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

Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western?by Anonymous

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Title: Diary of a Nursing Sister on the Western Front, 1914-1915
Author: Anonymous
Release Date: July 26, 2006 [EBook #18910]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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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 ��tretat--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."

I.
Waiting for Orders
August 18, 1914, to September 14, 1914

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

I.
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,