Denbigh, North Wales
At 2300 on the 10th of May 1944 we docked at Avonmouth, near Bristol, England. At 0100 after more doughnuts and coffee (ever-faithful Red Cross) we loaded on a civilain train equipped with wooden seats, straight up and down, poor ventilation due to blackout, no heat and no water. After 18 hours, the cold was almost painful; even so, everyone was in an unusually hilarious mood. In the morning on raising the blackout, everyone was disappointed at the landscape - straggly farmlands - no mountains; after the beauty of Ireland it was a great change; by later afternoon the scenery improved.
We arrived in Denbigh, North Wales in mid-afternoon and found it to be a very old and typical Welsh town. Our advance party was waiting for us when we arrived at the station. Their first words were, We have some bad news for you - the mess hall burned down last night and we lost all of the good things we've been saving." They also told us that we were going to live with private families - the whole of Denbigh became camp area. We marched from the station (a short distance; any place in Denbigh was) along narrow up-hill streets to the field where the mess hall was to find a hot meal waiting for us - to be eaten picnic fashion, and then to our new homes. It intrigued everyone to live with the families of the town; our new habit of "tea time" from Belfast became more firmly entrenched since each household wanted to do it's utmost to make us welcome.
Our mess hall, a large hutment, was in a large field and we held formations before each meal. The damage caused by the fire was quickly repaired and mess hall was usable in a few days. The entire outfit ate here. Food was good with pie and cake becoming an accepted thing instead of a luxury. The innovation of music with our meals coming from a loud speaker arrangement in the special service room at the rear of the mess hall was an added enjoyment for all.
Recreation was almost nonexistent. After several weeks an abandoned church was cleaned and set up as an Officer's Club. Two dances were held here. There were about four movies in the mess hall. Cycling became the pastime for most everyone. Twenty miles away was Rhyl, the only fair sized town to visit for concerts or movies. French and current event classes were started at this time.
Calisthenics, drill, and organized athletics were still held at the beginning of the day followed by POM lectures and films.
The last week in May four nurses went on detached service to the 64th and 83rd General Hospitals near Wrexham to review operating room technique. The following weeki twenty nurses went to the Army Field School near Choltenham, England. One nurse went for anesthesia training at the 64th general Hospital. These nurses experienced the excitement of the robot bombing of London.
In the third week of May we began setting up the hospital in the field. The nurses were assigned to their respective wards and conferred with the Ward Officer and Ward Men on policies of the future. Classes were held for nurses and enlisted men alike on new procedures, with actual experience in veno-punctures, passing tubes for Wangonsteins, taking blood pressure and pulse and respiration. Denbigh was combed for jars and tin containers. Every nurse tried to start with some semblance of equipment with which to operate a ward. The non-maneuver nurses came to know the arrangements of a tent hospital. On one problem, the whole hospital was moved into an adjoining field and set up anew. Most of the time was spent in making operating room equipment. All the laparotomy sheets, wrappers, etc had to be made plus a white tent liner for the O.R. tents.
Illness during this time period ws down to a minimum. It was beginning to feel like Spring (even though the calendar said Summer).
Here were issued the rest of our combat clothing, heavy suits and galoshes, for which we were to be so gratefull later.
On July 7th, in "secrecy" (with only half the town at the train station) we left Denbigh via another ancient train, for the marshalling area in Southampton, England. We arrived the next morning at the camp, well hidden in the dense, soggy woods. The next three days were spent in getting last minute instructions and equipment. Free time was spent going to the movies and eating. The tension was heightened by continuous rain.
We arrived in Denbigh, North Wales in mid-afternoon and found it to be a very old and typical Welsh town. Our advance party was waiting for us when we arrived at the station. Their first words were, We have some bad news for you - the mess hall burned down last night and we lost all of the good things we've been saving." They also told us that we were going to live with private families - the whole of Denbigh became camp area. We marched from the station (a short distance; any place in Denbigh was) along narrow up-hill streets to the field where the mess hall was to find a hot meal waiting for us - to be eaten picnic fashion, and then to our new homes. It intrigued everyone to live with the families of the town; our new habit of "tea time" from Belfast became more firmly entrenched since each household wanted to do it's utmost to make us welcome.
Our mess hall, a large hutment, was in a large field and we held formations before each meal. The damage caused by the fire was quickly repaired and mess hall was usable in a few days. The entire outfit ate here. Food was good with pie and cake becoming an accepted thing instead of a luxury. The innovation of music with our meals coming from a loud speaker arrangement in the special service room at the rear of the mess hall was an added enjoyment for all.
Recreation was almost nonexistent. After several weeks an abandoned church was cleaned and set up as an Officer's Club. Two dances were held here. There were about four movies in the mess hall. Cycling became the pastime for most everyone. Twenty miles away was Rhyl, the only fair sized town to visit for concerts or movies. French and current event classes were started at this time.
Calisthenics, drill, and organized athletics were still held at the beginning of the day followed by POM lectures and films.
The last week in May four nurses went on detached service to the 64th and 83rd General Hospitals near Wrexham to review operating room technique. The following weeki twenty nurses went to the Army Field School near Choltenham, England. One nurse went for anesthesia training at the 64th general Hospital. These nurses experienced the excitement of the robot bombing of London.
In the third week of May we began setting up the hospital in the field. The nurses were assigned to their respective wards and conferred with the Ward Officer and Ward Men on policies of the future. Classes were held for nurses and enlisted men alike on new procedures, with actual experience in veno-punctures, passing tubes for Wangonsteins, taking blood pressure and pulse and respiration. Denbigh was combed for jars and tin containers. Every nurse tried to start with some semblance of equipment with which to operate a ward. The non-maneuver nurses came to know the arrangements of a tent hospital. On one problem, the whole hospital was moved into an adjoining field and set up anew. Most of the time was spent in making operating room equipment. All the laparotomy sheets, wrappers, etc had to be made plus a white tent liner for the O.R. tents.
Illness during this time period ws down to a minimum. It was beginning to feel like Spring (even though the calendar said Summer).
Here were issued the rest of our combat clothing, heavy suits and galoshes, for which we were to be so gratefull later.
On July 7th, in "secrecy" (with only half the town at the train station) we left Denbigh via another ancient train, for the marshalling area in Southampton, England. We arrived the next morning at the camp, well hidden in the dense, soggy woods. The next three days were spent in getting last minute instructions and equipment. Free time was spent going to the movies and eating. The tension was heightened by continuous rain.