5 November 2008
We held another well attended meeting in November and several visitors were given a warm welcome by our president Val Hewett. After the usual anecdotes when the hall echoed with laughter the serious business of the day commenced. Correspondence was dealt with and the financial position was declared to be healthy. Several items and competitions of seasonal interest were highlighted in the Berkshire News and invitations from other groups were read out. Thirty of our members had recently enjoyed a visit to Cumberland Lodge to view an exhibition of Commonwealth gifts to the Queen.
Our expert on all local health issues, Elizabeth Runnacles urged us all to publicise the recently opened Minor Injuries Unit at St Mark Hospital and to make representations to the Primary Care Trust about lack of publicity and the perceived need to adjust opening hours .
Contributions were brought for the big Christmas Raffle which is our main fund raiser for the year.
We welcomed back Mr Edward Dixon, a speaker well known to us , whose subject was " Heroines of the Geat War ". His talk concentrated on those courageous and truly inspirational women , the nurses who often risked their life and health and possibly even their sanity tending to the injured and mortally wounded soldiers on the battle front.
The nurses of Queen Alexandra's Nursing Service for example were highly trained ,professional and always immaculately uniformed. They did a marvellous job tending to soldiers with the most appauling injuries in the primative conditions of the military hospitals in war- torn France and Belgium.
There were were also many volunteer units often staffed by upper class women who had hitherto led sheltered lives. They tended injuries , comforted the dying, and even wrote letters home on behalf of the blinded and seriously injured. They also cooked, drove ambulances and learnt mechanics.
Edith Cavell is a familiar name to many. She set up a nursing school in Belgium but was eventually captured and shot by the Germans. The writer Vera Brittain was a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment and described the dreadful carnage as "A circle of hell '.
The heroism, drive and humanity of these women is beyond belief and proved a fitting subject for a talk on the eve of Remembrance Day.
