Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Mother, 1914-1915, Part 23 of 27

[*a paper inside.*] 
No 18 Stationary Hospital 
October 30th 1915 
  
Dearest Mother & all at Home, 
Just a line to let you 
know that altho' I am still in 
Hospital, nevertheless  I am doing 
famously & feeling great, & am very 
pleased to tell you that the Dr 
has put my name down for a 
trip to either England or elsewhere. 
He wants to try & get me to 
England, but I believe Australians 
& New Zealanders have some 
difficulty in getting past Alexandria
owing to some rivalry between 
the Australian Authorities & the 
Imperial Authorities, & this may 
possibly block me from a nice little 
trip to the old Country, nevertheless 
the Dr Is doing his best for me  
to get to England, and both he & 
the nurse have been telling me 
of the different places of interest 
that I should see, & what bus to 
take & all that sort of thing, so 
you see they are awfully nice 
to me. The Dr (Scott) is a young 
American & has the real Yankee 

2/ 
drawl, & when he comes into our 
ward of a morning, he looks at 
me & says "Waal Sargeant, I 
didn't see ye in Piccadilly Circus 
this marning" & things like 
that, so I'm a moral for a  
trip somewhere. He has just 
felt my pulse & said "Yaas 
you're alright for Leister Squarre" 
Sister Fletcher, in charge of 
our Ward, I cannot speak too 
highly of; Her efforts & energy 
are wonderful & untiring. She 
is, of course, an English girl, 
as all the nurses & orderlies 
are; the latter are all men 
of course & do all the dirty 
work. Most of the patients 
are Tommies & don't seem to 
mind how much work they 
put the nurse & orderlies to. 
The nurse told me that she 
would rather nurse 10 of 
the Australians or New Zealanders, 
than 5 tommies as we 
don't give nearly the trouble.

3/ 
The Dr has just come & told me 
that the big "Mauretania is 
expected in in a day or two, & 
that she was there at Alexandria
picking up some patients 
there & was then coming here 
& after filling up here, would  
go direct to England, so my 
chances look rosy. 
I am on soft diet such as 
Boiled Eggs, Arrowroot, Boiled 
Chicken, & Bread, butter & honey 
& tea & milk, sodawater, etc. 
& a bottle of stout everyday, 
but I have signed the pledge 
again & usually give my stout 
to our Orderly, who is a splendid 
chap & can't do enough for 
me. I will be able to draw 
some money when I get to  
England, but the Dr told me 
that we get motor trips & buss 
rides, & admission to the 

4/ 
theatres & music halls for "nix" 
& others at ¼price. I must go 
out to Gravesend to see your 
people & I also want to attend 
a service in St Pauls Cathedral, 
London if possible & the Dr told 
me to be sure to visit Westminster
Abbey & to see the 
Crown Jewels & all that sort of 
thing. He even told me to be 
sure & get on bus number 88 
at Nelsons Monument & for 2' 
you can travel along the most 
interesting route in London, & told 
me of all the places I would 
see, such as the War Office, 
Horse Guards, Hyde Park & all 
those kinds of places, so if the 
Zeppelins are good enough 
to keep out whilst Im there,  
I should have a good time. 
I have also just heard 
some cheering news that the 
Germans have threatened

5/ 
to torpoedo the Mauretania, 
but I don't mind so long as 
I get on board of her, I'll 
chance all the Submarines. 
They have been fairly active 
around here lately & give  
our Torpoedo boat destroyers 
plenty of work escorting 
troopships & storeships into 
this harbour. It is very 
interesting to watch these little 
boats escorting a battleship 
or transport about. They go 
at a tremendous speed & 
cut across the front of the  
other boats bows & twist & 
turn & then fly around her 
stern, then off up past her 
her at a tremendous pace 
& dodge about all over the 
place. Of course the gun 
crews are always at their 
guns & men on the

6/ 
lookout for any sign of a 
periscope. The chaps in 
command of these destroyers 
are most youthful & very 
young in appearance, one 
chap I saw was the living 
image of our poor Alt & 
I could not take my eyes 
off him. He was Alts  
double in everyway in 
appearance. The midshipmen 
on the big battleships too, are  
only youngsters just out of 
college, & some of them are 
not more that 13 & 14 years 
of age, but they are wonderfully
plucky, they were in 
charge of the pinnaces that  
towed us ashore on the 
memorable 25^th of April & 
altho' shrapnel was flying 
about in all directions, 

7/ 
they went on with their work 
like seasoned veterans. 
The Navy are having a good 
time in this harbour, they put 
nets around the sides of the 
ship & there are the Officers  
in white clothes playing cricket 
& tennis & other games, & the 
band playing to them. They 
don't steam out unless there 
is any big "stunt" on up at 
the Peninsular & then they 
don't stay for long on 
account of the Submarines. 
Things have been bungled 
from the start over there, but 
we hope great things from 
Sir Ian Hamiltons successor. 
General Munro or something 
his name is, but it is

8/ 
a thankless job taking a job 
where a another man has been 
not so successful as was 
expected of him. However, 
lets hope it will all be over 
soon & peace declared. 
You will be sorry to hear of  
my dear little pal, Les Ilsley 
who was my 2^nd Trumpeter in 
the old Windsor battery, & went 
to New Zealand to do Insurance 
office work, he joined the N.Z 
mounted forces & came over 
here, but has been killed in 
Action in the charge of August 6-7 
I am terribly grieved & only learnt 
of it here whilst reading a 
New Zealand newspaper. 
Well Mother dear, don't worry 
about me, Enteric is not so bad after 
all, & Im quite alright. Give my 
love to all at Home & elsewhere 
& accept a double whack for 
your dear self from your 
loving son Norman