THE AMBULANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 March 1918, Page 6

THE AMBULANCE.

AFTER AX ENGAGEMENT, TOLD BY A PRIVATE.

A graphic account of the nature of the work done by one non-combatant arm of l1i<; Service is given by "a private in the Ambulance" in the course of a letter to his parents in YV'ellinstoi*. His letter is dated from Belgium, 10th October last, and conveys a striking picture of one phase of the war. "Owing tn our move to the firing-line," he says, "I was unable to write last week. We were up in the big push just when I wanted to write, so, of course, all thoughts were bent on preparing for the wounded. Every spare moment <vas spent in preparing dressings and padding splints. Von will be very pleased to learn that cur A.D.S. was well underground about thirty feet. T guess it was an old mine shaft, and came in very handy as a, dressing station. Well, the wounded were brought down the road on trie jijrg.'-r.s and the stretchers lowered down a slide to the tunnel below. Here the bearers carried them round to the tables, where tl:ey were dressed. Now, I will swit'. 1 cfi. and give you an idea 'of what happens in an A.D.S. during a Eush. We had four tables going, and it was a scene one could hardly forget. 1 would shout out 'another case,' and the bearers would bring one up td the table. 'Where are you wounded, old man? In the leg, eh? Well, don't worrv; we will have von fixed up in half a jifl - .' OiT comes the "blanket covering him, and you cut away the/clothes around the wound. Then the shell dressing is removed, and the first ontiseptic treatment applied. Whilst all this is going on, you kee;i up a string of talk about how comfy ha will be at the C.C.S. and what a fine time he is going to have in Blighty. It keeps his .inind off the wound, and we can hustle on with the job. When the dressing has been fixed, we put a blanket under him and over him. and, if a serious case a hot water bottle is also applied. 'Bearers.' you shout, and the patient is whisked off, and theli it's the old cry. 'another ease. One comes along and you speak to him, 'Hullo. Frank, what the devil are you doine here!' 'Got a smack going across, and here I am.' That was my experience on several occasions. Tt was quite a treat to see the boys. Thank goodness, they were not serious cases. On one occasion a case was put on the table. and we found the noor chap had died whilst awaiting to be dressed. 'Look out, here comes a ease.' and we got him on our table. Bv Jove! we have a job here, both legs fractured and one of his arms, 'Go for it. boys.' said the doctor, and we soon had splints on and sent him off for evacuation. Sights! ugh! Enoueh in one hour to last a civilian for a lifetime, nbwever, one is hardened to these affairs, and goes dabbing wound ■ without the twitch of an eyelid. .Picture this sight, and you will see us at work. A narrow mine shaft (about 12ft wide) brilliantly lighted with electric light, and trestles against the side, with a stretcher case on each, the dressing tables decked in white and us orderlies in white gowns smeared with blood, hard at the cases, and you have it. Rather a bad description, I am afraid, but the best I can do. So much for what went on underground. A DIFFERENT SCENE.

"On fop, a very different scene was being enacted. Lines of motor lorries going up to the guns, carts, Staff cars, motor ambulances, pack mules—the whole ' road was a seethinir mass of traffic. Down amidst all this the bearers wheeled the wounded and then the prisoners began to arrive. Batches of 'them came todling along, some just kids , majvy elderly men, all looked tired and wont. Onr 6.C. soon collected a big batch of Hung, and sent the back to the line as stretcher-bearers. Walking wounded were streaming along to the station below, and the sight was great. A light railway ran handy, and we got a good many cases away on it. The rush lasted for about forty hours, and I was very glad when I got a chance to turn in. Sleep came easily, and I never moved for twelve, hours; then we got out and carried on again, but at a steady rate. The big rush was over, and these cases were boys who had lain out for twenty-four hours. * Cheerful! Well, they" were heroes. Most of them never said 'boo,' and the wounds were awful."

After paying a tribute to the work of the Y.M.C.A.. the writer, concluding his letter the following day, says:—

"We are now behind the lines, and at a corps rest station. Except to go back into the line in a couple of days. Another big advance came off this morning, and from what I can hear all the objectives were gained. . . We are all very/ optimistic about things, and the recent advances have strengthened our views. Fritz is well hammered, and our artillerj is marvellous. I was amazed at the concentration of guns. T saw the Somme and Messines stunts, but this licks everything out of sight. We watched a big strafe one night, and the whole place was just like a sheet of flame."