Summary: Background and education in London. Nursing training and work in various hospitals before, during,-and after World War I. 1928, sailed to India as a nurse with Lady Minto's Nursing Association. The terms of contract and conditions of employment of the Association. Description of the voyage to India and the journey from Bombay to Rangoon. Her time as a nurse in Rangoon, and her lifestyle among the European community. Holidays in Penang and Singapore, her experiences of being stung by a jellyfish while on holiday. The effect on life, of political agitation in Burma. Travelling up country and visits to the Chinese border. Travelling alone in India and Burma, description of travelling by train. 1932, sent to Northern Bengal, working in a community largely of tea planters. The lifestyle there and the most common types of illness among the planters. Trouble from terrorists and precautions taken against wild animals. Social life of the European community. Memories of the Bengal and Bihar Earthquake. Description of the servants in her household. Large numbers of poisonous snakes. Travelling by elephant, but no travelling at night because of terrorists and wild animals.
Interview with Dorothy B. Thomas [sound recording]
This material is held atSchool of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Archives, University of London
- Reference
- GB 102 OA4/22
- Former Reference
- GB 102 OA2/78/1-3
- Dates of Creation
- 4 December 1978
- Name of Creator
- Language of Material
- English
- Physical Description
- 2 sound casettes (30 min. approx.)
Scope and Content
Administrative / Biographical History
Dorothy B. Thomas - Nursing Sister, Lady Minto's Indian Nursing Association 1928-1944
Access Information
Sound recording currently unavailable at SOAS Library due to preservation reasons. Researchers can access a copy of this audio recording at the British Library Listening & Viewing Service. For more details see www.bl.uk/listening or contact listening@bl.uk / 020 7412 7418.
Closed
Conditions Governing Use
Private study only. For publication or broadcast please refer to Archivist
Copyright held by British Library
Custodial History
Recorded as part of the ’Memories of the British in India’ project by India Office Library & Records [subsequently the Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library]. This recording was previously held at SOAS Library as part of the 'British in India Oral Archive Project' collection [Reference OA2], removed from this collection in August 2014 to reflect the recording’s alternative provenance as part of the ‘Memories of the British in India’ project.
Location of Originals
Original sound recording of interview available at British Library Listening & Viewing Service [Reference: C63/01]