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
Certainly the ones who pass through No.-- get a better chance of early
recovery without long complications than most of those we got on the
train. And while they are awaiting evacuation to the Clearing Hospitals
they have every chance, both here and at the French Hospital, where all
the trained orderlies except two are on duty, and practically all the
M.O.'s. But, of course, there are a great many of the seriously wounded
that no amount of aseptic and skilled surgery or nursing can save.
_Sunday_, 11.30 A.M. _May 16th._--They began coming in at 3.30, and by 8
A.M. the place was full to bursting. We managed to get all the stretcher
cases to bed, and as many of the others as we had beds for, without
sending for the other two Sisters, who came on at 8.15, and are now
coping. Most of them were very cheery, because things seem to be going
well. Two lines of trenches taken, all the wire cut, and some of the
earthworks down; but it is always an expensive business even when
successful--only then nobody minds the expense. There are hundreds more
to come in, and the seriously wounded generally get brought in last,
because they can't get up and run, but have to hide in trenches and
shell holes. One man, wounded on Sunday and found on Friday night, had
kept himself alive on dead men's emergency rations. They were all
sopping wet with blood or mud or both.
The ---- lost heavily. I heard one officer say, "They drove us back five
times."
After breakfast I went to the Cathedral, and then boldly bearded the big
dressing station at the French Hospital, where all the dressings are
done and the men evacuated, armed with a huge linen bag of cigarettes,
chocolate, and writing-cases which came last night. I met the C.O., who
said I could have a look round, and then rowed me for not being in bed,
and said we should be busy to-night and for some time. It was very
interesting, and if you brought your reason to bear on it, not too
horrible.
Every corridor, waiting-room, ward, and passage was filled with them,
the stretchers waiting their turn on the floors, and the walking cases
(which on the A.T. we used to call the sitting-ups) in groups and
queues. No one was fussing, but all were working at full pitch; and very
few of the men were groaning, but nearly all were gruesomely covered
with blood. And they look pretty awful on the bare gory stretchers, with
no pillows or blankets, just as they are picked up on the field. Many
are asleep from exhaustion.
What cheered me was one ward full of last Sunday's bad cases, all in
bed, and very cheery and doing well. They loved the writing-cases, &c.,
and said it was like Xmas, and they wouldn't want to leave 'ere now.
A great many of this morning's had already been evacuated, and they were
still pouring in. One has to remember that a great many get quite well,
though many have a ghastly time in store for them in hospital.
The barge is in the canal again taking in the non-jolters.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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