Letters from Norman Griffiths Ellsworth to his Mother, 1916 - Part 9 of 28

County of London War Hospt 
Epsom, Surrey. 
England. 
March 28^th 
Ward. "M". 

My Dearest Mother & all at Home, 
Another line 
to let you all know that I am still well &  
have survived the Buckingham Palace affair, 
& I will give you just a brief account of it, as 
I have just got this paper left which I had 
to collect out of all my back letters which 
have recently arrived. 
The Patients chosen 
to represent this Hospital left in omnibuses 
by road to London at 12.30, I & my 2 
pals being in the second, & the 'buses went 
so slow, that it took more than 2 hours 
to travel the 14 miles, but never-the-less 
we got there, altho' we were nearly frozen 
& I could not fell feel my feet for some 
time after alighting (we were on top) 
On 
arrival at Buckingham Palace, we were 
given a most cordial welcome by the 
members of the Royal Household, and

Page 2. 
I only had time to have a glance around 
me & noticed an immense crowd outside 
peering thro' the fence, & I began to rather 
"kid" myself that I was some class, for 
all over the place were the courtiers in 
their knee breeches & stockings, & powdered 
hair etc, & funny old things they looked 
too, & Admirals & Generals & all sorts 
of uniformed people were in attendance 
everywhere.  We were then shown into 
a large room filled with tables decked 
with sandwiches, & cakes, & silver tea 
jugs & great Tea urns, & silver milk jugs 
& sugar basins, & all that sort of thing, 
& behind these great tea urns were these 
peculiar looking courtiers in their yellow 
dresses, & lavish decorations, & they turned 
on the taps each time with such precision 
& style & with so much delicacy, as if 
they were sent especially from heaven to 
do it. 
I had time to notice then that 
there were several of the other outer 
district hospitals represented, & the 
most saddest sight of all was the

Page 3. 
blind soldiers from St Dunstans Red 
Cross Hospital, & yet they were the happiest 
guests present, & laughed, & sang all the 
time & joked with each other, & everybody 
else, that it was hard to believe that  
they were deprived of their sight. 
If 
shirkers could only have seen some of 
the poor disfigured faces, all burnt &  
black, from liquid fire & poison gas 
that the Germans used against them 
it would make their blood boil, as it 
did mine, to avenge these poor chaps. 
Some of the intense agony & pain 
is still inscribed on their faces, & it is 
so impressed on my mind, that I will 
never forget it as long as I live. 
During 
tea, we were honoured by the presence 
of Their Majesties The King & Queen, and 
the Queen Mother, Queen Amelie of 
Portugual, Princess Mary, Prince 
Albert, & several others of the Royal 
Family. 
The King was in naval uniform

Page 4 
& looked very well groomed, but really he 
is a very ordinary looking person, he 
chatted very gaily to the patients on 
each table, & was very decent.  Queen 
Mary is taller than he, & looked very 
ladylike & was dressed in furs etc. 
The 
Queen Mother looked remarkably 
nice & extraordinarly young looking 
and in fact looked quite as young as 
Queen Mary.  They also visited each 
of the tables & spoke to the guests. 
Each 
table was waited on by a duchess, &  
I do not know the name of the one 
who waited on ours, but she was very 
nice.  The Queen of Portugual was 
gorgeously bedecked in furs etc, &  
talk about diamonds, why I did 
not think there were so many in the 
world. 
It was funny to notice how 
all the Duchesses & Ladies curtsied 
(not bowed) to the King & Queen; they 
all have to "bend the knee"

Page 5 
but I suppose they get used to that sort of 
thing.  The band of the famous Scots Guards 
played all the time we were at dinner, & 
I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Princess Mary, 
a very attractive looking girl, worked 
at the tables, serving tea, etc, & dressed 
in a plain dress & white apron.  After 
tea, we were all conducted to the Royal Riding 
School which was all decorated very lavishly 
& there was a big stage & a magnificent 
orchestra there, and a concert arranged by 
Mr Alfred Butt, & the choir from Temple 
Church (near Buckingham Palace) & really 
Mum, the boys did sing nice.  Their voices 
were beautifully sweet, & perfectly trained, 
& everybody could hear every word they 
sang.  Of course Their Majesties also 
attended the concert, & all the other people 
including Admirals & Generals, & there there 
was Mr Andrew Fisher & Wife; Mr W. M. 
Hughes, & several other important persons. 
present too.  I waved to Mr Fisher as  
he was coming in, & he smiled & waved 
to me back, just as if I really knew him 
All the Anzacs gave him a "Coo-ee" 

Page 6. 
The concert was a mixture of classic & 
popular music, & everybody joined in 
the choruses, including the blind guests 
I could not help wondering, for a second 
only, whether the German wounded & sick 
were entertained in this manner at 
Polsdam, by the "All Highest, but I'll bet 
as soon as they can walk & carry a rifle, 
they are packed off to the Front again. 
I'm sure the German Enterics do not 
stay in hospital 5 months, & then get 
6 weeks furlough on full pay. 
At the 
conclusion of the concert, as soon as their 
Majesties had left, we were given fruit 
by Earls & Lords etc, in top hats, & cigarettes 
etc, & then conducted by them to our 
'buses again, & amid cheers from the 
crowd & much handkerchief waving, 
we left Buckingham Palace, a very 
merry lot, & with the happiest recollections. 
I sent the Invitation & Programme 
to you by last Mail, by registered 
Post, & hope you got them safe, as 
it is an interesting souvenir  

Page 7. 
I am in touch with the Hays & Mrs Prideaux 
who are staying in Cornwall to dodge the 
Zeppelins, & they want me to stay with them 
on furlough, which starts on Friday week. 
I got a further batch of back letters 
this week, dated July & August, but no 
parcels have come thro', & no fur vest. 
I hear that all the Australians are  
in France, or on the way there, & the Artillery 
is all being split up into a lot more. new 
batteries, & of course I am too late to get 
any promotion, but I am very hopeful 
of getting back into the old 4^th Battery, who 
has a new commanding office, so will get 
fair play.  The Nurses & Patients are still 
getting married or engaged in this hospital, 
& the place has got the name of a Matrimonial  
Agency, & one staff nurse in our 
Ward has captivated a Sydney boy, who 
came in the same time as I did, but 
nearly died of his Enteric.  You will 
no doubt be surprised to know that, our 
nurse told me, that the sister-in-charge 
of our ward, "would marry Sergeant Ellsworth 
if he would propose", so the sister told her.

Page 8 
but not for this child, -- why! she is old 
enough to be my mother, but still she is 
awfully decent.  I simply roared when the 
nurse told me this.  The nurses give the 
patients very broad hints that they want 
to be taken out for walks of an afternoon 
and a certain amount of jealousy exists 
between the nurses on this account. 
I expect to go to Coles for a couple of 
days when I start on furlough, then go to 
Edinburgh & Aberdeen, & Glasgow, as my 
Railway (free) pass is made out for the Monday. 
I expect to be up there for a couple of 
weeks, & then return to London. 
How are you all at Home; - how I 
think of you all, & long to see you. I hope 
the Winchelsea folk are well, also the Marsh's, 
& Aunt Hannah.  Give my love to them 
all.  Tell, Mab I'm glad she is having a  
good time, & hope it continues.  I'm pleased 
that you go to the Cathedral, as Townsend is 
no good whatever, & only thinks of the rich. 
My love to Rupert, & hope he is getting 
on well at school.  To George, Chas, 
Mab, & to your dear self, my fondest 
love, hoping you are all well, from 
Your loving son 
Norman