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Lemnos

December 25th 1915

To the family -

As this is simply a description of our Christmas I am writing in duplicate sending one to you - Mother - and one to you Aunt Teddy - and you must excuse the lead pencil.

The day has been a very happy one for us all - in spite of forebodings of boredom and blues -

To begin with the decorations seemed impossible - nothing absolutely was to be had on the island - and while we all sent for holly and mistletoe - bells etc. only one or two of the girls - Miss Scoble being one - had really truly Christmas things - One thing and another delayed the others' supplies-

Christmas Card 1915 (Front and Back)

As you know Mother - the I.O.D.E. money was sitting heavily on my mind. Fifty dollars seemed a lot to spend on odds and ends and it was hard to decide on some one big thing. It came too late to send an order to London but fortune smiled one day and I by Chance spoke of it to Capt. Pitts - who was full of ideas and helpful suggestions.

Christmas Card 1915 (Inside)

I gave him a rough estimate of what I thought would make a happy day for my ward counting on 50 patients - as we then hoped for heavy casualties during the evacuation - I don't mean hoped - dreaded rather -

Anyway I gave him the whole amount £10-8-4- and as varied a list as we could make among us - to give Mrs. Godfrey - who lives in Malta a choice in case certain articles were not to be had.

What we received consisted of : -

Pickles- 1 doz- jars - a huge iced cake - a smaller ditto - four huge plum puddings - candied ginger - chocolates - milk chocolate - canned fruit - apricots - peaches and pineapple coffee - 8 tins - "double cream" for whipping - a bread knife - four gas toasters to use on our primus stoves - cafe au lait in tins - absolutely wonderful stuff - mouth organs - and may be a few other little things - I can't remember now.

That provided for the meals - Then we had 50 shaving sticks, 50 mirrors - which are handy as periscopes they say - 50 pencils and pads of paper etc. - and 100 clay pipes - no others being available

The other sisters on the ward bought boxes of Turkish delight for them all and butter -

Our mess sister bought potatoes, squash and beets in quantities allowing for a full house. These together with the roast beef were cooked in the cook house and drawn in ratio. Turkeys were out of the question - for anyone -

She also bought our oranges and nuts - native grown - I mean around this part of the world and most excellent.

We detailed two men to crack all the nuts - not having crackers - and they said the wished for a quiet day in the trenches before they'd finished-

I ranted and raged and cursed inwardly over the lack of decoration - as some of the girls had miles of paper of various colours - string and festooned till one thought of fairy land. My lazy loafers didn't enthuse one bit but finally we shamed them into a red and white colour scheme very sketchy and amateurish but not bad from a distance.

The barracks lamp had a red shade and cast a very subdued light which hid what the light of day proclaimed from the housetops - but any way I didn't care for I knew the meal would be good -

The night orderly and up patients had the whole ward mopped when we went on this morning and everything spotless. We held the breakfasts over half an hour and made toast, coffee and fried the bacon - they had plenty of milk on their porridge and an orange apiece.

Then Mae dressed up as Santa Claus - Birdie is in Alex on a trip and she is acting Matron - and gave out the bags - We ripped a red felt hot water bag cover and made a pointed hat. We plastered her with vaseline amid wails and made her a whisker and beard of absorbent cotton - and forced her into a scarlet bed jacket - and she was a scream -

The other Sister and all the up patients went to church at 11 - Myra came in to help me as she was on general relief for the day - and we all worked like slaves and enjoyed it thoroughly -

The menu consisted of "Cream of Tomato Soup - a huge dixie [ ] - and awfully good - croutons of toast left from breakfast - and retoasted. Two ounces of Port Wine each with which to toast the King but which was hastily swallowed in view of the coming excitement with nary a thought for their sovereign-

Roast beef - pickled walnuts & mustard - creamed potatoes - we doctored them up a bit - squash - and beets

And then - and then - the pudding with the best brandy sauce I have ever tasted - Myra's specialty - and quite strong enough to stand alone - with bits of lemon and orange and chopped walnuts - My soul - they had three helpings -

Then some one noticed the cake had never been touched such just to show they had nothing against it - they struggled through a small piece each and then lay gorged on their beds and smoked and drank soda water. We couldn't spare the pot to make coffee -

Then later they attended to the candy and nuts -

Every one groaned when we mentioned supper but they had buttered toast - 1/4 lb - was all but everyone had a slice with butter Peaches and Myra whipped the double cream and added chopped nuts - They had coffee again and when I went off at 4.30 there seemed to be quite a demand for basins "to be sick in" -

However what did it matter so long as they were happy -

They all got a little bag with soap & wash cloth etc. from the Red Cross, but as yet the troops have received nothing out there - the Dardanelles show is rather insignificant - I suppose - to the people at home.

Quite a few of our ex patients came back from the details for dinner. We set two long tables in the centre of the ward for the up patients - red & white decorations - and the patients all wore their hospital "blues" and looked sweet.

And now comes a sad bit. The gramophone spring came back from Malta three days ago - and I did count on having it - all day But the rascally Maltese put in an old spring and it couldn't be fixed at all so it would go. I am heart broken for it was just the touch needed to make the day perfect -

We were blessed with a beautiful day - bright and warm, not a cloud in the sky all day - and we really didn't need our sweaters -

Christmas Eve was windy and rather cool but in the evening the sunset was the most glorious I have ever seen out here.

It was bright moonlight in the evening and on the wards the men were all singing carols and the gramophones were in full blast - every sound easily distinguishable it was such a quiet night.

We all went up to the mess as some of the men were coming over and it really seemed quite festive. Tom Young we met on the Simla came over and all the men we'd met in the early days were back without a single exception - It was rather wonderful, don't you think so? Everyone was feeling so glad to be off and the evacuation over and such a phenomenal success added greatly to the general feeling of happiness.

The R.C.'s held a midnight service - on the steps of the OR. which is a wooden building with a verandah - and the men were massed in front - hundreds of them as there are a great many Irish regiments out here. The Adeste Fideles was magnificent - and the mass was sung apparently in full.

From the Australian camp across the lagoon came the music of their band playing carols etc.- and on the other side of us the camps were all singing and cheering.

The troops did not have a very happy Christmas. It had to be read out in orders Christmas Eve - in all the camps that they would "carry on" as usual next day. Perhaps later they will get their share but they all felt neglected and forgotten - France is so different.

The navy were very quiet too - none of their boxes having come.

We had decided to devote Christmas to the patients and men of the unit - We are having our own dinner to-morrow - Sunday - night and a big reception Monday from 3-6. It promises to work out very well and will give us a greater sense of freedom to enjoy our own dinner.

Of course we had a large attendance at tea [to-day] too - and one of the

[page(s) missing]

[Note: This letter was written on pages torn out of Diary #2.]

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