Series 01: Anne Donnell circular letters, 25 May 1915 - 8 July 1918 - Page 164
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 164]
Kitchener Hospital
Brighton
7.2.1917
My dear Friends
Yesterday was a great day for 5 of our Sisters. Twas an Investiture at Buckingham Palace and they were decorated by the King. It was just beautiful for them all but I here want to introduce Sister Ball to you for She is so universally beloved amongst us and was just an Angel to the Sick Sisters on Lemnos that we are especially pleased that she has the Royal Red Cross. I asked her if she would describe yesterdays ceremony because I thought it would be interesting to you and I am giving her version of it. She says "London looked beautiful with all the sombre buildings outlined with snow, the streets the parks and the trees covered with it. Six of us left the Strand Palace Hotel at 9.45am in a Taxi. When we reached the Palace gates we were stopped by a huge guard who inquired our business and when satisfied haughtily motioned us to pass through. We then pass through an inner Archway into a court and stopped at the steps of one of the entrances where there were about 80 soldiers in Khaki waiting for admittance and several footmen were there to show us in. The men took off their top coats and the Sisters theirs too and they were each given a number (mine being 36) and shown into a room where to chairs were numbered correspondingly. There were 38 Sisters in all so I was 3rd last. A man in Civilian clothes and whom we deigned to be 'Master of Ceremonies' came and instructed us what to do – also fastening a little hook onto our Capes ready for the King to hang the Cross on. We sat in that room for 2 hours until hem men were through. Then at last after being instructed about 30 times what we are to do the M.C. conducts us single file and as we