ON THE WAY TO ENGLAND
There was now no time to waste. The few treasures we had brought with
us were promptly added to the other packages; while it was decided that
each nun should wear her great-habit, as much to lessen the number of
parcels, as to preserve us from the cold, especially when crossing the
sea. We bade adieu to the Superioress and community of La Sainte Union,
who had given us such a warm welcome, and shown us such hospitality
during the past fortnight. They asked us in return to beseech Our Lord
not to allow the Germans to bombard Poperinghe, that they might be
able to stop in their convent, which they had only built during the
past eleven years, since the French Government had driven them from
Hazebrouck.
A ring at the door interrupted our adieux. The voice of a British
officer was heard, asking if this were the convent where the Irish
Dames of Ypres had taken refuge. The answer was soon given; and while
some went to help Lady Abbess, others seized the ‘baggage,’ and all
were soon at the door, where a group of wondering children and other
people were assembled to see what would be the end of such an unusual
sight. The great difficulty was to get our venerable invalid into the
car; for although able to walk fairly well when helped on both sides,
it was almost impossible for her to mount the two small steps. However,
the soldiers soon came to the rescue; and, with the help of their
strong arms, she was soon established comfortably in a corner of one of
the motors, enveloped in a blanket and numerous shawls to keep out the
cold. The rest of the community were not long in getting in the motors,
and Edmund brought up the rear with a young Irish girl, Miss Keegan,
who had been trying to get home since the war broke out, and had now
begged to be allowed to make the journey with us.
Owing to the heavy fall of rain and the unusual traffic, the roads
were in a very bad condition and consequently our ride was not of
the smoothest; but no accident occurred. Being frosty weather, the
wind was bitterly cold, and we were obliged to keep everything closed
that Lady Abbess might not be inconvenienced. She, however, kept up
bravely. We did not forget to say the ‘Sub tuum,’ nor to invoke our
good St. Raphael with a fervent ‘Angeli, archangeli,’ to which we added
the prayer for travellers. About half-way our kind guides came round
to the entrance of the cars to know if we wanted anything. We passed
through several villages and small towns surrounded by snow-covered
fields and frozen ponds. Nothing of note happened to vary the monotony
of the continual shaking of our motors. A little after 5 P.M. we came
to a standstill, and looking out, found ourselves in what seemed to
be a good-sized town. We were not left long in suspense, for soon
the cheery face of the officer in charge appeared, enquiring where
we wished to be driven, for we were at St. Omer. Mother Prioress
then produced the letter of recommendation given her by Commandant
Delporte for Major Kirke. The officer took the card, and soon we moved
off in another direction. After a few minutes’ run, we came again
to a halt, stopping some time. The officer then reappeared, saying
that the major was absent, and asking where we would like to go now.
Alas! we did not know, and wondered if it would not be advisable to
go straight on to Boulogne that same evening, to take the boat the
first thing next morning. The officer, seeing our perplexity, vanished
once more. Soon we were bowling through busy streets, lined with shops
well lit. Another stop, a few minutes’ wait, and off we were again.
A third halt--then another officer appeared, saluted, and asked in
excellent French if he could render us any service, or replace Major
Kirke, who was absent from St. Omer. On hearing our situation, he told
us that if we would just step out we should find accommodation in
the establishment before which the cars had stopped. As he was still
speaking, the persons who kept the house came out, helping us down,
taking the parcels from us, and seeming more than delighted at our
arrival. We were not sorry to leave the cars, for we were quite cramped
with the long, cold drive. The next question was how to get Lady Abbess
out of her corner, and into the house. At last the officer in charge
had the bright idea of carrying her on a stretcher. Accordingly, one
was brought down and laid on the seat opposite. We then helped her to
sit on the stretcher, and induced her to lie down. She was at first
afraid, not being accustomed to this novel mode of conveyance; but,
being reassured, she allowed the soldiers to carry her into the house,
and she was soon seated in a comfortable arm-chair by a blazing fire.
After expressing our gratitude to the good soldiers, we rejoined Lady
Abbess and soon made acquaintance with our kind hostesses. What was our
delight to find that they were secularised Ursuline nuns, and that the
house had formerly been a convent of La Sainte Union. It is therefore
unnecessary to state that we were received with the greatest charity, a
bed being even carried down to the room where we were for Lady Abbess,
so that she should not be obliged to go upstairs. Poor Edmund had once
more to be sent off, being conducted to almost the other end of the
town, much to his distress.
After a good supper, we retired to rest in what had once been the
children’s dormitory, and fatigued by such an eventful day we slept
well. Next morning we were awakened by the deep tones of church bells.
They were ringing the 6 o’clock Mass in the cathedral, which was quite
close to the convent. We arose, and arrived in time for a late Mass.
We were shown to seats almost at the top of the church. After a few
moments we heard the sound of soldiers marching, and soon we had to
give place to them, for we had come to a Military Mass, celebrated by
an Army Chaplain. Two by two the soldiers advanced, being marshalled to
right and left by an officer. It was an Irish regiment, and there were
altogether about seventy soldiers who attended devoutly to Holy Mass,
and more than one, when the moment of Holy Communion came, mingled with
those who approached the altar. After Mass, we were conducted back to
the convent, promising ourselves a visit during the day to see the
many objects of devotion and interest in the venerable cathedral. We
were not disappointed. Amongst other antiquities is a ‘Descent from the
Cross’ by Rubens, and oil-paintings in memory of a visit which holy
King Louis IX and Charles X paid to the cathedral, in thanksgiving for
the success of their arms. The sacred vessels, also, were for the most
part of great antiquity, especially a very ancient pyx ornamented with
filagree work. Besides the high altar, in the middle of the sanctuary,
having the stalls for the bishop and canons behind, there were numerous
side-altars, among which the most remarkable was that dedicated to Our
Blessed Lady of Miracles. This miraculous statue was held in great
veneration by the inhabitants of the town; and in the great peril they
had gone through some weeks past, when the Germans were advancing on
St. Omer, and when the British had saved it by arriving only just in
time--for had they come but half an hour later, the enemy would have
been before them--in the moment of peril, the people had promised Our
Blessed Lady, to give a new bell to the cathedral if she kept the
dreaded invaders from entering the city. ‘Ex-votos’ without end hung
all round the altar, besides numberless engravings in thanksgiving for
miracles and cures obtained through Our Lady’s intercession.
After our interesting visit, we stopped for vespers, which, since the
beginning of the War, were sung by the entire congregation; during
which time we profited to say our own vespers and compline. We then
went to visit M. le Curé de Furnes who, we knew, was stopping at St.
Omer, Mother Prioress desiring to have news of her cousin the Dean of
Furnes who, we heard, was at Boulogne. We also had the pleasure of
saluting M. le Vicaire.
On our way, we met some soldiers from Morocco--easily distinguished
as Arabs, by their bright blue tunics and long scarlet cloaks, with
their big turbans, their blankets thrown round them, and their lovely
horses. When we returned to the house, we learned that Lieutenant
Stuart-Hayes, who had been so kind to us on the previous evening, had
called to see Reverend Mother. He had, likewise, left a message to
say that he would try to assist at Benediction in the evening; and
afterwards he would come round again. He would be also very grateful
if, before his visit, Mother Prioress would make out all that was
necessary for our passports. All being finished, we set out for the
cathedral once again; for although there were still twenty minutes
before Benediction, yet at St. Omer, as nearly everywhere else, the
churches, since the beginning of hostilities, were crowded, and those
who before never put their foot inside a church were now amongst the
most fervent; so, to secure our places, we had to be there in time.
The rosary was first said aloud, the priest ascending the pulpit, so
as to be better heard by everyone. After the ‘O Salutaris,’ repeated
alternately by the choir and congregation, the ‘Miserere’ was sung,
the people repeating the first lines between each verse of the Psalm.
There was something particularly touching in that cry for mercy which
arose from every heart at the thought of the dear ones who, perhaps
even at that very moment, were being shot down on the battle-field.
But what made the most impression was the hymn sung after Benediction,
and which still rings in our ears--that ardent supplication to ‘La
bonne Mère!’ ‘Vierge d’espérance, Étends sur nous ton voile; Sauve,
sauve la France! Ne l’abandonne pas!’ It was truly a prayer in the real
sense of the word, beseeching the Mother of Mercy not to forsake the
land she had so many times miraculously saved, and where, but a short
while before, had been seen such a wonderful outburst of faith at the
Eucharistic Congress of Lourdes--the spot chosen by Our Blessed Lady
herself, and where the devotion to the Son had ever been united to that
of the Mother. The sound of the grand old organ greatly enhanced the
beauty of the singing; and our hearts also mounted to the throne of
mercy in behalf of our well-beloved Abbey which we were now leaving so
far behind.
Soon afterwards, returning to our lodgings, Mother Prioress received
the promised visit of the lieutenant, accompanied by a military
priest. He brought all the necessary papers with him, together with
a recommendation for the Governor of Boulogne, and took away our
passports to have them signed. Reverend Mother told him she would like
so much to have a Mass celebrated the next day in honour of St. Raphael
for our safe voyage. He promised to see if it would be possible; and
true enough, he returned a short time after with the good news that
not only should we have a Mass said at which we could assist, but that
he had obtained permission for the priest to accompany us as far as
Boulogne. We were now in jubilation and proceeded once more to arrange
our packages. The night soon passed, and next morning we proceeded to
the cathedral wondering where we should find ‘our priest,’ whom we did
not know, and had never seen! At the High Altar preparations were being
made for a funeral; so we passed to the chapel of Our Lady of Miracles
where a Mass was already half finished, hoping that ‘our priest’ would
perhaps say the next one. Towards the end, he came himself to look for
us, and told us he would not be able to come to Our Lady’s Altar as all
the Masses there were reserved, but that he would commence immediately
at St. Antony’s. So we crossed over to the other side of the cathedral
where Father Flynn (as we afterwards found out he was called) said
Mass, at which we all received Holy Communion. After breakfast we made
the last preparations; and, about ten, three ambulance cars drove up
to the house. The exiled nuns helped us as much as they could, giving
us each a postcard with a view of the convent as a souvenir of our
visit. They were sorry to see us leave, and told us to be sure and call
on them again, if we should ever repass by St. Omer. The soldiers now
came in with a stretcher for Lady Abbess; and the nuns were so good
that they insisted on lending a mattress, blankets, and pillows, which
would be returned with the cars. Having placed Lady Abbess on this
portable bed, the soldiers carried her out with the greatest care,
Father Flynn presiding and enlivening the whole proceeding with Irish
wit. We were soon seated in the cars, but had some time to wait, as
Mother Prioress was obliged to get a little money changed. Meanwhile
several people came to speak to us, among whom was the sister of one
of our former pupils, who, recognising our habit, came forward to know
what had happened to the Abbey. After a little while Reverend Mother
returned; but still the cars did not start. We soon learnt the reason
when Lieutenant Stuart-Hayes appeared triumphantly with a bottle of
light wine and a box of biscuits, which he insisted on our accepting.
We could not thank him enough for all that he had done for us; but he
withdrew immediately, after making sure we had all we desired, and
courteously saluting us, he gave word for the motors to start and we
were soon on the road to Boulogne. It was bitterly cold, so we kept the
car in which Lady Abbess was lying well covered. Just outside St. Omer,
a British aeroplane mounted from the aviation field. This was the last
we saw of active hostilities. Father Flynn kept the conversation going,
and, between the prayers and hymns, endeavoured to enliven the company.
He told us he was the first Catholic Chaplain to arrive with the troops
in France. He was going to the front on the following Wednesday--let us
hope that he will be spared.
After running along for some time as smoothly as was possible,
considering the bad state of the roads, the inmates of one of the
motors heard a crack like a report of a revolver. At the same instant
the car stood stock-still--the two others following necessarily did
likewise. On enquiry, it was discovered that a tyre had burst, which
meant a little halt on the way. As we were just outside a village, the
inhabitants, though accustomed by this time to British soldiers passing
by, were not accustomed to seeing nuns with them and consequently
crowded round to examine us a little nearer. None being brave enough
to ask where we came from, they solved the problem themselves, and
christened us ‘Les Petites Sœurs de la Croix Rouge,’ a title which I am
afraid we hardly deserved.
The country through which we passed seemed very picturesque, judging
from the glimpses we got from time to time by lifting up the flap at
the end of the car--fields covered with snow gradually sinking in
gentle slopes or rising in the distance in hilly ranges. From time to
time a woody glade would change the monotony of the succeeding meadows,
then a small village with its quaint little houses. As we were thus
putting more and more distance between Belgium and ourselves, a sudden
crash soon broke the reigning silence. The leading motor having drawn
up when at full speed, the two others--not expecting this--had run
one on top of the other. We were all thrown over on our seats and so
remained, not daring to move, for fear of what might happen next. The
truth was that the first car, owing to a rapid run down a slippery
hill had charged into a telegraph post, and that was the cause of our
being roused so unceremoniously out of the dreams of ‘auld lang syne.’
The drivers soon appeared to make excuses for the fright they had
unwillingly given us, saying that there was no harm done, except for
a window broken. We were quite reassured and started off again. Lady
Abbess had fortunately not realised the danger, and only asked what the
noise meant, and why we had stopped.
We rolled on once more, but our guides soon came to the conclusion that
they had mistaken their way; so, consulting their maps, they turned
back. Uphill and down again, going at the same flying pace, we at last
arrived in the historic old town of Boulogne. There we still continued
to mount and descend, for the streets seemed all very steep. It was now
between 2.30 and 3 P.M. and the boat would not leave till 4. We decided
it would be better to stop in our cars, as it was hardly according to
the nature of our vocation to go about sight-seeing, and if we got down
we should only stand shivering in the cold.
The motor-car in which were Lady Abbess and Mother Prioress was next
driven off to the Governor’s house, and having drawn up, Father Flynn
alighted to arrange everything for us. We patiently awaited his
return, little dreaming of the honour which was being prepared for us,
till we saw the Governor coming in person to salute the Superioress.
Reverend Mother having returned his greeting, told him of the great
kindness we had everywhere received from the British Headquarters, at
which he expressed the hope that we would experience the same from
the French. He then introduced Lieutenant Treillard, to whom he gave
us in charge, with directions to see us all safely on board. With
truly French gallantry the lieutenant saluted the company, and Father
Flynn carefully pocketing his precious papers and jumping up by the
chauffeur, the car with Lady Abbess and Mother Prioress rejoined the
rest of the community.
Our conductors, who were evidently hungry, now produced bread, tinned
meat, and cheese. One, buying some potato chips, promptly came to
share them with us. We declined to accept them, thanking him all the
same for his kindness. We thought we could not do better than follow
their example; so Mother Prioress divided Lieutenant Stuart-Hayes’
biscuits among us. Father Flynn produced a packet of chocolate, and
then each in turn drank some wine from the solitary little mug we had
brought in case Lady Abbess should want anything on the way. As the
soldiers seemed very cold, stamping their feet on the frozen road,
Reverend Mother gave them also a drop of wine; and for one who refused
(having probably taken the pledge) she warmed some milk with the little
spirit-lamp we had. They were all delighted. Poor fellows! it was the
least we could do for them, when they had rendered us such good service.
Captain Dwyer, who had brought our papers from the general staff to
Lieutenant Stuart-Hayes when we were at St. Omer, now joined us once
more (having been sent to Boulogne with despatches) to assure himself
of our safety. Our long stay ended by exciting the curiosity of the
bystanders, and we received rather indiscreet visits of persons who,
apparently passing innocently by the cars, lifted up the flap to look
in. Some ventured to talk, and we discovered one poor man who said he
came from the Rue St. Jacques, Ypres, and an old woman who had walked
all the way from Dixmude.
At last it was time to go on board the boat. The ambulance cars took
us quite close to the gangway. When we had all got down with our
parcels, the soldiers lifted the stretcher on which Lady Abbess was
lying, and gently carried her on board and into the cabin, where we
helped her on to a sofa. Lieutenant Treillard superintended everything,
and good Father Flynn made fun all the time. The latter then gave
special injunctions to Reverend Mother about the papers, &c., and
giving us his blessing, with a special one to Lady Abbess, having in
his turn begged hers, with all possible wishes for a safe arrival
at our destination, he hurried off the boat, which was preparing to
leave. The passage was very calm, but cold and frosty. For more than
one of us it was the first crossing, Lady Abbess having up to this
time never even seen the sea; and, sad to say, nearly all proved ‘bad
sailors’ except, curiously enough, Lady Abbess. Happily, however, the
passage only lasted 1 hr. 20 min., so we were soon at Folkestone.
Thanks to our papers from British and French Headquarters, we were
passed successfully by the doctor and other officials (who stopped
two Belgian peasants following us ashore)--even Edmund got through
without the least difficulty. Arrived in the station, a telegram was
sent to a relative of one of the community in London, who kindly
looked out lodgings for us in advance. It seemed an interminable
time before the train set off, and afterwards, rushing through the
darkness, passing station after station, town after town, we thought
London would never come. However, all things come to an end, and so
did our journey, as at last we steamed into Victoria Station. There,
one would have said we were expected, we were so kindly received by
the ladies on the platform, who helped us out and pressed us to take
something. On hearing where we had come from, and how we had succeeded
in getting honoured Lady Abbess safe through so many difficulties,
everyone was more than interested; and soon porters were running in
all directions to get cabs to convey us to our destination which was
in quite another part of London. A bath-chair was brought for Lady
Abbess who was wheeled out of the station, Mother Prioress holding her
hand. One of the ladies, seeing the impossibility of getting her into
a cab, fetched a private motor-car. The gentleman who owned it, helped
by a soldier, lifted Lady Abbess gently in. Then they drove to the
hospital of SS. John and Elizabeth, whither it was thought better for
the present to take Lady Abbess. The soldier, overcome by the sight
of our dear Abbess’ patience, took her in his arms--exclaiming, when
he came downstairs, ‘I could not help it, she is such a dear good old
lady.’ Dame Patrick’s aunt (Mrs. Adamson) had arranged everything for
us, and so Dame Patrick, with Mother Prioress and Dame Columban, were
cordially received at her house. Lady Abbess remained at the hospital
of SS. John and Elizabeth, where, indeed, she received every attention,
together with seven other members of the community. Dame Teresa, Dame
Aloysius, and Dame Walburge experienced the same charity at the
Sisters of Hope. Edmund was also taken in at Mrs. Adamson’s. Those at
the hospital and the Sisters of Hope heard Mass there next morning; and
Mother Prioress, Dame Columban, and Dame Patrick walked as far as the
Dominicans at Haverstock Hill. We may here note the loving goodness of
Divine Providence, which had not once allowed us to miss Mass or Holy
Communion in spite of all the dangers and fatigues of the past weeks.
We were truly like the Israelites in the desert, for whom the manna
never failed.