Interview with Winnie Rodenburg

Winifred Mabel Louise (Winnie) born Palmerston North 1920. Recalls growing up as the youngest of twelve children; the Depression; cycling five miles to Palmerston North Girls High School; classes with the Red Cross, studying First Aid, Hygiene and Sanitation and in 1940 joining Civil Nursing Reserve. Describes spending six months at Rotorua Hospital nursing servicemen returning from overseas, six months at Napier Hospital and six months at Hanmer Springs before volunteering for WWII. Talks about Army training at Burnham and Miramar Camps, being fitted with special uniform and sailing on the `Maunganui', a Red Cross hospital ship. Refers to Matron Chadwick. Describes journey and collecting patients at Colombo and Bombay on their way to Suez where patients were transferred and nurses taken by truck to Helwan Hospital. Describes conditions in hospital, patients, many returning from prisoner of war camps in Germany, treatment for tuberculosis (TB), Christmas and social life. After three months in Egypt travelled once again on the 'Maunganui' to Italy, remaining one year in Senigallia (1 General Hospital) before going to Florence. Describes feelings on returning to New Zealand, working at G H Bennett's library, marriage in 1955 and husband's background. Refers to daughter who is a doctor in Island Bay.

Access Contact - see oral history librarian

Interviewer(s) - Anna Rogers

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-012490

Quantity: 1 C90 cassette(s). 1 transcript(s). 1 Electronic document(s) - transcript. 1 interview(s). 1.30 Hours and minutes Duration.

Physical Description: Textual file - Microsoft word

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - transcript(s) available OHA-4300, OHDL-000839.

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.

Alternative form available: Both printed and digital versions of the transcript are available