Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-16
AFTER 2ND TRIP TO WAR ZONE TELLS
MANY INTERESTING EXPERIENCES

~ 4ANU AZAX SxIO
, hospitals are the V. A. E's., Volunteer
Aid Detachments). These are women
| course at some hospital and who have
entered the work without the full course.
| Their aid is invaluable as they work as
conscientiously in many cases as do the
nurses. The regular nurses in all Eng
land. France and in fact all Europe are
called Sisters" and everywhere the uni
form Of the Sister calls for civility and
attention. The Sisters command very
high respect. The V. A. DIS, coming as
they generally do, from cultured families
and being we'll educated, are proving
great help in the work. ACTIVE service
applies only to those who have been sent
out of England and are doing work of
caring for the wounded near some firing
line So V A. d. does not get active
service until after her three months
course and until she has been sent to
France. Malta, Egypt or some other
country.
| In an English hospital and where the
English soldiers only are cared for, Miss
| Hambln gained good idea of the man
ners and customs Of the English. She
said, "Tea, tea all the time" The Eng
lish drink it many times day. she
| could not acquire more of taste foI"1t
than when she was at home, but the
English drank 1t and she had to follow
With hers she had lemon. while the Eng
lsh always use milk and sugar.
| Miss Hamblin Lost"
| For eight weeks, confined to a small
room, with the only entrance from the
outside, and 20 miles from the base hos
pital. Miss Hamblin battled with an at
tack of scarlet fever. She was taken i'll
with what she thought was q bad cold
and her self-administered treatment did
not seem to relieve her. After passing
the night in her small room she was
taken 20 miles in an ambulance to the
isolation compound. The isolation COM
pound can accommodate 200 beds. Here
are put the nurses, doctors and Tommies
who have contagious diseases. Each
room has for its only entrance the door
! from the outside. In the room is the cot,
| the small table, the one chair and the
! foru bare walls. During the eight weeks
that Miss Hambln was in isolation she
had but three callers from the outside
world and she said that never had time
dragged so heavily for her 1t was at
the time that she became lost Getting
no news from her. her folks became very
much worried and because of the scant
information which one is able to get from
such sources their fears were we'll
grounded But she was finally found
In the isolation compound. Her admir-
able sense of humor evidently saved
Miss Hamblin many sad moments. She
said that in the isolation ward are housed
various sufferers. On one side of her was
a case of diphtheria, on the other a case
of mumps. "and me in between with my
scarlet fever" The company which calls
to see the patient in the isolation ward
is allowed to stand in the doorway and
look in and maybe exchange rev
words. but doctors and nurses were the
only ones who went into the room.
| Miss Hamblin's illness came at most
fortunate time, the middle of October,
when larger part of the rush work
was over. The busiest times were dur
ing the summer months when the fight
ling along the fronts was the f1ercest.
The fighting had to be given up to a
great extent during the colder months
because of the mud. The mud is every
where where the fighters are Many
soldiers fight while the mud is way
up to their waists and many soldiers
| have seen their comrades so down be-
fore them, sinking out of sight, and
lost in the mud.
After recovering from scarlet fever
Miss Hambln went to convalescent
hospital to regain her strength. This
hospital is financed by Princess Vic
toria Louise. The building was form
erly the hunting lodge of the husband
of Princess Victoria Louise and is Situ-
ated right in the heart OF a dense pine
forest, Miss Eamblin said that her
visit at this place was very pleasant
but that she felt the cold. The English
people do not heat their homes the
same as do Americans but have crate
fires. The CRATE fires are good to keep
one side of ones body warm at a time.
Christmas Time.
Miss Hamblin arrived at the base
hospital after her sickness shortly be-
fore Christmas and passed Christmas
had not yet gone back on duty. Christ
mas was a most cheerful occasion at
this one base hospital anyway. and
every doctor. nurse and patient was
remembered in some way by Christmas
gifts Greens were gathered from
somewhere, Miss Hambln could not
tell the source for she had never OBJ
served them in her walks during recre-
alton time. Greens and Christmas fes-
ICONS which were forwarded by the de-
partment were used in profusion, be-
| ing Graped about the room and looped
around the center poles. Each patient
did his share in the work as he was
able and the doctors and nurses raised
a fund with which they purchased ex-
ira dainties for the lunch of that day.
Just the day before Christmas $50 new
patients arrived. but by hurrying.
urIying, planning and scrimplng even
these extra ones We're not forgotten in
the distribution Of the next day. The
comfort bags, similar to those that
| many Augusta ladies' made for the