FRENCH FLAG NURSING CORPS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2380, 9 February 1915, Page 2

FRENCH FLAG NURSING CORPS

LETTER FROM A. NURSE. This hody under wjpicb two of onr New Zealand nurses, Misses Lind and Hitchcock, aro now nursing has boon established under the authority of tho French Minister of War, and so is a iccognised body, as is the French ; "Croix Rouge," under which Miss May Palmer is working (states "Kai Tiaki," the Nurses' Journal for Now Plymouth). Both these bodies accept voluntary sorvice and provide only board and lodging or an allowance to pay for this outside, as with the party to which nurses Lind and Hitchcock belong. Wo feel proud that some of our nurses are repiesenting New Zealand in thus giving their services freely to help our bravo Allies. We read that tho French have asked for 300 more British nurses, and we do not doubt that tho number will ere this have been suppliod. • Below are extracts from letters received, published in the Journal, fromNurse Lind, who' promises to write again when , well established. Extracts from letter from Miss Lind dated November 1 and 26: — Hotel Dieu, Rouen. At present we aro working under the French Minister of War in a French Military Hospital at Rouen. We landed at Dieppe at about 6 p.m., nine of us aud a doctor and Miss Ellison, who were to settle us in lodgings before they returned to England. Reached Rouen about 9 p.m. In the morning we all trooped off to see. the Minister of the War Office here. He took us to a hospital to have our photographs taken. "First nurses from England working under direction of French Flag, and so on.". We were given badges and are to have our medals later on. They mado speeches and said how charmed they were to have us. We bowed, and they bowed. W© made speeches aud said how charmed we were to come. They bowed'then we bowed. Then we found our nest compliment was that we were to he billeted by tha Government in Officers Quarters "until permanent lodgings were found. 'This required no end of bowing. Now we are established in a nice little flat with a woman to wash and do for us. Our. bedrooms are charming, but vfe have no bathroofn and only one ' washstand between 6ix of us. We get a London paper daily for 30 cents, so far we have bad no letters, the mails and trains aro all deranged. Wounded in tlio Back.

I am enjoying this experience, but the wounds are terrible. I am in a ward with over a hundred wounded German prisoners, and they have sentries at every door with fixed bayonets, but they need not worry; the Germans would far sooner be here than fighting, and say so openly. They say they onlyfought because they would have been shot if they refused, and a curious thing is that so many of them are wounded in the back. We have also Turco and Algerian troops here, they are so picturesque, and much more tierco about the Germans than the French' are. The wounded, even the Germans, are treated 60 well. These French military hospitals are strange to us, most of the work is done by orderlies and infirmaries, usually under a nun's direction. The nun whose ward 1 am in has been here for twenty-five years, and has nevdr been outside the gates. They are so happy and well, and cannot get enough news about the outside world, 'They are perfectly sweet to us, my nun insists on giving me as a great treat, tea. which has stood in an enamel teapot for twenty-four hours then warmed up in a saucepan and sweetened with glucose and no milk, and I have to swear it is divine. All the pots and pans here are of beautiful old copper, and all so clean, which is more than can be said of the rest of the plaoe, but "the housekeeping parte are wonderful, piles of linen, beautifully made and mended by the nuns.' Each soldier' 6 kit, Germans too, is taken away when he is brought, in, washed, mended, or renewed if necessary, so that when he is able to go out he has a new kit ready. Our flat is half an hour's tram ride from the hospital We have been given free passes on all the trams.-, Rouen is such ,an interesting old town, the Cathedral and several old churches are beautiful, -and there is a wonderfully carved gateway, with a dock set in it, which tolls the curfew at 9 p.m., it has been going-since 1389. The Hotel Dieu is quite old, over 200 years, and in ordinary times is run entirely bv the nuns. Now, however, it ia terribly - full of I''renchj Belgian, Algerian, Toroo, and German soldiers. Among the latter I and Miss. Hitchcock are working with French. Algerian troops. The wounds are very terrible, especially those made by shrapnel, and as some of the men lay on the field for four or five days after being wounded all sorts of complications- have had time to 6et in. We nave a good deal of gangrene and a little tetanus as well. Last week there wa6 a fall of snow and it was terribly cold getting up at 5.30 a.m.

Mrs. Fraser has returned to New Zealand after four years' absence, states "Kai Tiaki," the nurses' journal. The intention had been to remain eighteen months longer, but on the. outbreak of war she had to leave Germany hastily' 'and return to Great Britain. Mrs. Fraser heard much of the preparations boing made for the comfort of our New Zealand troops. Between 20 and 30 New Zealand nurses at present in Great Britain had handed in their names for home or foreign service, and by arrangement with the High Commissioner a proportion of these were to be accepted by tho War Office. Miss Toombe is to have charge of the Now Zealand Convalescent Homo when ifc is opened, and New Zealand friends may rest assured that their men will be well looked after in Britain. On December 10, at Woodlands Parish Church, Southampton, England, tho Rev. John Herbert Kingsley Moses, M.A., son of Mr. Marcus 'fortius Moses, J.P., of Kilbride Tower, Boray, Ireland, was married to Miss Isabel Emily Manning, daughter of Mr. Francis Richard Manning of Dunedin (N.Z.). Among the visitors staying at Caulfield House are: Mrs. and Miss Peacock (Dunedin), Mrs. Lonsley (Dunedin), and Mrs. Braithwaite (Carterton).