Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915

mbulance

EXPERI

1914, to Oct

fire-Tales of the Retr

d have just unpacked. There is an Army Sister and tw

ts: a table and seat at one end, lots of racks and hooks, and a lovely little washing-house leading out of the bunk, share

two Civil Surgeons at another, and some French officials of the train at another. Meal cooked and ser

for something different from what it was meant for; the billeting is universal. You hear a funny alternation of educated and uneducated English on all sides of you, and loud French gabbling of all sorts. By day you see aeroplanes and troop trains and artillery trains; and by night you see searchlights and hear the incessant wailing and squawking of the train whistles. On every platfo

soft thick blankets; any amount of dressings and surgical equipment, and a big kitchen, steward's store, and three orderlies to each waggon. Shouldn't be surprised

and another, as well as a lot of doing. What a splendid message the French Government have sent the Belgian Government on coming to Ha

is going to be evacuated as a military P.O. centre and othe

ith trucks on each side, is not inspiring, but will improve when we move: have only been allowed walks alongside the train to-day b

where we have tea; it is a very easy family party. Our beds are all sofas in the daytime and

t 8.46 for Abbeville, and get o

Abbeville. They have always seen shells bursting at Braisne. I'm glad

.-Starte

in the roads, and a few British camps; villages all look deserted. Guns booming in the distance, sounds like heavy portmanteaux being dropped on the roof at regul

ve built Kaffir kraals to sleep in-very sodden-looking; they've just asked for some p

by, and the wounded Tommies got rather excited, and translated the different sounds of "them Jack Johnsons" and "them Coal-boxes" and "Calamity Kate," and of our guns and a machine-gun popping. There is a troop train just behind us that they may be potting at, or some gunners in the village, or the R.E. camp. There have been two aeroplanes over u

on the Arras line, I believe, where we shall go next. (There's another close to the train.) They make such a fascinating purring nois

ooking after at night besides what the

h a loud bang in the wood the other side; made one jump more than any y

They are in the compartment next three wounded officers. They are all four angelically good and brave and grateful; it does seem hard luck on them. It was not easy getting them all settled in, in a pitch-dark evening, the trains so high from the ground; and a good deal of excitement all round over the shelling, which only left off at dusk. One of the C.S.'s had a narrow shave on his way from the train to the R.T.O.; he had just time to lie flat, and it burst a few yards from him, on the line. S. and I stayed up till 3 a.m. and then called the others, and we got up again at 8 and were all busy all the morning. It is a weird business at night, picking your way through kitchens and storerooms and wards with

a hospital on a train, especially when it stands in a siding several days. One man will have to die on the train if we don't move soon, but we are not full up yet.

ack Johnson has been very quiet all the morning, but he spoke for

or any one ever live through it? These came all through the Retreat from Mons. Then through the wet weather in the trenches on the Aisne-where they don't always get hot tea (as is said in the papers, much

s were thrown away, and the young boys died of exhaustion and heat. The officers guarded ea

oper mess of him"-this with a stare of horror. And they never critici

ng with autumn colours, and through it goes a road with continual littl

raight from the trenches, and are awfully happy on the train with the first attempts at comforts they have known. One told me they were just getting their tea one day, relieving the

ck to Villeneuve to-morrow, dropping the sick probably at Versailles. Every one thankful

provisioned, watered, sanitated, lit, cleaned, doctored and nursed and staffed and officered, all wi

deciding which of all the things that want doing you must let go undone; shall they be washed or fed, or beds made, or have their hypodermics and brand

tuck in a wine bottle-no tablecloth-everything on one plate with the same knife and fork-coffee in a glass, served by a charming dirty Frenchman; many jokes going on between

nch wounded and

ories, dish out the meals, sleep on the floor, go without baths, live on Maconochie rations, and h

tur

the work, but very sweet and brave; the orderlies couldn't do enough for them; they adored them, and were so indignant at their being wounded. Another man died to-day-shot through the pelvis. One of the enterics, a Skye man, thinks I'm his

rvices, no nothing-not even any Time. The only thing to mark

I'm hoping we shall get time at Rouen to see the Cathedral, d

e last night, and all the wounded were taken off

wo people operating day and night.

t glorious old city, two cathedrals of surpassing beauty, lovely old streets, broad river, hills, and lovely hot baths and hair shampooing. What with two cathedr