Brenda Tillotson – former head of Physiotherapy at the G. F. Strong Rehab Centre for many years – sent the following email to me, prompted by the Paralympics in London, England. She’s happy to share her memories of working with wounded WW II veterans in England. – Wanda
Some of my set with two instructors. I’m in the back at the far left.
“I was a PT student at the Middlesex Hospital, London, at the end of WW2. Our set of 22 was evacuated to Stoke Mandeville Hospital for nine months in 1945. SMH was a military hospital then. The wounded were being brought back from Europe when we arrived … many in terrible shape.
The men wore a hospital uniform of white shirts, red ties and bright royal blue pants.
Dr Guttman was a brilliant, inspiring man though very strict. The men had to lie at attention in their beds while they received their treatment orders which might be to attend daily wheelchair hockey.
Seargants starts a hockey game. He made us do exercise drills too.
We used to take the men to the pub in a furniture removal van. Dr. G. gave us our neurology lectures. His accent was so thick we would spend the evenings trying to translate our notes. We loved it there and hated to return to London.
Dr. Guttman, a wonderful man.