AWM41 1072 - [Official History, 1914-18 War: Records of Arthur G Butler:] Interviews containing accounts of Nursing experiences in the AANS [Australian Army Nursing Service]. These nurses were interviewed by Matron Kellett - Part 9

HMC.    60

Miss M. M. Lenton.

A.A.N.S.

 

I embarked on November, 10th, 1915, on the "Orsova" with 120

Sisters, as passengeers.

 

I went to No. 2 A.C.H. for three months, and was in the Medical

Ward, where the work was very heavy, as we had acute pneumonias.  We had

a good many deaths among the Remount Unit, old men who could not stand

the climate and the conditions.

After this, I went to No. 4 A.A.H., Abbassia, which was an Infectious

Hospital.  Here we nursed all kinds of infectious cases, except

Enteric.  I was principally in the Cerebro Spinal Meningitis Ward, of

which there was a severe epidemic at the time, at Tel-el-Kiber.

I remained here for 5 months, and then went to India.  I was 10

days in Bombay, and here we lost two Australian Sisters, with Cholera,

and one with Enteric.

I was then transferred to a British Hospital Ship, and went up

the Persian Gulf to Basia, where we brough down the sick from the retreat

of Kut-el-Amara.  They were in a frightful condition, dysentery, and

pars.A. and pars.B.  We also had heat exhaustion, and cholera.  The

heat was terrible, but I stood it very well.

The ship was not fitted up properly for ventilation.  It was

indeed so badly ventilated that it had to turn right round in a circle

every four hours, to ventilate the wards.

We carried Indians as well as British.  I was on Hospital Ship

for six months, and from that ship I went to a smaller one which did the

up-river routes.  After that, I went to Bombay on leave for a short time,

and was then transferred to No. 10, Birmingham War Hospital, which was a

British Hospital, and beautifully equipped.  It was in a lovely situation,

and the organisation was perfect.  Here again, I was in the medical ward,

but later, I went to No. 2 Command Depot, Weymouth, which was a very large

camp Hospital.  The conditions were very good.  There were only 300 beds.

The food was also good.

From there, I went to No. 2 A.A.H., Southall, which was the limbless

centre.  Here the conditions, amusements and our billets were good.

I was Home Sister for five months.

From there, I went to No. 2 A.G.H., Wimereux.  This was an excellently

equipped Hospital.  I did medical work all the time.  After Armistice

was signed, I nursed a great number of the refugees.

I remained there until it was disbanded, and after furlough, was

transferred to No. 3 A.A.H., Dartford, where I am now awaiting transport to Australia.

HMC    61

Miss M. LINEHAM.

A.A.N.S.

I embarked on the 15th July, 1915, on the "Orsova" and we had

only a little duty as we had many sisters, and very little sickness,

except for an epidemic of measles.  We arrived at Port Said, and went

to No. 2 A.G.H., Ghezirah Palace where I only stayed for six weeks, and

during that time, I was in the acute surgical ward.  The cases were

very severe, and mostly came from Gallipoli.  I then went to Alexandria 

as an epidemic of scarlet fever was raging, and stayed for two months

at the Australian Convalescent Hospital at Ras-el-Tain.

I then went to Mena House Hospital, which had an Australian

Matron and an R.A.M.C. male personnel, and we all got on extremely well together.

I left on the 25th March, 1916, and arrived in France on April

1st, 1916, at No. 2 A.G.H., which was a temporary Hospital at Muso, to

take the sick from the transports.

After six weeks, I was lent to the British at the 24th General,

Etaples.  It was a large hutted Hospital and we worked under very good

conditions.  After a short time, I left there and went to the 13th Stationary

at Boulogne.  We had a most strenuous time there, the majority

of the cases being gas gangrene, and we used the Carrell Dakin method

mostly.

We had very little time off duty, as we were so very busy, about

twelve months I remained here.  I went from there to the jaw ward, for a

little while.  It was very heavy work, and we worked the theatre night

and day.  It was very well equipped.  The food was very fair.  The

Matron, who was an Englishwoman was most charming.  I then went back to

No. 24, General, and nursed German wounded for some time.  They were

terribly bad cases, and we had an outbreak of dysentery, but we had very

good results from the treatment.

Later on, I was transferred to No. 3 A.G.H., Abbeville, and I

did surgical work there, using Carrell Dakins method.  I stayed here until

the Germans were advancing on Amiens and we had to evacuate the patients,

and I was left at No. 3 A.G.H., with 24 other sisters.  On the eve of

evacuation, we got in about 2000 patients in one night, so of course we

could not leave, but worked very hard, until we gradually got reinforcements 

of nurses.  We had no time of duty.

After the Armistice was signed, we had a very severe epidemic of

influenza, the patients dying in great numbers.  The work was very heavy

and we had practically no time off duty.

We were bombed all through May and June, but fortunately none fell

right in the Hospital, but all around we had casualties.  The patients

were remarkably good during these raids.  I stayed there until the Hospital

was disbanded, and after furlough, I went to No. 3 A.A.H., Dartford, 

and am now awaiting transport to Australia.

HMC.    62

Miss S.A. Lord,

A.A.N.S.

I embarked in December, 1916, on the "Themistocles" as a

passenger.  We had no troops on board, and came straight to England.

After furlough, I went to No. 10 Stationary, St. Omer, which was an

old Monastery, converted into a Hospital.  It was very well equipped,

and we were billeted about ¾ mile distance in a convent.

The patients were wounded and we did not keep them more than

a week or so, but sent them away to make room for the others.  The food

was fairly good, but we had no amusements.  There were about six Australians,

and the rest were Imperials.  They were very nice to us, and we

were very happy.  We had only been there about three weeks, when we

had our first air-raid.  The patients were quite stoical over air-raids,

and gave us no trouble.  I then went to No. 25, A.G.H. Hardelot, and

there it was a large tented hospital, principally for skins.

There was an Australian Matron and Nursing Staff, and an R.A.M.C.

male personnel, and we got on very well together.  We had nice billets,

in French Villas, some little distance from the Hospital.  I found the

skins very interesting, as I had not seen many of them before.  There

were plenty of amusements in the way of concerts, parties, etc.  The

food was good, but we did not have the quantity to supply the appetites

of the patients, as they were practically well.

I then went to the 21st C.C.S. at Ytres, about 4½ miles behind

the Cambrai line.  It was a tented Hospital and we were billeted in

tents, but our mess was a shack.  We had no amusements during the rush.

While the push was it its height, we had 7000 casualties and out of these

were only 400 deaths.  The cases were mostly wounded.  The food was

very good.  

We had evacuations two or three times a day, and only the patients

that seemed past hope would remain.  We had a lot of bombing, but none

ever fell right on the camp.  We were also shelled, and again we had no

casualties.  I was very happy there, and enjoyed the work, and was very

sorry to leave.  I went into the German Trenches, and saw the barbed wire;

this was covered with socks which had been washed, and left to dry when

they had had to retreat.

I then went to No. 25 General until it closed at the end of February,

and came over to Engand, to No. 3 A.A.H, Dartford, which is a

beautifully equipped Hospital, and very comfortable.

63
HMC

Miss A.V. Lowrey,
A.A.N.S.

I embarked on the 2nd September, 1916, on the “Kashgar” as a 
passenger. We called in at Colombo and re-embarked on the “Morea”
which took us to Bombay. Nothing exciting happened in the voyage.

From there I went to the Victoria Tar Hospital, where we had an

Australian Matron, and Nursing Staff, and an RAMC. male personnel.  There

was no friction.  It was a very well equipped Hospital, but I was only

there for about a month.  I then went to the Bydulla Club for Officers

and stayed there for two months.  This was a beautiful place, good conditions,

and well equipped.  We made our own amusements.

The cases were mostly wounded from Mesopotamia.  We found the

mosquitos a fearful nuisance.  There was also much maleria here.

From there I went to the Deccan British Hospital, Poonah, and

here again there was an Australian Nursing Staff with an R.A.M.C. male

personnel.  He worked under excellent conditions.  Food was very good

and our billets were quite nice.  The organisation was splendid.  After

two months, I went to the plains, at Jubbulpore.  I left to do surgical

work, but as there was so little, I did medical work.  The Matron was

an Indian Regular.  The conditions were not so good, and we were very 

isolated.  I was there for ten months.  The sisters mess was 2 1/2 miles

from the Hospital, and we spent all our time driving to and from the

Hospital.  The hours of duty seemed very long, owing to the long journey

from our billets and the best was so great that we were worn out by the

middle of the day.

From there, I went to the Hills, to Naini Tel, which was a station

hospital.  It was a convalescent Hospital for enteries.  We were not

well equipped, but we had enough for the work, and the patients made good

progress.  We did not have many amusements.

I stayed there for 12 months, and then went to the Freemen Thomas

War Hospital in Bombay, relieiving for a fortnight.  Whilst there, we had

an epidemic of influenza.  I was very glad to get away as the conditions

were bad.  My orders came for me to cross to England, but before that,

I did a little duty at Suez at the 71st B.G.H., where we were the first

batch of sisters that they had had, and the English Matron gave us a real

good time.  We worked here during the influenza epidemic, and we had a 

great number of deaths.  We worked a long day, and a short.  I found

Egypt very cold after India.

I was then transferred to the 14th A.G.H., and stayed there for

about 10 days before leaving for England, and after furlough in England,

I was detailed for duty at No. 3 A.A.H., Dartford, where I am now awaiting

transport to Australia.

M.A.B. 64

Sister K.A. Lowrie,

Lauriston,

Beckon, N.S.W.

 

I embarked on the 31st August 1917 on the "Wiltshire"

as a passenger with 60 other sisters.  There was no duty on

board.  After rather a rough passage the early part of the 

trip, otherwise uneventful, we arrived at Suez.  We entrained

for Alexandria and I was detailed for duty at the 78th British

Hospital, six others and myself being loaned there.  We were

received very kindly indeed and every courtesy was shown us at

all times.  This was a camp tented hospital which was not well

equipped.  The food, too, was very poor.

We had convoys of wounded and medical cases from the

Gaza Battle, Palestine.  I was in the acute medical ward, and

the patients were very sick indeed with malaria and dysentery.

They responded very well to the treatment, and there were very

few deaths.  The conditions of this hospital of course improved

after it had been established there for a little while.  We

were fairly comfortable billeted.

After six or seven months we closed this camp hospital

down.  The whole unit was transferred to Belah, Palestine.  Our

hospital was not really established.  The Indians took over the

first 1000 beds and our equipment, and our sisters were loaned

to this Indian hospital for the time being, but I was not on duty,

so after two months I was recalled to rejoin the Australian unit

which was leaving for Salonika.  The two months I was in Palestine

was rather a good time of the year.  Being springtime the

flowers wer beautiful.  The weather in the early part was

beautifully cool but gradually became much warmer.

We left Alexandria about June on the "Gorgon", and after

six days trip we reached Salonika Harbour, not having sighted

any submarines, although we had to put into the Harbour Mile,

but we did not ascertain the cause.  The appearance on entering

the Harbour gives one a much better impression of Salonika than

what really exists, the Harbour being very beautiful, and the

town of Salonika being built right on its foreshores.  It was

extremely dirty and very cosmopolitan.  I saw nearly every

uniform that was possible to be seen there.

Upon landing we were met by ambulances, and were taken to

the 50th General Hospital, but only remained here four days, when

I was detailed for duty at the 42nd General Hospital, which was

a dysentry hospital and about 12 kilometres from the town.  It

was a large tented hospital capable of taking about 1800 patients.

It had an R.A.N.C. male personnel and an Australia nursing unit

which as far as I know worked very well.  It was fairly well

equipped, but altogether we worked under rather trying

conditions, food being rather scarce owing to the transport being

most difficult, and so many of the food shops being sunk on their

way to Salonika.

I cannot speak too highly of the help we had from the

Australian Red Cross.  If it had not been for them we would

have been very short of food indeed.  The patients responded

excellently well to the treatment, the statistics showing the

results were excellent.

Being such a long distance out and isolated there were

very few concerts indeed for the patients.  We were billeted in

tents and naturally were not very comfortable.  We felt the

extremes of the weather very much indeed, and in the winter we

had practically no heating apparatus, fuel of all kinds being

most difficult to obtain.

M.A.B.

Sister K.A. Lowrie (continued)

 

We stayed on this site for some months, and then the

whole camp moved down to Kalamaria which is almost on the seashore.

We moved here to escape the Vardar Winds, which when they blow

nearly sweep you away.  Here we worked under much better confitions.

Some attempts were made to make gravel paths between the tents, and

also between the sisters' quarters.  Two huts were erected for the

most seriously ill patients.  The whole conditions were improved

by this time.  Food was more plentiful and the weather was getting

cooler.  The heat had been most intense.  The work gradually

descreased as the cold weather helped to lessen the epidemic of

dysentery, and at Christmas time the number of the patients was

decidedly less.

We had a very pleasant Christmas being the first for four

years without any fighting, so each one made an effort to make it a

memorable one.

This hospital was handed over to the British and in

January I left for England.

After furlough I was detailed for duty at No. 3 A.A.H.

Dartford, where I am now awaiting transport to Australia.

HMC. 65

Miss A. Lucas.

A.A.N.S.

 

I embarked on the 18th May, 1915, on the "Mooltan" and

reached England in June, when I was detailed for duty at No. 1 A.A.H.

This Hospital was just being opened, and was a large house, loaned

by an Australian gentleman, and they had started to build huts in

the grounds surrounding the house.

The patients were Australians who had been in English

Hospitals and were being centralised here.  The inconveniences at

first were numerous, as we had no lighting and no water, ad in the

early days had to depend on candles for lighting.  There was about

five huts when I arrived, and these very quickly filled up with

patients.  At first, it was very difficult to get food cooked for

them, as we had only one small range belonging to the house which

had to cook for the medical and nursing staff as well.  However,

this was very quickly rectified, and we had a large field kitchen,

with a large dining hall off the field kitchen.

We were a staff of twenty sisters, and as the patients

increased, so the staff increased, until it had reached about 100,

and the huts increased from five, to over forty.  As soon as possible

a hut was built for the theatre, as up to this time we had had

to manage with an improvised one in one of the rooms of the house.

All the conditions improved with wonderful rapidity.  We were billeted

in huts, and the work of course, gradually became very heavy

indeed.

I remained here until about November, 1916, all the time

doing surgical work.  I felt the cold very much, as there was practically

no heating apparatus in the huts at that time, but all this

improved.  In November 1916 I left for France, being detailed to

No. 1 A.G.H. , Rouen.  Here the winter was bitterly cold.  The river

was frozen, and the boats could not get away with the troops on account

of being frozen in.  The water pipes burst, and we could not get any

water for some time, not even to wash the patients.  It was a large

tented hospital on the race-course, and very well equipped, also the

food was very good.  Here we received the casualties straight from

the field, some very severely wounded, and feeling the cold very greatly.

A great number of them had trench feet, and frost-bite.  Several patients

were frozen to death in the ambulances coming down to us.  I have never

experiences such cold as the winter of 1916 in France.  Even the hot

water bags we had in our beds would be quite frozen by the morning.

The only water we could get to wash our own faces in the morning, was

that out of the hot water bags, when it did not freeze.  The towels, 

also were like sheets of ice.

The Hospital was well equipped and the food was good.

The Lena Ashell concert party used to visit us frequently.  Our

hours off duty varied according to the work.

I remained here until July, and was then transferred to

No. 25, British General Hospital.  This Hospital had an Australian

Nursing Staff.  It was a very large Skin Hospital.  Though monotonous,

the dressing of the skins was very interesting.  It was wonderful to

watch how the cases improved.  Later we had to convert many of the

skin wards into medical ones, to receive gas patients, some of them

being very badly gassed.  Their eyes were in a shocking condition,

some of them being quite blind for a few days.  The treatments of

these patients were very heavy, but the results were good.

HMC>

-2-

In November, 1917, we had some very sever gales, which

blew fifty of the marquees to ribbons, and temporary wards had to be

made for the patients, in the recreation huts.  We were most comfortably

billeted in French Villas, and in the summer it was an ideal sport,

being situation on the edge of a beautiful forest on one side, and the

sea on the other.  The boys were provided with splendid concerts and

cinemas.  I remained here until June, 1918, when I was transferred to

No. 2 A.C.C.S., which at the time was at a place called Blenbesques.

It was a large tented Hospital, very well equipped indeed, and very

prettily situation.  It had a good staff, and we worked under very

good conditions.  The work at times was extremely heavy.  We stayed

here for a few weeks, and then we received orders to advance.

The packing up was accomplished very quickly, the wards

being packed in one hour.  We moved by ambulances to a place called

Honiten, about eighteen miles forward.  This camp was most uncomfortable,

being a ploughed paddock, with a terrible amount of mud which was

always wet.  We were only here ten days, when we had orders to move

on.  This time we were sent to St. Vennent, about fifteen miles distance.

Here we were put into an old lunatic asylum, which bore evidence

of having been very heavily shelled, and we also had the experience

of being shelled, but fortunately none fell near the Hospital.  We were

only here for another week and the work was not very heavy during that

week.

We then moved to Estairs, where we used the tents again.

It was situated in a much more comfortable spot, but still rather muddy.

We received very heavy cases, mostly multiple wounds, and gas gangrene,

which meant a tremendous amount of surgical interference.  We remained

here for about a fortnight, and then received orders to put the Hospital

on a train, and awaited orders, which came after the Armistice was signed

to move to Tournais.  Here we took over another asylum, which Fritz

had used for four years as a Hospital.  It was in a perfectly filthy

condition, and the sisters were unable to go in until the men had improved

the rooms somewhat.  He had also broken every window in the place,

cut off the water supply and the electric light.  Here we had a very

bad epidemic of influenza and pneumonia, but although the work was very

heavy, the losses were quite light.

We remained here for about six weeks, and then advances

again, this time to Ath.  Here we had a convent as our Hospital, which

was a large building, and lent itself very fairly for the work.  Here,

too, we had influenza patients.  We remained here until we were disbanded,

and were then sent to England, where I was detailed for duty

at No. 2 Command Depot, Weymouth, where I made a short stay, until it

closed.

I am now at No. 3 A.A.H., Dartford, awaiting transport

to Australia.

HMC. 66

Miss K. Lane,

A.A.N.S.

 

I embarked on the 31st May, 1917, on the Hospital Ship

"Kanowa" and dis-embarked at Suez on the 31st April.

From there I entrained to Cairo, and was attached to the 

14th A.G.H., and was in the eye, ear, nose and throat ward there.

I was in the same ward for the whole of my stay, and at times the

work was very heavy.  I specialled one case for three weeks, and

in the end, the patient had to lose his eye.

We worked under extremely good conditions, and the palce

was very well equipped.  We were very comfortable billeted in

large house a short distance from the Hospital.

In January, 1918, the whole Hospital left Cairo for Fort

Said.  I did not like Fort Said nearly as well as Cairo, as the

Hospital was not so nice, and the heat was very enervating.  We

did not work under such good conditions as in Cairo, and the patients

were mostly malaria.

We had a very bad time from July to October, and worked continuously,

with not time off duty.  We were very pleased when we

received orders in December to return to Cairo.

During the riots in March, and April, we had a very anxious

time, as we were confined to Barracks.  One never knew when the 

rioters would attack the Hospital, and food was scarce, as we were

not allowed to go out and get any.

In May, 1919, I received order to cross to England, and I

am still in England, on furlough.

LC. 67

Miss J. Logan,

A.A.N.S.

 

I embarked on the 31st August, 1917, on the "Wiltshite'.

There was no duty on board.  We arrived at Suez on the 6th

October and entrained for Port Said where I joined the 31st

British General Hospital.  I was one of a party of six 

Australian sisters.

We arrived there in time for the Gaza stunt, and were

extremely busy.  The wounds were very severe indeed.  For

about six weeks I had no time off duty.

The hospital was very well eqipped and well run.  I felt

the heat very much indeed.  I was here for four months when the

while unit moved to Abbassia Barracks, Cairo.

I was at the 31st General Hospital for 10 months and the

work was much lighter.  Our time off duty varied according to

the work.  When possible we have every second half-day off, and

a day a week.  The hospital was well equipped.  We were very

comfortably billeted, food was very good, and the conditions

under which we worked were also good.

I embarked for Salonica about the 15th or 16th June,

reaching there about the 23rd June, not having sighted any

submarines.  We came over with a convoy of 16 ships.

On reach Salonica ambulances met us and I was taken to

the 52nd General Hospital.  The day was extremely hot.  I was

not put on duty fore about a fortnight after reaching here.  I

was then detailed to the 42nd General Hospital which was a

dysentery hospital.  We were extremely busy here and worked

under very bad conditions.  It was situated on the edge of a 

ravine where the mosquitoes were an absolute plague.  I was here

that many of our sisters contracted malaria and had to be

invalided to Australia.  We stayed there for some months.

About February we moved down to Kalamaria, which is about

half-an-hour's walk from Salonica.  The conditions here were 

slightly improved.  The work was not very heavy the dysentry

season being over.  The rainy season had commenced and it was

with great difficulty that we walkedm owing to the sticky

condition of the mud.  There were very few amusements for the

patients.  Occasionally they played cricket.  I felt the

extremes of weather vary greatly.  The cold was most intense

and we had no fires on account of the scarcity of fuel.

We left Salonica about March, 1919.  We came by boat to

Marselles and then overland through France to Le Havre.  After

three weeks' furlough in England I joined No. 3 A.A.H., Dartford,

where I am now doing relieving duty awaiting transport to

Australia.