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
Another day has gone and I have not made much progress about getting
Philip here. After much telephoning and pulling wires we have found out
that Phil has been sent to No. 20 General Hospital at E. and is likely
to be transferred to England. I am going to raise the roof to-day--to
see if I can’t go there to see the D. D. M. S. of that area and see why
the boy can’t be brought here. I am going to do everything possible
before I give up, and anyway I shall see him, for if he gets sent to
England, I shall go over. I was going anyway next week, as Mrs. Whitelaw
Reid had written for me to come over about uniforms, etc. and Major
Murphy and Col. Fife had said they thought I ought to go, so I’ll go
anyway if Phil gets sent over there, but probably not if I can get him
here. All reports are that his condition is good.
It just occurred to me that you may not have received my letter of the
8th--telling all I know about his injury. The inclosed notes were my
original information. I will cable just as soon as I know anything more
definite. You poor old dears--you’ll be so shocked by my cable just as I
was by these notes Saturday. I felt sick at my stomach all day after
getting them. But don’t you worry, Phil is strong and he will get well
fast.
Lovingly,
Julia.
Sept. 19, 1917.
You cannot imagine how much my mind is at rest, for I have Phil here
with me and everything is all right. After waiting and waiting for some
word as to the chances of bringing him down from C., on Saturday last,
the 15th, I called the Aide of the D. D. M. S., and asked him to see
what he could do for me. On Sunday he telephoned that he had learned
that Phil was not able to travel, but that I could have an ambulance and
go up Monday morning, the 17th, and see the boy. It was necessary to
send an ambulance up to N. to bring a Chinaman up to the British
hospital for Chinese that is there. I was told I could take an officer
with me if I wanted to and if we found Phil well enough to travel, we
could bring him down. So I asked Capt. Veeder to go with me, and Col.
Fife gave us both two days’ leave of absence. It is about 130 miles to
C. We left at 10 A.M., and I took with me all the things that we might
possibly need if we were to bring Philip back, extra pillows, a feeding
cup, thermos, hypodermic set, etc., etc.
We had a beautiful trip up. The country for two thirds of the way is
most lovely and the day was beautiful. Both Capt. Veeder and I sat on
the front seat with the driver. The car was a great big regular
ambulance that can be used to carry four stretcher cases. The shelves
for the two upper cases can be hooked up. We made very good time. Had
dinner at a little hotel in E., stopped twenty minutes to say hello to
our friends of the Philadelphia Unit, had our tea en route from the
lunch box we brought from here, dropped our Chinaman at N., and dashed
on along the coast and reached C. about 6:30.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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