A Nurse's Life in War and Peace

by E. C. Laurence

CONTENTS

I
	PAGE
At School—Determined to be a Nurse—Royal Red Cross instituted—Preliminary Training	[1]
II
Visit to Tenerife—A Storm in the Bay—The Beauties of the Island	[3]
III
Up the Cañadas—Voyage Home on a Cargo-boat—Call at Madeira	[8]
IV
First Experiences in a Hospital—The Food—Some Medical Cases—My First "Special" Case	[14]
V
Moved to a Surgical Ward—In Quarantine—A Poisoned Hand—"Kathleen"	[19]
VI
In the Out-Patient Department—Food improved, and Heavy Workreduced—Act as Night Sister for two nights—Am offered apost as Staff Nurse—My first Certificate	[25]
VII
To South Africa for a year—Voyage out on the Scot—By trainfrom Cape Town to Kimberley	[31]
VIII
Life on the Diamond Fields—I meet Mr. Cecil Rhodes—The Kimberley Exhibition	[37]
IX
A Visit to Cape Town—Up Table Mountain—Return to Kimberley	[42]
X
On Circuit in Cape Colony—A Visit to Natal—The Doctor's Fee	[48]
XI
East London and Port Elizabeth—Down a Diamond Mine (Kimberley)—Return to England	[54]
XII
Accepted for training at a General Hospital—I begin in a Medical Ward—A sudden death	[60]
XIII
On the Surgical side—A heavy "Take-in" week—Lectures on Physiology	[66]
XIV
My first Typhoid Case—Diphtheria Tracheotomies—The Rescue of the Cat—On Night Duty	[71]
XV
Christmas in Hospital—The Dispensing Examination—ActingAssistant Matron—Three Weeks on Duty in an Infirmary	[77]
XVI
First Sister in the Front Surgery—A Bad Accident—A Dog with a Broken Leg	[83]
XVII
Temporary Ward Sister—Appointed Night Sister—InterestingWork—Join the Royal National Pension Fund for Nurses—Ispend Christmas warded as a Patient	[89]
XVIII
Chloroform for a Cat—I Volunteer for Plague Duty (refused)—AppointedWard Sister—A Fire Alarm—A Holiday in Switzerland—A Bomb in Paris	[95]
XIX
I go to Egypt—Nursing at Sea in rough weather—At Helouan—Rideout to the Pyramids—The Kasr-el-Aini	[102]
XX
Up the Nile by Tourist Steamer—At Luxor—"Hare and Hounds" on Donkeys	[109]
XXI
War in the Soudan—Night and Day Nursing	[115]
XXII
Sent up to Assouan—Down the Nile on a Post Boat—A SaunterHome across the Continent	[120]
XXIII
Back to my old Hospital—In a Ward for Women and Children—Christmasin a Men's Accident Ward	[126]
XXIV
Scarlet Fever—At Marlborough House with R.N.P.F. Nurses	[132]
XXV
The Boer War—A Lucky Meeting at the War Office—Joined theArmy Nursing Service Reserve—Choosing fittings, &c., fora Hospital of 100 beds	[137]
XXVI
Voyage out on the Tantallon Castle—Some Military Hospitals nearCape Town—We land in Natal	[143]
XXVII
Inoculated against Typhoid—We begin to build our Hospital—Increasedfrom 100 to 200 beds—Unpacking—A Hospital Ship at Durban	[149]
XXVIII
Our Food Supplies—Washing Arrangements—Snakes and otherCreatures—A Railway Accident—Our First Patients	[156]
XXIX
The Princess Christian Hospital Train brings us some Bad Cases—Menfrom Elandslaagte—Some Officer Patients—The Bishop of Pretoria	[162]
XXX
Dengue Fever amongst the Staff—First Death amongst the OfficerPatients—Mafeking relieved—Our Hospital officially "Opened"—ColonelGalway—The Trappist Monastery	[169]
XXXI
A Spion Kop hero—Orderlies knocking up with Enteric—Worstedwork, &c., to amuse the Convalescents—Death of an Orderlyfrom Enteric—Poem by Officer Patients	[175]
XXXII
Some distinguished Visitors—We become a Military Hospital—NewOrderlies arrive—"Imperial Bearer Company" men—Our Major	[183]
XXXIII
Changes on our Staff—The Arrival of Sick Convoys—Our Servants—TheHospital Commission—The Difficulties of Transport	[189]
XXXIV
I visit the Battle-fields—At Colenso—Ladysmith—Up Spion Kop—TinTown Hospital—On a Red Cross Ambulance	[196]
XXXV
The Tugela Falls—Pieter's Hill—Hart's Hill—Chieveley—MooiRiver—Maritzburg—Back at Pinetown	[203]
XXXVI
Prisoners from Pretoria—Our Gardens—We start Poultry Keeping	[209]
XXXVII
The Natal Volunteers return home—"John"—Flying Ants and other Plagues	[215]
XXXVIII
The Buckjumper—The Excellence of the Boer Ponies—The Home for Lost Dogs!	[221]
XXXIX
Sudden Orders for Home—Voyage with Lord Roberts on theCanada—Call at Cape Town—A Funeral at Sea	[228]
XL
Lord and Lady Roberts visit the Hospital—Christmas at Sea—Weanchor off Cowes—Lord Roberts visits Queen Victoria atOsborne—Sixteen days' leave—Rejoin the Canada to returnto the Cape	[235]
XLI
The Death of Queen Victoria—Lodgers at Wynberg—The Plagueat Cape Town—Up the Coast with Boer Prisoners	[242]
XLII
Up Country—Under Canvas—The Sisters' Horses	[249]
XLIII
Our Tent Flooded—A Cow shares my Tent—Night Duty in theRainy Season—Afternoon Duty	[256]
XLIV
In Charge of Medical Tents—A Present from the Queen—WithinSound of the Guns—"Kit Inspection"—The Horrors ofTransport in the Ambulance Waggons	[263]
XLV
A Sudden Collapse—The Winter Begins—Tired of the War	[270]
XLVI
Night Duty again—A Sick Convoy arrives in the Night—A badPneumonia Case—Nearly Frozen	[277]
XLVII
Mentioned in Despatches—Ill with Dysentery—A Night at Pinetown—Withmy Brother to Uitenhage	[283]
XLVIII
At Port Elizabeth—Down the Coast to Mossel Bay—We drive, viaGeorge, to Oudtshoorn—Martial Law—Under escort to PrinceAlbert Road—By Train to Kimberley	[290]
XLIX
Tales of the Siege—"Long Cecil"—Refugee Camps—A Picnic under Arms	[298]
L
By Train to Cape Town—Night Sister on a Troopship—SomeSad Cases—Home Once More	[305]

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A NURSE'S LIFE IN WAR
AND PEACE

I

The School, Lincoln,
1888.

This is my usual day for writing letters, and I have nothing but the usual things to write to you about. Each day we get up at the same time, do the same sort of lessons (not very difficult), eat the same sort of food (not very interesting), and go for the same dull walks, with an occasional game of tennis on a badly-kept lawn; but I have been thinking, and the long and short of it is, that I am going to persuade my people to let me leave school.

I think you know that some years ago I determined that I would be a nurse. To be exact, it was in 1883 that Queen Victoria instituted the Royal Red Cross, and in the same year I was grieving over the fact that none of the professions in which my brothers were distinguishing themselves would be open to me, as I was "only a girl"; so I at once decided that I would try to win the Royal Red Cross.

Well, I am not thinking so much about the decoration now, as wars seem to be few and far between; but still I think the nursing profession is the only one I am a bit fitted for, and lately I have been reading everything I can get hold of on the subject.