HEROIC NURSES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24629, 10 June 1941, Page 6

HEROIC NURSES

SPIRIT IN WAR TRIBUTE BY DOCTOR EVACUATION ADVENTURES “ The whole show was one of which every 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.” ' Visits by German Aeroplanes 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 slmw, 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 besides our own staff over 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 ware 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 later 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, which was regularly attacked by dive 'bombers, using machine-guns. . 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 cornfiejds until 11 pm. they were told that the railway had been bombed and they could not be got out that way. Just before midnight they set out for their destination, r °“ We were told that we must get ovef a certain bridge before daylight. Dr Sayers continued. “We soon found ourselves in a long convoy with verv frequent halts and travelled only at a snail’s pace, A Greek petrol lorry got stuck and there, was no room to pass.” Some Nurses Injured

The bridge was reached in time, however, 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 oyer, 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. 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 around 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, ail bllt ?ie 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 they saw the outlines of a destroyer. , “In a few minutes we 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 put < Fleet! ’ Every sailor within yards immediately held the two boats apart with extended legs, and she was hauled but none the worse for her adventure. The officers gave up their cabins to the nurses and they just lay .down, packed like sax-dines. and slept 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.