A QAIMNS Nursing Sister involved in the D-Day Operations of June 1944, and beyond by Maggie Lane

 

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

Maggie Lane 2024

Reminiscences of a Second World War QAIMNS(R) Nursing Sister by Maggie Lane.

This ‘blog’ will relate some the reminiscences and experiences of a Nursing Sister who served in WW2.

This Nursing Sister was my mother, Alice Irene Parkinson, the daughter of a tenant farmer and the village wheelwright living in Bitchfield near Grantham. She left school at twelve years of age, due to family poverty and the death of her father, which precluded any further ongoing education. However, she read enthusiastically to ‘broaden’ her education, in between assisting with the farm, until she was age 21 years, the legal age to start nurse training. She completed her Nurse training at The Radcliffe Infirmary in 1938, and her Midwifery Training at the Simpson Maternity Hospital, Edinburgh.

 

Her direct accounts and reflections, passed on to me over her lifetime, remain firmly in my memory. Since her death in 1994 I always regret not asking her to expand more on her experiences. Many of her related ‘snippets’ were of course sad, but her clarity in the telling of events was very clear, and elicited several periods of humour during nursing in Algeria and Italy during World War II.

‘Parky’ as she was generally known, had just completed her Midwifery Training in Edinburgh, and joined the Civil Nursing Reserve, prior to enlistment into the QAIMNS(R) at Maidstone Barracks in Kent. Following enlistment and kitting out, a tailor fitted her with an outdoor suit and working dresses. After that it was off to the Queen Victoria Hospital at Netley, Southampton. She told me she didn't do much in the hospital, except attend compulsory security lectures, and often enjoyed tea in the YMCA canteen, which still exists in Victoria Country Park today. 

A group of happy QA’s and TANS(Territorial Army Nursing Service) at Netley Hospital awaiting deployment.

Mother was fortunate and billeted in Netley Village, being very well looked after by a naval captain's widow. She never knew when she would leave,  perhaps never to return, but every day she had to go to the hospital with all her kit ready to move. Suddenly one day, she had ‘a hunch’ that ‘today would be the day’ they would leave. Surely enough, it happened, and the 103(GH) was transported by train from Netley to Avonmouth Docks, no one knowing where they were sailing to, except, probably the captain. She left behind a new dressing gown to show appreciation to the widow for all her kindness and care. The ship that embarked them was the ‘Oranje’, having been used by Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. She said it was quite luxurious! A few dockers waved them off.

The ‘Oranje’, a Dutch Ship converted to a hospital ship

The voyage took them around Northern Ireland then down the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar, where they were allowed to disembark for a day, enjoying a quick tour of ‘The Rock’, then onwards down the Bay of Biscay. During the voyage Mother recalled a Luftwaffe plane circling low around the ship, whilst she was sitting on deck. No action was directed at the ship and the pilot must have seen the crosses on the sides and funnel, and also women in nursing uniform on deck confirming the status of the ship.

Still no clue was given to their destination, but it was assumed that if the course from Gibraltar was down the South Atlantic, they were likely heading for the Middle or Far East. However, they turned into the Mediterranean, and knew then it would be to North Africa for them! The ship docked in Oran, French Algeria.

Their next move in 1943 from Oran was to a place called Chateaudun in French Algeria. Here was where the tented hospital was erected. All tentage was of the ‘bell tent’ type, with all staff assisting in the construction, as can be seen in these photos taken in Algeria.  Tents and nursing dress were not very practical in comparison to modern Field Hospitals!

The nursing included wounded allied service personnel, German and Italian prisoners. Her recollections were that many of the patients had severe burns to their backs whilst escaping from their burning tanks or vehicles. Sadly, on a very rare occasion an allied soldier would die suddenly from an undiagnosed cause. This upset mother and her colleagues. Perhaps death from shock or infection?

Mother and her colleague were assigned to the POW prison wards, these prisoners having already been segregated into German and Italian prisoners, due to the animosity by the Germans towards the Italians who felt the Italians ‘gave up’ the fight too quickly!

One recollection from this time was of a German prisoner being ‘cheeky’, and asking mother if she was going ‘dancing tonight’, then telling her confidently he would teach her how to dance when they got to London!  On another occasion her colleague was attending to an older German soldier festooned with medal ribbons. Asking him  jokingly ‘are you Herman Goring?’ The whole ward of Germans erupted with uncontrollable laughter. A pleasant memory was that every evening the Germans would all sing beautifully before sleeping.

The battle then moved across to Italy in 1944. Landing at Salerno, once the port was cleared, the 103 GH was moved to a small village named Nochera Inferiore. Mother said it certainly was an apt name for a ‘mucky’ area. Mussolini’s Barracks were commandeered as the hospital, with the nurses ‘housed’ in tents. 

One morning her colleague looked out, and said ‘Good heavens, I think Vesuvius has erupted’. It certainly had, and piles of ash were ‘raining down’ all over the compound. The sisters were issued with wellington boots, and ash was swept into piles. Mother retained these boots for a couple of decades after the war.

Ash from Vesuvius piled high in the hospital compound.

Although Mussolini had cleared the Pontine Marshes of Malarial mosquitos, there was still a risk from insect bites. Hence, slacks and blouses, being issued and worn specifically in the evenings and night time. This was a regulation.

By 1944 the allies were on the offensive moving up through Italy. Already casualties from Monte Cassino were being nursed. A sad reflection witnessed by Mother was that so many captured Germans were only young, and often teenagers, being terrified if an orderly went to help them shave or wash. Such was Nazi propaganda instilled by their regime as to encourage ‘fighting to the death’ rather than surrender,

Her other recollections of Italy outside the hospital were that of abject poverty and near starvation, especially in the Naples area. Armed guards had to put on the lorry convoys to stop supplies being stolen. She well understood the dreadful predicament these people has endured. Another topic not widely discussed in Italy during the war was ‘holding’ the VD patients for treatment in the hospital. This could be difficult for the guards and orderlies as on occasions they had to pursue patients attempting escape from treatments.

On a lighter note, Mother recalled a trip to Capri by Motor Torpedo Boat, where they visited Gracie Fields Villa, now designated for visits by the allies, and a large group audience with Pope Pious X11, in Rome.

The battle then moved north, the hospital closed and staff were redeployed to other Field Hospitals following the battle north. Mother, with others was then returned to England for demob. She later married my father an RAMC Staff Sergeant.


Maggie Lane (Rtd)