Wartime angels’ sweet surprise

THE naval city of Plymouth in 1941 had endured a devastating seven nights of bombing. The objective of the Plymouth Blitz was to damage or destroy the naval dockyards, but many civilians were also killed in the process. I was serving in Plymouth when one night several bombs fell in the grounds of the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse. The blast caused huge damage, raising concern for the head of the hospital. It became paramount that a safer site be sought in order to carry out operations and treat badly injured sailors. The old workhouse in Newton Abbot, Devon, was taken over and converted into the Royal Navy’s Auxiliary hospital. Many of the patients were strangers to the town and were a long way from their homes. They missed the comfort given by their family and friends and often didn’t have any visitors. The female staff of the local Prudential Assurance office decided to solve this problem. On Sunday afternoons, they visited every bed in the hospital and talked to each patient. They would then take out goodies from their bags, having given up some of their rations to make cakes and sweets for the patients. Everyone looked forward to a Sunday visit from the Prudential Angels.

Bob hunt, Bengeo, hertford.