My War Experiences in Two ContinentsMacnaughtan, S. (Sarah)
History
My War Experiences in Two Continents
Macnaughtan, S. (Sarah)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals, charities, etc.; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English
Miss Macnaughtan then related a number of interesting incidents,
one of which was, that when a party of wounded Englishmen came to a
station where she was tending the Belgian wounded, every wounded
Belgian gave up his bed to accommodate an English soldier. The idea
of a German occupation of English soil, she said, was the idea of a
catastrophe that was unspeakable. People read things in the papers
and thought they were exaggerated, but she had seen them, and she
would show photographs of ruined Belgium which would convince them
of what the Germans were now doing in the name of God. However
unprepared we were for war, the wounded had been well cared for,
and she thought there never was a war in which the care of the
wounded had been so well managed or so efficient. (Applause.) They
had to be thankful that there had been no terrible epidemic, and
she could not speak too highly of the work of the nurses and
doctors in the performance of their duties. This was the time for
every man to do his duty, and strain every nerve and muscle to
bring the war to an end and get the boys home again. (Applause.)
[Page Heading: SIR FRANCIS YOUNGHUSBAND, K.C.I.E.]
Sir Francis Younghusband, K.C.I.E., spoke of Miss Macnaughtan as a
very old friend, whom he had met in many parts of the Empire. In
this crisis she might well have stayed at home in her comfortable
residence in London, but she had sacrificed her own personal
comforts in order to assist others. They must realise that this war
was something much more than a war of defence of their homes. It
was a fight on behalf of the whole of humanity. A staggering blow
had been dealt by our relentless enemy at Belgium, which had been
knocked down and trampled upon, and Germany had also dealt blow
after blow at humanity by the use of poison-gas, the bombardment of
seaside towns, and bombs thrown on defenceless places by Zeppelins.
She had thrust aside all those rights of humanity which we had
cherished as a nation as most dear to our hearts. What we were now
fighting for was right, and he would put to them a resolution that
we would fight for right till right had won. In response to an
appeal for the endorsement of his sentiments the audience stood en
masse, and with upraised hands shouted "Aye." It was a stirring
moment, and must have been gratifying to the authoress, who has
devoted so much of her time and energy to the comfort of the
wounded soldiers.
The Lord Mayor then proposed a vote of thanks to Miss Macnaughtan
for her address, and this was carried by acclamation.
Miss Macnaughtan briefly responded, and then proceeded to
illustrate many of the scenes she had witnessed by lantern-slides,
showing the results of bombardments and the ruin of some of the
fairest domains of Belgium and France.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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