Diary of Alice Ross-King, 1917-1919 - Part 3

lost luggage - Miss 
Jones Matron - Morleys
Hotel.
1^st day of leave
Bank wire - Matron -
in Chief - X. La Tosca.
Raincoat.
2^nd Harrods. Australian
on leave - Cyril Dinner Maid.
of Mountain.
3^rd Bus Ride Sunday A.M
Wimbledon Common -
Bus Rides Afternoon. Kensington,
tour. St Martins Church
Rev Shepherd - The life after
death - Romanios Dinner
walk along Thames Embank     
4^th Monday a.m - Penzance
Canadian & East African
officers in Train.
Tuesday - St Ives in afternoon
- down township
A.M. Morley Williams & Enid
Wednesday - Rained all
day - slept most of
afternoon. To Lands end
with Mrs B. Enid & Morlet.
Goss Mug at Landsend.
lunch Old Hotel.
Motor trip - Avis & her Fiance
wet Thursday - Rained
all day. Mrs. B. Father.
slept most of afternoon.
Friday dull day -
Walk in afternoon Wire
from Lt Col Webb.
Sat. - up to London
met Thistlewaite. Kelly
has M.M.

Sat night
Arrived - missed X at
station - went to dinner
"Getties" Picture Show
"Intolerence"
Sunday a.m. Lt Col Webb went
to meet 3 a.m. train
motor drive Green park,
Palace, Rotten Row -
Rotten Row - puppies, furs,
horses, speckled trees.
Dinner Trocidero -
Beautiful flowers & music
Temple Chapel - 3 p.m.
beautiful Service - Organ
singing, windows, tiles
Pascal Lamb etc. Knights
Templar. 4.30 X. &
Col Webb to aft tea at
Carlton. Beautiful Green
jars outside door. Jewels
in Case - Craby faced women.
Malaka Cane. 6.15.
St Martins Church - 
Rev Campbell Morgan

Foreign Missions - not bad.
Dinner X & Col Webb hotel.
Monday - Bank. Harrods.
Black skirt - lunch -
Willow tree dinner Pal Mal
Haymarket, prettiest room,
Ice Cream, X & Col Webb
13^th Chair. Mrs Pat Campbell
wonderful acting - to
excited to sleep.
Tuesday. French. Gallery,
Man - Engravings -
Bond Street - Lunch Hotel

Zig Zag. Box. Autumn Setting.
Chinese ladders -
 

Tuesday cont.
pretty dancing - Fishing Song
Dinner Picadilly Grill, Good
dinner -Aidia- Egypt
Coffee - Glorious - lost

way home -
Wednesday

Kodaks photographs - City -
Bond street. Hat. Funny
photographs. Lunch Trock
Home 2.30. X 3.30. Guys.
April, Lt Col Sutherland,
dinner at Hotel with Webb, Suthey
X - Carmenetta -
Thursday
10.30. Headquarters - Walk
up - beautiful stretch in
front Queens Palace -
Prince of Wales palace -
Pipes Col Quick - Hat.
Buzzards. lunch Collesium
Lilly Langtree, Beautiful
Programme - fine hall -
Bought buttons etc -
Major Brown, Ken, Webb
My dinner - Airletto  -
prettiest Comic opera
Mil.  Med. " Victoria Station
Home -
Friday a.m. Bank -
Rush for train - Col

Webb to station. Col &
wife & Child bid farewell
Train trip to Folkston.
New Zealand Officer
Mr P.A. KEDDELL
New Zealand I.B.D.
A.P.O. S.W.Z.
France

Friday 17^th Saturday
Boulonge - Military
Sisters Club. Mrs Eustace
orders for N^o 1 A.G.H.
Lost luggage - 2^nd
Class Carraige - 8 french
soldiers - Stationary 
Hosp Amiens - train 6.30.
wrong train - Capt from
Bushy - Italy news -
Surprize to No 1 A.G.
Sunday - dinner c̄
Bro John -
Mond day off, etc.
letter from Jean Prior -
Helen Tait
Lt Col Selshier
Helping Matron D.I. letters
Cambrai rush
G. Sent to Aust.
Dec 4^th
Night supt. Letters
Frank Smith, Mr Wears Parcels
turning up. Opera Carmen
Dec 10^th Most depressing
week of war - "Every man for
himself" first since Mons.
December - Cold & snow. Hard
frost on N.D. Xmas Dinner
"Cow". New Years dinner Anzac
Sgts mess. mentioned
in Dispatches. Books
from Col Webb
Decent I.M. Matron.
McIntyre - Hut & tent 10.
Boys all drunk on Xmas
night. News still depressing. 
Miss Finley
leaving. Letters from
Miss Murray, May Martin, Nell
 

I want to write the story of
the bombing while it is fresh
in my mind.
I was at the head hut when
Wilson came for me. Gilmore
a very bad pneumonia was frightfully
delerious. Capt C had suggested
giving him sedatative Enemata
I went along the duckboards on
the way to the tent where Gilmore
was when Fritz was caught
in the searchlights just above
us. Batty caught my arm
& pointed up saying "doesn't
he look pretty Sister". Wilson
walked on swinging a lantern
Then we heard the whirr
of the dropping bomb. "Get
down Get down" cried
Batty & dived under the
ward table - Though we had
been ringed often before we

had not been hit & I just
ran on after Wilson expecting
the bomb to hit the Railway
line but it fell ahead of
me & was followed by
4 others. The noise was
so terrific & the concussion
so great that I was thrown
to the ground & had no
idea where the damage was.
I flew through the Chest &
Abd wards & called out
"Are you alright boys?
"don't bother about us"

was the general cry from
there. I raced along the
 

duckboards towards Gilmores
tent, altho every light
was out & there was a faint
moon, the sky was full
of searchlights & fragments
from the archies were flopping
like big rain. I remember
one hitting a board
right in front of me. I
met the Cook running
along the duckboards
making for the paddock
next door. Swearing hard
when he saw me he shouted
"Its' put out my bloody

fire Sister, it's put out
me bloody fire". Then
I met a patient running
in pyjamas - "Ive got
me paybook Sister" he
shouted at me as he
passed. I raced on
& the next thing I knew
I went over into a bomb
crater. I shall never
forget the awful climb
on hands & feet out of
that hole about 5 ft deep
Greasy clay & blood tho
I did not then know that
it was blood. It was
right in front of Gilmores
tent - which was 3 marquees
joined together, with about
46 stretcher cases in it
 

The tent had collapsed
& though I shouted nobody
answered me or I could
hear nothing for the roar
of planes & Archies. I
seemed to be the only
living thing about. I
tore along to the theatre
& the lights were out - &
the doors shut, I hammered
on the door &
called out -"help help we've
been hit" but noone
came. Topsy told me
afterward that every
bottle had been broken
& they were in pitch
darkness & afraid to
move because there was
so much free Chlo &
ether about. They were
expecting fire. I
raced back to the tent
& then the first one
of the staff I saw was
the padre. "Oh what
shall I do padre I
can't get help." "Just
leave it to the Lord
Sister" said the dear
old pet: a very decent
 

chap he was. It seemed
such a mad thing to say
but he was very much
shaken. "I'll go & get
some help sister but
you must get under
cover. I tried to get
into the tent again &
got hold of a stretcher
handle under the fly.
There was a patient on
it but he was dead
as I found afterwds.
the stretcher handle
must have been splintered
& I fell backwards
into the crater again.
I can not remember
who came next or what
I did except that I
kept calling for Wilson
to help me & thought he
was funking but the
poor boy had been
blown to bits. Some
body got the tent up
& when I got to Gilmore
he was crouched on
the ground at the back
of his stretcher. He
was at the far end of
the tent. He wd not
 

take any notice of me
when I asked him to
return to bed so I
leant accross the stretcher
& put one arm round
him & tried to lift
him in. I had my
R Arm under a leg
which I thought was
Gilmores but when
I lifted I found to my
horror that it was
a loose leg with a
boot & putty on it. One
of the orderlies legs
which had been blown
off & had landed
on Gilmores bed. Next
day they found the
trunk up a tree about
20 yds away. I have
no very distinct recollection
of what followd
but apparently I carried
on with the job. The 
bombing happened at
10.30 pm & when I
next remember clearly
it was early day light
& Fritz was coming
over again. I got
 

a bad attack of trembles
when I heard Fritz again.
Staff Bennet stayed
with me. There was
a sudden disappearance
of the staff in general
again. Over 20 men were
killed by Concussion. They
were lying on stretchers on the
ground. 3 bombs fell in
the camp & two out-side one
in the mortuary & one in
the Cemetery.
25^th July
Uncle Jonny came over today
All the boys are very wild
with Fritz & they went out
last night on reprisals -
I hate to think about it
poor little sparks did not
come back.
30^th July There are two theories
about the bombing. Some think
he was after the baloon
because it thethers about
2 miles away & there is
a hole of stagnant water
near the camp that might look
like a balloon. Tops
thinks he was just caught
in the search lights &
lightened without looking
for a mark but most of
the boys think he is snakey
because we fired on stretcher
bearers whom we thought were
carrying bombs.