Image via Wikipedia"When I was a lad........." How many times have you heard that dreaded saying? Usually it comes from the mouths of the older members of society and is often accompanied by a lecture/sermon. The lecture/sermon usually goes on about just how lucky young people are today. "I never had half of what you lot have got these days-and you still ain't happy."
Image via WikipediaHeaven forbid that my thoughts on how people like me spent our leisure time back in the "swinging sixties" in Tidworth comes over like a lecture/sermon. If it does, please look upon me with a certain amount of sympathy.
To put the period and the things on offer in Tidworth into perspective, I should explain a little of my background. I arrived in Tidworth from the Junior Tradesmans Regiment, Rhyl. In those days Rhyl was a bustling holiday resort during the summer. It came with the obligatory fun fair on the sea front, candy floss, sticky sticks of rock and fish and chips by the pantechnicon full. In the winter it was a cold bleak seaside town with little to recommend it other than the Flamingo Cafe, or perhaps the splendid views out across the bay, which on a good day afforded a view as far as Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Being a Junior Soldier, earning just 3/6d (went up to 6/- a week later) a week, the summer attractions were largely beyond my pocket. Some young soldiers got "support" from home in the form of postal orders. I was one of the many who didn't.
Prior to Rhyl, I lived in the small Buckinghamshire village of Twyford. There was little in the way of social life there I can tell you! The village hall housed a Youth Club that seemed to be available only occasionally. Not a lot to get excited about there then!!! To be honest with you, the move to Tidworth opened up a whole new chapter in my life, my social life that is. So what did we do to amuse ourselves back then?Those of you of reading this who remember more of the life we led in Tidworth than I do, please leave your memories in the "comments" section at the end of this article. I'll then publish them for you, fully credited to of course.
The NAAFI is usually the place to start. The hospital had its own club/bar. My memories lead me to believe that it consisted of little more than a long bar, a room filled to the brim with tables and chairs, a fruit machine, and a toilet area. The air within the cluttered seating area was permanently blue. No, not with bad language, but with the acrid smell of blue/grey clouds of smoke. The decor was a kind of nocotine colour. I defy anyone to remember seeing any colour other than brown on the walls. You'd think that being Medics and Nurses, there would have been more consideration given to health wouldn't you? Not for one moment, the idea that smoking would lead to ill health didn't cross the mind of anyone using the place-or so it would seem in those days. Another aspect of defiance of any advice regarding future good health manifested itself in the amount of alcohol consumed on a daily, weekly basis. Medics have in the past, been renowned for their apparent alcohol consumption abilities. Members of regiments who held the belief that the average medic was rather less manly than others, were soon relieved of that belief having lost in a drinking competition. I'm sure it is no longer the case and that habits have changed (as if!!!)
What about beyond the four walls of the NAFFI bar? Just along the road was the YMCA. I used to visit the cafe part to buy a Vanilla Slice from time to time. Not once did I find myself queing for service except during NAFFI break time in the mornings-good cheap place for the local squaddies for a cup of tea and a sticky bun mid-morning. Beyond the morning breaks, the place was not the epicentre of social events.
The Garrison area was blessed shall we say, with a cinema and a theatre. If I remember correctly, the cinema was run by the Army Kinema Corporation (AKC) It was a temporary arrangement, following the burning down of the original cinema, which was down by what was known as Hampshire Cross. This was simply a cross roads point. It was rather more significant than that though. It was the point where the two "Tidworths" collided!! One part was in Hampshire, the other in Wiltshire. My memories of movies I saw in the temporary cinema are confined to Kubricks "Clockwork Orange." The Garrison Theatre, while not open every day of the week, did stage some excellent presentations. Most were visiting pop stars of the day performing their hits. I also have memories of dances being arranged from time to time. (I hope my memory is right about this.)
What else could we get up to of an evening, or even during the day? Staion Road was the "main street" of Tidworth. Here could be found a green grocers shop, owned by Shaw Porter. There was a chemist, a dry cleaners, a cafe and a NAFFI store. (There were other shops, but I don't remember them.) The cafe, The Vic as it was known was most poular with the hospital staff. So popular I would suggest, that if they stopped using it, it would have risked closure. There was a juke box that never seemed to be quiet for longer than it took to load the next disc, pretty young ladies serving the coffee and a good sandwich when required. An altogether good place to be.
As you might guess, there were more places than mentioned above in such a large and important Garrison village. I'll get on to those in the next part of this look at social life in Tidworth mid to late sixties. Look out for Murder Most Foul amongst other things!!
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I am aware that from time to time, fellow Operating Theatre Technicians of a similar age to myself, will visit this site. Apart from one that I know of, all the others were trained in places as far flung as Catterick, Aldershot and Colchester. (I have a very very soft spot in my heart for Colchester-two of my children were born in the Colchester Military Hospital there, as well as my passion for Colchester United Football Club, please see the story below about this weeks victory for CUFC)
Suffice it to say, all Operating Theatre Technician training followed the same training syllabus. Where we differed in Tidworth was what we did after training was completed, and in some instances, during training. These include performing Duty Escort duties and staffing the very busy Casualty Department at Tidworth Military Hospital. (See the story below which was published earlier.) There was however, a duty that I am sure was not part of any other Military Hospital based Operating Theatre Technicians CV.
The duty my friends was that of N.A.A.F.I Guard. (For those not familiar with NAAFI, it is an acronym for Navy Army and Air Force Institute, social club and shopping facilities provided to military families and service men and women. In Tidworth during the mid sixties, it was decided that the social clubs and bars needed a bit of an update. Some were rather rundown and smoke stained beyond belief.This included the Hospital Club, which was possibly one of the busier and better subscribed of the bars.
Instead of renovating a whole host of rundown premises, a decision was taken to build a "Super Naffi" that would have several bars, a dance/disco bar area and a new shop and service the whole of Tidworth. At first it took some getting used to, but in the time honoured way, the local soldiers stuck to their task and settled in quite quickly. After a while though, trouble used to erupt, possibly due to the rivalry between the different Corps and Regiments based in Tidworth. Worse was to come. Break ins and damage began to happen. Just from time to time at first, but more frequently after a while. In an effort to reduce problems, soldiers on fire picquet duty nearby were detailed to keep an eye on the NAAFI and Royal Military Police patrols were increased. The success rate achieved by these two new innovations was zero. So what could be done to help prevent the damaging occurrences?
Meetings were presumably arranged (nothing like a good meeting is there?) but more hot air than the average Icelandic geyser might generate was generated. After a while, the penny dropped for at least one of this group of good, great and possibly useless bletherers. Why not put a guard on THE INSIDE? Wow, a breakthrough for mankind and the military. Despite the decision to do so, the issue was not immediately resolved. Just who would be invited to carry out the duty. The REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers turned down the invitation to take on the duty permanently, their guys had other duties such as on standby mechanic in cases of vehicle break downs ( no AA or RAC for the Army you know) The Regiments in place had similar excuses, sorry, good reasons for not volunteering their guys. So, what, or perhaps who, was left?
Hands up who said the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps)? Then you and a hundred others are correct. There was a whole hospital full of Medics after all. They would surely take on the duty. And guess what? Yep, our leaders, unlike the leaders of the other Corps and Regiments, said yes, just like the Man from Del Monte! Not once did they protest that medics had other duties such as night duty, fire picquet, duty escort, duty NCO, Duty OSM etc. No, we were to be assigned to the duty.
Just how were we perform the duty? We were given a mattress, a pen, a notepad, a signing in book and a telephone (not mobile) The idea was that we would patrol the NAAFI on the inside once it had been cleared and then secured. We would go from bar to bar checking for damage or signs of a break in. At midnight, assuming that we hadn't by that time found evidence of a break in, witnessed an attempted break in, been beaten to a pulp by an intruder of made a mess of our underwear, we were allowed to settle down to sleep behind the Reception desk.
I will be totally honest with you. This guard duty was not my idea of a good night out. Not only did I not look like a guard dog, but I could not, nor could I hope to display, the courage and tenacity that a well trained canine beast would. I was timid, shy and retiring and not in the least interested in stopping anyone from breaking in should that be his or their wish. A lone medic does not a hero make. My family motto does not contain any word that might possibly suggest anything other than cowardice. I was not the only one with a dread of carrying out the duty. I will not mention any names, but there was one of our number who had a bad reaction. One night when on duty, he reported a break in. True, the response was swift. Military Police arrived, secured the scene of the "crime" and took control of everything.
The medic on duty was interviewed presumably, and that should have been that. He had apparently done as required and prevented a robbery. The one thing that let him down though was that the glass from the broken window was on the outside of the building rather than the inside. It was later shown that this young man had a problem that required some treatment, which led to his discharge from the RAMC. I don't know anyone who knew this guy who didn't have some sympathy for him. He had been put in a position that he wasn't trained to deal with, anymore than the rest of us had been.
So what did this say about our leaders of the day? Nothing complimenatry I would suggest. The bottom line was quite simply,there are horses for courses. Before despatching the horse on the course, it must be trained to deal with all the problems that might be encountered while treading the course. Some refer to "the good old days." Sadly not all of the old days were "good."
Image via WikipediaSo far, I've spent a lot of time talking about the Tidworth of the past. I've also spent some time, albeit a long time ago, talking about Tedworth House. You'll remember that Tidworth started out in life as Tedworth.
Over the years, Tedworth House had fallen into a state of disrepair. Not too badly though, so that it wasn't salvageable. If you watch the attached video you'll be able to see the result of many people's work in turning it into the perfect home for Help For Heroes and the programme set up to work with those members of our Armed Forces that need help to either get back to work within the Armed Forces, or to find their way back into civilian life, as painlessly as possible. The feature was first shown on BFBS Television in November 2011.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2xgrJK-MhM&feature=youtube_gdata_player
One of the real joys, for me was achieving Operating Theatre Technician Class 1 status. An even greater joy was working in the hospital Casualty Department. Achieving Class 1 status did not automatically invest us with the sudden power of healing the sick or damaged, or even the occasional malingerer. The in depth training which included anatomy and physiology, anaesthetic and emergency routines, combined with the nurse training gained before entering theatre, gave us a substantial level of ability that could be employed in such a place. I wouldn't want anyone running away with the idea that I, and my colleagues were suddenly let loose on an unsuspecting public without supervision and ongoing training and development.
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A further skill developed during Theatre Technician training was the correct application of plaster (of Paris) casts for arm and leg fractures or immobilisation required due to persistent Chondromalasia Patellae etc, Back Slabs, Minerva (head/neck immobilisation) Plaster Jacket (spine) as well as making Plaster Beds. As well as the application of casts etc, we were trained in the safe removal of the same. These skills were ideal, as we were able to treat patients in the Casualty Department and reduce waiting times as well as making appointments for them to attend Fracture Clinic or even return to Casualty for review.
The Casualty Department was managed, very efficiently and expertly, by a civilian Sister with many years of experience. Her name;Sister Mary Bonner. Any of my colleagues reading this who spent time at Tidworth Military Hospital, will know of her and her reputation. Her knowledge was legendary. Her ability to manage we Technicians and to ensure that we followed all the then current protocols, was beyond doubt. She ran a very tight ship, ensuring that the emergency areas were returned to a state of total orderliness following an emergency and that the department was always "able to be responsive."
There was, as well as a treatment room, doctors office and store area, an Operating Theatre. It was equipped to the same standards as the main theatre and very busy. Besides its' use as a busy Casualty Theatre, it was used for routine pre-booked minor ops surgery such as Local ties to varicose veins, excision of external hemorrhoids and enucleation of sebaceous cysts. While these cases may not exactly fill everyone with joy, they were the daily bread and butter of a busy General Hospital-and they still are.
As well as the above, Examination Under Anaesthetic (EUA) and Manipulation Under Anaesthetic (MUA) were also popular and frequently performed, by day and by night.
The Hospital was close to the A303, an exceptionally busy road. It was also positioned between Andover and Salisbury and took in its share of casualties from road accidents. It would be easy to spend time listing a whole range of injuries, suffice it to say though, Tidworth Military Hospital Casualty Department performed the same role as bigger hospitals, and just as efficiently. It wasn't just confined to coping with road accidents of course-there was more to it than that. Just like any other similar department it had it's fair share of drunks, overdoses, fractures and so on. It certainly pulled it's weight!!
All in all, the life of an Operating Theatre Technician was a busy one. My favourite times were spent working in Casualty. If I had been given a choice I would have reverted back to nursing and remained a member of casualty staff.
I loved every minute of my experiences in Tidworth. This was not necessarily the case for some of my subsequent experiences.
Image via WikipediaAfter my first couple of years or so in "Mans Service" as it was called back in the so-called swinging 60's, I could have been forgiven for being of the opinion that I had in fact joined a cleaning company rather than a Fighting Machine that was capable of policing troubles the world over. In fairness, I had "travelled", perhaps not to all corners of the globe, but I had seen North Wales, Talacre Beach, Rhyl Seafront, Hollywell on a cold day and Colwyn Bay. Add to this the move to that well known epicentre of excitement-Tidworth.
The Tidworth move I do not regret for one moment. It was, for me, the start of a life long learning curve that stays with me even until today. The hunger for learning has not left me. Sadly, there was the small matter of what I was learning. Largely it was cleaning. This next chapter of Life In The Fast lane, sorry, "Once Upon A Time" will reveal secrets of even more cleaning!!
Cleaning consisted of High Cleaning, Low Cleaning, Cupboard Cleaning, Cardboard Box Cleaning, Needle Tray Cleaning, Scissor Tray Cleaning, Patient Trolley Cleaning, Surgeons Boots Cleaning and.........laundry. Well, someone had to wash and iron the cotton reusable facemasks and theatre caps, so why not get the trainee techs to do it. (I must be fair and say that the Theatre Sisters did their fair share of this last part of cleaning as well as with the needle and scissor trays)
The High (and low) cleaning was oh so much fun! After every list all theatre furniture, including anaesthetic machines, operating tables and suction apparatus etc., was removed to the foyer area, while buckets full of steaming hot soap and water was spread across all floor areas of the theatre, anaesthetic room, scrub up area, laying up room (instrument prep room) and sluice area. It was at this point that it became clear that whoever had designed the suite of rooms had done so with a sense of humour and cunning. Then the builders had been brought on board and persuaded to lay the floors so that they tilted away from the drains, by which route we were challenged to persuade the water to leave. Hands up whoever it was said "I bet the floors were set to drain the water in the opposite direction". Spot on, hole in one so to speak. Still, being almost as devious as the designers etc., we persuaded the water away and into the drains.
Added to the above daily ritual, there was the weekly "Blitzing" to look forward to. same emptying routines, but then out came "The Stirrup Pump". The aim became not only to clean the floor, but the walls as well. A good "stirrup pump aimer" could point the hose bit at the walls while person number two pumped feverishly, with such deliberate aim that the corner was cleaned efficiently without wetting the ceiling. As you might imagine, wetting the ceiling turned the rooms into something approaching a tropical rain forest with it taking hours to stop dripping. Not only were the walls and floors sprayed, but anything that moved was likely to be soaked, i.e, any person foolish enough to enter the room during this procedure was immediately soaked. Not too bad when the water was warm, but as it cooled after hitting you, it was bordering on the cold side to say the least. I always found myself on the pumping end of the procedure. Possibly my aim was found to be suspect.
Cupboard cleaning was an every weekend experience. Tidworth Theatres were blessed with a number of cupboards I never saw equalled, let alone exceeded, throughout the whole of my 23 years and 231 days in Her Majestys Armed Forces, regardless of where I worked. The biggest, and possibly least favourite were the Surgical Instrument cupboards. In the days to which I refer, there were only ever a small number of pre-packed and sterilised instrument sets. There were just a General (basic) set of instruments that were used as a starter kit for cases where an incision was required and added to this was a Tracheostomy Set, Hysterectomy Set and Tonsil Set. All other instruments required for any and all other use, were "sterilised" in the Laying Up room using steam heated water. It was occasionally possible however to construct a set in advance of a pre-planned list or individual case.
In the cupboards were perhaps around 1000 or more instruments, ranging from tiny "Bulldog Clamps" used in fine vascular surgery, to large Aorta Clamps, Amputation Shields and Saws. I know it sounds a little odd, but all techs would have their favourite instrument, based upon it's design. Mine was the Myoma Screw-a beautifully designed and perfectly manufactured "screw" shaped instrument with a handle, used to.....perhaps I should leave it there!!
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Next time I'll be talking about work carried out by the Theatre Technicians outside of the Operating Theatre. Vesatility being the name of the game.
In the world of learning, there is no time available in which to dawdle, drag your feet, or whatever phrase you choose. In a pressured environment there is always a pressure put upon trainors to ensure the new guys are up to speed as early as possible, while at the same time respecting that to rush headlong into the training programme may lead to things being missed. This could well lead to failure in an individual in a field or local emergency, such as a Major Incident being declared locally.
I will say one thing about every aspect of military, clinical and management training I undertook-willingly or otherwise, it was thorough, complete and always but always validated. What happened after that was down to the individual as to how they performed or responded in whatever situation they found theirselves. I have, in the 43 years since I qualified as an Operating Theatre Technician and the 46 years since I qualified as an Army Trained Nurse, found myself in situations, both emergency and non critical that I should have been capable of managing following the training I received. I have also found myself in emergency and non-critical types of situation, that were not covered in my training. How did I cope? Simply by standing back for a moment-appraising the situation-assessing the job that has to be done-deciding how to deliver what is required and in what order. This has to be done in moments, not minutes and days in an emergency. My training in my roles as a nurse and in theatres taught me this. Not what I should do, but how to "manage" what I must do and quickly. Many of you reading this will know exactly what I mean. This will cover colleagues working as doctors, nurses, physio's, lab techs, pharmacy techs et al.
Returning to my training as an Operating Theatre Technician, which was supervised by senior Techs, Surgeons, Anaesthetists and Sisters, I certainly remember being put through my paces in all areas of the operating theatre. No stone was unturned in ensuring that I received the full works in terms of tips, short cuts, risk assessing and managing what to do first and subsequently, during an emergency situation and pre-empting what others would be doing in such circumstances. The skill in knowing what you and others would be doing was most useful when being called out after normal working hours for emergency surgery.
Tidworth was strategically placed between Andover, Hampshire, and Salisbury, Wiltshire. (I hope I am right geographically-never my strongest subject!) The main road between the two, and passing worryingly close to Tidworth Military Hospital was the A303. The hospital had a busy and well managed casualty department, that was "on take" for blue lights (or blues and two's as they are known now.) The A303 was infamous for the amount of accidents occuring. Many of them were due to the fact that "drinking and driving" was not as well publicised as now, and speed. To be honest, the local roads were just as good at supplying casualties as the A303 at times. Another contributing fact was that seat belts were not in place in my early years in Tidworth. Anyway-back to what I was saying about knowing what to do and what others would be doing. When called out to theatre to attend to casualties, information was sent to you from Reception, giving some details of the situation, this gave you the opportunity to "put your thinking head on" prior to arrival. This invarioubly gave you a good start on arrival. Often the surgeon would be scrubbed up and ready to go just as you finished assembling the "starter kit" of surgical instruments required for the early part of the surgical procedure. If your role on that occasion was to work with the anaesthatist, you had, again, a starter kit of drugs, intubation equipment and so on, so that the patient could reach the operating table swiftly.
All in all, My training was invaluable at the time and subsequently. Don't believe though that it was all blood and gore and excitement. Most of the time was spent carrying out what I found to be boring daily routines that included washing and ironing Theatre Caps and Masks!!!!! In the next part I'll talk about the less than glamorous side of the job.
Image via Wikipedia"When I was a lad........." How many times have you heard that dreaded saying? Usually it comes from the mouths of the older members of society and is often accompanied by a lecture/sermon. The lecture/sermon usually goes on about just how lucky young people are today. "I never had half of what you lot have got these days-and you still ain't happy." 
Image via WikipediaHeaven forbid that my thoughts on how people like me spent our leisure time back in the "swinging sixties" in Tidworth comes over like a lecture/sermon. If it does, please look upon me with a certain amount of sympathy. 
