A HEROIC NURSE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17286, 29 September 1916, Page 8

A HEROIC NURSE.

THROUGH THE SERBIAN

RETREAT.

DECORATED BY KING PETER

SISTER. LEWIS'S EXPERIENCES

[Per Press Association.]

DUNEDIN, September.-27

Sister Ethel Lewis," who nursed, amongst- the Maoris at Otaki beforo the war, returned with the sick and wounded soldiers on 'the Willochra today. She arrived in England on September I, .1.92'.!, and four days Inter was in Belgium with the field hospital organised by Colonel Hartnell Bcavis. She spent nine .weeks in Antwerp hospital, which was not evacuated till the ouemy was almost upon them. » Returning to England, the commander reorganised tho hospital for duty in Serbia, and Sister Lewis again joined tho organisation, being attached to the. Serbian Second Army on the garian frontier. Sister Lewis did duty actually in tho trenches, and received, a. slight shrapnel wound in the shoulder. She rescued a- Serbian officer of high command, and for this King Peter personally conferred on her the Third .Order of his Kingdom. When tho retreat began the plight of tho army and the British field hospital was terrible. Nish fell two days after Sister Lewis and her comrades bad left with TOO patients. Early in the. retreat tho tyres of the motor transport wore out. and for a time the vehicles made slow progress on tyres packed with straw, but very soon the cars had to bo abandoned. The nurses pushed forward on foot, through the mountain passes of Albania, often with snow up to their knees and with rations reduced to one slice of bread a dnv, and no shelter at. night except what they could find. They frequently ’slept in pigstves. t Patients died daily and not ono .survived tho retreat. One died on Sister Lewis's back after she had carried him two miles. On one occasion Sister Lewis ato a piece of bacon rind picked up in. the street of. a deserted village. Alien tho hospital staff reached safety their strength "was exhausted and they had not a warm garment among them. Blankets had been thrown away long beforo. Sister Lewis was frostbitten on one knee as the result of exposure. As soon as she reached England she went into harness again at Walton-on-Tharaes, where she unfortunately broke her arm, and caused some amazement amongst the staff by appearing tor duty in that condition.