Nursing in Bude, Cornwall, UK during WW2
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I am working on a writing project and the main character is a young nurse in Bude during WW2. I'm not quite sure how to put her there or get her there -- would there have been nurses stationed at RAF Cleave? Was there a hospital in Bude at that time? Would it be likely that a young girl might go from London to Bude during the war? Also, tangentially, was anyone in town using bicycles at that time?
world-war-two united-kingdom
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I am working on a writing project and the main character is a young nurse in Bude during WW2. I'm not quite sure how to put her there or get her there -- would there have been nurses stationed at RAF Cleave? Was there a hospital in Bude at that time? Would it be likely that a young girl might go from London to Bude during the war? Also, tangentially, was anyone in town using bicycles at that time?
world-war-two united-kingdom
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3
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
1
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
up vote
3
down vote
favorite
I am working on a writing project and the main character is a young nurse in Bude during WW2. I'm not quite sure how to put her there or get her there -- would there have been nurses stationed at RAF Cleave? Was there a hospital in Bude at that time? Would it be likely that a young girl might go from London to Bude during the war? Also, tangentially, was anyone in town using bicycles at that time?
world-war-two united-kingdom
New contributor
I am working on a writing project and the main character is a young nurse in Bude during WW2. I'm not quite sure how to put her there or get her there -- would there have been nurses stationed at RAF Cleave? Was there a hospital in Bude at that time? Would it be likely that a young girl might go from London to Bude during the war? Also, tangentially, was anyone in town using bicycles at that time?
world-war-two united-kingdom
world-war-two united-kingdom
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New contributor
edited 4 hours ago
John Dallman
14.2k15070
14.2k15070
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asked 6 hours ago
Carolyn
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162
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3
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
1
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
3
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
1
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago
3
3
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
1
1
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
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I can answer your tangential question: bicycles were heavily used throughout the UK during WWII. There were no gasoline rations available to civilians, except for doctors and others with a strong need for them for public service, and car ownership was very much rarer than in the modern day anyway. It would be quite normal for a nurse who didn't have accommodation at her workplace to lodge nearby and travel by bicycle.
add a comment |Â
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4
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There does not appear to be any evidence that there was ever a hospital in Bude, but there are two other possibilities for your nurse.
There has long been a hospital in Stratton which (according to Google) is just 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away by road. According to the pdf Stratton Conservation Area Appraisal, Stratton Hospital was in place before 1926 and probably long before that as a 'Hospital Road' is mentioned in 1863.
Also, there was Winsford Cottage Hospital at Halwill Junction, 17.5 miles / 28.16 km from Bude. This was operational from 1898 until its closure in 1998.
Although RAF Cleave was a small airfield which (as John Dallamn mentions in his comment) was not a combat airfield, there a military presence in the area. This People's War site has an account of one Raymond Edgar Jacquett, who was a 14-year-old boy in 1941:
In 1941 when the Americans joined the war there were thousands of
American soldiers and all their equipment and as a 14 years old boy it
was a good time. Everything came form Okehampton to Bude by train.
Also, Bude was one of places that children were evacuated to during WWII. Nurses would undoubtedly have been in demand so it seems perfectly feasible for a young woman to go from London to the area around Bude at the time.
add a comment |Â
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
5
down vote
I can answer your tangential question: bicycles were heavily used throughout the UK during WWII. There were no gasoline rations available to civilians, except for doctors and others with a strong need for them for public service, and car ownership was very much rarer than in the modern day anyway. It would be quite normal for a nurse who didn't have accommodation at her workplace to lodge nearby and travel by bicycle.
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
I can answer your tangential question: bicycles were heavily used throughout the UK during WWII. There were no gasoline rations available to civilians, except for doctors and others with a strong need for them for public service, and car ownership was very much rarer than in the modern day anyway. It would be quite normal for a nurse who didn't have accommodation at her workplace to lodge nearby and travel by bicycle.
add a comment |Â
up vote
5
down vote
up vote
5
down vote
I can answer your tangential question: bicycles were heavily used throughout the UK during WWII. There were no gasoline rations available to civilians, except for doctors and others with a strong need for them for public service, and car ownership was very much rarer than in the modern day anyway. It would be quite normal for a nurse who didn't have accommodation at her workplace to lodge nearby and travel by bicycle.
I can answer your tangential question: bicycles were heavily used throughout the UK during WWII. There were no gasoline rations available to civilians, except for doctors and others with a strong need for them for public service, and car ownership was very much rarer than in the modern day anyway. It would be quite normal for a nurse who didn't have accommodation at her workplace to lodge nearby and travel by bicycle.
answered 4 hours ago
John Dallman
14.2k15070
14.2k15070
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
There does not appear to be any evidence that there was ever a hospital in Bude, but there are two other possibilities for your nurse.
There has long been a hospital in Stratton which (according to Google) is just 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away by road. According to the pdf Stratton Conservation Area Appraisal, Stratton Hospital was in place before 1926 and probably long before that as a 'Hospital Road' is mentioned in 1863.
Also, there was Winsford Cottage Hospital at Halwill Junction, 17.5 miles / 28.16 km from Bude. This was operational from 1898 until its closure in 1998.
Although RAF Cleave was a small airfield which (as John Dallamn mentions in his comment) was not a combat airfield, there a military presence in the area. This People's War site has an account of one Raymond Edgar Jacquett, who was a 14-year-old boy in 1941:
In 1941 when the Americans joined the war there were thousands of
American soldiers and all their equipment and as a 14 years old boy it
was a good time. Everything came form Okehampton to Bude by train.
Also, Bude was one of places that children were evacuated to during WWII. Nurses would undoubtedly have been in demand so it seems perfectly feasible for a young woman to go from London to the area around Bude at the time.
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
There does not appear to be any evidence that there was ever a hospital in Bude, but there are two other possibilities for your nurse.
There has long been a hospital in Stratton which (according to Google) is just 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away by road. According to the pdf Stratton Conservation Area Appraisal, Stratton Hospital was in place before 1926 and probably long before that as a 'Hospital Road' is mentioned in 1863.
Also, there was Winsford Cottage Hospital at Halwill Junction, 17.5 miles / 28.16 km from Bude. This was operational from 1898 until its closure in 1998.
Although RAF Cleave was a small airfield which (as John Dallamn mentions in his comment) was not a combat airfield, there a military presence in the area. This People's War site has an account of one Raymond Edgar Jacquett, who was a 14-year-old boy in 1941:
In 1941 when the Americans joined the war there were thousands of
American soldiers and all their equipment and as a 14 years old boy it
was a good time. Everything came form Okehampton to Bude by train.
Also, Bude was one of places that children were evacuated to during WWII. Nurses would undoubtedly have been in demand so it seems perfectly feasible for a young woman to go from London to the area around Bude at the time.
add a comment |Â
up vote
4
down vote
up vote
4
down vote
There does not appear to be any evidence that there was ever a hospital in Bude, but there are two other possibilities for your nurse.
There has long been a hospital in Stratton which (according to Google) is just 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away by road. According to the pdf Stratton Conservation Area Appraisal, Stratton Hospital was in place before 1926 and probably long before that as a 'Hospital Road' is mentioned in 1863.
Also, there was Winsford Cottage Hospital at Halwill Junction, 17.5 miles / 28.16 km from Bude. This was operational from 1898 until its closure in 1998.
Although RAF Cleave was a small airfield which (as John Dallamn mentions in his comment) was not a combat airfield, there a military presence in the area. This People's War site has an account of one Raymond Edgar Jacquett, who was a 14-year-old boy in 1941:
In 1941 when the Americans joined the war there were thousands of
American soldiers and all their equipment and as a 14 years old boy it
was a good time. Everything came form Okehampton to Bude by train.
Also, Bude was one of places that children were evacuated to during WWII. Nurses would undoubtedly have been in demand so it seems perfectly feasible for a young woman to go from London to the area around Bude at the time.
There does not appear to be any evidence that there was ever a hospital in Bude, but there are two other possibilities for your nurse.
There has long been a hospital in Stratton which (according to Google) is just 1.8 miles (2.9 km) away by road. According to the pdf Stratton Conservation Area Appraisal, Stratton Hospital was in place before 1926 and probably long before that as a 'Hospital Road' is mentioned in 1863.
Also, there was Winsford Cottage Hospital at Halwill Junction, 17.5 miles / 28.16 km from Bude. This was operational from 1898 until its closure in 1998.
Although RAF Cleave was a small airfield which (as John Dallamn mentions in his comment) was not a combat airfield, there a military presence in the area. This People's War site has an account of one Raymond Edgar Jacquett, who was a 14-year-old boy in 1941:
In 1941 when the Americans joined the war there were thousands of
American soldiers and all their equipment and as a 14 years old boy it
was a good time. Everything came form Okehampton to Bude by train.
Also, Bude was one of places that children were evacuated to during WWII. Nurses would undoubtedly have been in demand so it seems perfectly feasible for a young woman to go from London to the area around Bude at the time.
answered 2 hours ago
Lars Bosteen
28.5k7145193
28.5k7145193
add a comment |Â
add a comment |Â
Carolyn is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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3
I've taken the liberty of editing the title a bit. I think all the questions asked in the body are good ones that ought to be objectively answerable, and wouldn't want anyone just reading the title and getting the wrong impression that a vague general question was being asked.
â T.E.D.â¦
4 hours ago
1
There probably weren't nurses at RAF Cleave, because it was devoted to aerial target towing, rather than being a combat airfield. When during WWII is your story set? Shortly before D-Day, a large number of junior doctors and nurses were sent out from the large London hospitals to strengthen the local hospitals of the south of England to handle casualties from the invasion. That might provide a reason for some nurses from London to be in Bude.
â John Dallman
4 hours ago