[14] All numerals relate to stories herein told--not to chapters from
original sources.
"FIELD HOSPITAL AND FLYING COLUMN"--IN RUSSIA
_Journal of an English Nursing Sister_
_Told by Violetta Thurstan_
This English woman relates her experiences as an eye witness and
participant. "For me," she says, "the beginning of the War was a
torchlight tattoo on Salisbury Plain. It was fascinating to watch
the stately entrance into the field of Lancers, Irish Rifles, Welsh
Fusiliers, Grenadiers and many another gallant regiment, each
marching into the field in turn to the swing of their own particular
regimental tune until they were all drawn up in order." She then
tells about "The Beginning of It All"; "Her Experiences in Charleroi
and Roundabout"; "The Return to Brussels"; "Our Work in Warsaw";
"The Bombardment of Lodz," and "The Trenches at Radzivilow." These
and many other stories have been collected into a volume under the
title "Field Hospital and Flying Column." The stories told here are
by permission of her publishers, _G. P. Putnam's Sons_.
[15] I--WITH GRAND DUCHESS CYRIL IN WARSAW
The Grand Duchess Cyril happened to be staying at the Hotel Bristol
too. Like most of the other members of the Russian Royal Family,
since the beginning of the war she has been devoting her whole time
to helping wounded soldiers, and is the center of a whole network of
activities. She has a large hospital in Warsaw for men and officers, a
very efficient ambulance train that can hold 800 wounded, and one of
the best surgeons in Petrograd working on it, and a provision train
which sets up feeding-stations for the troops and for refugees in
places where food is very scarce, which last is an indescribable boon
to all who benefit by it. The Grand Duchess's hospital in Warsaw, like
every other just at this time, was crammed to overflowing with wounded
from Lodz, and the staff was inadequate to meet this unexpected need.
The Grand Duchess met Princess V. in the lounge just as we arrived
from Lodz, and begged that our Column might go and help for a time
at her hospital. Accordingly, the next day, the consent of the Red
Cross Office having been obtained, we went off to the Grand Duchess's
hospital for a time to supplement and relieve their staff. They met
us with open arms, as they were all very tired and very thankful for
our help. They only had room for fifty patients and had had about
150 brought in. Fortunately the Grand Duchess's ambulance train had
just come back to Warsaw, so the most convalescent of the old cases
were taken off to Petrograd, but even then we were working in the
operating-theater till twelve or one every night. They hoped we had
come for two or three weeks and were very disgusted when, in five
days' time, the order came for us to go off to Skiernevice with the
automobiles. The hospital staff gave us such a nice send-off, and
openly wished that they belonged to a flying column too. I must say it
was very interesting these startings off into the unknown, with our
little fleet of automobiles containing ourselves and our equipment.
We made a very flourishing start out of Warsaw, but very soon plunged
into an appalling mess of mud. One could really write an epic poem on
Russian roads. At the best of times they are awful; on this particular
occasion they were full of large holes made by shells and covered with
thick, swampy mud that had been snow the week before. It delayed us so
much that we did not get to Skiernevice till late that night.