O WARD Chailey life was one of surprises, occasionally good mostly bad. The surprise was always lurking to catch you unaware and unsuspecting. I was enjoying for the most part being at St Helens for schooling. Mrs Cheshire was a super teacher for someone like me. I was a sponge, I soaked up everything she said. I can remember my first lesson, it was history. The subject was the Black Prince and feudal farming practices. Goodness the thrill of learning that there was history and I was thrilled. I still can't explain how much fun it was. As with everything else in my early years, things happened with no warning, and I was suddenly on '0' Ward. I WAS ANN but there were at least five other girls on the ward named Ann or Anne. I was told that to avoid confusion I would be called Patsy Ann. My immediate reaction was one of outrage, I was ANN, I didn't know why they needed to change my name, why couldn't they change someone else's name? I was put on my own for a while to calm me down. How I resented everyone. How I hated everyone. The other girls, the nurses, staff nurses, sisters and doctors. No one else had their names changed and I carried the resentment with me until I left Chailey. I HATED that my name had been taken away from me. Sixty years later and I still haven't forgiven or forgotten. The bright side of life was Major the dog, who had the freedom of the ward, A large black and white collie he was a source of fun as he would chase anything under the beds and around the ward. One day he was there, and that was it, he disappeared. I had measles on 0 Ward, I had an operation, an arthrodesis on my week left foot. I annoyed Matron Barnard by singing Clementine and was told it was a disgusting song to sing, but even worse was when she caught me singing Hound Dog and she turned the radio off for the whole ward. Every time she made her rounds I would sing either Clementine or Hound Dog in a soft voice. When the bones in my foot had knitted together I began the process of learning to walk again. I annoyed her by clumping heavily past her office in my plastered foot and she would shoot out and tell the physio to take me back to the ward. I expect it annoyed her as I constantly asked the physio if I was doing it correctly, or could I try walking outdoors, or any number of other questions, I remember the best time on O Ward was Bonfire Night, the fireworks were nice, we were given a sparkler and afterwards it was cocoa and parkin. My Christmas on the ward was ruined by the disappearance of a present from my aunt Mary. She had sent me a set of beautiful underwear; vest, a half slip, a petticoat and matching pants, all in cream with lace and so soft and silky that I fell in love with them. I never saw them after I had opened the gift box and admired them. They disappeared like so many things. When I asked where they were, I got blank looks. My Aunt Kitty visited me with her husband Uncle Stan, they brought their dog Flossie who spent a few hours on my bed fast asleep. It must have been summer. I got my own back on Matron the Christmas I spent on the ward, she barrelled up to me with a bowl of turkey meat and told me to chop it up for her dog. I ate half of it and asked the nurse to return the bowl to Matron. Finally I escaped back to school and for a long time it was a struggle to catch up with my peers. As a postscript I learned recently my parents were often rung about my behaviour … well so my darling sisters tell me!