The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1918-03-28
People Stand in Crowds, the Men With
Hats of, While AmbuIances Pass.

M thing I most regret about my
close call is that my parents in Lex
ington were in unrelieved suspense
about my condition until I myself sent
them a cable from London on Decem-
Der Is. After the first official mes
sage, seemingly prepared almost as n
preface to the announcement of my
demise, my father received no news
of me whatever. And, as I didn't know
that the official message had gone, l
cabled nothing to him until 1 was feel
ing fairly clipper again. You can't
have wars, though, without these little
misunderstanding.
If it were possible I should say
something here which would be fitting
and adequate about the English wom-
en- who nursed the $500 wounded men
in general hospital No. 5 at Rouen,
but that power isn't given me. All 1
a do is to fall back upon our most
profound American expression of re-
spect and say that my hat is off to
them. One nurse in the ward in which
l lay had been on her feet for fifty-six
hours, with hardly time even to eat.
She finally tainted from exhaustion.
was carried out of the ward and was
back again in four hours, assisting at
an operation. And the doctors were
doing their bit, too, in living up to the
obligations which they considered to
be theirs. An operating room was in
ovoru word Hx,;fh five <uh1o, ~ Dnrb
After the fight on the Somme, in which
l was wounded, not a table Was va
can't any hour in the t%wenty-fOur for
days at q time. Outside of each
was a long line of stretchers contain
ing patients next awaiting surgical at
tention. And in all that stress I did
not hear one word Of complaint from
the surgeons who stood hour after
hour, using their skill and training for
the petty pay of English army medical
officers.
On December S I was told I was
we'll enough to be sent to England,
and on the next day I went on a hos
pital train from Rouen to Havre. Here
l was placed on a hospital ship which
every medical officer in our army
ought to have a chance to inspect.
Nothing ingenuity could contrive for
convenience and comfort was missing.
Patients were sent below decks in ele-
vators and then placed in swinging
cradles which hung level no matter
what the ships motion might be. AS
soon nc I had hoon modo comfnrtohln
in my particular cradle I was given a
box which had engraved upon it "Pre-
sented with the compliments of the
Union Castle line. May you have a
speedy and good recovery" The box
contained cigarettes, tobacco and a
pipe.
When the ship locked at S%outhamp-
ton, after a RUIZ of eight hours across
channel, each patient was asked what
part of the British isles he would like
to be taken to for the period of his
convalescence. I requested to be taken
to London, where, I thought, there was
the best chance of my seeing Amer
leans who might know me. Say, l
sure made a good guess! I didn't know
many Americans, but I didn't need to
know them. They found me and made
themselves acquainted. They brought
things, and then they went out to get
more they had forgotten to bring the
first trip. The second day, after l had
been installed on a cot in the King
George hospital, in London, I sent