Hospitals and ambulances by

First Aid Nursing Yeomanry

2018-12-10 12:39:11 UTC

After reading about the role played by women in hospitals and ambulances, I was pleasantly surprised that in the body of First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, the drivers of the ambulances were women. Because in the movies about the II World War this role has always been interpreted erroneously by men. Noelia G.

CHALLENGE#1What were ambulances like during the Second World War, according to Mrs. Bancroft's testimony?

loli_rodriguez — 2018-12-14 20:00:09 UTC

The ambulances were completely empty, they just had two runners this side and two runners that side and there was no medical equipment in the vans.
Carmen G

Mrs. Bancroft thought ambulances were like racing cars. It might be because the volunteers used to drive sports cars and wore scarves round their necks.
Besides this, ambulances were empty without medical equipment, no like the current ones.
Montse S.

According to Mrs. Brancroft's, who worked in the ambulance service, their ambulances were quite different from the present ones. They were completely empty, without any kind of medical equipment in them. They just had two runners on each side , they put the stretcher into it and had to get to the hospital as quickly as they could.
Trini M.

According to Mrs. Brancroft's testimony, ambulances were very different from those now. Today ambulances are small hospitals for first aid and those were empty. The intention was to quickly transport the patient to the hospital.
Susana R.

According with Mrs. Bancrotf, their ambulances weren't like they are now. They were completely empty and there was no medical equipment in the vans.
Belén M.

Getting better

juan_valdezate — 2018-12-15 12:04:27 UTC

I was surprised how the hair was used when sutures were finished and how immobilization the limbs with very thick plaster in the battlefield hospitals saved many soldiers from being amputated. It is also striking how nowadays there are still so few women driving ambulances.
The cultural heritage marks us all and Pam helps to improve the way of thinking of future generations through her work.

Juan V.

Another example of the wit of women in World War II in the absence of material. It is curious that nurses used their hair to suture the wounds. On the other hand, I consider it totally unfair that after the war the hard work done was not taken into account and they had to return to their traditional roles.

2018-12-16 16:32:16 UTC

Leli S.

2018-12-16 17:32:17 UTC

This text demonstrates how ingenuity and imagination develop when there is an absence of resources. I am surprised to see how women assumed traditionally masculine roles and that after demonstrating that they are capable of performing them equally well, today these works are still related to men.
Pedro C.

Risk and ingenuity

2018-12-16 19:17:18 UTC

There are two issues that have especially called my attention. The first, that nurses jumped in parachutes with the material to care for the injured and the second that their hair was used as suture. Very interesting.

Eva MB

Unfair Discrimination

2018-12-16 21:17:07 UTC

Due to the great effort, women got their recognition in the Second World War although they were paid less than men for the same work.

José A. B.P.

Ambulances

vespejodlf — 2018-12-17 14:09:26 UTC

I would like to make a special mention for the women who worked in the ambulances. In addition to their own work, they did many unrelated work, even risking their lives continuously.
Vicente E.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were parachuting nurses. Where did the desire to provide health care lead them to? And I was not aware of the magnitude of the lack of sanitary materials. NO SUTURE. They frequently had to use her own hair to suture the wounds

2018-12-17 17:30:54 UTC

Elena R.

Ambulances

2018-12-17 17:54:14 UTC

I think being an ambulance driver during the war is the most brave job. In my opinion, women were really courageous, they had to go to the places that were being bombed and drive the injured to the hospital. These women also knew first aid, they really did a very complicated job.
Carmen G.

It´s also curious the fact that their uniforms, as in the other Corps, did not fit well because they were made for men. Women did not even deserve a made-for-them uniform.

2018-12-17 18:27:17 UTC

Elena R.

More women than men in ambulances.

anamora — 2018-12-18 23:48:09 UTC

There were some men who volunteered to work on days they weren't working, but at night it was very difficult to get them out.
"The men always made excuses not to go out with the nurses".
One man used to volunteer and he'd shake so much when the raid was on, that their chief used to push him under the table in the kitchen and leave him there.
P. 40.
Ana Mo. R

Hygienic conditions

2018-12-19 11:35:07 UTC

The hygienic conditions of ambulances and stretchers were deplorable. They were dirty and bloody. Mrs. Bancroft tells in the book that she was supposed to bring back her stretchers and blankets, no matter what state they were in.
Elena L.

Hospitals and ambulances

2018-12-19 14:49:31 UTC

I am sure that doing this work in wartimes was the most difficult task, because they had to see really hard scenes and didn’t have adequate equipment to help properly. It is frightful to read that they saw headless bodies; I can’t imagine what it would be to live it. I was also shocked that they weren’t allowed to marry.
Celia T.

Hospitals and ambulances

2018-12-19 22:33:31 UTC

These women played an important role in the war. It was one of the most risky jobs that there were in the war because they had to be near the fight and surrounded by death. They also had to know a lot of things in order to succeed.

Ana M. de H.

Gold medal to Humanity

2018-12-20 15:36:43 UTC

This is one of the works I value the most out of the ones I've ever read about. Maybe because I wouldn't be able to do it. They were strong and brave women who saved so many lives. Many of them were traumatized for life because they lived through horrible, unpleasant and devastating situations. I don't understand why they had to pay for their uniforms, uniforms that were absolutely deserved.

Irene T.

HOSPITALS AND AMBULANCES

2018-12-20 17:04:29 UTC

Unfortunately, being nurses and ambulances drivers is one of the most important works during any war, so I would like to give my consideration for all the people who have devoted their time to helping the injured. In my opinion, it is the hardest work because they have to see awful scenes and help in extreme situations, with people that they can live or die. However, at the same time, it is really comforting to help anyone and save their lives. Women who worked as nurses in a hospital or as ambulance drivers for a time in the WWII were quite brave.

CARLOS T.

2018-12-21 13:10:51 UTC

I consider very interesting all about the theatre block and the fact that the years after WWII were prosperous for both the medical and the nursing practices.

If we look through History, we can observe that during war periods technology always grows.

Speaking in general, it’s a pity that humanity first sees the advantages of winning wars and only then someone can give them another more ethical use.

Alberto S

Treatment

2018-12-23 00:24:53 UTC

I've found Nurses were really brave immobilizing the limbs with very thick plaster in order to avoid that some of them were amputated.
Toñi N.

Dunkirk evacuation (26 May to 4 June 1940)

2018-12-23 09:16:11 UTC

One of the last nursing sisters to leave France awaiting evacuation was Lillian Gutteridge, who bravely defended her patients when a German SS officer tried to take over her ambulance and ordered his men to throw out the stretcher bound patients. She was so outraged that she slapped the SS Officer's face. He stabbed her in the thigh with his dagger and he was killed by passing Black Watch soldiers. Despite her wound, she drove the ambulance and her wounded patients to the railway siding and persuaded the French driver to take on board her patients. They went to Cherbourg and during their journey took on board other 600 French and British wounded troops. Several days later, Lillian and her patients arrived safely in England.
Curra L

Brave nurses

2018-12-23 09:41:57 UTC

After having read this topic, I want to emphasize the invaluable work that these women carried out in the war. They worked under harsh conditions, making emergency decisions on the spot for severely wounded soldiers in field hospitals. Nurses were exposed to all dangers during this conflict, and some were captured and became prisoners of war.
Pilar C

2018-12-23 17:59:21 UTC

The support given by the women nurses and ambulance drivers was fundamental to face the consequences of the war. The work of these women allowed to take care of the wounded and to save innumerable lives, putting at risk, in many cases, their own.

D. Serrano

The ambulance drivers

2018-12-26 09:53:13 UTC

Once again we notice the laudable effort that these brave women did, despite the fact that they hadn't been previously trained for these jobs. In this way, Mrs. Bancroft tells us the ambulance drivers were trained in first aid bexause, in contrast with the current ambulances, there was no medical equipment into the vans. So, they were drivers as well as nurses until they reached the hospital.
Isabel G.