Extracts from Nurses' Letters

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume VIII, Issue 4, 1 October 1915, Page 170

Extracts from Nurses' Letters

Sister Eddy writes from the 21st British Hospital, Ras-el-tin, Alexandria, August 23rd :— I would have written last week ; but we were so very busy that there was no time for letter-writing. We had a big convoy m of wounded men, some of the wounds most shocking, and at the time of their arrival we were very understaffed ; but now, thanks to the N.Z. Hospital Ship, we are better off. Five of the N.Z. girls came here, and six Canadian Sisters have come from No. 1 Stationary Hospital for New Zealand, at Port Said, since the N.Z. Sisters went there, so on the whole Aye are having an easier time. We had over 1,500 patients m at the beginning of last week, since then a good number of them have been sent on to England and Australia to convalesce. We do not keep them here any longer than necessary, just get them over the worst, and then pass them on. This, of course, only applies to surgical cases ; the enterics are kept until they have been normal for some time, and are then sent to a convalescent hospital. Our matron is not at all well at present ; the nervous strain of last week was too much for her I am afraid ; she had scarcely any rest day or night all the week. She is such a dear, sweet woman. and I am pleased to say she admires the N.Z. nurses very much. We have British Reserves, Territorials, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand n\rses. I am m a large surgical ward of 66 beds, and some big dressings m it, as you can imagine. Some poor fellows are frightfully cut about by the awful explosive bullets. Oh ! how one realises the awfulness of war when one sees what the poor men have to suffer. I think I told you I had been chosen to go with some other Sisters to Port Said, but as I know the M.O/s and the nursing staff here I have been permitted to stay on while the unit remains here. It is probable we may move on to the Continent later on. I may go on a hospital transport soon on a trip to the Dardanelles. We met Miss Maclean one day, she is looking so well and is keenly interested m the New Zealand nurses. There is a certain charm about Alexandria, though I -would not like to think I should

have to spend years here. Some parts around are really beautiful. I sleep on the verandah of our bungalow, so get a nice sea breeze over me there. It is now 10 p.m., and we are called at 6 a.m., so I will close. From Sister S. J. McGann to a friend m Auckland : — * No. 19 General Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt, 28/8/15. At last I have a chance of writing to you, and must make the most of it. lam off duty for an hour. Well, where must I start from, the very beginning ? We arrived at Suez, and from there parted company, the South Island girls going on to Port Said, and the North girls to Cairo and Alexandria ; all the Aucklanders came on to Alexandria, and the rest to Cairo. We were met at the station, after nearly the whole day m the train crossing the desert, and the Nile m two places, by the N.Z. nurses, one from each hospital. We were divided up at once, each Sister taking what number she wanted to her own particular hospital. Nurse Reynolds, of No. 17 General Hospital, took Nurses Austen, Keyte, Hanan, and Warner ; Nurses Hawker, Martyn, Condick, and I, went to No. 19. General Hospital ; Nurses Longman, Kittlety, Bailey, O'Callaghan to No. 15 ; and Nurses Morris, Campbell, and Utting, we don't know where, so you see we were separated at once. We were taken to a Nurses' Home and fixed up, and came on duty the next a.m., at No. 19, where we have been going hard ever since, doing twelve and sometimes more hours duty, and feeling you could stay on all night as well as day, to get things done you want to. Still we must take care of ourselves. Most of my patients are Englishmen, they are all splendid, make so light of their wounds, and all so young. One is doing a big dressing (I am m the surgical wards) and you look up at the boy's face, perhaps about 18 years, and you know he has little chance of going out with both legs. Its truly awful the number of maimed men that will be set adrift after the war. We hear very little news of the war ; but a great deal of the past battles. All

our patients are from the Dardanelles ; but not many Colonials. They have had a hard t me and they are very brave men. We are very comfortably housed m our quarters ; we breakfast at 7 a.m. ; the ambulance waggon calls at 7. 50 am., and most of us go m that. Our hospital is about a mile away ; we take our luncheon (a queer mixture) and home to dinner at 8 p.m. m the ambulance again. We make quite a sensation m the streets ; all turn to look at us. m Most people talk of the " Call of the East," I'd say, 'twas the smell of the East that was most noticeable and most likely to be remembered. The Egyptian population is very low and dirty ; nearly everybody is French m Alexandria, and all the shops are French. There is generally someone able to speak a little English ; but we mostly talk with our hands, head, eyes and body— in fact any part of you they seem to understand better than your tongue. The people are most polite, and take pains to show it when we are out ; we are all sisters here, the word " nurse " is never used, and even the Arab servant can say, " Good morning Sister " ! Goodbye love and remembrances to all. September 9th. You want to know all kinds of things about me I'm sure. Well there is not much m life just now, but work, work and be contented. Yesterday I got an Auckland Weekly, and it delighted my soul. There aie some New Zealand boys here, and they just love to see a paper, particularly a picture of Auckland. A nice Maori boy from Gisborne, comes to see me every day and calls me, "Well, my sister," they all seem so glad to see us, and say they are so proud to have their own women among them. We had news of the other girls from Cairo, and it seems they have not been so fortunate as us, as many of r them have been on the sick list. The Sisters are coming to tea, so I must close this as it is quite impossible to write letters. Sister Clare Jordan writes from No. 11 General Hospital, Boulogne, July 29th : — We are quiet just now, and I have been granted ten days' leave. There is a decided lull on the Western Front, both m fighting

and nursing. But judging from what one sees the next battle will be a terrific one when it does come. One rather dreads the beginning of the ghastly business over again. It does not do to have time: to stop and think m this kind of work. Nurse Ethel Lewis writes, March 17th :— I am with the First Field Hospital m Serbia, there are four surgeons, four dressers, and ten nurses, and of course it is pretty hard Work ; but one feels only too thankful to be doing even a little to help. The Serbians are perfectly "wonderful their pluck and endurance are marvellous. At first there was very little chloroform, and deep in-cision-probing for bullets, etc., was all done without an anaesthetic, and some had travelled five days after receiving ghastly Wounds before getting attended We sleep m sleeping bags and have no nice nurses' dress; but just khaki shirts and skirts, military boots, and mackintosh aprons. The army feed us, but poor wretches they haven't much, many have been fighting just m shirts, no socks even. The women are splendid, load the rifles m the trenches, and dig the graves, etc. .... I shall leave Serbia early m July.