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

mbulance

ATTLE O

914, to Novem

Ypres-At Ypres-A res

ve seen some of the Indians. The Canadians seem to be still on Sal

500 others drawn instead. And well they may be; one of the difficulties is the lively condition of the men's shirts and trousers (with worse than f

Belgian officers who w

to take up from the motor ambulances. A train of Indians is here. Some Belgian refugees boarded the train at Boulogne, and

, but the others h

e. Good business Just seen five aeroplanes. Have been warned by Major --

the line, with long fair British officers in turbans, mounted, who salute us, and we wave back; transp

hing some way off. The motor ambulances are not y

and blew it up. There is a hole 30 feet long, 15 across and 15 deep-very good piece of work. They occupied the station, and bragged about getting across to England from Calais. Th

go septic; swelling under the bandages. There was a fractured spine and a malignant ?dema, both dying; we p

RE

The men said the same. They slept from sheer exhaustion almost before their boots were got off, and before the cocoa came round. In the morning they perked up very pleased with their sleep, and talked incessantly of the trenches, and the charges, and the odds each regiment had against them, and how many were left out of their company, and all the mos

it was to say "Your train is urgently required; how soon can you start?" So I had a lucky escape of being left behind. (We had leave till 1 p.m.) Then the Major nearly got left; we couldn't st

f) eccentricities in the meals; (g) bad (or no) lights; (h) difficulties of getting laundry done; (i) personal capture of various live stock; (j) broken nights; (k) want of exercise on the up journey. Against all these minor deta

e a terrible lot of wounded to be got down-more than all the trains can take; they are putting

rench torpedo-boats alo

n R.N.; three trucks are called Nelson, Jellicoe, and Drake, with guns. They look fine; the men say it is a great game. They are directed where to fire at German positions or batteries, and as soon as they answer, the train nips out of

e, and this; but the men and officers who have been through all say this is the worst. The Germans are desperate, and stick at nothing, and the Allies are the same; and in determination to drive them back, each man personally seems to be the same. Consequently the "carnage" is being appalling, and we have been practically

nd pick-handles for splints, padded with bits of kilts and straw; nearly all the men had more than one wound-some had ten; one man with a huge compound fracture above the elb

the men; they stuck it all without a whine or complaint or even a comment: it was, "Would you mind moving my leg when you get time," and "Thank you very much," or "That's absolutely glorious," as one boy said on having his bootlace cut, or "That's grand," when you struck a lucky position for a wound in the back. One badly smashed up said contentedly, "I was lucky-I was the only man left alive in our trench"; so was another in another trench; sixteen out of twenty-five of one Company in a trench were on the train, all seriously wounded except one. One man with both legs smashed and other wounds was asked if it was all by one shell: "Oh yes; why, the man next me was blowed to bits." The bleeding made them all frightfully

ey said there were 11,000 Germans dead, and they

was a German spy shooting at the sentry sailor on the

into hospitals on motor ambulances: they lay in rows on their s

t down this week that they've had sudde

to make you sick. We all slept like logs last night, and could have gone on all day; but the train has to be cleaned down b

was going to be like one would hardly want to

, "That leg is a beast." We found a compound-fractured femur put up with a rifle for a splint! He had blankets on, and had never m

e was nothing doing, lay down in our clothes and slept, booted and spurred in mackintosh, aprons, &c. We were all so tired and done up yesterday, M.O.'s, Sisters, and orderlies, that we were glad of the respite. Th

ad himself seen in a barn three women and so

the popping of the French mitrailleuses, like our Maxims. The nearest Tommy can get to that

women and children refugees

horse ambulances

ch and Belgian troops, and unending streams of columns, also Belgian refugees, cars full of staff officers. The Cathedral is thirteenth century, glorious as usual. There are hundreds of

ook some down, also morphia, and fed them all-frightful cases on stretchers in the waiting-room. They are for our train when we can get in. He told me he had never seen such awful wounds, or such numb

night running we haven't had our clothes off-though we did lie down the night before. Last night we had each a four-hour shift to lie down, when all the worst were seen to. One man died at 6 a.m. and another is

of the rest. They sit up talking and smoking till late, "because they are

got me leg broke." A Reading man, with his face wounded and one eye gone, kept up a running fire of wit

depend largely on volunteer people with private motors. Then trains get blocked by other trains each side of them, and nothing short of the fear of death will move a French engine-driver to do what you want him to do. Meanwhile two men on our train died, and several others were getting on with it, and all the serious cases were in great distress and m

the town to find a blanchisserie, and bought a cake and a petticoat and had a brea

n to-day. I wonder if Bot

at gives the British public no glimmering of what it really is. The -- Regiment had three men left out of one company. The me

y. The boats were packed with refugee families yesterday. We had some badly wounded Germans on our train a

here and go back to Bailleul for 150 there. It is a lovely sunny morning, but very cold; the peasants are working in the fields as peacefully as at home. An R.A.M

so a very big British aeroplane with a machine-gun on her. A German aeroplane dropped a bomb into

in the act of firing over a trench. They are nearly all 47th Sikhs, perfect lambs: they hold up their wounded hands and arms like babies for you to see, and insist on having them dressed whether they've just been done or not. They behave like gentlemen, and salaam after y

387 cases

es. Those of a different caste had to sleep on the floor of the corridors, as the others wouldn't have them in. One compartment of four lying-down ones got restless with the pain of their arms, and I found them all sitting up

you." And he said in a hopeless sort of voice, "I don't

day's London 'Daily Mail'

quite difficult to nurse the Germans, and impossible to love your enemies. We always have some on the train. One man of the D.L.I. was bayoneted in three different places, after being badly wounded in the arm by a dumdum bullet. (They make a small entrance hole and burst

ded Indians again. Somehow they are not so harrowing as the wounded British, perhaps because of the block in language

igarettes and some chocolate, and A. sent a box

notes on what varieties they find in their clothing! Considering the way one gets smothered

fter all, late in the evening, and had a very heavy night: one of mine died

were having divine service, close to the quay. I listened specially to the part about loving our enemies! Then I found the English Church (Colonial

one will be able to get a stuffy stati

y-the beds and the food and the bandages. One worn-out one murmured as he was tucked up, "By Jove, it is splendid to be out of the sound of those beastly guns; it's priceless." I had

s. The shortage of officers is getting very serious on both sides, and it

r our positions, and away go the German guns. And these innocent would-be peasants working in the fields

s way yesterday half an hour after coming int

hes; it is up and at 'em. But we shall soon have lost all the men we have out here. Trains and trains f

day's 'Times' that the Germans have got back round Ypres again (where I went into the Cathedral last Monday). No.- A.T. was badly shelled there yesterday. The Germans were trying for the armoured train. The naval officer on the armoured train had to stand behind the eng

sh dead are now piled up on the field. But they aren't letting the Germans through. Three of our men di

m.-Just going to load up; wish we'd gone

ntly been left many days; their condition was appalling; two died (one of tetanus), an

ish cavalry, are being hurried up

s it seems as if we shall never ge

ipe up what can be wiped up. I think the British men who have seen the desolation and the atrocities in Bel

ISH ARMY

ERMAN INFAN

ENEMY BACK A

HREE WEEKS UNDER

g they have just left. If one only had time to listen or take it down it would be something worth reading, because it is not letters home or newspaper stuff, but told to each other, with their own curious comments and phraseology, and no hint of a gallery or a Press. Incident

all day. Had a hot bath on the St Andrew. News from the F

y all the trains are here. The news to-day is glorious. They say tha

et and slush. I amused myself with a pot of white paint and a forceps and wool for a brush, painting the

in bed is doing us all a power of good; we h

Boulogne, but out of Park Lane Siding slum, and among the ships aga

thank Heaven; and the line is still wanted for troops. We have just heard that there are several trains to go up before our turn comes, and that

els, so the next will be the chocolate and hankies and cards, &c. It is

move on in the middle of the n

unt of coats or clothes keeps you warm in a railway carriage in winter. I'm going to make a foot muff out of a brown blanket, which will help. A smart walk out of doors would do it, but that you can't get off when the tra

ful for loading sick, and there will b

are going to load up at Poperinghe, the town next before it,

r days in the open before being picked up; he had six bullets in his leg, two in each arm, and crawled about till found; one of the arm wounds he got doing this. I went to bed at 4. The news

better for ou

in, and we were hung up for hours, and haven't yet got to Rouen, so we shall have them on the train all to-morrow too, and have all the dressings to do for the third time. One of the night orderlies has been run in for being asleep on duty. He climbed into a top bunk (where a Frenchman was taken off at Amiens), and deliberately covered up and went to sleep. He was in charge of 28 patients. Another was left behind at Boulogne, abs

winter woods and frosted country. Our load is a heavy and anxious one-344; we shall be glad to land t