The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-24

summer resort for the English people.
The first evening Miss Bullene report
ed for duty she was told to prepare
for the night and to put on a heavy
coat as WELL as the nurses who were
not on night duty were to be taken
out into thu woods to sleep. The rea-
son for this precaution was that the
Germans were making almost nightly
air raids in this section of the coun-
try in an effort to destroy the rail-
road which hauled the supplies and
ammunition to the front. The hos
pital huts which covered a wide area,
were so close to the railroad that they
the strafing.
We're Taken to Woods.
The aurses were loaded into tories
holding about twenty each, and driven
along the country road to the woods
where they were to sleep. 1T seemed
to me that I had never seen any,
thing lovelier than the country was
Miss Bullene commented. THE spring
blossoms were out all along the read,
the peoples, the spirea and the cc1n-
flower"
They We're told to not sleep more
than two or three together, and to
eliminate anything white which might
be seen from the air.
Miss Bullene's duties were mostly
night duties after she had been there
a short time. and she was obliged to
look after her ward full of wounded
men with no light after nine O'Clock
except that of a lantern on the floor.
with a towel thrown over it to dim the
light.
On one occasion, just as a German
plane was flying overhead, one of her
patients burst a blood vessel and Miss
Bullene had to stand in the dark and
hold it to prevent his bleeding to
death.
She says that the men, brave be-
yond everything, at the front, are for
the most part like frightened children
when they are lying helpless in their
beds and know that they are at the
mercy of the air-men. Often she
would have to keep walking up and
down the corridors, to cheer and en-
courage them. On such occasions, one
would be apt to catch her hand and
plead, Don't leave me. Sister," and
another, Stay with me. Sister," Once
in awhile there would be one who
would be more concerned about her,
begging her to seek safety. But the
| flinchingly on the battle field, thought
only of their own fears. Miss Bull
lene's second assignment was at Eta
pies, and her third at Camiers, but
they were practically in the same area
as WimereuX, and therefore subject to
bombing. 1t never was known. either
what day tlreI Germans might break
the line they had bent, and be upon
them.
Nurse Killed in Hut.
An English nurse and v A. D.
were killed in one of the huts of the
same hospital in which Miss Bullene
was stationed, on one of these night
raids. The V. A. D. of England, Vol
unteer Aid Department, was made up
! largely of girls of the wealthy class
who had not had regular nurses
| training but were SO DESTROYS of help
J ing that they volunteered their serV-
| ices as assistants to the nurses.
Last Christmas. after the armistice
was signed, Miss Bullene had a Christ
mas celebration for the men in her
ward of the hospital. She obtained a
| large tree which she hung, with the
aid of some of the soldiers, with gaily
| colored strings of tissue paper; Vari-
colored cakes of toilet soap which had
been issued by the Red Cross, and
| which added to the Christmassy eff
feet; candy wrapped in tinfoil, and
everything she could find that would
/ lend color to it. The room was strung
with streamers of bright tissue paper,
gathered from Christmas packages,
and they placed branches and boughs
from the nearby woods in the corners
of the room to give it the necessary
atmosphere.
And there, far from home herself,
Miss Bullene did all in her power to
| make it seem like the real thing for