Common Sense Prevails
At the end of "Once Upon A Time Part 2, I said I would continue the story by telling of my nightmare start which led me to wonder just what I was doing in the Army.
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I was due to start night duty on Surgical Ward 2 (Delhi Hut) on the first Friday night after the start of my career in Mans Service. This was due, in the main to my telling the Matron that I had ward experience in Rhyl while a Junior Tradesman at JTR Rhyl, Kimnel Park Camp. (The camp was in Bodelwydden for those that do not know the area. Check the area out on Google Earth)
On the Thursday morning prior to starting nights, the (Corporal) Orderly Sgt. sent for me to say there had been a change of plan. I was now NOTgoing straight onto nights, instead I was to go to the Linen Store and collect white Nursing Orderly jackets and trousers, climb into a set of them as quickly as possible and get my arse over to the ward P.D.Q.
Half an hour later I found myself, somewhat nervously, walking through the doors of the ward for the very first time.
Delhi Hut was an "L" shaped building-wooden in construction-with approximately 41 beds. It faced a large well managed Green. Pleasant surroundings indeed. The first part of the corridor was short and acted as a windbreak if the doors were left open. At the end of this short walk, I followed the corridor round to the right. The last door (of many) on the right was the office. There I am, five feet eleven inches tall, a mere 10 stone 7lb ex-junior soldier, and about to embark on goodness knows what and already scared of the person behind the desk. Brunette, pretty, with what looked like a folded table cloth on head, and a red cape adorning her shoulders. Most impressive of all, two pips on each shoulder proclaiming her to be a Leutenant, Q.A R.A.N.C. (A new breed of soldier was this one-never heard of the QA's before-oh how I needed to get out a bit more!!) Sorry, let me explain for those not familiar with military jargon. The initials stand for Queens Alexanders Royal Army Nursing Corps.
I won't mention the name of the young lady at this point, as she and I were to remain friends for not much longer than ten minutes or so. Anyway, there I was , introducing myself as politely as I knew how, just to be admonished for not being on duty at 7.30am. I tried to explain why I didn't get there "on time." (Lesson number three-I had forgotten lessons 1 & 2.Note to self-don't, just don't, try to justify yourself in this sort of position, take the bollocking like a man and remember, there will be more over the next 22 or so years.)
The moment was saved by the entrance at that moment of Nobby Beerman. Nobby was to become one of the more helpful people during my first few dark weeks on the ward. (Strangely enough-he became more helpful the closer we got to pay day. I don't know if he got paid less than me, but shortly after pay parade was over he would ask me to share my money with him in the form of a short term loan. To this day-he still owes me at least a fiver!!) Others I met in my first few days on the ward included Lance Milo, John Pike, Jim Mekosha(?spelling) Fred Fox, Kathy Bruce, Mary McIver,Captain Linton and Lt Evans, to name but a few.(If only I had know what the future held for me with two of the young ladies mentioned here, I would have worn a better quality aftershave that morning!)
As a reward for starting late, I was awarded a 2-5 shift., with the added honour of staying on for an extra two hours that evening to make up some of the time lost. It was at this moment that I started to learn a new language, the language of nursing. It began with 2-5, 5-8, and a 10-2. The first two meant I was off duty between 2 and 5pm, the second meant I was off duty between 10am and 2pm.To be honest with you, I have always been a few chips short of a Happy Meal, but I didn't understand why I was being told when I shouldn't be at work, rather than when I should be at work!
My shift consisted mainly of being taken on a tour of the whole ward,end to end, side to sied and top to bottom. I was even shown what patients looked like although I wasn't allowed near any of them. I did learn a few things though about the ward and its purpose.
It was a very long ward,divided into three main parts. The first six beds just past the office were designated as the Intensive Treatment Unit, or ITU, because the real ITU was closed for decoration and refurbishment. There were just 4 patients there that day. Two with multiple injuries following road accidents, one who had suffered a heart attack, and the beloved and genuinely liked "Pop" Horne. He was also a victim of a road accident- but more of him on another occasion.
Through the double doors to the next part to see who had what. There we found an assortment of non life threatening ills. Piles, Varicose Veins, Post Operative Appendicectomies, Circumcisions, Zadeks Procedures, Dental Extractions, Dandruff and the like.
Through even more double doors. Here were found those with P.I.D., (Prolapsed Intravertabral Disc) Chondro Malacia Patellae a knee problem, and anything else vaguely orthopaedic in nature, They were what were called "closed" rather than "open" cases meaning no surgical intervention had taken place, therefore no wound, and no chance of infection occuring. There was another orthopoedic ward in the hospital to deal with operative cases.
Once the tour was over, I was immediately made aware of where I was to spend my first month at least. THE SLUICE. From that day forth, I had permanent prune wrinkles on the distal end of all fingers and thumbs, the smell of orange petroleum based floor polish in my nostrils, and "housemaids knee" in more places than the ecerage housemaid would experience it. I truly began to know "the meaning of cleaning" which became a famous strap-line in a tv advert years later.
...............................................
In Part 4-My cleaning career, my break for freedom and my eventual return to a life of grime.
On the Thursday morning prior to starting nights, the (Corporal) Orderly Sgt. sent for me to say there had been a change of plan. I was now NOTgoing straight onto nights, instead I was to go to the Linen Store and collect white Nursing Orderly jackets and trousers, climb into a set of them as quickly as possible and get my arse over to the ward P.D.Q.
Half an hour later I found myself, somewhat nervously, walking through the doors of the ward for the very first time.
Delhi Hut was an "L" shaped building-wooden in construction-with approximately 41 beds. It faced a large well managed Green. Pleasant surroundings indeed. The first part of the corridor was short and acted as a windbreak if the doors were left open. At the end of this short walk, I followed the corridor round to the right. The last door (of many) on the right was the office. There I am, five feet eleven inches tall, a mere 10 stone 7lb ex-junior soldier, and about to embark on goodness knows what and already scared of the person behind the desk. Brunette, pretty, with what looked like a folded table cloth on head, and a red cape adorning her shoulders. Most impressive of all, two pips on each shoulder proclaiming her to be a Leutenant, Q.A R.A.N.C. (A new breed of soldier was this one-never heard of the QA's before-oh how I needed to get out a bit more!!) Sorry, let me explain for those not familiar with military jargon. The initials stand for Queens Alexanders Royal Army Nursing Corps.
I won't mention the name of the young lady at this point, as she and I were to remain friends for not much longer than ten minutes or so. Anyway, there I was , introducing myself as politely as I knew how, just to be admonished for not being on duty at 7.30am. I tried to explain why I didn't get there "on time." (Lesson number three-I had forgotten lessons 1 & 2.Note to self-don't, just don't, try to justify yourself in this sort of position, take the bollocking like a man and remember, there will be more over the next 22 or so years.)
The moment was saved by the entrance at that moment of Nobby Beerman. Nobby was to become one of the more helpful people during my first few dark weeks on the ward. (Strangely enough-he became more helpful the closer we got to pay day. I don't know if he got paid less than me, but shortly after pay parade was over he would ask me to share my money with him in the form of a short term loan. To this day-he still owes me at least a fiver!!) Others I met in my first few days on the ward included Lance Milo, John Pike, Jim Mekosha(?spelling) Fred Fox, Kathy Bruce, Mary McIver,Captain Linton and Lt Evans, to name but a few.(If only I had know what the future held for me with two of the young ladies mentioned here, I would have worn a better quality aftershave that morning!)
As a reward for starting late, I was awarded a 2-5 shift., with the added honour of staying on for an extra two hours that evening to make up some of the time lost. It was at this moment that I started to learn a new language, the language of nursing. It began with 2-5, 5-8, and a 10-2. The first two meant I was off duty between 2 and 5pm, the second meant I was off duty between 10am and 2pm.To be honest with you, I have always been a few chips short of a Happy Meal, but I didn't understand why I was being told when I shouldn't be at work, rather than when I should be at work!
My shift consisted mainly of being taken on a tour of the whole ward,end to end, side to sied and top to bottom. I was even shown what patients looked like although I wasn't allowed near any of them. I did learn a few things though about the ward and its purpose.
It was a very long ward,divided into three main parts. The first six beds just past the office were designated as the Intensive Treatment Unit, or ITU, because the real ITU was closed for decoration and refurbishment. There were just 4 patients there that day. Two with multiple injuries following road accidents, one who had suffered a heart attack, and the beloved and genuinely liked "Pop" Horne. He was also a victim of a road accident- but more of him on another occasion.
Through the double doors to the next part to see who had what. There we found an assortment of non life threatening ills. Piles, Varicose Veins, Post Operative Appendicectomies, Circumcisions, Zadeks Procedures, Dental Extractions, Dandruff and the like.
Through even more double doors. Here were found those with P.I.D., (Prolapsed Intravertabral Disc) Chondro Malacia Patellae a knee problem, and anything else vaguely orthopaedic in nature, They were what were called "closed" rather than "open" cases meaning no surgical intervention had taken place, therefore no wound, and no chance of infection occuring. There was another orthopoedic ward in the hospital to deal with operative cases.
Once the tour was over, I was immediately made aware of where I was to spend my first month at least. THE SLUICE. From that day forth, I had permanent prune wrinkles on the distal end of all fingers and thumbs, the smell of orange petroleum based floor polish in my nostrils, and "housemaids knee" in more places than the ecerage housemaid would experience it. I truly began to know "the meaning of cleaning" which became a famous strap-line in a tv advert years later.
...............................................
In Part 4-My cleaning career, my break for freedom and my eventual return to a life of grime.
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