MAY'S MEETING UPDATE

Our meeting was held on the 14th May, with Isabel our President introducing and welcoming Delyth Morris Jones as guest speaker to the meeting.

Mourning hankies

Delyth gave us a background to her talk on how her mother became a district nurse in the Devil's Bridge area in the 1930s. At the age of 13, Delyth's mother went to work in a dairy in the East End of London and found the poverty in that area so hard to come to terms with that she would give a little extra milk and butter to the families that had nothing. She soon realised that this life was not for her - she wanted a better life and also wanted to help the poorer families and people. She thought about nursing and started her training at the Plaistow Hospital. There she trained as a midwife and found the poverty of the area distressing - babies would be wrapped in newspapers and on many an occasion she was asked not to deliver the baby properly, which she resolutely refused to do. However she did try to help these poorer families by making little blankets for the babies. 

Delyth showing her

             mother's gloves

The poverty got too much for her and she longed for the Welsh countryside and so she applied for a post as District Nurse in the Devil's Bridge area and successfully got the job. It was a large area and she had to cover it just using a bicycle and in all weathers. She had five schools to visit - which meant it was one school a day.

Hat brushes

Delyth showed us some of the objects her mother brought back from London, they included mourning hankies and scarves. These would be worn for one year after a close relative had passed away - after the year you would then wear the purple coloured scarves. She showed us belts, gloves, handbags, one of which contained a small purse with a train ticket from Talsarn to Aberaeron inside. Also a dancing handbag, which was worn on top of the arm, two hat brushes and various items her mother would wear on her uniform. 

She could not afford a watch, so she used a small egg timer. Her wage was £1 a month and she would have to purchase her own uniform and equipment - there was one occasion when she broke three thermometers, which had to be replaced and the chemist Taylor Lloyd in Aberystwyth let her pay for the replacements over time. She showed us 'Thermagen Medicated Wadding', which would have been placed over a chest covered in 'Vicks' before wearing a vest and Liberty bodice! She also had two packs of the old 'Player's' and 'Senior

Player's & Senior Service packets

Service' cigarettes, as well as surgical gloves that would be used for more than one patient!
In 1936 she decided to buy a car, an Austen 7 - brand new for £50 - it took her eight years to pay for it. She worked for twelve years but gave it up when she got married and became a farmers wife.
Melda thanked Delyth for her interesting talk. A beautiful spread of refreshments was given by Denise and Audrey. Betty won this month's competition which was 'Family Baby Photo', Isabel came second and Melda third. Audrey won the raffle prize.