Diary of Alice Ross-King, 1917-1919 - Part 1

PRO2082. 003
PRO2082. 003
21.1.17.
Last Year my diary was not kept
well. This is a good start for
this Year. Two days before
Xmas, Harry's name came through
on a death list from Germany
under the date 3^rd Nov.1916.
That seems to be the one
out standing incident in my
mind. Indeed the thought

is with me all the time

& nothing else matters very
much.
Xmas 1916 was a success
for the patients. The Aust
red Cross gave the dinner
& it was well cooked
& sufficient. Turkey, ham 

Plum pudding, fruit, raisins, nuts,
Bon-bons & best of all each pat
has a whole bottle of beer or
stout. In my ward we
had a big bag of Chestnuts
roasting & popping on the fire.
For tea I made a big pot of
Curry gravy & put in their boiled
eggs from the Cook house. We also
made fruit jelly & had cakes
& sweets. I had ordered sausage
rolls for them & we were looking
for these as a great treat, but
alas! they went to the wrong
address & were eaten by the
people before I got a chance
to see them. We decorated
the ward with red paper
Japanese blossom & a big Xmas
tree. Every patient got a present
from the red Cross. Such nice
parcels some of them were. The
men were all so delighted
with everything & I shall
never forget the way the
all lay back & went to
sleep immediately they had
their after dinner smoke. The
long hut was a picture at 9.30.
Empty bottles on each locker,
nut shells & the evidence of
feasting everywhere, while
the men exhausted by The
slight excitement had all
gone off to sleep. It was
pathetic to read, in Censoring
the letters later, the oft repeated
remark to Mother or Wife 

at home, "I wish I could have
saved some for you." Lots
of them said quite truthfully
that it was the best meal
they had ever eaten in their
lives. C/o London regiment
Our own dinner at night
was very good, altho I was
much too sad to enjoy
it. The orderlies

gave me very touching 

Xmas gifts - Caird & Roy a
nice box of handchiefs,
Sgt Terry a beautiful box
of handchiefs. I had
a good cake made &
iced for them. It was
done by Major Prior
himself & was a work of art.
I also gave them handchiefs
& things. I gave Bro
John two books of Egypt
snaps & he gave me a
little leather wallet with
my initials stamped on it.
On the 28^th of Jan ^Dec I went
on light duty in Sister Watts
ward. There I saw the
old year out & the new
one in. The end of the
New Year showed a
brightening in the sky but
it was very distant. I went
to Communion on the last
day of old year it being
the anniversary of my Conversion.
On the 3^rd Jan I
was made night supt. 

The work of night supt is
very interesting. It is chiefly
going round in the cold & wind
& rain collecting reports.
I take any emergency
ops that come up late
at night. Had a haem
& amp leg one night.
I'm going out very little
& feeling rather seedy.
23.1.17.
The cold intense. 12% frost.
We are having a water famine
because all the water
is frozen in the main pipes.
We cannot wash the pats

in the a.m. & we are using
the solid ice out of the
fire buckets to make
cocoa etc for them. We
are also dreadfully short
of Coal. Last night I
was nearly mad with
the Cold, the pain in my
head & spine became so
intense that I did not
know what to do. it
sometimes seems impossible
to carry on.
30.1.17. Cold still severe
but a little lighter. We have
had 23^o of frost some nights
& for 6 days we were without
water. It is better
now as they have connected
the Hosp supply up
with the City main.
There are great masses &
blocks of ice floating in
the Seine. So much so that 

the water seems hardly to be
moving & all the barge
traffic is stopped.
Major Morlet arrived today.

Gutteridge is back in London

again. Reg Clarke has had

gastric ulcer & is on 

leave in Eng. Sister

Kid was invalided to Eng 

today. Clarrie Green went

two days ago.

9.1.17 Still on N.D. Hosp very

busy. Amp leg last night.

have had op's nearly every

night & some very anxious

cases. Today all Aust

Convoy. The boys say they have

taken the "Key to Bapaume,

They tell me that the 15^th Bat

attacked & took the trenches.

The Germans Counter attacked 

& drove our men out taking

a lot of prisoners, Then

the 13^th Batt went in &

took the trench & kept

it. One old Aust boy

with two eyes blown

out & face badly cut.

I was watching his

foment being done &

he was quite cheerful

& said "Will you give

me a drop of "Cheer up

fluid" after this is done

they are all very brave.

S. Tait, Hart & Langford

went to C.C.S. two days ago

we are working c̄ a fearfuly

short staff. & the girls

are quickly being knocked 

out. The cold ice has not 

thawed. Thermometer 4

above zero. this a.m. The

ink in our fountain pen

freezes & many of the

pens burst with the expansion.

I'm to go 
for my leave soon.

We are having two 

cakeless days a week 

now. We shall miss 

our sugar very much.

15.2.17. Am feeling very 

tired & sick tonight. Chiefly

Sick at heart. Two days

I have had to take heroin

for my Cough & that may

have done something toward.

Then Millicent has Bob

down for a few days &

how I envy her. If I had 

not lost Harry how different

things wd be. Still I must 

go dumbly on, but the pain

is awful. Tonight

Matron told me she

wishes me to take the

theatre on my return 

from leave. I am sad

about it, first because

I shall lose the patients 

in the ward & also

because of Douglas.

She is on leave & I'm most

unhappy. I have made

several enemies lately.

Tonight I had to speak

to Bess MacIntyre & that

was very difficult. She
is so hard on the pats.

I heard a man moaning 

pitifully & went to 

the ward to find her

half asleep. When I asked

about the patient in pain

she said she did not

believe the man had pain.

He is an operation who I 

took the other night &

he is on the D.I. lists.

I looked at the man

& he most evidently

had pain.

27-2.17. At Strand Palace

Hotel. Very adventurous

trip getting over. Hung 

up for 5 days in Harve

waiting for a packet to

get across the Chanel

owing to Submarines

etc. Fogs etc.

Captain Magnus MacKay

made the party. The

The latter was a Scotch man

going up the line the

next day - Whimping

pussy pretty badly

over it. After dinner 

J. & Cora went out 

for walk. I stayed 

in & flirted c̄ Magnus.

Delightful bed, delightful 

breakfast in bed

"Next A.M.!    Magnus

came & took us for

walk along cliffs.

In the afternoon Cora

& Hamilton went for a 

walk in rain. I

left Rouen on Sunday night.

Bro. John saw us off. Gave us 

a hamper for the way. Arrived 

at Harve 9 P.M. No rooms

good Hotel, had to go to 

Tortoate Tortonie. with

Cora Turnbull. She rang 

a friend of hers - Capt Johnston

at Etretal. We went

to Etretal. on Mond.

night in the ambulance

to a wonderful old

Norman Hotel. Chintz

Covered walls. Old oak

etc. Dinner for 4 in 

a private dining room. 

with Sitting room

attached. Good dinner

Capt Johnston a New Zealander.

Stayed at the sitting
room with Capt M. Drove

into Harve 5 P.M. Saw
Dinner Tortoni c̅ McKay,

Johnston & another
Capt., nice man.
3^rd day Harve. Capt Alsop
4^th  " day Capt Alsop

in a.m. Drive through

Belgium city. met some

Artillery officers returning

from leave in evening.

Some of them knew the 

old 8^th Battery.

24 Sept Sailed for Eng.

met a Mrs Gordon Aust

girl. Husband sick &

conval. at Nice. She lives 

at Harefield - has sm

car & takes the Harefield
men for drives.

25^th Sept. Sat.

3 P.M. Strand Palace Hotel -

lunched Accidental. Drive wee motor -

Morris Cowley. Marble Arch,

Hyde Park, Rotten Row, Kensington, 

Horseferry Rd, Embankment, 

London Bridge, Monument fire

London - Guys - Garrage Dinner 

Savoy Theatre "Prof love Story"

Henry Irving Cora & x.

26^th Sunday. St E Thedberg

Church. Bishop Gate - Motor

Basingstoke Home 6.30.
tea Aust boys. Cora to Scotland

27^th Monday - 

Bank. Nice manager

Peter Rob. Salisbury.
Dinner "old George" old oak
beams - good dinner

Salisbury Cathed. by moonlight

motor to Amesbury, Stonehenge

Camp Bulford, Larkshill,

in distance. Back to Salisbury

by moonlight - stayed W of T.

clean & nice.

28^th 9.30 Amesbury x to Camp.

I Stonehenge, old Church (A.F.A.)

lunch the George - Motor 11.30

Though Woodford, Salisbury
Romsey, Newforest, Winchester

Cathedral - Glorious! Steep

hill, old gate - tea house

muffins Through Basingstoke

Stairs. London 8.30 dinner

1^st March. Wednesday

Covent Garden, Seven Dials

Soho - Guild Hall, museum

Art Gallery (fine) Crypt.

March 1^st Cont - Old burial

ground, BunyanTomb, Cromwell

family , Wesley's mother. Dame

Mary Page. Curious inscription

on old stone - "March 11^th 1728.

"Here lies Dame Mary Page"

In 67 months she was tipped 66

times & had taken away 240.

gallons of water without ever

repairing at her Case or ever

fearing the operation."

Lunch at Pimms. Tottenham 

house place, Royal Exchange

St Pauls, x to Guys "High

Jinks" with Geoghan

22^nd Army & Navy stores

D.S.O. China. Aft tea.

2^nd 

Abbey - lunch -

Madam Tausaud.

Chow Chin Chow

3^rd March. Motor

Old Kent Rd. Cobbam - 'Old

leather bottle" Old Church

& workhouse 13^th Cent. oldest  

brasses in Eng. Cobbam

woods to Rochester, to Castle

Cathedral, tea at Castle Gate

then to Bull Inn: Saw water 

Charity. 

4^th Canterbury. Pretty ruin

through villages. West Gate

Early Elizabethan Houses.

Weavers & Streams. Priory

over the stream. Grey Friars

Country Hotel lunch. Then