Letters from our Nurses Abroad

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Issue 2, 1 April 1917, Page 74

Letters from our Nurses Abroad

H.M.S Hospital Ship ''Oxfordshire," 30th December, 1916. Dear Miss McLean — Since you left us at the 15th General Alexandria much has happened. In July an English sister went off duty sick and I was given her ward for which I was deeply grateful. It was a mixed medical and surgical ward. We were very busy at that time. The wounded coming in from Gallipoli and the dysentery cases were dreadful. About this time the dysentery cases were separated from the others and I was put in charge of the main dysentery ward. At the end of August or early September Sister Longman and I were made, officially actingward sisters and ordered to wear stripes. I remained in this ward till I was sent on hospital ship in May the following year. I am glad to have had this dysentery experience, but I hope never to have it again, though I would do it willingly if occasion arose. The local cases did splendidly, those who were treated within a day or two of the attack. The amsebic cases responded quickly to emetin and diet. The bacillary cases were given antiemetin dysenteric serum and dieted. The poor fellows from the Peninsular who had the disease twelve and fourteen days and some a longer period still before we received them had a fearful time. They were very emaciated, they had agonizing abdominal pain — distressing tenesmus--painful and continuous hiccough, frequent vomiting, and the very bad case* hemorrhage ; that is more than the ordinary dysentery hemorrhage. These cases were treated with emetin or antidysenteric serum according to their class — ■ subcutaneous saline 01 to Oil twice daily, morphia injections and turpentine stupes for pain. (I have given eight in one day;. Bowel irrigation using various solutions (I have known as many as 25 irrigations in one day in this ward). Stychnine and Adrenalin were much used. Diet was tta feature of the treatment. Sir Ronald Ross who specialises in dysentery, visited the ward once a week during the acute period of dysentery — August till November.

In April and May nearly all the Nerr Zealand sisters at the 15th were transferred to hospital ships. Miss Griesot (matron) transferred sister Longman and I as acting sisters, thus again we received sisters' posts. Sisters Cormack and I were sent on the Oxfordshire. We went from Alexandria to Salonika. It would make this letter far too long to go into the beauties of the Aegean Sea, from Salonika to Malta and back to Salonika, We continued on this route for a time and then went on to England at the end of June with our full complement of 600 patients. Early in July we were put ou the French run for a week, from Southampton to Havre — a week never to be forgotten — on one voyage we carried 1500 patients— all surgical. Oh! the wounds, and the bravery of the men when their wounds were being dressed, and the excitement of the men as they neared Blighty I had the officers' ward, 'and oh! the pitifulness of the maimed and wounded boy officers. The Marama and Maheno were on the French run the same week. We had ten days leave in England and left on the 22nd of July for Mesopotamia taking with us the 40th general and 31st stationary hospitals. We remained on the Bombay-Shatt-el-Arab route four months. August was an awful month of heat and monsoon seas (another period never to be forgotten). September and October were bad — still fearful heat. November the nights cooled considerably. We saw much of Bombay, but I did not like it. In December we left Bombay for British East Africa. We called at Dar-es-Salaam, received our complement of 600 patients and left again for Durban. We left a few patients at Durban and then went on to Cape Town arriving there on Boxing Day. We are now nearing Durban on our return trip. I hope I have not wearied you with this mere outline of the time since you left Alexandria. To give you a detailed account of various nursing experiences, of ports and of people would be to write a book. I wonder when we will see New Zealand again. Will you kindly send me "Kai Tiaki.' 1 I will enclose postal note for 5/-. With

all best wishes for the New Year. — I remain, yours sincerely, Kate I. Barnitt. [This extremely interest ing letter shows the varied experiences the sisters working under the Imperial authorities have had. Sisters Barnitt, and Longman were both promoted in the New Zealand service on recommendation from the matron early in 1916.— Ed.]

Sister Laura James, late of Wellington Hospital, and for several years of the Queen Alexandra Service, writes from No. 37 Field Ambulance, 8.E.F., France, of which hospital she is in charge. Sister James was mentioned in dispatches in January. Her most interesting letter will appear in our next issue, as it is too late for printing now.

From a recent letter from Mrs. Holgate from Bournemouth, we are glad to hear better news of her health. Although sne is still unable to do much work, she interests herself in many questions among others the State Registration of Nurses, which is a burning one at present owing to the establishment of the College of Nursing and the opposition of the paity which has so long fought for registration. Mrs. Holgate intended to offer her services to the maternity centre at Bournemouth, to weigh babies and write notes on the cases. She also was applying to the High Commissioner .to assist her in getting across to Belgium to give the flag, a Union Jack with Seddon on it and a fern leaf, sent by the Seddon children to a Belgian Hospital. The Seddon people when Mrs. Holgate was working as District Nurse for several years contributed quite a large sum towards the relief of the Belgian children.

Later news of Sister Jean Muir tells us that she is on duty again after her long illness and feeling very well. She is on duty at Codford. Later. — She will shortly arrive in New Zealand.

Nurse Theo Holmes, whom many Wellington nurses will remember, writes from her home at Upsway, Dorset, England. She has become a qualified masseuse sirce the commencement of the war, and is working at the Way mouth Military Hospital

Sister Clare Jordan, of Auckland, wrote from No. 25 Stationary Hospital at Rouen, where she is in charge of the sick officers' ward. She says : "' It is not quite so strenuous as at my last station, and I was glad of the change after returning from sick leave. During the battle of the Somme the work was truly frightful in a general hospital. Strive as- one would you could not do one half what was necessary. I was doing theatre work. The theatre was going from seventhirty till three and four. S.N.M. operators usually began about ten- thirty and kept steadily on. The other sisters and I used alternately to go off in four hours one day as from midnight the next night, having late breakfast on the morning after our late night. Eventually all broke down, surgeons, and sisters, more or less, with bad fingers and throats, and in my case glands (aixilla). There is a N.Z. Hospital at Amiens, which is not so very far from here, but might as well be at the end of the earth for all the chance I have of getting there. One of my patients, a medical officer, a week ago not knowing I was a New Zealander, paid a high tribute to the staff there. He said they were a splendid crowd from medical officers down to orderlies. I was delighted, and hastened to tell him that they belonged to me so to speak." (We wish the writer could join our own service. She has been attached to the Queen Alexandra Service and has had her promotion about a year ago.)

Sister Stokes writes from H.M.H.S. Delta. She, Sisters Nichol, Wilson, and Rhind had been on the ship for some time and had been through the Russian Gulf and German East Africa, calling at Mombassa, Sanga, Zanzibar and Daresailam and then to Durban. They had had a very trying trip, very hot and also rough. Sister had been given her sisters stripes last July.

Sister M. S. Craig writes that she is now on the staff of the Hospital Ship Carisbrook Castle, which was doing the Channel run. Sister went Home on her own account about a year ago, and after being on the .staff of Walton-on-Thames before it was taken over by the N. Z. E.F. , she then joined the Queen Alexandra Reserve,

Miss Sara Robinson, so long District Visiting Nurse under the Wellington Branch of the N.Z.T.N.A., writes enclosing her subscription to " Kai Tiaki." She had been at a military hospital, Chatham, and was under orders to leave for France the next day.

Sister Elsie Cooke, attached to the Australian nurses, writes from H.M.H.S. Lawrance in the Mediterranean. She and Sister Scott left Sydney in August, and were nine weeks in England. They expected later to be sent to France. Some of the Australian sisters had been to Brockenhurst to relieve them before our own sisters arrived from Egypt. They said they never worked so hard in their lives, but they thoroughly enjoyed it, and could not say enough for the way the New Zealand orderlies worked. Another thing that pleased them was the supply of comforts for the men.

Sister Francis Shirtcliffe writes from No 6 Ambulance Train 8.E.P. , France. She had been serving with the Queen Alexandra Reserve for two years. She con aiders she has been very fortunate for a while at No 8 General Hospital she was working under Captain Maxwell Page, who is a noted surgeon, and his special splints are greatly in demand. She had seen some marvellous recoveries, especially in fracture cases. Col. Grey the consulting surgeon, had often watched sister do a dressing other famous surgeons visited the hospital, and Sir Douglas Haig had been to inspect, and went round shaking hands with the sisters and chatted to the patients. The King had also been and shook hands with each sister. Sister adds : — " Since being on the train I have realised more what war is. I have been at Wailoy, and near Albert, and see the shells , only occasional ones , falling quite near. Then from Contay and other places where we go, the evenings our train was waiting there one could see the sky lit up and the star shells bursting and the smoke and the continuous rumble of the guns make one realise more the ghastliness of it all. At Grovetown where we helped at 34 CCS. for a few days it was terrible ; one night they took in 3000 between 10 p.m. and 4 a,m. It is under canvas and the rain

coming through iu places and the men are on stretchers. One feeder only between dozens of men and to see them just breathing, it's too awful for words ! At these times one wants dozens of pairs of hands ; we have often brought a good number of our New Zealand men from Heilly, when w;e were fighting on, the Somme. I had met Lieut. Haughton, of Wellington one week, and next he was brought on our train blind. It was pathetic ; we evacuated at Rouen that trip and he was operated on within half an hour of arriving at No. 2 Red Cross there, and a huge piece of shrapnel removed from the back of his head. He hsemorrhaged twice, but a piece from his leg was grafted on, and finally he went to England and is now at Wilbank. He was unable to see for two months and now is able to write a little. I saw him when on leave a month ago, and tonight received a card saying he could write a little and that the specialist says he will probably regain his sight, but it will be some time. The piece of shrapnel was so huge that it's a wonderful recovery. Last week I spent a morning with Miss Philpotts, from N.Z. Hospital at Amiens, and I enjoyed a real New Zealand chat. Last week I saw an air fight, six German aeroplanes and three of ours, ana the shrapnel fell round us, we were out for a walk at Contay. I was interested to see " Kai Tiaki " and the zeppelin Miss Jordan mentions came over while I was recovering from scarlet fever at Le Touquet, and we could see it quite plainly. I had fourteen days in London recently, and stayed part of my time at Weybridge at my cousins. I had tea with Sister Mcßae at Walton Hospital and saw several whom I knew there. I spent a day at Brockenhurst as I had a cousin there wounded, and think though our hospital there is scattered, it is a lovely spot and the men have a delightful spot to recuperate in. We certainly have splendid hospitals, I've seen both our English ones and the one at Amiens but only from the outside."

Sister Rose Newdick, now Mrs. Jenssen, wrote from Brockenhurst. She was back at work after her marriage, and was on night duty. After the war sister's home will be in Wellington, her husband being in the Wellington Harbour Board,

Sister Nutsey writes after her long and rather adventurous voyage in transport. They had arrived in England, and she and Sister Hunt were stationed at Wal-ton-on-Thames, where they were very happy and comfortable. Sister had charge of a ward of 62 beds, and said they had everything they could wish for, and the boys were very well treated all over the hospital. The cold was intense, and theer had been heavy falls of snow. The wards are heated with hot pipes, and the sisters have nice fires in their sittingrooms.

Sister Margaret Nixon wrote she expected to go to England, and had done two years' service in the Queen Alexandra Reserve, and would like to join our own service.

Sister Elizabeth Nixon wrote from Codford. She had been up at the Sandwich Rest Home with Miss Tombe for a fortnight, which she much enjoyed.

Sister Dalrymple, who went Home early in 1915, in the "lonic," to offer her services to the War Office, has been nursing in a military hospital at Salisbury.

Sister Westoby was sent to Codford, and Sister Rood to Brockenhurst. They all felt the cold very much after sunny Egypt.

Sister Owen Johnston, who went Home with her husband on the transport " Tahiti," writes what a happy voyage they had despite the fact of its length. Th (i y had a fortnight in Capetown, and saw all there was to be seen. She forwarded n copy of the " Oil-sheet," a paper witn which they beguile the tedium of the voyage. Every member of the 19th Reinforcements on the "Tahiti" received a Christmas gift, which was much appreciated. The troops on the " Tahiti" made a collection of £33, with which they purchased butter, cheese, tinned fruits and other luxuries, and sent them as a Christmas gift to the men on H.M.S. , which had been their escort. They received a hearty message of thanks for the gift from the commodore,

Sister Hodges writes from the 27th General Hospital, Abbassia, where so many of our nurses have been stationed. She expected to go to England shortly. She and Mrs. White (Sister Dorothy Rose) had just returned from eight days' holiday in Upper Egypt, where they had a most interesting and enjoyable time.

Sister Florence Sugden wrote from Oatlands Park, which is an auxiliary of Walton-on-Thames. She was one of the 26 sisters who had been gathered up from various parts of Egypt and sent to England on the "Marama," and she said it was strange to have another Christmas on the " Marama," as she was one of the passenger nurses sent on that ship in December, 1915. She did night duty for a couple of nights, and says it reminded her of dear old Wellington Hospital, acting Father Christmas for the patients. She says they had a lovely time, and were so happy. The sisters all had ten days' leave after landing.

Sister Carrie Jones, who has from the beginning of the war been attached to the Queen Alexandra Reserve, and for the greater part of the time on hospital ship duty, is now in Mesopotamia, at the Rawul Pindi Hospital at Amara.

Sister Ellen Cooke, after being for a time at Aldershot, is now stationed at No. 17 General Hospital, Alexandria. Sister Cooke was in England when war broke out, and at first joined the French Flag Nursing Corps.

Sister Carrie Young is now at the Hornchurch Hospital. Sister Young, after being in Egypt on the staff of No. 15 General Hospital, had been on hospital ship duty until recalled to join the N.Z.E.F.

Sister Valentine is stationed at the Wal-ton-on-Thames Hospital since her return from Egypt.

Sister Eagle has had an attack of appendicitis. She was on the staff of No. 1 N ? Z, Stationary at Amiens.

Many of the sisters have during the winter, which they felt very keenly after the great heat of Egypt, been laid up in hospital with influenza, bronchitis, etc., but almost before the news reaches New Zealand they are convalescent and enjoying rest and change at the Sandwich Home. Also some of the sisters, who have had a very strenuous time in Franco, have been replaced, and they have been granted leave so as to recuperate before the next rush of work in England. The Sandwich Home has proved itself a great boon, and all nurses write of the kindness of Miss Tombe. Sister Mary Myers, Q.A.I.M.N.S. (R.), of Stratford, Taranaki, arrived in England a year ago, and has been engaged since then in nursing at the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich.

Nurses Martin and Packer, of Auckland, are on duty in Mesopotamia.

Sister E. M'Mullin (Dunedin) has gone abroad. In all likelihood she is at Bombay.

Sister Elsie Gray, of Auckland Hospital, who has been in England since early in the war working as a V.A.D. at Wal-ton-on-Thames, has now, having completed a year after graduation and so become eligible for the N.Z.A.N.S., been enrolled.

It is proposed to take on more nurses in England to cope with the expected rush of work. There are quite a number of New Zealand nurses who have gone home on their own account who are eligible for enrolment.