Item 01: Oliver Hogue letters, November 1914-29 December 1915 - Page 135

[Page 135]

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the shrapnel & the other on the shore, but a real bath with SOAP & a wash in FRESH water. These be things to cable home about.. But the best is still to come. There were  NURSES  on board !!! What do you think of that. I was just longing for a broken arm or leg or something to keep me there ... Fancy not seeing a lady's face or hearing a lady's voice for weeks and weeks and weeks (it seems years and years and years) and then actually talking to and shaking hands with half a dozen nurses. (Ida C. you ought to have been here). One of them was a perfect little angel .... (The rest of this particular episode may be left to the imagination).

There were several doctors on board but as I ate like a team of horses and never felt better in all my life, there was no excuse for my remaining. Quite a lot of officers and men were there sick and broken-down with the stress of the last few weeks. And there were several of our brigade amongst the wounded ...

The view here is just delightful, Imbros, Samothrace and Tenedos are near by. The sea is smooth. The weather perfect. The blue of the  Mediterranean  sky is equalled by the blue of the Mediterranean. We are even out of sound of the fusilade and bombardment of Anzac. I keep on the other side of the ship so as not to see the place. The only thing that reminds us of war is occasional booming of the guns of our warships. After the trenches its just heaven.