Since my last entry a good deal has happened in the East, we have left Gallipoli with the loss of only one man, a wonderful piece of work, & in the Persian Gulf during the last few days we have been getting news of reinforcements arriving & our troops advancing again. Quantities of troops are going out to Egypt’s & Salonika. I have had a letter from Stanley Clogg from there & he says he has seen Tom Dyer. Since the beginning of this year we have lost a liner – the Persia – in which were our letters to...
Wednesday was the school children’s tea which went as well as usual but much fewer children. Mr Moore was Father Christmas, Elizabeth noticed his hands weren’t old. To day is a day of special prayers service at 5.30 & 7 o’clock with muffled peal just before 7. Two Austrian destroyers sunk in the Adriatic. Somehow there was a feeling of cheerfulness & hope in the air on this last day of this year 1915.
Sunday night & all Monday a gale blew with full force, but we all went to the meet at Greystone Bridge & Nicholas made his first public appearance on horseback. We did not see anything & the wind was too high for us to hear a sound. A cheering sentence in the King’s speech or rather message to his troops, he says “I rejoice to know that the goal to which you are striving draws nearer into sight” What does he mean? This afternoon Ursula & baby arrived, Sry pretty scene between her & Michael, he was delighted with her....
Another Sunday but a great sunny day yesterday was very wet & so was Friday & Thursday
Several things have been happening lately & no record kept on them. Our troops have retired from Servia to Salonika & all the troops have been moved from Salva Bay, & the world is anxiously awaiting the next move. What Greece is going to do is still uncertain. The results of Lord Derby’s recruiting scheme has not been made known yet but it seems as if all have joined now, I did not think there was a single unmarried man left in this neighbourhood who hasn’t been in to be tested, except [Hazy] Down who is starved. This has been...
Kelly. How badly this is kept. Such a lot of things have happened & I am too lazy to write. I was hoping about a month ago with a septic finger which however very soon cleared up & healed, but when I returned to the hospital I found myself moved away from Ward 6 out to one of the tents under Sister Musgrove. Here all was new, & I had to begin all over again. Before my finger was bad Chilly also had a bad finger & was away for some weeks during which time we nurses were left very...
On Sunday I went home, arriving just in time for Evensong, and so played the organ, was out of practice & made many mistakes. Mary was still at home. No notice has been taken of her letters in the OC we are all more & more convinced that Mrs Rose & the matron are at the bottom of the whole affair & have worked against Mary, and told Mrs Buller a lot of lies, because Mary knew of their dishonest practices. On Monday morning we went to Castle Head & wandered down to the river. The tents[?] were lovely &...
England, Russia and Italy have all declared war on Bulgaria. Greece is still hesitating. There is some mystery about the Dardanelles as Sir Ian Hamilton is coming home. Things are not progressing out there. Miss Buller has been asked for some V.A.D. nurses for foreign service, a notice is up at the hospital asking for the names of those willing to go. What I did go, but should I be of any use? Cannot make up my mind on the matter. Dorothea came off to day & she & I and Todd were to hear Isagi played the violin. A...
Yest Mary came to Exeter, to see what can be done, and this morning we both went to see a lawyer, a Mr Andrew a friend of the Worthington’s and the man I have met here. Rob W says he is just the man for the case. It was very alarming proceeding, and we were there nearly an hour. At 1st he did not hold out much hope, but after studying the agreement, he had a clause which stated that only the Deputy County Director could dismiss anyone on the recommendation of the OC. Mr Andrew drew off a letter...
The baby has arrived and all is well. I was just coming off duty at 6 & met Robert W in the hospital, and he told me matters have begun. At 9 it was all over, a little girl, rather a disappointment to him, but Evelyn will be happy with a girl. I went to the Judges lodgings, & saw Miss Thornecroft about Mary. It seems that Miss Buller answered her letter, but gave no real reason for dismissal, mentioned a reference Mary made to the [Chicln[?]] in writing which was disrespectful. Now this was a note to the washerwoman...
This morning I was told by Chilly that I was to go to Torquay with the soldiers who were well enough for the outing. We started at 1.15, and by good chance I managed to get into one of the best cars, a 6 cylinder Woolsey belonging to the Prings*1. Luff a man from my Ward, who was put into my special charge was in it. It was a lovely day & the drive was most enjoyable although the dust from the other cars was rather thick. 150 cars went from Exeter with wounded from all 5 hospitals. All the...
This afternoon I has spent with Bob & Reginald. We went to the Judges lodgings were we set out in the garden, & I had a nap. We could not have tea there, so went to Miss Fursdon’s. Everywhere one goes, we hear Mary’s affair discussed, and they all think she has been unfairly treated. Father is coming up to see the OC & demand an explanation. This petty row has for the moment dwarfed the bigger row in France, where there has been some terrible fighting and at last a move forward on our part. We have taken 2...
A fearful thing has happened. Mary has got the sack from No. 3. Last Monday she went away for a well earned holiday. Since Nov 1st of last year she has worked in that old place & only had a fortnight’s holiday. There have been continued rows there, the whole time, because the matron is a fool and beast, and last Sunday, she sent for Mary & abused her just because a tiny bit of apple in the tart was not cooked, & told her she was no use. She might have found it out before if it was true,...
I went home on Wed evening. It was very warm all day, I was on duty until 6 & caught the 7 express to Tavistock. Had a lovely drive home. Found Bob, Evelyn & Mr & Mrs Lear, E’s Vicar. On Thursday it was very close & hot, no Sun. I drove Evelyn to Dunterton in the old car, with Boucher by my side & from there into Lanson. It was very lovely at home poking around in the garden, & just doing nothing. Poor old Dorothea feels very lost without the children & so does Ellis. Father was looking...
Yesterday Dorothea came up. She brought up the children with Mary F to help her on the way to Seaton. Poor old D, how terribly lost she will be without them now. I saw her off by the 2.23 train & out of it got Bob. As I was going to meet Margaret Hext that aft, Bob stuck to me, & we arranged to go on the river, but after all she could not come, so B & I went alone. I had to row as he couldn’t. It was very nice day there & we had a cosy chat...
Exeter. It is more than 3 weeks since I returned, & every day goes by so much the same there is very little to write about. But to day great event has taken place. The King & Queen have been to Exeter & visited No. 1 and No. 5 hospitals. Those of our patients who were well enough went to the garden of number 5, and we nurses marched behind them in our indoor uniform. Fortunately it was a fine day. We stood for nearly 2 hours in a very hot Sun, and at last the King & Queen arrived....
Warsaw was taken Saturday. On Saturday we all went to Tintagel for the day & took Nicholas & Elizabeth with us as well as Daisy & Freddie Smith. It was a cloudy day & when we got there a sea fog was hanging about, but it did not actually settle on the sea. We had our lunch in the field of Bossiney cove & then went down below for about one hour, when we walked to the Rocky Valley. It was very lovely, the colouring was beautiful, as owing to the constant rain the cliffs were green with fresh grass....
Warsaw is practically in the hands of the enemy, they have taken some of the forts of Ivangorod. After a year of fighting the Germans on a Masters in Belgium & now they have almost got Poland & what have the Allies done? Stops the Germans getting to Paris. Last night we had an intercession service at 8, a few prayers & 2 hymns, quite a number of people came to it. It has been wet again today. Yest was a nice day. Father, Bob & I went to Langstone Moortown to call on Goeffrey Coleridge’s family who we heard...
On July 24 I came home. It was glorious to get back again. I arrived at 2 PM & found the school treat taking place. In the house were all four of Franks children, Miss Andrews, Ursula & her baby & Evelyn. A goodly party. DJ is a lovely child, so sweet & gentle. The four are most unruly. Michael is rather a dear, & much improved in looks from when I last saw him. On Monday Frank Drewe turned & he & I has spent a good deal of time trying to drive Arthur’s old Talbot. It is very...
The Russians are holding their own. The most important point now is near the railway that runs from Ivangorod to Morow. If the Germans get that Railway then Warsaw cannot stand against them. My night duty time is drawing to a close. On Saturday I go home. We have had a new night Sister on called Ling, middle-aged & a Lady & thoroughly nice. She has been head in France working on a hospital train, out from Boulogne, & when she redefines our hospital & its work, or rather lack of work, very dull. She went off again 2 days...
