CRIMEAN EXPERIENCES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11800, 11 September 1916, Page 1

CRIMEAN EXPERIENCES.

TKE DAYS OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE. Lieutenant John Henry Baldwin, > who died at Meanee last, week, in his I oigh by-seventh year, arrived hi New i Zealand in the Southern Cross in ias7. lie possessed a vivid recollection of the stirring days when Great Britain was fighting against the Russians in the Crimea, and had with her Turkey, the country that is now opposed to the Union Jack. His wife and only daughter predeceased hiin by many years. During tho time of the Crimean! War the late Lieutenant Baldwin was I a lieutenant on one of the trans- i ports, tho Queen of tho South, which travelled between England and the Black Sea. and the following extracts hsve been taken from his diary, written at the time:---WAR DECLARED. "On March 28, 1854, war was declared by tho Allies on Russia. I was I then fourth officer on the Queen of the 1 South, when we arrived at j, ton water we got the news trom a Dutch sailing ship, which we spoke to oil" the Isle of Wight. The Dutchman was outward bound. The captam spoke through the trumpet, 'England's, at war wid de Russ!' "On arrival at Southampton the Queen of the South was chartered by the Government as transport, and we took on board part of the C Company of Royal Artillery. We sailed for Constantinople, via Malta,, and on arrival there were ordered to proceed on to Balaclava. After landing everything we returned to Southampton and took cut more troops. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE. ' j " Miss Florence Nightingale wiae then I head nurse in the Crimea, and tho \ Scutari Hospital was hsr headquarters. I After several battles had been fought, wo were ordered to go to Varner (now j spelt Varna,) for Turkish troops, as j the Russians were going to make an • attack on Eupitoria. The battle commenced about 4 a.m. It was my watch below, aud one of my brother officers came to take my place and told me to go and have a look. From tho ship's deck we saw tho Russians marching to battle. The battle did not last, long, and the Turks were victorious. When the battles of Xncc™ inan (as it was spelt) and Sedan were fought, most of the transports were employed carrying the sick and wounded from Balaclava to Scutari. My duty it was to take the sick, wounded, and dead ashore and hand them over to Miss Nightingale at Scutari. That nurse was always at tho landing place, and would say to me, ' See that the men are very careful with them.' She had ft very kind heurt. " One day I was talking to Miss j Nightingale when tho hospital doctor \ joined us. W r e chaff fid her by telling! her that according to the custom of the country she was wearing her Turkish cloak inside c«at! The fur should hive been on the inside. She replied, * The bpars wear ic on the outside and so do I.' ''Miss Florence Nightingale told me that she was born in Florence in 1820, and was named Florence .niter that lovely city ou the river Arno. She j was the youngest of Mr W. Shore t Nightingale's two daughters. Her j father was a wealthy land owner \ esquire of Ember,ley Park, Hampshire, j PEACE DECLARED. j " When peace was declared all were ! glad to get out of the Crimea as the j sickness was terrible. _ Many poor fellows would have died had it nob been for Mis-3 Nightingale. Th« French were better off in every way? they had underground messrooms, and seemed to understand roughing it bet- I tor than our fellows. It was appalling to see the poor fellows on board our ship after Alma. "We went to Genoa with Italian troops, and we were all glad of the change. The Italian public were very ; kind and nothing was too gocd for US. ' "When we were at Constantinople! waiting for the troops, Captain Beal } came into the officers' mess and asked j if anyone could speak French. He ! wanted an interpreter so that he could j converse with the officials, who were j mostly Poles. As T could speak that < language I went ashore with the cap- | tain and had a very good time. j GRAND SIGHT.

I " I was later moved on to another * f transport, and she was ona of the last j ' ships to bring troops away after peace | was declared. It was a sight I ro see the Russians march back into j i Balaclava, when that town was given j | back to them. The French and EngJ lish bands played them in, each play- ! ing their nations! anthem. It was j the sight of a lifetime and one I will i never forget. j ''Our ship was one of the many ; which brought back the sick and con- { valescent from Balaclava and Scutari, ! and when we arrived off the Isle of ' "Wight the Queen's yacht, the Victoria ! aud Albert, came out from Cowes with j I the. Queen on board, and we slowed j j down, as her Majesty wished to speak Ito the ship. The yacht came along- t j side and the Queen personally a»ked ! the captain how the men were." f