Sullivan letter diary, 27 October 1915-9 October 1917 / Eugene Sullivan - Page 262
Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 262]
fruit (preserved) and other extras at Xmas we ourselves have received four cases from the A.A.M.C. comforts fund. These contained many very useful articles which are long since worn out. Although this is where most of our comforts come from I would not recommend it to your patronage as the A.A.M.C. as a body need the comforts least of all. Most of them are engaged on hospital work and help themselves freely out of the innumerable comforts supplied for the sick and wounded. In their work too they have twice the comforts of the infantry being always well housed and it is a comparatively safe distance from the danger zone.
The Ambulance formed up at Liverpool and to which we are nominally attached, the 9th. F.A., have the name of being the least efficient over here. The X[th.] F.A. & XI F.A. are much better organised. Of course I have never worked in the 9th. F.A. and have no desire to do so but still we are classed as of them by those who know no better. Some of them had the unforgiveable hide to have their photos published in the "Sydney Mail" as "Dare Devils of the 9th. Field Ambulance". Fancy this from a unit which is miles behind the firing line. Then they treat the infantry and the S.B.'s, the real workers, as inferior individuals and beneath their notice.
Of course the infantry resent the "Dare Devil" business an we get chiacked about it on all sides. As an instance of their bravery. Last night Fritz opened a barage on our lines, sending over some heavy shells. He followed this up with some gas. We got the order to have our masks on the alert but no-body troubled very much about