Letters from and to Sister Elsie Rose Grant, 1917

France.

23^rd Aug. 1917

Dearest Rose

Your dear letter reached me

at the close of a very sad and terrible

day. I have been up in Belgium 

at the 3^rd Aust Casualty Clearing

Station we have been shelled out

three times but this last time was

too dreadful those brutal Germans

deliberately shell our hospital with

all our poor helpless boys but

really God was good to us we had

four killed but it was just miraculous

that there were not dozens

killed of course we (the sisters) were

put into dugouts as soon as the

shelling got bad but I can't tell 

you how cruel it was to leave

those poor helpless patients. In

a few hours the whole hospital

was evacuated & one consolation

we saw our last patient carried

out before we were sent away

but not before one of our greatest

little boys on the staff along

(3)

after the day we had had we

all embraced him & the dear

left at 5 a. m. next morning

you will be pleased to hear he 

has a commission in the

Infantry. I am very sorry to hear 

poor Roley Wicks is missing please

God he is alive.

Rose if you could only have seen 

the Australian boys the day we 

were shelled so badly they came 

from far & near to see if we were

alright within an hour there

were fully two dozen of our XXXX

Officers down in the dugouts with

us. (we only had the XXXXXXXX

near us our XXXXXXX & we

had the XXXXXXXXX so that

our patients were just at the time

mostly XXXXXXX

Well the boys stayed with us &

a Canadian Colonel brought

down a big box of Maple Sugar

& a jug of water & then to finish

up a Scotch officer carried down

a gramophone to the dugout

door & played Pack up your

troubles in your old kit bag & smile

(2)

with three others had been killed one

was an English Medical Officer the

hospital next to us although they

only had two shells there∧ their casualties

were much heavier than ours amongst

them one sister killed & one wounded.

Well Rose now I must tell you the

wonderful part of all, after the terrible

day we had put in we were put in 

cars & sent off back to France. Strange

to say Allan had landed in the

same town as I was sent to

about two hours before I landed he

knew I was up this way somewhere

but not exactly where so he went to

every hospital in the town to find 

I was not at any of them well the

first of our transport got here

about 9.30 p. m. & were passing

down a street when Allan noticed

Australian sisters in them with

my unit colours on so thought he would

follow them up & ask if any of 

the girls knew where I was

& when the car slo I was in 

stopped the first person I put

eyes on was Allan really I 

thought to myself God must

have sent him as a comfort

(4)
upon my word you would have

thought we were heroes the

fuss we had made of us.

everything would have been alright

if our boys had not been killed

our hospital is a total wreck

now. Our tents were dug down

three feet into the ground & sandbaged

three feet above & even

they are riddled. I wish I could

tell you the places we have

been in but of course I cant.

our hospital was in Belgium

near a town that begins with 

the second last letter in the 

alphabet & has five letters in

it so you could get the map & look 

for a town in Belgium near our 

frontier line & you will see

where we were.

I am afraid we are being spoilt

orders were sent down we are

not to be put on duty here &

a rumour we are to go to Eng

for a fortnight before we go

back but to be truthful I would

rather carry on as it only spoils

(5)

one having time to think.

Rose I did not get your letter with

the big description of the town

you mentioned we loose an awful

lot of mail these day it is a little

bit of heaven to get home mail

& yours are always so great. I

send them on to Allan.

I have seen such a lot of France

including Paris had a night &

a day there but I will tell you 

all about it when I return.

which please God will not be 

much longer. I want ever so badly

to come home on transport but

I really can't bring myself to

leave Allan behind. that is 

the xxx principle reason I don't

come.

I am very sorry to hear you have

had Pleurisy it is such a painful

thing to have but hope you are

quite well again.

Tell Essie I have not heard from 

her for ages suppose her letters

are wandering around somewhere.

My love to your Mother & Father

& your dear self

from

Yours Sincerely

Elsie Grant

[*?*]

P.S The [[?]] was pierced by the

bullet during the first stunt on 4&5/10/17

NSC
France

P.S I have enclosed in this letter

a 5£ note which he left in his wallett. 20:10:17

Trust you receive it alright.

NSC a coy

Dear Sister Grant:

it is with regret 

I take up my pen to write these

few lines telling you that your

Brother A.H. Grant was killed in action on the

12:10:17 ; but Sister is it not a great

consolation to know that he died a

grand & noble death fighting for his

God; King; Country & dear ones. I had not

met your Brother prior to his joining

our Battn (40^th) but he was so jolly ;

full of sport ; & good natured that he was

soon known & loved by all the boys,

in fact his platoon used to just

idolise him & I too used to love to

get a chat with him. The night prior

to the Stunt which was as it happened to be

his last I was talking to him for quite

a long while, and as I was being left

out of the Stunt, he gave me his wallet,

a letter to you & paper to you ; also a mirror

(which he _^was keeping as a souvenir & I think

it a good one. The bullet is also enclosed

he was carrying the mirror in his breast 

pocket.) He asked me as a favor if

everything did happen him to forward

these articles on to you, which I am

duly doing & trust the parcel will

reach you safely I have registered it to

^make more secure: I know Sister it is

hard to part with our dear loved ones, 

but still think what a proud & noble

death his was & truly a better & braver

soldier than he could never be. He

was loved by all & I ask you to

accept our deepest sympathy in

your great loss: May God Bless &

Comfort you.

Sincerely yours

158.

Sgt. N. S. Carey

A. Coy

40^th Battn.

A. I. F