It was strange to find there, within the sound of the guns--
sometimes the glasses on the table danced to the music although
no one took any notice of that--surrounded by men directing the
operations of the war and of one of the greatest battles in history,
how little War was mentioned. Science, Philosophy and the work
of women were discussed.
The men of France are taking deep interest in the splendid
manner in which the women of all the different nations are
responding to the call to service. I described to General Petain the
work of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. These magnificent
hospitals are organised and staffed entirely by women and started,
in the first instance, by the Scottish Branch of the National Union of
Women's Suffrage. He was deeply interested to learn that what
had been before the War a political society had, with that splendid
spirit of patriotism which had from the first day of the war animated
every man, woman and child of Great Britain, drawn upon its funds
and founded the Hospital Units. I explained to him that it was no
longer a question of politics, but simply a case of serving humanity
and serving it to the best possible advantage. The National Union
had realised that this was a time for organised effort on the part of
all women for the benefit of the human race and the alleviation of
suffering.
I spoke of the bravery of our girls in Serbia; how many of them had
laid down their lives during the typhus epidemic; how cheerfully
they had borne hardships, our doctors writing home that their tent
hospitals were like "great white birds spreading their wings under
the trees," whereas really they had often been up all night hanging
on to the tent poles to prevent the tents collapsing over their patients.
A member of the Etat Major asked how we overcame the
language difficulty. I pointed out that to diagnose typhus and watch
the progress of the patient it was not necessary to speak to him,
and that by the magic language of sympathy we managed to
establish some form of "understanding" between the patients, the
Doctors, and the Nurses. The members of our staff were chosen
as far as possible with a knowledge of French or German, and it
was possible to find many Serbians speaking either one of these
languages. We also found interpreters amongst the Austrian
prisoner orderlies. These prisoner orderlies had really proved
useful and had done their best to help us. Naturally they had their
faults. One of our Lady Doctors had as orderly a Viennese
Professor, willing but somewhat absent-minded. One morning she
sent for him and asked him: "Herr Karl, can you tell me what was
wrong with my bath water this morning?" "I really don't know,
Fraulein, but I will endeavour to find out."
Ten minutes later he returned, looking decidedly guilty and
stammered out, "I do not know how to tell you what happened to
that bath water." "Nonsense, it can't be very terrible," replied
Doctor X. "What was wrong?" "Well, Fraulein, when I went into the
camp kitchen this morning there were two cauldrons there, one
was your bath water, and the other was the camp soup. To you,
Fraulein, I brought the camp soup."
We who had worked with the Serbians had learned to respect and
admire them for their patriotism, courage and patient endurance.
We felt that their outstanding characteristic was their imagination,
which, turned into the proper channels and given a chance to
develop, should produce for the world not only famous painters
and poets but also great inventors. This vivid imagination is found
in the highest and lowest of the land. To illustrate it, I told my
neighbour at table a tale related to me by my good friend Dr.
Popovic. "Two weary, ragged Serbian soldiers were sitting huddled
together waiting to be ordered forward to fight. One asked the
other, 'Do you know how this War started, Milan? You don't. Well
then I'll tell you. The Sultan of Turkey sent our King Peter a sack of
rice. King Peter looked at the sack, smiled, then took a very small
bag and went into his garden and filled it with red pepper. He sent
the bag of red pepper to the Sultan of Turkey. Now, Milan, you can
see what that meant. The Sultan of Turkey said to our Peter, 'My
army is as numerous as the grains of rice in this sack,' and by
sending a small bag of red pepper to the Sultan our Peter replied,
'My Army is not very numerous, but it is mighty hot stuff.'"
Many members of the Units of the Scottish Women's Hospitals
who had been driven out of Serbia at the time of the great invasion
had asked to be allowed to return to work for the Serbians, and we
were now equipping fresh units, entirely staffed by women, to
serve with the Serbian Army, besides having at the present time
the medical care of six thousand Serbian refugees on the island of
Corsica.
General Petain said smiling that before the war he had sometimes
thought of women "as those who inspired the most beautiful ideas
in men and prevented them from carrying them out," but the war,
he added, had certainly proved conclusively the value of women's
work.
M. Forain expressed the desire to visit the chief French Hospital of
the Scottish Women at the Abbaye de Royaumont. The General
laughingly told him, "You do not realise how stern and devoted to
duty those ladies are. I wonder if you would be permitted to visit
them?"
I consoled M. Forain by pointing out that surely as chief Camoufler
(disguiser) of the French Army, he could disguise himself as a
model of virtue (de se camoufler en bon garcon). Certainly this son
of France, who has turned his brilliant intellect and his art to the
saving of men's lives, would be welcome anywhere and everywhere.
I hastened to assure him that I was only teasing him, and added
that I only teased the people I admired and liked. General Petain
immediately turned to the Commandant de Pulligny--"Please remark
that she has not yet teased me." "Probably because she fears
to do it, and has too much respect for you," replied the Commandant.
"Fears! I do not think we need talk of that just now, when she
dares to go to Verdun."
Whilst at coffee after lunch the news came of the continued
advance of the British troops. General Petain turned to me and
said, "You must indeed be proud in England of your new army.
Please tell your English people of our admiration of the magnificent
effort of England. The raising and equipping of your giant army in
such a short time was indeed a colossal task. How well it was
carried out all the world now knows and we are reaping the
harvest."
The General's Chief of Staff added: "Lord Kitchener was right
when he said the war would last three years"--"the first year
preparation, the second year defence, and the third year cela sera
rigolo (it will be huge sport)." He quoted the phrase as Lord
Kitchener's own.
Before we left the General signed for me the menu of the lunch,
pointing out to me, however, that if I were at any time to show the
menu to the village policeman I must assure him that the hare
which figured thereon had been run over at night by a motor car
and lost its life owing to an accident, otherwise he might, he
feared, be fined for killing game out of season!
I shall always remember the picture of General Petain seeing us
into our car with his parting words, "You are about to do the most
dangerous thing you have ever done or will ever do in your life. As
for Verdun, tell them in England that I am smiling and I am sure
that when you see General Nivelle you will find him smiling too.
That is the best answer I can give you as to how things are going
with us at Verdun." Then with a friendly wave of his hand we
passed on our way.
After leaving the Headquarters of General Petain we were held up
for some time at a level crossing and watched the busy little train
puffing along, carrying towards Verdun stores, munitions and men.
This level crossing had been the scene of active fighting; on each
side were numerous graves, and the sentinels off duty were
passing from one to the other picking a dead leaf or drawing a
branch of trailing vine over the resting places of their comrades.
Above our heads circled "les guipes" the wasps of the French
Army. They had been aroused by the appearance of a Taube and
were preparing to sting had the Taube waited or made any further
attempt to proceed over the French lines. However, deciding that
discretion was the better part of valour, it turned and fled.
It is unwise, however, to stir up the "wasps of France"; they
followed it, and later in the day we heard that it had been brought
down near Verdun.
We were now in the centre of activity of the army defending
Verdun. On every hand we saw artillery parks, ammunition parks,
and regiments resting, whilst along the road a long line of camions
passed unceasingly. During the whole length of my stay on the
French Front I only saw one regiment marching. Everywhere the
men are conveyed in the camions, and are thus spared the fatigue
which would otherwise be caused by the intense heat and the
white dust. There are perhaps only two things that can in any way
upset the perfect indifference to difficulties of the French trooper:
he hates to walk, and he refuses to be deprived of his "pinard."
The men of the French Army have named their red wine "pinard,"
just as they call water "la flotte," always, however, being careful to
add that "la flotte" is excellent "for washing one's feet."
As we passed through the Headquarters of General Nivelle, he
sent down word to us not to wait to call on him then, but to proceed
at once to Verdun as later the passage would become more
difficult. He kindly sent down to us one of the officers of his staff to
act as escort. The officer sat by our chauffeur, warning him of the'
dangerous spots in the road which the Germans had the habit of
"watering" from time to time with "marmites," and ordering him to
put on extra speed. Our speed along the road into Verdun
averaged well over a mile a minute.