HEROINES OF THE MARQUETTE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2627, 24 November 1915, Page 5

HEROINES OF THE MARQUETTE

NEW ZEALAND NURSES' SPLENDID BRAVERY A THRILLING STORY By {MenftDh—Pwbs Association—OorrrisM (Reo. November 24, 0.10 a.m.) London, November 23. . A- New_ Zealand nursing sister, who is a survivor of tho hospital transport MarquettOj tells a thrilling story of her experiences with New Zealand Hospital Unit, which is doing most valuable work in the hospital at Port Said. Sho embarkod on the Marquette at Alexandria on October 19, with a number of English soldiers. ' ye had lifebelt drill on the voyage, and were warned of the dangers of the lurking submarine. Wo were, therefore, prepared for tho mishap to the Marquette. Perlsoopo Sighted, ,J Within a few hours of Salonika, on. the morning of Ootober 23 a periscope wait sighted. An explosion followed almost immediately, and tho Marquette commenced to list. The sea wan calm,- with a light breezo. We had. a good clianco of escape, but several Boats wore overturned in the confusion while being launched, and some hung perpendicularly. Another lifeboat fell upon one which was already in the water, causing several casualties. Sister Fox, another New ZeaLind nurse, was injured, and was nob seen again. "Our boat was not lowered properly, and we were suspended from one davit for some time, hanging on for dear life. Then the ropo was cut, and all tell into tho sea. Most of us were in the water for eight hours. AVe didn't feel the water cold. I did not see tho submarino again. Some of the boats were crowded, and many officers and men were saved.

"The nurses behaved with grand courage, and refused to go to the boats until most of tho soldiers had been saved. Tile nurses stayed on the docks cheering the Tommies until only a few of tho men remained to help the women into the boats. But for the lifebelt drill, few would have been saved when we were precipitated so suddenly into the sea. They must have been drowned without tho lifebelts. A large hole was driven in our lifeboat, and when we dragged ourselves into tho lifeboat it soon filled, and swamped, and all were tipped into the water again. The sea was full of soldiers, struggling for bits of raft and wreckage. We were swamped again and again until we were oshausted. Pitiful Scenes. It was pitiful to see nurses and soldiers tiring in their frantic struggles, and finally releasing their grasp of the gunwale, floating for a few seconds, and then slowly sinking without a murmur. Dr. Harrison was swimming near our boat, and supporting a nursing sister, whom ho assisted to a raft, to which many others were clinging. I last saw that sister somo time after, floating near tho raft, while I was almost dead beat, holding on to the upturned boat. She was my greatest pal. I. watched her, and she nodded feebly in return, but I was powerless to help her. That was the last I saw of Iter, but I was told that she was assisted back to the raft, and afterwards placed in a boat which, like ours, was constantly overturned, and like many others sho collapsed after a- time and died of exhaustion.

"We clung to our boat for a seemingly endless period, suffering from intensely increasing exhaustion, holding on by sheer strength of will. _ Then a 'hospital ship steamed up and picked up the survivors. We were taken to Salonika, where we remained for two days. Here we beard that our matron was very ill, suffering from shock. "An Awful Experience."

"Colonel M'Gavin and several other officers were saved. Most of us were unfit for duty and returned to Alexandria. Those who were well enough intended to get new equipment, and hoped to return to' Greece in ten days. Sister Rae was so Lrave. She forced me to get into the boat before 'her. Sister t'oppelwell was wonderful; she held up Sister Rattray until she died. They clung to a board with Sister Walker. Dr. Leahy did his best for us, and was very good. Ours was an awful experience. Our chance of escape would have been small had not the attack occurred in the daylight, in calm weather, with the water warm. It should be a comfort to the relatives of the nurses of New Zealand to know that they were so splendidly brave and' self-sacrificing in facing death."