[NV075] : Evelyn at St George's |
Evelyn was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland in 1921. She went to school in Glasgow and initially felt that she wanted to go into Journalism when she left school, but at 17 years old in 1938, with war looming, she decided to join the nursing service.
Evelyn first came to East London as a student nurses just before the war. She was briefly evacuated when war broke out, but quickly volunteered to return to London and work throughout the blitz. She recalls working in the operating theatre as the bombs were dropping, then going outside to assist the surgeons patch up those injured in the air raids with very limited medical supplies.
Evelyn completed her training and became a State Registered Nurse, she wished to join the Navy, but they suggested she gained further medical skills before joining up. She decided therefore to do her Midwifery training. She began the training at West Middlesex Hospital, where she first came into contact with St. George’s student nurses. Her training was completed at Hillingdon Hospital.
Once a qualified Midwife, Evelyn was sent to North Middlesex Hospital to work as a Staff Midwife. She did very well there and was quickly promoted to Junior Sister. It was at this point that she applied to and was accepted by St George’s, to work as a Labour Ward Sister. She moved to Knightsbridge in 1946 and was shown the ropes by Sister Hickey.
Evelyn began work on Winchester Ward and remembers a strong, multi-cultural team being built up by the new Matron, Miss Muriel Powell. Members of staff came from as far a field as South Africa, New Zealand and Canada.
This period of time at St George’s is remembered very fondly by Evelyn. She recalls the Duchess of Kent coming to open the department and many wealthy fashionable people coming in to have their babies. She also recalls the kind nurturing atmosphere of St George’s, where the patient’s needs always came first.
Sister Styles, who was head of the department, became ill and had to take periods of time off. Evelyn began to take greater responsibility and become more and more involved in the running of the department. She enjoyed her increased involvement and remembers many good times, including ‘Magical Christmases’.
Evelyn even got married at St George’s and the whole department came to celebrate with her. She reluctantly left the hospital a week before her wedding, but returned in July 1950 to take over from her friend Sister Styles whose illness forced her to step aside.
In 1953 Evelyn again left St George’s to have a baby, and thus became a patient in her own department! She briefly thought about returning to her early idea of becoming a journalist, and was even offered a job as an agony aunt. She felt however that she could not leave the Mother’s and babies, or her Knightsbridge flat!
Evelyn loved her work at St George’s; in her own words she believed ‘it was a job like no other!’
To read & listen to Evelyn's experiences whilst at St George's please click on Evelyn's Story