Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-07-25
MISS RAM IS UNDER
HUN FIRE IN FRANCE

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German aviators has become such a
common occurrence that little notice is
taken Of an air raid by nurses and
physicians at Base Hospital No. p,
of which Miss Cordelia RAM, former
visiting nurse to Mexico is one, ac-
cording to an interesting letter from
Maj. Borden Veeder, who is in charge
of the hospital, to Mrs. Frank V. Ham
mar, chairman of the st. Louis chap
ter of the Red Cross. Trenches have
been prepared for the nurses to take
shelter in when German aviators are
in the vicinity. Safety trenches and
sandbag emplacements have also been
placed about many of the wards, Maj.
Veeder writes.
Much attention is given to athletics,
and field meets are held almost every
week in order to divert the attention
Of the wounded, according to the let
ter, which is dated June 20.
The letter follows, in part:
"a short time ago one of the Brit
ish base hospitals was badly knocked
about by an aeroplane raid and a num-
Der Of sisters and others Of the per-
sonnet were killed." DR.. Veeder writes.
"As you have seen from your papers,
Rouen has had some visits from
Fritz but it has only served to dis
turb our sleep so far. Profiting, how
ever, by the knowledge that the Ger
man avions do not respect hospitals,
we have constructed safety trenches
and erected sand-bag emplacements
about many Of the wards,
Nurses Bravely Face Danger.
Trenches have been provided for
the safety of the nurses al the huts
in their quarters. With n or two
exceptions, the nurses do not seem to
mind the sudden bombing and shelling
in the night, and l cannot tell you how
proud we are of their behavior. Dur
ing the first few raids, when
there was no protection, there
never was a peep from
them. Each nurse stayed in her own
room, and it was as quiet, so far as
they were concerned, as if they were
in their own homes in st. Louis. Re-
Gently there has been a respite, but !
hear That if raids should continue ali
summer we will eventually have to
send a number of women further hack,
as their rest after a days work is so
interrupted.
eve have had a very BUSY two
months, so busy, l am glad to say,
that we do not have time to stop and
consider the seriousness of the present
situation. As you know, u men are
pouring in, and they are very welcome
sights to the French and British.
Have Athletic Meet.
"We are having a regular siege Of
celebrations. 1t may sound peculiar to
you to hear us talk of athletics
sports, circuses, ETC., but l assure you
these things are just as necessary to
keep the morale and the mental health
of the unit as food and exercise are for
their physical welfare. On the 18th
Of May, while you were holding serv-
ices at home, we were having an ath'
letic meet, followed by amateur theat'
ricals, in the open air, on the rae
course before the pavilions. We die
have a special service on Sunday ev-
ening. June IL we celebrated the an
niversary of our first year in Rouen
We had a very large crowd of nurses
and sisters from the different hospit-
ais, officers, enlisted men and patients
in their blue clothes. 1t was quite
new form Of entertainment for Rou-
en-. The nurses had a Maypole dance
which, | think, must have shocked the
British soldiers very much, but it wa
pretty and attractive and the French
went into most extravagant praise.
"We are planning an athletic NEE
for all of the men in Rouen for the
Fourth of July, and that night there II
TO be a French American meeting il
town, with moving pictures Of Ameri
can troops in France and speeches b!
French military and civil authorities
which we all plan to cheer prodigious
", although we probably will not un
derstand a word.
Red Cross Sends Instruments.
"The Red Cross in Paris has sent ui
instruments which cannot be procured
in any other way over here. They are
sending us two huts to serve as recre
alton huts for the unit, after a long
and tedious delay here in regard to the
question of where they were to BIZ
erected. who was to erect them, wh'
was 10 be responsible for them, etc
We are also getting much needed new
baths and other hospital buildings
Tho nurses mess has been repainted
new and larger windows put in, flow
er boxes placed at the windows, and
with new curtains, etc. it is very at
tractive, and they are all very happ!
over the improvement.
an closing I al only say that WI
over here appreciate the way the peo