Pam W

Pam W

Student Nurse, Set 360, October 1955

I began my training at Mildmay Mission Hospital in October 1955 as part of Set 360. We completed our preliminary training at The London Hospital PTS in Tredegar House, Bow Road, and the middle year of our three-year SRN training was spent at The London Hospital itself. There were six Mildmay nurses in Set 360, although only three of us completed the full training three and a half years later.

In those days, student nurses generally lived away from the hospital, as accommodation at Mildmay was limited. We initially stayed at a vicarage near Shoreditch Church, where we simply slept but had to return to Mildmay for all our meals, even on days off. We shared cold rooms on the first and second floors and had little contact with the owners.

Later we moved to a hostel in Hoxton, a grey concrete building with individual rooms and all the sights and sounds of local life outside. I can still picture children playing with hula hoops in the street. At one point we even lit joss sticks on the stairway windowsills. Eventually, we moved to accommodation at Kingston Hospital, which felt positively luxurious by comparison, with a morning cup of tea on our days off, cleaned rooms, and a bus journey into Mildmay.

The wards were very different from today. Bible texts were painted on the walls behind each bed, and each ward consisted of rows of beds on either side of a long central table. Linen was stored in cupboards beneath the table, while the night nurse sat at one end with a lamp throughout the night.

I have fond memories of Matron Molly Mowell, Sister Edna, and all the ward Sisters of that era. Student nurses were expected to have two pairs of lace-up shoes and wear them on alternate days, and we were encouraged to practise foot exercises when we first arrived. We wore grey capes outdoors, lined with a beautiful purple fabric that kept us warm and became instantly recognisable throughout the area.

Each day brought a fresh apron. If we needed to record an observation and could not find notepaper, we would sometimes jot a note on the back of the apron. Meals at Mildmay began with grace, and at lunchtime Dr Buxton would offer a short one-sentence prayer.

Breakfast was served very early, and we often had to walk to the hospital from wherever we were living at the time. Mid-morning there was bread and butter, which I remember sprinkling with sugar or salt. There was probably jam as well.

Quiet Time formed part of every morning. We left the wards and gathered in a sitting room reserved exclusively for student nurses. It contained comfortable armchairs and a much-used Promise Box on the mantelpiece. This was filled with rolled-up slips of paper, each containing a verse or promise from Scripture. It was a welcoming and much-loved space.

Everyone had one full day off each week and a half-day off on Sundays, ensuring that all staff could attend church either in the morning or evening.

One of my strongest memories is how respected Mildmay nurses were in that part of London and how safe it felt to walk home alone at night. The grey cape with its distinctive purple lining was recognised everywhere. I remember one occasion when a lorry driver slowed down specifically to allow me to cross the road.

Mildmay's Christian ethos touched every aspect of hospital life. Morning prayers were held on the wards each day, led in turn by the nurses. Preparing a Bible reading and prayer was good discipline for us all. Looking back, I sometimes wonder how our Jewish patients felt about our efforts.

I also remember the map displaying former Mildmay doctors and nurses serving around the world, each one supported through prayer. The Mission Hall was often used as an overflow outpatient department during the day and for men's fellowship meetings in the evenings.

Student nurses were given considerable responsibility, particularly at night, when the outpatient department was sometimes used to treat victims of road traffic accidents. I also remember the ward telephone, positioned outside the ward door, where it could be difficult to hear conversations over the clanging of the central lift cage.

One phrase remains firmly fixed in my memory:

"Don't forget, nurse - no running except for fire."

Or Matron.

Members of Set 360 continued to keep in touch for many years through letters and, until recently, regular reunion meals together.

I could go on and on down memory lane, but these are some of the memories that remain strongest after all these years.

May God continue to bless the work that Mildmay has done in His name for so long.