should go with him on Friday to the Coptic and Egyptian museums and then to the University Mosque where the king was praying that day. He was getting special permissions from the ministry of works and was calling for us at 9.30. Alas, this was all cut short for on Friday we were on our way to Alexandria and our future home.
Next morning we were told not to leave the hotel as we were getting orders to move on. This upset us a little, as of course we were not ready; we never are when the time for moving arrives, and there were overalls to collect from the little Turkish dressmaker who had been doing odds and ends for us and everything we possessed had to be picked up at once. We learned later that twelve of us, and five from Heliopolis, were detailed for the 2/5th General Hospital, Alexandria and that we were to leave next day. That left us free to go to the Sezara Club with Mona, John, a sister of a friend of Mona’s, and we spent a most pleasant afternoon there with her and her husband who is a captain with the forces. They were such nice people and I found in the end that both were from Wales originally. That night Mona and I took ourselves – for a last treat in Cairo – to the Continental Savoy for dinner. This cost us 100 piastres each, so it was just as well we left Cairo the next day.
We departed in an army van at 2.30 the next day, and after a rather uninteresting run, arrived in darkness in Alexandria about 8pm. The assistant matron met us and we started on our first run to the hospital in total blackout. It was all strange: full of new sounds and sights as a new house always is. We were given supper and allocated to our bedrooms for the night. Mona and I shared one in the mess but others went down to the flats on the Corniche Road.
November 22nd 1940
It is nearly two months since I wrote this up – although I try to do it regularly. In that time we have thoroughly established ourselves, got the feel of the wards, and the mess, explored the town itself and altogether made ourselves at home. We are all very happy here, liking the matron particularly and the general atmosphere in which we are working. Mona and I, after about three weeks in the mess, have moved down to the flats on the Corniche Road where I have a corner room on the right and Mona on the left of the back flat, second floor. There is a superb outlook especially from my balcony, along the shore to Alexandria and the harbour. I can see the sunrise o’ mornings and the sunset by night from my bed. We have been busy fixing up blackout curtains for the doors and windows – I have dark blue – and have also made a cover for the trunk. We have each bought a folding table which we propose to stain and which should prove to be an invaluable piece of furniture. We are mostly happy down on the Corniche and don’t for a moment begrudge the walk up in the early mornings and at night. We have dragged Beatrice from her lair in the kit bag and put most of her together again, and she more or less willingly boils our water for coffee when we require it.
As for ward work – I have been on B Ground from the beginning. It has 108 beds and is Septic Surgical; an enormous ward really, one can scarcely see into the furthest corner. I was on day duty for about six weeks but am on nights now. We have at times had our full quota of patients, which makes it very heavy, but quite recently it has been made a CCS, and so we keep the men only so long as it takes them to get sorted out and then they are sent elsewhere to the 62nd Jerusalem or the 19th at Geneifa or the 8th, which is between here and Alexandria. We do however keep all naval patients as there is nowhere else for them to go. Just now we have had quite a number from the Maine , the hospital ship in Alexandria’s harbour. They have had a noisy and nerve-wracking time down there during air raids at night and so have been sent up to us. I think they are glad to be on terra firma and in the comparative peace of it
Next morning we were told not to leave the hotel as we were getting orders to move on. This upset us a little, as of course we were not ready; we never are when the time for moving arrives, and there were overalls to collect from the little Turkish dressmaker who had been doing odds and ends for us and everything we possessed had to be picked up at once. We learned later that twelve of us, and five from Heliopolis, were detailed for the 2/5th General Hospital, Alexandria and that we were to leave next day. That left us free to go to the Sezara Club with Mona, John, a sister of a friend of Mona’s, and we spent a most pleasant afternoon there with her and her husband who is a captain with the forces. They were such nice people and I found in the end that both were from Wales originally. That night Mona and I took ourselves – for a last treat in Cairo – to the Continental Savoy for dinner. This cost us 100 piastres each, so it was just as well we left Cairo the next day.
We departed in an army van at 2.30 the next day, and after a rather uninteresting run, arrived in darkness in Alexandria about 8pm. The assistant matron met us and we started on our first run to the hospital in total blackout. It was all strange: full of new sounds and sights as a new house always is. We were given supper and allocated to our bedrooms for the night. Mona and I shared one in the mess but others went down to the flats on the Corniche Road.
November 22nd 1940
It is nearly two months since I wrote this up – although I try to do it regularly. In that time we have thoroughly established ourselves, got the feel of the wards, and the mess, explored the town itself and altogether made ourselves at home. We are all very happy here, liking the matron particularly and the general atmosphere in which we are working. Mona and I, after about three weeks in the mess, have moved down to the flats on the Corniche Road where I have a corner room on the right and Mona on the left of the back flat, second floor. There is a superb outlook especially from my balcony, along the shore to Alexandria and the harbour. I can see the sunrise o’ mornings and the sunset by night from my bed. We have been busy fixing up blackout curtains for the doors and windows – I have dark blue – and have also made a cover for the trunk. We have each bought a folding table which we propose to stain and which should prove to be an invaluable piece of furniture. We are mostly happy down on the Corniche and don’t for a moment begrudge the walk up in the early mornings and at night. We have dragged Beatrice from her lair in the kit bag and put most of her together again, and she more or less willingly boils our water for coffee when we require it.
As for ward work – I have been on B Ground from the beginning. It has 108 beds and is Septic Surgical; an enormous ward really, one can scarcely see into the furthest corner. I was on day duty for about six weeks but am on nights now. We have at times had our full quota of patients, which makes it very heavy, but quite recently it has been made a CCS, and so we keep the men only so long as it takes them to get sorted out and then they are sent elsewhere to the 62nd Jerusalem or the 19th at Geneifa or the 8th, which is between here and Alexandria. We do however keep all naval patients as there is nowhere else for them to go. Just now we have had quite a number from the Maine , the hospital ship in Alexandria’s harbour. They have had a noisy and nerve-wracking time down there during air raids at night and so have been sent up to us. I think they are glad to be on terra firma and in the comparative peace of it
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