1 reference D2109/10/1/B
15th Gen. Alex. Feb. 5 1916 My dearest Mamma Your Christmas present of the lovely voile
blouse arrived yesterday & I enjoyed it all the more because
I had quite given it up I thought it was lost in the Persia
Thank you ever so much for it dear. You must have lost
several of my letters if you did not hear for a month for I write
regularly & I mentioned twice about Aline Russell going
home. I know, I also wrote a long account of Christmas which
you do not seem to have got. You ask me to write you an
account of how I spent the money to publish, but the very fact that
you want it makes it rather hard to write naturally perhaps you
could glean different bits out of my letters & piece it together
The cigarettes were greatly appreciated especially since 'Park
Drive' are sent by some people from Glengormley. I had some
Australians who said they were the best they ever smoked. I I
gave £10 of the money to Matron towards a general fund she had to be spent
on the hospital at Christmas and every man in hospital was given
a present out of that fund. Then we bought all sorts of toys for the men such
as whistles, mouth organs, tin hostess, false noses etc. etc. and you should
have seen how they laughed & the noise they made, they could not have
enjoyed themselves more if they had been small children we bought
little tiny artificial Christmas trees for the tea tables and decorated
them and decorated the tents with coloured lanterns & flags and
had small cakes & sweets and a big chocolate cake with 'A happy Xmas' 2 written on it in white icing. The hospital supplied fruit
and plumpudding & turkey for all well enough to eat them and
the Red X people gave each man a present so they came off very
well and really enjoyed themselves. I did not spend all
the money at Christmas time but have spent it on papers, flowers
and sweets acid drops are always in great demand & they all Australians love sweets & lollies as the Australians call
them. The books & magazines you sent were a boon, and
the Irish Times always finds its way to an Irishman, if
I have not one in my ward I give it to one of the Sisters who has.
One man I found had a little volume of Byron in his locker and
he told me he loved poetry so I brought him a little collection of
verses which was among the books you sent, & he was delighted. Feb 7th I got a parcel of magazines which I distributed yesterday
I also got your cheque and will take the £1 for myself out of it.
I wrote to the Aunts to thank them but so many of your letters
have got lost lately would you thank them in case they didn't get it, also
Aunt Margaret for the lovely white silk shirts she sent me.
I got a letter from Ruth & one from Edmund today. I saw
in the paper that poor Aline Russells father is dead, poor thing.
She can only have got home just about in time. I do feel sorry
for her she was devoted to him. The other day I went out to be with a dear old Mrs Crofton
who visits at the hospital here. She has such a nice house and 3 garden, so 'homely' the whole atmosphere reminded me of
Strandtown. There were violets & little jonquils out in the
garden & roses but the latter had been rather spoilt by thunderstorms
There was an English Clergyman there for tea, who was comical
he was so typical the sort of man you would never meet in Ireland,
he talked in a mincing voice and pronounced each syllable separately
and quoted Milton 'as Milton says' he posed so, I cannot abide
that sort of man! I and a girl from Bally—
money called McElderry went out to be with her cousin & a rather
nice man called Cusk at the Savoy Hotel here. I am hounded
by North of Ireland people & they all seem to take to me whether
because I come from there or not, you will find I have a curious
collection of acquaintances when I return home. Miss McElderry is
typically Irish with a strong Northern accent but awfully decent and
good natured & most devoted to me. I shall never forget how good
she was to me when I was sea sick. She herself being one of the few
persons who remained well & hearty all the time. The night superintend—
ent at present is a Sister Quigley who trained in Belfast & who
comes from Monaghan. She also takes an interest in me and I pass her
on my 'Weekly Whig' which she greatly appreciates. By the way I saw
Rea the dentist is dead in the Whig I got today. I enclose a letter for Helen Carrington Smith, could you get
her address from the Blizards and forward it. I have lost her letter,
I am so glad 'Fairy Led' sold so well she sent me out some copies 4 which I have been giving to my friends here. By the way you
never told me what you paid for the picnic basket you ordered
for Nell Ryland! At present there are very few patients
in hospital so I didn't need the money so much, & I think you
had better not bother sending any more cigarettes etc. till I let
you know. I dare say we shall be full up again later and need
them but at present everything is very uncertain I was sorry to hear that Billy Bradshaw had been killed. Now
that the Ulster Div is in action Belfast will suffer a lot
This is a stupid letter as now that I am a night bird again
I have nothing to write about. Best love dearest, I am glad you had Terry home.
Is there any chance of Celia getting leave, why shouldn't the girls get
it as well as the men. Ever your own Emma