AWM41 1023 - [Nurses Narratives] Sister Pidgeon - Part 2

had the sick taken further inland for a
time & then we saw a few.
It was a marquee & it was pleasant.
There were not a great many.
Australians in the tent.
Our med off & orderlys were always down
para or dys - I think they were a lot worse
than the sisters
I dont think that more than a dozen
went off altogether.
I believe it was because we kept our
men cleaner - Col de Crespigny said he
wished he had a sister to look after
the men.
Col Austen of the British Museum came to
look round & stop the dysentery & flies-
he was in my ward with dysentery
for a time - I didn't know if he managed
to do any good.
We all had the same rations.
I think the whole unit had diarhoea
more or less at one time.
I would'nt like to do my first ever again
esp the officers ward. when things were difficult
it was the looking after, the cooking -
& one couldn't make things nice for
them tho' we did: though as nicely as
we could. We had an officers kitchen
in the other ward for 3 wks but it didn't prove
a success. There shd have been a kitchen
area at hand - The kitchen was in the
Canteen & nearby the ward was at
hand for anything decent at all the ward
was so awful & there were no
nearby cooking inside. I cant see how it
cd have been helped except by a special
kitchen.

It was all slogging hard work but in many
respects exhausting.
Our first load was a fiasco - the tenders
had not come when we had to
take the food down from the Hospital.
As a number evacns were all right.
They were evactd to the ship by motor
boat. To [[appear?]].
The Path [[work?]] [[Eye work?]]
After Lemnos we went to Abyssea & Salonica. Why
they were not used before as a
Hospital is a mystery to me. It was
an ideal Hospital & cases did well.
The wards cool - airy - patients
Collected in food by ward. Sanitary
arrangements good - Personal quarters
wr all of their best. It was incomparably
better than Heliopolis.
or Geziereh - the latter was
an appalling place! the Palace was
bad enough. In Egypt we had a
pleasant time - as a lot on time off
full day on & ½ off. Except for
the Romani stunt. They were mostly
bullet wounds - light horse - fine
chaps of the very best. Some of us
got to a fair dinner at Geziereh
Sports Club. Shephard & Miss Conyers
met us at Cairo Station & [[others?]]
& she sent us across at to Mena House when
Abyssea Hopl was being got ready.
It was run by Miss Davidson as Matron
& an Aust. O/c - an auxil. of no 2
We didnt come across any British.
We had some from Hospl. ships billeted
with us for a time -

We had a decent mess. not expensive: Run
by a French Commdr Cmdr. May - first, presently
I had dysentry ward. & para.
I saw Major Reid -
Cases of dys.-Bacillary, injections, serum (stools sent directly case came in.
amoebic [[enteritis/sensitivity?]]
Tby Emetics by pal & hypodermally.
& Ipecac by the mouth 3 nights
- Assessment: Cases did well good
death rate. We had one or two s'pox Some of the
staff had it.
[I was transported on the Mooltan [[conveying?]] out
Col. Jamieson. We first got anti ^ TAB typhoid on
Lemnos. We had anti cholera on the
Themistocles. I had ^anti typhoid in Hospital
last dose the day I left Sydney. All were
given anti typhoid. Little reactions with cholera & some
had slight rash & abd pains. Not nearly
so bad as anti typhoid.
Stay in Abyssea was very unexciting & was rather
uninteresting from worth point of view We
had a lot of "malingerers" or something
of the kind there - I have never seen so
many with little wrong with them. No
malingerers in Salonica that I saw. We had
[[cowards?]] who came straight out from
Australia absolutely decrepit - sent back
to Australia at once - I had one man
[esp?]] who was practically an imbecile.
From Alex Cairo we went
to Eng. We went comfortably on the
Maroola - Hopl ship. They had no
patients on board - no troops only
AAMC personnel. Landed at S'ton &
trained up to Lon to Brighton - &
arrived - unexpected - at an hours
notice. It was a corker - we didnt know
ab it or where we were going.

Brighton work was hard & constant
Few Aussies lots of Canadians - we
kept the patients till well a Can.
Camp in to special Hospl. I had Surg.
ward -
It was all right for a month then it
got C O L D - record - The winter
freezing even the fireplace in the
ward. We had to put on sox
over our boots to walk to our quarters.
Coal was held up for a couple of days
at the worst time -
It was not a bad place - nothing to
compare with Abyssea - but
big blocks -
We had Charwomen to do the cleaning
& liked it it was very satisfactory
It took the domestic work off orderleys.
I had the officers ward then
It was open they had a house to
themselves - a VAD cook to
do nothing but look after their food.
We did nothing re their food -
We wanted to get rid of her at first but
not after - we didn't have to worry
about the food. She had a cook
& kitchen hand & a deputy.
I had about 60 officers - an [[?]]
room & ward.
Were treated there & Egypt particularly well
we I hated an officers ward - they always
expected more - & if you cant get it it
is very distasteful nursing them.
I dont mind nursing officers and in good conditions -
eg. even when I was given
help with their food & had ^not seen to it
myself x

There is no doubt good to have Charwomen on ward
work. You can seldom get the
orderlys to do it. they wont go down
on their hands & knees. there is an universal
team - a Sgt. sent to the area when
the boys would'nt wash the floor - but you
must remember what these chaps were in a prev life.
They reckon it up a day to scrub they will
swab all you like but not go down
on their shanks the Tommys are more
amenable.
We had a marriage in Lemnos - married
a Sgt. xxxxxx -on at Brighton -
Col Monash was o/c - Physicians Summons -
Newton - The Cptn Sinclair - Barge -
& Col Harland joined us at Brighton - role will be
a short time only. to form a CSS.
We worked with the British officers at first
they were good at the General Nursing of the
place. We had a lot of old "dirty" surgery
at Camp at first - We started the Carroll
treatment for the first time. Col.
Harland - It was marvellous the
differences - things cleaned up so quickly
& it made the dressings so much lighter -
only dressed every few days or so.
Surgeons Harland & McClure -
Date of [[Coming?]] ex Kitchener. Also Andrew Fisher
Then one day were told to
pack up for France - & to buy a field
equipment - We were told to get it at
the Army & Navy. We went up to Firth
Hotel. [[?]] 6 weeks waiting - Expecting
to go every day - Had a bad time for
could'nt get about -
Went off to France - landed at Boulogne -
left next a.m. for Abbeville - took
8 pm to 3 am. getting here. We were

billeted on the no 2 Stat & S.African
hospitals - this was April 2, two years
ago. We relieved the S.Africans for
a bit - We started up the place
with light walkers. In same
3 wks I went to no 1 CCS in
Bacterial: Next African Clinic. I got
there the day before Messines - wounded
poured in - long gas cases just before
the hopl was blown up. We were
billeted around the town. It was
being bombed a good bit Sister
Pratt was wounded & got a
penetrating chest & m.c. Some of the
[[pub?]] billets got shelled & after a
time we were sent out to
St Omer. I was on a general 10
Stationary at St Omer - in the
[[?]] at the French Ward. Was then
at work - not heavy - our convoy
came by Barge. Then our No
1 started at the Meteran Road -
Ouderdom. They dug out a dug out
cemented ceiling £1000 which was
never used. The British Major
CCS next had 3 run as
abdominal ward.
We had a good place then - After
Paaschendale we got very busy.
I was then in the CCS to run. We took
all cases for a time when the Unit
was blocked at Poperinghe. After
our time we had to work night &
day. Then were 12 nurses &
we had to give 5 of these for team
We had 5 teams made out of our
staff - the visiting teams did

not arrive till the big rush was over.
The CCS was good learning work. We had
a lot of mustard gas cases - frightfully
burnt - the whole staff were doing
dressings and even officers: - lot of kindly
officers. The first lot of mustard gas
was more distressing to nurse than
anything I have seen. Their pain was
dreadful - many of them burnt all
over - I have seen nothing more distressing these
eight months - were so dreadful there
were times giving out morphia seemed
to have so very little effect. We had to get a
general duty orderly to anoint & look
after them. It was so hard after
this first lot seemed to have had a generally
bad doing - all Tommies.
Got very few Aussies. Tommies.
Canadians - New Zealanders after Tommies
To be nursing the Tommies - they dont grumble
are wonderfully grateful. Able the
Tommies to nurse any day. I did not like the
Americans after what I saw of them. Everyone
likes nursing the Jocks. The light horsemen
were among the best I have ever nursed (at
Abyssea) which was the same place as
the men from Austⁿ waiting board
were a dreadful crowd. We had a few
men - good quarters - very comfortable -
the best men I have ever had. the C.C.S. always
do - Red X gave us lots of things
at the CCS & sisters are always
made comfortable. Spec of course swollen
& sore hands. The C.C.S. orderlys are a1
They were very good at so obedient &
willing - they seem to get the best at
the front Their work is hard & only the best stop
there - We seem to start the best.

I am most certain that if suited have a
place in C.C.S. - Esp. in countries
with observations of patients condition -
hourly, cannot by their
training look after Surgeons cases
properly. There they know look
after the patients food properly.
Patients from enemies even ours collapsed -
moaning to exposure from
not enough blankets. We had
a blanket heater to at Matrons - heat
was the main thing so this blanket
heater was very valuable. Col Martin
arrived a day before I left.
Feb End - Nov 1917 I came back to no 3
A.G.H. & have been here ever since.
CCS Lemnos & then C.C.S. was then evac.
whole thing - the first because
we were new to it. The CCS work
is [[?]] near this work is the best
of all. All the sisters love CCS work.
You are in the middle of the real thing
& though horrible to see, so we learn
to love the sound of the guns.

Australian War Memorial
Item control
005172268