Appeal to find nurses for 50th anniversary reunion

Twenty nurses started their training at Watford Peace Memorial Hospital in September 1975

A former student nurse has made an appeal to find the classmates she trained with in 1975 in the hope of organising a reunion to mark the 50th anniversary of their meeting.

Sue Barrell, née Danzig, said only nine of the group of 20 students were still in touch.

The class was part of the School of Nursing at the former Watford Peace Memorial Hospital, and September 2025 would mark half a decade since they started to train together.

"We just want to reminisce and talk about the great times," Mrs Barrell said.

The nurses attended Julia Bayliss' engagement party at Watford Top Rank in 1978

"Traditionally women have changed their surnames so we're finding it really hard to find some of them, we've hit a wall."

Mrs Barelll said they were keen to find Julia Bayliss, from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, whose mother had been a mayor of the town, as the group went to her engagement party at Watford Top Rank in 1978.

They also want to hear from Chris Spackman, who attended Brudenells School in Chesham.

"There was Denise, who was a driving instructor, she started her training as a student nurse. But we had a lecturer from the fire brigade, he took a fancy to her, left a note on her desk - as you did in those days - she went on a date, eventually got married, and we didn't see her again. Those were the days."

'Learned on their feet'

Mrs Barrell said: "There was a Jan Shaw, who married someone in the film industry and went to live in Felden, Hertfordshire, and we never heard from her again.

"There was Vanda who lived in Northwood, Middlesex, and was married to a RAF officer. We would love to meet up with Vanda."

She said other names included Dominique Dodman from Radlett, Hertfordshire, who married someone from Russia and Carol Goldthorpe from Watford, Hertfordshire.

She hoped the former student nurses could be tracked down by joining the nursing schools' Facebook page.

"We had a hoot," she said.

The students "learned on their feet" and had to be weighed and measured as they were not allowed to be "overweight", Mrs Barrell added.