The Flaming Sword in Serbia and ElsewhereStobart, M. A. (Mabel Annie)
History
The Flaming Sword in Serbia and Elsewhere
Stobart, M. A. (Mabel Annie)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Hospitals; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
A funeral peasant party came to the church whilst we were lunching in
the field. A man in shirt sleeves walked in front, carrying a tray
with the funeral food of the deceased. Next followed a man carrying a
cross, and a wreath bearing the name of the dead; then friends with
flags; then the coffin, carried by men. On the shoulders of each bearer
was pinned a towel, or kerchief, which fluttered in the breeze. Next
came the women in gay colours; black as mourning, except in the head
kerchief, is thought to be a bad omen.
Owing to delay in the arrival of the unit, the camp at Lapovo was
not established till July 28th. Even then the dispensary tents and
stores had not come; but some horribly ancient bell-tents turned up
from somewhere, and with these and with stores from our Kragujevatz
hospital, we began work.
The Doctors Milanovitch and Stoyanovitch met us at the Lapovo Station,
and, with the courtesy usual with Serbian officers and officials,
offered help, and gave us coffee and cakes under the trees in the
garden of the station restaurant. The local Prefect also visited us; he
was beautifully dressed in the peasant costume. The day was hot, and he
wore no coat, but a soft white shirt, and embroidered waistcoat, brown
frieze trousers, tucked into embroidered socks, and leather sandals.
He invited us to his Slava feast next day at noon.
The first night was made a little uncomfortable by a violent
thunderstorm. The rain treated the tents with the disdain which they
deserved, and came straight through, wetting beds and blankets. Next
day, therefore, we encamped in the unfinished building, and though
there was no floor, and there were no windows, it seemed luxury to have
a roof overhead.
Dr. Cockburn, a Canadian doctor, at once won the sympathies of the
peasants, who came in hundreds to the dispensary. The first patient,
however, gave her much amusement. He was a Serbian officer; he asked to
see the doctor, and when she said that she was the doctor, he ran away,
and he never came back.
On Sunday evening we were all invited to supper with Dr. Stoyanovitch.
He was in charge of a hospital to which were attached field ambulances,
for work at the front. We supped out of doors behind the hospital
building, in a large yard, and other guests were officers, the
apothecary, a medical student, in addition to Dr. Stoyanovitch and
Dr. Milanovitch and his wife. At the back of the yard, which was well
shaded with trees, were rows of hooded ox-carts; I was surprised to
hear that these were for ambulance purposes. I little knew how familiar
I should later become with this form of transport for wounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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