HEROIC NURSES IN GREECE

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23350, 9 June 1941, Page 8

HEROIC NURSES IN GREECE

♦ DOCTOR’S TRIBUTE EVACUATION ADVENTURES (P.S.S.) WELLINGTON, June 8. “The whole show' was one of which evefry New Zealand woman would be very proud,’’ is how Captain E. G. Sayers, ' N.Z.E.F., of Auckland, describes in a letter the evacuation of a hospital unit from Greece. His calm and unemotional account brings out fully the courageous behaviour of the New Zealand nurses. , “And so our picnic was over,” he says. “You can imagine how I learned to appreciate the sterling qualities of our nurses. Never once during the whole period of anxious waiting in Athens and during the arduous and frankly dangerous trip to the place of embarkation did I detect a trace of fear, a sign of hysteria, or any failure of morale. I shall never forget seeing them imperturbably lying in the graveyard—some on recently-covered graves—eating their bully beef and biscuit while the aeroplanes were circling overhead.” The hospital had been established at a suitable site within easy distance of the fighting. Captain Sayers says: “It was becoming obvious that as our troops retreated the position of our hospital was getting precarious. You see, a hospital is such a cumbersome show, without transport, and to pack it all up takes days, while to shift it requires a big number of trucks and a long train. We had also, beside our own staff, more than 400 patients. The last few days we were there we could hear quite plainly the artillery fire in the passes ahead, and the visits of German aeroplanes to look at us became more and more frequent.” Late one night the unit received orders to evacuate everybody and leave the hospital standing. The nurses were piled into motor-trucks and a car belonging to a mobile dental unit, and a Wellington doctor and Captain Sayers were sent off in charge of them. The rest of the staff left with the patients in the day. First Attempt Thwarted The nurses went through to Athens and were billeted in various hotels. Five days later Captain Sayers, another doctor, and the nurses were picked up by trucks and taken almost to the wharf to go on a hospital ship, but they were halted and told that the ship had been forced to leave without them because of air-raid alarms. They returned to their billets in Athens for several more days. The two men had a tent in a camp just overlooking the aerodrome. “Every morning,” says Captain Sayers, “up to 20 German dive-bombers would swoop like lightning out of the sun just over our heads and shoot up the aerodrome. They dived clean and straight until their wheels almost touched the ground, shooting with machine-guns at our dispersed aircraft. After their departure clouds of smoke would rise and explosions of ammunition and petrol could be heard.” On a Wednesday afternoon the doctors and nurses were taken to an obscure little railway station to entrain. They were joined by the Australian sisters and some British sisters. , After hiding in the' cornfields until 11 p.m. they were told that the railway had been bombed and they could not get out that way. Just before midnight they set out for their destination by road.

Journey at Night ‘‘lt was a worrying journey in the darkness over a very steep and winding pass,’’ says Dr. Sayers, “and we were told that we must get over a certain bridge before daylight or we should «e bombed to hell. “We soon found ourselves in; a long convoy with very frequent halts, and travelled only at a snail’s pace. A jGreek petrol lorry got stuck and there was no room to pass. Behind us, private citizens in private cars were travelling with full glaring headlights—a ;; constant danger to us all. They also tried to cut in in most dangerous fashion.” However, the bridge was reached m time and they turned south and made their way to their destination. They scattered over the fields and lay flat once when aircraft came overhead bombing and machine-gunning. At this stage one of the trucks behind skidded and turned over and about six of the nurses were injured. None was serious, but several suffered from concussion and fractures.

Dr. Sayers and the matron went on to a village to arrange for the temporary reception of the injured. In the end it was decided not to put them into hospital, although Captain Sayers says he will always remember with gratitude the kindness of the people. The doctor and the matron then returned to the unit and found it hiding in a graveyard surrounded by trees. Here they spent the day with frequent bombing round them. Luckily they were not seen, although next day the cemetery was bombed to fragments. Help of the Navy

At nightfall they made their way to the embarkation point, all but the injured having to walk the last mile in pitch darkness. They went on board a scow and were taken slowly out into the harbour. Suddenly the'y saw the outlines of a destroyer. “A naval officer with us hailed her and said: T am coming alongside.' ‘Right, come alongside,’ was the reply. ‘How many personnel have you?’ ‘About 200, mainly nUrsing sisters.’ ‘Phewl’ said the destroyer officer. In a few minutes wej were lashed beside her and willing hands assisted our girls over the rails and manhandled their luggage. One little English girl fell between the two boats.

“Like lightning somebody yelled out ‘Feet!’ Every sailor within yards immediately field the two boats apart with extended legs, and she was hauled out none the worse for her adventure. The officers gave up their cabins to the nurses, and they just lay down packed like sardines and slept. I lay down on the floor of a little servery without either blanket or pillow and just died. In the morning the Navy turned on bacon and two eggs for everybody. How they did it I don’t know, because the cramped conditions on destroyers have to be seen to be believed.’’

In the afternoon, after resisting a bombing attack they arrived at Crete, but a few days later they were ordered on to Egypt. Again the Navy defied all attacks and brought them safely into port. Among those who greeted them was Miss E. M. Nutsey. well known as lady superintendent of the Auckland Hospital.