"When I started my nurse's training in 1944 life in general, and for nurses in particular, was very different to that of today.
At the start of our training we had to sign papers to say we would stay for four years. If we did not stay for four years we had to be bought out.
Our day began at 7am and lasted till 9pm. They later gave us two hours off each day. If there was a doctor available who was eligible to give a lecture during our two hours off we had to go to the lecture. You always had your time off from 6pm on the day before your day off so you could travel home.
When we did night duty it was from 8pm to 8am with three nights off at the end of one month's duty. We would then work another month and get three nights off and so on. We half an hour off for supper.
Our uniform consisted of a pink cotton dress with long sleeves. The skirt of our dress had to be three inches below our knees and our hair had to be three inches above our collars. On our sleeves there was a stripe which indicated at what stage of our training we were. One stripe indicated we were in our first year, two stripes in our second year and so on. We received our badge at the end of our fourth year.
We had to wear white stiff cuffs, collars and belts together with white caps which had to be gathered by hand with a running stitch each time they came back from the laundry. And we must not forget the black stockings and black lace-up shoes!
The Matron was like a mother figure. There was also an Assistant Matron, a Housekeeping Sister who oversaw the meals and the kitchen and a Home Sister who looked after the Nurses' Home. At this time all nurses had to live in the Nurses' Home. You had to go to see Matron in the Board Room if you wanted a late pass until midnight. We normally had to be back in the Nurses' Home by 11pm. We also had to see the Matron if we committed any misdemeanour such as breaking a thermometer.
The Matron would also vet our partners for the Annual Ball and check whether they were known to our parents.
As you can see, very different to the nurses' life of today!