AWM41 992 - [Nurses Narratives] Sister E W King - Part 2
(4)
[[streets?]] we found we found we were never
without them & with such little
conveniences we got some very.
ill cases
The Theatre was very funny indeed.
It had originally been a ticket office
about 12 by 8 feet we lined it with mosquito
net to keep out the dust & flies but the
sides were only boarded about
6 foot high all round and a
native roof over head.
Each Sister took her own case down
prepared the theatre, took her own
dressings, Sterilized instruments and
lotions. Part of the theatre equipment
consisted of a Primus stove and, a
few basins with two stools. The other
part a few anaesthetics on a box
linens we drew from the 2.W. for
each operation & used it unsterilized
of course this also improved in
time. Later on a theatre Sister
was appointed when more arrived
& about 6 months before Luna Park
closed. a beautiful theatre was
built of brick with a dressing
room attached.
We were all compelled to use
our own instruments so it was as well
(5)
we had brought our own with us
also our thermometers.
The rations we found very hard.
At first we could get no rations
for new patients for 24 hours consequently
there was severe shortage. The day in
going off duty I left only 60 patients
in my ward, & next morning there
were 140 & the food for 60 had to do
for the 140 men. There was so much.
trouble, though we reported the
matter even as far as the O.C. & he
could do no more. We bought
ourselves all we could get in
Heliopolis in the way of bread. This
too was changed afterwards & a
dining hall was built in the
water shute also a nice kitchen
& at the time of the evacuation of Gallipoli
everything was very different.
E.W. King
A.A.N.S
W
W S
Spare Copies
118/22
Index E 401| 5
Australian
When I with 20 other sisters arrive in Cairo on June 1,
1915, we were immediately put on duty at Luna Park.
Twelve Australian sisters whose services for the duration of
the War had ben given to the R.A.N.C. and were proceeding to England,
had b en detained at Suez, sent to Cairo and opened up Luna Park. There
were then 1000 to 12-- patients all sleeping on native cane beds just
put anywhere a space could be found. Soon after our arrival the
R.A.M.C. Sisters left for Imperial Hospitals. We had no trained
orderlies except a few we brought on the troopship and the little
training we gave them on the way over, but ambulance lads and
some convalescent patients helped considerably. Also French, Belgium
Italian and Egyptian women helped us with small dressings.
There were absolutely no conveniences. The sterile (?) water was
brought us bu a native servant from the cookhouse - which by the way
consisted of 5 or 10 large dixies with a fire under each. The day
when we had almost finished one jug of sterile water, we found a large
onion in the bottom. There was an absence of even antiseptics. An
order was given from the O.C. that picric acid was 1% solution was to
be used for external wounds and 5½% for syringing. Kerosene tins were
converted into arm and foot baths - dressing trays, sterilizers, and
many other useful things. There were no sterilized dressings, gauze
was placed in 1% solution of picric acid over night and in the morning
diluted with sterile water.
Under this treatment many of the wounds did very well indeed. The
dressing rooms in the various parts were in the early days of Luna Park
were very rough. In the ground floor of the rink, where all the patients
were on their own floor, each sister had a big box, but in the pavilion
the patients came from the joy wheel, laughter horse, skeleton house,
scenic railway, and bandstand to be dressed. They used the Mysterious
Cavern as a dressing room. About eight months after the opening
we were abke to have he pace almost completely filled with iron bed
steads in place of the old cane ones, which were fearfully uncomfortable
for the patients to lie on. Though we were not supposed to have [[bed?]]
patients when a rush came on as at Lone Pine and other stunts, we
found we were never without them and with such little conveniences we
got some very ill cases.
The theatre was very funny indeed. It had originally been a ticket
office about 12 by 8 feet. We lined it with mosquito net to keep out
the dust and flies but the sides were only boarded about 6 foot high
all round and a native roof overhead. Each sister took her own
case down, prepared the theatre, took her own dressings, sterilized
instruments, and lotions. Part of the theatre equipment consisted of
a Primus stove and a few basins with two stools. The other part
a few anaesthetics on a box.
Linen we drew from the Q.M. for each
operation and used it unsterilized, of course, this all improved in
time. Later on a theatre sister was appointed when more arrived and
about 6 months before Luna Park closed a beautiful theatre was bit built
of brick with a dressing room attached. We were all compelled to use
our own instruments so it was as well we had brought our own with us
also our thermometers.
The rations we found very hard.At first we could get no rations for
new patients for 24 hours. Consequently there was severe shortage. One
day in going off duty I left only 60 patients in my ward and next morning
there were 140 and the food for 60 had to do for the 140 men. There
was so much trouble though we reported the matter even as far as the
O.C. and he could do no more. We bought ourselves all we could get in
Heliopolis inthe way of bread. This too was changed afterwards and
a dining hall was built in the water shute, also a nice kitchen and
at the time of the evacuation of Gallipoli everything was different.
E.N. KING
A.A.N.S.
Index
alphabet
P.A.
INITIAL CEWB
DATE 11/4/19
AWRS E 253/1/10.
When I with 20 other sisters arrive in Cairo on June 1,
1915, we were immediately put on duty at Luna Park.
Twelve Australian sisters whose services for the duration of
the war had been given to the R.A.N.C. and were proceeding to England,
had been detained Suez, sent to Cairo and opened up Luna Park. There
were then 1000 to 12-- patients all sleeping on native cane beds just
put anywhere a space could be found. Soon after our arrival the
R.A.M.C. Sisters left for Imperial Hospitals. We had no trained
orderlies except a few we brought on the troopships and the little
training we gave them on the way over, but ambulance lads and
some convalescent patients helped considerably. Also French, Belgium
Italian and Egyptian women helped us with small dressings.
There were absolutely no conveniences. The sterile (?) water was
brought us bu a native servant from the cookhouse - which by the way
consisted of 5 to 10 large dixies with a fire under each. The day
when we had almost finished one jug of sterile water, we found a large
onion in the bottom. There was an absence of even antiseptics. An
order was given from the O.C. that picric acid was 1% solution was to
be used for external wounds and 5½% for syringes. Kerosene tins were
converted into arm and foot baths - dressing trays, sterilizers, and
many other useful things. There were no sterilized dressings, gauze
was placed in 1% solution of picric acid over night and in the morning
diluted with sterile water.
Under this treatment many of the wounds did very well indeed. The
dressing rooms in the various parts were in the early days of Luna Park
were very rough. In the ground floor of the rink, where all the patients
were on their own floor, each sister had a big box, but in the pavilion
the patients came from the joy wheel, laughter horse, skeleton house,
scenic railway, and bandstand to be dressed. They used the Mysterious
Cavern as a dressing room. About eight months after the opening
we were abke to have he pace almost completely filled with iron bed
steads in place of the old cane ones, which were fearfully uncomfortable
for the patients to lie on. Though we were not supposed to have [[bed?]]
patients when a rush came on as at Lone Pine and other stunts, we
found we were never without them and with such little conveniences we
got some very ill cases.
The theatre was very funny indeed. It had originally been a ticket
office about 12 by 8 feet. We lined it with mosquito net to keep out
the dust and flies but the sides were only boarded about 6 foot high
all round and a native roof overhead. Each sister took her own
case down, prepared the theatre, took her own dressings, sterilized
instruments, and lotions. Part of the theatre equipment consisted of
a Primus stove and a few basins with two stools. The other part
a few anaesthetics on a box.
Linen we drew from the Q.M. for each
operation and used it unsterilized, of course, this all improved in
time. Later on a theatre sister was appointed when more arrived and
about 6 months before Luna Park closed a beautiful theatre was bit built
of brick with a dressing room attached. We were all compelled to use
our own instruments so it was as well we had brought our own with us
also our thermometers.
The rations we found very hard.At first we could get no rations for
new patients for 24 hours. Consequently there was severe shortage. One
day in going off duty I left only 60 patients in my ward and next morning
there were 140 and the food for 60 had to do for the 140 men. There
was so much trouble though we reported the matter even as far as the
O.C. and he could do no more. We bought ourselves all we could get in
Heliopolis inthe way of bread. This too was changed afterwards and
a dining hall was built in the water shute, also a nice kitchen and
at the time of the evacuation of Gallipoli everything was different.
E.N. KING
A.A.N.S.
Experiences at Luna Park Egypt
135
(E.N.King)
No 2 A.G.H. France
(E J xxxx)xxxx
When I with 20 other sisters arrive in Cairo on June 1,
1915, we were immediately put on duty at Luna Park.
Twelve Australian sisters whose services for the duration of
the war had been given to the R.A.N.C. and were proceeding to England,
had been detained Suez, sent to Cairo and opened up Luna Park. There
were then 1000 to 12-- patients all sleeping on native cane beds just
put anywhere a space could be found. Soon after our arrival the
R.A.M.C. Sisters left for Imperial Hospitals. We had no trained
orderlies except a few we brought on the troopships and the little
training we gave them on the way over, but ambulance lads and
some convalescent patients helped considerably. Also French, Belgium
Italian and Egyptian women helped us with small dressings.
There were absolutely no conveniences. The sterile (?) water was
brought us bu a native servant from the cookhouse - which by the way
consisted of 5 to 10 large dixies with a fire under each. The day
when we had almost finished one jug of sterile water, we found a large
onion in the bottom. There was an absence of even antiseptics. An
order was given from the O.C. that picric acid was 1% solution was to
be used for external wounds and 5½% for syringes. Kerosene tins were
converted into arm and foot baths - dressing trays, sterilizers, and
many other useful things. There were no sterilized dressings, gauze
was placed in 1% solution of picric acid over night and in the morning
diluted with sterile water.
Under this treatment many of the wounds did very well indeed. The
dressing rooms in the various parts were in the early days of Luna Park
were very rough. In the ground floor of the rink, where all the patients
were on their own floor, each sister had a big box, but in the pavilion
the patients came from the joy wheel, laughter horse, skeleton house,
scenic railway, and bandstand to be dressed. They used the Mysterious
Cavern as a dressing room. About eight months after the opening
we were abke to have he pace almost completely filled with iron bed
steads in place of the old cane ones, which were fearfully uncomfortable
for the patients to lie on. Though we were not supposed to have [[bed?]]
patients when a rush came on as at Lone Pine and other stunts, we
found we were never without them and with such little conveniences we
got some very ill cases.
The theatre was very funny indeed. It had originally been a ticket
office about 12 by 8 feet. We lined it with mosquito net to keep out
the dust and flies but the sides were only boarded about 6 foot high
all round and a native roof overhead. Each sister took her own
case down, prepared the theatre, took her own dressings, sterilized
instruments, and lotions. Part of the theatre equipment consisted of
a Primus stove and a few basins with two stools. The other part
a few anaesthetics on a box.
Linen we drew from the Q.M. for each
operation and used it unsterilized, of course, this all improved in
time. Later on a theatre sister was appointed when more arrived and
about 6 months before Luna Park closed a beautiful theatre was bit built
of brick with a dressing room attached. We were all compelled to use
our own instruments so it was as well we had brought our own with us
also our thermometers.
The rations we found very hard.At first we could get no rations for
new patients for 24 hours. Consequently there was severe shortage. One
day in going off duty I left only 60 patients in my ward and next morning
there were 140 and the food for 60 had to do for the 140 men. There
was so much trouble though we reported the matter even as far as the
O.C. and he could do no more. We bought ourselves all we could get in
Heliopolis inthe way of bread. This too was changed afterwards and
a dining hall was built in the water shute, also a nice kitchen and
at the time of the evacuation of Gallipoli everything was different.
E.N. KING
A.A.N.S.
Australian War Memorial
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