AWM41 1055 - [Nurses Narratives] Bessie McIntosh Waldon

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BESSIE Mc. I. WALDER.

A.W.M

LIBRARY

ClassⁿN^o 373.2

[1055]

 

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 as 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

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

and what is not likely to be historically accurate." 

 

Waldon

58/94

France

1

After being about six months at Caulfield

Military Hospital I with fifty other nurses

received orders for service abroad. We

left Port Melbourne by the “Orsova” on

6^th Dec. 1916. the boat carrying troops

Munition workers, a few passengers also,

the majority of which disembarked at

Durban or Cape Town. After spending

a short time at Durban, we sailed for

Cape Town where we had a long stay -

almost three weeks. The Moewe Raider

was cruising in the vicinity & this accounted

for the stay as our boat was only one of

a large Convoy. We landed at Plymouth

in February & after being about eight days

in London, our orders came through for

service in France. We were each supplied 

with a field kit, comprising camp bed, stool

wash stand, tripod & canvas bath, one of the

most useful articles in the kit - & a few other

things were included such as a kettle, stove

etc., besides this we each had three

army blankets, & before we left England

nearly everyone made sure of an eider

down, hot water bags & woollens, also heavy

boots. We were all on loan to the

English Hospitals for a period of six

months. Arrived in France, we were

accomodated at the Louvre Hotel, our

orders being given there as to our destinations

We went off in twos & threes to our different

Hospitals, with four other sisters.  I was

sent to No: 1 General - Etretat. The Matron

Miss Milton-Smith was extremely good to

the few Australians she had there, & we were

sorry to leave when the Hospital was

 

2

given over to the Americans who came in

May; a Presbyterian body from New York.

It was at No: 1 General, I first had 

anything to do with wounded men, there

it was I first became acquainted with

Gas gangrene, which prepared me for

being on the look out for it in busier

times when it was impossible for the

Medical men to notice all patients as

they came in. In this Hosp. there were

nearly all Surgical cases & Dakin's fluid

& Eusol formed the principal dressings,

Ampules being suspended from above the

patients' bed with rubber tubing & attachments

& the tubes in the wounds would be flushed

out 2 hrly. When the Americans came

we worked in the wards  a couple of days

& most of their cases they put out in the

sun; wound exposed! When I left

Etretat- which is a most beautiful seaside

village - I went to Le Treport another 

coastal village, same coast, further on

from Le Havre. Here there were several

Hospitals but it was to 47 General I

was sent, here there were men with very

slight injuries which only kept them in

Hosp. for a week or two, then back to

Con. Camp. Then there were more severe

cases who rejoiced to have wounds that

would send them to Blighty, for Blighty

meant a month or two away from the

firing line. From Le Treport, then I

went to Dieppe, Coastal again - to No: 5

Stationary Hosp. which was being given

over to an Australian Staff with English

Medical Officers & Orderlies. Then later

Matron Miles-Walker was the first to

 

3

take charge. We were billeted very comfortably

here & after the bell tents with two inmates

at Le Treport, the rooms seemed extra large

& comfortable. After Miss Miles-Walker left

us Matron Dourchin came, then she also

departed, her successor being Miss Kidd-Hart.

We only really had local sick, that is

Labor Batt. employed in and about Dieppe,

these patients were men physically unfit

either on account of age, or else men who

could not possibly stand the actual heavy

work of the firing line, yet they could

do the work necessary in bake-houses

or any other light employment. At times

we did get the over flow from Le Treport

but very rarely; & then only minor walking

cases. I spent seven months at Dieppe

then my orders came through for No: 1

Australian C.C.S. needless to say I had

like many others longed for some of

the real work & experiences & at last

I was to have them. The C.C.S. was then

at Baillieul with Miss Anderson in

Charge. We were comfortable in Hessian

Huts, four sharing a hut, these being

partitioned off made a separate cubicle

for each Sister & one queen stove in each

hut gave good warmth; a whole hut

served for sitting & mess room, the walls

of which were lined with green canvas

& each Sister put up some little scene

or picture or made cushions & altogether

the room looked a cosy comfortable

abode. The Camp just then was only a 

Rest Station this was in January 1918.

In March the Germans decided to

bomb & shell Ballieul as they had done

 

4

in 1917, but before doing so they warned

the town & C.C.S. to vacate; however no one

seemed to be in a desperate hurry & the towns

people still stayed, then Fritz began to

shell over the C.C.S. into Baillieul, well chosen

marks too, & soon Baillieul began to be rather

knocked about, the towns people all began

to go; then the C.C.S. had orders to move to

Hondeghem,having to leave a beautiful

concrete dugout behind. Before we left

Baillieul, the rest station became a C.C.S.

again, but as we began to receive patients

the orders came for a move; huts had to

be left & only necessary things taken.

We went back about 18 Kilos to Hondeghem

where a canvas hospital soon sprang up

roads made, duck boards put down &

here we were put in bell tents again, until

huts could be erected. Padre Dormay

worked very hard in the erection of these,

& after we had been at this camp for a

few days the big offensive began & we

had orders to receive the wounded. They

began to pour in steadily from about

11 p.m. on the 9th April, some walking

others dying on admission, some never getting

to us at all that were on the way. Every one

worked hard the surgeons working day

& night. The wounded were Scottish &

English Rgts. On the 12th April as Fritz

advanced the C.C.S. had to be vacated in

a hurry; theatre work stopped & the wounded

men lay everywhere & still were coming in

but were being transported as speedily as 

possible, the men at all able to walk

were put on the road to St.Omer. The 

hopeless cases were the last, but by

degrees all cases were got away

 

5

but everywhere there were dead & dying

horrible wounds & gaping. The men were

a plucky lot; & beyond groans of agony

they were just wonderful. We had to

leave this men & go to St. Omer which was

a very hard thing to do. The only articles

we took with us were the bare necessaries

our kits were left behind, also our baggage

We all lost something, but were thankful

three weeks after to get anything at all.

St.Omer was full of refugees when we 

got there, & after the first night spent in

the cellar we did not have too bad a time

although sleeping on the floor; some of us

were put on duty in the English Hosp.

until the Camp was fixed at Blendecques

We soon began to receive again, & here

we got many gassed cases, principally

mustard gas. which is a brutal torture,

Chest cases & all sorts of horrible wounds.

Many French soldiers also passed through,

our Colonel got the Croix Au Guerre at

Blendecques in recognition. We had fairly

comfortable billets here but separated.

From Blendecques to Hondeghem

again we went, from where we paid a

visit to our old C.C.S. at Baillieul not

a sign of any Camp, town or village

all levelled to the ground; but the

old dugout remained quite intact.

From Hondeghem to St. Venant originally

a Monastery & Asylum, we did not have

such a great deal of work there, but

the place had been H.Q. Artillery so

consequently was knocked about.

I left the C.C.S. at St Venant, my 

orders for No: 2 A.G.H. coming through

 

6

the trip was long to Boulogne, & then

I was only at No: 2 a few days when

another move came for me, this was

in October & the orders were for duty in

England; on arrival I was sent down

to No: 1 Clearing Group, a Camp Hosp.

was there from Nov. 1  to March then

the Camp closing, was taken on the 

strength of No: 1 A.G.H. temporarily

detached for the month to No: 2 Camp

Hosp. at Hurdcott, now again on the

strength of No: 1 We all enjoyed

our C.C.S. days for when slack we

always managed to get about & see things

It is a real gipsy sorts of life & never

gets monotonous, for with constant

moves there are always fresh interests,

places to visit. & the usual souvenirs

to be collected; & then above all these

has been the good feeling of comradeship

amongst the troops, and we can never

forget how good the "Diggers" have been

when a Sister has been stranded with

all kit somewhere in France. & not

known what to do. This has all

been a real experience and I for one

have been glad that I have had

the priviledge of nursing the Diggers

even though it has only been here

on the Sutton Veny Front.

 

Bessie Mc. I. Waldon