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[Page 150]
just on the edge of London. The hospital is the greatest hospital in the world, for facial cases. Men come here with no chins; and bone and flesh is grafted on to make them one. One sees noses that have been put on, and big skin grafts are quite common. We have our own doctors and there are British Canadian Australian and NZ wards.
One fellow in this ward is blind and he is the most cheerful fellow in the ward. Every monday and thursday, the the colonel comes around, and decides whether you are fit for operation or not. After a few weeks he decided to send me on leave for a month and of course I didn't say no.
Chapter XV "Leave"
I went to London and had to stay a night at the war chest as I could not catch a train to Crewe without arriving late at night and unannounced. In the morning I set out to catch the train to Crewe. It was very early, so I asked one of the mail cart men, the road to Euston and he said "I'm going that way, jump up", which I did. But I think seeing London from the top of a bus, is more convenient than from the top of a mail cart. The old fellow confided in me that he had never lived out of London. Fancy living in that smoky refuge of sin all your life.Oh ! Lor!
I reached Crewe after some 4 hours journey. Crewe I have described before. I borrowed my cousins bike, and proceeded to run all over the country on it, for my wounds were fairly well healed by this time. I visited a flour mill on the Wheelock river, driven by water. The miller explained and showed me over the concern. He said they sometimes got Australian wheat, and it was the best they could get. Another day I visited Barthomeley church which dates from the the 16th century. Inside are copies of the bibles of that time, and very quaint they are. The news of the day was put in them as well as the scripture, to be read I suppose from the pulpit, a good idea, as not all peoples could read in those good old days. I was able to read all the latest news, about the gun powder plot. In the churchyard were some stories with