Rev. Rupert Inglis 183 



into three parts. The first is the office where men who are not 

 very bad give their names, number, regiment, etc. The next 

 part is the ward. We have no beds. All the patients are on 

 stretchers on the floor. The third division is what they call the 

 theatre, where men have their wounds dressed and attended 

 to, and an immediate operation if necessary. I generally see 

 first that all the men in the ward have something to smoke, but 

 I spend most of my time in the theatre. Our best surgeon is a 

 very nice Irishman and he always takes the worst cases, and I 

 sort of work with him. The men have generally had morphia 

 given to them, but they do not often give an anaesthetic in a 

 F.A., so it is often very painful for the poor chaps having their 

 wounds attended to. A man often suffers a lot anticipating he 

 is going to be hurt, and by talking to him and interesting him 

 you can often take his mind off — about all sorts of things, cricket, 

 football, boxing. The other day we had a Welshman who had 

 some very painful wounds. As a rule Welshmen do not stand 

 pain very well, but this man was very keen on football, so we 

 carried on a violent discussion about football and he got through 

 splendidly, and I went on to another man. When the doctor 

 found there was something more to do to the Welshman, he 

 came over to me and said, ' Come along, my local anaesthetic, 

 I want you to talk some more football.' " 



March 1. — " This is an advanced dressing-station of the 

 Field Ambulance. I have lately seen what I have often heard 

 of but never before seen, viz., a man's life being saved by a 

 New Testament in his pocket. That and a new service-book 

 were right over his heart. It cut out a bit of the cover of the 

 book exactly its own shape and size, and then made an awful 

 mess of the inside of the book, but did not go through it." 



March 8. — " It must have snowed pretty well all the night. 

 We have a funny little home here (on the canal bank near St. 

 Jean). It is just a nice little tunnel about eighteen feet long and 

 eight wide. We get light and air through the door, and we have 

 a stove at the other end. Our beds are right and left of the 

 stove. Our beds are stretchers. They do for seats in the 

 daytime. We have a very good armchair, which is loot from 

 somewhere, two tables and several other chairs. Our wash- 

 stand is a chair, and we are really very comfortable. The 



