Freda Laycock Memorial Web Site

During her time serving in Sierra Leone, Freda received many letters of appreciation. Below are just some of them with transcripts beside the original scanned documents. A few liberties have been taken with the transcripts as some of the handwriting is a little difficult to understand but it is hoped that the majority of the message is faithful to the original.

As mentioned in the section on Sierra Leone, Sister Laycock made a real hit with one patient who wrote a song for her. Sergeant Louis Cassel was so impressed by Freda that he penned the following words under the title Sierra Leone:

It may not appear from the words that this song was a tribute to Freda but the accompanying letter made this clear:

Previously Sgt Cassel had expressed his appreciation of Freda's work in the following words.

Below is another example of Fred's caring from Sgt Charles Blayney of Catterick Camp.

The above are just a selection of the correspondence received from Freda from those she nursed.

There were also letters from Freda's native helpers such as the one below which shows how much she was appreciated. This note was accompanied by a box of bananas.

Sister!

I have the honour with most respectfully to draw your kind attention to my present confusion.

Before going on my long silence I must first of all ask you a favour. Please sister will you keep my money with you. The sum of 10/-d because our place is very bad if I keep that sum with me some one will steal it from me. Until I want to go on leave, before I should like it from you. Respect me at any month your receive some amounts from me to be kept. Thanks.

I am your obediently orderly

Mamoh Sisay

Freda also received letters from a friend called Joyce Watson who trained with her at Pontefract General Infirmary and was also a Queen Alexandra Nurse. One of the letters included passages descriptive of the time which is likely to be 1944 and describes Watson as working from the 94th General Hospital.

Dear Laycock

We are living in tents, two in a tent and quite comfortable but I gather it's not so good when the rainy season gets going........ The mess and lunge are both large marquees and we have electric light in them, but in our tents we use old Hurricane Lamps. The hospital, 2,000 beds is partly under canvas, the main buildings are a French orphanage, all verandas, courtyards etc. The water supply and sanitation being particularly French. We come on duty 8 a.m to 8 p.m with three hours off duty and half a day a week and every other Sunday half a day.

We wear grey dresses on duty, no caps or stockings, on night duty we wear men's battle dress, not very elegant but quite warm. We were issued with khaki outfits instead of white much to our disgust, the skirts and Airtex shirts are not too bad but the bush tunics are awful, also the stockings, the shoes are heavy but will be useful this winter. No-one recognises us in the town as QAs and take us as ATS in the khaki.

The social life here is terrific, before coming on night duty I was absolutely tired out, I don't know how I shall ever settle down to life at home again. I have only been to two dances by general invitation so far, I seem to have far too many private invitations.

I am on two officers wards, one senior officers only 15 beds, private wards and the other 54 beds junior officers. I have one orderly who is very good so have not been too busy. Since coming here I have not stayed on any ward for much longer than one week as I have been relieving other sisters seven days leave. I have done surgical, medical, isolation and ENT.

We have a large POW camp here and have Italian orderlies on each ward and also in the mess. The food is not too bad. We chiefly live on tin food as all the fresh meat is now being sent to the front line. The fruit is grand and i am now making up for lost time on the tangerines and oranges.

I wonder how much this old war will last. I can't see it ending under another year.....We were supposed to take malaria tablets but I just can't do it. We should have four a week but one is enough to make me feel ill for the rest of the week. We are in a very healthy district so I don't think there is much danger of malaria. We have to wear slacks after dusk and take all the usual precautions, however.

We have been getting casualties direct from Italy and also get lots of patients transferred from the 103rd etc back to us at base. I only hope I don't go to India or China. I had two friends on the boat who had been in Iceland and who found when they arrived here that they were going to hospital under the same matron they had been in Iceland.

Our local town is very busy, all military traffic nearly, lots of cinemas French restaurants etc. We have an allied officers club where we can get a good meal, but it is terribly crowded, however. There is also a very good YMCA where we can take our male friends for tea. There is also an opera house quite modern. There are some nice shops but everything is just on coupons so we don't get much except of course the leather goods. I find the town very fascinating, there are so many different nationalities.