Letters from Sister Corfield during 1915 to her best friend Lizzy Ryland - Part 3

1

Still address

my letters as 

above.

Forgive writing

uncles book favour.

15 Gen Hospital                                                                                 
Alexandria

Dec 10^th 1915

Dear old Lizzie 

When you get this

letter you will all have attained

the mature age of 25 years -

I say Lizzie you & I are advancing

in years - I wonder if it is too

soon to look out a bed at

Dunwich for us both - have

mine next to yours just for

old Maryborough times sake -

do you remember our days

at Melville Street - our visits

to your Aunt - the organ -

the peaches - everything? They

will never come again old girl.

Do you remember our Sunday

School picnics - Mr Masters?

the library - Oh! Sometimes

I long for them all again

 3                                                         

but we are not one like you & I

were. How I would love to have

a yarn to you & how we would

critizise  critisize critizise (I will

get it right soon) I hope. everyone here.

But never mind perhaps we will

meet again & have a good old

yarn yet. Oh what lots I will

have to tell you. I think I have

told you that I am back at

hospital & on night duty. Every

week I have fresh patients as we

send them to England as soon

as they are fit to travel - then

we keep getting fresh ones in.

At present every man in my

ward (& all over the hospital)

is frost biten - Oh if you could

only see their poor feet - lots

of them ^will have to loose them

altogether - you cannot imagine

anything so dreadful - I would

rather nurse wounded fifty times

than this. We only have about

100 wounded in now the other

1600 patients are enterics & 
2

I seem to live too fast now. Life is

very interesting or I should say

exciting now - but I do not seem

to have time to weigh my actions

for right or wrong - it is a case

of do - perhaps my conscience

is dying or I should say less

sensitive - but I am sure that

one can not live at this pace

& it not tell on one's character

in after years- How I wish

fate had made you a Nurse

also - then we could have

been through all this together -

I have never had or never will

have a girl pal who will be the

same to me that you were -

We seemed to see the same

view of everything - a glance

at one another & we both saw

the same thing - (even if

it were the wrong thing). I have

some very nice friends here 

 

Letters from

Sister Agnes Beryl Corfield

nurse 1st World War.

died in Egypt at age of 24.

She was Betty's dearest friend.

4
frost bites. I was nearly sent

to Salonika this morning but

by some lucky chance my

para typhoid inoculation had

not taken sufficiently (providence

I think) so one of the Canadian

girls was sent instead. I was very

glad as we would have to live in

tents with camp stretchers etc &

just now the ground is covered with

snow - although I would willingly

go anywhere still I think it was

better for a girl who has been used

to cold to go instead of me - we

have so very little winter in

Queensland. However I suppose

I will have to go later (my M.O.

-(medical officer) will not be able to

say "Inoculation not taken" again

so next time it will be "marching

orders". There is a sister at this

hospital "Sister Elizabeth Ryland"

try as I will I can never get a

view of her - there are five letters

for her tonight in the box some

with Dublin stamp mark

 5

on - she evidently is from

Ireland. I have had the

blues miserably tonight so I

thought I would write to

you & see if that would

improve my feelings & it

has - I must run away

to supper now (12 midnight)

Have been to supper - hard

boiled eggs - bread made

without salt also butter

without salt - tea & condensed

milk. However we cant

grumble as we fare very

well considering it is active

service. Today I had

breakfast at 8am & have

had nothing else until supper

at twelve (m-n). I was tired out

& over slept dinner time at

7 pm so did not get any.

However I am satisfied

now. I want you to be

sure to drop me a line as

often as you can - I will

always answer it - but you

cannot think how I love

to get your letters - it is

like old times. Anyhow

whether you write or not

I shall going on doing it

I must close now dear

Lizzie with heaps of

love to both you & your Aunt

& remember this - that

whatever happens in the

future I will always be

Your ever loving friend

A. Beryl Corfield

Kind regards to Mr B. & tell

him I have not been bombed yet

DEATHS                                                   

CORFIELD.- On the 2nd of February, at 15,

General Hospital Alexandria, Egypt, Sister

Agnes Beryl Corfield, of Q.A.I.M., N.S. (R.),

age 24 years.

WHITE. - On 30th January, 1916, at Kilcoy, M.

A. White, relict of the late Joseph White, and

mother of Mesdames A. and C. Pointon, W.

Day, R. Morrow, Messrs. F.J. and G.A.

White.
IN MEMORIAM

CALDWELL.- In loving memory of my dear

Newspaper clipping- see original document

H.M. Transport

Galeka                                                                                        

July 6^th 1915                                                                                      

Dear old Lizzie

As usual you will think that I have forgotten

you - but for the last month I have represented a ball,

never in the same place for a week. I am going to start

from our arrival at Aden - heat terrific - we were not

allowed on the decks because of sunstroke etc. We (the

nurses for England) received word to land at Suez.

We had a bit of a look round at Aden - no trees no

grass anywhere - everything sand sand. As we

entered the harbour there where the great rugged rocks

& forts they looked wonderful as the sun rose behind

them but no grass on them. No horses there all camels, we

drop dead from the heat the day we were there. We went out to

the Tanks, the only thing of interest in Aden. After Aden began

the Red Sea & packing ready to land. One of our orderlies died

in the Red Sea - and on the Saturday (one of the two hottest

days I have known in my life) we had a military funeral

(it was the most solemn thing) at sea. Now for our landing

we where met & brought off the boats  to the train,

we wondered where on earth we were going - at

last we learned it was Alexandria on the Mediterranean.

We left Suez at 1 pm travelled through the dessert in

what they call a "Kham Seene" or sand storm - it was

the worst experience I have ever had in my life the heat

in the carriage was 120°- all windows & shutters were

put up to keep sand & light out - the wind was so hot 

[* that it actually blistered our faces. I thought we were going to hell. Towards sundown things began

to cool down & by the time we reached the sea (Alexandria) it was like heaven. What 

became of the girls that got out half way for Ciaro I don't know. Alexandria is

better than Ciaro - as it is on the sea - all the people come from Ciaro to here for the summer

months - there are several - rest homes etc *]

 2

Then began my three weeks of life in Alexandria (how I love

it.) I dont know what it is but I love the Oriental life,

of course it is gay, but it fascinates. We where met

by motors at the station & taken to an hotel - where

we found that we were to live - as the nurses quarters

had been used for wounded from the Dardenelles.

Such a glorious place it is - a few rich Italians

a few french - & the rest officers (Brittish) and the Army

Sisters - there are also a few gentlemen in ^the government

such as customs etc - they officers and all are what

we call hard doers, from what I can see. Dinner always

at 8.15 pm - lovely music (rendered by two germans who are

now naturalised) in short everything is oriental. Living here

is fearful - our hotel to a certain effect has been commandeered

by the government - what do you think our board

amounts to alone each week - £3.15 each. The

food is good but nothing more, yet though living is so

outrageous here- clothes are much cheaper than

Australia. You can get the loveliest silk stockings (any

colour) for 7-10 piasters (a piaster = 2½ in our money)

and they wear as long as the cashmere. I bought the 

prettiest voile (cotton) dress I have ever had in my life

for (in our money) 19/- it is so pretty that I wear

it as an evening frock for dinner when I am off

duty. When we are on duty we are allowed to

attend meals in full uniform. Motor ambulances bring

us backwards & forwards to the hospital. Our hotel

is right on the coast - there is the ^side of the hotel then a wide

road or promenade then the breakwater & the glorious
[* blue Mediterranean - I have never seen such blue in my life & it is changing colour all 

the time. Directly in front is a small park or series of gardens about the width of two of our streets - there on the other side are some more big hotels - the french consulate 

& church (Presbyterian) & a military recreation hall. At the back of the hotel is a large *]