Salonica Postcard
1916 Letter 7
Salonica
March 11th, [1916]
Dear Mother.
I should have written before but when I first come to a place I can’t think of anything except what I shouldn’t write about.
We’ve been here six days now and are quite settled. We left the [ ]franc at 2 pm Sunday – got here about 3 to find the tents up, but nothing else ready. We took over this Camp from a New Zealand unit so there wasn’t so much to do in a great many ways. We got beds and most of our luggage that day and the mess was in shape in time for dinner at 7. That is pretty good, isn’t it?
We slept splendidly after several rather airless nights in dock and spent the next day in putting up racks for clothes etc. Ida, Mae, Jane Myra and I are in one tent and while rather crowded we have heaps of fun.
We brought our huts with us and they are putting them up now.
We have had two days steady rain and the tents didn’t leak so we were quite happy. Jane wanted to learn auction so we played a lot. Could you send me the books you have on auction – not bridge. I think we’ll play a good deal and no one has a book of Rules. I have one on [ ] and we’re going to use it as soon as the girls get on a list but send one on auction if you still have it.
I don’t think we’ll have as many friends here as in Lemnos – but of course it’s hard to say as we’re surrounded by camps. Toronto Univ. Hosp. is about 7 miles away and Vancouver 5 – so we haven’t seen much of them. The camp commandant is giving a tea to-morrow and we’re invited so we’ll look the landscape o’er.
Salonica Postcard
We are about 3 or 4 miles out of Salonika by the road but not more than 2 across country. Mae and Ida and I went in in the Ambulance a couple of days ago but it began to rain and simply poured all the time so it wasn’t very pleasant.
There are several good stores where one could get almost anything but prices are simply terrific. They say there is a duty of 40% besides the extra they put on for graft. They wanted a drachma, about $1.25 for a 2 kilo box of salt biscuits and everything in proportion. However it is better than Lemnos. We bought lamps and can get boots made etc.
The town itself which has a pop. of 50,000 or 150,000 – I don’t know which – is a mixture of Jews, Turks, Greeks, and Christians – four religions and a dozen nationalities. It’s very dirty and the streets are very narrow. They have a couple of train lines, a couple of good restaurants and altogether it’s quite a metopolis.
Salonica "Boulevard Nikis" Postcard
Just outside the town are a lot of brick shacks built during the last Balkan war for refugees. They are full of Serbians now and they are destitute in the last degree.
The country here is beautiful – much like Lemnos only greener. Our camp is by itself on a slight rise over looking a long valley – behind which is a chain of high hills. To the left about 45 miles away is Mt. Olympus – all covered with snow. We have walked around a little but are not encouraged to wander – as there are heaps of natives around. Anyway we’re very happy in camp.
I must stop now, but will write again to-morrow. Heaps of love.
Yours always
Helen.
I need nothing whatever but if you like to send the Auction book and get the Crane’s paper and some powdered Washington coffee in tins, I’d be muchly obliged. H.