LADY PAGET HOME AGAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 May 1916, Page 6

LADY PAGET HOME AGAIN.

ADVENTURES IN THE BALKANS. London, April 0. Nurse Mabel Atkinson (Christchurch) formed one of Lady Paget's party of fifty-four ladies and gentlemen who arrived safe an i sound in this country this week-end after remarkable adventures in the Balkans. Miss Atkinson told me that she went to Servia early in 1915 with Lady Wimborne's unit, and when this was broken up she became attached to Lady Paget's hospital staff, and continued nursing in Skoplje. When the Servians retreated, Lady Paget decided to remain with the wounded in the hospital, and the Bulgarian advance was so rapid that the party was out off. The line of battle passed practically through the hospital, but when the Bulgarians saw the Red Cross flag they did not fire in that direction. They took possession of the town in quite an orderly way. They gave the nurses a great amount of liberty, and Lady Paget was allowed independent use of her stores in helping the refugees. At one time the unit was regularly supplying food to between 3000 and 4000 refugees a day. There were eight hundred patients in the hospital, half being Serbs and half Bnlgars. The Bulgarians did what they could to help, being anxious to stand well in English eyes. "The Bulgarians, who entered Skoplje on October 22, treated our unit with great courtesy," said one of the members of the party. "They gave us all they could in the way of supplies of firewood and food. Our greatest difficulty was the lack of firewood, oil, and spirit. The wards had to be lit with single candles, and in the coldest weather we had no heating. The Germans came about the end of November, and took charge* of things, but we were prisoners of the Bulgarians, and took our orders from them, not from the Germans. I think the Bulgarians were very anxious for it to be realised that they meant to 'play the civilised game,' and one that would be a credit to them in the eyes of England. Undoubtedly they do considec English public opinion a good deal." King Ferdinand and both the young princes came to Skoplje while the nurses were prisoners, but they did not visit the hospital. Lady Paget and her party were taken to Sofia, about the middle of February, -nd they were interned for four weeks. they were treated there with all consideration. Lady Paget herself was the guest of the Queen, and the rest received the hospitality of the Red Cross. When they left to return to England, via Rumania, Russia, Sweden, and Norway, the Bulgarian Minister came from Bucharest to greet Lady Paget at the frontier, and ar-' ranged frtr her transit over the Danube. Miss Atkinson said they were, lodged in Sofia in hotels as guests of the Bulgarian Red Cros, and were permitted to visit the Briti;.h prisoners. Later they spent two days at Bucharest. Miss Atkinson's plans for the future are uncertain, but she is hopeful of going again to the Eastern Mediterranean in her professional capacity.