AWM41 1009 - [Nurses Narratives] Sister M H Matthews

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SISTER M.H. MATTHEWS.
A. W. M.
LIBRARY
Classn No 373.2
[1009]
 

France
26/50
Sr M.H.Matthews
When waiting in Sandosa for
movement orders, found the
want of a club for Aust. Sisters
very trying — two sections could
not get accommodations anywhere
and spent the night in a 3^rd
class waiting room in a station
To 47 British General, Le Treport
Sisters were appalling, wards
badly equipped — very few
instruments available, making
the work extra hard.

To 3^rd C. C. S Poperinge
Heavy shelling — issued with
verminous blankets. Instructed
in use box respirators — allowed
4 seconds to adjust — being a
woman and having long hair
a handicap.

To 47^th C.C.S. — on duty
resuscitation ward —
equipment excellent

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 to 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 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."
 

M H Matthews
56/80
(1)
France
In Nov/15 100 Sisters including myself
embarked for Suez on a trip that left a very
deep impression on. at least my mind,

As though the waters south of Australia
were at enmity with us & one excursion we had
a sorry time crossing the Bight. never claiming
to be a sailor I did not enjoy any part of the
trip. though one boat the S.S. Orsova speaks for 
itself & the fare was good.

We had a short stay at Freemantle
where we motored round the town leaving there
the Indian ocean was a little more considerate
for us than the Bight had been we called at
Aden where as one was allowed ashore, we
lay at anchor in the Bay.

Aden when viewed in the grey light
of dawn is one of the best sights of majestic
grandeur I have seen this completely fades
once the sun gets to work & you wonder what you
ever admired in such a place. we reached
Suez & disembarked amid the awful smells
peculiar to all these towns the wonder is that
it does not preshaddow some disease to wipe
this race off the earth but they seem to thrive
on it instead

We reported to No 2 A.G.H. Ghezirah
Palace where the work was mostly surgical.
Frost bites &c from Gallipoli the result of a
blizzard that visited there in Nov

The discipline was unduly harsh for
the Sisters not being allowed to be out with any
of the boys whom we came out to nurse & care for
quite as much as those of rank

There were natives working in the kitchen
 

(2)
Kitchen
where their dirty ways of working quite spoilt
any food prepared.

In March/16 we were sent to the
Sporting Club Heliopolis where the no 3 Auxiliary &
the 2^nd A.G.H. were so we were not overworked. No
2 left a fortnight afterwards leaving us to carry
on, the cases were mostly medical Gypie
Lumie a complaint well known to those who
have stayed in Egypt being a constant visitor.

We all slept on the roof of the Club
Day & night staff together which was rather

trying at times.

The Hospital was under matting
huts a few were unlined weatherboard with Gal
Iron roofs these were unbearably hot & we had
to wear our hats on duty very often. A great
number of patients were men just landed which
were boarded & sent straight back home these
should in most cases never have been accepted
for Active Service these were sent to Luna Park
when the hospital disbanded & I was sent to
Shoubra an Infectious hospital where we remained
for three months

Sept /16 we embarked on the Hospital
boat Karoola (the 1st A.G.H. landing enroute for
England were detained there to relieve us much
to their disgust) we landed at Southampton & went
to Brighton a miserably bleak place where no lights
were allowed to show which caused no end of worry
this would not have been half so trying had it not
been that a British Hospital alongside had no blinds
& held illuminous displays each night. here I spent
four months on night work & was then invalided off
duty with mumps.
 

(3)
Duty.

This hospital was convenient well equipped,
being an old Asylum we had the unique experience
of spending Xmas Day in the workhouse where the
wards were beautifully decorated & everyone received
a present from the Red Cross
Leaving here we spent six weeks in London
awaiting orders. where the great want of a Sisters 

club was badly felt. as constantly there was no place
to stay rooms being inpresentable, Two Sisters after
hunting the town round were escorted by two Diggers
in like predicament to a 3^rd Class waiting room on
the Railway Station (the Station Master refusing to open
the Ladies waiting room) where they spent the night
sitting on hard forms amongst a most awful lot of
people off the street, it was raining & blowing so
they thought even that was preferable to the kerbstone.
We eventually left Folkstone under escort
& landed at Boulogne & stayed at the Louvre Hotel
it not being touring season the hotel was unspeakably
dirty & those who were first to meals were lucky the
rest went without but paid the same high price
after two days of this we were sent to the 47 British
General at Le Treport this was a beautiful place
situated on the top of a cliff, we were well received
but the discipline in the Hospital was most unjust
resembling more that of a reformatory than a
wounded soldiers hospital, this retarded the
progress of the patients, the rations supplied to
the hospital were fair but those to the Sisters mess
were appalling.
The wards were badly equipped & very
few impliments were available. this made the work
a labour to get through. The patients (a few of which were
Australian) were gas cases from Bullecourt, six
 

(4)
six
weeks later we were sent back to Abbeville & opened
up the No 3 A.G.H. there. this was well laid out & very
convenient being mostly canvas with a few huts. I then
went to the 3^rd C.C.S. at Poperinge this was a pretty
hot corner, & the sight being shelled during the day
the Colonel sent us to Hardinge (the 62 C.C.S. were there)
this was considered a bit safer
Here we were issued with blankets the troops
had had where live stock abounded in their glory
&it took us a couple of days to recover from this
nights Rest?, we were also instructed in the use of
the box respirator where we incurred the wrathful
displeasure of one instructor who kept informing
us that four seconds was the only time allowed.
I dont think this order was intended for the wearers
of long hair as it took nearer four minutes to struggle
through the performance.
We were then sent back to the 3^rd C.C.S.
passing great processions of troops going to & from the
line, hundreds of prisoners & any amount of wounded
our tents had been pitched & dug down about three
feet & earth bagged up level with our heads for safety
against flying splinters.
The Railway passed between the Sisters
quarters & the hospital, guns were entrenched one
side & a dump with a light ^narrow railway on the other
(commonly known as Mechanical Chair) so any shells
that passed over these places we caught, this was
at the cross roads to Dicky Bush &it was very
swampy a fatigue party had been at work during the
night trying to pump it dry but the water gained
on them till at last it was a semi floating
hospital.
Fritz became more attentive to us we were sent
 

(5)
sent
away as it was far from a comfortable possy &every
one had the wind up the roads everywhere were
shelled to pieces so we made our exit along the
railway line & stayed for a week at the 6th C.C.S.
Rouven on the Dunkirk Road, where I was in a
medical ward with mustard gas patients the sight
of which would convinced anyone our enemy had
been apprenticed to a dispensary in Hell.
We returned to our puddle hole to find it
wetter & more miserable, only the worst cases were
kept most of these being confined to Chest Abdominal
& Femur wounds. the others were sent further back
unfortunately a great number of deaths occurred which
was heart breaking in the extreme the work was
hard &unsatisfactory not being able to provide the
forward area with necessities, Day & night Fritz
entertained us with shells. the Medical Officer & an
orderly were killed & a sisters kit bag was blown
to pieces leaving her what she stood up in. under
an extra heavy bombardment we were sent to
the Scotch Canadian trenches where we remained
for a while & at 4 pm orders came for evacuation.
all patients were sent away but six which I was
taking care of in the shade of a house. A few minutes
after we left this house was blown to pieces & killed six
Belgians, (we were all quite content with our tin
hats not bothering for the time about the latest Paris
fashion). we were sent to St Omer where we had
another crook spin. bombs being plentiful day &
night, fortunately the 2^nd Division A.I.F were not
far away ∧(resting)  for a little diversion we saw many of
our friends & had some entertainment together before
they left for Pachendale
Three of us were then sent to the 47 C.C.S. here
 

(6)
here
we were very happy &thoroughly appreciated the
welcome we received we were kept very busy as the
heavy fighting of Sept/17 was at its height
On duty in the resuscitation ward I was
kept going with Subcutaneous Salines & Hypodermics
the equipment was really good & every medical convenience
was available, alas a nightly display of fireworks
which was not admired.
Early in October we reopened the 3^rd C.C.S. near
Poperinge at Nine Elms which was a much safer
possy where we received Colonial troops here we
were kept very busy & unfortunately a number of deaths
occured
At last my leave came through & I came
to England where I was met by my brother when I had
a heavenly time which goes without saying in less
than no time I had to report. this time to Boulonge
where I waited five days where I waited five days
& received orders to go to Rouen where I had all my
luggage bed &c a lot of which remained lost.
Two months of bitterly cold weather brought
me back to Le Havre where I went to a British hospital.
This place was situated on the Pier
it was rather too convenient as the trains ran
under the Hospital the boats moored alongside
What with a nightly entertainment from Hospital
boats Dredges Sea planes & then the trains it was
a marvel anyone slept at all & my heartfelt
sympathy went out to all patients brought to
such a place. our quarters were at the end of the
pier where we could see all movements of boats
Destroyers troops &c that moved in the bay.
In July/18 I again was given leave to
England which appealed to me far more than in
 

(7)
than in
the winter of my previous visit after this I reported
back at Rouen to the 1^st A.G.H. it was then lovely
&we could have nice walks & good trips. This came
to an abrupt end when the great push started &
kept us exceptionally busy where I had a ward
of 58 patients on my own with a daily admission
-evacuation of anything up to 20 cases & having
very little time off duty
The flue started in Oct which caused
no end of deaths in spite of all we could
do I was then put on night duty & had
a much easier time
Saying good bye to Rouen & France
Dec/18 we left for Sutton Veny coming
across the channel we were shipped as a
mob of cattle & tho a first class passage
had been paid for us the Sisters had to sit
on the steps or lie in the passage to be
trampled on & abused while the civilians
& officers were allotted cabins even the
matron had to content herself with the
hatches till the sisters found her a possy.
Has the Day of Chivilry quite died out?
Xmas Day was spent in travelling to
Sutton Veny arriving at Salisbury Station
we had our Xmas dinner of cold sausages
pies &c with a drink of cold coffee in
which the coffee was nearly absent & the sugar quite
Arriving at Warminster the Porters
expressed their intense indignation at us
being as thoughtless as to travel on Xmas Day
throwing our luggage out smashing my trunk
on the ground where it would have stayed
had it not been for some Diggers who moved
 

(8)
moved
it into the Railway Shed, at last we
reached our quarters delighted to get some
civility & comfort, such things as Drawers
& real beds we had not had for months
Here I was detailed to the care of
the Sisters mess where the bursting of
the water pipes & flooding of the Sisters
Quarters tried my very best temper to
say nothing of going without water in
consequence the weather was cold with snow & wind
well known in these plains
The wards were exceptionally busy trying
to battle with the flue which had done as much
towards filling the little village cemetery where
with the greatest of regrets they had only quite
recently escorted their late beloved matron
who run down after her heavy duties fell an
easy victim to its ravages
When Spring came we forgot our worries
of the winter & the hospital was surrounded with
beautiful woods & lovely flowers which kept the
wards quite gay.
Now with troubles ended Jordan passed
we await a speedy return to our own land
of gumleaves
M.H.Matthews
 

Item control
Australian War Memorial
005172254