"Thus we all came through the Dobrudja retreat. We had only been one
month in Roumania, but we seemed to have lived a lifetime between the
22nd and 26th of October, 1916." In a letter to the Committee Dr. Inglis
says of the Unit: "They worked magnificently at Medjidia, and took the
retreat in a very joyous, indomitable way. One cannot say they were
plucky, because I don't think it ever entered their heads to be afraid."
Finally the scattered members of the Unit joined forces again at Braila,
where Dr. Inglis opened a hospital.
During the time at Braila Dr. Inglis wrote to her relations. The letter
is dated Reni, where she had gone for a few days.
"RENI,
"_October 28th, 1916._
"DEAREST AMY,
"Just a line to say I am all right. Four weeks to-morrow since we
reached Medjidia and began our hospital. We evacuated it in three
weeks, and here we are all back on the frontier.... Such a time it
has been, Amy dear; you cannot imagine what war is just behind the
lines. And in a retreat....
"Our second retreat--and almost to the same day. We evacuated
Kraguevatz on the 25th of October last year. We evacuated Medjidia
on the 22nd this year. On the 25th this year we were working in a
Russian dressing-station at Harshova, and were moved on in the
evening. We arrived at Braila to find 11,000 wounded and seven
doctors, only one of them a surgeon.
"Boat come--must stop--am going back to Braila to do surgery. Have
sent every trained person there.
"Ever, you dear, dear people,
"Your loving sister,
"ELSIE.
"We have had lots of exciting things too--and amusing things--and
_good_ things."
Two further retreats had, however, to be experienced by Dr. Inglis and
her Unit before they could settle down to steady work. The three
retreats took place in the following order:
_Sunday, October 22nd._--Retreated from Medjidia.
_October 25th._--Arrived at Braila. Worked there till December 3rd.
_December 3rd._--Retreated to Galatz, where very strenuous work awaited
them.
_January 4th._--Retreated to Reni.
_August, 1917._--Left Reni, and rejoined the Serb division at Hadji
Abdul.
The work during the above period, from October 25th, 1916, to August,
1917, was done for the Russians and Roumanians. As soon as it was
possible, Dr. Inglis joined the Serb division in the end of August,
1917.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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