1915 Letter 40
Lemnos
Oct. 11th, [1915]
Dear Mother -
I am horrified on looking in my books to see that I haven't written you since the 5th. Nothing has happened in the meantime.
We had a big thunder storm last Friday and four of the Sisters tents blew down - Ours was the 5th and I was just sick till I found we weren't among the unfortunates. One experience of the kind is enough. Oh - did I tell you we got our claims - so it wasn't so bad. It was pitch dark and raining and still blowing a perfect gale when I reached our lines and such a sight - men pulling and hauling at the tents and trying their best to help and making things worse every minute. What wasn't wet before was wet and muddy after they finished.
We moved into huts the next morning and by night were as settled as if we'd been there a week. We are certainly adept at the moving business now.
One of our bright orderlies calls us #1 Can. Flying Corps and another wit "Sam Hugues' Touring Circus" -
I am feeling splendid now and enjoy every minute of the day. I have a hut of 45 beds and every bed full. At first it was uphill work but now everything is running smoothly; and work is a pleasure.
I have been spending some of the I.O.D.E. money buying extra eggs and lemons, note paper etc. for the men and have written Lizzie to-day.
I have never received the socks from Peterboro nor the things from Norwood - though I have written about them. The socks are in Miss Plummer's car at Shornecliffe & I wrote her to send them down & to Capt. Blaylock at Boulogne about the other things - and to Squire too.
Everything is all right here now. We sleep soundly - get enough to eat in the day time and what more can one want - Myra and I have set aside this evening for letters and we are both hard at work. I have only had one letter from Eric since I left England and a card of Sept. 15. The mail is certainly "messed about a bit" to use a Cockney line - these days. It takes weeks to write and hear again from Cairo - and England is about as bad.
Your last letter is dated Sept. 6 and only reached me yesterday. I am absolutely miserable thinking of the worry you have had - but it was unavoidable. Our officers of course tore over to Kastro at once and cabled but never a word did they say about it to give us an opportunity of doing likewise. They are a lot of rotters about some things.
I am glad Elsie is so well - Poor child it is hard to lose an eye - but it will likely be the saving of the other one.
I have bought a riding skirt and hope to ride a good deal this winter. Mrs. Bell was selling a few of her things as she is being invalided home. She mentioned a riding skirt she and Miss Monroe had ordered and at once I jumped at the chance - It had never been out of the box. It is gruesome isn't it - wearing departed people's clothes.
Yesterday Myra and I were to have motored to Kastro with two officers of the Scottish Horse but at the last minute they couldn't get the car. We walked to Portianno the nearest village and do you know it was the first time I had been in one of the villages though they are within easy walking distance. I enjoyed it immensely - the houses are a fair size and painted white and green and pink, to suite the taste of the owners, but inside they are awfully dirty - and the streets are not what one would wish - But never have I seen the filth we saw in Etaples in France and even in Boulogne. The shops are all catering - in their prehistoric Eastern way to the troops and every day they have more stuff to sell but they are frightfully slow to take advantage of their opportunities.
In your letter you still speak as if you thought we were in Cairo. Our letters must have all gone down for you've never got my Malta letters and even those from Alexandria should have reached by by Sept. 6. Some time I must go over my diary and write it all again - for there was so much of interest on the trip down.
Well - Myra is shrieking at me to go to bed and the candle is just about out so I must stop -
Will try and write again tomorrow. Love to Papa and to Don when you write. Had a nice letter from Aunt Teddy and Aunt Hattie today - Good night, dear Mother. I often ache to be with you to talk over everything but never mind - there'll be a time when we can -
Yours always
Helen