AWM41 1045 - [Nurses Narratives] N F S Smith - Part 1

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AWM 41

AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVES

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OPEN
N.F.S. Smith.
AWM
LIBRARY
[[?]] 373.2
[1045]

Lemnos

141/24

Dr. N.F. Selwyn Routh

Mooltan 1915 attached to No 244

arrived London June 21  -

astonishment of people  just 

at the practical uniforms -

cloak & bonnet

To the Dardanelles 1915 - H.S.

Dunbar Castle, Mudros

Harbour August 5^th 1915

Transhipped L.H.M.T  "Swindon"

Disembarked - worked while

tents were erected, patients

lying anywhere in the 

meantime. No water to

wash patients, tried salt

water - no basins, washed

patients with salt water

out of Mens own dixies

Realised how much better

women are with sick

people than men.

Think there should have

been twice as many

nurses - lives would have 

been saved.

Patients with frost bitten

feet - often amputation -

many died from shock.

speak to Miss Wilma Matron. in glowing terms

 

are so. The diarist is almost always sincere in his desire to record

accurately , but he is subject to no obligation or inducement to

indicate whether he is recording his own observation or incidents

told him by friends or heard  at third or fourth hand heard at the mess-table

Thus, in  some of the diaries in this collection, scenes  described with

vivid detail, and without any warning that they are told at second

or third hand have been found to be completely inaccurate in

important details. A certain number have been written up

or reviewed long after the events, though doubtless usually from notes

made at the time in most cases the student must rely on his

experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is

and what is not likely to be historically accurate."

Lemnos

141/24

Dr. N.F. Selwyn Routh

Mooltan 1915 attached to No 244

arrived London June 21

astonishment of people  just 

at the practical uniforms -

cloak & bonnet

To the Dardanelles 1915 - H.S.

Dunbar Castle, Mudros

Harbour August 5 1915

Transhipped L.H.M.T. Swindon

Disembarked - worked while

tents was erected, patients

lying anywhere in the 

meantime. No water to

wash patients, tried salt

water - no basins, washed

patients with salt water

out of Mens own dixies

Realised how much better

women are with sick

people than men.

Think there should have

been twice as many

nurses-lives would have 

been saved.

Patients with frost bitten

feet - often amputation -

many died from shock.

speak to Miss Wilma Matron. in glowing terms

The Official War Historian of the Commonwealth
Government (Dr. C. E. W. Bean), after his study of the
collection of private war records preserved in the Australian
War Memorial Library, wrote:-
"The private diaries in this collection furnish some of its most  
valuable historical records, but, like all private memoirs which were  
not compiled with any historical purpose, they should not be  
regarded as first-hand evidence except where it is certain that they  
are so.  The diarist is almost always sincere in his desire to record  
accurately, but he is subject to no obligation or inducement to  
indicate whether he is recording his own observations or incidents  
told him by friends or heard at third or fourth hand at the mess-table.  
Thus, in some of the diaries in this collection, scenes described with  
vivid detail, and without any warning that they are told at second  
or third hand, have been found to be completely inaccurate in  
important details. A certain number also have been written up 
or revised long after the events, though doubtless usually from notes  
made at the time. In most cases the student must rely on his  
experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is  
and what is not likely to be historically accurate". 

N F S Smith
101/28
ADMINISTRATION [[?]]
AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE
18 DEC 18 [[?]]
CENTRAL REGISTRY.
1519 19.11
Beaudesert
Queensland.
September 24^th 1919
[[*28*]]
17117
[[?]]
[[16*E Recd*]]

To
The Assistant Collator
Medical History,
Australian War Records.
Sir -
In response to your appeal for
personal experiences of the A.A.N.S. I have written
a little which may be of some use.
After all this time I feel there is very little
that I can write that will be an interest
to many but my immediate friends.
Of all my experiences those which stand out
most clearly in my memory are my Lemnos ones.
perhaps because they were my first experience of
active service. No doubt they were very active.
What I have to tell about Lemnos has no doubt
been told very many times and by far other
persons than I. but as I am asked to
contribute my experiences, I shall do my best
though perhaps a poor best.
If it would be of any assistance I could
AWB

continue the history of my experiences in England,
& France.
I spent a great deal of my time in France
in a hospital at the base. Unfortunately the
atmosphere was not very congenial. I look upon that
experience as my most unhappy one in the A.I.F.
After all though I believe it was B.E.F
Hoping you may get a very scraps in interest
from my very poor effort.
I am
Yours truly
N.F. Selwyn Smith

1

I left Australia on May 15^th on the "Mooltan"

as a mere staff nurse attached to No 3 A.G.H.

Of course we had no idea where we were going.

Most of us had a feeling it would be Egypt.

& were quite surprised to find ourselves safely 

past it.

I for one didn't enjoy that voyage much.

We seemed to live in a continual state of

being vaccinated or innoculated.

We put up with most things cheerfully in

those days - hence knew then that it is a Soldier's

privilege to grouse so when the Stewardess

impressed the fact upon us that we were "no 

ladies just nurses" we accepted it quite meekly

with about 200 grey-clad females impacting the

first-class cabins & the thought of the value

of trips diminishing one feels how perhaps there

was no excuse for these manners. -

We arrived in England Thurs 27^th 1915 - &

went straight from Plymouth to London - we

all stayed at the Ivanhoe Hotel at Bloomsbury -

we  were about the first Australian Sisters to

arrive in England. When we ventured out

in uniform. the cloak & the bonnet in those 

days. the astonishment of the people was great -

I suppose that they had never seen such

freaks before - we were often clapped in the
street

2

street and asked where we came from and

what we intended to do.

We had our photograph taken on the steps of

the British Museum. we wondered they did not

invite us inside.

We thought then we were bound for France - so

were rather surprised when we got orders

for the Dardanelles -

Half our number left Devonport by the Themintoeles

the other half on the 'Derflinger' or rather

I should call her by her English name the

"Huntsgreen" -

There were a good number of troops on board 

a London regiment & the 5^th Welsh I

remember - The last mentioned were undersized

men mostly Miners. who though they looked like

devils sang like angels. "The March of the Men 

of Harlech" sung by them was something to

be remembered.

We got all sorts of scares about Submarines.

at any rate the boat itself was a

grim affair. if we all went to one side

the whole boat nearly turned over.

At Alexandria we disembarked - stayed a

couple of nights there & then went on board

the A.S.D. Dunluce Castle -

We slept in one of the wards & were

3

most comfortable. those who were not ill

helped the staff to make beds for patients

on the return journey.

We arrived at Mudros Harbour in the early

morning of August 5^th 1915 -

The next day we transhipped to H.M.T. [[Leirla?]] at

that time the Medical Depot -

That night six Sisters were needed for transport

duty & six were detailed, they went on board

the Formosa. saw the Suvla Bay attack from the

boat & took the wounded from the Peninsula

to Lemnos. they rejoined us a few weeks later.

The next morning some M.O.'s & one O.C. came

on board & gave us very discouraging report

of the hospital.

Our equipment which had been sent from

England some time before we left had not 

arrived - then the food was rather scanty &

several of the orderlies who had arrived a

few weeks  before were already down with dysentery.

All day on the 7^th August we sat with our hats

on & bags in hand in the tiny saloon of the

Suvla. ready to taken off at any minute.

It was not until the next night that 40 of

the Sisters went ashore in a lighter.

I stayed & went ashore with the second 

lot on a tug called the "Henelon" the next
morning

4

At the time we did not think it funny,

but our arrival on the island must have

been a most amusing spectacle for an

onlooker -

Our O.C. was nothing if not a Military man

& we were met at the pier of West Mudros

by a Staff Sergeant with bagpipes!! to play us

into camp.

It was very desolate at that pier the only

person in sight being a dejected looking English

Tommy, standing beside a pile of onions.  After

hearing such stories about the food from the

M.O.'s we  rejoiced to see those onions -

Well when we were all off the lighter - we

were told to get in line & then to form fours &

I must say he made a hash of the job. We

had forgotten whether the odd or even

numbers moved so to be on the safe side

we all moved!!

Finally we got in some sort of order & marched!

Matron & Colonel leading. We passed several

bell tents - some dogs barked & some men

cheered never laughed which we thought was so

nice of them.

When we arrived at this camp we found

wounded had arrived at 6 a.m. and as

no equipment was there nothing was ready

5

ready for them. The Sisters who had arrived

the night before were frightfully worried about

it all.

After a scrap lunch in a mess tent with just 

a board in the centre between two poles for

a table & flies in millions over everything,

we changed or rather put on an aprons & went

on duty.

Several tents had to be erected while the 

patients lay on the ground and waited -

When the tents were erected we had no beds 

for them so put them on Blankets on the ground

to wash them and they were all longing for

a wash we had to use salt water & any

utensil we could find - basins were very scarce

if there were any I know I never saw one -

I washed my unfortunate patients with

seawater out of their own small dixie! &

then gave them rice & tea from the same article

though soap was not much use. We used our

own & I remember tearing up old blouses

for cloths & towels.

After we had washed & fed them we dressed

their wounds  & tried to make them comfortable

almost impossible. but still they had been through
so much & were content with very little.

They were wonderful, just put up with things

6.
things & never complained.

The island did not look its best when we 

arrived - it was a very hot day - there was not

a tree to be seen - dust everywhere - we nearly 

died of thirst & had very little water to drink.

This was at the beginning later on there was a

large condenser on the island & we had

water laid on & numerous taps about

the hospital.

Though the island looked bare & uninteresting

by day, the sunsets & sunrises were wonderfully

beautiful. the hills looked so soft in the various

coloured lights it was transformed into

a magic island.

The day after our arrival Miss Wilson, our

Matron but some of us to No 2 A.G.H. as

they were very busy there & had no Sisters.

I don't think I ever realized before how very

much better women are with sick people than 

men. I was taken to a tent there and an 

orderly met me, he was very worried poor thing!

he had been careful to give the few medicines

& chart a few temperatures (it was a Medical Ward

dysentery mostly) but it had never entered his 

head apparently that the men would like

a wash & to be made comfortable. blankets