New arrivals....

RNH Stonehouse 1974

Every month or so, can't remember exactly, there would be a new class of nurses arrive for training. This was quite an event for most of the male staff at the hospital - probably a slightly scary one for the new nurses!

The hospital, of course, had it's own bar called the Geneva club. It was here that ratings would gather in the evenings for a few beers, a disco or as a prelude to a run ashore. This was also a place of ordeal for a new class of 'baby' nurses.

I remember these nights very clearly. Once the new nurses had settled into their new surrounding the would pay their first visit to the Geneva club. It must have seemed like a cattle market to them. Male staff members would be in attendance to 'welcome them' and eye up the new talent! I'm sure that this first visit to the club must have been an uncomfortable experience.

Of course, these freshly pressed nurses would soon become extremely comfortable in their new surroundings. Stonehouse was a great place to live and work.

However, I always felt some sympathy on these nights and, would often introduce myself to help them feel welcome. I knew many, many nurses during my time at Stonehouse, purely as friends. There was many a good night at the Geneva club!

Xmas - ho ho ho....

If you are single, Xmas in the Navy can be good fun, even when you are working.

Here's an example....

It's Xmas 1974, I am working on the officers ward at RNH Stonehouse in Plymouth. I have reached the heady heights of PMA (Probationary Medical Assistant). I am working the day shift over the Xmas period.

Xmas eve sees a pretty good 'thrash' going on in the Geneva club - the hospital bar. There is much alcohol and frivolity - a good evening is being had by all!

Note to self - in future try to keep alcohol consumption down to sensible levels when I have to work the following morning. On this occasion I fail to do this and get well into the fun! Frivolity and alcohol consumption goes on late into Xmas eve - no surprises there then!

The next morning sees me waking up not feeling quite as cheerful as the evening before. I have the mother of hangovers - take it like a man! I report for duty on the officers ward - smartly dressed in pristine ward whites, oh.. and 6 foot of tinsel wrapped around my neck. seemed like a good idea at the time - Xmas morning after all!

The sister in charge, takes one look at my sorry face (I must have looked terrible) and sends me to lie down in an empty room. This I do with gratitude and promptly fall asleep. Remember, I am supposed to be on duty.

Sometime later I am woken with a gentle shake. Let me explain something - it is a tradition for the senior officers of the hospital to do rounds on Xmas morning to spread some good cheer. I try to focus, still feeling bloody awful from the night before, this proves to be difficult. I am dazzled by the amount of gold braid that appears before my eyes!

It is, of course, rounds! There in front of me is a Rear Admiral, the Executive Officer, Matron and assorted others. Bloody hell! I must be deep in the mire. The Admiral wishes me a very merry Xmas, which I return. He about turns with the rest of the party and exits the room.

I promptly roll over and go back to sleep. To this day - I have no idea how I got away with it! I do remember that the Admiral in question was Rear Admiral Binns, he had come through the ranks - a fairly rare thing to achieve his rank (hell he was even rumoured to have tattoos!). Maybe, he remembered what it was like to be working on the wards at Xmas!

Court Martial......

Whilst working in RNH Plymouth on the ENT/Orthopaedic ward, C2, I think - I was to experience my first real contact with naval 'justice'. This was some time in late 74 or early 75.

I was working the night shift, 14 nights straight, then 14 days off. This was standard for many years in Naval hospitals - used to screw up your sleep patterns no end.

C2 was an ENT and an orthopaedic remedial ward. I remember, the CPO Nurse was a very good guy - I learned a lot from him.

During this particular spell of night duty, I was the only MA on duty at night - this was quite unusual; more often, there would be two staff.

I remember, we had a CPO Nurse tutor as a patient, suffering from osteomylitis - a particularly, unpleasant and painful inflammation of bone; in this case - one of his legs. This guy needed peace and quiet and a chance to recuperate and recover.

Naval hospitals also cared for civilians and, during this period of night duty we had a holiday maker admitted who had slipped down the cliffs a little way and damaged his back. He was admitted and put on traction. This consisted of strapping a canvas belt around the waist, connecting it to weights hung over a pulley at the end of the bed. the idea was to seperate the spines discs to allow cartilage to ease back into place - thus, curing the problem.

Now, this patient turned out to be obnoxious, foul mouthed and loud. He would makes demands of me all night - I would continually turn him to prevent bed sores. If any of the nurses from the ward above or below me popped in for a cuppa he would hurl abuse at them.

Finally, I had enough of this guy, so I put screens around his bed so that my other patients, at least, didn't have to look at him. Eventually, this individual was discharged and returned from whence he came - from, up North, I think. To this day I am convinced he was swinging the lead; a thing very difficult to determine when someone is complaining of low back pain. I thought no more about it.

Imagine my surprise, some weeks later, when on another stint of night duty, I am summoned to appear at a Court Martial! It seems that my northern 'friend' is suing the Navy for ill treatment whilst in hospital. The Navy were putting the nurse in charge - the CPO through the ordeal of a court martial. Obviously, the ex patient was simply trying to screw some money out of the forces - this could be at the expense of the career of the CPO. Un - bloody - believable!

So, one week into nights, tired and a little crotchety I found myself in front of the Commodore at HMS Drake, a witness against the CPO in the court martial. I was only 17 but felt that the CPO was being dealt from a loaded deck of cards. I was furious. Now, no longer the shy individual who had joined the service I was not prepared to be part of such an injustice.

I was called in front of the Commodore, to give my 'evidence'. One week into night duty, dressed in my best uniform, mid-morning, tired and extremely pissed of. I let rip.

I removed my cap, disrespectful in itself and, told the Commodore what I thought of Naval justice and extolled the virtues of the CPO who I had the utmost respect for. The Commodore, looking a little bemused, thanked me for my 'views' and dismissed me. Blimey! I could have really been in the mire. I think the only thing that saved me was my youth and that I was, obviously, tired.

The CPO was exonerated by the court martial; I don't think my testimony had anything to do with it; I just think that the Commodore decided that there was no case to answer. However, the CPO wasn't quite the same after that. He left the service not too long afterwards.

This was not to be my last run in with Naval discipline. More of that, later.