The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-05-02
LETTER FROM THE
FIGHTING FRONT
CAPTAIN HENRY OF CANADIAN
MEDICAL SERVICE WRITES
OF BIG BATTLE
FOUR THOUSAND WOUNDED TWO DAYS
Splendid Service OF The Doctors And
Hospitals Save All But Fifty
OF Vast Total

Mr.. and Mrs. Geo. c. Henry of this
city are in receipt of letters from their
son, Capt. Clarence M. Henry, a Ca
madam medical officer, attached to No.
s Canadian Stationery Hospital. They
have kindly allowed the Register to
publish some extracts that will be of
general interest. Under date of March
22nd, he writes:
you certainly have had a very cold
winter there. while we have enjoyed
a lovely one-very little snow and cold
weather. 1t has been bright and clear
the most of the time. 1t is quite a
contrast to last winter. The u. S. is
certainly going IN ratiOns in good
shape, and l see that Canada is taking
it up as well. We do not suffer up
here in any respect for food. The only
things we are ever short of is sugar
and milk and that only for short spells.
Milk we get is condensed or use the
milk powder when we cannot get any
other, but we get everything else
used in the ordinary meal. We have
always had enough to eat but some
times not a great variety. We are
not allowed to use green vegetables
u~ncoOked as there is such a danger of
getting typhoid fever from them in
this country. 1t Is the green stuff that
we miss more than anything. When
we get growing our own green stuff
we will fare better.
w get the daily papers and mag
azines sent over from England, and we
have three chaplains attached to our
unit-a church of England, IA Presby-
terrain and a II. c. padre, so we are
well supplied. They are all good fell
lows and do an immense amount OF
good work among the boys. This Is
a good place for young PADRES, but
the older men with set views and not
good mixers had better stay at home.
A padre must be Il good mixer and
know men to be a success. 1t is not
religion SO much the boys wan but
cOmradeShip-SomeOne to write their
letters when they cannot, and some
one to hear and console with them in
their military and domestic troubles"
Under date Of April 5th he tells OF
the first part of the late big battle,
as follows:
w have just passed through a very
strenuous week. A week & last Sun
day | was up to n of the Canadian
hospitals, just after this great push
began, and found them swamped with
work. They had only 4 operating ia
bles and hadn't enough surgical teams
to run 24-hour shifts. SO we offered
them two teams. We went up Monday
morning and worked two days and four
nights that week and only had time
for eats and sleep outside of the Oper-
ating room. When Saturday night
came We had caught up with the work
and were all about in ourselves. The
hospital received 1000 cases in 48
hours. and as IS per cent Of them were
surgical, We had some Job on our
hands. The first few days the con.
voys came down in bad shape, as the
boys were a long time on the road and
had received only field dressings on
account OF the forced excavations of
the clearing stations down the line.
Still / think u results were very good
as we lost only so cases out of 1000
received. and as some of the boys were
in bad shape when we got them, |
think the results were remarkable.
This last week they are coming down
in much better condition and could
be evacuated much more quickly to
England. l am still up there during
the day but unless there is another
push on shortly l will not be required
much longer.
"The boys feel very cheerful over
this last push, as the Germans have
paid very dearly for the land they
have gained. The boys think We have
him on the hip, and this year will see
! the last of it. l truly hope so, for to
: see the poor fellows come in all man.
gled and torn makes us old hardened
t veterans, used to sorrowful sights,
: shudder and sad fer the thousands of
r homes rendered fatherless or sonless
t by the ambition Of the monster, the
: kaiser and his followers. Our air ser.
vice is doing wonderful work and the
3 boys say We have supremacy of the
: air. which will become stronger as the
Americans get int0 II"