AWM41 1032 - [Nurses Narratives] Staff Nurse E S Rogerson

Butler Colln.

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AWM 41

AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVES 

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STAFF NURSE E. S. ROGERSON.

[1032]

 

 

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." 

 

E.S. Rogerson                37/113

Salonica

I joined the forces of the A.A.N.S. in May 1917.

after working for about 4 months at the Base

Hospital Keswick, five of us left Adelaide

for Sydney to join the transport "Ayrshire".

We had to wait ten days in Sydney and on

Sept 15th 1917. 26 staff-nurses and a Sister-in-charge

boarded the Ayrshire for Egypt.

There were no troops on board only an

G.C. and Padre so had a very quiet trip across.

The first stop we had was Colombo and were

allow off for 24 hours which we enjoyed after

being on ship for 3 weeks. Our next Port

of call was Suez, where we disembarked

on Oct . We had the day there and got

the evening train for Cairo arriving there

about 11.30 p.m.

The party of twenty seven were divided up

ten to the Citadel, ten to 27 General and the

other seven of us to Nasrich School Hospital.

We were met at the train by the assistant

matron.

Nasrich was rather a small hospital

with about 800 beds and an ajoining

college of 150 beds for officers. It was

rather a nice little hospital and both

staff and patients seemed very happy

and were always sorry when it came

time for them to leave.

The convalescent patients there were

allowed to do three weeks ward duties

in stead of going to the convalescent camps.

The boys rather liked this and it

made the ward work much easier for

the sisters and also orderlies.

 

2.

By the time we reached Egypt, Cairo was

some distance from the firing line. and

therefore the patients had always been in

several hospitals before reaching us.

I was put on night duty in a surgical ward

and was kept fairly busy as it was

just after the last Gaza stunt so we

were getting in convoys every other night.

The boys being four and five days coming

down the line were very tired and worn

out when they reach us.

After being eleven weeks on night duty

I was put in one of the medical Division's

here we had both Malaria and

Dysentery patients.

The Malaria Patients were treated with oral

Quinine and some of the more severe cases had

intro-muscular injections.

The Dysentery Patients if severe had injections 

of serum.

We had no quarters at the hospital

so had to stay in flats about five minutes

walk from hospital, and had very comfortable

rooms.

I was there until the end of June and

then all the Australian sisters were

recalled to the 31st General Abbassia from

all the British Hospital in Egypt.

We all twelve of us were really very sorry

to leave Nasrich as everyone was so happy

there and all staff were so agreeable and

things seemed to run so smooth.

At the 31st General we got a bi mixed

lot of patients, the overflow from the

 

(3)

14th A.G.H. and also from the British

Hospital in Cairo.

The most of the patients there were medical

case not many surgical. The most of them

suffering from Malaria, sand-fly fever and

a great many Influenza.

I was all the time there in a 100 beded

medical ward, and were full most of the

time. The patients used to come in at

night and following morning were if up and

able to walk around were sent to convalescent

camps to make room for the night convoys

which for a time we had mostly every 

evening.

I was only there f until Oct 19 when with

nineteen others we left Cairo for Salonica.

We arrived in Salonica on Oct 25. 1918.

and I was fortunate to be sent to

a hut hospital instead of the tents, as

it was anything but pleasant to

walk about inches deep in mud from tent

to tent.

At the 52 General a British Hospital I was

in a Malaria ward, all the time there

unless the last three weeks, when on 

night duty.

It was rather interesting watching the

results of the special treatment for Malaria.

In the ward I was in the treatment

was oral Quinine and on the whole

had very few relapses while on

treatment.

The hospital closed down about the 25th Feb.

unless for one of the patients in the ward I was

 

 

(4)

in collapsed and I had to remain on night

duty four nights after all the other Patients had been

transferred.

We left Salonica on the 5th April twenty-five of us

the last of the Australian sisters there.

We boarded the Indarra and sailed to

Taranto had the day there and got the evening

train to Rome.

We had two days in Rome and found it

very interesting visiting the different places

of interest.

After all night in the train we arrived at

Torinta had all day there. It was a very

quiet place after Rome.

The next day we arrived in Paris about 11 a.m.

As soon as we had lunch we set out for

sight seeing as we had to leave at 7 a.m. next

morning. Paris was very interesting but in the

little time we had did not see very much

of it.

The following day we arrived at Le Havre

and got the night boat to Southampton

and had a very rough passage across.

On arriving in London we reported at

Headquarters and was given our leave which

we enjoyed as it was our first leave, since

coming out.

After leave I was sent to Dartford and

was billeted there two weeks and then

was sent down to No i A.G.H. Sutton Veny.

 

S/n. E. S. Rogerson

No 1 A.G.H.

Sutton Veny.