Outing with Nurse, 1948 - Sepia Saturday 678

 

Tingsholmen 1948

Gustaf, Bertil,
Sonja, Hildur, Sally

This week's prompt picture for Sepia Saturday made me think of this photo in my grandmother Sally's album, which includes a woman in nurse uniform. The name of the place written below the photo (Tingsholmen) doesn't ring a bell with me, but it's likely to be somewhere within the area of a daytrip by car. It seems that Gustaf and Sally bought their first car in the spring of 1947. The same year in May, Sally started keeping a sort of journal, which is mainly a record of outings they made - the main purpose obviously to help her remember where they'd been, when, and with whom. (There are very few more personal reflections included.)

From May to September 1948, there are several posts mentioning outings made together with Sally's sister Hildur and "Sister Sonja". (The Swedish word syster and the English word sister are alike in that it can either refer to a family member or be used as title for a nurse - or a nun.) As they did not have a sister named Sonja, and because of this photo, I conclude that Sonja was a nurse. There are also other photos of Sonja in the albums, though, dressed in private clothes; so she was probably also a friend. But I from what I've heard in the past, I know that Hildur's health was not the best, and that (at least periodically) she did need assistance from some sort of district nurse, or even a live-in carer. From Sally's notes I get the impression that Sonja was not a live-in carer though, because Sally sometimes also mentions them driving Sonja home, or visiting Sonja in her own home. 

But this photo shows Sonja in her uniform, and accompanying Hildur + Sally with family, on a trip. So to me that suggests that she was "on duty" here, rather than just coming along as a friend.

In 1948, my father (Bertil) was 17 years old; Gustaf 44, Sally 48, and Hildur 56.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 678