RUMANIAN QUEEN AS NURSE.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume III, Issue 880, 5 December 1916, Page 4

RUMANIAN QUEEN AS NURSE.

In view of the urgent need of doctors, nurses, ami hospital necessities here, the Queen of Euniania received me today at, tiie palace and authorised roe to transmit an appeal in her name for immediate assistance in these matters, writes Hamilton Fyfe from Bucharest recently. I assured her .Majesty that, as a British Princess, she might be certain that her request would meet with ready sympathy, but I feared there.might be some (difficulty in making up the Red Cross units in view of England's own needs. I suggested that perhaps people in the United States were in a position to give more effective help. Her Majesty said she knew that Americans had aways showed themselves eager to do everything possible to relieve the suffering caused by war, and -she asked me to extend her appeal to them. I have since seen the American Minister, who is sending a telegram, which emphasises the need for help in this direction. "Everyone lias worked splendidly to establish hospitals," the Queen said to me. "We have many which are excellent. They hail to be got ready in a great hurry. The day after the declaration of war the wounded began" to come in. Wonders were worked in the way of hasty organisation. The regular medical service has been supplemented by a large number of Red Cross establishments manned by volunteers. "But ours, it must be remembered, is a small country. We need help in this work of mercy. If the British people and Americans will send help in the shape of self-contained units and hospital stores we shall be most, grateful. i know how generous they have been and what magnificent work has been done by their workers on other fronts. I hope they will do what they can for us.'' Queen's Own Hospital. The Queen has a hospital of her own, with a hundred patients. For that purpose she has given up the lower part of the palace, and she herself devotes ail the time she ean spare to work there. "I should like to be. here more," she said as she took me through the wards; "but I must visit other hospitals. The men like it and it encourages the staffs,

so I think that is more useful than being here all the time." While she is in her hospital she is always busy. She begins in the early morning by supervising the arrangements. As we walked among the beds she often stopped and lifted the patients and smoothed their pillows for them, asking them how they were getting on. One man who had broken his arm she found walking about and put him back to bed, arranged the bed for him care fully, and would not leave him till he had settled down in a comfortable position. There is nothing to distinguish the Queen from the other nurses, except that she wears a band of ermine instead of linen across her forehead. Her popularity, which was always great, has been much increased by her activity in Ked Cross work. Her portrait in nursing dress is having an immense sale. She told me of one soldier, who_ replied, when the nurse asked him if he knew who the Queen was, "Yes, she is our mother." Another gazed steadfastly at her, and then said: "Now I have had a good look at you I am all right." So little changed is the Queen from the beautiful Crown Princess that it is difficult to remember she is the mother of a grown-up son. She has all the energy, high spirits and ardour of youth. She is intensely in earnest in everything that she undertakes. Having thrown herself into the task of aiding her country's wounded, she has no doubt whatever as to carrying that task through. She is certain, therefore, that her appeal will meet with swift and generous response.