THE GERMAN SAVAG

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 115, 1 February 1918, Page 2

THE GERMAN SAVAG

BOMBING A HOSPITAL. The following extracts are taken from a letter received by Mrs. A. 0. Baiton, of Walton, Belmore Street, Burwood, New South Wales, from her husband, Gunner A, 0. Barton, concerning an air raid on a hospital in Franco, in which he was a patient:— "I witnessed the other day one-of the most impressive scenes of my life, and that was the funeral of 21 victims of an air raid here on the hospital, including four sisters. It was an awful night, aud one that I will never foi-Rfit. as long as I live. Of course air raids are quite common in these parts, and every favourable night Fritz comes over droppiiifi: bomfcs. When news is received of his 'planes coming over tho 'townspeople are warned by the church bells ringing, and down they jro into the cellars and anywhere elso for safety. Of course all lights go out immediately, and everything is in darkness. Ho has got close to this hospital several times, ,but made a job of it last Sunday night. It was a beautiful moonlight night, and early in the night the church bells rang the warning, and we could hear the anti-aircraft guns going in the distance, rapidly coining noarer and nearer. ■ A few of us who could walk were outside watching the searchlights, and at last the engines of Fritz's machines could be heard, and very soon the 'planes could be plainly seen coming our way. Nobody who has not been in the position can imagine what the feeling is to ho amongst hundreds of poor helpless wounded men lying in their be'ds waiting every moment for a bomb to drop. Most of the chaps just simply say: 'Oh, well, if he drops one on me he drops it, that's a 11 . ,. The sisters #> about as usual, and try to calm the nervous cases and poor chaps who are suffering from shell shock. First of all lie dropped a few boiubs close to tho hospital, on 'the town, and the flashes and noise were awful. But at last over he came fairly low, and dropped one bomb right.on the ward next to us. If hell is any worso than what followed it is bad. I was again lucky, and was only knocked down by concussion, but one chap standing next to me was wounded in the abdomen, and died a day after. Another chap near me was killed instantly. He was a fine chap, too. The yells that went up from tho wounded.and dying were awful, aud never to be forgotten, and the sights were indescribable. Altogether he dropped three bombs on the hospital, and did his awful work well. The doctors and nurses worked hard all night, although bombs were sul dropping, and there was plenty ot work to do, too. Two of the sisters were killed outright, and two did aftor on. There were altogether just about 100 casualtiesfi and about 23 deaths. "The night following the raid wo were all packed off to big tunnels under the town that were built by Napoleon. and.it wao a great sight to see hundreds of people huddled together in tho candle light in these huge tunnels, including doctors, nurses, and patients,. some of them on stretchers, as well as French people with their few valuables, babies, and all. All the patients who could walk went to the funeral tho next day, and it was tho saddest thins I have ever witnessed. In a pretty little spot on the side of a hill, where there were already many littlo wooden crosses, the victims were buried. All'the time the service wen on our aeroplanes circles about «« our heads. The r.urees are still workZ away here as usual, and aro paying "hnuch attention to German wounded ho a strain on them to do so. fliat u : ber Ests civilisation could be sc, cruel as to bomb helpless peoplo in their beds.