My time as a volunteer nurse in the 1960s

The year was 1969 and I was keen to train as a nurse. My two children, a boy and a girl, were now of an age and growing up, allowing me time and energy to plan a career. I was living in Perth at the time and an advert in the local paper just fell in my lap. The timing was perfect. The Council were looking for volunteers to train for something called the National Hospital Service Reserve (NHSR).

  If any calamity befell the citizens of Perth, say for instance a train crash, the volunteers would be on hand to help. Firstly, we had to obtain First Aid and Home Nursing Certificates. A minibus was laid on for us travelling from Perth to the Bridge of Earn Hospital every Tuesday evening for a few weeks to train and gain these certificates. There were ten of us on the bus and I was in my element.

I very much enjoyed the training; I was on my way to my new career. We worked in pairs doing bandaging and first aid. Another bonus for life.

Miss Johnston, Matron of the Bridge of Earn Hospital, gave us a very warm welcome after we all passed our certificates.

My first two tasks were the bathing of ladies and the trimming of nails which my partner May and I enjoyed. We knew we were doing something useful and chatting to the patients was pleasant. However, one day Miss Johnston asked us to ‘see to the mortuary case’. May and I looked at each other in astonishment. Miss Johnston simply handed us the key to a room which was normally kept locked and marked ‘private’.  Off we went in fear and trepidation. We were given no instructions – just the key.

With legs turning to jelly we let ourselves into the room. There was no dead body at all, just a little black case sat on a table with a note attached telling us to replenish the cotton wool and safety pins needed to ‘lay out’ a deceased patient.  May and I looked at each other and had a fit of giggling! What a relief.

Later, back on the task of trimming toe nails, I fainted. Goodness me. I soon discovered I was pregnant and nine months later I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. And for some reason the NHSR was dissolved.

However my training stood me in good stead with three children. My bandaging skills were

excellent.

This story was submitted by Jessie Wemyss of Aberdeen

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