1 17-9-16 My very dearest Mother I am now going to write you
areal long letter telling you all the
news I can find, my last letters
have been very sketchy & written
in a great hurry. Iwill start off
by tell you a very good bit of
news, Ihave a whole day off & have
just enjoyed my breakfast in bed
consisting of Toast, bacon & fried
Tomatoes, I am just delighted at
having a rest as I just felt I
wanted a day off so am taking
it very quietly & staying in bed
til 10.30 & then go in to town by
the 11.45 train & have a look about
town as Ihave not been in for 2 over a month. We have had an enormous evacuation
these last two day & the Hospital is
practically cleared, my two tents
are empty for how long no one
knows they are evidently expecting
another big rush, I am so pleased getting
this day before we start again although
Iwas very sorry loosing all my Gas
Poisoning patient, it was so interesting
& I was just beginning to under
stand & learn all about the effect of
the Gas on the heart etc, however it
is a great consolation to know they
have all gone to England but I
doubt they will get anything like the
treatment they were getting here as
our M. O. has made a special study
of it & was just getting to the 3 bottom of it, when all his cases
have been sent to Eng: it is a
great pity he is not in charge of
a big Hospital at home which has
nothing but G. Cases —. Well you will be interested to
hear my last lot of patients
were all Ulsterman — my 1st was
a Srg.th out of the Innis Fus: a
absolute terror, who ran Dublin &
the South down & called them all
traitors etc & that ofcourse Ulster was
the only place in Ireland one could
live in safety & that it was the
only place in Ireland one could
get work & live on the pay & as for
the Irish Reg: none of them had
to go through what the Ulsters
had etc, oh there used to be 4 terrible arguments, I only know he
was the ruination of the ward, he
had a different complaint every
morning for the Medical O. the last
one a stygh on the eye which finished
him & was sent down to C.C.
then the next lot that came in
were really belonging to the Ulster
division, what a nice lot of men &
they seemed such a superior
class & very proud of being in
the Ulster division, they have all
been very lucky & got home, having
been gassed by our own Gas
It has been terrible cold here these
last few days, we cannot bear to
think of the winter, it is so 5 exposed & the gales from the Sea
are terrible. Please thank Bee probably Marie's 17 year old sister Beatrice a 1000 times
for her long & cheery letter it
did me a lot of good, Iam
longing to see her with her
hair up I am sure she looks
very attractive tell her my com-
plexion is the envy of all the
french people here, I do not know
what they would think of hers
& Violets probably Marie's 19 year old sister , at present the skin is
peeling off mine with the sun
& cold winds. When Iwrote asking you for a
cake, it was just our mess
had got to a terrible state, we 6 had had not butter for breakfast
& had been having vile stuff & they
they had been giving us tinned
meat so often & bully beef but
things are looking brighter
again & we have been having
fresh meat & good butter these
lastfewday, ofcourse every thing
is so dear & hard to get How are all the invalidisIhope
poor Ritchie most likely Marie's 13 year old brother is better & that he will
be the last to get it, I am glad
to hear Jack is going back to
Downside probably the Catholic co-educational boarding school in Somerset England , it will be less ofa
worry for you & am sure he
will work just as well, it does
seem hard having to send him 7 from home so young but am sure
he will geton well & the life might
t suit him very well if he is
strong enough. What is the latest
news of Tommy, Iam longing
for news ofhim. Well Imust close now & shall write
very soon again, I am
hoping to hear from you to-night
With my very fondest love to
every one at home also all
the relations. Your most loving & grateful
daughter. Marie