A FORMER nurse has captured her experiences of nursing in post-war Britain in a book to be released on Monday.

The Past Recaptured – A Nurse In The Fifties And After tells the tale of Mary Joyce Baxter.

The novel follows her career and the true stories of ward corridors and patients’ experiences from being a trainee at 22 years old to working as a midwife in Birmingham and a nursing sister in the Army.

The 81-year-old, of Lindale Crescent, Burnley, has previously had collections of poetry published in Canada and by Cremor Press of Blackburn.

She said: “I will be proud when this book is released. This is the first prose I've had published.

“This is more of a thrill because it is something that really happened to me.

“It’s not been souped up by a ghost writer like some people seem to have, I've done it myself.

“I thought these things happen only once really, and once I’ve gone all the things I’ve done and experienced will have gone as well.

“So I thought I would get it all down because I’ve had some interesting things happen to me, which are more than just run-of-the-mill experiences.

“Once you start remembering something it triggers off lots of other memories, not all of them suitable to print!”

Mrs Baxter went on to work in Burnley and District at the Edith Watson Maternity Hospital and later as a health visitor.

A member of The Lancashire Authors Association and formerly a member of Burnley Writers Circle, Mrs Baxter now runs a creative writing group that meets every Wednesday at Great Harwood Youth and Community Centre on Lowerfold Road from 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

The group will not meet again until the New Year.

The book has already reached the shelves of Badger Books in Kierby Walk in Burnley, The Colne Bookshop in Market Street, Colne and the Northern Life Office in Nelson.

From Monday, the book, published by Matador, is available from Waterstones, WH Smith and online at amazon.co.uk.