Letters and typescript copies from Florence Hobbes to her family, 1915-1918 - Part 3

some thought the Melbourne, Invincible, the Old

Queen Mary & some others we didnt know then

a submarine came creeping in more than half
submerged & just floated into her little dock

place like a huge whale exactly Elsie Wall

did not come on shore but Rose & I went just for a

little while, it was desperately hot - we wandered

around & saw things & promised ourselves a

good hunt round next trip we had to come

back & do some sewing had to put 2 inch

tucks in our uniform frock & turn up the

whole hem of our aprons. pooling things we

bought it would be a good chance to do it while

the boat was in, we did not leave Gib till 8pm

so had plenty of time & they took off our old

torpedo nets, shed our gun & gunners which were

promptly shipped by the Orontes for her Home.

We were furious to think all our mail was on

board her & we couldn't get it, it will be 8

weeks on Monday since we had any. There was

our Aus mail last week & then we had to leave

England the day before the next was due that

was the 3^rd mail going on time wont get it for

over a fortnight. I feel I want to keep on in 

pressing on you please to write often & long

or even if you have no news just write some

for we are in for a desperate time. The  Hospital in

Malta & Cairo are so full that they are forming

two more huge ones at Gib & expected 500 wounded

there in yesterday they are fearfully understaffed.

P & 0.S.N. Co.

S.S. Mongolia

May 22^nd

My dearest old Grace,

Only a scrawl this time, Im

just trying to write a few lines

to all, in case we have not time

for writing when once we get to Malta,

as I am sure we will not, as they

have 8,000 wounded, or had when we

heard last, & the day we were at

Gibralta we heard they were overflowing

500 to Gib, they were expected that

day poor souls, its ghastly really,

we expect to be sent on to the

Dardanelles later on as they are

forming a base Hospital there.

& will want Nurses.

We had quite a little excitement

in the Bay, were chased by a Sub-

& only that we had a Gun & Gunners

on board they probably would have

got us rotters, I do hope the Banella

& Orontes get over safely, they are due

in London today, three times the

brutes tried to get side on, & we kept

doing a zig zag course & they could

not get a shot it, then they saw

our gun & cleared, before we could

get a shot, it was fearfully rough

too, had we gone down, Im afraid we

would have gone down, there is still

one loose here in the Med - we were

wondering if we would meet it too,

Malta is in sight - & we are all suffering

from stage fright, wondering what we

are in for, in the way of people to live

2
P. & O.S.N.Co,
S.S.

with and work for, you simply don't

know the horror of it, going to perfectly

strange people in a strange land

with strange methods, every nurse

hates it, - even in our own country its

beastly, & the English nurses are

noted for their treatment of the

Australian nurses, they don't like

us, never have & never will, they are

jealous, as we are really better

trained then they are, & have a

higher standard, you only have to

come over here & see them to know

that, however, we are all agreed that

we will meet them half way & be

quite nice to all, & ready to accept

their methods, its too much to think

that we might be able to keep together

where-ever we go.

Must stop & try & write Kit &

Josie a few lines.

Oceans of love to all from

Narrie.

Do write often dear, even it there

is no news, fancy its 3 weeks on

Monday since we had any Australian 

Mail, Monday before last there was

no mail in, then we had to leave

the day before it arrived & we've been

just a week at sea, & it will be

another week or fortnight before 

we get it, awful.

[*Muril send to Jean.

Jean  " to Annie.

Copies gone to Grace & Kitt.*]

Amaletta 
Military Hospital

Valetta 
Malta

Annie will you sent to Jeanie when finished

C/o M^rs Conolly Westwoord Point Piper -

Dearest People - There is really nothing to

write about - nothing but work to discus

been very very busy till the last 48 hours -

& now, we are expecting in 100 Cot Cases, meaning in 

the language of the Military "bad cases", & are just

lying wait for the call to the wards - Do you know

I cannot 'cast' by mind back to my last letter

& think of what has gone on in the mean time.

I only know I get up at 6.30 breakfast at 7am

on duty 7.30 - lunch either at 12.30 or 1 o'clock 

it all depends what time we are to get off - When

we can we take it in turns about going off from

1 -to 4.30 - or from 4.30 for the rest of the day - but

it is so desperately hot here that your one desire is

to get your clothes off & throw yourself on your

bed - till it is time to go on again - All the

shops close from 1 to 3p.m. in the summer.

We are sending any patient who is able 

to travel, to England tomorrow.  My nice N.Z. &

Australian boys are off with them.  I shall miss

them very much & isnt it funny the day before 

yesterday some West A. boys came in to see one

of my boys, so I asked them where they came from

they said "Tambelup", or rather they found the

Tambleups men so I said I had a sister there

M^rs Weston, but they did not know her, but

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but my N.Z. man said was your Sister in England at

the Coronation & did they come out by a German boat,

M^r. & M^rs Weston & one kiddie? - my dear he came out with

them, thought Grace was splendid. & said she was

awfully good to those four boys.  Bassett a M^r Blount

& two others & wished to be remembered to her. I

must try to write Grace a few line & tell her about

him - they have been longing to get to England,

so yesterday, the Colonel came round with papers

to fill in, getting the names of all the men who could

go - I handed in two of them, I know could go, but

Bassett I did not like to take it upon myself to say he

could go as he has had pneumonia so I said I

was afraid he could not go, but he looked so very

crestfallen thinking of his mates going without

him that I risked it & put his name down!

They go off tomorrow. [[?]] till fit for active

service again, poor men I hate to think of them

going back again. You know its only when

tales first hand like we do here, from the men

who have been right through it that you

begin to realize the least little bit what it is

like I must tell you the story of a poor R.A.M.

C. man that somehow made me think of

M^r Andrews. This man got hold of a donkey

& used to go back & forwards to the firing line

& putting the wounded on the donkey would

convey him to the 1^st Aid place - For a fortnight

he was known all along the line - the man with

the donkey - & as he passed the men would cheer

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cheer him but one day he did not pass & they

found him - he & the donkey were both dead - My

dears the things these boys tell us - One boy said to

me one day when I was washing him - Sister

there is one thing I am thankful to be out of

the trenches for & that is - get away from the

insects - lice - They crawl all over you from head

to foot - I can quite believe it - we were once

told we were not to touch a man when he was

wounded till the orderlies had washed & 

cleaned them, but we've got to or you w^d

never get done - A Hospital ship

came in from the Dardanelles day before yesterday

- but the men were beautifully clean &

well looked after as they had 9 or 10 Sisters

on board which makes all the difference.

When they just come over on a troops ships

they arrive in a filthy state.  Poor dears

they are simply crowded on, lie on decks

or stretches or anything with about

2 or three Sisters & two O^ds for hundreds

of men - they cannot look after them

consequently they are fearfully septic &

limbs have to be amputated that

might have been saved - its appalling 

the numbers of Amputations that have to be

done - Yes do let me know if ever you

hear of any of our own men being hurt &

coming over here, there are so many hospitals

 

Send Copy to Grams

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hospitals here & unless you actually know

they are wounded & here, you never hear -

that 22^nd Hurrah, Ive just had a most glorious bundle

of letters. Oh if you only knew what these Home

letters mean to us & then we pass on little bits

of Australian news to the Australians, they love

it so. I lost three of my nice men yesterday 

a kiddie Welch from the Spit Pwrs from W.A.

& Bassett - Sergeant - from N.Z. he is the one who went

out from England with Grace. I miss

them very much. They were such dear fellows

the N.Z. man nearly took my hand off when

he said goodbye. They have gone to England

to get fit to go back to the Dardanelles.

The last batch of wounded included

such crowds of N.Z.^rs  My dears you say

you had your first real touch of the war

when the Casualty list came out, thats 

nothing - I thought so to - When I first

read the lists but it's only when you see them

brought in stretchers after stretcher in that

endless procession & wonder when you see the

next mans face if it will be one of your own friends

dear Heaven it's awful & every man or boy

of them is "Somebody's boy" There are times when