Nurse Margaret

By Keith Fisher

A British Army Nurse spends WW11 in India. She finds a husband and they travel to find suitable positions. This story involves Asia and Britain. The story is almost pure fiction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664106826

Keith Fisher

Keith was born in Birmingham, England during WWII. He lived near factories which were regularly bombed by the Germans. This was a working class neighbourhood but he was able to pass an exam to go to Grammar School. He studied Science at school and when he left school worked in the chemical industry. He obtained a degree and then a PhD in Chemistry. He has worked in Universities in the US, Canada, Nigeria, Sudan, Japan and finally Australia. One of his uncles told stories and that was what gave Keith the drive to write stories. After retirement Keith had the time to write stories about his experience. This story is largely fictional but relies a lot on Keith’s experience in the world.

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Copyright © 2021 by Keith Fisher.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 07/23/2021

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"You

are being transferred to an Indian Brigade on the front line. You must have made a powerful enemy."

Margaret was brought up in a middle class family in Birmingham. Her father was a bank manager and her mother a secretary to the town clerk. They lived in a large house in City Road. Her first school was within walking distance and when she came home from school she was taken care of by a maid. Her school was George Dixons School which took children up to 16 years of age. It was not yet a Grammar School. Many of Margaret’s friends left school at fourteen and others at fifteen; she was one of the few who stayed at school till they were sixteen. Margaret was interested in science and when one of her teachers started to talk about the eye and lenses she was glued to the lecture due to her experience with Jos.

When Margaret was nine years old her mother gave birth to a son. Margaret’s brother was called Josua, Jos for short. Her mother took a brief confinement and was back to work within a few weeks. The maid took care of Jos and Margaret loved helping with her brother. He was such a happy baby who smiled whenever Margaret was present. Even when she was not in front of him he would hear her voice and smile. Her father warned that she should not neglect her studies. As Jos grew up he started crawling then walking. He was always bumping into things and Margaret nursed his wounds.

Margaret knick-named him clumsy boy and the maid agreed. As he started to talk Margaret thought she should teach him to count. She would take a finger and say one. She would take two fingers and say two. He would repeat and he would say two. He was very bright and easily learned to count to five. She would let him touch her fingers and he would get the numbers correct. She then used two hands and he had no problem. One day she decided to hold up her hand and ask Jos how many fingers she was showing. Jos had no idea. She then asked him to hold up a few fingers and she would tell him how many fingers were showing. Then she tried the reverse and he had no idea. Margaret realized that Jos could not see her fingers.

She confided in her father that Jos could not see. Her mother was called and the problem discussed. Margaret was bombarded with questions by her mother and she explained what she had observed. Suddenly her mother became very emotional and started blaming herself for not looking after her son. Margaret’s father interrupted to say Jos was still young and any problem could be solved. They should take him to an optician and get some kind of diagnosis. Margaret’s mother took over and said she would deal with the problem. The optician reported that Jos was almost blind and could only see night from day. No spectacles could correct his sight.

Margaret was hit with a sobering thought; Jos had never seen her face. She had helped him to walk, talk and count but she was always a blur. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it was like to be blind. It was such a sad feeling it just made her cry. She confided her feelings to her father. He was positive saying that when they found out the problem with Jos’s eyes they would have a cure.

Margaret’s mother resigned her job and took over Jos’s life to the almost exclusion of his access to his sister and father. Jos was never alone; his mother was by his side nearly every waking time. He rarely sat at the dinner table and when he did his mother limited conversation. Margaret complained to her father but he was also getting nowhere with his wife. His advice was to concentrate on her studies and as Jos grew up he would probably rebel against his strict regime. Her father took her to see the workings of his bank and she decided no way would she be employed in a bank.

At the end of school at George Dixons, Margaret had not decided what she should do but she wanted to study more science courses. Her father advised that she need not find work and she could take courses at the Birmingham Institute. She just signed up for any courses available but her favourites were Physics and Biology. It was during one of her Biology courses that the tutor suggested nursing. It was just the prod she needed. She had wondered why it had never occurred to her before. She loved nursing Jos when he had his repeated falls. She now started investigating how to get into a nursing college. Then one of her tutors suggested joining the Army Nursing Corp.

One evening during dinner Margaret started to discuss joining the army. Jos was present and became excited.

Margaret is joining the Army, I would love to join the Army.

His mother tried to calm him but with no success.

Please tell me what you will do.

Jos I have not applied yet and will have to have an interview.

Tell them you nursed your blind brother they will let you in.

Now their mother became agitated.

Don’t fuss mother, my sister will succeed in anything she does and I will be praying for her,

Their father was smiling; this was his son exerting his opinion. He looked at his wife and she was frowning and in the near future he would have a long discussion with her but he would not interrupt the conversation.

Thank you Jos I will keep you informed of all the developments. If I get in I am sure I will have to go to London or some army camp.

I want a complete description of any camp where you will train.

Margaret realized her young brother was very intelligent and her mother had done a good job educating him.

The next few weeks were taken up with making an application and having an interview. The interview went very well as the interviewer was impressed she was taking science courses. She also had a medical examination which she enjoyed. Her father signed permission forms and she was sent to Aldershot for some initial training.

She was housed in a small dormitory along with five other new recruits. In the next bed was a girl called Thelma, who was from Manchester. Margaret and Thelma became friends. Thelma’s father had died at the end of WW1 and she had lived with her mother and aunt until her mother died when she was six. She then lived with her aunt and left school at fourteen. Her first job was as a cleaner in a hospital and then she became a nurse’s aide. At the first opportunity she had applied to join the Army. She sent some of her wages to her aunt who was always struggling to make ends meet.

Margaret reflected on her own situation. This was the depression but her father’s job had spared them economic problems. What she earned was hers and her father would supply her with money if she was in need. She decided if Thelma needed help she would supply it.

The nurses did not have to march but they were on parade each day before going to classes. They were woken at dawn and had to shower, dress and make their beds before going on parade. Breakfast came after the parade. The matron decided that each breakfast would be different and some days they just got a piece of toast and other days it was eggs and bacon. The matron said that in times of crisis there would be little time for meals and at other times they could relax; patients came first.

Each week Margaret sent a letter to Jos through her father, she was a bit suspicious that if they went directly to Jos, her mother would intercept them. The letters coming back were full of Jos’s enthusiasm and he wanted Margaret to describe Thelma. His news was that they were going to employ a lady to teach him Braille.

After preliminary training the recruits were sent to various Army hospitals. Margaret and Thelma were sent to London. Several of Margaret’s letters to Jos described the hospital and London. Jos was so excited, had she seen the King, had she seen the Tower of London and Tower Bridge? Margaret replied that work came first and she would see the sights gradually. Actually most of her day was spent with lectures and viewing the wards. Margaret did not tell Jos about some of the patients she was seeing. Most were WW1 casualties with varied problems such as loss of limb patients, poison gas patients and shell shock patients. The worst were the burns patients. One or two of the recruits fainted on various wings but Margaret and Thelma would breathe deeply and try to bear the sights.

The matron was very pleased with the pair and recommended they be put on some normal duties but they still had to attend lectures. One lecture they both enjoyed was a chemistry lecture about gases. The lecturer described simple asphyxiation and then talked about chlorine and Mustard gas and the effect on the lungs. Margaret asked how these gases were made and the lecturer said they should take a basic Chemistry course which was an option. Margaret and Thelma both enrolled in the Chemistry courses.

They had a few excursions to see the sights of London but the matron was always keen to get them back to the hospital. She had them cleaning bed pans and washing soiled sheets. The matron explained that the orderlies could do those jobs but they had to be prepared for hospitals and even camps with no facilities. Thelma described the matron as a hard nut but Margaret thought the matron was preparing them well.

After a few months they were allowed on the wards and of course they had the night shifts. Actually there were few dramas during the night as many of the patients were given sedatives. They both decided to talk to the matron about the future. The matron was pleased that these two girls were taking the initiative. They really had only one question, What is next?

The matron explained that the Nazis had come to power in Germany and that could be a future problem. One problem much farther away was India. The matron had served in India and loved the place except for the heat and humidity. She had been in a large hospital in Delhi and could spend some time in the hills north of Delhi. She loved her tour of duty but there were no places in Delhi but a couple of places in Calcutta. This was a port and being on the sea would be hot and humid. There were British and Indian garrisons in or near Calcutta and there was always call for hospital treatment. If they decided to go to Calcutta it would be a long sea journey. Leaving the matron’s office they were both excited about a long sea journey.

Margaret’s letters to Jos were all about going to India. His letters back were full of excitement. His braille teacher had added a note that Jos was ecstatic and could not talk about anything but India. Her fathers’ reply was much more subdued. His banking friends were telling him there was a nationalist movement in India; they wanted to kick the Brits out. Mr. Ghandi had stirred up a lot of trouble and a place like Calcutta could be dangerous. Her father agreed it