13/7/1916
My Dearest Mother
I expect you’ll think I’ve been an age writing, but from day to day I’ve been hoping to wire you telling you the date of my arrival. The reason why I haven’t is like this. We started the hospital with 400 men which was all right, we have now got 800 men and one of our nurses had to go home when we came up here. She had been out at one of the annexes for a year with no holiday, she was old and her mother was very old and wanted her as she was ill, so she has gone for good. Well we didn’t miss her at first, but now here we are with twice the number of men and a nurse less. So we simply cant’ leave till one new one at least comes out.
They have been asked for at the Anglo-French Committee of the BRCS at least a month ago, and one is a friend of the Sister here and all ready to come out, but the Matron in Chief of the A-F committee, a certain Mrs Watson is most fearfully dilatory and our Matron has written and wired several times without any reply. Just after I sent your wire off yesterday a letter came from Mrs W to Matron saying that one is coming out at once so I’m pretty sure I shall be home some time next week. Do you think you can get Uncle Sid to come down next weekend?
I expect you’ll get a wire with a definite date before the arrival of this letter.
No more now
Best Love Dorothy.
14/7/1916
My Dearest Mother
At last the news of new nurses coming has come and we shall leave here on Monday night, I shall be home on Tuesday night. It is simply ripping! Tim is coming with me again which is awfully nice for me.
Well all news when we meet: I’ve already sent you a wire
Best Love
Dorothy