At 3.30 this morning I was awakened by a gun being fired; I did not
think anything of this, as one gets so used to the noise of guns. At
4.30 I dressed and went to inquire what the patients were going to
have for breakfast, and when one of the nurses and I were standing
talking we heard a great explosion. I knew at once that it was a bomb,
as I had experienced the same thing in Antwerp. We then heard, as we
thought, the Marconi working, and we looked above us and saw it was a
German aeroplane. Then we saw another German aeroplane, and then two
Austrian ones. We knew at once they were attacking Kragujevatz. They
began dropping bombs first near the arsenal, which did not,
fortunately, do any damage; then one near the King's Palace, which did
no harm but battered several shops and made holes in the walls of the
cathedral. The bomb fell in the middle of the road. Many windows were
broken in the cathedral. Another bomb fell in a cottage and killed a
girl of fourteen who had only been in Kragujevatz three days; her
parents had sent her from Belgrade as she was so afraid of the raids
there. Sixteen people were injured and five killed. Then they came
over our camp, a splendid target for them as the Marconi is only 150
yards away. The next bomb dropped was about 150 yards from our camp.
The smoke was terrible; I felt sure some of us would be the next
victims. Most of our unit turned out in their night attire. I was glad
that I was presentable. The next bomb dropped was about 110 yards and
the pieces were scattered all round the mess tent and the kitchen. One
of the doctors came hurrying along and called for me to pick up some
pieces of shrapnel, but as we got to the spot we found a poor woman
had been struck. Her arm was quite a pulp; I do not think she will
recover.
I got about fourteen pieces of shrapnel, a piece of the
hanger-propeller and the fuse. Lots of trees were struck and I got a
piece of shrapnel out of the bark. A wireless was sent from here and
one of the aeroplanes was brought down.
There has never been a raid on Kragujevatz before. All the guards
round our camp fired their rifles, but there were no air-craft guns
fired. We have not got large guns round us as there had never been a
raid on Kragujevatz before.
Another poor woman was brought in wounded about 11 o'clock. She had a
little baby which was _not_ hurt; she was struck on the leg. The baby
is exactly like a little old man, and it only weighs 6-1/2 lbs. and is a
year old; its bones are coming nearly out of its flesh.
Some of our staff who have fever are very ill, and some delirious.
Mrs. Stobart is much better.
Dr. Dearmer is going to Salonika. He is meeting some fresh members for
our unit, they are due on June 18. A Civil Hospital and some
Dispensaries are to be started. They will be branches of this one. The
pontoon bridges and the regiments pass our camp every day. The
weather is terribly hot.
We have started to use our mosquito nets. I had an arrow given me
yesterday by a French aviator, one of the kind they throw out of the
aeroplanes; and I have had a very nice Turkish dress given me.
Letters come from England very well now; they take about thirteen
days.
Our convalescents sing and play at nights; some of them have very good
voices. Their songs were generally battle songs, and relate to their
friends who had fallen in the war. They are very clever in making
their instruments--flutes, violins--which are excellent.
Just heard that some more aeroplanes have been seen but they have been
stopped coming over here. The Serbian Government think that they tried
to drop the bombs on our camp; we can be sighted miles away.