FASHION HEALTH & BEAUTY
'Fractured pelvis
has urgent
demands and it
takes three to lift
her; no one else
in sight so I must
struggle alone'
A nurse's diary:
life in the war
The notion of nursing as a caring
profession often falls under the
microscope. Dedication and
commitment are undoubtedly of
paramount importance in such a
demanding job.
And it appears that over the past
70 years or so it has always been that
way, according to rare archives that
have been kept by one Island family,
providing an intriguing insight into
life as a World War II probationer
nurse.
Daisy Young (pictured) came from
generations of Islanders, and lived
here all her life. She was born in
Ryde in 1914. She attended Sandown
Grammar School until her education
was cut short by a minor stroke at the
age of 15.
Daisy was left slightly paralysed on
one side, and her family were grateful
when she was offered a job as ‘chief
cook and bottle washer’ in one of
Ryde's grander houses. She seemed
destined for a life in domestic service until the outbreak of war in 1939.
Unable to join the Armed Forces,
she began training for a career as a
nurse, which might otherwise have
been closed to her because of her
disability. Her training began at the
Royal Hospital in Portsmouth, but
she was evacuated to Winc