Letters and typescript copies from Florence Hobbes to her family, 1915-1918 - Part 7

 

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I hate being here but I like being at the Camp in the day, the sad part
of it is Matron came to me the other day and asked when I thought I
would be able to come back, she was in dispair about my    ward, it
was in a most frantic muddle, I was furious, but is was p only another
result of the dear English sisters methods, and I dont care now if I dont
go back to it, I seem to spend my time lately straightening things out
for the idiots to muddle up, I get so mad, and I suppose just when I 
get things going out here Ill be yanked off to some other blooming place,
however its all in a lifetime. There are hundreds of dear Australian
lads out there at the Camp, and we are sending such crowds of them to
England, they love getting there and get so excited when the list goes
round and of the men who are to go that day. Some of them I want to send
with notes to Edith, she asked me to be sure and give them a p.c, to post
to her with their address on it, like I did Worth and Weir. By the way
did I ever tell you about the narrow escape Weir had, he picked up a boys
bible on the beach soon after landing and put it into his pocket and next
day a bullet la nded fair into the middle of the bible, finished up at the
13th chapter of Deutronomy (cant spell him), you look it up and see what
it says, really very wonderful. That boy Welsh my dear was a dear
youngster I always called him "the imp", always up to some mischief
I missed him very much from the ward when he went to England, it will
be some time before he goes back to the front as he had synovitis (knee)
I used to pick bits of shrapnel out of him with the forceps. Fancy poor
Gilevat coming from Dignams, I have often wondered why the name seemed
so familiar, dear "little" Toney went back to the Dardanelles last week
he came to say good-bye to me, you might ring his mother up will you,
I would write to her but have not time really, he looked well but very
thin, andI would have liked to have seen him looking a bit better, he
was very glad to get back did not like Pembroke and I do not wonder at tt,
its just across the road from us. His chum young Hutton went back two
days before. I had a p.c from Holt ad a letter from Wilfred Hartridge
who said if he is ever brought to Malta he will demand to be brought to
my ward and refuse to go anywhere else. 

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Oct 6^th - Yesterday I was sitting in our tent 
working up a list with one of the Sisters, had
been feeling rather bleary all the morning

I heard of some one walk along the road in

front of our tent & looked up. saw a uniform

that I knew did not belong to our Camp

bent down to see it was & at same time

the man outside ducked to see who was

inside/ I nearly fell in my excitement

It was M^r Andrews with an absolutely

colossal grin on his ugly old face.

He was supposed to be in Lemnos, left

Alex_ ^a for there but the boat came in here

instead & he had got my address

from poor Wilfred just a few days before

he left the peninsula sick & it could

not have been very long after that that

poor Wilfred was killed - He had just got

a letter from me, & found M^r Andrews 

& Gilbert-Anschen & they had dugouts

they had beside one another- I told

them in my letter where I was. That is

how they both knew - M^r Andrews

saw Holt one day looking very fit he had

helped to carry Geof Yeomans down to

Anzac Cove, when Geof was wounded-

I also had a letter from Holt the other

day

day. He said, Louie & Geof are both back

after their trip to Malta I hear Louie looks

very fit.  Some of our boys saw him on the beach

a few days after he landed _

Things go on the same here - the nights

are getting cooler & the water when swimming

has a sweet pinch which catches the breath

just the thing to buck you up - Yesterday

I was starting to write you - but the Turks

were sending shells a little too close to

my dugout so I retired to another dugout

it improved my writing. Tea time now so close

dear boy. -  We have just been sending

such a crowd of boys back to the front.

It makes me sad to see them going back to

it all - it was not so bad when they go once

first- but - to go back to it _  One man

an awfully nice Queenslander has only been

here a week & has been on the peninsular

for 5-months, he is going back - Quite

keen to get back at them - he wants to

send some thing to his Mother & Sister and the

girl he is engaged to - but has not a penny here.

They are evidently well off in [[Z.L_?]] from things I hear

We have had some Airfield [[?]] boys, & I have

promised to all sorts to [[?]] things [[?]] [[?]]

the money & gives me the address [[?]]

St Davids

13 Oct

Darlings I meant to write quite a long letter

today but the flesh is weak & the Sirocco bad. My blood

has turned to water & my bones to powder. I am a jelly

& any old thing.  Honestly this Sirroco business is

very impolite eh what, when I wakened this

morning my clothing & everything in the room was

wet & it was like a misty rain that didn't fall all over

the Island, but its not hot, at least not hot in the ordinary

sense, its more like going into one of those hot houses

in the Gardens & at nights as soon as the Sun goes

down it gets quite cold, & we have to put on our coats

but everything is damp we have to put The sugar is

like wet salt & sweets get sort of wet & sticky all over

oh its some place I tell you eh what:- I wish to

Heavens this damnable war was over but there seems to

be about as much chance as there was 12 months ago

Gordon Cooper came to see me last Sat, he doesnt look

a bit well & has got so thin, he told me all about

the various boys over there, he hadn't seen Tony but

heard he looked very fit, Holt is nearly the colour of a 

nigger, You should see some of the boys when

they come over here first & then they lose it after

they have been in bed a few days or we get used

to them

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weve such crowds of Dysentry cases  The

Hospitals are full of it & such bad cases too

also enteric, tho that is not nearly as bad

in comparison as the dysentry, we have heaps of  jaundice
& malaria, we have a Sgt. Eagar 12^th L.H. he came into

one of my tents this morning.  I called it the great

invasion, went along the line of tents about 10. a.m

& saw quite empty tents & the orderlies having a great

clearing up, went along with the Dr about ½ an hour

after & found a man seated on every bed with his little

label on his coat & his pack on the floor at the foot of the bed

its' most weird, I went on to a tent that had been full

& found it quite empty. They had all been yanked

off somewhere else, but that often happens you

go along to speak to a man & find he has been sent off

to a Con Camp or to England, some of them I miss ever

so much but one has not much time for talking to any

one in particular & beds soon fill up when others

go out.  Mother dear I got your parcel of little pillows

yesterday, thank you so much for them dear, they

are lovely & I've told the Sisters in the Surgical tents

they can have them.  Imagine poor little Mrs Dickeý

with twins poor little soul.  Did I ever tell 

you Kitt I met Dr Mathews on his way out to Lemnos from

London, Elsie Wellman, Rose & I heard that all the

Aus Drs were on their way out so we promptly got

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off at 4.30 & took a dzhisa (boat) & went out to the

boat. There we met Sir Alexander McCormick

Col. Fiaschi Major Herschel Harris Major Norton

Cpt. Eric Fisher Capt '?') Mathews & one other, They took

us on board & the Head man told them to ask us to stay 

to dinner which we did  Then they all, with the 

exception of Col. Fiaschi took a dzhisa & rowed round

the Grand harbour & round the French warships

till we were told to clear out, They then all came

on shore with us & as we couldnt all get into a 

carozzen we all walked back to the Camoretta

dear old Sir Alex & all, insisted on going in & buying
us stacks of chocolate & stuff I promptly gave
mine to my various patients, it was heavenly stuff

but I cant eat it;  Look here will you try & get

some people to send tooth brushes & powder to the boys

at the front, one boy told me today that they would

give £1 sometimes for something to clean their teeth

with, They even open the parcels that come addressed

to boys who have been killed & take out any brush &

tooth paste if there is any in it, & he says he believes a

lot of the sickness was brought on by not being able to 

clean their teeth, which is quite possible, he is a W.A. boy

& such a nice youngster, so do get people to send over as

many toothbrushes as possible as it is one thing they

can never get enough of, he said they would prefer

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even a brush to a smoke.  There was a C of E

Service held in a recreation tent on Sunday & when

it was over not a man would budge from the

tent & they all looked sulky & started whispering

among themselves.  The Chaplain could not think

what was the matter till one man went up to him

& told him they had not sung God Save the King

& would not leave till they did, so someone sat down

& played it & they nearly brought down the tent, they

sang it with such gusto. Oh I love them all the 

dear souls,  Ive the dearest little Aust boy, is 22

but looks 18, the image of Holt; he was only in for a

week & then sent across the road to the Convalescent

Camp where Tony was, but he & another boy come

back every morning & evening most regularly, he is

the thinnest most delicate looking boy possible, I'd 

love to be able to feed him up on Horlicks Bovril,

I've just given them a block chocolate & 2 tins of Keatings

powder as they say the fleas over at the camp are

simply awful.  Have just had quite a

delightful compliment paid me by an
ex-patient who writing to one of the Sisters from

England said, "please give my kindest -

regards to the Australian Sister, The Sister who

always had a smile for everybody" rather

sweet of him wasn't it, but they are such dears &

have gone through so much that one would be a 

hard sinner if you did not have a smile for them

all.  Please tell Mrs Pearson that

I started a letter to her on 11^th Aug & it is still 

unfinished.  Must stop now dears, have

to go to Valetta & pack my things & bring them

all out here - awful bore, Ive just left them

in there so far but if I am to remain here for
good will have to bring them out & I suppose when I

get them out here, will be shot off to some other place

of course I think the ___ oh but that's a marked off subject

I must stop now dearest oceans of love from 

to you all from Narrie

Oh I say Els for goodness sake can you pay up

my blessed Insurance it's due this month I 

forgot all about it & ask them if Malta is

considered British or Foreign & if I ought to

take out a fresh one for abroad, I should have

really in case we are sent to "furren parts"

You see them about it will you dear.

St Davids

13th Oct.

Darlings,

I meant to write quite along letter to-day, but the flesh is

weak nd the Surroco is bad, my blood has turned to water, and my bones to
powder, I am jelly or any other thing - Honestly this Surroco

business is most "impolite"  eh what.  When I wakened this morning my

clothes and everything in the room was wet like a mist rain that did not
fall over the island but its not hot.  That is th in the ordinary way.  It
is like going into one of the hot houses in the gardens.  At night as soon
as the sun goes down, it gets quite cold an d we have to put on our coats

everything is damp, the sugar is like damp salt and sweets get wet and
sticky.  Oh , this is some place I assure you.  What!  I wish this
damnable war would end, but there seems as much chance of that as there

was 12 months ago.

Gordon Cooper came over to see me last Saturday,  he does not look

a bit well- has got so thin, he told me all about the various boys

over there, he had not seen Tonie but heard he was very fit.  Holt is 

nearly the colour of a nigger - you should see some of the boys when 

they come over first, but they lose it after a few days in bed, or we get

used to them.  We have such crowds of dysentry cases, the Hospitals are fu

full of very bad cases- also euterie tho that is not so bad in comparison.

We also have heaps of jaundice and measles.  We have a Sgt, Eager from

the 12th L.H.  He came into one of my tents, I called it the great xxxxx

invasion.  About Qx 10 a.m. went along the line and saw them having a

great clean out ,  quite empty.  Went with the doctor half an hour after

and found a man seated on every bed, with his little lable on his coat

and his pack on the floor at foot of bed.  It is most weird.  Went on to

another tent and found it empty - they had all been packed off somewhere

else.  That often happens.  I go to speak to a man , a convalescent, and

find him gone, some to England.  Some of them I miss so much.  But one has

no time for talking to anyone in particular!  beds soon fill up as others 

go out.  Mother dear I got your parcel of pillows yesterday, thank you

so much dear. I've told the Sisters in the surgical tents they can have
them.

Camp Quarters

23rd October

 

Dearest People,

 

Cannot write much to-day brain wont work and Ive just

discovered that there will be a mail towards Australia some time

so Ill just put in a wee not and rush it off, on my way in to get my

clean clothes, I take my weeks washing in every week and to my old

washerwoman at the Camaretta, and get my clean things at the same time,

which I find rather a good idea, as I do not have anything missing,

the people out here not only "miss" things, but do them up sockingly, so

I find it cheaper really to take them in, especially if two or three of us

go in together andshare expenses, the only thing is sometimes you dont

feel like going in and you have to or you've no clean things which is very

sad, for your clothes get so dirty in the camp, they only charge 1 d each

for everything, id fr a handkerchief and 1 id for a whole dress, it

generally mounts up to 2/4 or 3/-. I got some Tussore silk, awfully

good sutff very cheap, to make some bloomers to wear instead of white

draws.  I xxxxx brought one or two pairs from London with me and they

are so comfortable and I can wash them out myself, for its quite shocking

the way money melts, especially when you have a few patients who have

lived on Bully Beef and hard biscuits for the last five or six months,

under fire all the time, its the greatest pleasure going to buy things

for them, and how they love it, they think the world of anyone who does

things for them/  Ive just sent out three boys who actually got moist

about the eyes when they said good-bye, such dears they were, Ill miss

them ever so much, two went to xxxxx England and one to Gozo to the

Convalescent Camp, all my nice men have gone out now from my tents with

the exception of one 12th L.H man who is rather nice, Sgt Eager, comes

from Hay way.  The other two were a W.A. boy, such a dear, Simpson C.D

11th A.I.F and W Davis 7th L.H. and Miller B Coy 17th Batt - my nicest

man Sgt Watson a Queenslander in the Artikkery Section Xth A.A.S.C. went

back to Gallipoli, he was a dear.  He had dysentry awfully badly for

a bit, but simply wouldnt give in, had only two scratches on him wth

bullets, but his great coat and h versack were riddled with bulelets. Ive

one other of his Co. in, he has to go back to Australia, Francis by

name, absoputeky a typical bushman, I could imagine him sxtting on a