World War, 1914-1918 -- Canada; World War, 1914-1918 -- Nova Scotia
The next afternoon all patients who were able to be up, or to be carried
out, were given a special tea on the lawn in honor of Dominion Day.
While this was going on His Majesty the King with H.R.H. the Prince of
Wales paid the Unit a surprise visit. His Majesty was particularly
gracious in his felicitations to patients and Staff, by all of whom the
honor of this visit was greatly appreciated.
During the summer the enemy aeroplanes were very active in bombing raids
on the back areas, especially on moonlight nights. The first real
bombing raid this Unit experienced was on September 30th. Enemy
aeroplanes came over this area in great force shortly after sundown and
began dropping numerous bombs. The loud swish of the bombs coming
through the air followed by the fearful crash of the explosion was
terrifying; but everybody, nursing sisters and all, “stood to” at their
post of duty. Although No. 7 escaped there were serious casualties. Four
men were killed and several wounded at the British Hospital just across
the river, and four nursing sisters and sixteen men were killed at the
Scottish Hospital in St. Omer, only two miles distant.
On October 8th H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught visited and inspected the
Unit.
The first word of the terrific explosion at Halifax was received on
December 8th, and many anxious days were spent awaiting definite word
and to know just what had happened.
The Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel Stewart, was called to the higher
and more important duties of Surgical Consultant to hospitals in England
and left the Unit, greatly to the regret of the entire personnel, on
Thursday, March 7, 1918. The command of the Unit was taken over by Major
E. V. Hogan, who was promoted to the rank of Lieut.-Colonel.
March and April, 1918, brought still more busy days to the Dalhousie
Unit. Being so near the Front they received a very large number of
wounded, many straight from the field of battle. Although this hospital
had only 400 beds it frequently had 800 severely wounded soldiers to
look after.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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