A Journal From Our Legation in BelgiumGibson, Hugh
History
A Journal From Our Legation in Belgium
Gibson, Hugh
Belgium -- History -- German occupation, 1914-1918
Before we left the station they began bringing in the wounded and
prisoners. Most of the wounded I saw were not badly hurt, and were
plucky and confident. Most of them were supported or led by Boy Scouts
who have taken off the military the full burden of messenger work and a
lot of other jobs. They are being of real value, as they can do lots of
useful things and thereby release grown men for service at the front.
When I got back to the Rue St. Boniface--after stopping at the Legation
to see what had come in--had just time to throw myself down for a
twenty-minute rest before the slave came in with my coffee. And then
with no time for a tub, I had to hurry back and get into the harness.
And none too soon, for the work began to pour in and I have been kept
on the jump all day. If all goes well I hope to get to bed some time
after midnight to-night. That means about three hours sleep and hard
going during the past forty-eight hours.
This morning the various American committees came to the Legation to
report on the measures they have taken for the protection of the colony
in case of danger. I have been handed the pleasant task of Chief of
Staff, with full authority to settle all matters affecting the
protection of Americans in case hostilities reach this part of the
country, as seems may well be the case before many days. In harmony with
my well-known policy of passing the buck--more politely known as
executive ability--I impressed Major Boyer of the Army, who is here for
the time. He has set up an office at the headquarters of the committee
and makes it his business to keep me fully posted as to what is going on
there. First I started him out to look at the various houses that have
been under discussion by the committee, so that he could decide as to
their relative accessibility and general strategic advantages. He did
this and made all sorts of arrangements tending to co-ordinate the work
of the various sub-committees along the lines of the plan we drew up. It
will be a great thing to have somebody who will act as buffer for all
the detail and relieve me of just that much.
Germans who for one reason or another had not got away on our train kept
turning up all day, and we kept sending them along to the Consulate.
Late this afternoon the hard-working Nasmith came in to say that there
were already seven hundred of them gathered there. We shall have to
have another special train for day after to-morrow morning, and hope to
get most of the remaining Germans out of harm's way by that time.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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