Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1918-09-04
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CONCEALED and closed IL, as If IL were
glued down.
An English girl dressed in khaki was
driving the ambulance, while beside
her on the seat was corporal of the
X. A. NJ. c., They kept up running
conversation about Blighty which al
most wrecked my nerves; pretty
soon from the stretcher above me. the
Irishman became aware of the fact
that the bandage from his foot had be-
come loose; it must have panied him
horribly. because he yelled in a loud
voice:
"If you don't stop this bloody death
wagon and fix this d bandage on
my foot, l will get out and walk"
The girl on the seat turned around
and in a sympathetic voice asked,
Poor fellow, are you very badly
wounded?"
The Irishman. at this question, let
out a howl of indignation and an
swered, Am l very badly wounded,
what bloody cheek; no, I'm not wound
ed, I've only been kicked by a canary
bird"
The ambulance Immediately stopped,
and the corporal came to the rear and
fixed him up, anu also washed out my
right eye. / was too weak to thank
him, but it was a great relief. Then
/ must have become unconscious, be-
cause when regained my senses, the
ambulance was at a standstill, and my
stretcher was being removed from it.
1t was night, lanterns were flashing
here and there, and could see stretch
er-bearers hurrying to and fro. Then
l was carried into hospital train.
The inside of this train looked like
heaven TO me, just pure white, and we
met our first Red Cross nurses; we
thought they were angels. And they
were.
Nice little soft hunks and clean.
white sheets.
Red Cross nurse sat beside me
during the whole ride which lasted
three hours. She was holding my
wrist; l thought 1 had made hit, and
tried to tell her how / got wounded.
and say, Eyes, 1 know, but you mustn't
talk now, try to go to sleep, it'll do you
good, doctors orders" Later on l
learned that she was taking my pulse
every few minutes, as was very weak
from the loss of blood and they ex-
pected me to snuff it, but 1 didn't.
From the train we went into ambu-
lances for a short ride to the hospital
ship Panama. Another palace and more
angels. l don't remember the trip
across the channel.
opened my eyes; l was being car
ried on a stretcher through lanes of
people, some cheering, some waving
flags, and others crying. The flags were
Union Jacks, l was in Southampton.
Blighty at last. My stretcher was
strewn with flowers, cigarettes, and
chocolates. Tears started to run down
my cheek from my good eye. 1 like
BOBBY was crying. Can you beat ite-
Then into another hospital train, a
five-hour ride to Paignton, another am
bulance ride, and then l was carried
into Munsey ward of the American
Women's War hospital and put into a
real bed.
This real bed was too much for my
unstrung nerves and fainted.
When came to, pretty Red Cross
nurse was bending over me, bathing
my forehead with cold water, then she
left and the ward orderly placed a
screen around my bed, and gave me
much.needed bath and clean pajamas.
Then the screen was removed and a
bowl of steaming soup was given me.
1t tasted delicious.
Before finishing my soup the nurse
came back to ask me my name and
number. She put this information down
Ia little book and then asked:
"Where do you come from?" an
swered:
'From the big town behind the
Statue of Liberty" upon hearing this
she started jumping up and down,
clapping her hands, and calling out to
three nurses across the ward:
Come here, girls-at last we have
got q real live Yankee with u.s."
They came over and besieged me
with questions, until the doctor ar
rived. Upon learning that was an
American he almost crushed my hand !
in his grip of welcome. They also
were Americans. and were glad to see
me.
The doctor very tenderly removed
my bandages and told me, after view
ing my wounds, that he would have to
take me to the operating theater i'm
mediately. Personally l didn't care
what was done with me.
In few minutes, four orderlies who |
looked like undertakers dressed in |
white. brought a stretcher to my bed |
and placing me on 1t carried me out of |
the ward, across a courtyard TO the |
operating room or pictures" as Tom |
my calls 1t.
i don't remember having the anes-
thestic applied.
When I came TO was again lying In 1
a bed In Munsey ward. One of the
nurses had draped large American
flag over the head of the bed, and /
clasped in my hand was smaller flag,
and II made me feel good all over to
again see the "Stars and Stripes"
At that time / wondered when the
boys in the trenches would see the
emblem Of the "land Of the free and
the home of the brave" beside them,
doing its bit In this great war Of civil