Letters and typescript copies from Florence Hobbes to her family, 1915-1918 - Part 10

Not bad eh, we are certainly unanimous in our

opinion of the climate, & most others things.

The women of India amuse me, for absolute downright

gossip, commend me to an Indian Hill Station

you simply cant beat it, & in India, it is such a

moving population, the various regiments are always

being moved from place to place, & everyone knows every

one else, either in the Army, or I.C.S., Police, or civil life,

they know your exact income, & whether you sell your frocks

after the first season (that is a great thing in India, everyone

sells their clothes, first put an ad in the paper, isnt it quaint)

I shall probably sell everything I possess before leaving

for England when I go, first do up bundles & sell at

so many Rupees a bundle, the Eurasians & soldiers wives

rush them) I sit back & chuckel to myself, & wonder if

I will ever meet some of the people Ive heard about, I know

half the European population of India by now I think,

Later The mail has just come in & actually a letter from old

Franks, from the Hospital in England (Bournemouth) he says 

he has'nt heard from me for months, do tell him when you

write that I really have not neglected him to that extent,

the dear soul, Ive written him fairly regularly from India,

& in Mesopot too, he says he is going to try & transfer

into the Flying Corps, oh dear I wish he would'nt, its a

rotten thing, men love it because of the risks they

run, because its dangerous, however, where is it not

dangerous these days, even nurses in France are not safe,

such a number have been killed lately, working up at the

2

got here at 8-30 next morning, was sent

straight to bed & have been there ever since

saw the surgeon the day I arrived and

he said I must go to Bombay, as they will

probably have to operate, have a rotten

gall stone that wont move, and they think

the gall bladder will have to be drained, &

they have no conveniences here for doing 

it, that is why they are sending me to

Colaba, because everything is so convenient,

Smithie will tell you that its a very simple

thing, and there is no need to worry, and

it will be so lovely having Els, the part

that worries me is that they wont send

me back to Mesopotamia when better, &

Im bitterly disappointed about it, instead

they will send me back to England, but I

will try my hardest to get out to Palestine

or Italy afterwards, I simply could'nt

do Home Service in England now, I want

to get to Palestine amongst our men again,

the Tommys are awful dears, but - they

are not in it with our boys, however thats

a few months away yet, & the war might be over

by that time and Sisters not needed so much,

you see dears, there was nothing to tell

about before, after the attack I had when

I went in to the M^cDonalds, I started to

get so much better, each week, better 

than I had been all the time I was up there

but this putrid stone came and upset

things, but afterwards I will be better than

Ive been for ages and ages, & you should see

my skin & colour, with the cold up there

& the milk & chicken foods, & rest and

medicines, I think its better than it has ever

been in all my life, (certainly thats not

saying much),

Meerut reminds me very much,

what Ive seen of it, Narrabri or

Moree, bare parched plains, wind &

dust, & same heat, summer is just 

begining, but its more open, & more trees

ornamental, & large open spaces, it

must cover miles of country, there are

two Meeruts really, Meerut City, the native

place, and Meerut Cantonment the European

place, & the abode of many regiments,

its awful really, the number of regiments

that have to be kept in India, when

they could be at the front, regiment upon

regiment, throughout India, and yet

3

some silly fools want to give them

Home Rule, The Bengali is the worst

native in India, & The Gurkha the most

stupid, & the most simple, a fine race

great fighters, easily pleased, I think I

like them the best of all the natives, the

Pathans are devils, who have been

forbidden active service in any capacity,

The gastritis' part of me is absolutly

well, had no trouble with it for weeks &

weeks, thank goodness it was more

indigestion, brought on by the gall bladder

not doing its "bit" & shirking.

Im wondering where & what Mammy is 

doing, with Els away, with one of you girls I

sincerely hope, it would do the old dear good

to have a change, How Els will love the quaintness

of everything; I felt awfully bad about the

expense of it all, for living here is very expensive

thats why I tried to stop her, but it will be

such a joy to see her, dear old girl. I sent her

a cable to Singapore to find out what ship she

comes from there in, & what port they come to,

& to tell her I was going to Colaba, as the Mataram

only comes as far as Singapore, then she has to

change to another ship & comes, I dont

know where, probably Madras, and I want

to write her & give her a few tips for the 

train journey etc. I think it takes two

days & a night from Madras to Bombay,

Josie said something in her last letter

about my going back to Australia from here,

that they were going to try & fix it up through

old Sir Robert Anderson, but Ive never had any

intention of giving up work, as long as I am able

to carry on, its the least one can do for the

men who are giving their lives in thousands

daily, so long as I am wanted, so long as I

am able to carry on, its my duty to stay where

I am, its no use saying, "but you have done your

bit" suppose all the men who have been badly

wounded said they didnt see why they should

have to go back again, not only once, but again

& again, where would the discipline of the Army

be, suppose all the Sisters who have got ill

gave up as soon as they got better, & many of

them have been at it since Aug 1914, who would

look after our men, the men who are giving

their lives willingly & cheerfully, daily

for us, if any of you had seen one quarter of

the suffering that Ive seen during the last

three years, or heard the greatful, half whispered