Nurses Narratives Sister H Chadwick

5/67

AWM 4 1
AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVE
ACCESS STATUS
OPEN
 

Narrative Account of No.26 Amb. Train.

by
SISTER H. CHADWICK.
 

A.W.M.
LIBRARY
Class No. 373.2

[953]

 

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 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 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 
experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is 
and what is not likely to be historically accurate."

Nursing

23 108 5 108 
 

NARRATIVE ACCOUNT OF No 26 AMBULANCE TRAIN.
by
SISTER H. CHADWICK

I was transferred to one hospital at Boulogne, but after a 
month's sojourn there, was placed in charge of this train. 

I have Miss Ellis, and a Sister Fuller with me, and we have 
had such a nice time, and were very lucky to have been on train duty 
at such an interesting and important time. We have been right up to 
the newly gained ground, and of course had been travelling up to the 
devastated area for some time previous to the wonderfully quick 
advance, leading up to the downfall of Germany. 
We used to go to Arras, Peronne, Bapaume, and other places, well known 
as spots where Australians fought so valiantly. 

You have no idea what shattered heaps of ruins they are. 
We used to clamber through the shell craters in the houses, and get 
into the enclosures at the back, that were once gardens, and there 
would find flowers, beautiful sunflowers, michaelmass daises, and even 
pansies, flowering bravely among the debris. We have kept our train 
supplied with flowers, first from the devastated places, and later 
from the newly acquired towns. 

At Peronne we were amused at the names of the streets, which 
showed that "Aussies" had been about. The first thing we saw was a 
large street sign in the town square called, Roo de Kangar, others 
were Dinkum and Digger Streets, Dingbat Alley, and Wallaby Lane. 
We saw several tanks at Peronne, both our own and Fritzs, they are 
most interesting old things inside. It will take untold money for the 
rebuilding of these shattered towns and villages. Villers Bretonneux, 
and Albert, are simply dust heaps. 

It is sad to see the graves along the railway, some nearly 
on the rails. Right through the devastated area, these graves are v 
very numerous. Sometimes you see isolated ones with the late owner's 
gun and tin hat, again you see small groups of five and six, and 
again regular cemetries. I understand that everyone is to be lifted 
and placed in more hallowed ground, rather gruesome work for someone. 
I think they ought to keep Fritz for the work, more than half are 
German. The Hun has very little respect for the dead, and in our 
rambles up the line, we often come across fallen planes. In British 
or French ones, you never find remains, but in Bosche planes you very 
often see what is left of the victims, and the orderlies have taken 
away vertebraeas souvenirs.

You have doubtless heard at various times, about how they 
boil or render their dead, for grease. Well, we met a Yank Officer, 
who actually saw one of these places where this was done. He said 
the Australians with whom they were fighting, took photos of it all. 
He said that there was no mistaking what it all meant. There was the 
chopping block, and a deep trough with the disembered body, half 
rendered inside, whilst five other nude bodies lay stacked ready for 
the process. The enemy made voilent efforts to shell this particular 
part of the tunnel, in order to destroy evidence so damming but 
failed. 

In their quick retreat for the shelter of the Rhine, theyused 
to mine everything as they went, even bodies were mined, and as our 
folk bury dead Fritzs they find lying about, a lot of our men were 
killed by these bodies being mined. We heard of three Australians 
being killed this way. We have un-be-known to ourselves, been in very 
dangerous spots at times.

(2.)

We were in Douai and Cambrai soon after they were taken, 
and the R.E., men told us we were allowed up too soon as the whole 
place. railways. stations, and streets as well as houses, were mined. 
We used to see huge craters on the lines, and would be told that it 
had only exploded yesterday, and that mines were constantly going off. 
As soon as Armistice was made, 800 Fritz engineers were brought over 
with their maps, to locate the mines, and at Douai and Cambrai, showed 
no end of the devilish things on the lines,some right under where the 
Ambulance trains are garaged, and they had to remove a train to get 
at them. Some were timed to go off on various dates, New Years Day, 
Xmas Day, and well into January. We were there on the Saturday before 
Armistice, and some of them should have gone off then, but fortunately 
for us, they were overdue.It seems they use wire treated acid for 
these mines. Our next visit to Douai, two days after the Armistice 
they were still exploding them, as it seems it is safer to do so, 
instead of disconnecting them, as they are liable to go off any minute. 
A fatal accident had occured that morning.A leave train was filling 
at the siding, when a piece of metal from one of the exploding 
mines, struck and killed a Canadian soldier, waiting to go on leave. 
Although the mine was considered a safe distance away, being 300 yards 
from the train. We were not allowed in again until the dangerous 
work was over.

Cambrai and Douai are both lovely towns, Douai especially. 
It is where the French retired folk live, and the houses were 
beautiful. We went thro' dozens of them, just left as the Hun was 
living in them. Beautiful carpets and furniture, mirrors everywhere, 
pianos, and billiard tables in every house, books strewn all over 
the rooms. It seems when they realised that they were to lose Douai, 
they sent three of their crack pillaging corps through the town, who 
systematically destroyed everything. Mirrors were cracked with the 
butt end of a rifle, beautiful upholstered furniture slashed across, 
pictures either cut out of their frames or slashed across. The remains 
of their black bread was lying on the beautiful polished tables along 
with other messes, rotten sausages and tomatoes and sticky sort of 
cake, with jelly filling. The hot-houses were full of pot plants. 
We got lovely blooms for the train. All the linen and mattresses had 
been taken into Germany. Very few civilians in Douai, and the houses 
were left standing open for anyone to wander in and help themselves. 
All we take is flowers and vegetables, but the orderlies all brought 
away articles of varying degree of value. Our Officers tell us that 
although it is illegal to loot, they look at it this way, if you 
don't take it someone else will, and the civilians are terrors for 
helping themselves, not one thing, but they come along with barrows 
and cart things away. The soldiers only take a souvenir as they can't 
carry anything of weight. 

We get our vegetables for the train when we can, as Fritz 
had planted acres of them for his own use. We find trains very 
expensive living. We only get 5/10 a week, and have to buy vegetables, 
milk, soup, eggs, and fruit, only bare necessities being supplied on 
the train. Bully beef, bread, cheese and bacon, being the rations. 
Vegetables over here are an exhorbitant price, and cabbages are never 
under 1/6, eggs are 8d. each, and of course the ration. of milk is 1 oz. 
each, per day, so a tin of "Ideal" milk has to last one 12 days, as 
it were. We have had to buy a lot of milk, as you can imagine. 
One ounce is not enough for one's tea. 

The English Sisters get far more than us for rations, and 
even then they say it costs a lot. 

We have got some very nice shell cases, and have taken down 
a lot to the girls at No. 2. I have a nice lot of bombs too, some of 
ours as well as Fritzs. They are nice to take home and show what we 
threw at Frtiz, and what he shied at us. One of Fritzs, called the 
torto ise, is a great curio, as very few have seen it. It was used in 
the early days of the war. We are careful to get the boys to take all 
detonaters and fuses out first as they are awfully dangerous toys. 
We could have had some of those huge shell cases, they are for 
umbrella stands, but they are too tremendous.

(3) 
We find the large Fritz howitzer quite heavy enough. I have 
a French 75, and some tank shell cases, as well as German helmets 
and bayonets. The problem will be how to get them home. 

We have lately been to the less damaged towns, Lille, 
Valenciennes, and some of the Belgian towns, It is great going to 
these new places, as all the civilians are in their homes, and the 
shops are open, and you get beautiful things. 

We were in Courtrai a nice town in Flanders lately, just 
after the Armistice, and got lovely brass and copper ware, They had 
buried it all in the earth, and there it lay for four years. They 
were selling it at pre-war prices, but the food is a terrible price. 
We saw small cakes 12 francs each. Two British Sisters had afternoon 
tea in Lille one day, all they had was a tea pot of tea, and some 
little cakes,and they were charged 50 francs each. Eggs were 3 francs 
each there. The folk at Courtrai, had a terrible time. Their children 
had been taken from them and when we were there, some of the shop 
folk got back their little boys, and there was great joy. One child 
was a small thing of four years of age when taken, and returned that 
day, quite a big boy of 8 years.The mothers went mad with joy, but 
the kids did not know them. The Huns were there four years to the day. 
They were fined for the slightest thing, two people could talk 
together in the street, but if three were found talking, they were 
taken to court and fined heavily, three was considered a conspiracy. 
The towns were named in German, and Courtrai. had to be spelt Kertrey 
and it was so spelt on the station. They were not allowed to speak in 
English or French, and were fined if heard, only German and Belgian 
was allowed to be spoken. 

We are only now hearing of the terrible damage and fear our 
air-craft caused. These folk tell us that they were awful, 800 
civilians alone were killed at Courtrai. 400 Germans were killed with 
one bomb one day. We had day as well as night raids. The repatriated 
tell us too, that Fritz got the wind up terrible, and would flee for 
their lives for shelter, yelling "Tommy come, Jacobean come", (their 
name for Jocks), and leave their prisoners to shift for themselves. 
You see notices all over these new towns "Unterstand", (underground.) 

We met lots of Aussies at Courtrai, who were there for the 
Armistice. They said that the joy in England and other places would 
be great, but it could never equal the great joy and thankfulness of 
these poor down-trodden folk.They simply went mad and they said in 
the streets you could see Tommies, Froggies, Belgians, Aussies and the 
civilians grown ups, and kids, all playing ring a roses with each 
other. Then they went round and smashed down Hun notices and signs, 
which were all over the place. 

They simply worship the "Anglais?" and after the Hun private 
they find Tommy a very loveable person. Even yet the kids come round 
us when we go into these towns, and touch us and say "Anglais." 
We do get stared at. At first, I woundered why the woman gazed at us 
so, until I remembered that we were strange to them, not like we are 
in French towns, in the peaceful area, where no one even notices us. 

Valenciennes, is the latest of our new towns. We did want 
some lace, but it seems all the people were driven out up further into 
Belgium, and their shops had to be left, and hardly any were open. 
The lace we saw was simply too exhorbitant a price. Miss Ellis got a 
small doyley the size of a saucer for 20 francs, just for a momento, 
but I did not invest. I got an exquisite thing at Courtrai of Point 
de Venise for 50 francs, and they had one in Brussels lace, for 
100 francs. 

The patients we are bringing down now are not at all pleased 
as they were on their way to Germany. These last weeks of the war 
were very strange, as they has to fight their way through the 
occupied towns. One officer said you would be hiding in a doorway with 
your pistol cocked, watching for a Fritz to appear, when the door 
would open and a cup of nice hot coffee would be handed out, so you 
would drink it, and then dodge off to another doorway further down
 

(4.)
the street, and a glass of wine would be handed out. He said they seem 
ed to have no fear, and during these streets fights, said that women 
came out and swept their doorsteps quite leisurely. 

At the Armistice the boys tell us they did not know what to 
make of it all but at the appointed hour, laid their rifles against 
the walls of the houses, but took good care not to venture too far f 
from them, as they said they knew Fritz too well to trust him. 
However, they felt more assured when they saw Fritz running about at 
the other end of the village minus his weapons. We brought quite a 
lot down who had been wounded at 10 o'clock on that celebrated 
Monday morning. Some even lost their legs, and a good many killed 

The "Flue" is still rampant, and our convoys are all medical 
except for the remnant of the fighting days, wounded. There are a 
good many accidentals as football is being played a great deal by 
the boys, and as you can imagine, shell torn ground is pretty rough 
for football, and the result is broken legs and sprained ankles. 
Then a lot of them are wounded thro' these awful shells exploding, 
especially among the labor corps, whose work it is to handle these 
horrible things in cleaning up the country. 

It is wonderful what the British are doing here. It seems 
to me that they do everything, and now we know, what we do about 
Germany, there is no doubt we would have won, even without America, 
they certainly had a bad moral effect on account of their numbers, 
but no one can say that they have done much fighting. No the stubborn 
British bull-dog-breed would have held its own, and won through all 
this German bluff, and it is the glorious infantry who has held the 
line these 4 ½ years, and to whom most credit is due. Certainly the 
line quavered once or twice, but never but that it regained itself. 
The air-craft, tanks, artillery, all aided in this great war of 
science and civilisation, but that brave wall of humanity, it was who 
kept back the ravaging Hun from our shores.
 

Spare Copy
NARRATIVE ACCOUNT OF No 26 AMBULANCE TRAIN. 
by 
SISTER H. CHADWICK. 

I was transferred to one hospital at Boulogne, but after a 
month's sojourn there, was placed in charge of this train. 

I have Miss Ellis, and a Sister Fuller with me, and we have 
had such a nice time, and were very lucky to have on train duty 
at such an interesting and important time. We have been right up to 
the newly gained ground, and of course had been travelling up to the 
devastated area for some time previous to the wonderfully quick 
advance, leading up to the downfall of Germany. 
We used to go to Arras, Peronne, Bapaume, and other places, well known 
as spots where Australians fought so valiantly. 

You have no idea what shattered heaps of ruins they are. 
We used to clamber through the shell craters in the houses, and get 
into the enclosure at the back, that were once gardens, and there 
would find flowers, beautiful sunflowers, michaelmass daises, and even 
pansies, flowering braverly among the debris. We have kept our train 
supplied with flowers, first from the devastated places, and later 
from the newly acquired towns. 

At Peronne we were amused at the names of the streets, which 
showed that "Aussies" had been about. The first thing we saw was a 
large street sign in the town square called, Roo de Kangar, others 
were Dinkum and Digger Streets, Dingbat Alley, and Wallaby Lane. 
We saw several tanks at Peronne, both our own and Frtizs, they are 
most interesting old things inside. It will take untold money for the 
rebuilding of these shattered towns and villages. Villers Bretonneux, 
and Albert, are simply dust heaps. 

It is sad to see the graves along the railway, some nearly 
on the rails. Right through the devastated area, these graves are v 
very numerous. Sometimes you see isolated ones with the late owner's 
gun and tin hat, again you see small groups of five and six, and 
again regular cemeteries. I understand that everyone is to be lifted 
and placed in more hallowed ground, rather gruesome work for someone. 
I think they ought to keep Frtiz for the work, more than half are 
German. The Hun has very little respect for the dead, and in our 
rambles up the line, we often come across fallen planes. The British 
or French ones, you never find remains, but in Bosche planes you very 
often see what is left of the victims, and the orderlies have taken 
away vertebraeas souvenirs.

Your have doubtless heard at various times, about how they 
boil or render their dead, for grease. Well, we met a Yank Officer, 
who actually saw one of these places where this was done. He said 
the Australians with whom they were fighting, took photos of it all. 
He said that there was no mistaking what it all meant. There was the 
chopping block, and a deep trough with the disembered body, half 
rendered inside, whilst five other nude bodies lay stacked ready for 
the process. The enemy made violent efforts to shell this particular 
part of the tunnel, in order to destroy evidence so damming but 
failed. 

In their quick retreat for the shelter of the Rhine, theyused 
to mine everything as they went, even bodies were mined, and as our 
folk bury dead Fritzs they find lying about, a lot of our men were 
killed by these bodies being mined. We heard of three Australians 
being killed this way. We have un-be-known to ourselves, been in very 
dangerous spots at times.
 

(2.)
We were in Douai and Cambrai soon after they were taken, 
and the R.E., men told us we were allowed up too soon as the whole 
place. railways. stations, and streets as well as houses, were mined. 
We used to see huge craters on the lines, and would be told that it 
had only exploded yesterday, and that mines were constantly going off. 
As soon as Armistice was made, 800 Fritz engineers were brought over 
with their maps, to locate the mines, and at Douai and Cambrai, showed 
no end of the devilish things on the lines,some right under where the 
Ambulance trains were garaged, and they had to remove a train to get 
at them. Some were timed to go off on various dates, New Years Day, 
Xmas Day, and well into January. We were there on the Saturday before 
Armistice, and some of them should have gone off then, but fortunately 
for us, they were overdue.It seems they use wire treated acid for 
these mines. Our next visit to Douai, two days after Armistice 
they were still exploding them, as it seems it is safer to do so, 
instead of disconnecting them, as they are liable to go off any minute. 
A fatal accident had occured that morning.A leave train was filling 
at the siding, when a piece of metal from one of the exploding 
mines, struck and killed a Canadian soldier, waiting to go on leave. 
Although the mine was considered a safe distance away, being 300 yards 
from the train. We were not allowed in again until the dangerous 
work was over.

Cambrai and Douai are both lovely town, Douai especially. 
It is where the French retired folk live, and the houses were 
beautiful. We went thro' dozens of them, just left as the Hun was 
living in them. Beautiful carpets and furniture, mirrors everywhere, 
pianos, and billiard tables in every house, books strewn all over 
the rooms. It seems when they realised that they were to lose Douai, 
they sent three of their crack pillaging corps through the town, who 
systematically destroyed everything. Mirrors were cracked with the 
butt end of a rifle, beautiful upholstered furniture slashed across, 
pictures either cut out of their frames or slashed across. The remains 
of their black bread was lying on the beautiful polished tables along 
with other messes, rotten sausages and tomatoes and sticky sort of 
cake, with jelly filling. The hot-houses were full of pot plants. 
We got lovely blooms for the train. All the linen and mattresses had 
been taken into Germany. Very few civilians in Douai, and the houses 
were left standing open for anyone to wander in and help themselves. 
All we take is flowers and vegetables, but the orderlies all brought 
away articles of varying degree of value. Our Officers tell us that 
although it is illegal to loot, they look at it this way, if you 
don't take it someone else will, and the civilians are terrors for 
helping themselves, not one thing, but they come along with barrows 
and cart things away. The soldiers only take a souvenir as they can't 
carry anything of weight. 

We get our vegetables for the train when we can, as Fritz 
had planted acres of them for his own use. We find trains very 
expensive living. We only get 5/10 a week, and have to buy vegetables, 
milk, soup, eggs, and fruit, only bare necessities being supplied on 
the train. Bully beef, bread, cheese and bacon, being the rations. 
Vegetables over here are an exhorbitant price, and cabbages are never 
under 1/6, eggs are 8d. each, and of course the ration. of milk is 1 oz. 
each, per day, so a tin of "Ideal" milk has to last one 12 days, as 
it were. We have had to buy a lot of milk, as you can imagine. 
One ounce is not enough for one's tea. 

The English Sisters get far more than us for rations, and 
even then they say it costs a lot. 

We have got some very nice shell cases, and have taken down 
a lot to the girls at No. 2. I have a nice lot of bombs too, some of 
ours as well as Fritzs. They are nice to take home and show what we 
threw at Frtiz, and what he shied at us. One of Fritzs, called the 
tortoise, is a great curio, as very few have seen it. It was used in 
the early days of the war. We are careful to get the boys to take all 
detonates and fuses out first as they are awfully dangerous toys. 
We could have had some of those huge shell cases, they are for 
umbrella stands, but they are too tremendous.

 

(3)
We find the large Fritz howitzer quite heavy enough. I have 
a French 75, and some tank shell cases, as well as German helmets 
and bayonets. The problem will be how to get them home. 

We have lately been to the less damaged towns, Lille, 
Valenciennes, and some of the Belgian towns, It is great going to 
these new places, as all the civilians are in their homes, and the 
shops are open, and you get beautiful things. 

We were in Courtrai a nice town in Fladers lately, just 
after the Armistice, and got lovely brass and copper ware, They had 
buried it all in the earth, and there it lay for four years. They 
were selling it at pre-war prices, but the food is a terrible price. 
We saw small cakes 12 francs each. Two British Sisters had afternoon 
tea in Lillie one day, all they had was a tea pot of tea, and some 
little cakes,and they were charged 50 francs each. Eggs were 3 francs 
each there. The folk at Courtrai, had a terrible time. Their children 
had been taken from them and when we were there, some of the shop 
folk got back their little boys, and there was great joy. One child 
was a small thing of four years of age when taken, and returned that 
day, quite a big boy of 8 years.The mothers went mad with joy, but 
the kids did not know them. The Huns were there four years to the day. 
They were fined for the slightest thing, two people could talk 
together in the street, but if three were found talking, they were 
taken to court and fined heavily, three was considered a conspiracy. 
The towns were named in German, and Courtrai. had to be spelt Kertry 
and it was so spelt on the station. They were not allowed to speak in 
English or French, and were fined if heard, only German and Belgian 
was allowed to be spoken. 

We are now hearing of terrible damage and fear our 
air-craft caused. These folk tell us that they were awful, 800 
civilians alone were killed at Courtrai. 400 Germans were killed with 
one bomb one day. We had day as well as night raids. The repatriated 
tell us too, that Fritz got the wind up terrible, and would flee for 
their lives for shelter, yelling "Tommy come, Jacobean come", (their 
name for Jocks), and leave their prisoners to shift for themselves. 
You see notices all over these new towns "Unterstand", (underground.) 

We met lots of Aussies at Courtrai, who were there for the 
Armistice. They said that they joy in England and other places would 
be great, but it could never equal the great joy and thankfulness of 
these poor down-trodden folk.They simply went mad and they said in 
the streets you could see Tommies, Froggies, Belgians, Aussies and the 
civilian grown ups, and kids, all playing ring a roses with each 
other. Then they went round and smashed down Hun notices and signs, 
which were all over the place. 

They simply worship the "Anglais?" and after the Hun private 
they find Tommy a very loveable person. Even yet the kids come round 
us when we go into these towns, and touch us and say "Anglais." 
We do get stared at. At first, I wondered why the woman gazed at us 
so, until I remembered that we were strange to them, not like we are 
in French towns, in the peaceful areas, where no one even notices us. 

Valenciennes, is the latest of our new towns. We did want 
some lace, but it seems all the people were driven out further into 
Belgium, and their shops had to be left, and hardly any were open. 
The lace we saw was simply too exhorbitant a price. Miss Ellis got a 
small doyley the size of a saucer for 20 francs, just for a momento, 
but I did not invest. I got an exquisite thing at "Courtrai of Point 
de Venise for 50 francs, and they had one in Brussels lace, for 
100 francs. 

The patients we are bringing down now are not at all pleased 
as they were on their way to Germany. These last weeks of the war 
were very strange, as they has to fight their way through the 
occupied towns. One officer said you would be hiding in a doorway with 
your pistol cocked, watching for a Fritz to appear, when the door 
would open and a cup of nice hot coffee would be handed out, so you 
would drink it, and then dodge off to another doorway further down

(4.)
the street, and a glass of wine would be handed out. He said they seem 
ed to have no fear, and during these streets fights, said that women 
came out and swept their doorsteps quite leisurely. 

At the Armistice the boys tell us they did not know what to 
make of it all but at the appointed hour, laid their rifles against 
the walls of the houses, but took good care not to venture too far 
from them, as they said they knew Fritz too well to trust him. 
However, they felt more assured when they saw Fritz running about at 
the other end of the village minus his weapons. We brought quite a 
lot down who had been wounded at 10 o'clock on that celebrated 
Monday morning. Some even lost their legs, and a good many killed 

The "Flue" is still rampant, and our convoys are all medical 
except for the remnant of the fighting days, wounded. There are a 
good many accidentals as football is being played a great deal by 
the boys, and as you can imagine, shell torn ground is pretty rough 
for football, and the result is broken legs and sprained ankles. 
Then a lot of them are wounded thro' these awful shells exploding, 
especially among the labor corps, whose work it is to handle these 
horrible things in cleaning up the country. 

It is wonderful what the British are doing here. It seems 
to me that they do everything, and now we know, what we do about 
Germany, there is no doubt we would have won, even without America, 
they certainly had a bad moral effect on account of their numbers, 
but no one can say that they have done much fighting. No the stubborn 
British bull-dog-breed would have held its own, and won through all 
this German bluff, and it is the glorious infantry who has held the 
line these 4 ½ years, and to whom most credit is due. Certainly the 
line quavered once or twice, but never that it regained itself. 
The air-craft, tanks, artillery, all aided in this great war of 
science and civilisation, but that brave wall of humanity, it was who 
kept back the ravaging Hun from our shores.