Rev. Rupert Inglis 177 



letters. The American letters are generally full of praise of 

 him. 



" The doctors and nurses quarrel a good deal. I suppose it 

 is natural, as we are all sorts on board ship together ; but I 

 have never found anything but praise of the British Government, 

 British Tommy, and British Staff." 



September 17. — " I have just received my marching orders, 

 and am off on Monday to 21 Casualty Clearing Station. I have 

 not the remotest idea where it is, so cannot tell you, and if I did 

 know should not be allowed to. 



" I am glad to say nearly everything has come for my 

 Chapel, and I shall leave it looking quite nice. Thanks to you, 

 all the hospital is splendidly set up with everything for the 

 patients. I shall leave a great many books, games, sweets, 

 etc., for my successor." 



Scptemhcr 21, CCS. — " This Casualty Clearing Station is 

 a great deal rougher than what I have been accustomed to at 

 the Base. It is quite unavoidable. We have to keep near the 

 firing-line, and if the line moves we should move with it, so we 

 can't be cumbered with much stuff. Sometimes if there is a 

 train we only keep the wounded long enough to have the wounds 

 dressed — the great majority stay from twelve to thirty-six 

 hours. As a rule the Casualty Clearing Stations are in tents. 

 We are fortunate in having the greater part of ours in an old 

 bicycle-factory. It all looks very uncomfortable after the 

 beautiful beds and clean sheets of a Base hospital, but all who 

 come m seem to think it very luxurious. We may be called on 

 to deal with six hundred cases : if that happens it will mean 

 day and night work for all of us. I went to the operating- 

 theatre and saw two operations which were not very serious 

 ones. I thought I had better accustom myself to this sort of 

 thing. I have spent most of the day in hospital, and have done 

 a good deal of letter-writing. The patients are almost all on 

 stretchers on the ground ; they are very close together, and of 

 course one can never get to know them. Still, one can do a 

 bit for them. 



" We have a wonderful scratch pack for a mess : the 

 Colonel an Irishman, one doctor a West Indian, one a Canadian, 

 one an Australian, the French Interpreter, and myself ; two 



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