Letters from Sister Corfield during 1915 to her best friend Lizzy Ryland - Part 1

[*This is very heavy paper.
I hope you get my letters
alright Beryl.*]
No 15 Gen. Hospital
Alexandria
Egypt
Jan 27^th 1915
My dear Lizzie,
No letter from you for ages
I am getting quite used to heading 
my letters like this - What are you
doing? I hope you are not ill or anything
I am back from Ciaro now & at
work again my 19 days in Ciaro I
shall never forget as long as I live.
Our injections did not affect us very
much or make us ill- we were
able to go out the whole of the time -
Someday I will give you some photos.
that we had taken at the pyramids
& Sahara - At present things in
Egypt are very unsettled - there is

some talk of our hospital moving on
but goodness knows what is going to
happen. I am in a ward that
has opened up for a surgical convoy
which we expect in any day - at

[*still address

my letters No15 British Hospital

Alexandria

Egypt until I tell you not 

to. (Hope you have addressed some

there already) Love*]

September 21st 1915

My dear Liz,

This is not going to be a long letter

this time as I am just about dead beat

In a few hours we will be in Malta again

so I can get my letters posted nicely just

in time to catch the Australian Mail.

Now I must tell you a little of London -

I am not going to tell you what we did

everyday that would be impossible but

just a few things & places that I saw.

The first Sunday we went to St Pauls

Cathedral for church - then we went all

over it - to the whispering gallery &

crypt etc - the music at the service was

beautiful but to my mind spoilt by the

echo. (oh I forgot to say that it is the

dirtiest place out side you could wish to

see - pigeon dirt everywhere - all the

front of the church is swarmed with them.

We went to the Temple Church in the Law

Courts at night - I think I have never

heard such music in my life - the

Commissioner for New Zealand told us that

the music there excelled every other place

& I quite believe him. We went all over

[*Westminster Abbey - wax figures of all the kings etc. We went

to the Museum & National Picture Gallery. To the "Ye Olde Cheshyre

Cheese" Cafe (Dr Johnson & Boswells favourite haunt)- Clifford's Inn*]

where Dickens lived & where his grand

daughter still lives & is an authoress. We

saw Kensington Gardens - Albert Hall -

Hyde Park - Went to a theatre every including

"Dalys" "Haymarket" "Wyndham" "The Globe"

"Drury Lane" "Hippodrome" "The Gaiety". We also

went to a concert in "Queens" Hall it was

something wonderful. One night we had

a Zeppelin raid (at least I should say we

had two raids in 24 hours) but the first

was out near us the second was in

the Square opposite the hotel in front of

us was positively wrecked - our window

at our hotel in Southampton Row was

cracked - we got a rather nasty fright,

it would have been hard luck after all

we have been through to go to England & get

bombed! wouldnt it? Anyhow my dear

I am in Malta now on my way to

Alexandria so I must close as the mail

closes at 9.30 pm & it is now 8.50pm & I

have one to write to Agnes Wilson - I

have just travelled 22,000 miles by water

since I left home on May 13 - not a bad

record is it? How are you all faring

I have not had a letter for 8 weeks

I do hope I will get one from everybody

[*when I get to Alexandria. Be sure & write often Liz you cant think 

what these last 8 weeks have been like without one word from home - I have

only had letters dated at May 18th since I left home. I am just longing for

letters. Must close now dear with heaps of love x to both you & your friend

from Beryl.*]

[*Look after Lizzie

until I come back -

to take her to see England &

above all Egypt. 

Beryl*]

15th Gen Hospital

Alexandria

Egypt - 19.12.15

My dear Miss Blackburn

I am sending you

a photo of myself - in memory of old

times - would you keep it - because I

dont want you to forget me. I have

just had a nice letter from Lizzie

I must answer it as soon as I

possibly can. Heaps of love & I know

I will never forget you & your kindness

to me always  I am

Your loving friend

A Beryl Corfield

[*Write to me as

often as you can

Beryl*]

Rue Moharun Bay

Alexandria

Dec 19th 1915

Dear old Liz.

Enclosed you will find a

photo of me (in case you dont know it).

I should like one of you in return -

please dont forget - I hope you like

it - How I would love to see you

& have a yarn - perhaps we will

some day. I've come to the conclusion

that all things are possible, after my

life of the last few months - Must close

now with heaps of love - Your old friend.

A. Beryl Corfield

Answered

6.2.16

M'boro

[*P.S. Be sure &

burn this letter by

special request. We dont

always have a fortnights

treatment for rabies - I

am afraid it wouldnt

do. A.B.C.*]

Semiramis Hotel

Ciaro 6.1.16.

My dear Lizzie,

This is your birthday so you see

I am thinking about you - How I would love to

see you & have a yarn like old times - I

suppose you wonder what I am doing in Ciaro -

well I nursed a soldier who had that most

dreadful of dreadful diseases (Hydrophobia)

He had been bitten by a mad turkish dog

on the peninsula & died in my ward - as soon

as they notified head quarters, the day sister

& I & the medical officer & one of the guard

that he spat on, were all packed off here

to Ciaro to undergo a fortnights treatment.

We go every morning to the Hygienic Institute
& have an injection into the side for 15 days

I go for my third dose to day. It only makes

us very stiff & sore & we can still go out &

enjoy ourselves provided we cant dont bend

too much. Meanwhile we are seeing Ciaro -

This is a most gorgeous hotel that has been

commandeered for Military purposes - There are

four gorgeous hotels here one is almost unsurpassed

"The Savoy", Sheppards, The Grand Continental, & this 

one 

2

in peace time tourists from all over the world

stay here - I wish you could see it, each

room has its own bathroom & lavatory etc.

The lounge & bathroom of this hotel are mentioned

in one of Robt Hichens books, as the height of

luxury & comfort - I am sorry I am only

staying a fortnight - I could stand a good

many pricks in the side for a few weeks [[extra?]]

here. The Nile runs in front of the hotel &

about 50 yds to the right is the famous Kasr-el-

nil bridge one hears so much about (Later) on the

other side of the river we can see the

pyrmiads, from where I am lying now I

can see them (from my bed). Of all the

places in the world I love Ciaro the

best so far- all the gorgeous dress of

the French & then all the officers &

everybody here. This morning we went into

the native quarters & into an antique

brass shop - needless to say I did not buy

anything - old armoury - caskets (5-00£)

& pair of candlesticks for £550 a pair & all

this sort of business - I am writing

this sprawling on the bed & as my

3

side is getting more sore each prick I get I wont

be able even to lie down at all soon - it is 

much easier sitting & walking (Not too bad

for sight seeing) It is very cold here at present

& rainy - a real English winter I believe.

We went to a pantomime the other night given

by the Honourable Artillery Company one of

the "swell" regiments of England - I can

tell you it was grand - You remember

Duncan Chapman - He and another officer

sat just in front of me I did not speak as I

was not near enough to him. Friday day

night we are going out to Mena Camp to

an "At home" given by the officers & then

on to a concert - I tell you this is much

better (even if it is a fortnight) than clogging

12 hours a night in Alexandria - anyhow

it will soon come to an end like all other

good things. Yesterday we went with a

professor & explorer all over the Museum -

fancy talking to & being lectured by the actual

man himself who found Pharoah who talked

with Moses (Rameses II) There dont I know a

lot of Bible History - I was the only one who

4

did know, out of 4 officers & three sisters. Pharoahs

mummy - it is the real thing his features

are rather small with a very good

chin, his left hand is raised above his chest

his teeth are still good & nails are perfect. How

well they must have been done to have lasted

all these years - Oh we saw lots of interesting

things - I have bought a mummy (6 inches)

that was found in a tomb at Luxor in 1904

I cannot attempt to tell you all about the

museum (perhaps you dont want it)

as it would take pages. Tonight I am going out      

to dinner with two Australian Officers (against

rules unless they are close relatives. You did

not know I had four brothers did you?) I 

have had a good many since I have been

in Egypt - it is too bad not allowing us

to go out to dinner with the officers as some

of them never see a decent girl to speak to & 

I tell you if we dont go out with them they

go out with worse people by a long way.

Anyhow we all feel it our duty (not pleasure

of course) to give the men a bit of our company.

I can tell you Lizzie that I have come to