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[Page 20]
this ward alone. It is quite customary to wake and find a dead man near you. Invariably the cause is inattention, neglect and cruelty. I have seen horrible sights, and have experienced roughness and etc, in France and Gallipoli, but they cannot bear comparison with this. and I am told by men from camps nearby, that this Lazarett is homely, compared with the reprisal camps; where torture and cruelty and starvation and exposure are items of the daily routine. The awfulness of the life is undescribable.
17TH. Suffering with chronic diarrhoea, caused by the unwholesome black bread and soups. I have explained my illness to the Doctor through the interpreter. Subsequently for my 24 hours rations I received four ounces of French white bread, and a plate of porridge for dinner and tea. I enjoyed the change immensely; I have never eaten anything with such relish. The only medicine obtainable appears to be asperin, which of course is useless in my case. Reminiscence of some of the scenes one sees here, recalls many humourous happenings, for instance. The French language is used as a medium, and everybody's conversation is unavoidably overheard. When the interpreter is busy elsewhere, the Doctor will endeavour to speak English.
An amusing incident occurred this day. The Doctor endeavored to converse with an Australian. He asked in German "Smatzen Nay!" no response, then he tried French "vous avez souffre" (distorted naturally). Still the Australian failed to comprez. Consequently the Hun made an effort in English "Pin,yes,no?" This conveyed intelligence, and the Australian replied in the affirmative, much to the joy of the Hun, who, "Ya,Ya'd" vociferously. My knee is still bleeding profusely and the wound in my back is discharging freely. My bed is saturated, consequently my misery is increased. I worried the orderly persistently, and eventually persuaded him to apply an additional pad of paper which I think is the common substitute for wool. I have not seen cotton wool in the hospital up to date. The paper absorbs moisture rapidly, so my comfort is hardly improved. My leg is black, swollen and painful; my entreaties for a clean dressing however, are ignored. The bed is a very crude arrangement; a large palliasse filled with wood