries with complex spelling. Kate said this was where the Red Cross were most valuable with assistance in helping writing down details and nationalities of each patient. Some of the Red Cross workers themselves were of mixed nationalities with language skills. Over time local nurses and health care professionals took over care of these poor emaciated survivors in temporary set up hospitals. Sadly some local nurses even died from disease contracted from the patients they were looking after. Of course, many patients continued to die after liberation or shortly afterwards.
Tasks Completed
Once the Medical units had completed their difficult and heart-rending tasks, many of the Nursing Sisters were sent for demobilisation. No counselling ensued, or was even offered in those days.
Kate was demobilised from Hannover and returned home to Charlbury where she remained for the rest of her life, caring for her mother in later years.
Later in 1946 she was recognised by the award of ‘Mentioned in Dispatches for Northwest Europe (Including D-Day). I have been unable to find out where and what part of her service warranted her this award.
Post war
After the war Kate returned to Charlbury, where she became a Health Visitor (of the old school), visiting families living in any type of building they could find, albeit an old large sentry type building on a disused airfield, with a sack used to cover the door. When on holidays to stay with her as a child, I was taken and saw these places.
Kate never gave the impression of being traumatized, quite the opposite, and we chatted about her time in service. I mentioned I had visited Bergen-Belsen when in Germany. She was not surprised that so many inmates had been buried in several large communal graves of 5000 – 1000, as they were so thin and skeletal.
Kate was happy to narrate the activities and events she had been involved with. She had a great sense of humour which always served her well and cheered her colleagues.
Postscript
This group of nurses still amaze me, as they just went home with their thoughts, some of which must have been grim, and they just ‘got on’ with their lives.
I have been to both Normandy and Germany many times. Travelling through Germany, usually on route to Poland or other destinations I have several times called in at Bergen-Belsen during one of our stops.
I was very impressed to see that the hut I saw in the 1970’s with a few photos pinned round the sides is long gone. A brand new large excellent museum and information centre with many artifacts discovered on the site are now sunk and displayed with glass covering into the floor. A whole wall of the centre is dedicated to personal photos and the audio accounts of survivor's stories from their time spent there. Headphones with different languages are also provided.
I noted German Military and other nationalities visiting the site which is encouraging for future generations to ‘take stock’ of past events.
My last visit 2 years ago made me feel very proud that all British Units involved with the liberation of the camp are now well listed and strategically and clearly placed on a large wall. Proudly on that list is included:
QUEEN ALEXANDRA’S IMPERIAL MILITARY NURSING SERVICE
