Page 6 of the photograph
scrapbook which once belonged to Ms Barbara Tyler. Gina O - (an American correspondent)
- kindly contributed photographs of the original scrapbook. The
book subsequently passed to Keith Haikes an American male nurse
who has maintained contact with SoN. Keith also purchased
Barbara Tyler's badges and other memorabilia from Gina O. On
with the photographs...
A Victory night (V-E Day - 8th May 1945) was a time of much
rejoicing in Europe, no less in London, with the allied victory
at the end of WWII. This photograph was taken from St
Thomas's Hospital towards Parliament buildings - showing
fire-tender boats on the river Thames spaying an illuminated
water salute! It must have been a very special time perhaps a
time also of great relief.....
The right-hand photograph
above - two nurses, one definitely a St Thomas' Sister, the
second perhaps a Student or Staff Nurse, and two young patients
- abounds in the Union Jack's of victory. Just who were they? It
is quite possible that some or all are still alive today....
The right-hand photo' seems to be a general
picture of a drive and building at St Thomas's Hydestile - I
wonder what the building was?... The left-hand picture -
perhaps Miss Lovely is the Sister holding the baby on Lilian
Ward? What happened to her? And the three other nurses in the
picture? And the children? Lilian Ward was at St Thomas's
London.....
Above left - the Chapel at Hydestile seems to
have been in a Nissen Hut - perhaps a bomb shelter - and may
well have been inter-denominational. But we don't seem to have
anything about the Chaplains... Although, (Rt) there did not
seem to be a shortage of Nissen Huts....
We do know from the
photographs that Miss Smyth was Matron of Hydestile. We can
assume, probably safely, that the Miss Bennet who left to
get married was an Assistant Matron, and of course we know
that Miss B. Tyler took over as Assistant Matron-in-Charge
at the beginning of February,1963. We also Know that Miss
Tyler had previously been Sister on the City of London Ward.
But was that at Hydestile or was it at the main St Thomas'
Hospital site?
We may well be able to find out and
document considerably more about the hospitals involved and some of the
more senior nurses. Whatever every page more of Barbara Tyler's photograph scrapbook
published is adding another grain of knowledge, another piece of nursing history, available to all
who may have an interest. More pages next time...
