I remember the Old Hospital
I remember the Old Hospital on Hospital Road. In the fifties, I was admitted with a ‘grumbling appendix’ and was in for about a week whilst I was investigated. It turned out not to be appendicitis, however, and I was allowed home without having my appendix removed.
Whilst there, however, I was in a ward, I think in one of the ‘huts’, where I was in a bed next to a lovely man who looked after me and gave me tips about drawing. I used to like drawing and he showed me how to use light & shade etc. The nurses I also remember were very kind to a slightly frightened little boy. The only thing I hated was being forced to drink a cup of hot milk in the evening…I still hate hot milk to this day! I also attended the Outpatients Dept. several times for eye tests etc.
The Nurses’ Home Across The Road
The other memory I have of that Hospital was much later when I was old enough to appreciate the charms of the many nurses who worked there. There was a large building which was the Nurses’ home across the road from the Hospital. On the odd occasion when I was lucky enough to take one of the nurses out, it was always a rush to get back before the doors were locked for the night, as having to knock up the ‘Dragon’ who was in charge of the home earned the nurse bad marks. However, there was always a ground floor window left slightly open by the other nurses at the back of the building into which the errant young lady could be lifted if we arrived back late.
Great Praise for Our NHS
I have nothing but great praise for our NHS both then and now, without which I would not be alive today. (I had an emergency aortic aneurysm repair done in Norwich three years ago.)
Other Memories of John Stocking
Connecting With Old Aquaintances
Abiding Memories of The Buttermarket
Sugar Beet Factory – Visible & Fragrant
