NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
Dec. 24, 1915. 
The Belgian Convalescent Depots in Normandy 
Reprinted from THE INQUIRER, of London, Nov. 13, 1915. 
[So many of our readers are taking an active part in 
relief work, for Belgium and France, the account printed 
herewith, written at first hand and reprinted from a Lon- 
don paper, will be of general interest—Eb.] 
HIS last visit was undertaken in consequence of what 
we saw on our visit to Brittany in August. We then 
found that the convalescent depots of the Belgian Army 
were in need of considerable help to make them really 
comfortable, and we heard that there were ten more of 
these depots in Normandy. On October 18 the Editor 
of The Inquirer and myself left Victoria at 10 a. m. to 
join Mr. Kelland at Rouen. We reached Rouen at 2 a. 
m, next day! ‘Travelling is designedly not made easy 
just now, and those of us who have to undertake it learn 
to take things as they come, and are thankful to be al- 
lowed to go at all. 
Early next morning the usual tiresome official visits 
had to be paid, and though our modest request to be al- 
lowed to motor through Normandy to visit the depots of 
the region was received with amazement that any civilian 
should have the temerity to ask for such a privilege, yet 
in the end we received all the permits we required, as uo 
one really wishes to obstruct people with a genuine mis- 
sion such as ours. 
The Anglo-Belge Hospital at Rouen was started by 
an English Committee, and is specially designed for 
mecano-therapy. Here are sent men from all Belgian 
hospitals who require this special treatment. We saw 
there every sort of device for restoring the power of 
1novement to muscles after wounds and amputations. 
‘They have all kinds of electrical appliances, massage, hot 
air treatment, and mechanical apparatus where each 
muscle of the body can be gently and regularly exercised 
until it is restored to its normal condition; but the most 
interesting part of the whole scheme is that all this appar- 
aitis 1s made by the men themselves in workshops attach- 
ed to the hospital, and not only these things but also 
artificial legs and arms of such marvellous perfection that 
when the patient is used to it he can quite easily deceive 
you into thinking he is possessed of the usual number of 
real limbs. Experience is proving the necessity of men 
beginning this treatment much earlier than was at first 
supposed, which has led to their being received at the 
hospital while still requiring a good deal of surgical treat- 
ment, and it was to help on this side of the work that our 
aid was invoked. We are accordingly sending out what 
they needed for this new development, and feel honoured 
tc take a little part in a real bit of reconstructive work, 
as there they are turning men who a few years ago would 
have been regarded as useless for work into useful citi- 
zens, able to take a man’s part in life, and be self-sup- 
porting. 
That same afternoon we left for H and arrived 
there in the dark and pouring rain, so that it was impos- 
sible to do more than see the doctor in charge that evea- 
However, we heard from him a good dea! about the 
local circumstances, and told him about our own work. 
The next morning we were out on the plage soon after 
seven to see a large body of young Belgian recruits who 
lad just finished their training, start off for the Front. 
They were stalwart lads, well equipped in every way and 
eager to do their part. The commanding officer address- 
ed them at some length, and in conclusion said, “We have 
trained you to be men, vigorous, healthy, knowing the 
9 
iY. 
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use of arms and of military discipline. Now you go to 
show how you can fight for your King and your country,” 
and the lads responded with a ringing cheer. The con- 
valescent depot there consists of three villas, one in the 
town, and two on a hill overlooking the sea in a most 
glorious position—for the summer!—but cold and ex- 
posed for people not yet recovered from an illness in the 
winter. The men from the villa in the town have to walk 
about twenty minutes up the hill to their meals, and have 
no stove in their villa. The officer in charge had been 
severely injured at the Front; but, though suffering sti!l, 
was doing everything possible for the men. There were 
a good many men in the central villa confined to their 
beds—cases of relapse or of wounds that would not heal 
—-and for these invalids a good deal was lacking. We 
hope to send out in a few days sufficient to make them 
comfortable. We found the doctor also greatly handi- 
capped in his work by the want of certain surgical things ~ 
which we are also sending at once. 
We went on to C next, and visited a depot in- 
stalled in a large building which had been a laundry be- 
longing to a neighboring convent. The sisters had bee 
very good in giving much material in the way of bed 
linen and other things, but the French lady who was ia 
charge as chief nurse told me of many crying needs which 
it was beyond the power of the nuns to provide, such 15 
slippers and warm clothes, and blankets for the men, and 
as winter was coming on they were very anxious on this 
point. 
The same afternoon we went on to A where the 
aepot is housed in the dépendance of a hotel on the sea- 
shore—the position and the building were excellent, but 
the most urgent needs there were for lamps and blankets. 
There was no means of lighting the bedrooms after dak, 
that is about 4 p. m. in the winter, and only very poor 
light in the refectory. We are sending here a number of 
small safety lamps and a few large ones as they had no 
means of obtaining any, and the prospect of long winter 
evenings in total darkness seemed insupportable. There 
were a few men here confined to bed, and they were kind- 
ly and efficiently looked after by a Belgian abbé, who was 
acting as nurse. He was very handicapped by lack of 
material for his work, but we left him much cheered by 
the prospect of help. 
We had done all we could for that day, so we stayed 
the night at A , and set off early next day to J 
M , and here we found the saddest assemblage of 
men we had yet seen. There were 160 patients whose 
nervous system had broken down owing to the strain of 
life in the trenches. They were housed in a Trappist 
monastery which had been vacated nineteen years before, 
but the building was in excellent condition, and had a 
good garden, and was quite well adapted for its present 
use. There were good beds and three sisters of charity 
to look after the most helpless cases, and the whole staff 
seemed most kind and gentle with these poor fellows, for 
they are exceedingly difficult to deal with as their mental 
condition is not normal, and ordinary standards of con- 
duct cannot be expected. Still, the slightest harshness 
may have a retarding effect on their recovery, so, you see, 
it is a most delicate and exhausting task that these de- 
voted doctors and sisters have to perform. There were 
several patients for whom any exertion was bad, and yet 
who would benefit greatly by a little change to the gar- 
den, and in response to the Editor’s appeal we have al- 
