[Margaret Pilkington]

Oh well, pull up a chair this is going to be a long one!
In 1977 just before I took my nursing finals I was allocated to Medical nights.
We had a new auxiliary nurse just started on nights. She had done a month on day duty just to acquaint her with what was what.
This particular night we had a man who had been very poorly, die on us. He was in the side ward on Ward 7 at BRI. When someone died we always used to leave them for at least an hour before laying them out. I sent the auxiliary for her evening meal.
The charge Nurse who was on for the medical unit came to see what was happening just after the auxiliary had gone on her meal break. I told him that we had a man to be laid out, and that when the new Auxiliary came back from her meal break we would do it then. He knew that the auxiliary was inexperienced and said we could have a bit of fun with her. This charge nurse only worked at University holidays because he was training to be a vicar. Anyway to cut a very long story a bit shorter he talked me into laying the man out........and when this was done he rang for the porters to take his body to the mortuary. Then we stripped the bed and just put a bottom sheet and a top sheet on. The charge nurse got under the sheet and lay very still.
When the auxilliary came back from her break I asked her to get the back trolley ready to lay the body out......I asked her if she knew how to do this and she said she did.
I went off to get a shroud and the paper work, while she went to get the back trolley.
We arrived back at the room together and she went in first pushing the back trolley.
The room was in darkness I went in and just put the light on over the bed......the auxiliary was pouring water into the bowl to wash the body when the charge nurse sat up and groaned. Well, the auxiliary leaped OVER the trolley and ran out of the room onto the male side of the ward screaming and peeing.......all the men were wakened up and we had to break out the medicinal brandy to revive the poor auxiliary. We had to make tea and biscuits for all the patients......and we had to plead with the auxiliary not to report us for what we had done. I could see myself being struck off before I even qualified.