Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-01-23
Remarkable
Letters From
American Girl

Letter No. 9.
! R, Sunday. June 18th. 1917.
Address: American Base Hospital. r.
/ Care British Genl. No. L,
! American Expeditionary Force
/ Dear Mother.
That is our new address. Nothing
further is necessary, but everything
goes to London for censoring before
coming to us. We are allowed to say
| that we are,at R. but I suppose
you have gathered as much from my
last letter. There were a few letters
| came through yesterday, but were from
St Louis.
| We have been here just week, but
! have not taken things entirely over
yet. The British Matron and some
Sisters are still here and we are grad
ually being broken in. L C
and are on night duty and are enjoy
ing it very much. It's really wonder
fully picturesque at night and the
weather is very warm, so it's pleasant
to work then, for the nights are beauti
fui. The long rows of tents are so
quiet and dark at night, and the only
lights anywhere are the lanterns the
night Sisters carry as they make their
rounds. | have four surgical tents,
each. holding fourteen patients. Until
tonight they have been full of very
sick patients. Every few days con-
voys leave for England full Of wounded
who have been discharged because
they can't go back to the front. The
ones who can are kept here until they
are able, and the poor legleSS. armleSS
and smashed up ones are sent to
| "blghty"-as they call going home
and taken care of then permanently.
They are so happy when they get their
tickets for home, and when we come
! on at night we look down the ward for
, the "biighty smile. It's invariably on
the faces of the ones billeted for Eng
land. That usually means their fight
ing days are over. | never dreamed
that such fortitudo and courage ex
listed as these men show under the
most unbearable pain. Most of them
are pretty comfortable. except when
the dressings are done. and then it's
horrible. We all of us are perfectly
aghast at the mutiation that can eX-
ist and still life go on. OF course these
are all "Tommies" and they are such
good sports. so cheerful and full of fun.
and the tents are usually the most
cheerful places imagina bic.
The operating rooms are in huts, also
the Supply Rooms, Mess and Linen
Rooms. We are getting plenty to eat,
but it's very monotonous, and we thank
our lucky stars that we are near big
town where we can get fed up once
in awhile. Just now strawberries
and cherries are cheap and plentiful.
and that helps out. Bully beef
stews cabbage and pudding. tea at all
hours. and Army bread are our staples.
, We are enjoying the little luxuries we
brought from home, and l make cof-
fee every evening before going on
duty. on my little stove. Also we can
buy fresh eggs at a little canteen close
by. as we'll as oranges. etc.
The other day Il and I got up
early and went to r. for a little
shopping Ii takes fifteen minutes on
the train, which runs within five min
utes walk of our quarters. R--- is q
beautiful old town. The Cathedral is
a gem, and there are some other fine
old buildings that we didn't have time
to see. You can buy anything you
like the markets and shops are full of
every luxury, but prices are very high
for France. Really, though, they are
not much higher than at home. We
bought some cretonne to fix up our
little rooms, and some few things to
supplement our "kits" Our kits con-
sist of an army cot. not the softest bed
ever slept ina pillow, three sheets
and pillowcases. and four beautiful
heavy blankets, a collapsable canvas
bucket and a canvas wash basin. We,
none of US, care for the cola psable
articles. and have bought some enam-
eled basins and pitchers We are GER
tainly living most simply, but we have
everything we Teed to make us COM
Portable. except ice The days are
very hot, but the nights are lovely and
sleep we'll in spite of the heat. II. c.
;. has bought us all sun hats great
wide flcppy things, and the English
Sisters are much astonished thereby I
hope to have letters this week | am
afraid my last letter from here was
censored, as we hadn't been told the
things we must not say. | can't write
much about what is going on, because
L SiScP dill uaS. bul L no sometimes
wake up and whenever ] do the first
thing ! hear is the constant tramp.
, tramp of soldiers marching by. some
times singing. sometimes there is a
band. and sometimes only mouth
organ or a fife, but they always make
noise. We know when they are on
the way TO the trenches by their kits
and gear, and it's so dreadful to see
them go and know that they'll come
back to us in such a little while We
can often hear the Dig guns at night.
Il makes il all seem 50 near. Oh.
hope our boys won't have to get into
it It's awful, we hadn't the faintest
conception of il before
This is such a beautiful green conn
try all about Us. such lovely trees and
flowers. We are 50 fortunate to be in
such beautiful spot. We are liv-
ing under military rules. and our Or
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