[NV023] : Rosemary at St George's 1947-1966


Rosemary: St. George's 1947-1966 Click photo to read and listen to her story

Born 31st January 1928 in Tunbridge Wells, where her grandparents lived. She was an only child who lived with her parents in Maidenhead for the whole of her early life. Went to private school, which later turned into a grammar school.

She was unsure what to do when she left school. At one stage she considered becoming a dentist and obtained a provisional place at a London dental school. Because this occurred just after the end of the war, they were reserving a quota of places for returned soldiers and she didn’t get the place.

Rosemary really wanted to do something caring, such as look after people or animals or plants, and so she considered nursing. She started Preliminary Training School in October 1947 with 20 other students.

After finishing her training she did the first part of her midwifery course at Chiswick Hospital and was there when King George VI died. She didn’t do part two midwifery. After meeting Miss Powell, who asked if she would come back to St. George’s, Rosemary returned as a staff nurse for about a year. Then she was asked to go to Atkinson Morley Hospital. Afterwards she did a health visitor’s course and became a health visitor for a while. She worked in Jersey for nearly a year followed by a period as ward Sister in Reading. Then she did the admin course at the Oxford Regional Board. In 1966, she returned to St. George’s Hyde Park Corner as Assistant Matron.

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