Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915

Part 1

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Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front

1914-1915

"Naught broken save this body, lost but breath. Nothing to shake the laughing heart's long peace there, But only agony, and that has ending; And the worst friend and enemy is but Death."

William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh and London 1915

CONTENTS.

PAGE I. WAITING FOR ORDERS, AUGUST 18, 1914, TO SEPTEMBER 14, 1914 1

The voyage out--Havre--Leaving Havre--R.M.S.P. "Asturias"--St Nazaire--Orders at last.

II. LE MANS--WOUNDED FROM THE AISNE--SEPTEMBER 15, 1914, TO OCTOBER 11, 1914 33

Station duty--On train duty--Orders again--Waiting to go--Still at Le Mans--No.-- Stationary Hospital--Off at last--The Swindon of France.

III. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (1)--FIRST EXPERIENCES--OCTOBER 13, 1914, TO OCTOBER 19, 1914 65

Ambulance Train--Under fire--Tales of the Retreat--Life on the Train.

IV. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (2)--FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES--OCTOBER 20, 1914, TO NOVEMBER 17, 1914 81

Rouen--First Battle of Ypres--At Ypres--A rest--A General Hospital.

V. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (3)--BRITISH AND INDIANS--NOVEMBER 18, 1914, TO DECEMBER 17, 1914. 111

The Boulogne siding--St Omer--Indian soldiers--His Majesty King George--Lancashire men on the War--Hazebrouck--Bailleul--French engine-drivers--Sheepskin coats--A village in N.E. France--Headquarters.

VI. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (4)--CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR ON THE TRAIN--DECEMBER 18, 1914, TO JANUARY 3, 1915 143

The Army and the King--Mufflers--Christmas Eve--Christmas on the train--Princess Mary's present--The trenches in winter--"A typical example"--New Year's Eve at Rouen--The young officers.

VII. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (5)--WINTER ON THE TRAIN AND IN THE TRENCHES--JANUARY 7, 1915, TO FEBRUARY 6, 1915 165

The Petit Vitesse siding--Uncomplainingness of Tommy--Painting the train--A painful convoy--The "Yewlan's" watch--"Officer dressed in bandages"--Sotteville--Versailles--The Palais Trianon--A walk at Rouen--The German view, and the English view--'Punch'--"When you return Conqueror"--K.'s new Army.

VIII. ON NO.-- AMBULANCE TRAIN (6)--ROUEN--NEUVE CHAPELLE--ST ELOI--FEBRUARY 7, 1915, TO MARCH 31, 1915 199

The Indians--St Omer--The Victoria League--Poperinghe--A bad load--Left behind--Rouen again--An "off" spell--En route to Etretat--Sotteville--Neuve Chapelle--St Eloi--The Indians--Spring in N.W. France--The Convalescent Home--Kitchener's boys.

IX. WITH NO.-- FIELD AMBULANCE (1)--BILLETS: LIFE AT THE BACK OF THE FRONT--APRIL 2, 1915, TO APRIL 29, 1915 237

Good Friday and Easter, 1915--The Maire's Chateau--A walk to Beuvry--The new billet--The guns--A Taube--The Back of the Front--A soldier's funeral--German machine-guns--Gas fumes--The Second Battle of Ypres.

X. WITH NO.-- FIELD AMBULANCE (2)--FESTUBERT, MAY 9 AND 16--MAY 6, 1915, TO MAY 26, 1915 273

The noise of war--Preparation--Sunday, May 9--The barge--The officers' dressing-station--Charge of the Black Watch, May 9--Festubert, May 16--The French Hospital--A bad night--Shelled out--Back at a Clearing Hospital--"For duty at a Base Hospital."

Waiting for Orders

August 18, 1914, to September 14, 1914

Part 2

"Troops to our England true Faring to Flanders, God be with all of you And your commanders."

--G.W. BRODRIBB.

Waiting for Orders.

August 18, 1914, to September 14, 1914.

The voyage out--Havre--Leaving Havre--R.M.S.P. "Asturias"--St Nazaire--Orders at last.

S.S. CITY OF BENARES (Troopship).

Tuesday, 8 P.M., August 18th.--Orders just gone round that there are to be no lights after dark, so I am hasting to write this.

We had a great send-off in Sackville Street in our motor-bus, and went on board about 2 P.M. From then till 7 we watched the embarkation going on, on our own ship and another. We have a lot of R.E. and R.F.A. and A.S.C., and a great many horses and pontoons and ambulance waggons: the horses were very difficult to embark, poor dears. It was an exciting scene all the time. I don't remember anything quite so thrilling as our start off from Ireland. All the 600 khaki men on board, and every one on every other ship, and all the crowds on the quay, and in boats and on lighthouses, waved and yelled. Then we and the officers and the men, severally, had the King's proclamation read out to us about doing our duty for our country, and God blessing us, and how the King is following our every movement.

We are now going to snatch up a very scratch supper and turn in, only rugs and blankets.

Wednesday, August 19th.--We are having a lovely calm and sunny voyage--slowed down in the night for a fog. I had a berth by an open port-hole, and though rather cold with one blanket and a rug (dressing-gown in my trunk), enjoyed it very much--cold sea bath in the morning. We live on oatmeal biscuits and potted meat, with chocolate and tea and soup squares, some bread and butter sometimes, and cocoa at bed-time.

There is a routine by bugle-call on troopships, with a guard, police, and fatigues. The Tommies sleep on bales of forage in the after well-deck and all over the place. We have one end of the 1st class cabin forrard, and the officers have the 2nd class aft for sleeping and meals, but there is a sociable blend on deck all day. Two medical officers here were both in South Africa at No. 7 when I was (Captains in those days), and we have had great cracks on old times and all the people we knew. One is commanding a Field Ambulance and goes with the fighting line. There are 200 men for Field Ambulances on board. They don't carry Sisters, worse luck, only Padres.

We had an impromptu service on deck this afternoon; I played the hymns,--never been on a voyage yet without being let in for that. It was run by the three C. of E. Padres and the Wesleyan hand in hand: the latter has been in the Nile Expedition of '98 and all through South Africa. We had Mission Hymns roared by the Tommies, and then a C. of E. Padre gave a short address--quite good. The Wesleyan did an extempore prayer, rather well, and a very nice huge C. of E. man gave the Blessing. Now they are having a Tommies' concert--a talented boy at the piano.

At midday we passed a French cruiser, going the opposite way. They waved and yelled, and we waved and yelled. We are out of sight of English or French coast now. I believe we are to be in early to-morrow morning, and will have a long train journey probably, but nobody knows anything for certain except where we land--Havre.

It seems so long since we heard anything about the war, but it is only since yesterday morning. (The concert is rather distracting, and the wind is getting up--one of the Tommies has an angelic black puppy on his lap, with a red cross on its collar, and there is a black cat about.)

Thursday, August 20th, 5 P.M., Havre.--We got in about 9 o'clock this morning. Havre is a very picturesque town, with very high houses, and a great many docks and quays, and an enormous amount of shipping. The wharves were as usual lined with waving yelling crowds, and a great exchange of Vive l'Angleterre from them, and Vive la France from us went on, and a lusty roar of the Marseillaise from us. During the morning the horses and pontoons and waggons were disembarked, and the R.E. and Field Ambulances went off to enormous sheds on the wharf. We went off in a taxi in batches of five to the Convent de St Jeanne d'Arc, an enormous empty school, totally devoid of any furniture except crucifixes! Luckily the school washhouse has quite good basins and taps, and we are all camping out, three in a room, to sleep on the floor, as our camp kit isn't available. No one knows if we shall be here one night, or a week, or for ever! It is a glorious place, with huge high rooms, and huge open casements, and broad staircases and halls, windows looking over the town to the sea. We are high up on a hill. There's no food here, so we sit on the floor and make our own breakfast and tea, and go to a very swanky hotel for lunch and dinner. We are billeted here for quarters, and at the hotel for meals.

A room full of mattresses has just been discovered to our joy, and we have all hauled one up to our rooms, so we shall be in luxury.

Just got a French paper and seen the Pope is dead, and a very enthusiastic account of the British troops at Dunkerque, their marvellous organisation, their cheerfulness, and their behaviour.

Just seen on the Official War News placarded in the town that the Germans have crossed the Meuse between Liege and Namur, and the Belgians are retiring on to Antwerp. The Allies must buck up.

The whole town is flying flags since the troops began to come in; all the biggest shops and buildings fly all four of the Allies.

Friday, August 21st.--Intercession Day at home. There is a beautiful chapel in the Convent.

There is almost as much censoring about the movement of the French troops in the French papers as there is about ours in the English, and not a great deal about the movements of the Germans.

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