South Yorkshire Times January 2, 1943
Christmas at the Montagu Hospital
Christmas at Mexborough Montagu Hospital was, to quote one of the sisters, “the jolliest ever” this year, and all the seasonal festivities went off quite according to plan.
The festival commenced on Christmas Eve, when the choir of Mexborough Parish Church visited the Hospital and sang carols to the patients, and succeeded in introducing the Christmas spirit. The domestc staff had their Christmas dinner at lunch-time on Christmas Eve, the patients’ was on Christmas Day, and the nursing staff’s on Monday evening. Mr. W. P. Turner. President of the Hospital, and Mrs. Turner, and Mr. A. R. Martin, chairman of the Board of Management, and Mrs. Martin, attended the latter.
The domestic staff had guarded their secrets regarding the Christmas fare if well, but were not lacking when it came to the point, and provided an excellent meal of turkey and vegetables, with Christmas pudding and mince pies to follow.
At the nursing staff dinner Mr. Martin presented money prizes to successful candidates in the Preliminary State examination. One of the nurses told a reporter that the turkeys “went round to the last mouthful.”
On Christmas Day a variety concert was given in the Male Surgical Ward by Olga Huby and her dancing pupils , and the Shaw Twins. This was greatly appreciated, as was the show given by the Nursing Staff and organised by Sister Edwards on Boxing Day. This was given in each ward, and so encouraged were the artists by the cordial reception given to their turns by the patients that they are hoping to repeat the concert in the future, when the proceeds will go towards the purchase of a new dinner waggon at the Hospital.
The concert went with a swing from the opening chorus; ‘Jingle Jangle,” to the concluding item, ‘Sweet Alice Blue Gown,” put over by Sisters Edwards and Turner, Staff Nurse Straw, Nurse Winfrow, and Sister Bradley. Other items included “Deep in the Heart of Texas” (Nurses Wray, O’Connor and Oldueldi, “The Second Minuet” (Sister Bradley and Nurse Milner, a recitation by Nurse Oldfield, “All packed up in my little bottom drawer,” by Sister Edwards; a tap-dancing display by Nurse Blackburn, “Aloma” (Sister Raper, Nurses Wilson, Curtis, and Blackburn), and “Tantivy” (Staff Nurse Whiten, Nurses Allen, Wilkinson, Wood and O’Connor, and Sister Harrison.
There was also community singing, accompanied by Nurse Davies (piano), Mr. Hepworth (viola), and Mr. J. Farnsworth (violin). Mr. A. Laycock, Secretary-Superintendent, proved a most able compere of the show.
There was the usual great excitement in the children’s ward on Christmas morning, when the small patients awoke to find that Father Christmas had paid a visit and generously filled their stockings. An extra stocking was given to each child and to each new baby in the Maternity Ward, by the Hospital Board of Management, and each adult patient also received a gift from the Board.
Yesterday (Thursday) evening, New Year’s Eve, the resident surgical staff entertained the sisters and several of the nurses at an informal social.