Finding Themselves: The Letters of an American Amy Chief Nurse in the British Hospital in FranceStimson, Julia C. (Julia Catherine)
History
Finding Themselves: The Letters of an American Amy Chief Nurse in the British Hospital in France
Stimson, Julia C. (Julia Catherine)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
We have been having some lovely walks these past few days, since the
rains have let up. There are loads of beautiful places to go to all
around. One can take a little excursion boat from Rouen, down the river
a bit, then get off and walk back here through the woods. Several times
I have gone with some good walker into town, late in the afternoon, had
supper in a most interesting little French café, and walked out here
afterwards, making a nice walk of about 7 or 8 miles. The evenings are
light and the sunsets wonderful and the crowds going home across the big
bridges and out in our direction are most interesting. Ruth has walked
one way with me but not the two. She is on day duty now, but I do not
get a chance to go out with her very much as I cannot plan my free times
much beforehand.
Yesterday we had two very interesting callers: Miss Draper and Miss Hoyt
from New York. They looked very smart in neat gray and blue uniform
suits with A. R. C. on the shoulder straps. They said they were sent to
make inquiries about hospital needs for the American Red Cross. They
were very charming and pleasant and I liked very much talking with them.
They came just as we were starting to leave to attend to our operation,
so we asked them to come back to supper, which they did. They had driven
down from Paris in Major (Dr.) Alex. Lambert’s car, a humble Ford, they
called it. It looked pretty beautiful to us.
On the 13th I got a telegram from Philip saying he had landed at
Liverpool on the 11th. I wonder where he is and hope I shall be able to
communicate with him soon. I had to stop there to take a patient’s
mother down to see him. The boy is very badly hurt in several places,
two legs and one arm. A nice Y. M. C. A. person just turned her over to
me. It is a wonderful system that brings a relative out here, almost
personally conducted the whole way. This Y. M. C. A. person also brought
the brother of another of our patients, but he got here too late and I
had to tell him that his brother died last evening. He can be here for
the funeral to-morrow anyway, and he can talk to the nurses who looked
after the boy in his last hours. The Y. M. C. A. lady took him away for
the night, but will bring him back to-morrow.
There is not very much of special interest to chronicle just at present.
I am very well myself and trust I am going to stay so. Our food is quite
good and sufficient. We all have huge appetites from being out of doors
so much.
We are longing for letters very badly. It must be about three weeks now
since I have had a line from the States. I get some letters every day,
but they are mostly from England about patients or from people in the
locality, on business. There goes the third aëroplane that has flown
over us in the past half hour. They are such pretty things. I should
like to have a ride in one.
With loads of love to you all. This is a stupid letter, I know, but they
can’t all be thrilling, for naturally there have to be many unthrilling
days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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