Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915Anonymous
History
Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915
Anonymous
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc.; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
_Monday, August 31st._--We all got up at 5.30 to be ready, but I daresay
we shan't move to-day. Yesterday we had two starved, exhausted, fugitive
(from Amiens) No.-- Sisters in to tea on our floor, and heard their
stories. The last seventeen of them fled with the wounded. A train of
cattle-trucks came in at Rouen with all the wounded as they were picked
up without a spot of dressing on any of their wounds, which were septic
and full of straw and dirt. The matron, M.O., and some of them got hold
of some dressings and went round doing what they could in the time, and
others fed them. Then the No.-- got their Amiens wounded into
cattle-trucks on mattresses, with Convent pillows, and had a twenty
hours' journey with them in frightful smells and dirt. Our visitor had
five badly-wounded officers, one shot through the lungs and hip, and all
full of bullets and spunk. They were magnificent, and asked riddles and
whistled, and the men were the same. They'd been travelling already for
two days. An orderly fell out of the train and was badly injured, and
died next morning.
It is very interesting to read on Monday the 'Times' Military
Correspondent's forecast of Friday. He seems to know so exactly the
different lines of defence of the Allies, and exactly where the Germans
will try and break through. But he has never found out that Havre has
been a base for over a fortnight. He speaks of Havre or Cherbourg as a
possible base to fall back upon, if fortified against long-distance
artillery firing, which we are not. And now we are abandoning Havre!
_Tuesday, September 1st._--No orders yet, so we are still waiting,
packed up.
Went with one of the regulars to-day to see the big hospital ship
_Asturias_ with 3000 beds, and also to see Sister ---- at the
No.-- Maritime Hospital. They've been very busy there dressing the
wounded for the ship. Colonel ---- brought us back in his motor, and met
the Consul-General on the way, who told us K. came through to-day off a
cruiser, and was taken on to Paris in a motor. Smiles of relief from
every one. One of the Sisters had heard from her mother in Scotland that
she had five Russian officers billeted! They are said to be on their way
through from Archangel.
Troopships full of French and English troops are leaving Havre every
day, for Belgium.
Wouldn't you like to be under the table when K. and J. and F. are poring
over their maps to-night?
_Wednesday, September 2nd._--We are leaving to-morrow, on a hospital
ship, possibly for Nantes K. has given orders for every one to be
cleared out of Havre by to-morrow.
We found some men invalided from the Front lying outside the station
last night waiting for an ambulance, mostly reservists called up; they'd
had a hot time, but were full of grit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account