Description
Object description
British officer served as nurse with Burma Hospital Nursing Corps at No 1 Burma General Hospital at Hoshiarpur and Indian Military Hospital in Nowshera Cantonment on North West Frontier, India, 1942-1943; served with Burma Military Nursing Service at Military Hospital at Shillong, India and Curashku Island, Arakan, Burma, 1943-1944; served with No 41 Combined Indian British General Hospital at Imphal, India, 1944 and 89th Combined Indian British General Hospital at Tamu, Burma, 1944-1945
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Burma, GB, Italy, Malta, Kenya and India, 1919-1942: family; visit to GB, 1922; lifestyle in Kalaw in Shan States; education; inter-communal relations; education in GB; reasons for family move to San Remo, Italy; relations with Italian civilians and awareness of Fascism in Italy; moves to Malta, Kenya and India; family return to Kalaw, Shan States, Burma, 1934; decision to become nurse; nursing training at Rangoon General Hospital, Burma and midwifery training at Egmore Maternity Hospital in Madras, India.
REEL 2 Continues: incident of homeless boy brought into hospital for treatment; qualifying as nurse and joining Lady Minto Nursing Association in Old Dehli. Recollections of period as nurse with Burma Hospital Nursing Corps with No 1 Burma General Hospital at Hoshiarpur and Indian Military Hospital in Nowshera Cantonment on North West Frontier, India, 1942-1943: evacuation of parents from Burma, 1942; reasons for joining Burma Hospital Nursing Corps; languages spoken; posting to No 1 Burma General Hospital at Hoshiarpur; posting to Indian Military Hospital in Nowshera Cantonment on North West Frontier; Afghans working in Nowshera Cantonment; duties treating Indian patients. Recollections of period as nurse with Burma Military Nursing Service with Military Hospital at Shillong, India and Curashku Island, Arakan, Burma, 1943-1944: background to posting to Military Hospital at Shillong, 1943-1944; treatment of wounded from Battles of Imphal and Kohima, 1944; working hours, social life and duties; opinion of Gurkhas; posting to military hospital on Curashku Island in Arakan, Burma; proximity of Japanese forces.
REEL 3 Continues: drugs available to treat patients; coping with wildlife; uniform worn; rations; dealing with snakes in ward; character of Arakan; contracting mumps during leave on North West Frontier; reasons for her request to be demoted from captain to lieutenant. Recollections of period as nurse with No 41 Combined Indian British General Hospital at Imphal, India, 1944: journey from Arakan, Burma to Imphal, India, 1944; alcohol ration; description of hospital; visit by Lady Una Slim; treating wounded; flights accompanying wounded in Douglas Dakota from Imphal to Calcutta; story of meeting Women’s Auxiliary Service (Burma) personnel when Douglas Dakota landed behind Japanese lines; lack of female personnel in Burma Campaign and attitude of troops towards them.
REEL 4 Continues: memories of General William Slim; story of Indian guard swapping places with patient; relations with Burmese and the Naga and Shan hill tribes; degree of awareness of Indian nationalism; treating Japanese POWs on ward containing Sikh and Gurkha wounded; destruction of ammunition dump at Imphal; introduction of Penicillin and antimalarial Mepacrine; entertainment; visit by Matron- in-Chief of Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service Louisa Wilkinson. Recollections of period as nurse with Burma Military Nursing Service with 89th Combined Indian British General Hospital at Tamu, Burma, 1944-1945: move to hospital, 1944; reasons for troops’ receiving burns whilst using latrines; proximity to Kabaw Valley; reasons for moving hospital location at Tamu.
REEL 5 Continues: recreational activities; working conditions in hospital; burial of dead; off duty evening activities; story of how Lieutenant Coral Shutie stopped dispute between West African soldier and Indian cook; incident of being stopped by Royal Military Police; animals kept as pets by military and visit to Colonel James ‘Elephant Bill’ Williams’ camp; VE Day celebrations in Tamu, 8/5/1945; VJ Day celebrations in Rangoon, Burma, 15/8/1945; visiting pre-war home in Kalaw; return journey to Rangoon; demobilisation and journey to meet parents in Kenya.
REEL 6 Continues: attitude towards service with Burma Military Nursing Service; story of riding cavalry horse. Aspects of period as nurse in Kenya, 1952-1960: how Mau would cut meat off live cattle on cousin’s farm; caring for Mau Mau prisoner; story of how Mau Mau used to steal blankets from Nakuru War Memorial; knowledge of Mau Mau atrocities.