N.Z. NURSES IN MALTA.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1916, Page 6

N.Z. NURSES IN MALTA.

PEN PICTURES FROM HOSPITAL. A JOLLY CHRISTMAS. The following extracts from letters written by a New Zealand nurse now on hospital duty in Malta will be enjoyed by all readers for their deep, human interest, and for the pleasing light tbev had upon ( the relations existing between our sick and wounded soldiers and tlioae who minister to their needs. The letters are as under:— Malta, end of December. We are all sitting round a fire, and the wind is howling and shrieking outside—we are having another of our gales, with torrents of rain in between. It really can rain and blow here, and then the intervals are so sunny and lovely—warm enough to bathe. Now we are getting case's of frostbite and rheumatism from Oallipoli, and all the ills that come from damp and cold. The poer fellows look such miserable objects when they come shuffling in to the hospital, with their clothes all crumpled, and using walking sticks. They tell us that the wet and cold in the trenches is terrible. They sit and gaze at the I urks, and the Turks at them, too cold even to hold their rifles. They have not the rest-liospitals that the men iri France have, because every inch of ground is tir.der shell-fire. From all accounts it must be a ghastly place—the trenches flooded cut and then frozen stiff, the landing-place washed away, too cold in the evenings to leave their dug-outs and visit their friends. Tt. is one of the most tragic events of the war our leaving the 'Peninsula. To have fought so splendidly, lost so heavily. and then to abandon at! When I told one of the Australians about the retreat from Anzac, he went to bed at nine in the morning—lie was so heartbroken over it. We find all the men so good and helpful when they are up. Most of them haven't seen a woman for ages. We never hear any had language, but we often hear "sh hj!" when we go into a ward. There is one block that hasn't any sisters; our men whe are sent there always come back and say how they miss us and how reugh everything is. We had such a j#lly Christmas. It is astonishing how the wards ha r e b*»n decorated with all the men in bed. We gave them colled papers, and thev all worked very hard. A cake was to be given as a prize for the prettiest ward, and the competition was very keen. The floor was strewn with bits of paper, and the men looked as if they had been sitting in pools of paste—t-her will, wipe their fingers on their trousers The excitement is too funny for words. They were so eager about it, and so furious if the other blocks came in to look at their decorations in case they should crib ideas. They all want cotton wool, which is far too precious to give out for decoration*, but the scamps took it off the frostbitten feet and pneumonia jackets! They stick at nothing. The ward that, luisn't any frostbies is quite sloomv. The cotton wool is used to represent snow. The colored papers are cut up end made into chains, festoons, window-blinds, mottos, etc. All the wards have different mottos. I was shown one with great pride, "Gott Strafe the Kaiser." with a cross on either side, one red and one 'bine. As a Red Cross sister I pretended to be very indignant. They explained in a hurry that it was an iron cross.' "But why red?'' I asked. And the man who was least shy said it was a bloody cross —thev are so funnv!

The seventh ward has a picture of Kitchener, which they have surrounded with blue paper pasted on the back of n bed-rest; it, has the place of nonor in the ward. The finishing decorations are a deep secret at present. We are leaving the decorations entirely to the men. and they are enjoying i* so much that two men who were sent unexpectedly to England' yesterday didn't want to go. Evergreens are so scarce in Malta that the. decorations have to be in paper. ■lt is astonishing how they have altered the bareness of the wards, which ale stone, with an iron post in (lie centre. We have all subscribed and ordered seven cakes, because we think they all deserve a prize. unter.—Thev have finished decorating Kitchener. Hp is wreathed in purple, yellow and green frills of paper, and draped with a filigree of blue, edged with a dcen fringe cut in'the most laborious and intricate of designs. We have had a very jolly Christmas—indeed, it wns one of the best T ever remember. Everyone was so cheerful and entered so whole-heartedly into the festivities.

Thp men's patience and cheerfulness is n- constant source of surprise. One we called ".Joe" was seriously ill with "iitoric; he ha« been here six weeks. I never expected to see him get better, hut he made a wonderful recovery, and T used to bullv him so about taking his feeds. I do most of the two-hourly feeds: it p»vs to make them as nice as possible. They adore jelly, but we so often can't get it. The transport nm=t bo enormously difficult to work. When ■loe loft the hospital, he nearly shook our hands off, and thanked us so gratefully These are the rewards that make us- think it is worth while. Tt was announced as a great feat one morning. "Paddy sat up for five minutes!" I got a patier.t to snap him. Poor old tiling; he is about (ift Sin and used to weigh 1.1.0 j r.o'.v he is just, a bag of boucj. but on the mend. He wept one day because I told him he was an old bother: he wanted bovvil for lunch, and waitrd until it was all given out before, asking me. I had to boil up water and make a fresh brew. He is just like a clUld, and comes from Newfoundland, but is about as typically Trish as von could find. He wears a string of beads, and had a priest and three medical officers one night became he was going to die, but it didn't come off. He is quite a dear, in spite of everything.' On Christmas Eve about forty of the sisters went round at 10 p.m. and sans hymns and carols. All wore long coats and carried lanterns—quite an imposing procession in the moonlight.. 11. and I were the band, she with her Maltese eat and I with my violin. One sister insisted on carrving a chair (the Maltese cat is played like a 'cello). The patients loved it. and those who could folia wed us round fro* block to block. We got such clappings and cheers frem the wards, they were so surprised and delighted. I saw one b«v crawl to the end of his bed and peer through the door to see the Maltese eat (it was made by one of the soldiers from a cigar box, with finger-board, bridge and on# string). The carols were most popular, and we ended up with many male voices added—some of the patients, all the police and a few sergeants. We went round all the blocks and finished up at the officers' mess. On Christmas Day we got all the tables out en the verandah." The medical officer carved, and all the patient* came out except the "no diets." I made ft specialty of these, gad fed tkem y]l

they could eat no more (a verv unusual state of affairs for "no diets").' Then we were all snapped by the Maltese photographer. The Red Cross are simply marvellous, and gave a present to every soldier, as well as fruit and sponge cake for their tea. As we had also provided cakes and sconcs, they had a really good tuck in. I suppose the chief reason for these Christmas festivities being such a success was that there were no outside interests. We were just like one big family, and everyone entered into the spirit of the entertainment with heart and soul. Forty-eight sat down to dinner. We gave them roast beef and potatoes, plum pudding, jelly and stewed fruit,, apples, oranges' nuts, irapes, beer and stout. Then they all stood up and cheered and sang "For they are jollv »ood fellows." They were thoroughly satisfied, and slept all the afternoon. It was such a pleasure seeing them have enough for once in their lives—the feed here is not very abundant, I don't kr.gw why. At tea time I boiled two eggs each f»r the poor "no diets." One lovely Sc»teh bov was £oing buck to bed again when he saw the eggs, so I had to let him have two on condition that he ate them in the ward. We had a jollv dinner ourselves at eieht last night—turkey and plum pudding, claret, sherry, nuts, dates, raisinn and almonds, really beautifully cooked The puddings here on ordinary occasions are "the frozen limit." "sudden death." I don't, know how anyone can spoil good food the way they do—it is such a waste. AVc Went to the All Saints' concert with two New Zealand lmys. Lovd Methuen was there; he doubled up with laughter at a little Lancashire Tommv who sang in very broad dialect and made some rather broad jokes. I have never heard "The King" suns; with such vigor befere; it wns most stirring. The camp consists chiefly of Xew Zea'hmWs and Australians, They simply adore Major Mabin.