[NV015] : Edna at St George's 1950-1964


Edna: St. George's 1950-1964 Click photo to read and listen to her story

Born in bedroom over her father’s cycle shop in Dartford, Kent in April 1931. Dartford was a hot target for bombers. Aged 9, when the war started she sent away to boarding school.. On leaving school, she went out to Tanganyika to live on the farm of one of her school friend’s father’s for a year, on the basis that her mother hoped that, if she had a great social life out there, she wouldn’t come back to the disciplines of nursing. After a year, she returned to England and eventually went for interview with Muriel Powell.

She arrived for training in March 1950 and were told at any time on the ward rounds, if a student nurse had nothing to do, she was expected to go and stand behind the medical students and listen to the lectures. They absorbed as much as they could for the level of training they were at.

Edna spent time on at the Atkinson Morley Hospital(AMH). She loved AMH. Always preferred the drama and histrionics side of nursing to the plodding medical wards.

Edna then Worked for about 3 years at Tooting as a Sister, then decided to return to Tanganyika. She joined the colonial service and did almost three years there and then went back to sea. Afterwards, she went on a midwifery refresher course at Dartford. Then she returned to St. George’s, to the office and started to learn management properly (from 1959-1962).

To read & listen to Edna's experiences whilst at St George's please click on Edna's Story