Bedpans and Bobby Socks

A charming and nostalgic true story of three British nurses who road trip across America in the 1950s, written by one of their daughters   In my dreams, I was always in some vast landscape on a long, straight road. Driving. Always driving.  Gwenda had always loved the open road, but her home town of Newcastle didn’t really offer the sort of adventure she longed for. So, in 1957, with friend and fellow nurse Pat in tow, she left the dismal British winter behind, and embarked on an amazing American adventure. After a year nursing in Cleveland, Gwenda, Pat, and three new friends set off on a road trip around North America, driving in a rickety 1949 Ford. What follows is the charming true story of five remarkable young women. Over the course of 18 months, the girls go to a 4th of July rodeo, visit San Francisco and Las Vegas, learn to surf in Hawaii, spot movie stars in Hollywood, and celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Wherever they go, the traveling nurses cause a sensation. This is a delightfully nostalgic memoir of friendship and the romance of the open road.