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
The Germans were beaten already, and had been beaten from the day
they gave up their honour. She spoke of the heroism of the troops,
and stated that since September last she had been running a
soup-kitchen for the wounded. In this humble vocation she had had
an opportunity of gauging the spirit of the soldiers. She had seen
them sick, wounded, and dying, but had never known them give in.
Why should humble villages in France without soldiers in them be
shelled? That was Germany, and that was what they saw. The thing
was almost inconceivable, but she had seen helpless women and
children brought to the hospitals, maimed and wounded by the cruel
German shells. After this war England was going to be a better
country than before. Up to now there had been a national
selfishness which was growing very strong, and there was a terrible
love of money, which, after all, was of very little account unless
it was used in the proper direction. She could tell them stories of
Belgians who had had to fire upon their own women and children who
were being marched in front of German troops. The power of Germany
had to be crushed. The spirit of England and Wales was one in this
great war, and they would not falter until they had emerged
triumphant. (Applause.)
[Page Heading: A CLARION CALL]
Mr. Robinson Smith said the clarion call had been sounded, and they
were prepared, if necessary, to give their last shilling, their
last drop of blood, and their very selves, body, soul, and spirit,
to fight for right till right had won. (Applause.)
Cheers were given for the distinguished authoress, and the
proceedings terminated.
* * * * *
After Cardiff (and a most cordial send-off from my committee) I came
back to London, and lectured at Eton, at the Polytechnic, and various
other places, while all the time I was preparing to go to Russia, and I
was also writing.
In the year that has passed my time has been fully occupied. To begin
with, when the war broke out I studied district-nursing in Walworth for
a month. I attended committees, and arranged to go to Belgium, got my
kit, and had a good deal of business to arrange in the way of
house-letting, etc., etc. Afterwards, I went to Antwerp, till the siege
and the bombardment; then followed the flight to Ostend; after that a
further flight to Furnes. Then came the winter of my work, day and night
at the soup-kitchen for the wounded, a few days at home in January, then
back again and to work at Adinkerke till June, when I came home to
lecture.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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