Diary of Alice Ross-King, 1916 - 10

269  
September 25  MONDAY (269-97)    9th Month 1916
  
I must keep up my diary, for many  
interesting thing are happening. 
The New Zealanders have been in it  
badly & we are getting a lot of  
them in. They are being  
applauded in the papers, which  
means of course that they  
are practically wiped out, -  
like the fifth division. One  
never hears of it now. It  
is finished.  It was some  
ones terrible blunder & it  
took my beloved one from me.   
I had a sad death today. 
 A New Zealander. 4 days ago  
Comp. fract femur. Gas 
Gangrene developed suddenly 
yesterday.  He made up his  
mind to live & he made 
 a brave effort. He ate his  
food well and battled even  
when he had no pulse at all.   
At dinner time I was feeding him  
with chicken gravy when he  
said "Can't hang on any longer"  
he was dead at 3.30. P.M. 
he sent a message to his girl  
saying "I'm sorry I'm going out  
but I'm not whipping the cat" 
 

 270 
1916 30 Days 26  TUESDAY (270-96) September
  
Major Prior went to Eng on Sunday  
I shall miss my good pal.
Yesterday a man came in  
shot through the back & neck  
Arms & legs paralysed &  
incontinence of urine.  We  
had two others - one case had  
both legs fractured and shot  
through both arms.  The  
other had left foot amp  
& fract l. arm Compound.   
After we had cleaned them  
up they were frightfully  
dirty  & I had given them  
egg flip  oboy, they cheered  
up. Found them about 6 PM 
& I turned on the gramaphone.   
It was delightful to see  
them join in the singing. 

273
September   29 FRIDAY [273-93]    9th Month 1916
St. Michael and All Angels. Michaelmas Day. Quarter Day 

We have several patients from  
the Black Watch in. In fact  
Scotch predominantly at present.
 They seem to differ from  
the usual "Kiltee" to be more  
simple in their speech &
most of them never away  
from Scotland before.  One  
wee boy "Rust" is going  
to die tonight. he has been  
in 5 days.  had one leg amp  
& will have the other off too  
if he lives.  He asked me  
to write to his "Mither" tonight.
We have one man with his  
lower jaw shot away. He looks  
awful with his saliva dripping  
out over his dressing but he is  
full of fun. I was doing his  
dressing him when I sneezed  
twice (twice for a Kiss)  He went  
"Sneeze again Sister There's 
nothing doing".

274
1916 30 Days     30 SATURDAY [274-92]    September

275
October   1 Sunday—15 aft Trin (275-91)  10th Month 1916 
Cambridge Michaelmas Term begins
 
276 
1916 31 Days    2 MONDAY [276-90]  October
Pheasant Shooting begins
  
Went to matron last night  
to give a report & she  
spotting my white face  
decided I was to have a  
whole day off.  Of this  
I was very glad, but later  
she found she could  
spare Kerr to relieve me for  
three whole days. I was 
frightened when I knew I  
should have three whole  
days. What I have suffered  
today.  The thought of time  
ahead with nothing to do but  
think frightened all sleep  
from me. I was relieved  
by tears at 10 O.C. afterwards  
taking 1/2gr morph by mouth.   
This had very little effect  
except to make me feel 
deadly sick.  Went to  
[[dentist?]] this evening.   
Also to hair shampoo.   
Any how this day has gone  
in a dream.  

277 
October    3 TUESDAY (277-89)  10th Month 1916
  
Matron gave Claire Green two  
days off so that she might  
spend same with me.
Claire is surely a good  
Counter irritant.  She  
draged me around town  
on uninteresting errands  
this afternoon. Then we  
went for motor drive  
through the forest return 
ing in time just to see  
Major Prior as he came  
home from England.   
Seeing him makes me  
realize how much I  
have gone off in the last  
week & makes me wonder 
if I'm in for a break up.   
I don't want an [[?]]  
break.  Anything that wd 
 pass me out wd be wel- 
come indeed but to be  
useless for some months 
 is no good to me. 

 278 
1916 31 Days   4 WEDNESDAY [278-88] October
 llh lm a.m. (Greenwich)
  
This morn went into  
dentist had filling done.  
This afternoon tea in 
the pine woods with  
Bro John. He says  
Eng has now two Super  
Zepplins.  larger &  
faster than any The  
Germans possess.   
Developed prints from  
films of Capt Giles  
tonight. One peculiar one  
of Anzac appears [with] a  
Cross on the top of it.

279
October  5 THURSDAY [279-87]  10th Month 1916
Dividends due at Bank

On duty again. Patients  
seemed very ill. Ward  
smelt shockingly.  
Two deaths. One (Pte Luffing)  
shot through abd & liver  
opd 1 PM. died 3.30. 
The other a youngster 18 years  
fract - head. Several pieces  
shrapnel leather etc removed  
from head yesterday. He  
ate rice pudding for dinner.   
I was in the middle of  
writing a letter to his Mother  
when he began to sob, great  
tears running down his  
face. about 10 min later  
he stopped breathing.  
Pulse remained good for  
20 min after resps ceased  
I did artf. resp. but it  
was of no avail.   
Millicent put to work  
[with] Claire. 
Major Quick off duty 
 ill. 

 280   
1916 31 Days   6 FRIDAY [280-86]   October 
  
Busy anaesthetic morning.   
Capt Scott taking Major  
Quick place.  Young  
man. Very like Len in  
looks. seems to know  
his job.  Things very quite  
Convoy out to Eng.   
We have a new orderly.   
Muller from N.S.W.  
nice chap does his  
work well. has plenty  
of money & is engaged  
to Dr Craig's daughter.   
Went into town. bought  
some grapes for the  
[[camp?]] 1.50 per lb.

281 
October SATURDAY (281-85)  10th Month 1916 
  
I bought a watch for  
my little 18 year old [[lad?]] 
Jim. He has both legs off &  
one hand. He was thrilled  
when I fastened it on his  
wrist. We have had such  
a fight to save him. His  
people keep a Cane farm.  
They make walking sticks. 
  
Another man in the ward said  
he was a "seeder" in Civilian  
life.  I said what is that.  He  
said he works the machines that  
makes seeds to put in rasberry  
jam. Most of the jam is made  
from pumpkin, coloured &  
a few rasberries & have  
seeds put in.

282 
1916 31 Days   8 Sunday—16 aft Trin [282-84]   October 
  
A Lancashire lad in Today  
Trench feet. as I was lifting  
him off the stretcher I said  
"Where are you wounded Lad?"   
He said I'm not wounded  
only freezing to death a cold  
I be Sister, freezing to  
death a cold. So he is  
Poor lad [with?] Both feet.

283 
October   9 MONDAY [283-83]  10th Month 1916 
  
Some home letters today.  
& some Cuttings about Harry. 
My dear dear love,  is this  
pain never going to lessen.     
3 Convoys in today.   
I got one New Zealand Comp  
fract. Femur. Seems  
pretty bad.  One head  
case, absolutely hopeless  
and a Canadian with wounds  
in legs & also some abdomen   
crisis.  He was immediately  
opd on & found a  
perforated intestine from  
no cause that could be  
found. 

284 
1916 31 days  10 TUESDAY [284-82]    October
Oxford Michaelmas Term begins
  
Very sick ward today. The  
Canadian boy who came in last  
night has a perforated intestine  
& is just awfully bad today.   
Crying out all the time. I fixed  
him up & made him Comfortable.   
I hate going away for my  
time off.  I'd like to stay special  
but alas ! in military Hospital  
rules have to be obeyed & the Girls  
wd feel hurt if I stayed thinking  
I distrusted them.   
Our New Zealand boy - (Warmar)  
who came in yesterday, developed  
gas gangrene & died 2.30 P M.   
Sweetheart in England. 
Went into Pine Forest with  
Bro John. I had been depend 
ing on him for news of Harry  
but alas! none so far  
Went to bed early very sad  
at heart. My thoughts for  
the past few days have been  
living on the possibility of  
him being still alive.

285
OCTOBER   11 WEDNESDAY (285-81) 10th Month 1916
7h 1m A.M. (Greenwich) 
  
Death in the ward this a.m. We have  
had 13 this month in my ward.   
Note from Major Prior saying  
he had a nice bit of information  
about Harry. I'm dying to know  
what it is. What joy if he should  
still be alive some where. I'd go  
mad with joy. 
Wire from X he is at  
Military Hospital 
Bulford, Salisbury. Eng  
as registrar. 
  
Sister Bastion is my night nurse  
a bright eye intelligent little  
girl, awfully good to the patients  
R.N. training. 
Carlile is looking very anemic 
Canadian boy (McLaughlan) improving 
Head Case Thorpe died. 

286
1916 31 Days  12 THURSDAY [286-80]  October 
Michaelmas Law Sittings begin
 

289
October   15 Sunday—17 aft Trin [289-77]   10th Month 1916
  
letter from Herbert.

290   
1916 31 Days   16 MONDAY [290-76]  October
Quarter Sessions Week
 

291
October   17 TUESDAY [291-75]  10th Month 1916
  
letter from X. 
Wants me to go  
to Salisbury for Holiday 
 

292
1916 31 Days  18 WEDNESDAY (292-74)   October 
St Luke, Evan. 
  
with Kate OConor, Ethel  
Bleach, Carlysle, Miller,  
went to [[Kohadabeck?]] 
a 20 mile motor trip.   
Saw Abby, bought by  
Materlinck where he wrote  
the "blue bird" then drove  
to Abby [[Gumia?]]. A  
glorious old ruin of  
the 5th & 13th Century.   
Saw a dungeon under  
ground where they used  
to put prisoners! With  
a slide that dropped  
them into a well when  
they died. Also under  
ground passage that  
went for 2-3 miles &  
connects with a palace  
near Rouen. 
  
The drive was beautiful  
through deep forests  
etc.