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CROWN COPYRIGHT: THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES: WO222/189, ITEM 1D
SICILY 1943
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CROWN COPYRIGHT: THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES: WO222/189, ITEM 1D
SICILY 1943
***
Continuing Matron Cocking's account
Previous page
On August 1st, 1943, we disembarked at Syracuse in Sicily. We were met by the A.D.M.S. and learned that our Unit was some miles away, so that we were to spend the night at 66 General Hospital. This we did, sleeping in what had been the old Mental Block of the original Italian hospital. Next morning, we set out for our new ‘home’, which we discovered set in the middle of orchards, outside Floridia. Lunch was ready for us in the Officers’ Mess, under the trees. The men, we discovered, had only arrived themselves the day before, having been moved from their original site. Our tents were still in process of going up, but some of the ‘wards’ were ready and we were told that the first batch of patients was arriving that evening. Our hospital was soon full, but we had few serious cases; great numbers of malarias, quite a percentage of dysenteries, and minor surgical ailments.
The camp was ideally situated. The tents were all set under trees, which gave a pleasant shade, the sun was warm but no so oppressively hot as it had been in Tripoli. The patients were free to wander around the Camp, apart from the Mess compounds, and all looked fit and sunburned. We were surrounded by grape vines and groves of fig, almond and olive trees, all the latter bearing ripe fruit. We all sent home nuts and wished we might send the fruit when it was so badly needed.
We could hardly get away from the illusion that we were on a ‘camping-holiday’! Tentage was short, so our Mess Tent was provided by a huge Lotus tree, which served the purpose just as well, and was far more picturesque. Black-out was very severe on account of Jerry’s fondness for ‘popping over’, so we could not show a light, even in our tents. Brains were racked for means to break the monotony of the dark hours, after 8 p.m. One of the Sisters had a gramophone with which she occasionally gave Gramophone Recitals, working it in the dark. The Colonel organized a series of ‘talks’ on different subjects by various people. All were invited to listen and join in the discussion after. It was in the orchards that our Unit newspaper, Odyssey, was born. Articles of interest covering a wide range of subjects, poetry, criticism, witticisms, sketches, were asked for and received from both Staff and patients. Since that time, each Sunday morning, a copy has been set up in a prominent position, where it could be read by all.
Four weeks after our arrival, the Colonel told me at 6 p.m. one evening that he had received orders for us to move with the greatest speed possible. Our patients were evacuated by 10 a.m. next day. By the same time, the day after, our entire equipment had been loaded, and it and us were in lorries on the road to our next destination.
We arrived at Giarre, a small town under the shadow of Mount Etna, after darkness had fallen. We now found ourselves in an old school building, which I trust had been more successful in its teaching than it had in its sanitary arrangements! We spent one night in what were later wards. Next morning, I went flat-hunting in the town with the Colonel and found two, quite near together, that made quite a suitable Mess. We also found a flat, not far from the main building, that made an excellent Sick Officers and Sisters hospital. Next day, while we were still unloading the hospital equipment, the patients started to arrive. Here, we received patients that had come more or less directly from the battlefront. We were wearing white, as the local women laundered well for us. One morning I was startled to hear, from the lines of ambulances bringing in the wounded, cries of “Look, look! Do you see that? A real English nurse!”
We were nearly always full here, often overflowing. We had a Neuro-Surgical and a Facial-Maxiliary team attached to us and the work was very interesting. The sad part was that we could only keep our patients for so short a time; all except the Dangerously Ill had to go on as soon as possible, to make room for others. Rows of patients were often waiting on stretchers to go out as others were coming in.
The whole district was heavily mined, even the edges of the roads beyond the immediate town were not safe, and nearly every day we were admitting one or more victims. This, of course, prevented the Sisters from wandering far afield, but a safe bathing beach was soon found for us a few miles away, so that we had plenty of exercise.
After about a month, the work showing signs of slackening off, the Colonel told me that we were shortly leaving for Messina to take over from No.3 Casualty Clearing Station. He said the Advance Party was starting off next day and asked if I would like to go with them to make proper arrangements for the Sisters’ Mess. I thought it was an excellent idea, especially as the Sister-in-Charge of No.3 C.C.S. was an old friend of mine.
The distance from Giarre to Messina cannot be much more that 40 miles, but by the time we had finished waiting for traffic blocks on the road, it felt more like 400! We left Giarre at 9 a.m.; we reached Messina after 3 p.m. I had thought Benghazi a shell; I cannot begin to describe Messina! In both towns the hospitals appeared to have been respected. This building was quite a nice one of its kind if you excepted the usual more or less deplorable sanitary arrangements. The Medical Officers and Sisters had found accommodation in the Hospital building, but as we carried far more Sisters than a C.C.S., we had to be housed elsewhere.
That evening, Captain Brewer took me along to the A.D.M.S. who said he had found an ideal Mess for us, a 16th Century Villa, dating back to the Medici family. It was then occupied by naval personnel and we went round for the men to inspect it, it being considered too dirty for my feminine eyes to gaze upon! As I sat in the car, two sailors leaned confidentially over the balcony: “Hey, Miss! Don’t you let them put you in ‘ere; there’s a corpse under that gateway, and it smells like it!” They were perfectly right! Nevertheless, by the time that it had been removed, a roof or two that had been shattered by bombs replaced, the house thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and cleared of the appalling rubbish, it was really quite delightful. We were left sufficient furniture by the owner to be very comfortable. A few of the Sisters joined me in a few days and soon had everything ready for the others when they moved up with the Unit.
We stayed at Messina our usual three to four weeks. The work was quite satisfying, and as we were not dealing with such numbers as at Giarre, we were able to keep our patients longer. We received quite a number of Enterics and Diphtherias as well as our fair share of malarias. Battle casualties were few. The view from the hospital was lovely. It faced directly across the Straights of Messina. You felt you had only to give a jump to land over in Italy. The water was fascinating to watch. Convoys would pass to and fro along the Straights, transports would cross continuously and once a whole fleet of amphibians crossed over, looking for all the world like a row of ducks crossing the village pond. Amongst all these, the little sailing boats tacked to and fro. On a day early in October, having handed over to a Field Hospital, we too passed over to the other side and the ‘Sicilian Episode’ was over.
Previous page
On August 1st, 1943, we disembarked at Syracuse in Sicily. We were met by the A.D.M.S. and learned that our Unit was some miles away, so that we were to spend the night at 66 General Hospital. This we did, sleeping in what had been the old Mental Block of the original Italian hospital. Next morning, we set out for our new ‘home’, which we discovered set in the middle of orchards, outside Floridia. Lunch was ready for us in the Officers’ Mess, under the trees. The men, we discovered, had only arrived themselves the day before, having been moved from their original site. Our tents were still in process of going up, but some of the ‘wards’ were ready and we were told that the first batch of patients was arriving that evening. Our hospital was soon full, but we had few serious cases; great numbers of malarias, quite a percentage of dysenteries, and minor surgical ailments.
The camp was ideally situated. The tents were all set under trees, which gave a pleasant shade, the sun was warm but no so oppressively hot as it had been in Tripoli. The patients were free to wander around the Camp, apart from the Mess compounds, and all looked fit and sunburned. We were surrounded by grape vines and groves of fig, almond and olive trees, all the latter bearing ripe fruit. We all sent home nuts and wished we might send the fruit when it was so badly needed.
We could hardly get away from the illusion that we were on a ‘camping-holiday’! Tentage was short, so our Mess Tent was provided by a huge Lotus tree, which served the purpose just as well, and was far more picturesque. Black-out was very severe on account of Jerry’s fondness for ‘popping over’, so we could not show a light, even in our tents. Brains were racked for means to break the monotony of the dark hours, after 8 p.m. One of the Sisters had a gramophone with which she occasionally gave Gramophone Recitals, working it in the dark. The Colonel organized a series of ‘talks’ on different subjects by various people. All were invited to listen and join in the discussion after. It was in the orchards that our Unit newspaper, Odyssey, was born. Articles of interest covering a wide range of subjects, poetry, criticism, witticisms, sketches, were asked for and received from both Staff and patients. Since that time, each Sunday morning, a copy has been set up in a prominent position, where it could be read by all.
Four weeks after our arrival, the Colonel told me at 6 p.m. one evening that he had received orders for us to move with the greatest speed possible. Our patients were evacuated by 10 a.m. next day. By the same time, the day after, our entire equipment had been loaded, and it and us were in lorries on the road to our next destination.
We arrived at Giarre, a small town under the shadow of Mount Etna, after darkness had fallen. We now found ourselves in an old school building, which I trust had been more successful in its teaching than it had in its sanitary arrangements! We spent one night in what were later wards. Next morning, I went flat-hunting in the town with the Colonel and found two, quite near together, that made quite a suitable Mess. We also found a flat, not far from the main building, that made an excellent Sick Officers and Sisters hospital. Next day, while we were still unloading the hospital equipment, the patients started to arrive. Here, we received patients that had come more or less directly from the battlefront. We were wearing white, as the local women laundered well for us. One morning I was startled to hear, from the lines of ambulances bringing in the wounded, cries of “Look, look! Do you see that? A real English nurse!”
We were nearly always full here, often overflowing. We had a Neuro-Surgical and a Facial-Maxiliary team attached to us and the work was very interesting. The sad part was that we could only keep our patients for so short a time; all except the Dangerously Ill had to go on as soon as possible, to make room for others. Rows of patients were often waiting on stretchers to go out as others were coming in.
The whole district was heavily mined, even the edges of the roads beyond the immediate town were not safe, and nearly every day we were admitting one or more victims. This, of course, prevented the Sisters from wandering far afield, but a safe bathing beach was soon found for us a few miles away, so that we had plenty of exercise.
After about a month, the work showing signs of slackening off, the Colonel told me that we were shortly leaving for Messina to take over from No.3 Casualty Clearing Station. He said the Advance Party was starting off next day and asked if I would like to go with them to make proper arrangements for the Sisters’ Mess. I thought it was an excellent idea, especially as the Sister-in-Charge of No.3 C.C.S. was an old friend of mine.
The distance from Giarre to Messina cannot be much more that 40 miles, but by the time we had finished waiting for traffic blocks on the road, it felt more like 400! We left Giarre at 9 a.m.; we reached Messina after 3 p.m. I had thought Benghazi a shell; I cannot begin to describe Messina! In both towns the hospitals appeared to have been respected. This building was quite a nice one of its kind if you excepted the usual more or less deplorable sanitary arrangements. The Medical Officers and Sisters had found accommodation in the Hospital building, but as we carried far more Sisters than a C.C.S., we had to be housed elsewhere.
That evening, Captain Brewer took me along to the A.D.M.S. who said he had found an ideal Mess for us, a 16th Century Villa, dating back to the Medici family. It was then occupied by naval personnel and we went round for the men to inspect it, it being considered too dirty for my feminine eyes to gaze upon! As I sat in the car, two sailors leaned confidentially over the balcony: “Hey, Miss! Don’t you let them put you in ‘ere; there’s a corpse under that gateway, and it smells like it!” They were perfectly right! Nevertheless, by the time that it had been removed, a roof or two that had been shattered by bombs replaced, the house thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and cleared of the appalling rubbish, it was really quite delightful. We were left sufficient furniture by the owner to be very comfortable. A few of the Sisters joined me in a few days and soon had everything ready for the others when they moved up with the Unit.
We stayed at Messina our usual three to four weeks. The work was quite satisfying, and as we were not dealing with such numbers as at Giarre, we were able to keep our patients longer. We received quite a number of Enterics and Diphtherias as well as our fair share of malarias. Battle casualties were few. The view from the hospital was lovely. It faced directly across the Straights of Messina. You felt you had only to give a jump to land over in Italy. The water was fascinating to watch. Convoys would pass to and fro along the Straights, transports would cross continuously and once a whole fleet of amphibians crossed over, looking for all the world like a row of ducks crossing the village pond. Amongst all these, the little sailing boats tacked to and fro. On a day early in October, having handed over to a Field Hospital, we too passed over to the other side and the ‘Sicilian Episode’ was over.