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Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume VIII, Issue 3, 1 July 1915, Page 136

Graylingwell Military Hospital, Chichester, 11th June, 1915. The Matron-in-Chief. Dear Madam, — -Excuse my seeming neglect, for I am very busy and even the time of leisure is fully occupied. Since I have left New Zealand I have had some grand experience and very hard work, also I stayed in London three weeks and then took up Charge Nurse's post at the above hospital, which has been an asylum in the past. We turned it into a military hospital and got things ready after the style of a General one ,and about six weeks ago we received the first patients — 500 in one day— and we all worked day and night and felt tired out. A few days later another convoy arrived and we filled all the beds — 1000 in number. Some are seriously injured with wounds in body, limbs and head, Sloughing and gangrene

is very common, and still we have marvellous and quick recoveries and the majority of patients are always in good spirits and as soon as they get better they are transferred to a convalescent home and the beds are filled again with new faces. You should see them when they come in — stretchers are carried along the corridors to different wards like a procession. Some of the faces are covered with earth and blood, especially the ones who come straight from the trenches. As soon as we have got them into bed they are supplied with a hot drink and cigarettes and then ■ — if it is daytime — we get them ready for the doctor's inspection. At night he sees only the bad cases. We are dreadfully understaffed, and there is no possibility of keeping one's health for a length of time. Several of the nurses have broken down already and others left, fearing the same would happen to them also. Our duty hours are from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. (1J hours to 2 hours off in the afternoon). Breakfast, 6.30 a.m. ; dinner, 1 p.m. ; tea, with bread and butter, 4.30 p.m. ; supper, 8.20 p.m. ; and if there are patients expected during the night we have to get up also. We have only one day off a month — no half -days during the week. We have several wounded soldiers from New Zealand who came from the Dardanelles, and I am sorry indeed that I cannot supply them with some kind of newspapers from the Colony. They had a rough time coming over and 50 died of wounds during the passage over. Some kind English friends took some of them out in a motor car several times. I shall write you later when time, perhaps, is a little less precious. Kind regards, Yours very sincerely, Nurse Marie Werder.

Trentham. — We are very comfortably quartered in the 10s. totalisator ! The other morning we were all peacefully sleeping when some one came to the pigeon-hole and asked in a loud voice, "Two tickets on first horse, if you please." He evidently got a shock when he caught sight of female garments, for his exit was a " winner." A nurse wrote from Adelaide last mail re the exceptionally stiff examination required of nurses who volunteer. No one

with false teeth, glasses, varicose veins, hernia, albumen, or any weakness of heart or lungs, is accepted. Twenty-six were examined one day, and only six of them passed.

London. — Eight of us are at a nursing home in Norfolk Square. We have every consideration shown, hot and cold baths, latch-keys, etc. Meal hours even were altered to suit us and if out late biscuits and milk are left for us in our rooms. London absolutely fascinates us, with its marvellous traffic arrangements and order. It is so easy to find one's way about, and of course, when in doubt, ask a policeman —they are splendid. What you Mould have enjoyed most of all was the Chelsea Mower Show : it made me ache. — Carnations in masses, orchids, azaleas, auriculas, sweet sultans, sweet peas, and begonias — a living blaze of colour. — V. Maclean.

'We arrived in Cairo on June 16th. Major Holmes met us at the station. Next day we started our duty of taking over the hospital from the Australian sisters ; my part is the isolation block under Dr. Agnes Bennett. You can imagine how glad I was. Sister Wilson (theatre charge) and Nurses Anderson, Bennett, and Smailes (on night duty) and I are boarding at this place pro tern. We work thirteen hours one day and half day the next, but of course just now are seldom off duty up to time. The desert is like a furnace ; I am sure its sands could never, never grow cold. We are now a New Zealand staff and this is the Ist New Zealand Base Hospital. Miss Nurse is our matron. We have 300 beds, and more to come. — V. Maclean.

We dropped anchor at Malta at noon and immediately the ship was surrounded by small boats and cries of "Cigars, sir," " Cigarettes," or " Drop it, lady, for the small boy," filled the air as vendors and divers sought for custom. Ropes were thrown up to the waiting "tommies," and soon baskets were being lowered with coins, to be returned with cigarettes, etc., whilst splashes told of small boys diving for silver. If pennies were thrown a tale

of " Not see, sir," was told. Permission to go ashore was granted the nurses, and presently boat after boat filled with greydressed, grey-hatted and red-caped nurses was rowed across the harbour to the Customs House landing. From there we were taken up in a lift 250 feet to the town level and there broke into parties. Some were waylaid and enticed into fancywork shops, where by dint of a little bargaining splendid lace and trinkets could be procured for very little money * Two of us set off to " poke round "on our own. Almost immediately we met two New Zealand " boys/' Sergeant -Major Skinner, of Christchurch, and Sergeant Beauchamp, of Nelson. The latter we knew and very delighted was he to meet a home face. They both belong to the N.Z.M.C. and had only arrived the day before us with a ship-load of wounded from the Dardanelles. We decided to see the sights together, and while we drove they told us of their experiences. Some of their stories would almost make one's hair stand on end ; others made you feel proud that you were a New Zealander when you heard of the bravery and courage of our "boys." We drove past fields where wheat — a miserable crop it seemed to us after seeing our home crop — was being beaten with flails. We went through, the gardens where there were many strange gaudy flowers and on to the Governor's palace. Then back to town to see over St. John's Cathedral, where there were most glorious pictures and carvings by the " old masters." We were fortunate in seeing the famous tapestries which are only hung once a year. Just before we returned to the ship we met one of our Maoris, they are doing garrison duty here. He said they Mere all well and ' ' all good boys because we know New Zealand is looking at us." Poor boys ! they are very anxious to get nearer the fighting line.

As we were not sailing till noon, we went ashore next morning and went to the Hamrun Hospital — the Technical School which has been transformed into a hospital. It has a grand marble staircase which at present is covered with protective wood. The floors of the "wards' 1 are also of marble — very trying on the nurses' feet. Two New Zealand nurses were here — Nurse Collins from Hawera and Nurse Higginson from Waikato, They

were very busy : such crowds of dressings to be done, and their Maltese orderlies were not into the way of the work. We felt like rolling up our sleeves and helping. When we got back to town we intended going to some of the New Zealand boys, there were none in Hamrun — but found we had to be aboard sooner than we had expected. However, some of our nurses had managed to visit these other hospitals, so they were not neglected. Now as to the town of Malta. Imagine a huge city built over the side of a hill, the buildings of stone not unlike Oamaru stone only not so white, the roofs mostly flat ; all fences of stones ; quaint, low, covered-in carriages moving all round and herds of goats wandering or being driven over the streets, and there you have my impression of the place. The streets are narrow and shops small — crowds and crowds of shops selling the famous laces and f:lagree work — women doing crochet or bobbin lace in their doorways, and children alongside saying, " A penny, missus, I love you."