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[page 36]
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to travel go abroad hospital barges on the Somme. These barges travel in sets of two escorted by a tug. Each barge is fitttted up as a complete hospital and has from 40 to 50 beds, two sisgers [sisters?], a staff of orderlies and a medical officer, the latter dividing his time between the barges. The passage down the Somme to Abbeville takes 24 hours various locks having to be negotiated on the way. The barges are kept open to the sky in fine weather and as you pass under bridges the towns folk assemble and drop flowers in on to you. The sensation of having a bunch of wet roses dropped on to your face from a height of about 50 feet, is anything but curative, but still its "well meant". We had an Australian sister on our barge, a sister Timmins from Moree. I think she belonged to what in Egypt was known as the 3rd. Australian General Hospital which disbanded on coming to France with the result that the nurses are scattered about France and England, mostly attached to British Hospitals, Hospital Trains and Ships and clearing stations.
No.2 General Hospital - an English Hospital, not Australian - at Abbeville is the best run institution I have met with. The nurses, attendants, food and general comforts, were excellent. I was there two days before boarding a Hospital train for Havre. These trains are capable of carrying 600 to 700 wounded, each carriage holding about 60, the bunks being arranged in three tiers. Like the barges, the train is a complete hospital containing surgery, kitchens, stores, quarters for nurses, doctors etc. and even an operating theatre which of course is only used should circumstances make it absolutely necessary that an operation should be performed. The journey to Havre took about 17 hours and here, after a short wait on the platform, we were put aboard the Hospital Ship "Gloucester Castle" there to remain until the next day when another train arrived