Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    Z1205/224
  • Title
    Female Irish immigrant. Nurse at brick works. b. 02.01.1940 SIDE A (00 mins)Born in County Kerry in a small village of about 20 houses called Glenbare. Everyone worked on the land. Father also had a job as the local postman. Eldest of six children. From age 11, had to travel 30 miles a day to a private convent school. Cycle for 16 miles, then bus. Only about 6 from the village went to the secondary school. The other parents couldn't afford. Father had previously emigrated to Boston, USA to work on buildings and the railways, and met his wife there, who was 10 years younger but from the same village. When she was 30 and father 40, they came back to Ireland. His family were all small farmers. (05 mins)5 cows and a 40 sheep. Only 20 acres. Picturesque setting on the coast on the Ring of Kerry, in the west of Ireland. Went to the sea every Sunday. Freedom to roam as a child. Jobs to do about the farm as a child - drawing water from the well; collecting the cows from the field; shopping. Grew potatoes, corn and hay for own use. Cabbages and carrots. Mother did indoor work, childcare and lots of sewing and knitting. Made their own social life. Had a wireless. Would sing and dance. Had an uncle who visited and played a mouth organ and a melodeon. The shock of visiting a town with all the cars horrendous. Convent school - 300-400 girls - was very strict. Took two hours travel each way to get there. Got up at 6.30am and set off at 7am. (10 mins)Bread and jam for lunch. Returned at 4pm. Got home at 5.30pm. Wet and windy weather but mild winters because of the Gulf Stream. Could swim in the sea from April t o September. Mother taught them to swim, in their knickers. Left school at 17, after matriculation exams and wanted to be a domestic science teacher but Father could not afford college fees in Dublin. Worked for a doctor 40 miles away for 6 months. Saw an advert for nurses training in London. All 5 girls left home eventually. Brother stayed to farm. (15 mins)He inherited the farm and is still there but suffers from arthritis. She went to college in Lewisham. 3 years training to become State Registered Nurse, then 6 months midwifery training in Glasgow. Then went to work in Boston, America for a year, staying with an Auntie. Worked in casualty and intensive care. Returned to Ireland to marry. Arriving as a young woman for nurses training in London, she was struck by the smoke and smog, in January 1958, plus the traffic. Delighted by having a room of her own at the nurses home. All training paid for by the Government. Lodging and food were paid for plus £10 per month pocket money. 18 out of 22 in her class were Irish girls. Homesick but too busy studying from 9 to 5 or 6pm 3 months classroom then 3 months on the ward. (20 mins)Medicals, injections, examinations. Met husband-to-be at a dance after exams in 1961. Husband worked in construction industry and they moved around the country. Worked in Stoke Mandeville hospital with spinal patients. Saw an advertisement for industrial nurses. Applied and got job at the brickworks at Ridgmont with Marston Vale Company. Studied occupational nursing at Luton University for 6 months. Three nurses covered 24 hours of three shifts:10pm-6pm; 6am-2pm; 2-10pm. Worked on her own in busy surgery. About 50% Italian workers. (25 mins)Workers were very nice and appreciative. No major accident, just minor accidents of hands trapped in belts. Often called out to sites. Stayed for two years at Ridgmont until it closed in 1981. Transferred to Stewartby where they had only had first-aiders before, no nurses. London Brick Co. had 1280 employees at that time. There were queues for the surgery. Dr. Grieves from Ampthill came on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Workforce now drastically depleted. Has to arrive at 6.30 because workforce arrives at 6.40 by bus. Long days until 4.30pm but has early finish at 1pm on Fridays. Loves working there. Because of family pressure, she decided to retire but didn't really want to. (30 mins)Will do voluntary hospice work in retirement. Dreads retirement. Being a female nurse in an almost exclusively male working environment, makes her the person that men come to with their problems. She has to be a good listener and very discrete. Tender loving care is an important aspect of the job. A problem shared is a problem halved. (32 mins)End of Side A SIDE B (00 mins)Sometimes has to refer workers to their own GP doctors. When she leaves the company will not replace her. They will just used occasional contract staff to cover medicals. Injured workers will have to travel to hospital in Bedford. She has worked for 24 years in the brick works but will not stay on to achieve 25 years and a presentation watch. End of an era. Sees 80 - 90 workers a week for treatment, including Shanks & McEwan and contract workers, often with dust in their eyes. Work now greatly reduced in the surgery. Used to be 10 - 12 medicals examinations held every Monday; now, perhaps 2. Radio telephones used to communicate with workers on site. Has enjoyed every minute of her time there. (11 mins)End of Interview. Original Interview 45 mins.
  • Date free text
    14 April 2003
  • Production date
    From: 1935 To: 2003
  • Level of description
    item
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