AWM41 1037 - [Nurses Narratives] Sister A E Shadforth

Butler Colln.
AWM 41

6/43

[[?]] [[?]]
AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVES 

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SISTER A.E. SHADFORTH.
A.W.M.

LIBRARY

Classⁿ N^o  373.2

[1037] 

France
A. Shadforth
18/46 

C.C.S

Oct 1917 3rd A.C.C.S. Med.

Popperinghe - Paschendale along

was no [?] fearful wound as

patients died like flies.

"I was convinced it was

a C.C.S that needed

skilled women".

 

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." 

18/46

France

Shadforth

To the Assistant Collator

Medical History

In Compliance with your request.

I left Freemantle June 24th 1915

& was one of 42 staff nurses on board a Troop Ship

After a few days of rough sea found my sea legs

& was able to take up duties We did six hours duty

in the twenty four. We had an outbreak of Measles

one man died of Broncho Pneumonia after effects of Measles

there was no other serious sickness on the ship.

After being three weeks on the water we arrived

at Port Suez. We only had the stop at Aden

but anchored off the coast of Aden for about 10 hours

and that was the hottest 10 hours I've ever experienced

in my life. It was rumored when we anchored

that the Troops were to disembark there owing to the

riots amongst the natives & the poor old Boys After

standing in the heat with full packs up for some

hours awaiting further orders looked very limp

However we started off for Suez on reaching there we

remained on the ship 24 hours. The following day

the Troops were entrained for Cairo & 15 Sisters were

on each Troop Train. I was one of the number to go on

the last train & had an opportunity of seeing the

Town it was my first experience of an Eastern

Town & I was surprised to see the way the

natives dressed & the filth & dirt of every one &

every place. On the way up to Cairo we had a very

dreadful trip very hot & sand flying every where. We

started off without anything in the way of food & the C.O

of the Troops warned xx us against buying fruit or drinking

2/

the water. Needless to say we arrived at No. I.A.G.H. (Helipolis Palace)

feeling very much in need of nourishment- Miss Karyers

[[met?]] us at No 1  She was their Night Super at the

Palace. We were fed & shown to our rooms.

Next morning we reported to the Matron I was assigned

the number of the Supernumerary list & only did a

few odd days duty for five weeks after I arrived

there then I specialled a Tetanus case Major McLean

was the M.O. The Patient did well & returned to

Australia. After that I went to a Medical Ward

[[?0]] Beds All Enteric Fever Patients. They were in

small rooms with 4 or 6 beds in each room which meant

a good deal more running around than if altogether;

After six months day & night duty in this ward I

was sent to a Surgical ward of 90 beds. Nearly all

the wounded men from Gallipoli had been returned

to Australia by this time & we only got the men

from the Surrounding Camps for minor operations.

In March 1916 I left Egypt with the staff of No 1 AGH

but did not know where we were going Embarked on

H.M.A.S. Salla & after a week on the water found 

ourselves in the Harbour at Marseilles We had a good

idea then that France was our destination. We remained

on the ship in midstream for three days then

disembarked had two days at Marseilles & visited many

places of interest  Thought it very wonderful after the

Desert & dried up towns in Egypt. In the afternoon

of our third day there the whole staff of No 1 AGH &

all equipment was taken on a train for somewhere

further north & after three nights & 2½ days we all

arrived in Rouen. The Sisters shared a compartment  We 

got a fair amount of rest. The Country though was

gorgeous & everything so delightfully green. When we arrived

at Rouen it was raining & very cold We were taken
to No 12 B.G.H for the night & slept in one of the
wards there  The sisters of No 12 were awfully good to us
though. Before leaving the Hospital Ship Salla we had
been detailed for British Hospitals all these [[?]]
in numbers of fives & more  I was one of 20 who
went to Etaples We had a day in Rouen & left the
following evening for Etaple with 20 other sisters for Boulogne.
We were told it was not necessary to take anything to
eat as we would arrive x at Etaples 4 A.M. & not
being acquainted with travelling on a Troop train in France
did as we were told. We arrived at Abbeville at
4 A.M. & I was told by a M.P. we had to change onto
another Troop Train for Etaples But as the other one
was not in [[?]] remain in that one when it
came along 5 20 6.30 & 7.30 still no [[??]]
at 8 oclock we asked if it was possible to get some
tea & was told there was no Café near the station
& the train we were on was going through Etaples &
would be going out any moment. At 10.30 we
were still in the siding. The RTO came along &
took us across to a Café & ordered tea for us. Some
had been served &others had'nt when the RTO's [[Clerk?]]
came in to say the train was moving off so
we moved off too in double quick time back to
the train. A Tommie took pity on us going through
from Abbeville to Etaples & crawled along to our
carriage with some Bully Beef & Bread We appreciated
this kind act. We arrived at Etaples 5.30 P.M. Two
other sisters & myself went to 26^th General Hospital I was
delighted on arriving there to find two sisters [[belonging?]] to the
[[???]] with me. The Matron & House Sister
 

4
were exceedingly kind to us Next morning we reported for duty
& we went in feeling very home sick But when we got
to our wards we found all Australian Boys as Patients.
We immediately felt at Home. I liked being at 26
General Hosp very much but only remained there three
weeks when orders came for me to report to an
Ambulance Train. I again left for Abbeville & joined
the train there. I did train duty 4½ months & was on
In the July push on the Somme 1916 we had a very
busy time for about a fortnight Collected Patients from
[[various?]] CCS's & unloaded them at the different Base
Hospitals carrying each time between 500 & 600 Patients
We were at [[Sapaguay?]] on the night of July the 1^st We heard
the great barrage & Climbed to the top of Calvary Hill to
get to better view, on returning to the Train we found the
Engine linked on & order awaiting us to go South at once
arriving at [[Gazencour?]] CCS about 6 30 AM to our surprise
we found the grounds of the CCS as well as the Tents
packed with wounded and ambulance cars & a small Train
almost like a Toy Train bringing in more. A guard
xxxxxx xxx had to be placed all around the Train
as the poor boys were so anxious to get away from it all
back to the Base & perhaps further on to Blighty. - but
[[the men that?]] were wounded badly had to have the first
attention & these patients were put on the Trains before the
less ∧severe wounds. We had a good many deaths during [[?]]
on the Train although if we noticed a Patient not
standing the trip very well The C.O. had the Train pull
up at a Station nearest point to a Hospital & the
patients taken off there, often we had Patients on for 36
hours the Train would be hung up on some siding to allow
Troops & Munition Trains to go to the forward area
 

5
After leaving the Ambulance Trains I returned to No 1 AGH at
Rouen & had wide & varied experience there with wounded & gassed
patients until october 1917. I received orders to go to the 3^rd ACCS
near Poperinghe when I joined & the Pachendale stunt was
on. I thought I had seen terific wounds & badly gassed
patients untill I looked in the resuscitation ward at the
CCS the poor Boys came in & died like flies for a week
it got on my nerves dreadfully & I felt that I must
pull myself together otherwise I would be sent back to
the Base  I didn't want to go back I was convinced
it was a CCS that needed skilled women & the sisters
all worked at a very high tension. In December 1917
the CCS was converted to a C.R.S. I again returned to
No 1 A.G.H after leave. March 1918 we had the wind up
horribly (as the Boys called it) in case the Germans
did get through We worked every [[?]] & had very little
time off duty. I did night duty in a penetrating chest
ward & received also the Acute Gas Patients  The unit
held 40 Beds  I had a splendid orderly  He & I spent
the best part of the night administering oxygen to
Patients & trying to keep delirious ones in Bed
[[The?]] warning would go. An Air Raid - out went all
the lights; this was a dreadfully xxx anxious few hours
Orderly & I paraded up & down the ward in the dark
with the aid of a Hurrican lamp well covered with a thick
red covering  the delirious patients strangely enough always
took it into their heads to get out of Bed when there
was an air raid on.
After night duty I had the acute ward with some very dreadful
knees. The Major had the majority of the Patients move their
knee or knees slightly the following day after operations

 

6
untill they could get an angle of 40 degree this was his
[[?]] in  a Patient. Blighty when the knee bends that
much Of course they all tried to do this as quickly
as they could quite a number of them did very well
on his treatment but the most severe ones were
kept on Thomas splints untill they improved or
sometimes had to be amputated  In the end
when the Armistice was signed it was delightful
to see the dear old Boys who had not taken
any [[interest?]] in anything for weeks - buck up
[[?]] become interested once again
No 1 A G H Closed in Rouen in December 1918 Some
of the staff arriving at Sutton Veny on Xmas eve
Others early in January.
I am glad I've had this opportunity of seeing
England in Spring  I did think the English
Forrests could never compare with the woods of France
[[?]] I think the English Spring stands alone
the woods [[?]] Houses & Roads are all so
amazing
AEShadforth
Shadforth
 

Australian War Memorial
Item control
005172281