ARMY NURSING SERVICE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14340, 3 July 1917, Page 7

ARMY NURSING SERVICE.

Miss Stubbs, who Mas for several years matron of the Townley Maternity Home at Gisborne, and who for the past two years has been on active service as a sister with the. New Zealand Army Nursing Corps, is paying a few days' visit to Gisborne prior to proceeding to Invercargill to take ''charge of a now St. Helen's liospital that is being opened there. Chatting Avith a Herald reporter, Miss Stubbß remarked' that beyorfd the usual excitement attendant upon the work of the nursing staff she had no exceptional experience during her two years' service. For several months she was attached to the Imperial hospitals m Egypt and subsequently proceeded to England, and Avas engaged! on several ] iiospital ships. In the latter work Miss ■ Stubbs was m touch with various ' theatres of the war, including the Dar- • danelles, Mesopotamia, and between England' and Prance. At least two of the hospital ships that the sister Avas on ! have been sunk, including the palatial ' Britannia, which Avas sunk on the outward voyage after taking Home some 1 3000 Avounded ; she herself Avas on the ' homeward trip. Referring "to the sinking of hospital ships Miss Stubbs re- | marked that m vieAv of the fact that most of these ships had been sunk on outAvard voyages Ay-hen no wounded Avere a.board inclined her to the belief that there was a. spark of humanity m the enemy, Arho- selected these occasions for carrying on their undersea campaign as far as hospital ships Avero concerned. Tn cA r ery theatre of the Avar Miss Rtubbs found the men bright and cheerful, some of them were terribly knocked about, but the spirit of cheerfulness prevailed. This applied both to the English Tommies and Colonial troops. Miss Stubbs had a Avord of sympathy for the men engaged m outpost duty, particularly m Egypt. Those who proceeded to the trenches had all the excitement, whilst the outposts hadi to. go through. the same drudgery day after day. ' Tfiev Avere rarely heard of, yet they were doing just as important work. When the NeAv Zealand nurses Arere recalled foi^ the New Zealand hospitals m England, Miss Stubbs Avent to Walton-bniThames. The Avork generally she describes as beincr most interesting and' of aji educational nature* On the Avhole it was not hard work. Of course there Areve times when the nurses werd on duty day and night and had a strenuous time, but this only lasted for a Avhile, and then there Avould be a lull and their Avork would be like a holiday. The New Zealand hospitals Avere splendidly equipped, and the Avounded men Avere pi'ovided Avith eA'ery comfort and luxury ; indeed some of the men Avere more comforta.ble there than they had eA'er been at home. New Zealand was spoken of m A*ery warm praise for Avhat had' been done m the way of providing for the comforts of men m hospital. "Gisborne has been specially mentioned," remarked Miss Stubbs, "for the splendid work it. had done, parti- . Gularly through the Victoria League and War Relief Association." Prior |to leaving for NeAv Zealand Miss Stubbs «iav Nurses Malcolm, Patterson, and Kelly, three of the Gisborne nurses at Walton. __^