More beds had to be brought up from the basement storeroom, and where there had been twenty patients to a ward, there were now twenty-six. As Christmas approached, however, the staff worked like Trojans to ensure every man fit enough would be home for the holiday, even if it meant some might have to return at a later date to have their splints, plaster casts and dressings removed or changed. Ambulances came and went, private cars arrived to whisk away beloved sons and husbands so they could spend Christmas with their families. Gradually, the wards began to thin out. Nurses scratched their heads over railway timetables and tried to work out if they could get to and from home during the few days they had off. On the Monday beforehand, Staff Nurse Bellamy told the auxiliaries that only two of them would be required on Christmas and Boxing Day, and to sort it out between themselves. ‘Shall we draw straws?’ suggested Harriet when they stopped for their tea break. ‘The two who pick the long straws have Christmas Day off.’ ‘That seems the fairest,’ Lucy agreed.
