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My father was very ill, and almost died, when he suffered from peritonitis in
December I965 and subsequently retired. l think Bill Russell had joined him in
the practice by that time, and the surgery moved from our house to Green
Close (l think that was the address).
My parents met in Guernsey. My mother, Joyce Wall Poat, was born there in
St. Peters Port, on May 19th, 1912. Her family were tomato growers. She
spent her childhood on Guernsey, coming over to boarding school in England,
and met my father when he went to the island as a junior doctor in one of the
local practices. l think he found life on Guernsey rather narrow and they
decided to leave for the mainland. Given the events of the next few years in
the Channel islands it was a fortuitous move.
l suppose my mother didn’t really play a major role in the practice, but she did
field the telephone calls as there was no such person as a receptionist or
practice nurse in my father’s day. As you know, the surgery was in our house.
The syringes, etc. were sterilised in a saucepan in the kitchen and the drugs
kept in the back of the ‘fridge, but that’s how it was then. ln the pre NHS days
l do remember my parents sitting down at a table every few months to send
out the bills to patients. l believe that the wealthier patients helped carry the
costs of those who had very little. l imagine that after the NHS came in there
were still patients who were ‘private’ and sat in the dining room while waiting
for their appointment, rather than the waiting room. Another person who
helped my father was Phyllis Mattock - she lived in as housekeeper but also
helped with phone calls and dealt with callers to the front door who wanted to
speak to my father.
My father worked extremely hard. He had Surgery in the morning and evening
and spent the day, except for lunchtime of course, travelling around to see
patients who were too ill to come into Bridge or had no form of transport. The
practice extended to Petham and parts of Stone Street and Stelling Minnis. He
also went to Bossingham, Upper and Lower Hardres, Bishopsbourne, Kingston
and parts of Barham, and Patrixbourne and Bekesbourne. Dr. Mercer was the
doctor in Wickhambreaux and he and my father took over for each other at
weekends.
I remember him telling us how difficult it was during the War to find one’s way
around the area, especially as he hadn’t lived here for very long before the
blackout system was imposed. The road signs were all taken down and
apparently head lights had to be practically covered up so they were very dim.
Night visits were the norm back then and my father also helped with difficult
childbirths. Most deliveries were performed by the District Nurse. The nurse l