Page 54 - QARANC Vol 14 No 7 2013

52 QARANC THE GAZETTE
headquarters of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, was accepted and had to report to the Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley in the middle of June. From June to November 1943 Betty nursed with the QA’s at Netley and Benenden. She then joined the 105 General Hospital which was mobilising in readiness for the Second Front and went to London to be measured for her uniform of Scarlet and Grey. Although there was an allowance it didn’t really cover all of the cost, but luckily Betty had her superannuation pay for top up so didn’t have to ask her parents for help. It was a very smart uniform and Betty felt that it was a great pity when it was changed for Khaki shortly afterwards
Betty never made it to the Second Front – the Army sent her to West Africa on the SS Leopoldville. It was a rough journey until Gibraltar was passed and there was some excitement when a U-Boat was sighted off Dakar. Disembarking in Freetown Betty and her companions were at the Military Hospital there until embarking on the SS Tysville and taken to Takaradi. Eventually Betty arrived at 37 General Hospital in Accra and was there for 18 months.
Leprosy, amoebic dysentery and other tropical diseases were not things that Betty had encountered before so there was a steep learning curve. But the Matron decided that Betty should go to the Training Wing to teach the
West African RAMC orderlies the nursing part of their training.
Initially, Betty found the noise of the drums at night unnerving. Otherwise, her time in West Africa at the age of 22 was an enlightening experience and a world apart from her youth in Derbyshire, it opened up many doors. Betty went upcountry from Akra where the Medical Officer was giving injections and was just there as a visitor. At the same time, Sir Ofori Atta’s body was being brought out for his funeral. Sir Ofori Atta I (1881–1943) was the King of Akyem Abuakwa, one of the largest and wealthiest kingdoms of the then Gold Coast Colony, from his election in 1912 until his death in 1943. The West Africans were high on palm wine at the funeral and Betty found herself pushed to the front. It was rather alarming to see one of the West Africans dancing around with a dangerous looking machete.
Betty was on her way back to England on board the Athelone Castle when the war with Japan ended.
Betty had not been at Northfields long when she was assigned to join two other Nursing Sisters to accompany a patient back to her home in Trinidad. Joining the SS Highland Monarch at Southampton the ship went to Port Said, journeyed round the West Indies eventually delivering their patient to Trinidad. The Officer Commanding did not know what to do with the Nursing Sisters so they travelled on with the
ship to Rio, Monte Video and Buenos Aires. Here they collected a cargo of beef and the crew of the Graf Spee who were returned to Hamburg.
Finally returning to London after nearly three months Betty was posted to the El Nil, a hospital ship. Betty knew that Eric was in Egypt and wrote to him saying that if he still wanted to marry her then she would be his wife. In later years Betty would tease Eric by saying that the only reason she had said yes was that, knowing the army, she did not think that it would be possible for him to arrange it in the time.
But it was! And they were married on the 15th April 1946 at the Church of the Epiphany in Port Said. Colleagues on the hospital ship did them proud and there was quite a celebration. Betty had a bridesmaid, her cabin mate, and was married in white tropical uniform. The Colonel gave Betty away and the ship’s dentist was best man.
In November 1946, Betty returned to Egypt, but she was not supposed to