In Macedonia with the Serbian Army

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume X, Issue 1, 1 January 1917, Page 20

In Macedonia with the Serbian Army

Letters and diary from Dr. Agnes Bennett give some idea of the work that her unit is now engaged m. Sent out by the Scottish Women's Committte, and financed by contributions raised m America, Dr. Bennett and her party left London on August 2nd, and were taken over to Salonika m the " Dunluce Castle," arriving on the 13th August. Dr. Bennett mentions various hospital ships, Ci Braemar Castle " and " Giantully Castle," on both of which were some of our own sisters. The unit was composed of a matron and twenty sisters, and about sixteen women orderlies and other personnel, making up about sixty ; Dr. Jessie Scott, of Auckland, being one of the party. It was attached to the Service de Sante of the Royal Serbian Army and is under the order of the Serbian Commander. The station chosen for the hospital was at Ostrovo, but, of course, being a mobile unit established m tents and accompanied by lorries and motors, it will follow the army as it moves. While waiting for the move to Ostrovo, Dr. Bennett describes the cosmopolitan life of Salonika, where the varied tongues spoken might have rivalled the Tower of Babel. She went for what she described as the most interesting diiveshehad ever taken. "The first part of the way was through miles of military stores and encampments, chiefly French ; some British. We passed hundreds of motor-loriies,and were enveloped m the thickest of dust. The road was fairly good, very flat and not interesting beyond the humanity part. As we got more into the country, we passed mounds at intervals, evidently old strategic positions. Like Napoleon's towers m Egypt, they are all observation points now. Near the Vaedar river were deep trenches and broad wire ent anglement s. There were sentries everywhere. The most curious lot were the " Annamites " m their little conical Chinese khaki hats and then Chinese faces underneath a French Colonial regiment . There were many deviations on to ploughed fields or off the road, m one place the iron girder of a bridge was smashed m, evidently all the road was prepared against flooding. The Vardar Bridge was being strengthened and French engineers were at work with 1,000 men. The bridge is a

wretched structure of wood, pretty long and very shaky, guarded by Ammamites, who asserted their authority m quite an unusual way for sentries. They stopped the colonel's car and had quite an argument, and then held us up till they were across the river. All the mechanical apparatus for the bridge building of the most primitive variety. The country is all fairly flat, with ranges of mountains m the distance. We passed several Turkish villages and small bivouacs of Serbs at intervals all along the route. About 7 we arr vied at No . 37 General Hospital, which, with No. 36, forms a huge encampment, looking more like an army camp than a hospital. We scaled fearful ditches t o get there. They had been bombed m the morning and two medical officers and an orderly were severely wounded. . . . The camp has just around it an army service corps camp, two aerodromes and the lailway is almost through it, so its strategic position is impossible. We slept there that night. It was lovely getting away m the early morning air, and we had a very pretty drive through the upper part of the valley of the Vardar, which there is a mountain torrent bridged by wretched, shaky, little bridges on mere sticks for piles. Loiries could not go over them, nor, I think, could lorries ford the torrents, for they are very precipitous and with rocky sides We had a long, stiff climb to one of the sweetest little villlages I have ever been m, little low red-tiled (Turkish tiles) house on the very rough cobbled streets, all scrupulously clean, and the central market place, with a big shady tree and a little torrent rushing down. The whole place looked as if it had been hosed down that morning. We went to a queer little cafe and sat outside m the street and had Turkish coffee and our own rations. A number of Greek women, all rather small and poor looking, but very clean, came down the street m a group — going to church, apparently. The cleanliness amazed one, the children were all m patched garments of the oldest kind, and I could not get near them to talk, they were so shy. After coffee and wine and bread and sardines we started off again. The open gutters m the streets were terrible to get over, and the cobbles

bad enough. There was the quaintest corner to pass, and old mill with the water rushing out, and a very nice clean ooking old woman stiting m a porch on the ground weaving silk with a hand shuttle very cunningly. They tell us this village is quite unsafe m peace times, being full of bandits. All the Greeks look so evil that I did not think the inhabitants worse than most We trekked on over mountains and occasional valleys when we had to pass dry river beds and sand and stuck several times. We learned to nip out of the car and give a shove altogether before it was actually stuck and thus save a good bit of time. Everywhere were parties of Serb soldiers working at the roads. I liked the look of them ; they are so ready to help. Most of them are clad as Tommies, some as " Poilus." We met several columns of Serb Artillery m clouds of dust, and moving very slowly. Eventually we arrived at Ostrovo, a picturesque spot beside a large lake with rather barren hills all round, when we were met by a number of Serbian Officers who took us to the site of the camp, two miles along the lake. The quaintest sight was Greeks and Bulgars washing clothes beside the lake m troughs, like butchers' troughs which they move up and down rhythmically. It gave me a shock to find our location occupied by an artillery camp and horses tied all round the trees where they say our tents must be put, and apparently they have been there for some time. We are only to put our tents under trees and not trust to our Red Cross at all. A Bosche was hovering overhead all the time, but I had no time to look up at him. It took a short time to get the lie of the land into one's head. There seems a good spring of water close at hand, but it does not strike me as very plentiful. However, we shall have our tank and our pump, even if it be on an ox waggon ; a favourite means of transport here. The equipment has been put m one big pile. The wharf is astonishingly interesting, crowds of Alpine and Berseglieri are landing now, and there also are troopships of Tommies and Poilus waiting their turn. Rumour is rife about everything, the number of Italians landing is marvellous. They look splendid, seem to be chiefly

Alpine or mountain batteries, and are said to be going out beyond Ostovo and going to hold the line there. There are also lots of Russians and Cossacks, who look as if walking about m their dressing gowns. The Italians are much bigger than I expected. They carry such queer little rifles, like toy guns . One mount ed regiment had very fine horses. We passed a park the other day where there were lots of white oxen, such big beasts. They are, I believe, for the Italian artillery. The Seaforth Highlanders landed yesterday and made a great stir, swinging through the town with the bagpipes. The A.S.C. are taking us up to morrow. We shall be a great cavalcade of some 55. At the end of October Dr. Bennett writes something of the work they had commenced. " Just this last week we have had very bad weather, with result that ambulances could not go out and patient s were left up on hills m dressing stations with the very minimum of attention. Result to us a spell of time to think of the knowledge that when they come they will be of the very worst, and so it has been ; to-night have come just horrible cases. To-morrow we shall be just as busy as we can possibly be all day m operating theatre. We would have operated on several to-night, but we find much the best plan is to feed them and giva them a good night's rest with a hypodermic of morphia and operate after twelve or sixteen hours. This even of the gangrene cases. Win! er. transport is heartrending to deal with and to think of. I have never regretted my move here and I shall always consider it a great honour to have helped m the repatriation of a race such as the Serbs, who I believe are capable of great things and certainly are delightful to deal with. What is running away with our £s. d. here is splints and surgical appliances. Yoii have no idea of the difficulties of dealing with these awful compound fractures where it is touch and go to save the limbs. We want every kind of interrupted and cage splints that ever was made and they cost such a lot. My staff has just worked splendidly, and we have had such nice things said about the hospital I feel very proud of them all at times. One of the big general hospitals at Salonika sent up their sanitary officer the other day to see our admission arrangements, which,

though of the simplest, have not apparently been m use elsewhere. We put every man on a mackintosh on a stretcher m an admission tent, and he is thoroughly washed down, " Corame un bebe" as a French doctor remarked to-day, before entering the wards. We have lots of hot water and antiseptics ready and on the comparatively high tables on which the stretchers are placed it is easy to cut off their clothes and wash the men thoroughly They are carried to their beds on the same stretchers, so there is not a lot of moving. It saves a lot of ward work and no dirty clothes go to the wards." Dr. Bennett enclosed the following copy of an oration delivered at the funeral of the orderlies, who died of malignant malaria. She remarks that the calling forth of such a wonderful expression of appreciation from the Serbs made the death almost worth while.

Oration given by a Serbian officer at the funeral of Olive Smith Orderly Scottish Women's Hospital, Salonika, 7/10/16. m Serbian and translated into English. A soldier's funeral and a soldier's grave. Friends, — It is a sad duty which I have to perform to say the last adieu to a glorious friend of our people, to say it m the name of all those whom she came to help and for whom she suffered death. Scarcely known to many of us while living, she becomes now, and m future, glorious through her fate. Though many of us do not remember even fhe features of her face, we all see now her soul's face m greatness and glory before us. Through unselfish devotedness and pity for our pains and sufferings, she came to us rom her great country, she came to soften the hard fate of a small and most unhappy people, stricken by God and by men, and she shared it unto the last. She lost her most precious good for us, by the same death which always destroys every day so many of our lives. She came to help us m our struggle against misery and death, but the same merciless fate which is not yet satisfied with thousands and thousands of our victims, broke her gentle heart t 00 . Inst ead to share our glories, to enjoy with us m our triumphs, she shared the sadder part of our great but cruel destiny.

At the doors of our country, where is all what is greater and stronger than every one of us, all what is immortal m our single lives, all what is spiritual m our earthly existencies, all what means soul, what is love and faith, enduring and duty, there are we proving now the last hard lesson ; that only through utmost suffering and death we can pass to our beloved homes, where all our happiness is, where the eternal part of our lives dwells. And so the death of the dear friend, who died for her sympathy and duty, grows to a magnificent symbol before us. In helping the other, m fulfilling her duty, m offering even her life for pity and love, for what is noble and God-like m us, she returns now to the eternal home, to the immortal fatherland. Among these giaves, through which we must pass m returning to our homes, and which forever will remain most dear to our nation, are those of people who died for pure pity and love to us. With our extreme sacrifices, with our many deaths, we Serbians have bought your sympathies, and it is now through deaths, such as this one among many others, that our great friends prove their sympathies towards us. And this is, as it ever was, the highest stamp, the strongest bond between men and men, between nations and peoples. So may also this sad death be a noble bond more between our two nations, as it is a high mark of sympathy and duty, showing to us all the right way to eternity. May God be gracious to our dear dead's soul, as she was pitiful to our sufferings.

Surgeon-General Henderson, K.H.P., Director-General of Medical Services, has issued the following special corps order to the New Zealand Medical Corps : — " The Director-General of Medical Services desires to extend to officers, sisters, n.c.o.'s, and men of the New Zealand Medical Corps hearty season's greetings, and takes the opportunity of thanking all ranks for their good work during the past year, and for the loyal assistance they have rendered m carrying our the work of the corps, which has, as the results of their efforts, maintained a high standard of efficiency.- — ■ Christmas, 1916."