Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-11-28
How a London Air
Raid Upset Hospital
Life
IN TWO PARTS-PART ONE


Nurse Hanky battered swiftly down
the ward. 1t was after O'Clock and
oae patients were supposed to be all
settled for the night. They weren't. The
alert signal, preceded by a reconnais-
sance plane. had gone about 10 min
utes ago, and each woman with a few
exceptions lay silently attentive in her
high white bed.
MIS-. Bergman was one OF the excep-
tons. The Alerts always gave her stom-
sch pains. She had been through a lot.
poor thing. sleeping in tube shelter
dnce last September when her. room
was bombed. She didn't feel safe in
the hospital. Anyway, it certainly
wasn't as safe as the tube. For all that
she had contracted rheumatic fever
from the dampness, she wished she
we're back there.
Mrs. Ambrose was another exception.
strange. haunted woman, Mrs. Am
broSe, who in moments of excitement
Or Semidelirium always crooned The
Mountains Of Morne" or Danny Boy"
and had to be gently silenced Violent,
unpredictable she was. and if anything
q anybody except doctor could have
been Mrs. Ambrose.
Pretty little Mrs. Parkes, the pluto
srat of the ward who occupied one of
the two cubicles. had left her ear
phones on the pillow and piano with
violin recording of The Moonlight
Sonata" rippled across to the opposite
one where Miss Vesey lay. Mrs PaIkes,
young. golden haired, the wife OF an
officer In the Mercantile Marine, mad
t1st come through an appendix remov-
Il with serious complications, and her
semi-privacy was being paid for at the
rate OF five guineaS a week, but Miss
ve0ey had only been moved from the
general ward late that afternoon, and
II shillings was what the almoner had
decided she could afford. Miss VeSey
want 30 sure she liked the change.
It was more companionable outside,
although the last few days the clatter
and chatter had bothered her q little,
lately had been carrying her further
and further sfield.
All down the ward the lights had
been dimmed with blue bags tied over
the fixtures and the effect was a little
serie. Now the guns were barking In
real earnest: those big ones somewhere
along the river; such heavy guns sent
shudder through the steel structure
Of the great building. 1t was going to
be a raid. all right; no false alarm this
time. Two husky young volunteer help
ers in zippered buckskin jackets and
corduroy Stacks appeared to shift the
beds. They weren't tidy like the hos
pital porters in their white duck suits,
for they had come straight from their
days toll of demolitions Nonetheless,
they were welcome, for there weren't
20 many porters now on the night staff.
ANY ladies for the corridor or base
nent2"
The boys joked with Nurses Hanky
and Andrews as they began to wheel
out the beds and lockers. It was al
most nightly performance that never
quite attained the dignity of a ritual
Sometimes there was no Alert and the
beds stayed where they were, and
sometimes they were shifted and Moth
ing Of any consequence happened. But
you never could tell.
mo. Mrs. Bergman. they're only
guns. like the sound Of them my
SELF" soothed Nurse Hanky. They
make me feel so safe and comfortable.
Oh, do like the sound of the guns!"
Il DON'T" moaned Mrs Bergman. II
want to be taken to the basement, II
any ether lady will come with me-"
But no other lady would consent to
be taken to the basement at Mrs. Berg
mans behest. They were little Stub
born about it. because Mrs. Bergman
was inclined to be bit bossy and tried
to push people around. Some. however.
were perfectly willing to be wheeled
into the corridor where there was less
danger Of being hit with flying glass.
Finally there remained in the ward
only Mrs. ParkeS, Mrs. Ambrose, Mrs.
Sham, Miss Vesey, and little girl