Working at the Hospital

 

Emily Cook recalls her time as an auxiliary helper at the hospital.

 

"First we had to join the Red Cross and on 14 August 1940 I was enrolled in the Berkshire 46 Detachment, Pangbourne as a General Duties member. I had already attended first aid classes in the school given by the Civil Defence, even learned to deliver a baby in an emergency!!! Now we had more instruction at the House, in the Drawing Room. At first, we were quite a crowd but over the years we dwindled down to two or three.

 

My stint was from 6pm till 9pm and my duties were cutting bread and butter, or margarine and butter mixed together, laying out the dining hall for supper, washing up, then laying up the staff supper tables in the library. This consisted of three very large round tables and it was important to remember the pecking order, top table senior staff, centre table nurses and bottom table below-stairs minions, about 30 places in all. Everyone had their own butter dish, sugar pot etc and everybody had their own place, so a good memory was needed. You didn't dare put the wrong pots in the wrong places. A bit difficult at first but with the help of Ruby, Nancy and Pat I soon got the hang of it. Of course, after supper it was back to the sink and more washing up but between us we made light work of it. Once a fortnight we would have to clean the cutlery with Silvo polish and as this left a nasty taste on the spoons and forks it all had to be washed afterwards. It was quite a pile, 80 patients plus the staff, but we girls had hijinks. The Assistant Quartermaster was Miss Bright from Henley and I would assist her with doling out the patients’ supper. It was it usually shepherd’s pie and each container served eight. The patients would file past the serving table holding out their plates and as they all wore hospital blues it was impossible to tell if they were squaddies or jolly jack tars. Might even have been airmen among them. Hospital blues comprised the saxe blue jacket and trousers, white shirt and red tie, (very patriotic). The idea being that they would stick out like a sore thumb if they were out of bounds.

 

After a while Miss Bright asked me if I could manage suppers on my own as Tuesday, being her day off, meant she could get an extra evening at home. So when I arrived her baby Austin would be ready and waiting and off she would go to be home in time for dinner. Of course I was terribly nervous, the sight of those 80 pairs of eyes all fixed on me it was very scary. Also I was worried that I would end up with half of them to serve and no shepherd’s pie left. I was ably assisted by the Corporal in charge, a nice man of mature years called Corporal Ambrose and he would reassure me with remarks like 'you are doing fine' and 'I've got a spare dish in the hatch'. Then would come the same performance with the pudding and what with the banter and teasing by the end I was a nervous wreck. A nice young soldier named Vic Mills would stay behind and help me with the washing up, chaperoned by the Corporal of course. As we weren't allowed to wear jewellery while on duty poor Vic was very upset when several thousand cups, saucers and plates later I happened to be serving at the bar in the club [she lived at the Working Men’s Club in the village where her father was Steward] which they were allowed to use, he noticed my engagement ring. He was slightly miffed as he had plans to take me home to Saltash in Cornwall and say “Mum, Dad meet the wife”.