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diff --git a/11086-h/11086-h.htm b/11086-h/11086-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ddeaf30 --- /dev/null +++ b/11086-h/11086-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,6031 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Surgeon in Belgium, by Henry Sessions Souttar</title> +<style type="text/css"> + body {background:#f1e8da; + color:black; + font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; + font-size:14pt; + margin-top:100; + margin-left:10%; + margin-right:10%; + text-align:justify} + table {font-size:14pt} + p {text-indent: 4% } + a:link {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + link {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + a:visited {color:blue; + text-decoration:none} + a:hover {color:red} + pre {font-size:10pt;} +</style> +</head> +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11086 ***</div> +<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, A Surgeon in Belgium, by Henry Sessions +Souttar</h1> + + +</pre> +<br> +<br> +<hr> +<br> +<br> +<center> +<h1>A SURGEON IN BELGIUM</h1> +<h2>by H. S. Souttar, F.R.C.S.</h2> +<h3>Assistant Surgeon, West London Hospital<br> + Late Surgeon-in-Chief, Belgian Field Hospital</h3> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<br> +<u>Preface</u> +</center> + + <p>To write the true story of three months' work + in a hospital is a task before which the boldest + man might quail. Let my very dear friends of the + Belgian Field Hospital breathe again, for I have + attempted nothing of the sort. I would sooner + throw aside my last claim to self-respect, and + write my autobiography. It would at least be + safer. But there were events which happened + around us, there was an atmosphere in which we + lived, so different from those of our lives at + home that one felt compelled to try to picture + them before they merged into the shadowy memories + of the past. And this is all that I have + attempted. To all who worked with me through + those months I owe a deep debt of gratitude. That + they would do everything in their power to make + the hospital a success went without saying, but + it was quite another matter that they should all + have conspired to make the time for me one of the + happiest upon which I shall ever look back. Where + all have been so kind, it is almost invidious to + mention names, and yet there are two which must + stand by themselves. To the genius and the + invincible resource of Madame Sindici the + hospital owes an incalculable debt. Her + friendship is one of my most delightful memories. + The sterling powers of Dr. Beavis brought us + safely many a time through deep water, and but + for his enterprise the hospital would have come + to an abrupt conclusion with Antwerp. There could + have been no more delightful colleague, and + without his aid much of this book would never + have been written. </p> + <p>For the Belgian Field Hospital I can wish + nothing better than that its star may continue to + shine in the future as it has always done in the + past, and that a sensible British public may + generously support the most enterprising hospital + in the war. </p> + <p>H. S. S. </p> +<br> +<br> +<br> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium001.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium001.jpg" + alt="The Nursing Staff, Furnes" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p align="center"> </p> + <p align="left"><strong><u>Contents</u></strong></p> + <dl> + <dt>To Antwerp</dt> + <dt>The Hospital</dt> + <dt>The Day's Work</dt> + <dt>Antwerp</dt> + <dt>Termonde</dt> + <dt>The Chateau</dt> + <dt>Malines Lierre</dt> + <dt>A Pause</dt> + <dt>The Siege</dt> + <dt>Contich</dt> + <dt>The Bombardment—Night</dt> + <dt>The Bombardment—Day</dt> + <dt>The Night Journey</dt> + <dt>Furnes</dt> + <dt>Poperinghe</dt> + <dt>Furnes Again</dt> + <dt>Work At Furnes</dt> + <dt>Furnes—The Town</dt> + <dt>A Journey</dt> + <dt>The Ambulance Corps</dt> + <dt>Pervyse—The Trenches</dt> + <dt>Ypres</dt> + <dt>Some Conclusions </dt> + </dl> + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><font size="6">A SURGEON IN + BELGIUM</font></p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>I To Antwerp</u></strong></p> + <p>When, one Saturday afternoon in September, we + stepped on board the boat for Ostend, it was with + a thrill of expectation. For weeks we had read + and spoken of one thing only—the War—and now we + were to see it for ourselves, we were even in + some way to be a part of it. The curtain was + rising for us upon the greatest drama in all the + lurid history of strife. We should see the armies + as they went out to fight, and we should care for + the wounded when their work was done. We might + hear the roar of the guns and the scream of the + shells. To us, that was War. </p> + <p>And, indeed, we have seen more of war in these + few weeks than has fallen to the lot of many an + old campaigner. We have been through the siege of + Antwerp, we have lived and worked always close to + the firing-line, and I have seen a great cruiser + roll over and sink, the victim of a submarine. + But these are not the things which will live in + our minds. These things are the mere framing of + the grim picture. The cruiser has been blotted + out by the weary faces of an endless stream of + fugitives, and the scream of the shells has been + drowned by the cry of a child. For, though the + soldiers may fight, it is the people who suffer, + and the toll of war is not the life which it + takes, but the life which it destroys. </p> + <p>I suppose, and I hope, that there is not a man + amongst us who has not in his heart wished to go + to the front, and to do what he could. The + thought may have been only transitory, and may + soon have been blotted out by self-interest; and + there is many a strong man who has thrust it from + him because he knew that his duty lay at home. + But to everyone the wish must have come, though + only to a few can come the opportunity. We all + want to do our share, but it is only human that + we should at the same time long to be there in + the great business of the hour, to see war as it + really is, to feel the thrill of its supreme + moments, perhaps in our heart of hearts to make + quite certain that we are not cowards. And when + we return, what do we bring with us? We all bring + a few bits of shell, pictures of ruined churches, + perhaps a German helmet—and our friends are full + of envy. And some of us return with scenes burnt + into our brain of horror and of pathos such as no + human pen can describe. Yet it is only when we + sit down in the quiet of our homes that we + realize the deeper meaning of all that we have + seen, that we grasp the secret of the strange + aspects of humanity which have passed before us. + What we have seen is a world in which the social + conventions under which we live, and which form a + great part or the whole of most of our lives, + have been torn down. Men and women are no longer + limited by the close barriers of convention. They + must think and act for themselves, and for once + it is the men and women that we see, and not the + mere symbols which pass as coin in a world at + peace. To the student of men and women, the field + of war is the greatest opportunity in the world. + It is a veritable dissecting-room, where all the + queer machinery that goes to the making of us + lies open to our view. On the whole, I am very + glad that I am a mere surgeon, and that I can + limit my dissections to men's bodies. Human + Anatomy is bad enough, but after the last three + months the mere thought of an analysis of Human + Motives fills me with terror. </p> + <p>Our boat was one of the older paddle steamers. + We were so fortunate as to have a friend at + Court, and the best cabins on the ship were + placed at our disposal. I was very grateful to + that friend, for it was very rough, and our + paddle-boxes were often under water. We consoled + ourselves by the thought that at least in a rough + sea we were safe from submarines, but the + consolation became somewhat threadbare as time + went on. Gradually the tall white cliffs of Dover + sank behind us, splendid symbols of the quiet + power which guards them. But for those great + white cliffs, and the waves which wash their + base, how different the history of England would + have been! They broke the power of Spain in her + proudest days, Napoleon gazed at them in vain as + at the walls of a fortress beyond his grasp, and + against them Germany will fling herself to her + own destruction. Germany has yet to learn the + strength which lies concealed behind those + cliffs, the energy and resource which have earned + for England the command of the sea. It was a bad + day for Germany when she ventured to question + that command. She will receive a convincing + answer to her question. </p> + <p>We reached Ostend, and put up for the night at + the Hotel Terminus. Ostend was empty, and many of + the hotels were closed. A few bombs had been + dropped upon the town some days before, and + caused considerable excitement—about all that + most bombs ever succeed in doing, as we + afterwards discovered. But it had been enough to + cause an exodus. No one dreamt that in less than + three weeks' time the town would be packed with + refugees, and that to get either a bed or a meal + would be for many of them almost impossible. + Everywhere we found an absolute confidence as to + the course of the war, and the general opinion + was that the Germans would be driven out of + Belgium in less than six weeks. </p> + <p>Two of our friends in Antwerp had come down to + meet us by motor, and we decided to go back with + them by road, as trains, though still running, + were slow and uncertain. It was a terrible day, + pouring in torrents and blowing a hurricane. Our + route lay through Bruges and Ghent, but the + direct road to Bruges was in a bad condition, and + we chose the indirect road through Blankenberghe. + We left Ostend by the magnificent bridge, with + its four tall columns, which opens the way + towards the north-east, and as we crossed it I + met the first symbol of war. A soldier stepped + forward, and held his rifle across our path. My + companion leaned forward and murmured, + "Namur," the soldier saluted, and we + passed on. It was all very simple, and, but for + the one word, silent; but it was the first time I + had heard a password, and it made an immense + impression on my mind. We had crossed the + threshold of War. I very soon had other things to + think about. The road from Ostend to + Blankenberghe is about the one good motor road in + Belgium, and my companion evidently intended to + demonstrate the fact to me beyond all possibility + of doubt. We were driving into the teeth of a + squall, but there seemed to be no limits to the + power of his engine. I watched the hand of his + speedometer rise till it touched sixty miles per + hour. On the splendid asphalt surface of the road + there was no vibration, but a north-east wind + across the sand-dunes is no trifle, and I was + grateful when we turned south-eastwards at + Blankenberghe, and I could breathe again. </p> + <p>As I said, that road by the dunes is unique. + The roads of Belgium, for the most part, conform + to one regular pattern. In the centre is a paved + causeway, set with small stone blocks, whilst on + each side is a couple of yards of loose sand, or + in wet weather of deep mud. The causeway is + usually only just wide enough for the passing of + two motors, and on the smaller roads it is not + sufficient even for this. As there is no speed + limit, and everyone drives at the top power of + his engine, the skill required to drive without + mishap is considerable. After a little rain the + stone is covered with a layer of greasy mud, and + to keep a car upon it at a high speed is + positively a gymnastic feat. In spite of every + precaution, an occasional descent into the mud at + the roadside is inevitable, and from that only a + very powerful car can extricate itself with any + ease. A small car will often have to slowly push + its way out backwards. In dry weather the + conditions are almost as bad, for often the + roadside is merely loose sand, which gives no + hold for a wheel. For a country so damp and + low-lying as Belgium, there is probably nothing + to equal a paved road, but it is a pity that the + paving was not made a little wider. Every now and + then we met one of the huge, unwieldy carts which + seem to be relics of a prehistoric age—rough + plank affairs of enormous strength and a design + so primitive as to be a constant source of + wonder. They could only be pulled along at a slow + walk and with vast effort by a couple of huge + horses, and the load the cart was carrying never + seemed to bear any proportion to the mechanism of + its transport. The roads are bad, but they will + not account for those carts. The little front + wheels are a stroke of mechanical ineptitude + positively amounting to genius, and when they are + replaced by a single wheel, and the whole affair + resembles a huge tricycle, one instinctively + looks round for a Dinosaur. Time after time we + met them stuck in the mud or partially + overturned, but the drivers seemed in no way + disconcerted; it was evidently all part of the + regular business of the day. When one thinks of + the Brussels coachwork which adorns our most + expensive motors, and of the great engineering + works of Liege, those carts are a really + wonderful example of persistence of type. </p> + <p>We passed through Bruges at a pace positively + disrespectful to that fine old town. There is no + town in Belgium so uniform in the magnificence of + its antiquity, and it is good to think that—so + far, at any rate—it has escaped destruction. As + we crossed the square, the clock in the belfry + struck the hour, and began to play its chimes. It + is a wonderful old clock, and every quarter of an + hour it plays a tune—a very attractive + performance, unless you happen to live opposite. + I remember once thinking very hard things about + the maker of that clock, but perhaps it was not + his fault that one of the bells was a quarter of + a tone flat. At the gates our passports were + examined, and we travelled on to Ghent by the + Ecloo Road, one of the main thoroughfares of + Belgium. Beyond an occasional sentry, there was + nothing to indicate that we were passing through + a country at war, except that we rarely saw a man + of military age. All were women, old men, or + children. Certainly the men of Belgium had risen + to the occasion. The women were doing + everything—working in the fields, tending the + cattle, driving the market-carts and the + milk-carts with their polished brass cans. After + leaving Ghent, the men came into view, for at + Lokeren and St. Nicholas were important military + stations, whilst nearer to Antwerp very extensive + entrenchments and wire entanglements were being + constructed. The trenches were most elaborate, + carefully constructed and covered in; and I + believe that all the main approaches to the city + were defended in the same way. Antwerp could + never have been taken by assault, but with modern + artillery it would have been quite easy to + destroy it over the heads of its defenders. The + Germans have probably by now rendered it + impregnable, for though in modern war it is + impossible to defend one's own cities, the same + does not apply to the enemy. In future, forts + will presumably be placed at points of strategic + importance only, and as far as possible from + towns. </p> + <p>Passing through the western fortifications, we + came upon the long bridge of boats which had been + thrown across the Scheldt. The river is here more + than a quarter of a mile wide, and the long row + of sailing barges was most picturesque. The + roadway was of wooden planks, and only just wide + enough to allow one vehicle to pass at a time, + the tall spars of the barges rising on each side. + It is strange that a city of such wealth as + Antwerp should not have bridged a river which, + after all, is not wider than the Thames. We were + told that a tunnel was in contemplation. The + bridge of boats was only a tribute to the + necessities of war. We did not dream that a + fortnight later it would be our one hope of + escape. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium002.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium002.jpg" + alt="A Ward at Antwerp" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>II The Hospital</u></strong></p> + <p>Antwerp is one of the richest cities in + Europe, and our hospital was placed in its + wealthiest quarter. The Boulevard Leopold is a + magnificent avenue, with a wide roadway in the + centre flanked by broad paths planted with trees. + Beyond these, again, on each side is a paved road + with a tram-line, whilst a wide pavement runs + along the houses. There are many such boulevards + in Antwerp, and they give to the city an air of + spaciousness and opulence in striking contrast to + the more utilitarian plan of London or of most of + our large towns. We talk a great deal about fresh + air, but we are not always ready to pay for it. </p> + <p>Our hospital occupied one of the largest + houses on the south-east side. A huge doorway led + into an outer hall through which the garden was + directly reached behind the house. On the + right-hand side of this outer hall a wide flight + of steps led to inner glass doors and the great + central hall of the building. As a private house + it must have been magnificent; as a hospital it + was as spacious and airy as one could desire. The + hall was paved with marble, and on either side + opened lofty reception rooms, whilst in front + wide marble staircases led to the first floor. + This first floor and another above it were + occupied entirely by wards, each containing from + six to twelve beds. On the ground floor on the + right-hand side were two large wards, really + magnificent rooms, and one smaller, all these + overlooking the Boulevard. On the left were the + office, the common room, and the operating + theatre. Behind the house was a large paved + courtyard, flanked on the right by a garden + border and on the left by a wide glass-roofed + corridor. The house had previously been used as a + school, and on the opposite side of the courtyard + was the gymnasium, with dormitories above. The + gymnasium furnished our dining-hall, whilst + several of the staff slept in the rooms above. </p> + <p>It will be seen that the building was in many + ways well adapted to the needs of a hospital and + to the accommodation of the large staff required. + We had in all 150 beds, and a staff of about 50. + The latter included 8 doctors, 20 nurses, 5 + dressers, lay assistants, and motor drivers. In + addition to these there was a kitchen staff of + Belgians, so that the management of the whole was + quite a large undertaking, especially in a town + where ordinary provisions were becoming more and + more difficult to obtain. In the later days of + the siege, when milk was not to be had and the + only available water was salt, the lot of our + housekeeper was anything but happy. Providing + meals for over 200 people in a besieged town is + no small matter. But it was managed somehow, and + our cuisine was positively astonishing, to which + I think we largely owe the fact that none of the + staff was ever ill. Soldiers are not the only + people who fight on their stomachs. </p> + <p>The management of the hospital centred in the + office, and it was so typical of Belgium as to be + really worth a few words of description. It was + quite a small room, and it was always crowded. + Four of us had seats round a table in the centre, + and at another table in the window sat our + Belgian secretary, Monsieur Herman, and his two + clerks. But that was only the beginning of it. + All day long there was a constant stream of men, + women, and children pouring into that room, + bringing letters, asking questions, always + talking volubly to us and amongst themselves. At + first we thought that this extraordinary turmoil + was due to our want of space, but we soon found + that it was one of the institutions of the + country. In England an official's room is the + very home of silence, and is by no means easy of + access. If he is a high official, a series of + ante-rooms is interposed between his sacred + person and an inquisitive world. But in Belgium + everyone walks straight in without removing his + cigar. The great man sits at his desk surrounded + by a perfect Babel, but he is always polite, + always ready to hear what you have to say and to + do what he can to help. He appears to be able to + deal with half a dozen different problems at the + same time without ever being ruffled or confused. + There is an immense amount of talking and shaking + of hands, and at first the brain of a mere + Englishman is apt to whirl; but the business is + done rapidly and completely. Belgium is above all + things democratic, and our office was a good + introduction to it. </p> + <p>The common room was large and airy, + overlooking the courtyard, and a few rugs and + armchairs made it a very comfortable place when + the work of the day was done. Anyone who has + worked in a hospital will know what a difference + such a room makes to the work—work that must be + carried on at all hours of the day or night; nor + will he need to be told of the constant supply of + tea and coffee that will be found there. We go + about telling our patients of the evils of + excessive tea- drinking, and we set them an + example they would find it hard to follow. We do + not mention how often tea and a hot bath have + been our substitute for a night's sleep.' A good + common room and an unlimited supply of tea will + do much to oil the wheels of hospital life. </p> + <p>But to myself the all-important room was the + operating theatre, for upon its resources + depended entirely our opportunities for surgical + work. It was in every way admirable, and I know + plenty of hospitals in London whose theatres + would not bear comparison with ours. Three long + windows faced the courtyard; there was a great + bunch of electric lights in the ceiling, and + there was a constant supply of boiling water. + What more could the heart of surgeon desire? + There were two operating tables and an equipment + of instruments to vie with any in a London + hospital. Somebody must have been very + extravagant over those instruments, I thought as + I looked at them; but he was right and I was + wrong, for there were very few of those + instruments for which I was not grateful before + long. The surgery of war is a very different + thing from the surgery of home. </p> + <p>The wards were full when we arrived, and I had + a wonderful opportunity of studying the effects + of rifle and shell fire. Most of the wounds were + fortunately slight, but some of them were + terrible, and, indeed, in some cases it seemed + little short of miraculous that the men had + survived. But on every side one saw nothing but + cheerful faces, and one would never have dreamt + what some of those men had gone through. They + were all smoking cigarettes, laughing, and + chatting, as cheery a set of fellows as one could + meet. You would never have suspected that a few + days before those same men had been carried into + the hospital in most cases at their last gasp + from loss of blood and exposure, for none but + serious cases were admitted. The cheeriest man in + the place was called Rasquinet, a wounded officer + who had been christened "Ragtime" for + short, and for affection. A week before he had + been struck by a shell in the left side, and a + large piece of the shell had gone clean through, + wounding the kidney behind and the bowel in + front. That man crawled across several fields, a + distance of nearly a mile, on his hands and + knees, dragging with him to a place of safety a + wounded companion. When from loss of blood he + could drag him along no longer, he left him under + a hedge, and dragged himself another half-mile + till he could get help. When he was brought into + the hospital, he was so exhausted from pain and + loss of blood that no one thought that he could + live for more than a few hours, but by sheer + pluck he had pulled through. Even now he was + desperately ill with as horrible a wound as a man + could have, but nothing was going to depress him. + I am glad to say that what is known in surgery as + a short circuit was an immediate success, and + when we left him three weeks later in Ghent he + was to all intents perfectly well. </p> + <p>There were plenty of other serious cases, some + of them with ghastly injuries, and many of them + must have suffered agonizing pain; but they were + all doing their best to make light of their + troubles, whilst their gratitude for what was + done for them was extraordinary. The Belgians are + by nature a cheerful race, but these were brave + men, and we felt glad that we had come out to do + what we could for them. </p> + <p>But if we give them credit for their courage + and cheerfulness, we must not forget how largely + they owed it to the devoted attention—yes, and + to the courage and cheerfulness—of the nurses. I + wonder how many of us realize what Britain owes + to her nurses. We take them as a matter of + course, we regard nursing as a very suitable + profession for a woman to take up—if she can + find nothing better to do; perhaps we may have + been ill, and we were grateful for a nurse's + kindness. But how many of us realize all the long + years of drudgery that have given the skill we + appreciated, the devotion to her work that has + made the British nurse what she is? And how many + of us realize that we English-speaking nations + alone in the world have such nurses? Except in + small groups, they are unknown in France, + Belgium, Germany, Russia, or any other country in + the world. In no other land will women leave + homes of ease and often of luxury to do work that + no servant would touch, for wages that no servant + would take—work for which there will be very + little reward but the unmeasured gratitude of the + very few. They stand to-day as an unanswerable + proof that as nations we have risen higher in the + level of civilization than any of our neighbours. + To their influence on medicine and surgery I + shall refer again. Here I only wish to + acknowledge our debt. As a mere patient I would + rather have a good nurse than a good physician, + if I were so unfortunate as to have to make the + choice. A surgeon is a dangerous fellow, and must + be treated with respect. But as a rule the + physician gives his blessing, the surgeon does + his operation, but it is the nurse who does the + work. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium003.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium003.jpg" + alt="An Operation at Antwerp" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>III The Day's Work</u></strong></p> + <p>In any hospital at home or abroad there is a + large amount of routine work, which must be + carried on in an orderly and systematic manner, + and upon the thoroughness with which this is done + will largely depend the effectiveness of the + hospital. Patients must be fed and washed, beds + must be made and the wards swept and tidied, + wounds must be dressed and splints adjusted. In + an English hospital everything is arranged to + facilitate this routine work. Close to every ward + is a sink- room with an adequate supply of hot + and cold water, dinner arrives in hot tins from + the kitchens as if by magic, whilst each ward has + its own arrangements for preparing the smaller + meals. The beds are of a convenient height, and + there is an ample supply of sheets and pillow- + cases, and of dressing materials of all kinds + arranged on tables which run noiselessly up and + down the wards. At home all these things are a + matter of course; abroad they simply did not + exist. Four or five gas- rings represented our + hot-water supply and our ward-kitchens for our + 150 patients, and the dinners had to be carried + up from the large kitchens in the basement. The + beds were so low as to break one's back, and had + iron sides which were always in the way; and when + we came to the end of our sheets—well, we came + to the end of them, and that was all. In every + way the work was heavier and more difficult than + at home, for all our patients were heavy men, and + every wound was septic, and had, in many cases, + to be dressed several times a day. Everyone had + to work hard, sometimes very hard; but as a rule + we got through the drudgery in the morning, and + in the afternoon everything was in order, and we + should, I think, have compared very favourably in + appearance with most hospitals at home. </p> + <p>But we had to meet one set of conditions which + would, I think, baffle many hospitals at home. + Every now and then, without any warning, from 50 + to 100, even in one case 150, wounded would be + brought to our door. There was no use in putting + up a notice "House Full"; the men were + wounded and they must be attended to. In such a + case our arrangement was a simple one: all who + could walk went straight upstairs, the gravest + cases went straight to the theatre or waited + their turn in the great hall, the others were + accommodated on the ground floor. We had a number + of folding beds for emergency, and we had no + rules as to overcrowding. In the morning the + authorities would clear out as many patients as + we wished. Sometimes we were hard put to it to + find room for them all, but we always managed + somehow, and we never refused admission to a + single patient on the score of want of room. The + authorities soon discovered the capacity of the + hospital for dealing with really serious cases, + and as a result our beds were crowded with + injuries of the gravest kind. What appealed to us + far more was the appreciation of the men + themselves. We felt that we had not worked in + vain when we heard that the soldiers in the + trenches begged to be taken "a l'Hopital + Anglais." </p> + <p>The condition of the men when they reached us + was often pitiable in the extreme. Most of them + had been living in the trenches for weeks exposed + to all kinds of weather, their clothes were often + sodden and caked with dirt, and the men + themselves showed clear traces of exposure and + insecure sleep. In most cases they had lain in + the trenches for hours after being wounded, for + as a rule it is impossible to remove the wounded + at once with any degree of safety. Indeed, when + the fighting is at all severe they must lie till + dark before it is safe for the stretcher-bearers + to go for them. This was so at Furnes, but at + Antwerp we were usually able to get them in + within a few hours. Even a few hours' delay with + a bad wound may be a serious matter, and in every + serious case our attention was first directed to + the condition of the patient himself and not to + his wound. Probably he had lost blood, his injury + had produced more or less shock, he had certainly + been lying for hours in pain. He had to be got + warm, his circulation had to be restored, he had + to be saved from pain and protected from further + shock. Hot bottles, blankets, brandy, and morphia + worked wonders in a very short time, and one + could then proceed to deal with wounds. Our + patients were young and vigorous, and their rate + of recovery was extraordinary. </p> + <p>When a rush came we all had to work our + hardest, and the scenes in any part of the + hospital required steady nerves; but perhaps the + centre of interest was the theatre. Here all the + worst cases were brought—men with ghastly + injuries from which the most hardened might well + turn away in horror; men almost dead from loss of + blood, or, worst of all, with a tiny puncture in + the wall of the abdomen which looks so innocent, + but which, in this war at least, means, apart + from a difficult and dangerous operation, a + terrible death. With all these we had to deal as + rapidly and completely as possible, reducing each + case to a form which it would be practicable to + nurse, where the patient would be free from + unnecessary pain, and where he would have the + greatest possible chance of ultimate recovery. Of + course, all this was done under anaesthesia. What + a field hospital must have been before the days + of anaesthesia is too horrible to contemplate. + Even in civil hospitals the surgeons must have + reached a degree of "Kultur" beside + which its present exponents are mere children. It + is not so many years since a famous surgeon, who + was fond of walking back from his work at the + London Hospital along the Whitechapel Road, used + to be pointed to with horror by the Aldgate + butchers, whose opinion on such a subject was + probably worth consideration. But now all that is + changed. The surgeon can be a human being again, + and indeed, except when he goes round his wards, + his patients may never know, of his existence. + They go to sleep in a quiet anteroom, and they + waken up in the ward. Of the operation and all + its difficulties they know no more than their + friends at home. Perhaps even more wonderful is + the newer method of spinal anaesthesia, which we + used largely for the difficult abdominal cases. + With the injection of a minute quantity of fluid + into the spine all sensation disappears up to the + level of the arms, and, provided he cannot see + what is going on, any operation below that level + can be carried out without the patient knowing + anything about it at all. It is rather uncanny at + first to see a patient lying smoking a cigarette + and reading the paper whilst on the other side of + a screen a big operation is in progress. But for + many cases this method is unsuitable, and without + chloroform we should indeed have been at a loss. + The Belgians are an abstemious race, and they + took it beautifully. I am afraid they were a + striking contrast to their brothers on this side + of the water. Chloroform does not mix well with + alcohol in the human body, and the British + working man is rather fond of demonstrating the + fact. </p> + <p>With surgery on rather bold lines it was + extraordinary how much could be done, especially + in the way of saving limbs. During the whole of + our stay in Antwerp we never once had to resort + to an amputation. We were dealing with healthy + and vigorous men, and once they had got over the + shock of injury they had wonderful powers of + recovery. We very soon found that we were dealing + with cases to which the ordinary rules of surgery + did not apply. The fundamental principles of the + art must always be the same, but here the + conditions of their application were essentially + different from those of civil practice. Two of + these conditions were of general interest: the + great destruction of the tissues in most wounds, + and the infection of the wounds, which was almost + universal. </p> + <p>Where a wound has been produced by a large + fragment of shell, one expects to see + considerable damage; in fact, a whole limb may be + torn off, or death may be instant from some + terrible injury to the body. But where the object + of the enemy is the injury of individuals, and + not the destruction of buildings, they often use + shrapnel, and the resulting wounds resemble those + from the old smooth-bore guns of our ancestors. + Shrapnel consists of a large number of bullets + about half an inch in diameter packed together in + a case, which carries also a charge of explosive + timed to burst at the moment when it reaches its + object. The balls are small and round, and if + they go straight through soft tissues they do not + do much damage. If, however, they strike a bone, + they are so soft that their shape becomes + irregular, and the injury they can produce in + their further course is almost without limit. On + the whole, they do not as a rule produce great + damage, for in many cases they are nearly spent + when they reach their mark. Pieces of the case + will, of course, have much the same effect as an + ordinary shell. </p> + <p>The effects of rifle-fire, particularly at + short ranges, have led to a great deal of + discussion, and each side has accused the other + of using dum-dum bullets. The ordinary bullet + consists of a lead core with a casing of nickel, + since the soft lead would soon choke rifling. + Such a bullet under ordinary circumstances makes + a clean perforation, piercing the soft tissues, + and sometimes the bones, with very little damage. + In a dum-dum bullet the casing at the tip is cut + or removed, with the result that, on striking, + the casing spreads out and forms a rough, + irregular missile, which does terrific damage. + Such bullets were forbidden by the Geneva + Convention. But the German bullet is much more + subtle than this. It is short and pointed, and + when it strikes it turns completely over and goes + through backwards. The base of the bullet has no + cover, and consequently spreads in a manner + precisely similar to that in a dum-dum, with + equally deadly results. There could be no greater + contrast than that between the wounds with which + we had to deal in South Africa, produced by + ordinary bullets, and those which our soldiers + are now receiving from German rifles. The former + were often so slight that it was quite a common + occurrence for a soldier to discover accidentally + that he had been wounded some time previously. In + the present war rifle wounds have been amongst + the most deadly with which we have had to deal. </p> + <p>It will thus be seen that in most cases the + wounds were anything but clean-cut; with very few + exceptions, they were never surgically clean. By + surgically clean we mean that no bacteria are + present which can interfere with the healing of + the tissues, and only those who are familiar with + surgical work can realize the importance of this + condition. Its maintenance is implied in the term + "aseptic surgery," and upon this + depends the whole distinction between the surgery + of the present and the surgery of the past. + Without it the great advances of modern surgery + would be entirely impossible. When we say, then, + that every wound with which we had to deal was + infected with bacteria, it will be realized how + different were the problems which we had to face + compared with those of work at home. But the + difference was even more striking, for the + bacteria which had infected the wounds were not + those commonly met with in England. These wounds + were for the most part received in the open + country, and they were soiled by earth, manure, + fragments of cloth covered with mud. They were + therefore infected by the organisms which + flourish on such soil, and not by the far more + deadly denizens of our great cities. It is true + that in soil one may meet with tetanus and other + virulent bacteria, but in our experience these + were rare. Now, there is one way in which all + such infections may be defeated—by plenty of + fresh air, or, better still, by oxygen. We had + some very striking proofs of this, for in several + cases the wounds were so horribly foul that it + was impossible to tolerate their presence in the + wards; and in these cases we made it a practice + to put the patient in the open air, of course + suitably protected, and to leave the wound + exposed to the winds of heaven, with only a thin + piece of gauze to protect it. The results were + almost magical, for in two or three days the + wounds lost their odour and began to look clean, + whilst the patients lost all signs of the + poisoning which had been so marked before. It may + be partly to this that we owe the fact that we + never had a case of tetanus. In all cases we + treated our wounds with solutions of oxygen, and + we avoided covering them up with heavy dressings; + and we found that this plan was successful as + well as economical. </p> + <p>Though any detailed description of surgical + treatment would be out of place, there was one + which in these surroundings was novel, and which + was perhaps of general interest. Amongst all the + cases which came to us, certainly the most + awkward were the fractured thighs. It was not a + question of a broken leg in the ordinary sense of + the term. In every case there was a large + infected wound to deal with, and as a rule + several inches of the bone had been blown clean + away. At first we regarded these cases with + horror, for anything more hopeless than a thigh + with 6 inches missing it is difficult to imagine. + Splints presented almost insuperable + difficulties, for the wounds had to be dressed + two or three times, and however skilfully the + splint was arranged, the least movement meant for + the patient unendurable agony. After some + hesitation we attempted the method of fixation by + means of steel plates, which was introduced with + such success by Sir Arbuthnot Lane in the case of + simple fractures. The missing portion of the bone + is replaced by a long steel plate, screwed by + means of small steel screws to the portions which + remain, "demonstrating," as a colleague + put it, "the triumph of mind over the + absence of matter." The result was a + brilliant success, for not only could the limb + now be handled as if there were no fracture at + all, to the infinite comfort of the patient, but + the wounds themselves cleared up with great + rapidity. We were told that the plates would + break loose, that the screws would come out, that + the patient would come to a bad end through the + violent sepsis induced by the presence of a + "foreign body" in the shape of the + steel plate. But none of these disasters + happened, the cases did extremely well, and one + of our most indignant critics returned to his own + hospital after seeing them with his pockets full + of plates. The only difficulty with some of them + was to induce them to stop in bed, and it is a + fact that on the night of our bombardment I met + one of them walking downstairs, leaning on a + dresser's arm, ten days after the operation. </p> + <p>And this brings me to a subject on which I + feel very strongly, the folly of removing + bullets. If a bullet is doing any harm, pressing + on some nerve, interfering with a joint, or in + any way causing pain or inconvenience, by all + means let it be removed, though even then it + should in most cases never be touched until the + wound is completely healed. But the mere presence + of a bullet inside the body will of itself do no + harm at all. The old idea that it will cause + infection died long ago. It may have brought + infection with it; but the removal of the bullet + will not remove the infection, but rather in most + cases make it fire up. We now know that, provided + they are clean, we can introduce steel plates, + silver wires, silver nets, into the body without + causing any trouble at all, and a bullet is no + worse than any of these. It is a matter in which + the public are very largely to blame, for they + consider that unless the bullet has been removed + the surgeon has not done his job. Unless he has + some specific reason for it, I know that the + surgeon who removes a bullet does not know his + work. It may be the mark of a Scotch ancestry, + but if I ever get a bullet in my own anatomy, I + shall keep it. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium004.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium004.jpg" + alt="The Director, Dr. Beavis, at Antwerp" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>IV Antwerp</u></strong></p> + <p>There is no port in Europe which holds such a + dominant position as Antwerp, and there is none + whose history has involved such amazing changes + of fortune. In the middle of the sixteenth + century she was the foremost city in Europe, at + its close she was ruined. For two hundred years + she lay prostrate under the blighting influence + of Spain and Austria, and throttled by the + commercial jealousy of England and Holland. A few + weeks ago she was the foremost port on the + Continent, the third in the world; now her + wharves stand idle, and she herself is a prisoner + in the hands of the enemy. Who can tell what the + next turn of the wheel will bring? </p> + <p>Placed centrally between north and south, on a + deep and wide river, Antwerp is the natural + outlet of Central Europe towards the West, and it + is no wonder that four hundred years ago she + gathered to herself the commerce of the + Netherlands, in which Ypres, Bruges, and Ghent + had been her forerunners. For fifty years she was + the Queen of the North, and the centre of a vast + ocean trade with England, France, Spain, + Portugal, and Italy, till the religious bigotry + of Philip II of Spain and the awful scenes of the + Spanish Fury reduced her to ruin. For two hundred + years the Scheldt was blocked by Holland, and the + ocean trade of Antwerp obliterated. Her + population disappeared, her wharves rotted, and + her canals were choked with mud. It is hard to + apportion the share of wickedness between a + monarch who destroys men and women to satisfy his + own religious lust, and a nation which drains the + life-blood of another to satisfy its lust for + gold. One wonders in what category the instigator + of the present war should appear. </p> + <p>At the very beginning of last century Napoleon + visited Antwerp, and asserted that it was + "little better than a heap of ruins." + He recognized its incomparable position as a port + and as a fortress, and he determined to raise it + to its former prosperity, and to make it the + strongest fortress in Europe. He spent large sums + of money upon it, and his refusal to part with + Antwerp is said to have broken off the + negotiations of Chatillon, and to have been the + chief cause of his exile to St. Helena. Alas his + enemies did not profit by his genius. We are the + allies of his armies now, but we have lost + Antwerp. Germany will be utterly and completely + crushed before she parts with that incomparable + prize. A mere glance at the map of Europe is + sufficient to convince anyone that in a war + between England and Germany it is a point of the + first strategical importance. That our access to + it should be hampered by the control of Holland + over the Scheldt is one of the eccentricities of + diplomacy which are unintelligible to the plain + man. The blame for its loss must rest equally + between Britain and Belgium, for Belgium, the + richest country in Europe for her size, attempted + to defend her greatest stronghold with obsolete + guns; whilst we, who claim the mastery of the + seas, sacrificed the greatest seaport in Europe + to the arrangements of an obsolete diplomacy. If + we are to retain our great position on the seas, + Antwerp must be regained. She is the European + outpost of Britain, and, as has so often been + pointed out, the mouth of the Scheldt is opposite + to the mouth of the Thames. </p> + <p>In Antwerp, as we saw her, it was almost + impossible to realize the vicissitudes through + which she had passed, or to remember that her + present prosperity was of little more than fifty + years' growth. On all sides we were surrounded by + wide boulevards, lined by magnificent houses and + public buildings. There are few streets in Europe + to eclipse the great Avenue des Arts, which, with + its continuations, extends the whole length of + the city from north to south. The theatres, the + Central Station, the banks, would adorn any city, + and the shops everywhere spoke of a wealth not + restricted to the few. The wide streets, the + trees, the roomy white houses, many of them great + palaces, made a deep impression upon us after the + darkness and dirt of London. Even in the poorer + quarters there was plenty of light and air, and + on no occasion did we find the slums which + surround the wealthiest streets all over London. + In the older parts of the city the streets were, + of course, narrower; but even here one had the + compensation of wonderful bits of architecture at + unexpected corners, splendid relics of an + illustrious past. They are only remnants, but + they speak of a time when men worked for love + rather than for wages, and when an artisan took a + pride in the labour of his hands. If it had not + been for the hand of the destroyer, what a + marvellous city Antwerp would have been! One + likes to think that the great creations of the + past are not all lost, and that in the land to + which the souls of the Masters have passed we may + find still living the mighty thoughts to which + their love gave birth. Are our cathedrals only + stones and mortar, and are our paintings only + dust and oil? </p> + <p>The inhabitants of Antwerp were as delightful + as their city. On all sides we were welcomed with + a kindness and a consideration not always + accorded to those who are so bold as to wish to + help their fellow-men. Everywhere we met with a + courtesy and a generosity by which, in the + tragedy of their country, we were deeply touched. + They all seemed genuinely delighted to see us, + from the Queen herself to the children in the + streets. Our medical confreres treated us + royally, and the mere thought of professional + jealousy with such men is simply ludicrous. They + constantly visited our hospital, and they always + showed the keenest interest in our work and in + any novelties in treatment we were able to show + them; and when we went to see them, we were shown + all the best that they had, and we brought away + many an ingenious idea which it was worth while + going far to obtain. Wherever we moved amongst + the Belgians, we always found the same simplicity + of purpose, the same generosity of impulse. + Everywhere we met the same gratitude for what + England was doing for Belgium; no one ever + referred to the sacrifices which Belgium has made + for England. </p> + <p>The one thing which so impressed us in the + character of the Belgians whom we met was its + simplicity, and the men who had risen to high + rank did not seem to have lost it in their climb + to fame. But it was just this, the most + delightful of their characteristics, which must + have made war for them supremely difficult. For + strict discipline and simplicity are almost + incompatible. None of us tower so far above our + fellows that we can command instant obedience for + our own sakes. We have to cover ourselves with + gold lace, to entrench ourselves in rank, and to + provide ourselves with all sorts of artificial + aids before we can rely on being obeyed. These + things are foreign to the Belgian mind, and as a + result one noticed in their soldiers a certain + lack of the stern discipline which war demands. + Individually they are brave men and magnificent + fighters. They only lacked the organization which + has made the little British Army the envy of the + world. The fact is that they are in no sense a + warlike nation, in spite of their turbulent + history of the past, and, indeed, few things + could be more incompatible than turbulence and + modern warfare. It demands on the part of the + masses of combatants an obedience and a disregard + of life which are repellent to human nature, and + the Belgians are above all things human. Germany + is governed by soldiers, and France by officials. + Unlike the frogs in the fable, the Belgians are + content to govern themselves. </p> + <p>It was our great regret that we had so little + time in which to see the work of the Antwerp + hospitals, but we made use of what opportunities + we had. There are many of them, and those we saw + were magnificent buildings, equipped in a way + which filled us with envy. The great city + hospital, the Stuivenberg, was a model of what a + modern hospital ought to be. The wards were large + and airy and spotlessly clean, and the nurses + seemed to be extremely competent. The kitchens + were equipped with all the latest appliances, + steam boilers, and gas and electric cookers. But + the show part of the hospital was the suite of + operating theatres. I have always felt the + pardonable pride of a son in the theatres of the + London Hospital, but they were certainly eclipsed + here. Each theatre was equipped with its own + anaesthetizing room, its own surgeon's room, and + its own sterilizing rooms and stores, all + furnished with a lavishness beyond the financial + capacity of any hospital in London. Perhaps some + of the equipment was unnecessary, but it was + abundantly evident that the State appreciated the + value of first-class surgery, and that it was + prepared to pay for it. I have never heard the + same accusation levelled at Great Britain. </p> + <p>At St. Camille we had the good fortune to see + M. Xambotte at work. His reputation as a surgeon + is worldwide, and it was pleasant to find that + his dexterity as an operator was equal to his + reputation. It is not always the case. He is an + expert mechanic, and himself makes most of the + very ingenious instruments which he uses. He was + fixing a fractured femur with silver wires, and + one could see the skilled workman in all that he + did. There is no training-ground for one's hands + like a carpenter's bench, and the embryo surgeon + might do much worse with his time than spend six + months of it in a workshop. When medical training + emerges from its medieval traditions, manual + training will certainly form a part, and no one + will be allowed to attempt to mend a bone till he + has shown his capacity to mend a chair-leg. Here, + again, the surgeon was surrounded by all the + appliances, and even the luxuries, that he could + desire. The lot of the great surgeon abroad is + indeed a happy one. </p> + <p>But there is one thing in which we in England + are far better off—in our nursing staffs. In + most of the hospitals we visited the nursing was + carried on by Sisterhoods, and though some of + them were evidently good nurses, most of them had + no idea whatever of nursing as it is practised in + our country. Fresh air, for example, is to them + full of dangers. One would almost think that it + savoured of the powers of evil. We went into one + huge hospital of the most modern type, and + equipped lavishly, and such wag the atmosphere + that in ten minutes I had to make a rush for the + door. One large ward was full of wounded + soldiers, many of them with terrible wounds, + gangrenous and horrible, and every window was + tightly shut. How they could live in such an + atmosphere is beyond my comprehension, but the + Sisters did not seem to notice it at all. </p> + <p>Some of the surgeons have their specially + trained nurses, but nursing as a profession for + the classes who are alone competent to undertake + it is a conception which has yet to dawn upon the + Continent, for only a woman of education and + refinement can really be a nurse. </p> + <p>The absence on the Continent of a nursing + profession such as ours is not without its + influence on medicine and surgery abroad. The + individual patient meets with far less + consideration than would be the case in this + country, and is apt to be regarded as so much raw + material. In Belgium this tendency is + counteracted by the natural kindliness of the + Belgian, but in other countries patients are + often treated with a callousness which is + amazing. There is in many of the great clinics a + disregard of the patient's feelings, of his + sufferings, and even of his life, which would be + impossible in an English hospital. The contact of + a surgeon with his hospital patients as + individuals is largely through the nursing staff, + and his point of view will be largely influenced + by them. There is no one in our profession, from + the youngest dresser to the oldest physician, who + does not owe a great part of his education to + Sister. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium005.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium005.jpg" + alt="Termonde" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>V Termonde</u></strong></p> + <p>Anyone who has worked in hospitals will + realize how important it is for the health of the + staff, nurses and doctors, that they should get + out into the fresh air for at least some part of + every day. It is still more necessary in a war + hospital, for not only is the work more exacting, + but the cases themselves involve certain risks + which can only be safely taken in perfect health. + Practically every one is septic, and to anyone in + the least run down the danger of infection is + considerable; and infection with some of the + organisms with which one meets in war is a very + serious thing indeed. We had four large motors in + Antwerp belonging to the members of our hospital, + and always at its service, and every afternoon + parties were made up to drive out into the + country. As a rule calls were made at various + Croix Rouge posts on the way, and in that way we + kept in contact with the medical service of the + army in the field, and gave them what help we + could. We were always provided with the password, + and the whole country was open to us—a privilege + we very greatly appreciated; for after a hard + morning's work in the wards there are few things + more delightful than a motor drive. And it gave + us an opportunity of seeing war as very few but + staff officers ever can see it. We learnt more + about the condition of the country and of the + results of German methods in one afternoon than + all the literature in the world could ever teach. + If only it were possible to bring home to the + people of Britain one-hundredth part of what we + saw with our own eyes, stringent laws would have + to be passed to stop men and women from + enlisting. No man who deserved the name of man, + and no woman who deserved to be the mother of a + child, would rest day or night till the earth had + been freed from the fiends who have ravaged + Belgium and made the name of German vile. </p> + <p>One afternoon towards the end of September we + visited Termonde. We heard that the Germans, + having burnt the town, had retired, leaving it in + the hands of the Belgian troops. It was a rare + opportunity to see the handiwork of the enemy at + close quarters, and we did not wish to miss it. + Termonde is about twenty-two miles from Antwerp, + and a powerful car made short work of the + distance. Starting directly southwards through + Boom, we reached Willebroeck and the road which + runs east and west from Malines through Termonde + to Ghent, and along it we turned to the right. We + were now running parallel to the German lines, + which at some points were only a couple of miles + away on the other side of the Termonde-Malines + railway. We passed numerous Belgian outposts + along the road, and for a few miles between + Lippeloo and Baesrode they begged us to travel as + fast as possible, as at this point we came within + a mile of the railway. We did travel, and it + would have taken a smart marksman to hit us at + fifty miles an hour; but we felt much happier + when we passed under the railway bridge of a loop + line at Briel and placed it between ourselves and + the enemy. The entrance to Termonde was blocked + by a rough barricade of bricks and branches + guarded by a squad of soldiers. They told us that + no one was allowed to pass, and we were about to + return disappointed, when one of us happened to + mention the password. As without it we could not + possibly have got so far, it had never occurred + to us that they might think we had not got it; + and as we had no possible business in the town, + we had no arguments to oppose to their refusal to + let us in. However, all was now open to us, and + the cheery fellows ran forward to remove the + barrier they had put up. </p> + <p>Termonde is, or rather was, a well-to-do town + of 10,000 inhabitants lying on the Scheldt at the + point where the Dendre, coming up from the south, + runs into it. A river in Belgium means a route + for traffic, and the town must have derived some + advantage from its position as a trade junction. + But it possesses an even greater one in the + bridge which here crosses the Scheldt, the first + road bridge above the mouth of the river, for + there is none at Antwerp. At least six main roads + converge upon this bridge, and they must have + brought a great deal of traffic through the town. + When we mention that a corresponding number of + railways meet at the same spot, it will be seen + Termonde was an important centre, and that it + must have been a wealthy town. The Dendre runs + right through the centre of the town to the point + where it joins the Scheldt, and on each side runs + a long stone quay planted with trees, with + old-fashioned houses facing the river. With the + little wooden bridges and the barges on the river + it must have been a very pretty picture. Now it + was little better than a heap of ruins. </p> + <p>The destruction of the town was + extraordinarily complete, and evidently carefully + organized. The whole thing had been arranged + beforehand at headquarters, and these particular + troops supplied with special incendiary + apparatus. There is strong evidence to show that + the destruction of Louvain, Termonde, and of + several smaller towns, was all part of a definite + plan of "frightfulness," the real + object being to terrorize Holland and Denmark, + and to prevent any possibility of their joining + with the Allies. It is strictly scientific + warfare, it produces a strictly scientific hell + upon this world, and I think that one may have + every reasonable hope that it leads to a strictly + scientific hell in the next. After a town has + been shelled, its occupants driven out, and its + buildings to a large extent broken down, the + soldiers enter, each provided with a number of + incendiary bombs, filled with a very inflammable + compound. They set light to these and throw them + into the houses, and in a very few minutes each + house is blazing. In half an hour the town is a + roaring furnace, and by the next day nothing is + left but the bare walls. And that is almost all + that there was left of Termonde. We walked along + the quay beside a row of charred and blackened + ruins, a twisted iron bedstead or a battered lamp + being all there was to tell of the homes which + these had been. A few houses were still standing + untouched, and on the door of each of these was + scrawled in chalk the inscription: </p> + <blockquote> + "GUTE LEUTE,<br> + NICHT ANZUNDEN,<br> + BREITFUSS, Lt."<br> + </blockquote> + <p>One wondered at what cost the approval of + Lieutenant Breitfuss had been obtained. His + request to the soldiers not to set fire to the + houses of these "good people" had been + respected, but I think that if the Belgians ever + return to Termonde those houses are likely to be + empty. There are things worse than having your + house burnt down, and one would be to win the + approval of Lieutenant Breitfuss. </p> + <p>We crossed the Dendre and wandered up the town + towards the Square. For a few moments I stood + alone in a long curving street with not a soul in + sight, and the utter desolation of the whole + thing made me shiver. Houses, shops, banks, + churches, all gutted by the flames and destroyed. + The smell of burning from the smouldering ruins + was sickening. Every now and then the silence was + broken by the fall of bricks or plaster. Except a + very few houses with that ominous inscription on + their doors, there was nothing left; everything + was destroyed. A little farther on I went into + the remains of a large factory equipped with + elaborate machinery, but so complete was the + destruction that I could not discover what had + been made there. There was a large gas engine and + extensive shafting, all hanging in dismal chaos, + and I recognized the remains of machines for + making tin boxes, in which the products of the + factory had, I suppose, been packed. A large pile + of glass stoppers in one corner was fused up into + a solid mass, and I chipped a bit off as a + memento. </p> + <p>In the Square in front of the church of Notre + Dame the German soldiers had evidently celebrated + their achievement by a revel. In the centre were + the remains of a bonfire, and all around were + broken bottles and packs of cheap cards in + confusion. Think of the scene. A blazing town + around them, and every now and then the crash of + falling buildings; behind them Notre Dame in + flames towering up to heaven; the ancient Town + Hall and the Guard House burning across the + Square; and in the centre a crowd of drunken + soldiers round a bonfire, playing cards. And + miles away across the fields ten thousand + homeless wanderers watching the destruction of + all for which they had spent their lives in toil. + </p> + <p>Of the ancient church of Notre Dame only the + walls remained. The roof had fallen, all the + woodwork had perished in the flames, and the + stonework was calcined by the heat. Above the + arch of a door was a little row of angels' heads + carved in stone, but when we touched them they + fell to powder. The heat inside must have been + terrific, for all the features of the church had + disappeared, and we were surrounded by merely a + mass of debris. In the apse a few fragments of + old gold brocade buried beneath masses of brick + and mortar were all that remained to show where + the altar had been. </p> + <p>The Town Hall was once a beautiful gabled + building with a tall square tower ending in four + little turrets. I have a drawing of it, and it + must have formed quite a pleasing picture, the + entrance reached by the double flight of steps of + which Belgium is so fond, and from which public + proclamations were read. It had been only + recently restored, and it was now to all intents + and purposes a heap of smoking bricks. The upper + part of the tower had fallen into the roof, and + the whole place was burnt out. </p> + <p>But no words can ever convey any idea of the + utter destruction of the whole town, or of the + awful loneliness by which one was surrounded. One + felt that one was in the presence of wickedness + such as the world has rarely seen, that the + powers of darkness were very near, and that + behind those blackened walls there lurked evil + forms. Twilight was coming on as we turned back + to our car, and a cold mist was slowly rising + from the river. I am not superstitious, and in + broad daylight I will scoff at ghosts with + anyone, but I should not care to spend a night + alone in Termonde. One could almost hear the + Devil laughing at the handiwork of his children. </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>VI The Chateau</u></strong></p> + <p>One of the most astounding features of the war + is the way in which the Germans, from the highest + to the lowest, have given themselves up to loot. + In all previous wars between civilized countries + anything in the nature of loot has been checked + with a stern hand, and there are cases on record + when a soldier has been shot for stealing a pair + of boots. But now the Crown Prince of the German + Empire sends back to his palaces all the loot + that he can collect, on innumerable transport + waggons, amid the applause of his proud father's + subjects. He is of course carrying out the new + gospel of the Fatherland that everyone has a + perfect right to whatever he is strong enough to + take. But some day that doctrine may spread from + the exalted and sacred circle in which it is now + the guiding star to the "cannon + fodder." Some day the common people will + have learnt the lesson which is being so + sedulously taught to them both by example and by + precept, and then the day of reckoning will have + come. </p> + <p>Loot and destruction have always gone hand in + hand. The private soldier cannot carry loot, and + it is one of the most primitive instincts of + animal nature to destroy rather than to leave + that by which others may profit. Even the + pavement artist will destroy his work rather than + allow some poor wretch to sit beside his pictures + and collect an alms. And there is great joy in + destroying that which men are too coarse to + appreciate, in feeling that they have in their + power that which, something tells them, belongs + to a refinement they cannot attain. That was the + keynote of the excesses of the French Revolution, + for nothing arouses the fury of the unclean so + much as cleanliness, and a man has been killed + before now for daring to wash his hands. And it + is this elemental love of destroying that has + raged through Belgium in the last few months, for + though destruction has been the policy of their + commanders, the German soldier has done it for + love. No order could ever comprehend the + ingenious detail of much that we saw, for it bore + at every turn the marks of individuality. It is + interesting to ponder on a future Germany of + which these men, or rather these wild beasts, + will be the sons. Germany has destroyed more than + the cities of Belgium; she has destroyed her own + soul. </p> + <p>It is not in the ruined towns or the battered + cathedrals of Belgium that one sees most clearly + the wholehearted way in which the German soldiers + have carried out the commands of their lord and + made his desires their own. Louvain, Termonde, + Dinant, and a hundred other towns have been + uprooted by order. If you wish to see what the + German soldier can do for love, you have to visit + the chateaux which are dotted so thickly all over + the Belgian countryside. Here he has had a free + hand, and the destruction he1 wrought had no + political object and served no mere utilitarian + purpose. It was the work of pure affection, and + it showed Germany at her best. One would like to + have brought one of those chateaux over to + England, to be kept for all time as an example of + German culture, that our children might turn from + it in horror, and that our country might be saved + from the hypocrisy and the selfishness of which + this is the fruit. </p> + <p>Among our many good friends in Antwerp there + were few whom we valued more than the Baron d'O. + He was always ready to undertake any service for + us, from the most difficult to the most trivial. + A man of birth and of fortune, he stood high in + the service of the Belgian Government, and he was + often able to do much to facilitate our + arrangements with them. So when he asked us to + take him out in one of our cars to see the + chateau of one of his greatest friends, we were + glad to be in a position to repay him in a small + way for his kindness. The chateau had been + occupied by the Germans, who had now + retired—though only temporarily, alas!—and he + was anxious to see what damage had been done and + to make arrangements for putting it in order + again if it should be possible. </p> + <p>A perfect autumn afternoon found us tearing + southwards on the road to Boom in Mrs. W.'s + powerful Minerva. We were going to a point rather + close to the German lines, and our safety might + depend on a fast car and a cool hand on the + wheel. We had both, for though the hand was a + lady's, its owner had earned the reputation of + being the most dangerous and the safest driver in + Antwerp, and that is no mean achievement. We + called, as was our custom, at the Croix Rouge + stations we passed, and at one of them we were + told that there were some wounded in Termonde, + and that, as the Germans were attacking it, they + were in great danger. So we turned off to the + right, and jolted for the next twenty minutes + over a deplorable paved road. </p> + <p>The roar of artillery fire gradually grew + louder and louder, and we were soon watching an + interesting little duel between the forts of + Termonde, under whose shelter we were creeping + along, on the one side, and the Germans on the + other. The latter were endeavouring to destroy + one of the bridges which span the Scheldt at this + point, one for the railway and one for the road; + but so far they had not succeeded in hitting + either. It was a week since our last visit to + Termonde, and it seemed even more desolate and + forsaken than before. The Germans had shelled it + again, and most of the remaining walls had been + knocked down, so that the streets were blocked at + many points and the whole town was little more + than a heap of bricks and mortar. There was not a + living creature to be seen, and even the birds + had gone. The only sound that broke the utter + silence was the shriek of the shells and the + crash of their explosion. We were constantly + checked by piles of fallen debris, and from one + street we had to back the car out and go round by + another way. At the end of a long street of + ruined houses, many bearing the inscription of + some braggart, "I did this," we found + our wounded men. They were in a monastery near + the bridge at which the Germans were directing + their shells, several of which had already fallen + into the building. There had been four wounded + men there, but two of them, badly hurt, were so + terrified at the bombardment that they had + crawled away in the night. The priest thought + that they were probably dead. Think of the poor + wounded wretches, unable to stand, crawling away + in the darkness to find some spot where they + could die in peace. Two remained, and these we + took with us on the car. The priest and the two + nuns, the sole occupants of the monastery, + absolutely refused to leave. They wished to + protect the monastery from sacrilege, and in that + cause they held their lives of small account. I + have often thought of those gentle nuns and the + fearless priest standing in the doorway as our + car moved away. I hope that it went well with + them, and that they did not stay at their post in + vain. </p> + <p>By the bridge stood a company of Belgian + soldiers, on guard in case, under cover of the + fire of their artillery, the Germans might + attempt to capture it. There was very little + shelter for them, and it was positively raining + shells; but they had been told to hold the + bridge, and they did so until there was no longer + a bridge to hold. It was as fine a piece of quiet + heroism as I shall ever see, and it was typical + of the Belgian soldier wherever we saw him. They + never made any fuss about it, they were always + quiet and self-contained, and always cheerful. + But if they were given a position to hold, they + held it. And that is the secret of the wonderful + losing battle they have fought across Belgium. + Some day they will advance and not retreat, and + then I think that the Belgian Army will astonish + their opponents, and perhaps their friends too. </p> + <p>We were soon out of Termonde and on the open + road again, to our very great relief, and at the + nearest dressing-station we handed over our + patients, who were not badly wounded, to the + surgeon, who was hard at work in a little cottage + about a mile back along the road. We drove on due + east, and forty minutes later found ourselves at + the entrance of the lodge of our friend's house. + It lay on the very edge of the Belgian front, and + would have been unapproachable had there been any + activity in this section of the line. Fortunately + for us, the Germans were concentrating their + energies around Termonde, and the mitrailleuse + standing on the path amongst the trees at the end + of the garden seemed to have gone asleep. We + turned the car in the drive, and, in case things + should happen, pointed its nose homewards. That + is always a wise precaution, for turning a car + under fire in a narrow road is one of the most + trying experiences imaginable. The coolest hand + may fumble with the gears at such a moment, and + it is surprising how difficult it is to work them + neatly when every second may be a matter of life + or death, when a stopped engine may settle the + fate of everyone in the car. It is foolish to + take unnecessary risks, and we left the car + pointing the right way, with its engine running, + ready to start on the instant, while we went to + have a look at the house. </p> + <p>It was a large country-house standing in + well-timbered grounds, evidently the home of a + man of wealth and taste. The front-door stood + wide open, as if inviting us to enter, and as we + passed into the large hall I could not help + glancing at our friend's face to see what he was + thinking as the obvious destruction met us on the + very threshold. So thorough was it that it + was impossible to believe that it had not been + carried out under definite orders. Chairs, sofas, + settees lay scattered about in every conceivable + attitude, and in every case as far as I can + recollect minus legs and backs. In a small room + at the end of the hall a table had been + overturned, and on the floor and around lay + broken glass, crockery, knives and forks, mixed + up in utter confusion, while the wall was freely + splashed with ink. One fact was very striking and + very suggestive: none of the pictures had been + defaced, and there were many fine oil-paintings + and engravings hanging on the walls of the + reception-rooms. After the destruction of the + treasures of Louvain, it is absurd to imagine + that the controlling motive could have been any + reverence for works of art. The explanation was + obvious enough. The pictures were of value, and + were the loot of some superior officer. A large + cabinet had evidently been smashed with the + butt-end of a musket, but the beautiful china it + contained was intact. The grand piano stood + uninjured, presumably because it afforded + entertainment. The floor was thick with playing + cards. </p> + <p>But it was upstairs that real chaos reigned. + Every wardrobe and receptacle had been burst open + and the contents dragged out. Piles of dresses + and clothing of every kind lay heaped upon the + floor, many of them torn, as though the harsh + note produced by the mere act of tearing appealed + to the passion for destruction which seemed to + animate these fighting men. In the housekeeper's + room a sewing- machine stood on the table, its + needle threaded, and a strip of cloth in + position, waiting for the stitch it was destined + never to receive. There were many other things to + which one cannot refer, but it would have been + better to have had one's house occupied by a + crowd of wild beasts than by these apostles of + culture. </p> + <p>Our friend had said very little while we + walked through the deserted rooms in this + splendid country-house in which he had so often + stayed. Inside the house he could not speak, and + it was not until we got out into the sunshine + that he could relieve his overwrought feelings. + Deep and bitter were the curses which he poured + upon those vandals; but I stood beside him, and I + did not hear half that he said, for my eyes were + fixed on the mitrailleuse standing on the garden + path under the trees. My fingers itched to pull + the lever and to scatter withering death among + them. It slowly came into my mind how good it + would be to kill these defilers. I suppose that + somewhere deep down in us there remains an + elemental lust for blood, and though in the + protected lives we live it rarely sees the light, + when the bonds of civilization are broken it + rises up and dominates. And who shall say that it + is not right? There are things in Belgium for + which blood alone can atone. Woe to us if when + our interests are satisfied we sheath the sword, + and forget the ruined homes, the murdered + children of Belgium, the desecrated altars of the + God in whose name we fight! He has placed the + sword in our hands for vengeance, and not for + peace. </p> + <p>I no longer wonder at the dogged courage of + the Belgian soldiers, at their steady disregard + of their lives, when I think of the many such + pictures of wanton outrage which are burned into + their memories, and which can never be effaced so + long as a single German remains in their beloved + land. I no longer wonder, but I do not cease to + admire. Let anyone who from the depths of an + armchair at home thinks that I have spoken too + strongly, stimulate his imagination to the pitch + of visualizing the town in which he lives + destroyed, his own house a smoking heap, his wife + profaned, his children murdered, and himself + ruined, for these are the things of which we + know. Then, and then only, will he be able to + judge the bravery of the nation which, preferring + death to dishonour, has in all likelihood saved + both France and ourselves from sharing its + terrible but glorious fate. </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>VII Malines</u></strong></p> + <p>We were frequently requested by the Belgian + doctors to assist them in the various Red Cross + dressing-stations around Antwerp, and it was our + custom to visit several of these stations each + day to give what assistance we could. One of the + most important of the stations was at Malines, + and one of our cars called there every day. I + went out there myself on an afternoon late in + September. It was a glorious day, and after a + heavy morning in the wards the fresh breeze and + the brilliant sunshine were delightful. Our road + led almost straight south through Vieux Dieu and + Contich, crossing the little River Nethe at + Waelhem. The Nethe encircles Antwerp on the south + and south-east, and it was here that the + Belgians, and in the end the British, made their + chief stand against the Germans. We crossed the + bridge, and passed on to Malines under the guns + of Fort Waelhem, with the great fortress of Wavre + St. Catharine standing away to the left, + impregnable to anything but the huge guns of + to-day. </p> + <p>Malines is a large town of 60,000 inhabitants, + and is the cathedral city of the Archbishop of + Belgium, the brave Cardinal Mercier. To-day it is + important as a railway centre, and for its + extensive railway workshops, but the interest of + the town lies in the past. It was of importance + as early as the eighth century, and since then it + has changed hands on an amazing number of + occasions. Yet it is said that few of the cities + of Europe contain so many fine old houses in such + good preservation. The cathedral church of St. + Rombold dates back to the thirteenth century, and + in the fifteenth century was begun the huge tower + which can be seen for many miles around. It was + intended that it should be 550 feet high—the + highest in the world—and though it has reached + little more than half that height, it is a very + conspicuous landmark. The Germans evidently found + it a very tempting mark, for they began shelling + it at an early stage. When we were there the + tower had not been damaged, but a large hole in + the roof of the church showed where a shell had + entered. Inside everything was in chaos. Every + window was broken, and of the fine stained glass + hardly a fragment was left. A large portion of + the roof was destroyed, and the floor was a + confusion of chairs and debris. The wonderful + carved wooden pulpit, with its almost life-size + figures, was damaged. When the shell entered, the + preacher's notes from the previous Sunday lay on + the desk, and they were perforated by a fragment. + </p> + <p>The Croix Rouge was established in a large + school on the south side of the town. We drove + into the large courtyard, and went in to see if + there was anything for us to do. The doctor in + charge, a distinguished oculist, was an old + friend and was very cordial, but he said there + was no fighting near, and that no cases had come + in. We stood talking for a few minutes, and were + just going, when one of our other cars came in + with a man very badly wounded. He was a cyclist + scout, and had been shot while crossing a field a + few miles away. He had been picked up at + considerable risk by our people:—for the Germans + rarely respected a Red Cross—and brought in on + the ambulance. He was wounded in the abdomen, and + his right arm was shattered. He was in a + desperate state, but the doctor begged me to do + what I could for him, and, indeed, the power of + recovery of these fellows was so remarkable that + it was always worth a trial. As rapidly as + possible we got ready stimulants and hot saline + solution to inject into his veins. We had not + come prepared for actual operating, and the local + equipment was meagre, but we succeeded in + improvising a transfusion apparatus out of + various odds and ends. It did not take long to + get it to work, and in a few minutes he began to + respond to the hot salt and water running into + his vessels. Alas it was only for a moment. He + was bleeding internally, and nothing could be + done. I went over to the priest, who had just + come, and said: "C'est a vous, + monsieur." He bowed, and came forward + holding in his hands the holy oil. A few murmured + words were spoken, the priest's finger traced the + sign of the Cross, a few moments of silence, and + all was over. Death is always impressive, but I + shall never forget that scene. The large + schoolroom, with its improvised equipment, + ourselves, a crowd of nurses and doctors standing + round, in the centre the sandalled priest bending + downwards in his brown mantle, and the dying man, + his lips moving to frame the last words he would + speak on earth. It was in silence that we stole + out into the sunlight of the courtyard. </p> + <p>We went on to Sempst, a small village at the + extreme limit of the Belgian lines. A little + stream ran under the road beside a farm, and a + rough breastwork had been thrown across the road + to defend the bridge. German soldiers could be + seen a mile down the road moving behind the + trees. It was only a small Belgian outpost, but + it was a good enough position to hold, so long as + the enemy did not bring up artillery. A machine + gun was hidden beside the bridge, and would have + made short work of anyone advancing up the road. + My friends were talking to the men, whom we knew + quite well; and for a moment I was standing + alone, when one of the soldiers came up and asked + about the man whom we had just left, and who had + come from near by. I told him what had happened, + and for a moment he did not speak. At last he + looked up at me with tears in his eyes, and said + simply: "He was my brother, and this morning + we were laughing together." I held his hand + for a moment, and then he turned away and went + back to his post. </p> + <p>Our way home led past a villa where an + encounter had taken place three days before + between the Belgians and an advanced detachment + of German troops, and we stopped to see the scene + of the fighting. It was a large country-house + standing back in its own grounds, and during the + night a party of Germans had succeeded in + concealing themselves inside. In the morning, by + a ruse, they induced a Belgian detachment to come + up the drive towards the house, never suspecting + that it was not empty. Suddenly the Germans + opened fire, and I believe that scarcely a single + Belgian escaped. Next day, however, having + surrounded the villa, the Belgians opened fire + upon it with their 3-inch guns. The Germans made + a bolt for it, and the whole of them were killed. + As we walked up the drive we saw on the left-hand + side a little row of graves with fresh flowers + laid on them. They were the graves of the Belgian + soldiers who had been entrapped. An officer was + standing by them with bared head, and, seeing us, + he came over and walked on with us to the house, + which he was then occupying with his soldiers. It + was a fine house, with polished parquet floors + and wide staircases. The dining-room was + ornamented with delicate frescoes in gilt frames. + In the drawing-room stood a new grand pianoforte, + and light gilt chairs and sofas, looking + strangely out of place on the field of war. By + the front-door, sticking in the wall, was a shell + which had failed to burst. I wonder if it is + still there, or if anyone has ventured to shift + it. It was half inside and half outside, and if + it had exploded there would not have been much of + the entrance of the house left. Upstairs the + rooms were in glorious confusion. Apparently the + Germans had opened all the drawers, and flung + their contents on the floor, with the idea, I + suppose, of taking anything they wanted. One room + was plainly the nursery, for the floor was + covered with children's toys of all descriptions, + all broken. It may be very unreasonable, but that + room made me more angry than all the rest of the + house. There is something so utterly wanton in + trampling on a child's toys. They may be of no + value, but I have a small opinion of a man who + does not treat them with respect. They are the + symbols of an innocence that once was ours, the + tokens of a contact with the unseen world for + which we in our blindness grope longingly in + vain. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium006.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium006.jpg" + alt="Lierre" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>VIII Lierre</u></strong></p> + <p>When, years hence, some historian looks back + upon the present war, and from the confusion of + its battles tries to frame before his mind a + picture of the whole, one grim conclusion will be + forced upon his mind. He will note, perhaps, vast + alterations in the map of Europe; he will lament + a loss of life such as only the hand of Heaven + has dealt before; he will point to the folly of + the wealth destroyed. But beneath all these he + will hear one insistent note from which he cannot + escape, the deep keynote of the whole, the note + on which the war was based, the secret of its + ghastly chords, and the foundation of its dark + conclusion. And he will write that in the year + 1914 one of the great nations of civilized Europe + relapsed into barbarism. </p> + <p>In the large sense a nation becomes civilized + as its members recognize the advantages of + sinking their personal desires and gain in the + general good of the State. The fact that an + individual can read and write and play the piano + has nothing at all to do with the degree of his + civilization, an elementary axiom of which some + of our rulers seem strangely ignorant. To be of + use to the State, and to train others to be of + use to the State (and not only of use to + themselves), should be, and indeed is, the aim of + every truly civilized man. Unless it be so, his + civilization is a mere veneer, ready to wear off + at the first rub, and he himself a parasite upon + the civilized world. </p> + <p>As time has gone on, the State has laid down + certain rules by means of which the men who + formed it could serve it better, and these are + our laws which we obey not for our own good + directly, but for the good of the State. From the + point of view of the plain man in the street, it + is all utterly illogical, for it would be logical + to go and take from your neighbour whatever you + wished, so long as you were strong enough to hold + it. But, let us thank Heaven, no sane man is + logical, and only a Professor would dare to make + the claim. It is one of the prerogatives of his + office, and should be treated with tolerance. </p> + <p>And as our views of life are small and limited + by our surroundings, when States grew large they + took from the shoulders of the individual his + responsibilities in the great State which the + world has now become; and the States of which the + world was composed agreed together on certain + rules which should control their relations to one + another, not for the good of each, but for the + good of the greater State of which they were + members. They are not so accurately laid down as + the laws of our separate States, but they are + broad, general principles for the use of + statesmen and not of legalists. They are the + Charter of Civilization among the nations of the + world, and the nation which disregards them does + so at her peril, and has handed in the abnegation + of her position as a civilized State. Like the + laws of each State, they are utterly + illogical—at least, to those who have made up + their minds that they are strong enough to hold + what they can take from their neighbours. </p> + <p>I am often told, in half-defence of what they + have done, that the Germans are conducting the + war in a strictly logical manner. At first, I + must admit, I was rather taken with the idea, + and, indeed, one felt almost sorry for a noble + nation sacrificing its feelings on the + uncompromising altar of Logic. For the object of + war is obviously to defeat your enemy, and it may + be argued that anything which will accelerate + that result is not only justifiable, but almost + humane, for it will shorten the unavoidable + horrors of war. I should like to mention a few of + the features of logical warfare, all of which + have at one time or another been adopted by our + opponents, and I shall then describe as far as I + can an example which I myself saw. </p> + <p>When an army wishes to pass through a country, + the civil population is in the way. To get rid of + them, the best plan, and the quickest, is to + annihilate the first town of a suitable size to + which the army comes. If the town is wiped out, + and men, women, and children slaughtered + indiscriminately, it will make such an impression + in the rest of the country that the whole + population will clear out and there will be no + further trouble. The country will then be free + for the passage of troops, and there will be no + troublesome civil population to feed or govern. + The conduct of the war will be greatly + facilitated. Of course, it will be necessary at + intervals to repeat the process, but this + presents the further advantage that it advertises + to other nations what they may expect if war + enters their borders. This, one of the most + elementary rules of logical warfare, has been + strictly observed by Germany. The sack of Louvain + and the slaughter of its inhabitants met with an + immediate success. Wherever the German army + arrived, they entered with few exceptions empty + towns. Termonde, Malines, Antwerp, had everything + swept and garnished for their reception. It + would, of course, be absurdly illogical to + confine one's attack to persons capable of + defence. To kill a hundred women and children + makes far more impression than to kill a thousand + men, and it is far safer, unless, of course, it + is preferred to use them as a screen to protect + your own advancing troops from the enemy's fire. </p> + <p>It is a mistake to burden your transport with + the enemy's wounded, or, indeed—low be it + spoken—with your own. The former should always + be killed, and the latter so far as the degree of + culture of your country will allow. It is one of + the regrettable points, logically, of Germany's + warfare that she appears to pay some attention to + her wounded, but our information on this point is + deficient, and it is possible that she limits it + to those who may again be useful. </p> + <p>To kill the Medical Staff of the enemy is + obviously most desirable. Without them a large + number of the wounded would die. If, therefore, + it is possible to kill both the doctors and the + wounded together, it is a great advantage, and of + all possible objectives for artillery a hospital + is the most valuable. So complete was our + confidence in the German observance of this rule + that when we heard that they were likely to + bombard Antwerp, we were strongly advised to + remove our Red Cross from the sight of prying + aeroplanes, and we took the advice. Several other + hospitals were hit, but we escaped. </p> + <p>There are many other rules of logical warfare, + such as ignoring treaties, engagements, and, + indeed, the truth in any form. But these are + those with which I myself came in contact, and + which therefore interested me the most. There is + only one unfortunate objection to logical + warfare, and that is that it is the duty of the + whole civilized world, as it values its eternal + salvation, to blot out from the face of the earth + they have defiled the nation which practises it. </p> + <p>I do not wish to be unfair to those with whom + we are fighting, or to arouse against them an + unjust resentment. I am merely attempting to + express succinctly the doctrines which have been + proclaimed throughout Germany for years, of which + this war is the logical outcome, and in the light + of which alone its incidents can be understood. + She is the home of logic, the temple where + material progress is worshipped as a god. For her + there is no meaning in those dim yearnings of the + human mind, in which logic has no part, since + their foundations are hidden in depths beneath + our ken, but which alone separate us from the + beasts that perish. And, above all things, I + would not be thought to include in such a + sweeping statement all those who call themselves + German. There are many in Germany who are not of + this Germany, and in the end it may be for them + as much as for ourselves that we shall have + fought this war. </p> + <p>It is only when viewed in this setting that a + scene such as that we saw at Lierre can be + understood. By itself it would stand naked, + meaningless, and merely horrible. Clothed in + these thoughts, it is pregnant with meaning, and + forms a real epitome of the whole German + conception of war; for horror is their dearest + ally, and that scene has left on my mind a + feeling of horror which I do not think that time + will ever eradicate. </p> + <p>Lierre is an old-world town on the River + Nethe, nine miles south of Antwerp, prosperous, + and thoroughly Flemish. Its 20,000 inhabitants + weave silk and brew beer, as they did when London + was a village. Without the physical advantages of + Antwerp, and without the turbulence of Ghent, + Lierre has escaped their strange vicissitudes, + and for hundreds of years has enjoyed the + prosperity of a quiet and industrious town. Its + church of St. Gommarius is renowned for its + magnificent proportions, its superb window + tracery, and its wonderful rood-loft—features in + which it has eclipsed in glory even the great + cathedrals of Belgium, and which place it alone + as a unique achievement of the art of the + fifteenth century. It is in no sense a military + town, and has no defences, though there is a fort + of the same name at no great distance from it. </p> + <p>Into this town, without warning of any kind, + the Germans one morning dropped two of their + largest shells. One fell near the church, but + fortunately did no harm. One fell in the Hospital + of St. Elizabeth. We heard in Antwerp that + several people had been wounded, and in the + afternoon two of us went out in one of our cars + to see if we could be of any service. We found + the town in the greatest excitement, and the + streets crowded with families preparing to leave, + for they rightly regarded these shells as the + prelude of others. In the square was drawn up a + large body of recruits just called up—rather + late in the day, it seemed to us. We slowly made + our way through the crowds, and, turning to the + right along the Malines road, we drew up in front + of the hospital on our right-hand side. The shell + had fallen almost vertically on to a large wing, + and as we walked across the garden we could see + that all the windows had been broken, and that + most of the roof had been blown off. The nuns met + us, and took us down into the cellars to see the + patients. It was an infirmary, and crowded + together in those cellars lay a strange medley of + people. There were bedridden old women huddled up + on mattresses, almost dead with terror. Wounded + soldiers lay propped up against the walls; and + women and little children, wounded in the + fighting around, lay on straw and sacking. + Apparently it is not enough to wound women and + children; it is even necessary to destroy the + harbour of refuge into which they have crept. The + nuns were doing for them everything that was + possible, under conditions of indescribable + difficulty. They may not be trained nurses, but + in the records of this war the names of the nuns + of Belgium ought to be written in gold. Utterly + careless of their own lives, absolutely without + fear, they have cared for the sick, the wounded, + and the dying, and they have faced any hardship + and any danger rather than abandon those who + turned to them for help. </p> + <p>The nuns led us upstairs to the wards where + the shell had burst. The dead had been removed, + but the scene that morning must have been + horrible beyond description. In the upper ward + six wounded soldiers had been killed, and in the + lower two old women. As we stood in the upper + ward, it was difficult to believe that so much + damage could have been caused by a single shell. + It had struck almost vertically on the tiled + roof, and, exploding in the attic, had blown in + the ceiling into the upper ward. I had not + realized before the explosion of a large shell is + not absolutely instantaneous, but, in consequence + of the speed of the shell, is spread over a + certain distance. Here the shell had continued to + explode as it passed down through the building, + blowing the floor of the upper ward down into the + ward below. A great oak beam, a foot square, was + cut clean in two, the walls of both wards were + pitted and pierced by fragments, and the tiled + floor of the lower ward was broken up. The beds + lay as they were when the dead were taken from + them, the mattresses riddled with fragments and + soaked with blood. Obviously no living thing + could have survived in that awful hail. When the + shell came the soldiers were eating walnuts, and + on the bed of one lay a walnut half opened and + the little penknife he was using, and both were + stained. We turned away sickened at the sight, + and retraced the passage with the nuns. As we + walked along, they pointed out to us marks we had + not noticed before—red finger-marks and splashes + of blood on the pale blue distemper of the wall. + All down the passage and the staircase we could + trace them, and even in the hall below. Four men + had been standing in the doorway of the upper + ward. Two were killed; the others, bleeding and + blinded by the explosion, had groped their way + along that wall and down the stair. I have seen + many terrible sights, but for utter and + concentrated horror I have never seen anything to + equal those finger-marks, the very sign- manual + of Death. When I think of them, I see, in the dim + light of the early autumn morning, the four men + talking; I hear the wild shriek of the shell and + the deafening crash of its explosion; and then + silence, and two bleeding men groping in darkness + and terror for the air. </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>IX A Pause</u></strong></p> + <p>The life of a hospital at the front is a + curious mixture of excitement and dullness. One + week cases will be pouring in, the operating + theatre will be working day and night, and + everyone will have to do their utmost to keep + abreast of the rush; next week there will be + nothing to do, and everyone will mope about the + building, and wonder why they were ever so + foolish as to embark on such a futile + undertaking. For it is all emergency work, and + there is none of the dull routine of the ordinary + hospital waiting list, which we are always trying + to clear off, but which is in reality the + backbone of the hospital's work. </p> + <p>When we first started in Antwerp, the rush of + cases was so great as to be positively + overwhelming. For more than twenty-four hours the + surgeons in the theatre were doing double work, + two tables being kept going at the same time. + During that time a hundred and fifty wounded were + admitted, all of them serious cases, and the + hospital was full to overflowing. For the next + ten days we were kept busy, but then our patients + began to recover, and many of them had to go away + to military convalescent hospitals. The wards + began to look deserted, and yet no more patients + arrived. We began to think that it was all a + mistake that we had come, that there would be no + more fighting round Antwerp, and that we were not + wanted. Indeed, we canvassed the possibilities of + work in other directions, and in the meantime we + drew up elaborate arrangements to occupy our + time. There were to be courses of lectures and + demonstrations in the wards, and supplies of + books and papers were to be obtained. Alas for + the vanity of human schemes, the wounded began to + pour in again, and not a lecture was given. </p> + <p>During that slack week we took the opportunity + to see a certain amount of Antwerp, and to call + on many officials and the many friends who did so + much to make our work there a success and our + stay a pleasure. To one lady we can never be + sufficiently grateful. She placed at our disposal + her magnificent house, a perfect palace in the + finest quarter of the city. Several of our nurses + lived there, we had a standing invitation to + dinner, and, what we valued still more, there + were five bathrooms ready for our use at any hour + of the day. Their drawing-room had been converted + into a ward for wounded officers, and held about + twenty beds. One of the daughters had trained as + a nurse, and under her charge it was being run in + thoroughly up-to-date style. The superb + tapestries with which the walls were decorated + had been covered with linen, and but for the + gilded panelling it might have been a ward in a + particularly finished hospital. I often wonder + what has happened to that house. The family had + to fly to England, and unless it was destroyed by + the shells, it is occupied by the Germans. </p> + <p>Calling in Antwerp on our professional + brethren was very delightful for one's mind, but + not a little trying for one's body. Their ideas + of entertainment were so lavish, and it was so + difficult to refuse their generosity, that it was + a decided mistake to attempt two calls in the + same afternoon. To be greeted at one house with + claret of a rare vintage, and at the next with + sweet champagne, especially when it is plain that + your host will be deeply pained if a drop is + left, is rather trying to a tea-drinking Briton. + They were very good to us, and we owed a great + deal to their help. Most of all we owed to Dr. + Morlet, for he had taken radiographs of all our + fractures, and of many others of our cases. We + went to see him one Sunday afternoon at his + beautiful house in the Avenue Plantin. He also + had partly converted his house into a hospital + for the wounded, and we saw twenty or thirty of + them in a large drawing-room. The rest of the + house was given up to the most magnificent + electro-therapeutical equipment I have ever seen + or heard of. We wandered through room after room + filled with superb apparatus for X-ray + examinations, X-ray treatment, diathermy, and + electrical treatment of every known kind. It was + not merely that apparatus for all these methods + was there. Whole rooms full of apparatus were + given up to each subject. It was the home of a + genius and an enthusiast, who thought no sum too + great if it were to advance his science. Little + did we think that ten days later we should pick + its owner up upon the road from Antwerp, a + homeless wanderer, struggling along with his wife + and his family, leaving behind everything he + possessed in the world, in the hope that he might + save them from the Germans. We heard from him not + long ago that they had carried off to Germany all + the wonderful machinery on which he had spent his + life. </p> + <p>The very next morning, while we were still at + breakfast, the wounded began to arrive, and we + never had another day in Antwerp that was not + crowded with incident. The wounded almost always + came in large batches, and the reason of this was + the method of distribution adopted by the + authorities. All the injured out at the front + were collected as far as possible to one centre, + where a train was waiting to receive them. There + they remained until the train was sufficiently + filled, when it brought them into the Central + Station of Antwerp. At this point was established + the distributing station, with a staff of medical + officers, who arranged the destination of each + man. Antwerp has a very complete system of + electric trams, scarcely a street being without + one, and of these full use was made for the + transport of the wounded. Those who could sit + went in ordinary cars, but for the stretcher + cases there were cars specially fitted to take + ordinary stretchers. A car was filled up with + cases for one hospital, and in most cases it + could deposit them at the door. It was an + admirable method of dealing with them, simple and + expeditious, and it involved far less pain and + injury to the men than a long journey on an + ambulance. In fact, we were only allowed in + exceptional circumstances to bring in wounded on + our cars, and it is obvious that it was a wise + plan, for endless confusion would have been the + result if anyone could have picked up the wounded + and carried them off where they liked. Our cars + were limited for the most part to carrying the + injured to the various dressing- stations and to + the train, and for these purposes they were + always welcomed. They were soon well known at the + trenches, and wherever the fighting was heaviest + you might be sure to find one of them. Many were + the hairbreadth escapes of which they had to + tell, for if there were wounded they brought them + out of danger, shells or no shells. And it says + as much for the coolness of the drivers as for + their good luck that no one was ever injured; for + danger is halved by cool judgment, and a bold + driver will come safely through where timidity + would fail. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>X The Siege</u></strong></p> + <p>It is difficult to say exactly when the Siege + of Antwerp began. For weeks we heard the distant + boom of the guns steadily drawing nearer day by + day, and all night the sky was lit up by distant + flashes. But so peculiar was the position of + Antwerp that it was not till the last ten days + that our life was seriously affected, and not + till the very end that communication with our + friends and the getting of supplies became + difficult. Our first real domestic tragedy was + the destruction of the waterworks on the 30th of + September. They lay just behind Waelhem, some six + miles south of Antwerp, and into them the Germans + poured from the other side of Malines a stream of + 28-centimetre shells, with the result that the + great reservoir burst. Until one has had to do + without a water-supply in a large city it is + impossible to realize to what a degree we are + dependent upon it. In Antwerp, fortunately, a + water- supply has been regarded as somewhat of an + innovation, and almost every house, in the better + class quarters at least, has its own wells and + pumps. It was, however, the end of the summer, + and the wells were low; our own pumps would give + us barely enough water for drinking purposes. The + authorities did all they could, and pumped up + water from the Scheldt for a few hours each day, + enabling us, with considerable difficulty, to + keep the drainage system clear. But this water + was tidal and brackish, whilst as to the number + of bacteria it contained it was better not to + inquire. We boiled and drank it when we could get + nothing else, but of all the nauseous draughts I + have ever consumed, not excluding certain + hospital mixtures of high repute, tea made with + really salt water is the worst. Coffee was a + little better, though not much, and upon that we + chiefly relied. But I really think that that was + one of the most unpleasant of our experiences. A + more serious matter from the point of view of our + work was the absence of water in the operating + theatre. We stored it as well as we could in + jugs, but in a rush that was inadequate, and we + began to realize what the difficulties were with + which surgeons had to contend in South Africa. </p> + <p>We were really driven out of Antwerp at a very + fortunate moment, and I have often wondered what + we should have done if we had stopped there for + another week. Such a very large proportion of the + inhabitants of Antwerp had already disappeared + that there was never any great shortage of + supplies. Milk and butter were the first things + to go, and fresh vegetables followed soon after. + It was always a mystery to me that with the + country in such a condition they went on for as + long as they did. The peasants must have worked + their farms until they were absolutely driven + out, and indeed in our expeditions into the + country we often saw fields being ploughed and + cattle being fed when shells were falling only a + few fields away. However, margarine and condensed + milk are not bad substitutes for the real + articles, and the supply of bread held out to the + very end. A greater difficulty was with our + kitchen staff of Belgian women, for a good many + of them took fright and left us, and it was not + at all easy to get their places filled. As the + week went on the pressure of the enemy became + steadily greater. On Tuesday, the 29th of + September, the great fortress of Wavre St. + Catherine fell, blown up, it is believed, by the + accidental explosion of a shell inside the + galleries. It had been seriously battered by the + big German howitzers, and it could not in any + case have held out for another day. But the + results of the explosion were terrible. Many of + the wounded came to us, and they were the worst + cases we had so far seen. </p> + <p>On Thursday Fort Waelhem succumbed after a + magnificent resistance. The garrison held it + until it was a mere heap of ruins, and, indeed, + they had the greatest difficulty in making their + way out. I think that there is very little doubt + that the Germans were using against these forts + their largest guns, the great 42-centimetre + howitzers. It is known that two of these were + brought northwards past Brussels after the fall + of Maubeuge, and a fragment which was given to us + was almost conclusive. It was brought to us one + morning as an offering by a grateful patient, and + it came from the neighbourhood of Fort Waelhem. + It was a mass of polished steel two feet long, a + foot wide, and three inches thick, and it weighed + about fifty pounds. It was very irregular in + shape, with edges sharp as razors, without a + particle of rust upon it. It had been picked up + where it fell still hot, and it was by far the + finest fragment of shell I have ever seen. Alas + we had to leave it behind, and it lies buried in + a back-garden beside our hospital. Some day it + will be dug up, and will be exhibited as + conclusive evidence that the Germans did use + their big guns in shelling the town. </p> + <p>The destruction produced by such a shell is + almost past belief. I have seen a large house + struck by a single shell of a much smaller size + than this, and it simply crumpled up like a pack + of cards. As a house it disappeared, and all that + was left was a heap of bricks and mortar. When + one considers that these guns have a range of + some ten miles, giving Mont Blanc considerable + clearance on the way, and that one of them out at + Harrow could drop shells neatly into Charing + Cross, some idea of their power can be obtained. </p> + <p>Every day we had visits from the enemy's + aeroplanes, dropping bombs or literature, or + merely giving the range of hospitals and other + suitable objectives to the German gunners. From + the roof of the hospital one could get a + magnificent view of their evolutions, and a few + kindred spirits always made a rush for a door on + to the roof, the secret of which was carefully + preserved, as the accommodation was limited. It + was a very pretty sight to watch the Taube + soaring overhead, followed by the puffs of smoke + from the explosion of shells fired from the + forts. The puffs would come nearer and nearer as + the gunners found the range, until one felt that + the next must bring the Taube down. Then suddenly + the airman would turn his machine off in another + direction, and the shells would fall wider than + ever. One's feelings were torn between admiration + for the airman's daring and an unholy desire to + see him fall. </p> + <p>It was evident that Antwerp could not + withstand much longer the pressure of the enemy's + guns, and we were not surprised when on Friday we + received an official notice from the British + Consul-General, Sir Cecil Herstlet, that the + Government were about to leave for Ostend, and + advising all British subjects to leave by a boat + which had been provided for them on Saturday. On + Saturday morning came an order from the Belgian + Army Medical Service instructing us to place on + tramcars all our wounded, and to send them to the + railway station. It appeared evident that Antwerp + was to be evacuated, and we took the order to + clear out our wounded as an intimation that our + services would be no longer required. We got all + our men ready for transport, and proceeded to + pack up the hospital. The tramcars arrived, and + we bade good-bye to our patients, and saw them + off, some in ordinary trams and some in specially + equipped stretcher-cars. It was a dismal scene. </p> + <p>The hall of the hospital was still covered + with stretchers on which lay patients waiting + their turn for the cars to take them, and the + whole hospital was in process of being + dismantled, when tramcars began to arrive back + from the station with the patients we had just + packed off. They told us that the whole of + Antwerp was covered with tramloads of wounded + soldiers, that there were five thousand in the + square in front of the railway station, and that + two trains had been provided to take them away! + It was evident that some extraordinary blunder + had been made; and while we were in doubt as to + what to do, a second order came to us cancelling + entirely the evacuation order which we and all + the other hospitals in Antwerp had received a few + hours before. It was all so perplexing that we + felt that the only satisfactory plan was to go + round to the British Consul and find out what it + all meant. We came back with the great news that + British Marines were coming to hold Antwerp. That + was good enough for us. In less than an hour the + hospital was in working order again, and the + patients were back in their beds, and a more + jubilant set of patients I have never seen. It + was the most joyful day in the history of the + hospital, and if we had had a case of champagne, + it should have been opened. As it was, we had to + be content with salt coffee. </p> + <p>But there was one dreadful tragedy. Some of + our patients had not returned. In the confusion + at the station one tramcar loaded with our + patients had been sent off to another hospital by + mistake. And the worst of it was that some of + these were our favourite patients. There was + nothing for it but to start next morning and make + a tour of the hospitals in search of them. We + were not long in finding them, for most of them + were in a large hospital close by. I do not think + we shall ever forget the reception we got when we + found them. They had left us on stretchers, but + they tried to get out of bed to come away with + us, and one of them was a septic factured thigh + with a hole in his leg into which you could put + your fist, and another had recently had a serious + abdominal operation. </p> + <p>They seized our hands and would scarcely let + us go until we had promised that as soon as we + had arranged with the authorities they should + come back to our hospital. It was managed after a + little diplomacy, and they all came back next + day, and we were again a united family. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XI Contich</u></strong></p> + <p>Sunday, the 4th of October, dawned with an + extraordinary feeling of relief and expectancy in + the air. The invincible British had arrived, huge + guns were on their way, a vast body of French and + British troops was advancing by forced marches, + and would attack our besiegers in the rear, and + beyond all possibility of doubt crush them + utterly. But perhaps the most convincing proof of + all was the round head of the First Lord of the + Admiralty calmly having his lunch in the Hotel + St. Antoine. Surely nothing can inspire such + confidence as the sight of an Englishman eating. + It is one of the most substantial phenomena in + nature, and certainly on this occasion I found + the sight more convincing than a political + speech. Obviously we were saved, and one felt a + momentary pang of pity for the misguided Germans + who had taken on such an impossible task. The + sight of British troops in the streets and of + three armoured cars carrying machine guns settled + the question, and we went home to spread the good + news and to follow the noble example of the First + Lord. </p> + <p>In the afternoon three of us went off in one + of the motors for a short run, partly to see if + we could be of any use at the front with the + wounded, and partly to see, if possible, the + British troops. We took a stretcher with us, in + case there should be any wounded to bring in from + outlying posts. Everywhere we found signs of the + confidence which the British had brought. It was + visible in the face of every Belgian soldier, and + even the children cheered our khaki uniforms as + we passed. Everywhere there were signs of a new + activity and of a new hope. The trenches and wire + entanglements around the town, already very + extensive, were being perfected, and to our eyes + they looked impregnable. We did not then realize + how useless it is to attempt to defend a town, + and, unfortunately, our ignorance was not limited + to civilians. It is a curious freak of modern war + that a ploughed field should be stronger than any + citadel. But, as I say, these things were hidden + from us, and our allies gave the finishing + touches to their trenches, to the high + entertainment of the Angels, as Stevenson would + have told us. If only those miles of trench and + acres of barbed wire had been placed ten miles + away, and backed by British guns, the story of + Antwerp might have been a very different one. </p> + <p>The road to Boom is like all the main roads of + Belgium. The central causeway was becoming worn + by the constant passage of heavy motor lorries + tearing backwards and forwards at racing speed. + The sides were deep in dust, for there had been + little rain. On each side rose poplars in ordered + succession, and the long, straight stretches of + the road were framed in the endless vista of + their tall trunks. And in that frame moved a + picture too utterly piteous for any words to + describe—a whole country fleeing before the + Huns. The huge unwieldy carts of the Belgian + farmer crept slowly along, drawn by great Flemish + horses. In front walked the men, plodding along + beside the splendid animals, with whose help they + had ploughed their fields—fields they would + never see again. In the carts was piled up all + that they possessed in the world, all that they + could carry of their homes wrecked and blasted by + the Vandals, a tawdry ornament or a child's toy + looking out pitifully from the heap of clothes + and bedding. And seated on the top of the heap + were the woman and the children. </p> + <p>But these were the well-to-do. There were + other little groups who had no cart and no horse. + The father and a son would walk in front carrying + all that a man could lift on their strong backs; + then came the children, boys and girls, each with + a little white bundle over their shoulder done up + in a towel or a pillowslip, tiny mites of four or + five doing all they could to save the home; and + last came the mother with a baby at her breast, + trudging wearily through the dust. They came in + an endless stream, over and over again, for mile + after mile, always in the same pathetic little + groups, going away, only going away. </p> + <p>At last, with a sigh of relief, we reached + Boom, and the end of the lines of refugees, for + the Germans themselves were not far beyond. At + the Croix Rouge we asked for instructions as to + where we were likely to be useful. Boom had been + shelled in the morning, but it was now quiet, and + there was no fighting in the neighbourhood. We + could hear the roar of guns in the distance on + the east, and we were told that severe fighting + was in progress in that direction. The British + had reinforced the Belgian troops in the trenches + at Duffel, and the Germans were attacking the + position in force. Taking the road to the left, + we passed the great brick-fields which provide + one of the chief industries of Boom, and we drove + through the poorer portion of the town which lies + amongst them. It was utterly deserted. It was in + this part of the town that the shelling had been + most severe, but a large number of the shells + must have fallen harmlessly in the brickfields, + as only a house here and there was damaged. If, + however, the object of the Germans was to clear + the town of inhabitants, they had certainly + succeeded, for there was not a man, woman, or + child to be seen anywhere. It is a strange and + uncanny thing to drive through a deserted town. + Only a few days before we had driven the same + way, and we had to go quite slowly to avoid the + crowd in the streets. This time we crept along + slowly, but for a very different reason. We + distrusted those empty houses. We never knew what + might be hiding round the next corner, but we did + know that a false turning would take us straight + into the German lines. It was the only way by + which we could reach our destination, but we were + beyond the main Belgian lines, and our road was + only held by a few isolated outposts. After a + mile or so we came upon a small outpost, and they + told us that we should be safe as far as Rumps, + about three miles farther, where their main + outpost was placed. An occasional shell sailed + over our heads to reassure us, some from our own + batteries, and some from the enemy's. We only + hoped that neither side would fire short. </p> + <p>At Rumps we found the headquarters of the + regiment, and several hundred troops. At the + sight of our khaki uniforms they at once raised a + cheer, and we had quite an ovation as we passed + down the street. At the Etat Majeur the Colonel + himself came out to see us, and his officers + crowded round as he asked us anxiously about the + British arrivals. He pulled out his orders for + the day, and told us the general disposition of + the British and Belgian troops. He told us that + the road to Duffel was too dangerous, and that we + must turn northwards to Contich, but that there + might be some wounded in the Croix Rouge station + there. He and his men were typical of the Belgian + Army—brave, simple men, defending their country + as best they could, without fuss or show. I hope + they have come to no harm. If only that army had + been trained and equipped like ours, the Germans + would have had a hard struggle to get through + Belgium. </p> + <p>We turned away from the German lines + northwards towards Contich. Our road lay across + the open country, between the farms which mean so + much of Belgium's wealth. In one field a man was + ploughing with three big horses. He was too old + to fight, but he could do this much for his + country. Surely that man deserves a place in his + country's Roll of Honour. Shells were falling not + four fields away, but he never even looked up. It + must take more nerve to plough a straight furrow + when the shells are falling than to aim a gun. I + like to think of that man, and I hope that he + will be left to reap his harvest in peace. A + little farther on we came upon the objective of + the German shells—a battery so skilfully + concealed that it was only when we were close to + it that we realized where it was. The + ammunition-carts were drawn up in a long line + behind a hedge, while the guns themselves were + buried in piles of brushwood. They must have been + invisible from the captive balloon which hung + over the German lines in the distance. They were + not firing when we passed, and we were not sorry, + as we had no desire to be there when the replies + came. An occasional shell gives a certain spice + to the situation, but in quantity they are better + avoided. </p> + <p>As we approached Contich a soldier came + running up and told us that two people had just + been injured by a shell, and begged us to come to + see them. He stood on the step of the car, and + directed us to a little row of cottages half a + mile farther on. At the roadside was a large hole + in the ground where a shell had fallen some + minutes before, and beside it an unfortunate cow + with its hind-quarters shattered. In the garden + of the first cottage a poor woman lay on her + back. She was dead, and her worn hands were + already cold. As I rose from my knees a young + soldier flung himself down beside her, sobbing as + though his heart would break. She was his mother. + </p> + <p>Behind the cottage we found a soldier with his + left leg torn to fragments. He had lost a great + deal of blood, and he was still bleeding from a + large artery, in spite of the efforts of a number + of soldiers round who were applying tourniquets + without much success. The ordinary tourniquet is + probably the most inefficient instrument that the + mind of man could devise—at least, for dealing + with wounds of the thigh out in the field. It + might stop haemorrhage in an infant, but for a + burly soldier it is absurd. I tried two of the + most approved patterns, and both broke in my + hands. In the end I managed to stop it with a + handkerchief and a stick. I would suggest the + elimination of all tourniquets, and the + substitution of the humble pocket-handkerchief. + It, at least, does not pretend to be what it is + not. Between shock and loss of blood our soldier + was pretty bad, and we did not lose much time in + transferring him to our car on a stretcher. The + Croix Rouge dressing-station was more than a mile + farther on, established in a large villa in its + own grounds. We carried our man in, and laid him + on a table with the object of dressing his leg + properly, and of getting the man himself into + such condition as would enable him to stand the + journey back to Antwerp. </p> + <p>Alas! the dressing-station was destitute of + any of the most elementary appliances for the + treatment of a seriously wounded man. There was + not even a fire, and the room was icy cold. There + was no hot water, no brandy, no morphia, no + splints, and only a minute quantity of dressing + material. A cupboard with some prehistoric + instruments in it was the only evidence of + surgery that we could find. The Belgian doctor in + charge was doing the best he could, but what he + could be expected to do in such surroundings I do + not know. He seemed greatly relieved to hear that + I was a surgeon, and he was most kind in trying + to find me everything for which I asked. From + somewhere we managed to raise some brandy and hot + water, and a couple of blankets, and with the + dressings we had brought with us we made the best + of a bad job, and started for home with our + patient. Antwerp was eight miles away. It was a + bitterly cold evening, and darkness was coming + on. It seemed improbable that we could get our + patient home alive, but it was perfectly certain + that he would die if we left him where he was. It + seemed such a pity that a little more forethought + and common sense could not have been expended on + that dressing- station, and yet we found that + with rare exceptions this was the regular state + of affairs, whether in. Belgium or France. It + seems to be impossible for our professional + brethren on the Continent to imagine any + treatment apart from a completely equipped + hospital. Their one idea seems to be to get the + wounded back to a base hospital, and if they die + on the way it cannot be helped. The + dressing-stations are mere offices for their + redirection, where they are carefully ticketed, + but where little else is done. Of course, it is + true that the combatant forces are the first + consideration, and that from their point of view + the wounded are simply in the way, and the sooner + they are carried beyond the region of the + fighting the better; but if this argument were + carried to its logical conclusion, there should + be no medical services at the front at all, + except what might be absolutely necessary for the + actual transport of the wounded. I am glad to say + that our later experiences showed that the + British influence was beginning to make itself + felt, and that the idea of the wounded as a mere + useless encumbrance was being modified by more + humanitarian considerations. And in a long war it + must be obvious to the most hardened militarist + that by the early treatment of a wound many of + its more severe consequences may be averted, and + that many a man may thus be saved for further + service. In a war of exhaustion, the ultimate + result might well depend on how the wounded were + treated in the field. </p> + <p>The road was crowded with traffic, and it was + quite dark before we reached Antwerp. Our patient + did not seem much the worse for his journey, + though that is perhaps faint praise. We soon had + him in our theatre, which was always warm and + ready for cases such as this. With energetic + treatment his condition rapidly improved, and + when we left him to go to dinner we felt that our + afternoon had not been entirely wasted. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XII The + Bombardment—Night</u></strong></p> + <p>We had had plenty of notice that we might + expect a bombardment. On Saturday a boat had left + with most of the English Colony. On Tuesday + morning the Germans sent in official notice that + they intended to bombard the city, and in the + evening the Government and the Legations left by + boat with the remainder of our countrymen who + lived in Antwerp. We had faced the prospect and + made every preparation for it, and yet when it + did come it came upon us as a surprise. It is + sometimes fortunate that our capacities for + anticipation are so limited. </p> + <p>It was almost midnight on Wednesday, the 7th + of October, and two of us were sitting in the + office writing despatches home. The whole + building was in absolute silence, and lit only by + the subdued light of an occasional candle. In the + distance we could hear the dull booming of the + guns. Suddenly above our heads sounded a soft + whistle, which was not the wind, followed by a + dull thud in the distance. We looked at one + another. </p> + <p>Again it came, this time a little louder. We + ran up to the roof and stood there for some + moments, fascinated by the scene. From the dull + grey sky came just sufficient light to show the + city laying in darkness around us, its tall + spires outlined as dim shadows against the + clouds. Not a sound arose from streets and houses + around, but every few seconds there came from the + south-east a distant boom, followed by the + whistle of a shell overhead and the dull thud of + its explosion. The whole scene was eerie and + uncanny in the extreme. The whistle changed to a + shriek and the dull thud to a crash close at + hand, followed by the clatter of falling bricks + cutting sharply into the stillness of the night. + Plainly this was going to be a serious business, + and we must take instant measures for the safety + of our patients. At any moment a shell might + enter one of the wards, and—well, we had seen + the hospital at Lierre. We ran downstairs and + told the night nurses to get the patients ready + for removal, whilst we went across to the + gymnasium to arouse those of the staff who slept + there. We collected all our stretchers, and began + the methodical removal of all our patients to the + basement. In a few minutes there was a clang at + the front-door bell, and our nurses and + assistants who lived outside began to arrive. Two + of the dressers had to come half a mile along the + Malines road, where the shells were falling + thickest, and every few yards they had had to + shelter in doorways from the flying shrapnel. The + bombardment had begun in earnest now, and shells + were fairly pouring over our heads. We started + with the top floor, helping down those patients + who could walk, and carrying the rest on + stretchers. When that was cleared we took the + second, and I think we all breathed a sigh of + relief when we heard that the top floor was + empty. We were fortunate in having a basement + large enough to accommodate all our patients, and + wide staircases down which the stretchers could + be carried without difficulty; but the patients + were all full-grown men, and as most of them had + to be carried it was hard work. </p> + <p>I shall never forget the scene on the great + staircase, crowded with a long train of nurses, + doctors, and dressers carrying the wounded down + as gently and as carefully as if they were in a + London hospital. I saw no sign of fear in any + face, only smiles and laughter. And yet overhead + was a large glass roof, and there was no one + there who did not realize that a shell might come + through that roof at any moment, and that it + would not leave a single living person beneath + it. It made one proud to have English blood + running in one's veins. We had 113 wounded, and + within an hour they were all in places of safety; + mattresses and blankets were brought, and they + were all made as comfortable as possible for the + night. Four were grave intestinal cases. Seven + had terrible fractures of the thigh, but + fortunately five of these had been already + repaired with steel plates, and their transport + was easy; in fact, I met one of them on the + staircase, walking with the support of a + dresser's arm, a week after the operation! Some + of the patients must have suffered excruciating + pain in being moved, but one never heard a + murmur, and if a groan could not be kept back, it + was passed over with a jest for fear we should + notice it. It was a magnificent basement, with + heavy arched roofs everywhere, and practically + shell-proof. The long passages and the large + kitchens were all tiled and painted white, and as + the electric light was still running and the + whole building was well warmed, it would have + been difficult to find a more cheerful and + comfortable place. Coffee was provided for + everyone, and when I took a last look round the + night nurses were taking charge as if nothing had + happened, and the whole place was in the regular + routine of an ordinary everyday hospital. </p> + <p>Upstairs there was an improvised meal in + progress in the office, and after our two hours' + hard work we were glad of it. It is really + wonderful how cheerful a thing a meal is in the + middle of the night, with plenty of hot coffee + and a borrowed cake. It is one of the + compensations of our life in hospital, and even + shells are powerless to disturb it. After that, + as we knew we should have a heavy day before us, + we all settled down in the safest corners we + could find to get what rest we could. The + staircase leading up to the entrance hall was + probably the safest spot in the building, covered + as it was by a heavy arch, and it was soon packed + with people in attitudes more or less restful. A + ward with a comfortable bed seemed to me quite + safe enough, and I spent the night with three + equally hedonistic companions. At first we lay + listening to the shells as they passed overhead, + sometimes with the soft whistle of distance, and + sometimes with the angry shriek of a shell + passing near. Occasionally the shriek would drop + to a low howl, the note of a steam siren as it + stops, and then a deafening crash and the clatter + of falling bricks and glass would warn us that we + had only escaped by a few yards. But even + listening to shells becomes monotonous, and my + eyes gradually glued together, and I fell asleep. + </p> + <p>When I awoke it was early morning, and + daylight had just come. The shells were still + arriving, but not so fast, and mostly at a much + greater distance. But another sound came at + intervals, and we had much discussion as to what + it might mean. Every three and a half minutes + exactly there came two distant booms, but louder + than usual, and then two terrific shrieks one + after the other, exactly like the tearing of a + giant sheet of calico, reminding us strongly of + the famous scene in "Peter Pan." Away + they went in the distance, and if we ever heard + the explosion it was a long way off. They + certainly sounded like shells fired over our + heads from quite close, and at a very low + elevation, and we soon evolved the comforting + theory that they were from a pair of big British + guns planted up the river, and firing over the + town at the German trenches beyond. We even saw a + British gunboat lying in the Scheldt, and + unlimited reinforcements pouring up the river. + Alas! it was only a couple of big German guns + shelling the harbour and the arsenal; at least, + that is the conclusion at which we have since + arrived. But for some hours those shells were a + source of great satisfaction and comfort. One can + lie in bed with great contentment, I find, when + it is the other people who are being shelled. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium007.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium007.jpg" + alt="Homeless" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XIII The + Bombardment—Day</u></strong></p> + <p>We were up early in the morning, and our first + business was to go round to the British + Headquarters to find out what they intended to + do, and what they expected of us as a British + base hospital. If they intended to stay, and + wished us to do likewise, we were quite prepared + to do so, but we did not feel equal to the + responsibility of keeping more than a hundred + wounded in a position so obviously perilous. From + shrapnel they were fairly safe in the basement, + but from large shells or from incendiary bombs + there is no protection. It is not much use being + in a cellar if the house is burnt down over your + head. So two of us started off in our motor to + get news. </p> + <p>The Headquarters were in the Hotel St. + Antoine, at the corner of the Place Verte + opposite to the Cathedral, so we had to go right + across the town. We went by the Rue d'Argile and + the Rue Leopold, and we had a fair opportunity of + estimating the results of the night's + bombardment. In the streets through which we + passed it was really astonishingly small. + Cornices had been knocked off, and the fragments + lay in the streets; a good many windows were + broken, and in a few cases a shell had entered an + attic and blown up the roof. Plainly only small + shells had been used. We did not realize that + many of the houses we passed were just beginning + to get comfortably alight, and that there was no + one to put out the fires that had only begun so + far to smoulder. A few people were about, + evidently on their way out of Antwerp, but the + vast bulk of the population had already gone. It + is said that the population of half a million + numbered by the evening only a few hundreds. We + passed a small fox terrier lying on the pavement + dead, and somehow it has remained in my mind as a + most pathetic sight. He had evidently been killed + by a piece of shrapnel, and it seemed very + unfair. But probably his people had left him, and + he was better out of it. </p> + <p>We turned into the Marche aux Souliers, and + drew up at the Hotel St. Antoine, and as we + stepped down from the car a shell passed close to + us with a shriek, and exploded with a terrific + crash in the house opposite across the narrow + street. We dived into the door of the hotel to + escape the falling debris. So far the shells had + been whistling comfortably over our heads, but it + was evident that the Germans were aiming at the + British Headquarters, and that we had put our + heads into the thick of it, for it was now + positively raining shells all round us. But we + scarcely noticed them in our consternation at + what we found, for the British Staff had + disappeared. We wandered through the deserted + rooms which had been so crowded a few days + before, but there was not a soul to be seen. They + had gone, and left no address. At last an elderly + man appeared, whom I took to be the proprietor, + and all he could tell us was that there was no + one but himself in the building. Of all the + desolate spots in the world I think that an empty + hotel is the most desolate, and when you have + very fair reason to believe that a considerable + number of guns are having a competition as to + which can drop a shell into it first, it becomes + positively depressing. We got into our car and + drove down the Place de Meir to the Belgian Croix + Rouge, where we hoped to get news of our + countrymen, and there we were told that they had + gone to the Belgian Etat Majeur near by. We had a + few minutes' conversation with the President of + the Croix Rouge, a very good friend of ours, tall + and of striking appearance, with a heavy grey + moustache. We asked him what the Croix Rouge + would do. "Ah," he said, "we will + stay to the last!" At that very moment a + shell exploded with a deafening crash just + outside in the Place de Meir. I looked at the + President, and he threw up his hands in despair + and led the way out of the building. The Belgian + Red Cross had finished its work. </p> + <p>At last at the Etat Majeur we found our + Headquarters, and I sincerely hope that wherever + General Paris, Colonel Bridges, and Colonel Seely + go, they will always find people as pleased to + see them as we were. They very kindly told us + something of the situation, and said that, though + they had every intention of holding Antwerp, they + advised us to clear out, and they placed at our + disposal four motor omnibuses for the transport + of the wounded. So off we drove back to the + hospital to make arrangements for evacuating. It + was a lively drive, for I suppose that the + Germans had had breakfast and had got to work + again; at any rate, shells were coming in pretty + freely, and we were happier when we could run + along under the lee of the houses. However, we + got back to the hospital safely enough, and there + we held a council of war. </p> + <p>It was in the office, of course—the most + risky room we could have chosen, I suppose—but + somehow that did not seem to occur to anyone. It + is curious how soon one grows accustomed to + shells. At that moment a barrel-organ would have + caused us far more annoyance. We sat round the + table and discussed the situation. It was by no + means straightforward. In the first place several + members of the community did not wish to leave at + all; in the second, we could not leave any of our + wounded behind unattended; and in the third, it + seemed unlikely that we could get them all on to + four buses. After a long discussion we decided to + go again and see General Paris, to ask for + absolute instructions as a hospital under his + control, and if he told us to go, to get + sufficient transport. And then arose a scene + which will always live in my mind. We had + impressed into consultation a retired officer of + distinction to whose help we owed much, and now + owe far more, and whom I shall call our Friend. + Perhaps he wished to give us confidence—I have + always suspected that he had an ulterior + motive—but he concluded the discussion by saying that + he felt hungry and would have something to eat + before he started, and from his haversack he + produced an enormous German sausage and a large + loaf of bread, which he offered to us all round, + and he said he would like a cup of tea! The + shells could do what they liked outside, and if + one of them was rude enough to intrude, it could + not be helped. We must show them that we could + pay no attention to anything so vulgar and noisy. + At any rate, the effect on us was electrical. The + contrast between the German shells and the German + sausage was too much for us, and the meeting + broke up in positive confusion. Alas that + sausage, the unparalleled trophy of an + incomparable moment, was left behind on the + table, and I fear the Germans got it. </p> + <p>General Paris had been obliged to shift his + headquarters to the Pilotage, on the docks and at + the farthest end of the city from us. He was very + considerate, and after some discussion said that + we had better leave Antwerp, and sent Colonel + Farquharson with us to get six buses. The + Pilotage is at the extreme north end of the + Avenue des Arts, which extends the whole length + of Antwerp, and the buses were on the quay by the + Arsenal at the extreme south end, so that we had + to drive the whole length of this, the most + magnificent street of Antwerp, and a distance of + about three miles. It was an extraordinary drive. + In the whole length of that Avenue I do not think + that we passed a single individual. It was + utterly deserted. All around were signs of the + bombardment—tops of houses blown off, and + scattered about the street, trees knocked down, + holes in the roadway where shells had struck. On + the left stood the great Palais de Justice, with + most of its windows broken and part of the roof + blown away, and just beyond this three houses in + a row blazing from cellar to chimney, the front + wall gone, and all that remained of the rooms + exposed. As I said, only small shells had been + used, and the damage was nothing at all to that + which we afterwards saw at Ypres; but it gave one + an impression of dreariness and utter desolation + that could scarcely be surpassed. Think of + driving from Hyde Park Corner down the Strand to + the Bank, not meeting a soul on the way, passing + a few clubs in Piccadilly burning comfortably, + the Cecil a blazing furnace, and the Law Courts + lying in little bits about the street, and you + will get some idea of what it looked like. The + scream of the shells and the crash when they fell + near by formed quite a suitable if somewhat + Futurist accompaniment. </p> + <p>But the climax of the entertainment, the bonne + bouche of the afternoon, was reserved for the end + of our drive, when we reached the wharf by the + Arsenal, where the British stores and transport + were collected. Here was a long row of + motor-buses, about sixty of them, all drawn up in + line along the river. Beside them was a long row + of heavily loaded ammunition lorries, and on the + other side of the road was the Arsenal, on our + left, blazing away, with a vast column of smoke + towering up to the sky. "It may blow up any + minute," said Colonel Farquharson cheerily, + "I had better move that ammunition." I + have never seen an arsenal blow up, and I imagine + it is a phenomenon requiring distance to get it + into proper perspective; but I have some + recollection of an arsenal blowing up in Antwerp + a few years ago and taking a considerable part of + the town with it. However, it was not our + arsenal, so we waited and enjoyed the view till + the ammunition had been moved, and the Colonel + had done his best to get us the motor-buses. He + could only get us four, so we had to make the + best of a bad job. But. meanwhile the Germans had + evidently determined to give us a really good + show while they were about it, for while we + waited a Taube came overhead and hovered for a + moment, apparently uncertain as to whether a bomb + or a shell would look better just there. A flash + of tinsel falling in the sunlight showed us that + she had made up her mind and was giving the + range. But we could not stay, and were a quarter + of a mile away when we looked back and saw the + first shells falling close to where we had been + two minutes before. They had come six miles. </p> + <p>The bombardment was increasing in violence, + and large numbers of incendiary shells were being + used, whilst in addition the houses set on fire + during the night were now beginning to blaze. As + we drove back we passed several houses in flames, + and the passage of the narrow streets we + traversed was by no means free from risk. At last + we turned into our own street, the Boulevard + Leopold, and there we met a sight which our eyes + could scarcely credit. Three motor-buses stood + before our door and patients were being crowded + into them. Those buses and our own lives we owe + to the kindness of Major Gordon. Without them + some at least must have remained behind. The + three were already well filled, for our friends + thought that we had certainly been killed and + that they must act for themselves. We sent them + off under the escort of one of our cars, as it + seemed foolish to keep them waiting in a position + of danger. On our own four we packed all our + remaining patients and all the hospital equipment + we could remove. One does not waste time when one + packs under shell fire, and at the end of + three-quarters of an hour there was not a patient + and very little of value in the hospital. I took + charge of the theatre as I knew where the things + went, and I think the British working man would + have been rather astonished to see how fast the + big sterilizers fell apart and the + operating-tables slid into their cases. The + windows faced shellwards, and I must confess that + once or twice when one of them seemed to be + coming unpleasantly near I took the opportunity + to remove my parcels outside. How the patients + were got ready and carried out and into the buses + in that time is beyond my comprehension. But + somehow it was managed. I took a last look round + and drove out the last nurse who was trying to + rescue some last "hospital comfort" for + a patient, and in the end I was myself driven out + by two indignant dressers who caught me trying to + save the instrument sterilizer. The buses were a + wonderful sight. Inside were some sixty patients, + our share of the whole hundred and thirteen, and + on top about thirty of our staff, and the + strangest collection of equipment imaginable. The + largest steam sterilizer mounted guard in front, + hoisted there by two sailormen of huge strength, + who turned up from somewhere. Great bundles of + blankets, crockery, and instruments were wedged + in everywhere, with the luggage of the staff. At + the door of each bus was seated a nurse, like a + conductor, to give what little attention was + possible to the patients. It was a marvellous + sight, but no cheerier crowd of medical students + ever left the doors of a hospital for a Cup-tie. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium008.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium008.jpg" + alt="Antwerp—after the Bombardment" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XIV The Night + Journey</u></strong></p> + <p>There was only one way out—by the bridge of + boats across the Scheldt. It was a narrow plank + road, and as vehicles had to go across in single + file at some distance apart, the pressure can be + imagined. For an hour and a half we stood in the + densely packed Cathedral square watching the + hands of the great clock go round and wondering + when a shell would drop among us. We had seen + enough of churches to know what an irresistible + attraction they have for German artillery, and we + knew that, whatever may be the state of affairs + in Scotland, here at any rate the nearer the + church the nearer was heaven. But no shells fell + near, we only heard them whistling overhead. </p> + <p>The scene around us was extraordinary, and + indeed these were the remains of the entire + population of Antwerp. The whole city had emptied + itself either by this road or by the road + northwards into Holland. Crowds of people of + every class—the poor in their working- clothes, + the well-to-do in their Sunday best—all carrying + in bundles all they could carry away of their + property, and wedged in amongst them every kind + of vehicle imaginable, from a luxurious limousine + to coster's carts and wheelbarrows. In front of + us lay the Scheldt, and pouring down towards it + was on the left an endless stream of fugitives, + crossing by the ferry-boats, and on the right an + interminable train of artillery and troops, + crossing by the only bridge. At last there was a + movement forwards; we crept down the slope and on + to the bridge, and slowly moved over to the other + side. Perhaps we should not have felt quite so + happy about it had we known that two men had just + been caught on the point of blowing up the boats + in the centre, and that very shortly after the + Germans were to get the range and drop a shell on + to the bridge. At five o'clock we were across the + bridge and on the road to Ghent. </p> + <p>Of all the pitiful sights I have ever seen, + that road was the most utterly pitiful. We moved + on slowly through a dense throng of + fugitives—men, women, and little + children—all with bundles + over their shoulders, in which was all that they + possessed. A woman with three babies clinging to + her skirts, a small boy wheeling his grandmother + in a wheelbarrow, family after family, all moving + away from the horror that lay behind to the + misery that lay in front. We had heard of + Louvain, and we had seen Termonde, and we + understood. As darkness came down we lit our + lamps, and there along the roadside sat rows of + fugitives, resting before recommencing their long + journey through the night. There was one row of + little children which will live for ever in my + memory, tiny mites sitting together on a bank by + the roadside. We only saw them for an instant as + our lights fell on them, and they disappeared in + the darkness. Germany will have to pay for + Louvain and Termonde. It is not with man that she + will have to settle for that row of little + children. </p> + <p>We had a few vacant seats when we left + Antwerp, but they were soon filled by fugitives + whom we picked up on the road. Strangely enough, + we picked up two of our friends in Antwerp with + their families. One was the doctor who had taken + all our radiographs for us, and to whom we owed a + great deal in many ways. He had left his + beautiful house, with X-ray apparatus on which he + had spent his fortune, incomparably superior to + any other that I have ever seen, and here he was + trudging along the road, with his wife, his two + children, and their nurse. They were going to St. + Nicholas, on their way to Holland, and were + delighted to get a lift. Unfortunately, by some + mistake, the nurse and children left the bus at + Zwyndrecht, a few miles from Antwerp, the doctor + came on to St. Nicholas, and his wife went right + through with us to Ghent. It took him three days + to find the children, and when we last heard from + him he was in Holland, having lost everything he + had in the world, and after two months he had not + yet found his wife. And this is only an instance + of what has happened all over Belgium. </p> + <p>We reached St. Nicholas about eight o'clock, + having covered thirteen miles in three hours. It + was quite dark, and as we had a long night before + us we decided to stop and get some food for + ourselves and our patients. There was not much to + be had, but, considering the stream of fugitives, + it was wonderful that there was anything. We + hoped now to be able to push on faster, and to + reach Ghent before midnight, for it is only a + little over twenty miles by the direct road. To + our dismay, we found that Lokeren, half-way to + Ghent, was in the hands of the Germans, and that + we must make a detour, taking us close to the + Dutch border, and nearly doubling the distance. + Without a guide, and in the dark, we could never + have reached our destination; but we were + fortunate enough to get a guide, and we set out + on our long drive through the night. Twenty + minutes later a German scouting party entered St. + Nicholas. It was a narrow margin, but it was + sufficient. </p> + <p>We were rather a downhearted party when we set + out northwards towards the Dutch frontier, for we + had been told that the three buses we had sent on + in advance had gone straight on to Lokeren, and + had undoubtedly fallen into the hands of the + Germans, who had made certain of holding the road + by destroying the bridge. We hoped that they + might have discovered this in time, and turned + back, but we could not wait to find out. We knew + that the enemy were quite close. At first we used + our lights, but a shrapnel whistling overhead + warned us that we were seen, and for the + remainder of the night we travelled in darkness. + These were minor roads, with a narrow paved + causeway in the centre, and loose sand on each + side. Long avenues of trees kept us in inky + darkness, and how the drivers succeeded in + keeping on the causeway I really do not know. + Every now and then one of the buses would get + into the sand; then all the men would collect, + dig the wheels clear, and by sheer brute force + drag the bus back to safety. Twice it seemed + absolutely hopeless. The wheels were in the loose + sand within a foot of a deep ditch, and the least + thing would have sent the bus flying over on to + its side into the field beyond; and on both + occasions, while we looked at one another in + despair, a team of huge Flemish horses appeared + from nowhere in the darkness and dragged us + clear. Think of an inky night, the Germans close + at hand, and every half-hour or so a desperate + struggle to shoulder a heavily loaded London bus + out of a ditch, and you may have some faint idea + of the nightmare we passed through. </p> + <p>As we crept along the dark avenues, the sky + behind us was lit by an ever-increasing glare. + Away to the south-east, at no great distance, a + village was blazing, but behind us was a vast + column of flame and smoke towering up to heaven. + It was in the direction of Antwerp, and at first + we thought that the vandals had fired the town; + but though the sky was lit by many blazing + houses, that tall pillar came from the great + oil-tanks, set on fire by the Belgians lest they + should fall into German hands. A more awful and + terrifying spectacle it is hard to conceive. The + sky was lit up as if by the sunrise of the day of + doom, and thirty miles away our road was lighted + by the lurid glare. Our way led through woods, + and amongst the trees we could hear the crack and + see the flash of rifle-fire. More than once the + whiz of a bullet urged us to hurry on. </p> + <p>At Selsaete, only a mile from the Dutch + frontier, we turned southwards towards Ghent, and + for an interminable distance we followed the bank + of a large canal. A few miles from Ghent we met + Commander Samson, of the Flying Corps, and three + of his armoured cars. The blaze of their + headlights quite blinded us after the darkness in + which we had travelled, but the sight of the + British uniforms and the machine guns was a great + encouragement. The road was so narrow that they + had to turn their cars into a field to let us + pass. We had just come up with a number of farm + waggons, and the clumsy Flemish carts, with their + huge horses, the grey armoured cars, with their + blazing headlights, and our four red motor-buses, + made a strange scene in the darkness of the + night. At last we reached Ghent utterly tired + out, though personally I had slept a sort of + nightmare sleep on the top step of a bus which + boldly announced its destination as Hendon. It + was five o'clock, and day was breaking as we got + our patients out of the buses and deposited them + in the various hospitals as we could find room + for them. To our unspeakable relief, we found + that the rest of our party had come through by + much the same road as we had taken ourselves, but + they had reached Ghent quite early the night + before. Their earlier start had given them the + advantage of clearer roads and daylight. With + good fortune little short of miraculous, we had + all come so far in safety, and we hoped that our + troubles were over. Alas, we were told that + though Germans were expected to enter Ghent that + very day, and that all British wounded must be + removed from the hospitals before ten o'clock. + There was nothing for it but to collect them + again, and to take them on to Ostend. One had + died in the night, and two were too ill to be + moved. We left them behind in skilled hands, and + the others we re-embarked on our buses en route + for Bruges and Ostend. </p> + <p>The First Act in the story of the British + Field Hospital for Belgium was drawing to an end. + Our hospital, to which we had given so much + labour, was gone, and the patients, for whom we + had grown to care, were scattered. Yet there was + in our hearts only a deep gratitude that we had + come unharmed, almost by a miracle, through so + many dangers, and a firm confidence that in some + other place we should find a home for our + hospital, where we could again help the brave + soldiers whose cause had become so much our own. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium009.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium009.jpg" + alt="The Surgical Staff, Furnes" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XV Furnes</u></strong></p> + <p>A week after we had reached London, we were + off again to the front. This time our objective + was Furnes, a little town fifteen miles east of + Dunkirk, and about five miles from the + fighting-line. The line of the Belgian trenches + ran in a circle, following the course of the + River Yser, the little stream which has proved + such an insuperable barrier to the German + advance. Furnes lies at the centre of the circle, + and is thus an ideal position for an advanced + base, such as we intended to establish. It is + easy of access from Dunkirk by a fine main road + which runs alongside an important canal, and as + Dunkirk was our port, and the only source of our + supplies, this was a great consideration. From + Furnes a number of roads lead in various + directions to Ypres, Dixmude, Nieuport, and the + coast, making it a convenient centre for an + organization such as ours, requiring, as we did, + ready means of reaching the front in any + direction, and open communication with our base + of supplies. </p> + <p>We crossed from Dover in the Government + transport, and arrived at Dunkirk about ten + o'clock on Tuesday morning. There we met Dr. + Munro's party, the famous Flying Ambulance Corps, + with whom we were to enter on our new venture. + They had not come over to England at all, but had + come down the coast in their cars, and had spent + the last few days in Malo, the seaside suburb of + Dunkirk. The Belgian Government very kindly lent + us a couple of big motor-lorries in which to take + out our stores, and with our own motors we made + quite a procession as we started off from the + wharf of Dunkirk on our fifteen-mile drive to + Furnes. It was late in the afternoon when we + reached our new home. It was a large school, + partly occupied by the priests connected with it, + partly by officers quartered there, and one of + the larger classrooms had been used as a + dressing-station by some Belgian doctors in + Furnes. For ourselves, the only accommodation + consisted of a few empty classrooms and a huge + dormitory divided into cubicles, but otherwise + destitute of the necessaries for sleep. Several + hours' hard work made some change in the scene, + mattresses and blankets being hauled up to the + dormitory, where the nursing staff was + accommodated, while straw laid down in one of the + classrooms made comfortable if somewhat primitive + beds for the male members. Meanwhile, in the + kitchen department miracles had been + accomplished, and we all sat down to dinner with + an appetite such as one rarely feels at home, and + for which many of our patients over in England + would be willing to pay quite large sums. The + large room was lit by two candles and a + melancholy lamp, there was no tablecloth, the + spoons were of pewter, with the bowls half gone, + and the knives were in their dotage. But the + scales had fallen from our eyes, and we realized + what trifles these things are. Madame, the genius + who presided over our domestic affairs, and many + other affairs as well, and her assistants, had + produced from somewhere food, good food, and + plenty of it; and what in the world can a hungry + man want more? Truly there are many people who + require a moral operation for cataract, that they + might see how good is the world in which they + live. </p> + <p>Next day we proceeded to unpack our stores, + and to try to make a hospital out of these empty + rooms, and then only did we discover that an + overwhelming misfortune had overtaken us. By some + extraordinary circumstance which has never been + explained, we had lost practically the whole of + the surgical instruments which we had brought out + of Antwerp with such trouble and risk. They were + tied up in sheets, and my own impression is that + they were stolen. However that may be, here we + were in as ludicrous a position as it is possible + for even a hospital to occupy, for not only had + we none of the ordinary instruments, but, as if + Fate meant to have a good laugh at us, we had a + whole series of rare and expensive tools. We had + no knives, and no artery forceps, and not a + stitch of catgut; but we had an oesophagoscope, + and the very latest possible pattern of + cystoscope, and a marvellous set of tools for + plating fractures. It reminded one of the costume + of an African savage—a silk hat, and nothing + else. Some Belgian doctors who had been working + there lent us a little case of elementary + instruments, and that was absolutely all we had. </p> + <p>Scarcely had we made this terrible discovery, + when an ambulance arrived with two wounded + officers, and asked if we were ready to admit + patients. We said, "No," and I almost + think that we were justified. The men in charge + of the ambulance seemed very disappointed, and + said that in that case there was nothing for it + but to leave the wounded men on their stretchers + till an ambulance train should come to take them + to Calais, which they might ultimately reach in + two or three days' time. They were badly wounded, + and we thought that at least we could do better + than that; so we made up a couple of beds in one + of the empty rooms, and took them in. Little did + we dream of what we were in for. An hour later + another ambulance arrived, and as we had started, + we thought that we might as well fill up the ward + we had begun. That did it. The sluice-gates were + opened, and the wounded poured in. In four days + we admitted three hundred and fifty patients, all + of them with injuries of the most terrible + nature. The cases we had seen at Antwerp were + nothing to these. Arms and legs were torn right + off or hanging by the merest shreds, ghastly + wounds of the head left the brain exposed. Many + of the poor fellows were taken from the + ambulances dead, and of the others at least half + must have died. </p> + <p>For four days and four nights the operating + theatre was at work continuously, till one + sickened at the sight of blood and at the thought + of an operation. Three operating tables were in + almost continuous use, and often three major + operations were going on at the same time; and + all the instruments we had were two scalpels, six + artery forceps, two dissecting forceps, and a + finger- saw. Think of doing amputations through + the thigh with that equipment! There was nothing + else for it. Either the work had to be done or + the patients had to die. And there was certainly + no one else to do it. The rapid advance of the + Germans had swept away all the admirable + arrangements which the Belgian Army had made for + dealing with its wounded. The splendid hospitals + of Ghent and Ostend were now in German hands, and + there had not yet been time to get new ones + established. The cases could be sent to Calais, + it was true, but there the accommodation was so + far totally inadequate, and skilled surgical + assistance was not to be obtained. For the moment + our hospital, with its ludicrous equipment, was + the only hope of the badly wounded. By the mercy + of Heaven, we had plenty of chloroform and + morphia, and a fair supply of dressings, and we + knew by experience that at this stage it is safer + to be content with the minimum of actual + operative work, so that I think it was we, rather + than our patients, who suffered from the want of + the ordinary aids of surgery. In the wards there + was a shortage, almost as serious, of all the + ordinary equipment of nursing, for much of this + had been too cumbrous to bring from Antwerp; and + though we had brought out a fair supply of + ordinary requirements, we had never dreamt of + having to deal with such a rush as this. Ward + equipment cannot be got at a moment's notice, and + the bulk of it had not yet arrived. We only + possessed a dozen folding beds, in which some of + the worst cases were placed. The others had to + lie on straw on the floor, and so closely were + they packed that it was only with the greatest + care that one could thread one's way across the + ward. How the nurses ever managed to look after + their patients is beyond my comprehension, but + they were magnificent. They rose to the emergency + as only Englishwomen can, and there is not one of + those unfortunate men who will not remember with + gratitude their sympathy and their skill. </p> + <p>During these first days a terrific fight was + going on around Dixmude and Nieuport, and it was + a very doubtful question how long it would be + possible for the Belgian and French troops to + withstand the tremendous attacks to which they + were being subjected. The matter was so doubtful + that we had to hold ourselves in readiness to + clear out from the hospital at two hours' notice, + whilst our wounded were taken away as fast as we + could get them into what one can only describe as + a portable condition. It was a physical + impossibility for our wards to hold more than a + hundred and fifty patients, even when packed + close together side by side on the floor, and as + I have said, three hundred and fifty were dealt + with in the first four days. This meant that most + of them spent only twenty-four hours in the + hospital, and as we were only sent cases which + could not, as they stood, survive the long train + journey to Calais, this meant that they were + often taken on almost immediately after serious + operations. Several amputations of the thigh, for + example, were taken away next day, and many of + them must have spent the next twenty-four hours + in the train, for the trains were very tardy in + reaching their destination. It is not good + treatment, but good surgery is not the primary + object of war. The fighting troops are the first + consideration, and the surgeon has to manage the + best way he can. </p> + <p>One of the most extraordinary cases we took in + was that of the editor of a well-known sporting + journal in England. He had shown his appreciation + of the true sporting instinct by going out to + Belgium and joining the army as a mitrailleuse + man. If there is one place where one may hope for + excitement, it is in an armoured car with a + mitrailleuse. The mitrailleuse men are picked + dare-devils, and their work takes them constantly + into situations which require a trained taste for + their enjoyment. Our friend the editor was out + with his car, and had got out to reconnoitre, + when suddenly some Germans in hiding opened fire. + Their first shot went through both his legs, + fracturing both tibiae, and he fell down, of + course absolutely incapable of standing, just + behind the armoured car. Owing to some mistake, + an officer in the car gave the order to start, + and away went the car. He would have been left to + his fate, but suddenly realizing how desperate + his position was, he threw up his hand and caught + hold of one of the rear springs. Lying on his + back and holding on to the spring, he was dragged + along the ground, with both his legs broken, for + a distance of about half a mile. </p> + <p>The car was going at about twenty-five miles + an hour, and how he ever maintained his hold + Heaven only knows. At last they pulled up, and + there they found him, practically unconscious, + his clothes torn to ribbons, his back a mass of + bruises, but still holding on. It was one of the + most splendid examples of real British grit of + which I have ever heard. They brought him to the + hospital, and we fixed him up as well as we + could. One would have thought that he might have + been a little downhearted, but not a bit of it. + He arrived in the operating theatre smiling and + smoking a cigar, and gave us a vivid account of + his experiences. We sent him over to England, and + I heard that he was doing well. There is one + sporting paper in England which is edited by a + real sportsman. May he long live to inspire in + others the courage of which he has given such a + splendid example! </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium010.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium010.jpg" + alt="The Laundry, Furnes" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XVI Poperinghe</u></strong></p> + <p>For a long week the roar of guns had echoed + incessantly in our corridors and wards, and a + continuous stream of motor-lorries, guns, and + ammunition waggons had rumbled past our doors; + whilst at night the flash of the guns lit up the + horizon with an angry glare. The flood of wounded + had abated, and we were just beginning to get the + hospital into some sort of shape when the order + came to evacuate. </p> + <p>It had been no easy task transforming bare + rooms into comfortable wards, arranging for + supplies of food and stores, and fitting a large + staff into a cubic space totally inadequate to + hold them. But wonderful things can be + accomplished when everyone is anxious to do their + share, and the most hopeless sybarite will + welcome shelter however humble, and roll himself + up in a blanket in any corner, when he is dead + tired. For the first few days the rush of wounded + had been so tremendous that all we could do was + to try to keep our heads above water and not be + drowned by the flood. </p> + <p>But towards the end of the week the numbers + diminished, not because there were not as many + wounded, but because the situation was so + critical that the Belgian authorities did not + dare to leave any large number of wounded in + Furnes. Supplies were coming out from England in + response to urgent telegrams, and, through the + kind offices of the Queen of the Belgians, we had + been able to obtain a number of beds from the + town, in addition to twenty which she had + generously given to us herself. So that we were + gradually beginning to take on the appearance of + an ordinary hospital, and work was settling down + into a regular routine. The sleepy little town of + Furnes had been for some weeks in a state of + feverish activity. After the evacuation of + Antwerp and the retirement of the Belgian Army + from Ostend, it had become the advanced base of + the Belgian troops, and it was very gay with + Staff officers, and of course packed with + soldiers. The immense Grand Place lined with + buildings, in many cases bearing unmistakable + signs of a birth in Spanish times, was a + permanent garage of gigantic dimensions, and the + streets were thronged day and night with hurrying + cars. We in the hospital hoped that the passage + of the Yser would prove too much for the Germans, + and that we should be left in peace, for we could + not bear to think that all our labour could be + thrown to the winds, and that we might have to + start afresh in some other place. But one of the + massed attacks which have formed such a prominent + feature of this terrible war had temporarily + rolled back the defence in the Dixmude district, + and it was deemed unwise to submit the hospital + to the risk of possible disaster. </p> + <p>We were fortunate in having Dr. Munro's + ambulance at our disposal, and in rather over two + hours more than a hundred wounded had been + transferred to the Red Cross train which lay at + the station waiting to take them to Calais. An + evacuation is always a sad business, for the + relations between a hospital and its patients are + far more than professional. But with us it was + tragic, for we knew that for many of our patients + the long journey could have only one conclusion. + Only the worst cases were ever brought to us, in + fact only those whose condition rendered the long + journey to Calais a dangerous proceeding, and we + felt that for many of them the evacuation order + was a death warrant, and that we should never see + them again. They were brave fellows, and made the + best of it as they shook hands with smiling faces + and wished us "Au revoir," for though + they might die on the way they preferred that to + the danger of falling into the hands of the + Germans. And they were right. They knew as well + as we did that we are not fighting against a + civilized nation, but against a gang of organized + savages. </p> + <p>Three hours later we were mingling with the + crowds who thronged the road, wondering with them + where our heads would rest that night, and filled + with pity at the terrible tragedy which + surrounded us. Carts, wheelbarrows, + perambulators, and in fact any vehicle which + could be rolled along, were piled to overflowing + with household goods. Little children and old men + and women struggled along under loads almost + beyond their powers, none of them knowing whither + they went or what the curtain of fate would + reveal when next it was drawn aside. It was a + blind flight into the darkness of the unknown. </p> + <p>Our orders were to make for Poperinghe, a + little town lying about fifteen miles due south + of Furnes, in the direction of Ypres. For the + first ten miles we travelled along the main road + to Ypres, a fine avenue running between glorious + trees, and one of the chief thoroughfares of + Belgium. Here we made our first acquaintance with + the African troops, who added a touch of colour + in their bright robes to the otherwise grey + surroundings. They were encamped in the fields by + the side of the road, and seemed to be lazily + enjoying themselves seated round their + camp-fires. At Oostvleteren we parted company + with the main road and its fine surface, and for + the next six miles we bumped and jolted along on + a bad cross-road till our very bones rattled and + groaned. </p> + <p>There was no suggestion now of the horrors of + war. Peaceful villages as sleepy as any in our + own country districts appeared at frequent + intervals, and easy prosperity was the obvious + keynote of the well-wooded and undulating + countryside. We were in one of the great hop + districts, and the contrast with the flat and + unprotected country round Furnes was striking. + One might Almost have been in the sheltered + hopfields of Kent. Little children looked up from + their games in astonishment as we rolled by, and + our response to their greetings was mingled with + a silent prayer that they might be spared the + terrible fate which had befallen their brothers + and sisters in far-off Lou vain. The contrasts of + war are amazing. Here were the children playing + by the roadside, and the cattle slowly wending + their way home, and ten miles away we could hear + the roar of the guns, and knew that on those + wasted fields men were struggling with savage + fury in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. </p> + <p>In the great square of Poperinghe the scene + was brilliant in the extreme. Uniforms of every + conceivable cut and colour rubbed shoulder to + shoulder; ambulance waggons, guns, ammunition + trains, and picketed horses all seemed to be + mixed in inextricable confusion; while a squadron + of French cavalry in their bright blue and silver + uniforms was drawn up on one side of the square, + waiting patiently for the orders which would + permit them to go to the help of their + hard-pressed comrades. It seemed impossible that + we could find shelter here, for obviously every + corner must have been filled by the throng of + soldiers who crowded in the square. But we were + quite happy, for had we not got Madame with us, + and had her genius ever been known to fail, + especially in the face of the impossible? Others + might go without a roof, but not we, and others + might go to bed supperless, but in some + miraculous way we knew that we should sit down to + a hot dinner. We were not deceived. The whole + nursing staff was soon comfortably housed in a + girls' school, while the men were allotted the + outhouse of a convent, and there, rolled up in + our blankets and with our bags for pillows, we + slept that night as soundly as we should have + done in our own comfortable beds in England. </p> + <p>There was ample room in the courtyard for our + heavily laden ambulances, for we had brought all + our stores with us; and a big pump was a welcome + sight, for grime had accumulated during the + preceding twelve hours. By the side of the + friendly pump, in a railed-off recess, a + life-size image of Our Lady of Lourdes, + resplendent in blue and gold, looked down with a + pitying smile on a group of pilgrims, one of whom + bore a little child in her arms; whilst a + well-worn stone step spoke of the number of + suppliants who had sought her aid. </p> + <p>We had fasted for many hours, and while we + were doing our part in unpacking the small store + of food which we had brought with us, Madame, + with her usual genius, had discovered on the + outskirts of Poperinghe an obscure cafe, where + for a small sum the proprietor allowed us to use + his kitchen. There we were presently all seated + round three tables, drinking coffee such as we + had rarely tasted, and eating a curiously + nondescript, but altogether delightful, meal. + There were two little rooms, one containing a bar + and a stove, the other only a table. Over the + stove presided a lady whose novels we have all + read, cooking bacon, and when I say that she + writes novels as well as she cooks bacon it is + very high praise indeed—at least we thought so + at the time. Some genius had discovered a naval + store in the town, and had persuaded the officer + in charge to give us cheese and jam and a whole + side of bacon, so that we fed like the gods. + There was one cloud over the scene, for the + terrible discovery was made that we had left + behind in Furnes a large box of sausages, over + the fate of which it is well to draw a veil; but + Madame was not to be defeated even by that, and a + wonderful salad made of biscuits and vinegar and + oil went far to console us. And that reminds me + of a curious episode in Furnes. For several days + the huge store bottle of castor oil was lost. It + was ultimately discovered in the kitchen, where, + as the label was in English, it had done duty for + days as salad oil! What is there in a name after + all? </p> + <p>We had not been able to bring with us all our + stores, and as some of these were wanted two of + us started back to Furnes late at night to fetch + them. It was a glorious night, and one had the + advantage of a clear road. We were driving + northwards, and the sky was lit up by the flashes + of the guns at Nieuport and Dixmude, whilst we + could hear their dull roar in the distance. All + along the road were encamped the Turcos, and + their camp- fires, with the dark forms huddled + around them, gave a picturesque touch to the + scene. Half-way to Furnes the road was lit up by + a motor-car which had caught fire, and which + stood blazing in the middle of the road. We had + some little difficulty in passing it, but when we + returned it was only a mass of twisted iron by + the roadside. There was no moon, but the stars + shone out all the more brilliantly as we spun + along on the great Ypres road. It was long after + midnight when we reached the hospital, and it was + not a little uncanny groping through its wards in + the darkness. There is some influence which seems + to haunt the empty places where men once lived, + but it broods in redoubled force over the places + where men have died. In those wards, now so dark + and silent, we had worked for all the past days + amid sights which human eyes should never have + seen, and the groans of suffering we had heard + seemed to echo through the darkness. We were glad + when we had collected the stores we required and + were again in the car on our way back to + Poperinghe. </p> + <p>Next morning we called at the Hotel de Ville + in Poperinghe, and there we learnt that the + Queen, with her usual thoughtfulness, was + interesting herself on our behalf to find us a + building in which we could make a fresh start. + She had sent the Viscomtesse de S. to tell us + that she hoped to shortly place at our disposal + either a school or a convent. On the following + day, however, we heard that the situation had + somewhat settled, and an order came from General + Mellis, the Chief of the Medical Staff, + instructing us to return to Furnes. A few hours + later found us hard at work again, putting in + order our old home. </p> + <p>There was one rather pathetic incident of our + expedition to Poperinghe. Five nuns who had fled + from Eastern Belgium—they had come, I think, + from a convent near Louvain—had taken refuge in + the school in Furnes in which we were + established. When we were ordered to go to + Poperinghe, they begged to be allowed to + accompany us, and we took them with us in the + ambulances. On our return they were so grateful + that they asked to be allowed to show their + gratitude by working for us in the kitchen, and + for all the time we were at Furnes they were our + devoted helpers. They only made one request, that + if we left Furnes we would take them with us, and + we promised that we would never desert them. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XVII Furnes Again</u></strong></p> + <p>The position of the hospital at Furnes was + very different from that which it had held at + Antwerp. There we were in a modern city, with a + water-supply and modern sanitary arrangements. + Here we were in an old Continental country town, + or, in other words, in medieval times, as far as + water and sanitation were concerned. For it is + only where the English tourist has penetrated + that one can possibly expect such luxuries. One + does not usually regard him as an apostle of + civilization, but he ought certainly to be + canonized as the patron saint of continental + sanitary engineering. As a matter of fact, in a + country as flat as Belgium the science must be + fraught with extraordinary difficulties, and they + certainly seem to thrive very well without it. We + were established in the Episcopal College of St. + Joseph, a large boys' school, and not badly + adapted to the needs of a hospital but for the + exceptions I have mentioned. Our water-supply + came, on a truly hygienic plan, from wells + beneath the building, whilst we were entirely + free from any worry about drains. There were + none. However, it did not seem to affect either + ourselves or our patients, and we all had the + best of health, though we took the precaution of + sterilizing our water. </p> + <p>We were now the official advanced base + hospital of the Belgian Army, and not merely, as + in Antwerp, a free organization working by + itself. The advantage of this arrangement was + that we had a constant supply of wounded sent to + us whenever there was any fighting going on, and + that the evacuation of our patients was greatly + facilitated. Every morning at ten o'clock Colonel + Maestrio made the tour of our wards, and arranged + for the removal to the base hospital at Dunkirk + of all whom we wished to send away. It gave us + the further advantage of special privileges for + our cars and ambulances, which were allowed to go + practically anywhere in search of the wounded + with absolute freedom. Formerly we had owed a + great deal to the assistance of the Belgian Croix + Rouge, who had been very good in supplementing + our supply of dressings, as well as in getting us + army rations for the patients. This, of course, + had all come to an end, and we now had to rely on + our own resources. </p> + <p>Our personnel had undergone considerable + alteration, for while several of our original + members had dropped out, we had joined forces + with Dr. Hector Munro's Ambulance Corps, and four + of their doctors had joined our medical staff. + Dr. Munro and his party had worked in connection + with the hospitals of Ghent till the German + advance forced both them and ourselves to retreat + to Ostend. There we met and arranged to carry on + our work together at Furnes. The arrangement was + of the greatest possible advantage to both of us, + for it gave us the service of their splendid + fleet of ambulances, and it gave them a base to + which to bring their wounded. We were thus able + to get the wounded into hospital in an unusually + short space of time, and to deal effectively with + many cases which would otherwise have been + hopeless. Smooth coordination with an ambulance + party is, in fact, the first essential for the + satisfactory working of an advanced hospital. If + full use is to be made of its advantages, the + wounded must be collected and brought in with the + minimum of delay, whilst it must be possible to + evacuate at once all who are fit to be moved back + to the base. In both respects we were at Furnes + exceptionally well placed. </p> + <p>We were established in a large straggling + building of no attraction whatever except its + cubic capacity. It was fairly new, and devoid of + any of the interest of antiquity, but it + presented none of the advantages of modern + architecture. In fact, it was extremely ugly and + extremely inconvenient, but it was large. Two of + the largest classrooms and the refectory were + converted into wards. At first the question of + beds was a serious difficulty, but by the kind + intervention of the Queen we were able to collect + a number from houses in the town, whilst Her + Majesty herself gave us twenty first-class beds + with box-spring mattresses. Later on we got our + supplies from England, and we could then find + beds for a hundred patients. Even then we were + not at the end of our capacity, for we had two + empty classrooms, the floors of which we covered + with straw, on which another fifty patients could + lie in comfort until we could find better + accommodation for them. We could not, of course, + have fires in these rooms, as it would have been + dangerous, but we warmed them by the simple plan + of filling them with patients and shutting all + the windows and doors. For the first few nights, + as a matter of fact, we had to sleep in these + rooms on straw ourselves, and in the greatest + luxury. No one who has slept all his life in a + bed would ever realize how comfortable straw is, + and for picturesqueness has it an equal? </p> + <p>I went into the Straw Ward on my round one + wild and stormy night. Outside the wind was + raging and the rain fell in torrents, and it was + so dark that one had to feel for the door. Inside + a dozen men lay covered up with blankets on a + thick bed of straw, most of them fast asleep, + while beside one knelt a nurse with a stable + lantern, holding a cup to his lips. It was a + picture that an artist might have come far to + see—the wounded soldiers in their heavy coats, + covered by the brown blankets; the nurse in her + blue uniform and her white cap, the stable + lantern throwing flickering shadows on the walls. + It was something more than art, and as I glanced + up at the crucifix hanging on the wall I felt + that the picture was complete. </p> + <p>Above the two larger wards was a huge + dormitory, divided up by wooden partitions into + some sixty cubicles, which provided sleeping + accommodation for the bulk of our staff. They + were arranged in four ranks, with passages + between and washing arrangements in the passages, + and the cubicles themselves were large and + comfortable. It was really quite well planned, + and was most useful to us, though ventilation had + evidently not appealed to its architect. Two rows + were reserved for the nurses, and in the others + slept our chauffeurs and stretcher-bearers, with + a few of the priests. Our friends were at first + much shocked at the idea of this mixed crowd, but + as a matter of fact it worked very well, and + there was very little to grumble at. The only + real disadvantage was the noise made by early + risers in the morning, convincing us more than + ever of the essential selfishness of the early + bird. A few of us occupied separate rooms over in + the wing which the priests had for the most part + reserved for themselves, and these we used in the + daytime as our offices. </p> + <p>But the real sights of our establishment were + our kitchen and our chef; we might almost have + been an Oxford college. Maurice had come to us in + quite a romantic way. One night we took in a + soldier with a bullet wound of the throat. For + some days he was pretty bad, but he won all our + hearts by his cheerfulness and pluck. When at + last he improved sufficiently to be able to + speak, he told us that he was the assistant chef + at the Hotel Metropole in Brussels. We decided + that he ought to be kept in a warm, moist + atmosphere for a long time, and he was installed + in the kitchen. He was a genius at making + miracles out of nothing, and his soups made out + of bacon rind and old bones, followed by entrees + constructed from bully beef, were a dream. He was + assisted by the nuns from Louvain who had + accompanied us to Poperinghe, and who now worked + for us on the sole condition that we should not + desert them. They were very picturesque working + in the kitchen in their black cloaks and coifs. + At meal-times the scene was a most animated one, + for, as we had no one to wait on us, we all came + in one after the other, plate in hand, while + Maurice stood with his ladle and presided over + the ceremonies, with a cheery word for everyone, + assisted by the silent nuns. </p> + <p>The getting of supplies became at times a very + serious question. Needless to say, Furnes was + destitute of anything to eat, drink, burn, or + wear, and Dunkirk was soon in a similar case. We + had to get most of our provisions over from + England, and our milk came every morning on the + Government transport, from Aylesbury. For some + weeks we were very hard up, but the officer in + charge of the naval stores at Dunkirk was very + good to us, and supplied us with bully beef, + condensed milk, cheese, soap, and many other + luxuries till we could get further supplies from + home. We used a considerable quantity of coal, + and on one occasion we were faced by the prospect + of an early famine, for Furnes and Dunkirk were + empty. But nothing was ever too great a strain + for the resources of our housekeeper. She + discovered that there was a coal-heap at + Ramscapelle, five miles away, and in a few hours + an order had been obtained from the Juge + d'Instruction empowering us to take the coal if + we could get it, and the loan of a Government + lorry had been coaxed out of the War Lords. The + only difficulty was that for the moment the + Germans were shelling the place, and it was too + dangerous to go near even for coal; so the + expedition had to be postponed until they + desisted. It seemed to me the most original + method of filling one's coal-cellar of which I + had ever heard. And it was typical of a large + number of our arrangements. There is something of + the Oriental about the Belgians and the French. + If we wanted any special favour, the very last + thing we thought of doing was to go and ask for + it. It was not that they were not willing to give + us what we asked for, but they did not understand + that method of approach. What we did was to go to + breakfast with the Juge, or to lunch with the + Minister, or to invite the Colonel to dinner. In + the course of conversation the subject would be + brought up in some indirect way till the interest + of the great man had been gained; then everything + was easy. And surely there is something very + attractive about a system where everything is + done as an act of friendship, and not as the + soulless reflex of some official machine. It is + easier to drink red wine than to eat red tape, + and not nearly so wearing to one's digestion. </p> + <p>As we were fifteen miles from Dunkirk, and as + everything had to be brought out from there, + transport was a serious problem. Every morning + one of our lorries started for our seaport soon + after nine, carrying the hospital mailbag and as + many messages as a village carrier. The life of + the driver was far more exciting than his + occupation would suggest, and it was always a + moot point whether or not he would succeed in + getting back the same night. The road was of the + usual Belgian type, with a paved causeway in the + middle just capable of allowing two motors to + pass, and on each side was a morass, flanked on + the right by a canal and on the left by a field. + The slightest deviation from the greasy cobbles + landed the car in the mud, with quite a chance of + a plunge into the canal. A constant stream of + heavy army lorries tore along the road at thirty + or more miles an hour, and as a rule absolutely + refused to give way. It took a steady nerve to + face them, encouraged as one was by numbers of + derelicts in the field on the one side and half + in the canal on the other. On one bridge a car + hung for some days between heaven and earth, its + front wheels caught over the parapet, and the car + hanging from them over the canal—a heartening + sight for a nervous driver. It was rarely that + our lorry returned without some tale of + adventure. The daily round, the common task, gave + quite enough occupation to one member of the + community. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium011.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium011.jpg" + alt="Madame Curie (centre)" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XVIII Work At Furnes</u></strong></p> + <p>Our work at Furnes differed in many ways from + that at Antwerp. All its conditions were rougher, + and, as we had to deal with a number of patients + out of all proportion to our size, it was + impossible to keep any but a few special cases + for any length of time. We admitted none but the + most serious cases, such as would be instantly + admitted to any London hospital, and when I + mention that in five weeks we had just a thousand + cases in our hundred beds, the pressure at which + the work was carried on will be realized. There + is no hospital in England, with ten times the + number of beds, that has ever admitted to its + wards anything like this number of serious + surgical cases. We were essentially a clearing + hospital, with this important proviso, that we + could, when it was required, carry out at once + the heaviest operative work, and retain special + cases as long as we thought fit. Our object was + always to get each patient into such a condition + that he could be transferred back to the base + without injury to his chances of recovery, and + without undue pain, and I believe we saved the + life of many a patient by giving him a night's + rest in the Straw Ward, and sending him on next + day with his wound properly dressed and + supported. The cases themselves were of a far + more severe type than those we had at Antwerp. + There, indeed, I was astonished at the small + amount of injury that had in many cases resulted + from both shrapnel and bullet wounds, and it was + certainly worthy of note that we had never once + in our work there had to perform an amputation. + At Furnes, we drew our patients from the line + between Nieuport and Dixmude, where the fighting + was for the most part at close range and of a + most murderous nature. There were no forts, and + the soldiers had little or no protection from the + hail of high-explosive shells which the enemy + poured upon them. In Nieuport and Dixmude + themselves the fighting was frequently from house + to house, the most deadly form of fighting known. + The wounds we had to treat were correspondingly + severe—limbs sometimes almost completely torn + off, terrible wounds of the skull, and bullet + wounds where large masses of the tissues had been + completely torn away. It was difficult to see how + human beings could survive such awful injuries, + and, indeed, our death-roll was a long one. Added + to this, the men had been working in the wet and + the mud for weeks past. Their clothes were stiff + with it, and such a thing as a clean wound was + not to be thought of. Simple cases at Antwerp + were here tedious and dangerous, and they + required all the resources of nursing and of + surgery that we could bring to bear upon them. + Still, it was extraordinary what good results + followed on common-sense lines of treatment, and + we soon learnt to give up no case as hopeless. + But each involved a great amount of work, first + in operating and trying to reduce chaos to + reason, and then in dressing and nursing. For + everyone all round—surgeons, dressers, and + nurses—it was real hard physical labour. </p> + <p>Our rapid turnover of patients involved a + large amount of manual labour in stretcher work, + clearing up wards, and so on, but all this was + done for us by our brancardiers, or + stretcher-bearers. These were Belgians who for + one reason or another could not serve with the + army, and who were therefore utilized by the + Government for purposes such as these. We had + some eight of them attached to our hospital, and + they were of the greatest use to us, acting as + hospital orderlies. They were mostly educated + men—schoolmasters and University teachers—but + they were quite ready to do any work we might + require at any hour of the day or night. They + carried the patients to the theatre and to the + wards, they cleaned the stretchers—a very + difficult and unpleasant job—they tidied up the + wards and scrubbed the floors, and they carried + away all the soiled dressings and burned them. + They were a fine set of men, and I do not know + what we should have done without them. </p> + <p>Work began at an early hour, for every case in + the hospital required dressing, and, as we never + knew what we should have to deal with at night, + we always tried to get through the routine before + lunch. At ten o'clock Colonel Maestrio arrived, + with two of his medical officers, and made a + complete round of the hospital with the surgeons + in charge of the various cases. They took the + greatest interest in the patients, and in our + attempts to cure them. They would constantly + spend an hour with me in the operating theatre, + and after any exceptional operation they would + follow the progress of the patient with the + keenest interest. Many of the cases with which we + had to deal required a certain amount of + ingenuity in the reconstruction of what had been + destroyed, so that surgery had often to be on + rather original lines. What interested them most + was the fixation of fractures by means of steel + plates, which we adopted in all our serious + cases. Apparently the method is very little used + abroad, and as an operation it is distinctly + spectacular, for in a few minutes a shapeless + mass which the patient cannot bear to be touched + is transformed into a limb almost as strong as + the other, which can be moved about in any + direction without fear of breaking, and, when the + patient recovers consciousness, almost without + discomfort. We almost always had an interested + audience, professional, clerical, or lay, for the + chauffeurs found much amusement in these feats of + engineering. </p> + <p>In the afternoon we almost always had some + distinguished visitor to entertain, and it is one + of my chief regrets that we never kept a + visitors' book. Its pages would one day have been + of the greatest interest. Twice every week the + Queen of the Belgians came round our wards. She + came quite simply, with one of her ladies and one + of the Belgian medical officers, and no one could + possibly have taken a deeper interest in the + patients. Her father studied medicine as a hobby, + and had, indeed, become a very distinguished + physician, and she herself has had considerable + training in medicine, so that her interest was a + great deal more than that of an ordinary lay + visitor. She was quite able to criticize and to + appreciate details of nursing and of treatment. + She always spoke to every patient, and she had a + kind word for every one of them, Belgian, French, + or even German, for we had a few Germans. There + was something deeply touching in the scene. The + dimly lit ward, with its crude furniture, the + slim figure in black, bending in compassion over + the rough fellows who would gladly have given + their lives for her, and who now lay wounded in + the cause in which she herself had suffered. The + Germans may destroy Belgium, but they will never + destroy the kingdom of its Queen. Sometimes the + King came to see his soldiers—a tall, silent + man, with the face of one who has suffered much, + and as simple, as gentle, and as kindly as his + Queen. It was good to see the faces light up as + he entered a ward, to see heads painfully raised + to gaze after no splendid uniform, but a man. </p> + <p>One of our most distinguished and most welcome + visitors was Madame Curie, the discoverer of + radium. She brought her large X-ray equipment to + Furnes for work amongst the wounded, and we + persuaded her to stay with us for a week. One of + our storerooms was rapidly fitted up as an + impromptu radiographic department, the windows + painted over and covered with thick paper, a + stove introduced, and a dark-room contrived with + the aid of a cupboard and two curtains. Electric + current was obtained from a dynamo bolted on to + the step of a twenty-horse-power car, and driven + by a belt from the flywheel of the engine. The + car stood out in the courtyard and snorted away, + whilst we worked in the storeroom alongside. The + coil and mercury break were combined in one + piece, and the whole apparatus was skilfully + contrived with a view to portability. Madame + Curie was an indefatigable worker, and in a very + short time had taken radiographs of all the cases + which we could place at her disposal, and, + indeed, we ransacked all the hospitals in Furnes, + for when they heard of her arrival, they were + only too glad to make use of the opportunity. + Mademoiselle Curie developed the plates, and + between them they produced photographs of the + greatest utility to us. </p> + <p>Considering its obvious utility, whether in + war or in civil practice, it has always been a + source of wonder to me that there is no such + thing as a car designed and built with a view to + radiography. Perhaps it exists, but if so, I have + never met It only means the building into the + frame of suitable dynamo, and the provision of + means for storing the rest of the equipment. It + would place an X-ray equipment at the disposal of + ever cottage hospital, or even of a + country-house, and it would place the cottage + hospital, not to mention the country-house, at + the disposal of the enterprising radiographer. </p> + <p>As soon as our patients could be moved, we had + to send them on to their base hospitals—the + Belgians to Calais and the French to Dunkirk. </p> + <p>From Calais the Belgians were brought over the + Channel, and distributed all over England and + Scotland. I had a postcard from one of them from + Perth. The French were taken on in hospital ships + to Cherbourg and other seaports along the coast. + From Furnes they were all carried in hospital + trains, and the scene at the station when a large + batch of wounded was going off was most + interesting. Only the worst cases were ever + brought to our hospital; all the others were + taken straight to the station, and waited there + until a train was ready to take them on. Often + they would be there for twelve hours, or even + twenty-four, before they could be got on, and the + train itself would be constantly shunted to let + troops and ammunition go by, and might take + twelve hours to reach its destination. There were + no proper arrangements for the feeding of these + men, all of whom were more or less badly wounded; + and at first, when we heard at the hospital that + a train was about to be made up, we took down all + the soup and coffee we could manage to spare in + big pails and jugs. But this was a mere + makeshift, and was superseded very soon by a more + up-to-date arrangement. A proper soup-kitchen was + established at the station, with huge boilers + full of soup and coffee always ready, and after + that it was never necessary for a wounded soldier + to leave Furnes hungry. All this was due to the + energy and resource of Miss Macnaughtan, the + authoress, who took it up as her special charge. + She had a little passage screened off, and in + this were fitted up boilers for coffee and soup, + tables for cutting up meat and vegetables, and + even a machine for cutting up the bread. It was + all most beautifully arranged, and here she + worked all day long, preparing for the inevitable + crowd of wounded which the night would bring. How + it was all managed was a mystery to me, for there + was not enough food in Furnes to feed a tame cat, + let alone a trainload of famished soldiers, and I + am looking anxiously for her next book in the + hopes of finding the solution. </p> + <p>The trains themselves were well equipped, + though nothing to the hospital trains of England. + The more severe cases were carried in long cars + on a double row of stretchers, and they looked + very comfortable on a cold night, with their + oil-lamps and a coke stove in the centre of each + car. A stretcher is, perhaps, not exactly a bed + of roses for a wounded man, but when one + considers what pain is involved in moving a man + who is badly wounded, there is obviously a great + advantage in placing him on a stretcher once for + all on the battle-field, and never moving him + again until he can be actually placed in bed in a + hospital. On the train the men were looked after + by the priests, splendid fellows who never seemed + tired of doing all they could for the soldiers. + One found the Belgian priest everywhere—in the + trenches, in the hospitals, and in the + trains—unobtrusive, always cheerful, always + ready to help. From the brave Archbishop Mercier + to the humblest village cure, regardless of their + comfort and careless of their lives, they have + stood by their people in the hour of their trial. + May their honour be great in the hour of + Belgium's triumph! </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium012.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium012.jpg" + alt="Dinner, Furnes" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XIX Furnes—The Town</u></strong></p> + <p>Like so many of the cities of Belgium, Furnes + is a town of the past. To stand in the great + square, surrounded by buildings which would + delight the heart of any artist, is to travel + back through three centuries of time. Spain and + the Renaissance surround us, and we look + instinctively towards the Pavilion for the + soldiers of Philip, or glance with apprehension + at the door of the Palais de Justice for the + sinister form of Peter Titelmann the Inquisitor. + Around this very square marched the procession of + the Holy Office, in all the insolent blasphemy of + its power, and on these very stones were kindled + the flames that were to destroy its victims. But + all these have gone; the priest and his victim, + the swaggering bravo and the King he served, have + gone to their account, and Furnes is left, the + record of a time when men built temples like + angels and worshipped in them like devils. </p> + <p>The immense square, with the beautiful public + buildings which surround it, speaks of a time + when Fumes was an important town. As early as the + year 850 it is said that Baldwin of the Iron Arm, + the first of the great Counts of Flanders, had + established a fortress here to withstand the + invasion of the Normans. After that Furnes + appears repeatedly with varying fortunes in the + turbulent history of the Middle Ages, until in + the thirteenth century it was razed to the ground + by Robert of Artois. In the next three hundred + years, however, it must have entirely recovered + its position, for in the days of the Spanish Fury + it was one of the headquarters of the Inquisition + and of the Spanish Army, and there is no town in + Belgium upon which the Spanish occupation has + left a greater mark. Since then, of no commercial + or political importance, it has lived the life of + a dull country town, and tradition says that + there is plenty of solid wealth stored by its + thrifty inhabitants behind the plain house-fronts + which line its quiet streets. </p> + <p>From the centre of the square one can see all + that there is to be seen of Furnes. The four + sides are lined by beautiful old houses whose + decorated fronts and elaborate gables tell of the + Renaissance and of Spanish days. Behind the low + red roofs tower the churches of St. Walburga and + St. Nicholas, dwarfing the houses which nestle at + their base. In the corners of the square are + public buildings, small when compared with those + of Bruges and Ypres, but unsurpassed in exquisite + detail of design. Behind one corner rises the + tall belfry without which no Flemish town would + be complete. On an autumn evening when the sun is + setting, when the red roofs glow with a deeper + crimson, and the tall churches catch the sun's + last rays on their old brick walls, there can be + few more perfect pictures than the square of + Furnes. </p> + <p>The two oldest buildings in the square stand + at the ends of the eastern side. At the north end + is the Pavilion des Officiers espagnols, once the + Town Hall, and, in the days of the Spanish + occupation, the headquarters of the army for the + district. It is an old Flemish building, solidly + built, with high-pitched roof, and windows framed + in ornamental stonework, ending in a big square + tower with battlements and little turrets at its + corners. A short outside staircase leads up to + the entrance. The whole building gives the + impression that in the days when it was built the + Town Hall was also the Fortress, and that the + mayor had duties more strenuous than the eating + of dinners. At the other end of the eastern side + stands the old Halle aux Vins, where the + night-watchmen had their quarters, a fine old + gabled house with a loggia reached by a flight of + steps in the centre, a row of plain stone columns + supporting the floors above. </p> + <p>Directly opposite is the north-west corner of + the square, with the Palais de Justice on the + right and the Hotel de Ville on the left. Both + date from the Spanish occupation, but they are + very different in their style of architecture. + The first is classical and severe, the second has + all the warmth of the Renaissance. The Hotel de + Ville is an elaborately decorated building, with + two exquisite gables and a steep roof surmounted + by a little octagonal tower. The loggia below, + standing out from the building and supporting a + balcony above, is perhaps its most charming + feature, both for the beauty of its proportions + and the delicacy of its carved stone balustrades. + Inside, the rooms are as they were three hundred + years ago, and the wonderful hangings of Cordova + leather in the council chamber are still intact. + Beside the Hotel de Ville the straight lines of + the Palais de Justice, with its pillars and its + high narrow windows, form a striking contrast. It + was here, in the large room on the first floor, + that the Inquisition held its awful court, and + here were the instruments of torture with which + it sought to enforce its will. Behind the Palais + rises the tall belfry, a big square tower from + which springs an octagonal turret carrying an + elaborate campanile. There is a quaint survival + on this belfry, for upon it the town crier has a + little hut. He is a cobbler, and from below one + can hear the tap-tap of his hammer as he plies + his trade. But at night he calls out the hours to + the town below, together with any information of + interest, concluding with the assurance that he + and his wife are in good health. The office has + descended from father to son from the earliest + days of the history of Furnes, and its holder has + always been a cobbler. Till early in last + November the record was unbroken, but, alas the + fear of German shells was too much for the + cobbler, and he is gone. </p> + <p>Furnes is a town of contrasts, and though both + its churches were built by the wonderful + architects of the fourteenth century, there could + hardly be two buildings more diverse. Behind the + line of red roofs on the east of the square rises + the rugged tower of St. Nicholas, a great square + mass of old and weather- beaten brick, unfinished + like so many of the Belgian towers, but rough, + massive, and grand, like some rude giant. On the + north, behind the Palais de Justice and the + belfry, stands St. Walburga, with the delicate + tracery of her flying buttresses and her spire + fine as a needle. There is something fitting in + the rugged simplicity which commemorates the + grand old Bishop, and in the exquisite fragility + of the shrine of the virgin saint. The double + flying buttresses of St. Walburga, intersecting + in mid-air, and apparently defying the laws of + gravity, are as delicate a dream as the mind of + architect could conceive, and they give to the + whole an airy grace which cannot be described. + The church was planned six hundred years ago on a + gigantic scale, in the days when men built for + the worship of God and not for the accommodation + of an audience, and for six hundred years the + choir stood alone as a challenge to future + generations to complete what had been so + gloriously begun. Only seven years ago the + transept was added, and to the credit of its + builders it is worthy to stand beside the choir. + One wonders how many hundred years may have + passed before the vision of the first great + architect is complete. It is built for the most + part of red brick, the rich red brick of Belgium, + which grows only more mellow with age. Inside, + the tall pillars of a dark grey stone support at + a great height a finely groined roof of the same + red brick, lit by a clerestory so open that one + wonders how it can carry the weight of the roof + above. The tall windows of the transept, reaching + almost from the floor to the roof, with their + delicate tracery, carry on the same effect of + airiness, while their light is softened by the + really beautiful stained glass which they frame. + The richly carved choir-stalls of dark mahogany + and the fine organ furnish an interior of which + any town in England might well be proud. And all + this magnificence is in a little Flemish town of + some six thousand inhabitants. </p> + <p>One is brought suddenly face to face with the + tremendous difference which exists between the + Protestant and the Catholic conception of what a + church is and what it is for. To the one it is a + place where men meet for mutual support and + instruction, for united worship; to the other it + is a place where men meet God. To the one some + organized service is necessary; the other only + requires the stones on which to kneel. The one + will only go to church—in fact, he will only + find his church open at certain appointed times; + for the other it is only closed with darkness. Of + course, I am using the words Protestant and + Catholic to indicate broad conceptions of + religion, and not as defining definite bodies of + men; but even of those who call themselves by + these names what I have said is largely true. And + this difference in conception is reflected in the + churches which they build. For the one a simple + building will suffice which will seat in comfort + those who may come; the other, though he alone + should ever enter it, will raise to heaven the + mightiest temple which mortal hands can frame. </p> + <p>Fumes still carries on a tradition of medieval + times—the strange procession which passes + through its streets and across the great square + on the last Sunday in July. Its origin, in the + twelfth century, is unknown, though many legends + are woven around it. It is a long procession, in + which are represented many of the episodes in the + story of the Christ, some in sculptured groups of + figures, some by living actors. Before each group + walks a penitent, barefoot and heavily veiled in + black gown and hood, carrying an inscription to + explain the group which follows. Abraham appears + with Isaac, Moses with the serpent, Joseph and + Mary, the Magi, and the flight into Egypt. Then + come incidents from the life of Jesus, and the + great tragedy of its close. The Host and its + attendant priests conclude the procession. It is + all very primitive and bizarre, but behind it + there is a note of reality by which one cannot + but be moved. For the figures concealed beneath + the black hoods and dragging along the heavy + wooden crosses are not actors; they are men and + women who have come, many of them, long distances + to Furnes, in the hope that by this penance they + may obtain the forgiveness they desire. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium013.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium013.jpg" + alt="The Courtyard, Furnes" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XX A Journey</u></strong></p> + <p>The hospital had already been established in + Furnes for ten days, and even in that time we had + once had to escape to Poperinghe before the + German advance, when, after a short visit to + England, I left London to rejoin my friends on + the last Friday in October. Crossing to the + Continent is not at any time pleasant, and the + addition of submarines and mines scarcely adds to + its charms. But Government had certainly done + their best to make it attractive, for when we + arrived at Dover on Friday night we found a + comfortable boat waiting to take us over in the + morning. We spent the night soundly asleep in her + cabins, without the anxiety of feeling that we + might miss her if we did not get up in time, and + after an excellent breakfast we felt ready for + anything. We were late in starting, for the + Anglo- Belgian Ambulance Corps was going over, + and their ambulances had to be got on board. We + watched them being neatly picked up in the slings + and planted side by side on deck. At half-past + eight they were all on board, and we started off. + </p> + <p>There was a moderate sea running, but our + three screws made light work of it, and in an + hour we were half-way over to our destination, + Dunkirk. We were sitting in our cabin talking + when suddenly the engines stopped, and there was + considerable commotion on deck. We looked out to + see what was the matter, and there met our eyes a + sight which we are likely to remember—a huge + man-of-war sinking. She was down by the stern, so + far that every now and then the waves broke over + her, and it was evident that she would soon go + under. A submarine had attacked her an hour + before, and struck her with two torpedoes. The + first destroyed her screws, and she was then an + easy prey; the second entered her saloon in the + stern. She was the Hermes, an old vessel, and of + no great value at the present day, but it was + tragic to see a great cruiser expiring, stabbed + in the dark. Thanks to her buoyancy, she was only + sinking slowly, and there was ample time for the + whole of her crew to escape. Very different would + be the fate of an unarmed vessel, for the + explosion of a torpedo would probably blow such a + large hole in the thin steel plates that she + would go to the bottom like a stone. To torpedo a + merchantman simply means the cold-blooded murder + of the crew, for their chances of escape would be + almost negligible, whilst it is impossible to + find words to describe the attempts which have + been made to sink hospital ships. About the last + there is a degree of callous inhumanity + remarkable even for Germany, for how could + doctors and nurses make any efforts to save their + own lives when it would be impossible for them to + do anything to all at save the lives of their + patients? And yet these things are not the + unconsidered acts of a moment; they are all part + of the .campaign of frightfulness which has been + so carefully planned for years, the consummation + of the doctrines which learned professors have + proclaimed for so long and with such astonishing + success. </p> + <p>The order was given for our boats to be + lowered, and down they went all six of them, + manned partly by the crew and partly by the + Ambulance Corps. We were surrounded by + torpedo-boats, British and French, and most of + the crew of the Hermes had already been + transferred to them. A few minutes later there + was a cheer, and we saw the Captain step down + into one of the boats, the last man to leave his + ship. Our boats had picked up twenty or so of the + men, and the problem now was to get them on board + again. A moderate sea was running, but it + required all the skill of our sailors to haul + them up without mishap. Standing by as we were, + the ship rolled considerably, and several times + one of the boats was within an ace of being + broken up against her side. To get a boat out + from a big liner in a heavy sea must be an almost + miraculous feat, whilst to get her back again + must be a sheer impossibility. As it was, it took + us at least an hour to get those six boats on + board. All this time four torpedo-boats were + racing in circles round and round us, on the + lookout for the submarine, and ready to cut it + down if it should appear. Indeed, a report went + round that a torpedo was actually fired at us, + but passed underneath the ship on account of her + shallow draught. Standing at rest, we would have + been an easy target, and but for our friends the + torpedo-boats we should very likely have been + attacked. It is not a good plan to hang about in + the Channel just now. </p> + <p>Meanwhile the Hermes was steadily sinking. By + the time all her crew were off her stern was + awash, and in another half-hour she had a very + marked list to port. She slowly, almost + imperceptibly, listed more and more, and then the + end came with startling suddenness. With a slow + and gentle roll she heeled over till she was + completely on her side and her great funnels + under water; she remained there for a moment, and + then slowly turned turtle and gradually sank + stern first. For a long time about twenty feet of + her nose remained above water, then this slowly + sank and disappeared. It was all so quiet that it + seemed like some queer dream. The fires must have + been drawn with great promptness, for there was + no explosion as her funnels went under, though we + were standing some way off to be clear of flying + fragments. She had been stabbed in the dark, and + she passed away without a murmur. </p> + <p>There is something very moving in the end of a + great vessel. It is so hard to believe that a + thing of such vast bulk, and with organs of such + terrific power, should be so utterly helpless + because of a mere hole in her side. It is like + watching the death of a god. We make such a + turmoil about the end of our puny lives, and that + great giant slides away into darkness without a + murmur. Ah, but you will say, a man is of far + more value than a ship. Is he? Is any single man + in this world worth as much as the Titanic? And + if so, how? He can make wealth, but so could she. + He could bring happiness to others, and so could + she. I have yet to find any ground on which any + man can be put up in competition with that vessel + in sheer worth to the world, and I am not + speaking in any low sense of values. For I + suppose the greatest man who ever lived might + feel that his life was well spent if he had + brought two continents nearer together. It was + for that that she was created. The hard fact is + that there are very few indeed of us, in spite of + all the noise we make, who are worth to the world + a thousand pounds, and if she could sell the bulk + of us for that she would be positively drunk with + fortune. </p> + <p>But, you will say, a ship has no soul. Are you + quite so sure about that? Most people will + maintain that their bodies contain a soul, and + then they proceed to build up these same bodies + with bread and bacon, and even beer, and in the + end they possess bodies constructed without any + shadow of doubt out of these ingredients. And if + ten thousand men have toiled night and day, in + blazing furnace and in dark mine, to build a + mighty vessel, at the cost of years of labour, at + the cost of pain and death, is not that vessel a + part of them as much as their poor bodies, and do + not their souls live in it as much as in their + flesh and blood? We speak of the resurrection of + the Body, and superior people smile at an idea so + out-of-date and unscientific. To me the body is + not mere flesh and blood, it is the whole complex + of all that a man has thought and lived and done, + and when it arises there will arise with it all + that he has toiled for on earth, all that he has + gained, and all that he has created by the sweat + of his brow and the hunger of his soul. The world + is not the dust-heap of the centuries, but only + their storehouse. </p> + <p>It was late when we reached Furnes after a + freezing drive in the dark, but all our thoughts + were overshadowed by the tragedy we had seen. We + felt that we had been present at the burial of a + god. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XXI The Ambulance + Corps</u></strong></p> + <p>One of the most difficult problems for a + medical service in war is the recovery of the + wounded from the field of battle and their + carriage back to hospital. In the old days men + fought out a battle in a few hours, and the field + at the end of the day was left to the conqueror. + Then the doctors could go forward and attend to + the wounded on the spot without any special + danger to themselves. A man might lie out all + night, but he would be certain to be picked up + next day. But in this war everything is changed. + It is one continuous siege, with the result that + the removal of the wounded is a matter of + extraordinary difficulty and danger. I have met + with one officer who has been in a trench out at + the extreme front for two and a half months. + During the whole of that time he has never seen a + German, and the nearest German trench is just one + hundred yards away! Shell and shot have been + pouring over his head all that time, and to raise + one's head above the ground would be to court + instant death. </p> + <p>Between the trenches the ground is a quagmire, + and any advance by either side is out of the + question. But a time will come when the ground is + just solid enough for a man to stand, there will + be a desperate struggle for a few yards of + ground, again both sides will subside into new + trenches; but now between those trenches will lie + perhaps some hundreds of wounded, and how in the + world are they to be got? This is the problem + with which an ambulance is everywhere faced—the + recovery of the wounded from disputed ground. It + was to grapple with difficulties like these that + the rules of the Geneva Convention were framed, + so that men wearing a Red Cross on their arms + might be able to go where no combatant of either + side dare venture, and succour the wounded, + whether they were friend or foe, in safety both + for themselves and for the wounded. It is, after + all, possible to fight as gentlemen. </p> + <p>Or at least it was until a few months ago. + Since then we have had a demonstration of + "scientific" war such as has never + before been given to mankind. Now, to wear a Red + Cross is simply to offer a better mark for the + enemy's fire, and we only wore them in order that + our own troops might know our business and make + use of our aid. A hospital is a favourite mark + for the German artillery, whilst the practice of + painting Red Crosses on the tops of ambulance + cars is by many people considered unwise, as it + invites any passing aeroplane to drop a bomb. But + the Germans have carried their systematic + contempt of the rules of war so far that it is + now almost impossible for our own men to + recognize their Red Crosses. Time after time + their Red Cross cars have been used to conceal + machine-guns, their flags have floated over + batteries, and they have actually used stretchers + to bring up ammunition to the trenches. Whilst I + was at Furnes two German spies were working with + an ambulance, in khaki uniforms, bringing in the + wounded. They were at it for nearly a week before + they were discovered, and then, by a ruse, they + succeeded in driving straight through the Belgian + lines and back to their own, Red Cross ambulance, + khaki and all. The problems, then, that have to + be faced by an ambulance corps in the present war + are fairly perplexing, and they demand a degree + of resource and cool courage beyond the ordinary. + That these qualities are possessed by the members + of the ambulance corps of which Dr. Hector Munro + and Lady Dorothie Feilding are the leading + members is merely a matter of history. They have + been in as many tight corners in the last few + months as many an old and seasoned veteran, and + they have invariably come out triumphant. </p> + <p>They started in Ghent under the Belgian Red + Cross with a party of four surgeons, five women, + and three men for the stretchers, and two + chauffeurs to drive the two ambulances. Now they + have grown into an organization which takes on a + great part of the ambulance work of the Belgian + Army. At Ghent they were attached to the big Red + Cross hospital in the Flandria Palace Hotel, and + at first it was dull, for most of the fighting + was around Antwerp, and the wounded were taken + there. We were in Antwerp just then, and it was + by no means dull. We shared Alost and Termonde as + a common hunting-ground, and we several times had + a visit from Dr. Munro in the Boulevard Leopold. + In fact, we were discussing the possibility of + arranging to work together when the crash came + and Antwerp fell. </p> + <p>For the next few days the ambulance corps had + enough work and ran enough risks to satisfy even + the members of that notorious organization. The + Germans were coming on with great rapidity, and + if there is one dangerous job, it is to pick up + the wounded of a retreating army. But here the + interest for an English ambulance was doubled, + for the British Army was covering the retreat of + the Belgians and the French. On Sunday, the 11th + of October, they were asked to go out to Melle, + four miles south-east of Ghent, to help with some + French wounded, and, after spending some time + there, they met the British Staff, and were asked + to help them in their retreat through Zwynarde, a + town on the Scheldt about four miles south of + Ghent and the same distance from Melle. It was a + dangerous undertaking, as the intention was to + blow up the bridge which crosses the Scheldt at + Zwynarde and to fight a retreating battle + covering the retirement of our allies. The bridge + was to be blown up at ten o'clock that evening, + and though it was only four miles away, it was + already dark and a mist was rising from the + river. The main roads were in the hands of the + Germans, and there was nothing for it but to get + across by a small side-road. They started off in + the mist, and promptly lost their way. It is a + pleasing situation to be lost in the dark + somewhere very close to the enemy's lines when + you know that the only available bridge is just + going to be blown up. A thick mist had risen all + around, and they were midway between two + batteries—British and German—engaged in an + artillery duel. The crash of the guns and the + scream of the shells overhead filled the darkness + with terror. But there was nothing for it but to + go straight on, and though they must have gone + right through the German lines and out again, + they reached the bridge just ten minutes before + it was blown into the air. </p> + <p>We all met at Ostend, and decided to join + forces at Furnes, and it worked out as a splendid + arrangement for both parties. Though our + organizations remained entirely distinct, we + worked together, and they had the advantage of a + hospital to which they could always bring their + patients, whilst we had the services of the + smartest ambulance corps on the Continent. The + qualities required for the satisfactory working + of a hospital and the successful running of an + ambulance are so distinct that I am sure that the + ideal arrangement is to have two entirely + distinct organizations working in harmony. </p> + <p>The position of an ambulance up at the front + is always a delicate one, for as it moves about + from place to place its members have + opportunities of picking up information about the + position and movements of the troops of a very + confidential nature. It was therefore a great + advantage to Dr. Munro when his party was joined + by M. de Broqueville, the son of the Minister for + War; for it meant that they would have full + information as to where wounded were likely to + require their help, and that they possessed the + full confidence of the Belgian authorities. Their + position and our own had been very greatly + affected by the fortunes of the war, for the + Belgian Croix Rouge and Army Medical Services + were for the moment in abeyance, and instead of + obtaining from them the help which had hitherto + been so generously given, we had now to undertake + their work and to rely entirely on our own + resources. We had not to wait long for an + opportunity to show what we could do. The Belgian + Army, supported by a certain number of French + troops, made its final stand on the line of the + Yser, the little river which runs from Ypres + through Dixmude and Nieuport to the sea. From + this position they have never since been shaken, + but they have never had to withstand more + desperate attacks than those which took place in + the end of October. The centre of these was + Dixmude, and here the Germans threw against the + little remnant of the Belgian Army forces which + might have been expected to shatter it at a blow. + Their efforts culminated in one of the fiercest + and bloodiest engagements of the whole war, and + at the height of the engagement word came that + there were wounded in Dixmude, and that + ambulances were urgently required to get them + out. Getting wounded out of a town which is being + shelled is not exactly a joke, and when the town + is in rapid process of annihilation it almost + becomes serious. But this was what the Corps had + come out for, and two ambulances and an open car + started off at once. As far as Oudecappelle the + road was crowded with motor transport waggons + carrying supplies of food and ammunition to the + troops, but beyond that it was empty, unless one + counts the shells which were falling on it in a + steady hail. </p> + <p>Every now and then a Jack Johnson would fall + and leave a hole in which one could bury a motor, + and, apart from the shells, the holes made + driving risky. There was over a mile of the road + in this unhealthy state, and entirely exposed to + the enemy's guns, before any shelter could be + obtained; but the wounded must be fetched, and + the cars pushed on as fast as they dared to + drive. They were suddenly pulled up by an + appalling obstacle. A Belgian battery advancing + along the road to the front only twenty minutes + before had been struck by a big shell. Several of + the gunners were horribly mangled; ten horses lay + dead, most of them in fragments; the gun was + wrecked, and all its equipment scattered about + the road. It was some minutes before the + remaining soldiers could clear the road + sufficiently for the cars to pass. </p> + <p>Dixmude itself was a roaring furnace, and + shells were pouring into it in all directions. + Practically every house had been damaged, many + were totally demolished, and many more were on + fire. The wounded were in the Town Hall on the + square, and shells were bursting all over it. The + upper portion was completely destroyed, and the + church close by was blazing furiously, and must + have set fire to the Town Hall soon after. On the + steps lay a dead Marine, and beside him stood a + French surgeon, who greeted them warmly. The + wounded were in a cellar, and if they were not + got out soon, it was obvious that they would be + burned alive. Inside the hall were piles of + bicycles, loaves of bread, and dead soldiers, all + in gruesome confusion. In the cellar dead and + wounded were lying together. The wounded had all + to be carried on stretchers, for everyone who + could crawl had fled from that ghastly inferno, + and only those who have shifted wounded on + stretchers can appreciate the courage it requires + to do it under shell fire. At last they were all + packed into the ambulances, and even as they left + the building with the last, a shell struck it + overhead and demolished one of the walls. How + they ever got out of Dixmude alive is beyond the + ken of a mere mortal, but I suppose it was only + another manifestation of the Star which shines so + brightly over the fortunes of the Munro + Ambulance. </p> + <p>How high is the appreciation of the Belgian + Government for their work is shown in the fact + that three of the lady members of the Corps have + just been decorated with the Order of + Leopold—one of the highest honours which + Belgium has to + confer. It is not every honour which is so well + earned. </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium014.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium014.jpg" + alt="Ypres/Pervyse" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XXII Pervyse—The + Trenches</u></strong></p> + <p>This is indeed the strangest of all wars, for + it is fought in the dark. Eyes are used, but they + are the eyes of an aeroplane overhead, or of a + spy in the enemy's lines. The man who fights + lives underground, or under water, and rarely + sees his foe. There is something strangely + terrible, something peculiarly inhuman, in the + silent stealth of this war of the blind. The + General sits in a quiet room far behind the + lines, planning a battle he will never see. The + gunner aims by level and compass with faultless + precision, and hurls his awful engines of + destruction to destroy ten miles away a house + which is to him only a dot on a map. And the + soldier sitting in his trench hears the shells + whistling overhead and waits, knowing well that + if he appeared for one instant above that rampart + of earth he would be pierced by a dozen bullets + from rifles which are out of his sight. </p> + <p>It is a war in the dark, and by far the most + important of its operations are carried on, its + battles are fought, in the literal sense of the + word, underground. Perhaps the next war will be + fought not merely underground, but deep in the + bowels of the earth, and victory will rest, not + with the finest shots or the expert swordsmen, + but with the men who can dig a tunnel most + quickly. The trenches may be cut by some + herculean plough, deep tunnels may be dug by + great machines, and huge pumping engines may keep + them dry. Our engineers have conquered the air, + the water, and the land, but it is still with + picks and spades that our soldiers dig themselves + into safety. </p> + <p>At Furnes the nearest point to us of the + fighting line was Pervyse, and as the Ambulance + Corps had a dressing-station there, we often went + out to see them and the soldiers in the trenches + close by. But the Belgian line was most + effectively protected by an agency far more + powerful than any trench, for over miles and + miles of land spread the floods with which the + Belgians, by breaking down the dykes, had + themselves flooded the country. The floods were a + protection, but they were also a difficulty, + since they made actual trenches an impossibility. + No ordinary pumps could have kept them dry. So + they had built huts of earth behind a thick earth + bank, and partly sunk in the very low embankment, + only two or three feet above the fields, on which + the railway ran. They were roofed with boards + covered again with earth and sods, and behind + each was a little door by which one could crawl + in. Inside, the floor was covered with a bed of + straw, and a bucket with holes in its sides and + full of red-hot coke did duty as a stove, while + narrow loopholes served for ventilation and for + light, and were to be used for firing from in the + event of an attack. Of course the huts were very + cramped, but they were at least warm, they gave + protection from the weather, and above all they + were safe. The men only occupied them as a matter + of fact for short periods of one or two days at a + time, a fresh guard coming out from Fumes to take + their places. </p> + <p>These huts, and all covered trenches, are only + safe from shrapnel exploding in the air or near + by. No ordinary trench is safe from a shell + falling upon it; but this, as a matter of fact, + has scarcely ever happened. For shells are as a + rule fired from some considerable distance, and + in most cases the opposing lines of trenches are + so close together that there would be great + danger of sending a shell into the back of your + own trench, the most deadly disaster that can + happen. The trenches are often so close together + that their occupants can talk to one another, and + a considerable amount of camaraderie may spring + up. </p> + <p>I know of one instance where a private + arrangement was made that they would not shoot on + either side. One day a man on our side was + wounded, and there was great annoyance till a + note was thrown across apologizing profusely, and + explaining that it was done by a man in a trench + behind who did not know of the compact! A few + days later a message came to say that an + important officer was coming to inspect the + German trench, and that they would be obliged to + fire, but that they would give due warning by + three shots fired in quick succession. The shots + were fired, and our men lay low, under a storm of + bullets, till firing ceased, and another message + arrived to say that the danger was past. We + really are queer animals! </p> + <p>Behind the trenches at Pervyse the fields were + positively riddled with shot-holes. In one space, + not more than twenty yards square, we counted the + marks of over a hundred shells. The railway + station was like a sieve, and most of the houses + in the little town were absolutely destroyed. I + do not believe that there was a house in the + place which had not been hit, and the number of + shells that must have rained on that small area + would have sufficed not so many years ago for the + siege of a large town. The church was destroyed + beyond any possibility of repair. The roof was + gone entirely, and large portions of the walls; a + great piece of the tower had been blown clean + out, and the tower itself was leaning + dangerously. The bombardment of the church must + have been terrific, for even the heavy pillars of + the aisle had been snapped across. Of the altar + only the solid stones remained, surrounded by + fragments of what had once been the stained glass + of the apse, and the twisted remains of the great + brass candlesticks which had stood beside the + altar. Only a few weeks ago this was an old + parish church of singular beauty. Now even the + graves in the churchyard have been torn open by + the shells. These few battered walls, these heaps + of stone and brick, are all that remain of a + prosperous village and its ancient church. </p> + <p>The dressing station of the Ambulance Corps + was one of their most daring and successful + ventures. At first it was placed close to the + trenches and just behind the railway station, in + the house of the village chemist. At least there + were evidences in the existence of portions of + walls, roof, and floors that it had once been a + house, and the chemist had left a few bottles + behind to indicate his trade. But I do not think + that anyone but a member of the Corps would have + ever thought of living there. There was plenty o + ventilation, of course, since there were no + windows left, part of the roof had gone, and the + walls were riddled with holes through which + shells had passed clean across the building. It + could hardly be described as a desirable + residence, but it had one incomparable advantage: + it possessed a cellar. A couple of mattresses and + a few blankets converted it into a palace, whilst + the limits of luxury were reached when there + arrived a new full-sized enamelled bath which one + of the soldiers had discovered and hastened to + present as a mark of gratitude. There was no + water-supply, of course, and I do not think that + there was a plug, but those were mere trifles. + How such a white elephant ever found its way to + Pervyse none of us will ever know. I do not + believe that there was another for twenty miles + around. </p> + <p>In this strange residence—it could hardly be + called a house—lived two of the lady members of + the Corps. They were relieved from time to time, + two others coming out to take their places, and + every day they had visits from the ambulances + which came out to pick up the wounded. A room on + the ground floor was used during the day, partly + as a living-room, partly as a surgery, and here + were brought any soldiers wounded in this part of + the lines. At night they retired to the cellar, + as the house itself was far too dangerous. The + Germans shelled Pervyse almost every night, and + sometimes in the day as well, and this particular + house was the most exposed of any in the town. + But shells were not the only trouble, and when a + few weeks later the cellars were filled with + water, it was evident that other quarters must be + found. </p> + <p>Pervyse was of course entirely deserted by its + inhabitants, but it could scarcely be called + dull. We went out one afternoon to see what was + going on, and found a party of the Corps at + lunch. They seemed to be in particularly good + spirits, and they told us that the house had just + been struck by a shell, that the big Daimler + ambulance had been standing outside, and that its + bonnet had been riddled by the shrapnel bullets. + We went outside to see for ourselves, and there + we found a large hole in the side of the house, + through which a shell had entered a room across + the passage from that occupied by the Corps, who + had fortunately chosen the lee-side. The big + six-cylinder Daimler had been moved into a shed, + and there it stood with twenty or more holes in + its bonnet, but otherwise uninjured. By a stroke + of luck the driver had gone inside the house for + a moment or he would undoubtedly have been + killed. It is fortunate that the Corps is + possessed of such a keen sense of humour. </p> + <p>Shells may be amusing in the daytime, but they + are not a bit amusing at night. Only two women + with real solid courage could have slept, night + after night, in that empty house in a ruined and + deserted village, with no sounds to be heard but + the rain and the wind, the splutter of the + mitrailleuse, and the shriek of shells. Courage + is as infectious as fear, and I think that the + soldiers, watching through the night in the + trenches near by, must have blessed the women who + were waiting there to help them, and must have + felt braver men for their presence. </p> + <p>Pervyse was protected by a wide screen of + flood, and across this there was one way only—a + slightly raised road going straight across six + miles of water. No advance by either side was + possible, for the road was swept by + mitrailleuses, and to advance down it would have + meant certain death. Half a mile down the road + was a farmhouse held by a Belgian outpost, and + beyond this, and perhaps half a mile away from + it, were two other farms occupied by the Germans. + We could see them moving amongst the trees. That + piece of road between Pervyse and the Belgian + farm was the scene of one of the very few lapses + of the Germans into humanity. </p> + <p>It was known one morning in the trenches at + Pervyse that several of their comrades in the + farm had been injured in an outpost engagement. + It was, however, impossible to reach them before + nightfall as the road was swept by the German + guns. Two Belgian priests, taking their lives in + their hands, walked out to the farm, but they + found that the wounded were beyond their powers + of carriage. Nothing daunted, they went on to one + of the German farms and asked for help, and a few + minutes later the astounded Belgians saw a little + procession coming up the road. In front walked + the two priests, and behind them came four + wounded Belgians, lying on stretchers carried by + German soldiers. They came right into the lines, + and they had a royal welcome. They all shook + hands, and the little party of Germans walked + back down the road amid the cheers of their + opponents. </p> + <p>The spirit of chivalry is not dead in Germany; + it is only stifled by her present rulers. Is it + too much to hope that some day its voice may be + heard and may command? </p> + <p> </p> + + <a href="images/SurgeoninBelgium015.jpg"> + <img src="images/SurgeoninBelgium015.jpg" + alt="The Cloth Hall, Ypres, after bombardment" + width="100%"> + </a> + + <p> </p> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XXIII Ypres</u></strong></p> + <p>One morning early in December I was asked by + Dr. Munro to run down with him in one of our + motors to Ypres. A message had arrived saying + that the town had been heavily shelled during the + night, and that there were a number of children + and of wounded there, who ought if possible to be + removed to some less dangerous situation. So we + started off to see what we could do for them. It + was a dismal morning, and the rain was coming + down in a steady drizzle which continued all day + long, but fortunately we had a closed car, and we + were protected from the elements. The road to + Ypres is a broad avenue between long lines of + tall trees, and to-day it was crowded with + soldiers and transport motors. The French were + moving up a large number of men to relieve and to + support their lines between Dixmude and Ypres. + Every little village seemed to be crowded with + troops, for in this weather "the poorest + village is better than the best bivouac," + and the contrasts of the uniforms were very + striking. Every type was represented—the smart + French officer, the Zouave, the Turco, and the + Arab, and one could not help wondering what the + Senegalese and the Algerians thought of this + soaking rain, or how they would fare in the + rigours of a Belgian winter. </p> + <p>Like so many of the towns of Belgium, Ypres is + a town of the past, and it is only in the light + of its history that the meaning of its wonderful + buildings can be realized, or an estimate formed + of the vandalism of its destroyers. Its records + date back to the year 900, and in the twelfth + century it was already famous for its cloth. By + the thirteenth century it was the richest and the + most powerful city in Flanders, and four thousand + looms gave occupation to its two hundred thousand + inhabitants. These great commercial cities were + also great military organizations, and there were + few wars in the turbulence of the Middle Ages in + which Ypres did not have a share. In fact, it was + almost always engaged in fighting either England, + or France, or one of the other Flemish towns. </p> + <p>After a century of wars, to which Ypres once + contributed no fewer than five thousand troops, + the town was besieged by the English, led by + Henry Spencer, Bishop of Norwich, with the help + of the burghers of Ghent and Bruges. The town was + surrounded by earthen ramparts planted with thick + hedges of thorn, and by wide ditches and wooden + palisades, and these were held by some ten + thousand men. They were attacked, in 1383, by + seventeen thousand English and twenty thousand + Flemish. For two months Ypres was defended + against almost daily attacks in one of the + fiercest and most bloody sieges in history. At + last Spencer saw that it was impossible to take + the town by assault, and in view of the advance + of a large French army he withdrew. Ypres was + saved, but its prosperity was gone, for the bulk + of its population had fled. The suburbs, where + large numbers of the weavers worked, had been + destroyed by the besiegers and the looms had been + burnt. The tide of trade turned to Bruges and + Ghent, though they did not enjoy for long the + prosperity they had stolen. </p> + <p>The commercial madness of the fourteenth + century gave way to the religious madness of the + sixteenth. Men's ideas were changing, and it is a + very dangerous thing to change the ideas of men. + For the momentum of the change is out of all + proportion to its importance, and the barriers of + human reason may melt before it. It is a mere + matter of historical fact that no oppression has + half the dangers of an obvious reform. At Ypres + the Reformers were first in the field. They had + swept through Flanders, destroying all the beauty + and wealth that the piety of ages had + accumulated, and here was rich plunder for these + apostles of the ugly. There is real tragedy in + the thought that the Reformer is sometimes + sincere. </p> + <p>But at least the fanatics limited their fury + to the symbols of religion. Philip of Spain could + only be sated by flesh and blood, and for the + next fifteen years Ypres was tossed to and fro in + an orgy of persecution and war such as have + rarely been waged even in the name of religion. + At the end of that time only a miserable five + thousand inhabitants remained within its broken + ramparts. </p> + <p>With the seventeenth century commerce and + religion made way for politics, and the wars of + Louis XIV. fell heavily on Ypres. On four + separate occasions the town was taken by the + French, and the dismantled fortifications which + still surround it were once an example of the + genius of Vauban. Yet with all these + wars—commercial, religious, + political—with all the + violence of its history, Ypres had kept intact + the glorious monuments of the days of her + greatness, and it has been left for the armies of + Culture to destroy that which even the hand of + Philip spared. </p> + <p>The centuries have handed down to us few + buildings of such massive grandeur as the great + Cloth Hall, a monument of the days when the + Weavers of Ypres treated on equal terms with the + Powers of England and of France. This huge + fortress of the Guilds is about a hundred and + fifty yards long. The ground floor was once an + open loggia, but the spaces between its fifty + pillars have been filled in. Above this are two + rows of pointed windows, each exactly above an + opening below. In the upper row every second + window has been formed into a niche for the + figure of some celebrity in the history of the + town. A delicate turret rises at each end of the + facade, and above it rose the high-pitched roof + which was one of the most beautiful features of + the building. In the centre is the great square + tower, reaching to a height of more than two + hundred feet, and ending in an elegant belfry, + which rises between its four graceful turrets. + The whole of this pile was finished in 1304; but + in the seventeenth century there was added at its + eastern end the Nieuwerck, an exquisite + Renaissance structure supported entirely on a row + of slim columns, with tiers of narrow oblong + windows, and with elaborate gables of carved + stone. The contrast between the strength and + simplicity of the Gothic and the rich decoration + of Spain is as delightful as it is bold. The + upper part of this vast building formed one great + hall, covered overhead by the towering roof. The + walls were decorated by painted panels + representing the history of the town, and so + large were these that in one bay there was + erected the entire front of an old wooden house + which had been pulled down in the town, gable and + all. </p> + <p>And all this is a heap of ruins. Whether any + portion of it can ever be repaired I do not know, + but the cost would be fabulous. The roof is + entirely destroyed, and with it the whole of the + great gallery and its paintings, for fire + consumed what the shells had left. Only the bare + stone walls remain, and as we stood among the + pillars which had supported the floors above, it + was difficult to realize that the heap of rubbish + around us was all that was left of what had once + been the envy of Europe. The only building which + we have at all comparable to the Cloth Hall is + the Palace of Westminster. If it were blasted by + shells and gutted by fire, we might regret it, + but what would be our feelings if it were the + legacy of Edward the First, and had been handed + down to us intact through six centuries? </p> + <p>Behind the Cloth Hall stands the Church of St. + Martin, once for two and a half centuries the + Cathedral of Ypres. It was largely built at the + same time as the Cloth Hall, and it is a glorious + monument of the architecture of the thirteenth + century. Perhaps its most beautiful features are + the great square tower, the lofty and imposing + nave, and the exquisite rose window in the south + wall of the transept, which is said to be the + finest in Belgium. The tower was surrounded with + scaffolding, and around its base were piles of + stone, for the church was being repaired when the + war began. I wonder if it will ever be repaired + now. The Germans had expended on its destruction + many of their largest shells, and they had been + very successful in their efforts. There were + three huge holes in the roof of the choir where + shells had entered, and in the centre of the + transept was a pile of bricks and stone six feet + high. Part of the tower had been shot away, and + its stability was uncertain. The beautiful glass + of the rose window had been utterly destroyed, + and part of the tracery was broken. The old + Parish Chapel on the south side of the nave had + nothing left but the altar and four bare walls. + The fine old roof and the great bronze screen + which separated it from the nave had perished in + the flames. The screen was lying in small + fragments amongst the rubbish on the chapel + floor, and at first I thought they were bits of + rusty iron. </p> + <p>As I stood in the ruins of the Parish Chapel + looking round on this amazing scene, there was a + roar overhead, and one of the big 14-inch shells + passed, to explode with a terrific crash amongst + the houses a few hundred yards farther on. It was + plain that the bombardment was beginning again, + and that we must see to our business without any + delay. Two more shells passed overhead as I came + out of the church, with a roar very different + from the soft whistle of a small shell. The + destruction produced by one of these large shells + is astonishing. One large house into which a + shell had fallen in the previous night had simply + crumpled up. Portions of the walls and a heap of + bricks were all that was left, a bit of an iron + bedstead and a fragment of staircase sticking out + from the debris. The roof, the floors, and the + greater part of the walls might never have + existed. In the Place in front of the Cathedral + were two holes where shells had fallen, and + either of them would have comfortably held a + motor-car. The children were all together in a + little street a quarter of a mile west of the + Cathedral, just where the last three shells had + fallen. Fortunately they had hurt no one, though + one had passed clean through the upper stories of + a house where there were several children being + got ready by one of our party for removal. By + good luck through some defect it did not explode, + or the house would have been annihilated and + everyone in it killed. Quite a collection of + people had congregated in that little street, + though why they considered it safer than the rest + of the town I do not know. At first they were + very unwilling to let any of the children go at + all. But at last about twenty children were + collected and were packed into ambulances. Some + of them were without parents, and were being + looked after by the neighbours, and the parents + of some absolutely refused to leave. More + children and a few adults to look after them were + found later, and I think that in the end about a + hundred were taken up to Fumes, to be sent on to + Calais as refugees. </p> + <p>The children were as merry as crickets, and + regarded it all as a huge joke; sitting in the + ambulances, they looked for all the world like a + school treat. But I have often wondered whether + we were right to take them away or whether it + would not have been better to have left them to + take their chance. War is a very terrible thing, + and the well-meant interference of the kind- + hearted may do far more harm than good. What is + going to happen to those children? I suppose that + they are in some refugee home, to remain there + till the war is over. And then? We did our best + to identify them, but what are the chances that + many of them will ever see their parents again? + From what I have seen of these things I do not + think that they are very large. Perhaps you will + say that the parents ought to have gone with + them. It is easy for the well-to-do to leave + their homes and to settle again elsewhere; but + the poorer a man is the less can he afford to + leave what little he possesses. In their own town + they might be in danger, but at least they had + not lost their homes, and they possessed the + surroundings without which their individual lives + would be merged in the common ocean of misery. + The problem of the civil population, and + especially of the children, in time of war is + entirely beyond the scope of individual effort. + It is a matter with which only a Government or a + very powerful organization can deal, and it is a + matter in which Governments do not take a great + deal of interest. Their hands are quite full + enough in trying to defeat the enemy. </p> + <p>In all previous wars between civilized nations + a certain regard has been paid to the safety of + the civilian population, and especially of the + women and children. But from the very first the + German policy has been to utterly ignore the + rights of non- combatants, tearing up the + conventions which they themselves had signed for + their protection. No Government could be expected + to be prepared for such a total apostasy from the + elementary principles of civilized society, or to + anticipate methods at which a Zulu might blush. + If they had done so, it should have been their + first care to remove all non-combatants from the + area of fighting, and to make provision for them + elsewhere. It is unfair that a civilian should be + left with the hopeless choice of leaving a child + in a house where it may at any moment be killed + by a shell or taking it away with a considerable + probability that it will be a homeless orphan. + For life is a matter of small moment; it is + living that matters. </p> + <p>The problem of the children of Belgium will be + one of the most serious to be faced when the war + is over. There will be a great number of orphans, + whilst many more will be simply lost. They must + not be adopted in England, for to them Belgium + will look for her future population. There could + be few finer ways in which we could show our + gratitude to the people of Belgium than by + establishing colonies over there where they could + be brought up in their own country, to be its + future citizens. It would form a bond between the + two countries such as no treaty could ever + establish, and Belgium would never forget the + country which had been the foster-mother of her + children. </p> + <p>But Ypres gave us yet another example of + German methods of war. On the western side of the + town, some distance from the farthest houses, + stood the Asylum. It was a fine building arranged + in several wings, and at present it was being + used for the accommodation of a few wounded, + mostly women and children, and several old people + of the workhouse infirmary type. It made a + magnificent hospital, and as it was far away from + the town and was not used for any but the + purposes of a hospital, we considered that it was + safe enough, and that it would be a pity to + disturb the poor old people collected there. We + might have known better. The very next night the + Germans shelled it to pieces, and all those + unfortunate creatures had to be removed in a + hurry. There is a senseless barbarity about such + an act which could only appeal to a Prussian. </p> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <br> + <p align="center"><strong><u>XXIV Some + Conclusions</u></strong></p> + <p>To draw conclusions from a limited experience + is a difficult matter, and the attempt holds many + pitfalls for the unwary. Yet every experience + must leave on the mind of any thinking man + certain impressions, and the sum of these only he + himself can give. To others he can give but + blurred images of all he may have seen, distorted + in the curving mirrors of his mind, but from + these they can at least form some estimate of the + truth of the conclusions he ventures to draw. For + myself, these conclusions seem to fall naturally + into three separate groups, for I have met the + experiences of the past three months in three + separate ways—as a surgeon, as a Briton, and as, + I hope, a civilized man. It is from these three + aspects that I shall try to sum up what I have + seen. </p> + <p>As a surgeon it has been my good fortune to + have charge of a hospital whose position was + almost ideal. Always close to the front, we + received our cases at the earliest possible + moment, and could deal with them practically + first hand. Every day I realized more strongly + the advantages of such a hospital, and the + importance for the wounded of the first surgical + treatment they receive. Upon this may well depend + the whole future course of the case. No wounded + man should be sent on a long railway journey to + the base until he has passed through the hands of + a skilled surgeon, and has been got into such a + condition that the journey does not involve undue + risk. And no rough routine treatment will + suffice. A surgeon is required who can deal with + desperate emergencies and pull impossible cases + out of the fire—a young man who does not believe + in the impossible, and who can adapt himself to + conditions of work that would make an older man + shudder, and a man who will never believe what he + is told until he has seen it for himself. For the + conditions of work at the front are utterly + different from those of civil practice, and it is + impossible for any man after many years of + regular routine to adapt himself to such changed + environment. The long experience of the older man + will be of far more use at the base, and he will + have plenty of difficulties to contend with + there. </p> + <p>I have often been told that there is no + opening for skilled surgery at the front. In my + opinion there is room for the highest skill that + the profession can produce. It is absurd to say + that the abdominal cases should be left to die or + to recover as best they can, that one dare not + touch a fractured femur because it is septic. To + take up such an attitude is simply to admit that + these cases are beyond the scope of present + surgery. In a sense, perhaps, they are, but that + is all the more reason why the scope of surgery + should be enlarged, and not that these cases + should be left outside its pale. I am far from + advising indiscriminate operating. There are many + things in surgery besides scalpels. But I do urge + the need for hospitals close to the front, with + every modern equipment, and with surgeons of + resource and energy. </p> + <p>But for a surgeon this war between nations is + only an incident in the war to which he has + devoted his life—the war against disease. It is + a curious reflection that whilst in the present + war the base hospital has been given, if + anything, an undue importance, in the other war + it has been practically neglected. Our great + hospitals are almost entirely field hospitals, + planted right in the middle of the battle, and + there we keep our patients till such time as they + are to all intents and purposes cured. A very few + convalescent homes will admit cases which still + require treatment, but only a very few. The bulk + of them expect their inmates to do the work of + the establishment. Now, this is most + unreasonable, for a country hospital is cheaper + to build and should cost less to run than one in + town, and in many cases the patients will recover + in half the time. Our hospitals in London are + always crowded, the waiting-lists mount up till + it seems hopeless to attack them, and all the + time it is because we have no base hospital down + in the country to which our patients might be + sent to recover. I wonder how long it will be + before each of the great London hospitals has its + own base down in the country, with its own motor + ambulances and its own ambulance coaches to carry + its patients in comfort by rail to surroundings + where they could recover as can never be possible + in the middle of the London slums? And as to + getting the staff to look after it, there would + probably be a waiting-list for week-ends. </p> + <p>But there are more important considerations in + this war than surgery, and one would have to be + very blind not to perceive that this is a + life-and-death struggle between Britain and + Germany. The involvement of other nations is + merely accidental. It is ourselves whom Germany + is making this huge effort to crush, and but for + one small circumstance she would have come within + a measurable prospect of success. To swoop down + on France through Belgium, to crush her in three + weeks, to seize her fleet, and with the combined + fleets of France and Germany to attack ours—that + was the proposition, and who can say that it + might not have succeeded? The small circumstance + which Germany overlooked was Belgium, and it is + to the heroic resistance of Belgium that we owe + the fact that the German advance has been + stopped. </p> + <p>At the cost of the desolation of their own + country, Belgium has perhaps saved the flag of + Britain, for where would it have flown on the + seas if Germany had won? And at the very least + she has saved us from a war beside which this is + nothing—a war not now, but a few years hence, + when she might have controlled half the + Continent, and we should have stood alone. We owe + an incalculable debt to Belgium, and we can only + repay it by throwing into this war every resource + that our country has to offer. For the only end + which can bring peace to Europe is the total + annihilation of Germany as a military and naval + Power. What other terms can be made with a nation + which regards its most solemn treaties as so much + waste paper, which is bound by no conventions, + and which delights in showing a callous disregard + of all that forms the basis of a civilized + society? The only guarantees that we can take are + that she has no ships of war, and that her army + is only sufficient to police her frontier. The + building of a war vessel or the boring of a gun + must be regarded as a casus belli. Then, and then + only, shall Europe be safe from the madness that + is tearing her asunder. </p> + <p>But there is a wider view of this war than + even that of Britain. We are not merely fighting + to preserve the pre-eminence of our country; we + are fighting for the civilization of the world. + The victory of Germany would mean the + establishment over the whole world of a military + despotism such as the world has never seen. For + if once the navy of Britain is gone, who else can + stop her course? Canada, the United States, South + America, would soon be vassals of her power—a + power which would be used without scruple for her + own material advantage. This is not a war between + Germany and certain other nations; it is a war + between Germany and civilization. The stake is + not a few acres of land, but the freedom for + which our fathers gave their lives. </p> + <p>Is there such a thing as neutrality in this + war? Germany herself gave the answer when she + invaded Belgium. It is the undoubted duty of many + great nations, and of one before all others, to + stand aside and not to enter the struggle; but to + be neutral at heart, not to care whether the + battle is won or lost, is impossible for any + nation which values honour and truth above the + passing advantages of worldly power. We do not + ask America to fight on our side. This is our + fight, and only Britain and her Allies can see it + through. But we do ask for a sympathy which, + while obeying the laws of neutrality to the last + letter, will support us with a spirit which is + bound by no earthly law, which will bear with us + when in our difficult task we seem to neglect the + interests of our friends, and will rejoice with + us when, out of toil and sorrow, we have won a + lasting peace. </p> + <p>This war is not of our choosing, and we shall + never ask for peace. The sword has been thrust + into our hands by a power beyond our own to + defend from a relentless foe the flag which has + been handed down to us unsullied through the + ages, and to preserve for the world the freedom + which is the proudest birthright of our race. + When it is sheathed, the freedom of the world + from the tyranny of man will have been secured. </p> +<br> +<hr> +<pre> + +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 11086 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |