CONCERNING A CONCERT, CANTEEN WORK, HOUSEKEEPING, THE ENGLISH CONVOY,
AND GOOD-BYE LAMARCK
When I returned to the hospital the "English Invasion" of the town was
an accomplished fact, and the Casino had been taken over as a hospital
for our men. In the rush after Festubert, we were very proud to be
called upon to assist for the time-being in transporting wounded, as the
British Red Cross ambulances had more than they could cope with. This
was the first official driving we did and was to lead to greater things.
The heat that summer was terrific, so five of us clubbed together and
rented a Chalet on the beach, which was christened _The Filbert_. We
bathed in our off time (when the jelly fish permitted, for, whenever it
got extra warm, a whole plague of them infested the sea, and hot vinegar
was the only cure for their stinging bites; of course we only found this
out well on into the jelly-fish season!). We gave tea parties and supper
parties there, weather and work permitting, and it proved the greatest
boon to us after long hours in hospital.
As we were never free to use it in the morning we lent it to some
friends, and one day a fearful catastrophe happened. Fresh water was as
hard to get as in a desert, and the only way to procure any was to bribe
French urchins to carry it in large tin jugs from a spring near the
Casino. These people, one of whom was the big Englishman, after running
up from the sea used the water they saw in the jugs to wash the sand off
(after all, quite a natural proceeding) and then, in all ignorance of
their fearful crime, virtuously filled them up again, _but_ from the
sea!
That afternoon Lowson happened to be giving a rather swell and
diplomatic tea party. Gaily she filled the kettle and set it on the
stove and then made the tea. The Matron of the hospital took a sip and
the Colonel ditto, and then they both put their cups down--(I was not
present, but as _my_ friends committed the crime, you may be sure I
heard all about it, and feel as if I had been). Of course the generally
numerous French urchins were nowhere in sight, and everyone went home
from that salt-water tea party with a terrible thirst!
A Remount Camp was established at Fort Neuillay. It was an interesting
fact that the last time the fort had been used was by English troops
when that part of the coast was ours. One of the officers there
possessed a beagle called "Flanders." She was one of the survivors of
that famous pack taken over in 1914 that so staggered our allies. One
glorious "half-day" off duty, riding across some fields we started a
beautiful hare. Besides "Flanders" there was a terrier and a French dog
of uncertain breed, and in two seconds the "pack" was in full cry after
"puss," who gave us the run of our lives. Unfortunately the hunt did not
end there, as some French farmers, not accustomed to the rare sight of
half a couple and two mongrels hot after a hare scudding across their
fields, lodged a complaint! When the owner of the beagle was called up
by the Colonel for an explanation he explained himself in this wise.
"It was like this, Sir, the beagle got away after the hare, and we
thought it best to follow up to bring her back. You see, Sir, don't
you?"
"Yes, I _do_ see," said the Colonel, with a twinkle. "Well, don't let it
happen again, or she must be destroyed."
A Y.M.C.A. was also established, and Mr. Sitters, the organiser, begged
us to get up a concert party and amuse the men. In those days Lena
Ashwell's parties were quite unknown, and the men often had to rely on
themselves for entertainment. Our free time was very precious, and we
were often so tired it was a great undertaking to organise rehearsals,
but this Sergt. Wicks did, and very soon we had quite a good show going.
One day Mr. Sitters obtained passes for us to go far up into the English
lines, and for days beforehand rehearsals were held in the oddest
places.[10] Up to the last minute we were on duty in the wards, and all
those who could gave a helping hand to get us off--seven in all, as
more could not be spared. It was pouring with rain, but we did not mind.
We had had such a rush to get ready and collect such properties as we
needed that, as often happens on these occasions, we were all in the
highest spirits and the show was bound to go well.
We sped along in the ambulance, "Uncle" driving, and picking up Mr.
Sitters _en route_. Our only pauses were at the barriers of the town,
and on we went again. We had been doing a good 35 and had slowed up to
pass some vehicles going over a bridge, when the pin came out of the
steering rod. If we had not slowed up I can't imagine there would have
been much of the concert party left to perform!
We pulled up and began to look for it, hoping, as it had just happened,
we might see it lying on the road. Luckily for us at that moment an
English officer drove up and stopped to see if he could be of any help.
He heard where we were bound for, and, as time was getting on, instantly
suggested we should borrow his car and driver and he would wait until it
came back. Mr. Sitters was only too delighted to accept the offer as it
was getting so late.
He suggested that four of us should get into the officer's car and go
ahead with him and begin the show, leaving the others to follow. We were
a little dubious as our Lieutenant, Sister Lampen, and "Auntie" (the
Matron) were over the brow of the hill searching for the missing pin!
There seemed nothing else to be done, however, so in we all bundled.
The officer was very sporting and wished us "good luck" as we sped off
in his car.
Farther along, as we got nearer the front, all the sentries were English
which seemed very strange to us. Passing through a village where a lot
of our troops were billeted they gazed in wonder and amazement at the
sight of English girls in that district.
One incident we thought specially funny--It may not seem particularly so
now, but when you think that for months past we had only had dealings
with French and Belgian soldiers, you will understand how it amused us.
Outside an _Estaminet_ was a horse and cart partly across the road, and
just sufficiently blocking it. The driver called out to a Tommy lounging
outside the Inn to pull it over a little. He gave a truly British grunt,
and went to the horse's head. Nothing happened for some seconds, and we
waited impatiently. Presently he reappeared.
"Tied oop," he said laconically, in a broad north country accent, and
washed his hands of the matter. How we laughed. Of course a Frenchman
would have made the most elaborate apologies and explanations--a long
conversation would have ensued, and finally salutes and bows exchanged,
before we could have got on. "Tied oop" became quite a saying after
that.
A F.A.N.Y. eventually coped with the matter, and on we went again. At
last we espied some tents in the distance and struck off down a rutty
lane in their direction. Here we said "good-bye" to our driver
wondering if the other car did not turn up, just how we should get home.
We plunged through mud that came well over the tops of our boots and,
scrambling along some slippery duck boarding, arrived at the recreation
tent. No sign of the other car, so we were obliged to draft out a fresh
programme in the meantime.
We took off our heavy coats while two batmen used the back of their
clasp knives to scrape off the first layers of mud (hardly the most
attractive footlight wear) from our boots. We heard the M.C. announcing
that the "Concert party" had arrived, and through holes in the canvas we
could see the tent was full to overflowing. Cheers greeted the
announcement, and we shivered with fright. There were hundreds there,
and they had been patiently waiting for hours, singing choruses to pass
the time.
As we crawled through the canvas at the back of the stage they cheered
us to the echo. The platform was about the size of a dining table, which
rather cramped our style. We always began our shows with a topical song,
each taking a verse in turn, and then all singing the chorus. Towards
the end of our first song the Lieutenant and the others arrived. The
guns boomed so loudly at times the words were quite drowned. The
Programme consisted of Recitations, Songs at the Piano, Solo Songs,
Choruses, Violin, etc.; and to my horror I found they counted on me to
do charcoal drawings, described out of courtesy as "Lightning
sketches!" (an art only developed and cultivated at the insistence of
Sergt. Wicks, who had once discovered me doing some in the wards to
amuse the men). There was nothing else for it, rolls of white paper were
produced and pinned on a table placed on end, and off I started. I first
drew them a typical Belgian officer with lots of Medals which brought
forth the remark that he "must have been through the South African
Campaign!" When I got to his boots, which I did with a good high light
down the centre, someone called out "Don't forget the Cherry Blossom
boot polish, Miss." "What price, _Kiwi_?" etc. When he was finished they
yelled "Souvenir, souvenir," so I handed it over amid great applause,
and felt full of courage! The Crown Prince went down very well and I was
grateful to him for having such a long nose. "We don't want him as no
souvenir," they called--"Wish we drew our pay as fast as you draw little
Willie, Miss." The Kaiser of course had his share, and in his first
stages, to their great joy, evidently resembled one of their officers!
(There's nothing Tommy enjoys quite so much as that.)
After the "Nut" before the war (complete in Opera hat and monocle) and
"now" in khaki, I could think of nothing more, and boldly, but with some
trepidation, asked if any gentleman in the audience would care to be
drawn. You can imagine the scene. A tent packed with Tommies, every
available place taken up, and those who could not find seats sitting on
the floor right up to the edge of the stage. Yells of delight greeted
the invitation, and several made as if to come forward; finally, one
unfortunate was heaved up from the struggling mass on to the stage. I
always noticed after this that whenever I offered to draw anyone it was
always a man with absolutely _no_ particularly "salient" feature (I
think that is the term) who presented himself. This individual could
best be described as "sandy" in appearance, there was simply _nothing_
about him to caricature, I thought in despair! The remarks from the
audience, which had been amusing before, now fairly bristled with wit,
mostly of a personal nature. My subject became hotter and hotter as I
seized the charcoal pencil and set off. "Wot _would_ Liza say?" called
out one in a horrified voice. "Don't smile, mate, yer might 'urt yer
fice," called another. "Take 'is temperature, Miss," they called, as the
perspiration began to roll off him in positive rivulets, and "_Don't_
forget 'is auburn 'air," they implored. As the poor unfortunate had just
been shorn like a lamb, preparatory to going into the trenches, this was
particularly cutting. The remark, however, gave me an inspiration and
the audience yelled delightedly while I put a few black dots, very wide
apart, to indicate the shortage. When finished we shook hands to show
there was no ill feeling, and quite cheerfully, with the expression of a
hero, he bore his portrait off amid cheers from the men.
The show ended with a song, _Sergeant Michael Cassidy_, which was
extremely popular at that time. For those who have not heard this
classic, it might be as well to give one or two verses. We each had our
own particular one, and then all sang the chorus.
"You've heard of Michael Cassidy, a strapping Irish bhoy.
Who up and joined the Irish guards as Kitchener's pride and joy;
When on the march you'll hear them shout, 'Who's going to win the war?'
And this is what the khaki lads all answered with a roar:
_Chorus_
"Cassidy, Sergeant Michael Cassidy,
He's of Irish nationality.
He's a lad of wonderful audacity,
Sergeant Michael Cassidy (bang), V.C."
_Last Verse_
"Who was it met a dainty little Belgian refugee
And right behind the firing line, would take her on his knee?
Who was it, when she doubted him, got on his knees and swore
He'd love her for three years or the duration of the War?"
_Chorus_, etc.
This was encored loudly, and someone called out for _Who's your lady
friend?_ As there were not any within miles excepting ourselves, and
certainly none in the audience, it was rather amusing.
We plunged through the mud again after it was all over and were taken to
have coffee and sandwiches in the Mess. We were just in time to see some
of the men and wish them Good Luck, as they were being lined up
preparatory to going into the trenches. Poor souls, I felt glad we had
been able to do something to cheer them a little; and the guns, which we
had heard distinctly throughout the concert, now boomed away louder than
ever.
We had a fairly long walk back from the Mess to where the Mors car had
been left owing to the mud, and at last we set off along the dark and
rutty road.
One facetious French sentry insisted on talking English and flashing his
lantern into the back of the ambulance, saying, "But I _will_ see the
face of each Mees for fear of an espion." He did so, murmuring
"_jolie--pas mal--chic_," etc.! He finally left us, saying: "I am an
officer. Well, ladies, good-bye all!" We were convulsed, and off we slid
once more into the darkness and rain, without any lights, reaching home
about 12, after a very amusing evening.
Soon after this, we started our "Pleasant Sunday Evenings," as we called
them, in the top room of the hospital, and there from 8 to 9.30 every
Sunday gave coffee and held impromptu concerts. They were a tremendous
success, and chiefly attended by the English. They were so popular we
were often at a loss for seats. Of real furniture there was very little.
It consisted mostly of packing cases covered with army blankets and
enormous _tumpties_ in the middle of the floor--these latter contained
the reserve store of blankets for the hospital, and excellent "pouffs"
they made.
Our reputation of being able to turn our hands to anything resulted in
Mr. Sitters--rushing in during 10 o'clock tea one morning with the news
that two English divisions were going south from Ypres in a few days'
time, and the Y.M.C.A. had been asked by the Army to erect a temporary
canteen at a certain railhead during the six days they would take to
pass through. There were no lady helpers in those days, and he was at
his wits' end to know where to find the staff. Could any of us be
spared? None of us _could_, as we were understaffed already, but
Lieutenant Franklin put it to us and said if we were willing to
undertake the canteen, as well as our hospital work, which would mean an
average of only five hours sleep in the twenty-four--she had no
objection. There was no time to get fresh Y.M.C.A. workers from England
with the delay of passports, etc., and of course we decided to take it
on, only too pleased to have the chance to do something for our own men.
A shed was soon erected, the front part being left open facing the
railway lines, and counters were put up. The work, which went on night
and day, was planned out in shifts, and we were driven up to the siding
in Y.M.C.A. Fords or any of our own which could be spared. Trains came
through every hour averaging about 900 men on board. There was just time
in between the trains to wash the cups up and put out fresh buns and
chocolates. When one was in, there was naturally no time to wash the
cups up at all, and they were just used again as soon as they were
empty. Canteen work with a vengeance! The whole of the Highland
division passed through together with the 37th. They sat in cattle
trucks mostly, the few carriages there were being reserved for the
officers. It was amusing to notice that at first the men thought we were
French, so unaccustomed were they then to seeing any English girls out
there with the exception of army Sisters and V.A.D.s.
"_Do chocolat, si voos play_," they would ask, and were speechless with
surprise when we replied sweetly: "Certainly, which kind will you have?"
I asked one Scotchman during a pause, when the train was in for a longer
interval than usual, how he managed to make himself understood up the
line. "Och fine," he said, "it's not verra deefficult to _parley voo_. I
gang into one o' them Estaminays to ask for twa drinks, I say 'twa' and,
would you believe it, they always hand out three--good natured I call
that, but I hae to pay up all the same," he added!
Naturally the French people thought he said _trois_. This story
subsequently appeared in print, I believe.
One regiment had a goat, and Billy was let out for a walk and had
wandered rather far afield, when the train started to move on again.
Luckily those trains never went very fast, but it was a funny sight to
see two Tommies almost throttling the goat in their efforts to drag it
along, pursued by several F.A.N.Y.s (to make the pace), and give it a
final shove up into a truck!
Towards the end of that week the entire staff became exceedingly short
tempered. The loss of sleep combined with hospital work probably
accounted for it; we even slept in the jolting cars on the way back. We
were more than repaid though, by the smiles of the Tommies and the
gratitude of the Y.M.C.A., who would have been unable to run the canteen
at all but for our help.
It was at this period in our career we definitely became known as the
"F.A.N.N.Y.s"--"F.A.N.Y.," spelt the passing Tommy--"FANNY," "I wonder
what that stands for?"
"First anywhere," suggested one, which was not a bad effort, we thought!
The following is an extract from an account by Mr. Beach Thomas in a
leading daily:
"Our Yeomanry nurses who, among other work, drive, clean, and manage
their own ambulance cars, are dressed in khaki. Their skirts are short,
their hats (some say their feet), are large! (this we thought hardly
kind). They have done prodigies along the Belgian front. One of their
latest activities has been to devise and work a peripatetic bath. By
ingenious contrivances, tents, and ten collapsible baths, are packed
into a motor car which circulates behind the lines. The water is heated
by the engine in a cistern in the interior of the car and offers the
luxury of a hot bath to several score men."
This was our famous motor bath called "James," and belonging to "Jimmy"
Gamwell. She saw to the heating of the water and the putting up of the
baths, with their canvas screens sloping from the roof of the ambulance
and so forming at each side a bathroom annexe. A sergeant marshalled the
soldiers in at one end and in about ten minutes' time they emerged
clean, rosy, and smiling at the other!
The article continued: "These women have run a considerable hospital and
its ambulances entirely by themselves. The work has been voluntary. By
doing their own household work, by feeding themselves at their own
expense (except for a few supplementary Belgian Army rations), by
driving and cleaning their own cars, they have made such a success on
the economical side that the money laboriously collected in England has
all been spent on the direct service of the wounded, and not on
establishment charges."
A Soup Kitchen brought out by Betty also belonged to our hospital
equipment. It did excellent work down at the Gare Centrale, providing
the wounded with hot soup on their arrival. Great was our excitement
when it was commissioned by a battery up the line. Betty and Lewis set
off in high spirits, and had the most thrilling escapes and adventures
in the Ypres section that would alone fill a book. They were with the
Battery in the early summer when the first gas attack swept over, and
caught them at "Hell fire Corner" on the Ypres-Menin road. It was they
who improvised temporary masks for the men from wads of cotton wool and
lint soaked in carbolic. Luckily they were not near enough to be
seriously gassed, but for months after they both felt the after
effects. Even where we were, we noticed the funny sulphurous smell in
the air which seemed to catch one with a tight sensation in the throat,
and the taste of sulphur was also perceptible on one's lips. We were to
have taken turns with the kitchen, but owing to this episode the
authorities considered the work too dangerous, and after being
complimented on their behaviour they returned to Lamarck.
We had a lot of daylight Taube raids, Zeppelins for the moment confining
all their efforts to England. It was fascinating to watch the little
round white balls, like baby clouds, where the shrapnel burst in its
efforts to bring the marauders down.
Very few casualties resulted from these raids and we rather enjoyed
them. One that fell on the Quay killed an old white horse; and a French
sailor found the handle of the bomb among the shrapnel near by and
presented it to me. It seemed odd to think that such a short while
before it had been in the hands of a Boche.
Jan was a patient we had who had entirely lost his speech and memory. We
could get nothing out of him but an expressive shrug of the shoulders
and a smile. He was a good looking Belgian of about twenty-four; and it
was my duty to take him out by the arm for a short walk each morning to
try and reawaken his interest in life.
One day I saw the French Governor of the town coming along on horseback
followed by his _ordnance_ (groom). How could I make Jan salute, I
wondered? I knew the General was very particular about such things, and
to all appearance Jan was a normal looking individual. "_Faut saluer le
Général_, Jan," I said, while he was still some distance away, but Jan
only shrugged his shoulders as much as to say, "I might do it, but on
the other hand I might not!" What was I to do? As we drew nearer I again
implored Jan to salute. He shrugged his shoulders, so in desperation,
just as we came abreast I put my arm behind him and seizing his, brought
it up to the salute! The General, whom I knew, seemed fearfully amused
as he returned it, and the next time we met he asked me if I was in the
habit of going for a walk arm in arm with Belgian soldiers, who had to
be made to salute in such a fashion?
One day we saw an aeroplane falling. At first it was hard to believe it
was not doing some patent stunt. Instead of coming down plumb as one
would imagine, it fell first this way and then that, like a piece of
paper fluttering down from a window. As it got nearer the earth though
where the currents of air were not so powerful, it plunged straight
downwards. Crowds witnessed the descent, and ran to the spot where it
had fallen.
Greatly to their surprise the pilot was unhurt and the machine hardly
damaged at all. It had fallen just into the sea, and its wings were
keeping it afloat. The pilot was brought ashore in a boat, and when the
tide went down a cordon of guards was placed round the machine till it
was removed.
Bridget, our former housekeeper at the hospital, went home to England in
the autumn for a rest and I was asked to take on her job. I moved to the
hospital and slept in the top room, behind our sitting-room, together
with the chauffeurs and Lieutenant Franklin.
I had to see that breakfast was all right, and at 7.30 lay the table in
the big kitchen, get the jam out of our store cupboard, make the tea,
etc. Breakfast over, I had the top room to sweep and dust, the beds to
make, the linen to put out to air, and when that was done it was time to
get "10 o'clocks" ready. After that I sallied forth armed with a big
basket, a fat purse and a long list, and thoroughly enjoyed myself in
the market.
In the afternoons there were always stacks of hospital mending to do,
and then tea to get ready. Sometimes as many as twelve people--French,
Belgian, or English--used to drop in, and it was no easy task to keep
that teapot going; however it was always done somehow. Luckily we had a
gas-ring, as it would have been an impossibility to run up and down the
sixty-nine steps to the kitchen every time we wanted more hot water.
At six the housekeeper had to prepare the evening meal for 7.30, and the
Flemish cooks looked on with great amusement at my concoctions--a lot of
it was tinned stuff, so the cooking required was of the simplest. They
always cooked the potatoes for me out of the kindness of their hearts.
The reason they did not do the whole thing was that they were really
off duty at six, but one of them usually stayed behind and helped.
Work at that time began to slacken off considerably.--A large hut
hospital for typhoids was built and the casualties diminished, partly
because most of the Belgians had already been killed or wounded, and
partly because the remaining few had not much fighting to do except hold
the line behind the inundations. A faint murmur reached us that a
comb-out was going to take place among the British Red Cross Ambulance
drivers, and we wondered who would replace them if they were sent up the
line.
The anniversary of the opening of Lamarck hospital took place on the
31st October, 1915, and we had a tremendous gathering, French, English,
and Belgians, described in the local rag as "_une réception intime,
l'élite de tout ce que la ville renferme_!" The French Governor-General
of the town, accompanied by two aides-de-camp, came in state. All the
guests visited the wards, and then adjourned for tea to the top room
where the housekeeper had to perform miracles with the gas-ring. A
speech of thanks was made to the Corps, and "Scrubby" (the typhoid
doctor) got up and in _quelques paroles émues_ added his tribute as
well. It was a most successful show and we thought the French Governor
would never depart, he seemed to enjoy himself so much!
Our next excitement was a big Allied concert given at the Theatre.
Several performances had taken place there since the one I described,
but this was the first time Belgians, French, and English had
collaborated.
Betty, who had been at Tree's School, was asked to recite, and I was
asked to play the violin. She also got up a one-act farce with
Lieutenant Raby. It is extremely hard to be a housekeeper for a hospital
and work up for a concert at the same time. The only place I could
practise in was the storeroom and there, surrounded by tins of McVitie's
biscuits and Crosse & Blackwell's jam, I resorted when I could snatch a
few minutes!
At last the day of the concert arrived and we rattled up to the Theatre
in "Flossie." A fairly big programme had been arranged, and the three
Allies were well represented. There was an opera singer from Paris
resplendent in a long red velvet dress, who interested me very much, she
behaved in such an extraordinary way behind the scenes. Before she was
due to go on, she walked up and down literally snorting like a
war-horse, occasionally bursting into a short scale, and then beating
her breast and saying, "_Mon Dieu, que j'ai le trac_," which, being
interpreted, means, approximately, "My God, but I have got the wind up!"
I sat in a corner with my violin and gazed at her in wonder. Everything
went off very well, and we received many be-ribboned bouquets and
baskets of flowers, which transformed the top room for days.
All lesser excitements were eclipsed when we heard further rumours that
the English Red Cross might take us over to replace the men driving for
them at that time.
MacDougal and Franklin, our two Lieutenants, were constantly attending
conferences on the subject.
At last an official requisition came through for sixteen ambulance
drivers to replace the men by January 1, 1916. You can imagine our
excitement at the prospect. The very first women to drive British
wounded officially! It was an epoch in women's work in France and the
forerunner of all the subsequent convoys.
Simultaneously an article appeared the 2nd December, 1915, headed
"'Yeowomen,' a triumph of hospital organisation," which I may be
pardoned for quoting:
"A complete unit with sixteen to twenty motor ambulances, organised,
worked, and driven by women, will next month be added to the British
Army.
"The women will drive their own cars and look after them in every way.
One single male mechanic, and that is all, is to be attached to the
whole unit. These ambulances may of course be summoned from their camp
to hurry over any type of winter-worn road to the neighbourhood of the
firing line.
"What strength, endurance, and pluck such work demands from women can
easily be understood by anyone who has ever tried to swing a car in cold
weather or repair it by the roadside.
"It is a very notable fact that for the first time under official
recognition women have been allowed to share in what may be called a
male department of warfare.
"The Nursing Yeomanry have just extracted this recognition from the War
Office and deserve every compliment that can be paid them; and the
success is worth some emphasis as one of a series of victories for women
workers and organisations, at the top of which is, of course, the
Voluntary Aid Detachment.
"The actual work of these Yeomen nurses, who rode horseback to the
dressing stations when no other means of conveyance were available, has
been in progress in France and Belgium almost since war was declared.
Most of their work has been done in the face of every kind of
discouragement, but they were never dismayed. Their khaki uniforms on
more than one occasion in Ghent made German sentries jump." (Mrs.
MacDougal arranging for F.A.N.Y. work[11] with the Belgians in September,
1914).
"This feat of the 'Yeowomen'--who have struggled against a certain
amount of ridicule in England since they started a horse ambulance and
camp some six or seven years ago--is worth emphasis because it is only
one instance, striking but by no means unique, of the complete triumph
of women workers during the past few months!"
* * * * *
The next question was to decide who would go to the new English Convoy,
and two or three left for England to become proficient in motor
mechanics and driving.
I was naturally anxious after a year with the Allies, to work for the
British, but as I could not be spared from housekeeping to go to England
I was dubious as to whether I could pass the test or not. Though I had
come out originally with the idea of being a chauffeur, I had only done
odd work from time to time at Lamarck. "Uncle," however, was very
hopeful and persuaded me to take the test in France before my leave was
due. Accordingly, I went round to the English Mechanical Transport in
the town for the exam., the same test as the men went through. I felt
distinctly like the opera lady at the concert. It was a very greasy day
and the road which we took was bordered on one side by a canal and on
the other by a deep and muddy ditch. As we came to a cross road the
A.S.C. Lieutenant who was testing me, said, "There you see the marks
where the last man I tested skidded with his car." "Yes, rather, how
jolly!" I replied in my agitation, wondering if my fate would be
likewise. We passed the spot more by luck than good management, and then
I reversed for some distance along that same road. At last I turned at
the cross roads, and after some traffic driving, luckily without any
mishap, drove back to hospital. I was questioned about mechanics on the
way, and at the end tactfully explained I was just going on leave and
meant to spend every second in a garage! I got out at the hospital gates
feeling quite sure I had failed, but to my intense relief and joy he
told me I had passed, and he would send up the marks to hospital later
on. I jumped at least a foot off the pavement!
I went in and told the joyful news to Lieutenant Franklin, who was to be
boss of the new Convoy, while Lieutenant MacDougal was to be head of the
Belgian hospital, and of the unit down at the big Convalescent dépôt in
the S. of France, at Camp de Ruchard, where Lady Baird and Sister Lovell
superintended the hospital, and Chris and Thompson did the driving.
It was sad to bid good-bye to Lamarck and the Belgians, but as the
English Convoy was to be in the same town it was not as if we should
never see them again.
"Camille," in Ward I, whose back had been broken when the dug-out
collapsed on him during a bombardment, hung on to my hand while the
tears filled his eyes. He had been my special case when he first
arrived, and his gratitude for anything we could do for him was
touching.
The Adjutant Heddebaud, who was the official Belgian head of the
hospital, wrote out with many flourishes a panegyric of sorts thanking
me for what I had done, which I duly pasted in my War Album; and so I
said Good-bye to Lamarck and the Belgians, and left for England,
December, 1915.