Dinner was served at 6 pm and at 8 p.m. we settled down The night was rather bumpy but I slept on & off At 6.45 am we were over Ceylon, lush green country, dates, nuts, rubber, coffee etc studded with numerous round white temples.
Arrived at Mt. Lavinia airport at 7 a.m. after having done 3,600 miles of ocean in 16 hours 1 minute non-stop no headache, nausea, or any other sensation but what a struggle to get my shoes on our ankles were three times their size & we were frantic. We finally squeezed the extra flesh into our shoes and feeling rather dirty & dishevelled, joined the melee round the customs & began filling in more forms. Finally with 18 pieces of baggage we bundled into a jeep buggy & drove to the Grand Hotel, Mt. Lavinia
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Here we were surrounded by dozens of lounging natives none of whom appeared at all anxious to lift a finger. We were finally shown into a very dirty bedroom, with the bedclothes of the last occupant still on the bed & his bathwater flooding the bathroom floor The sewerage system seemed to have completely failed and no son of allal had touched the bathroom or its surroundings for many a long day, Im sure We gingerly deposited our belongings and thought we might feel better after a meal The lovely warm bath to which we had looked forward with such relish was a mirage.
The weather was humid & steamy & we were glad to change into something cool After breakfast we took the train into Colombo along with millions of other hot, unwashed, perspiring natives when I say unwashed I mean according to our standards for I believe they all go through rigid ceremonial of washing each day on rising.
I was invited to lunch with Helen Michells uncle & aunt at the Galle Face Court (flats) where they live What a contrast silent, efficient native boys gliding in & out with refreshment The war has changed the whole picture there too much money has spoiled them and nothing is the same. The city was crowded with vehicles, old & new bullock wagons, taxis, bicycles & rickshaws and humans carrying enormous burdens The whole family squats on the platform whilst awaiting the train and one wonders how any escape death from disease, the filth and lack of primative hygiene is so terrible.
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The following day we lunched with the Hardings again & I called on Thelema Macs friend Mrs. Judd. We expected to leave at 6.30 am the following day but severe thunderstorms developed and it was postponed reason unknown There was nothing to note about the food, except our doubts about its edibility at times, however, we survived & were very careful with the water. We used some D.D.T. here. The Hotel was right on the ocean which gave us cool breezes in the evening, but smells, cats, cars & noisy natives made sleep well-nigh impossible.
At 5 am the following morning, we reluctantly rose & rang the bell to waken our room boy, who brought us a tray of tea, bread & butter & bananas The heat was oppressive as we drove to the airport & after the usual preliminaries boared our R.A.F. York plane & were off. We were made very comfortable and the RAF steward fed us with the usual tea, lime juice & cartons of food.
It was a glorious day travelling along the coast of Ceylon & at 9 am we crossed the southern tip of India with its intense cultivation, brilliant green paddy fields & native villages we were able to see the vast panorama over which we passed quite well We crossed the Nilgiri Hills (Blue Mtns) which lie east-west the whole resembling a giant relief map. The seats felt rather like corrugated iron after sitting for some time, although upholstered, but we were too interested in the view to worry about that. We flew right up N. E. of Bombay at 11,000 feet over mountains, plateau, canyons & numerous rivers & dams. The country looked dry
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for the monsoon had not yet broken.
We arrived at Karachi at 3.20 pm, blazing hot day and Khanapur airport looked like a desert. The RAF customs & security officers were very helpful and one shouted tea for us while awaiting transport, as we had no Indian currency. In a covered army wagon we bumped over the ruts along the road to the city. Native women in coloured saris looked picturesque working on the roads, with their poor skinny children dumped on the roadside to play in the dust all day. Camels drawing modern vehicles with pneumatic tyres, and others decorated with bunches of gay flowers on their humps, added to the scene. Here we saw the fez & turlean and the veiled women.
We were held up for 2 hrs for various reasons, not the least being that Miss B. had come without a visa for Cairo on the passport! Thank goodness my papers were in order & my luggage not in excess, although if I knew what I know now, my packing would have been very different!
Finally having completed arrangements for our next move on to Cairo with British Overseas Airways Corporation we were driven to Hotel Carlton, controlled by that body. The contrast with Mt. Lavinia was marked. Snowy beds, mosquito nets & bathroom. Efficient room & laundry boys who responded to a touch of the bell & returned pressing & laundry in no time. (I did see some waving garments above their heads in the wind or to make wind to hasten drying.)
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Our comings & goings were always punctuated by cool drinks from a bottle, lime juice being the most popular It was such a joy be be able to have a decent bath or rather shower. Dinner in Karachi consisted of tomato soup with cream, fish, roast goat & mint sauce, stewed pears & cream followed by coffee. Bed but little sleep for pariah dogs yelped, native tom-toms wailed & natives jabbered & quarrelled all night. We had a huge electric fan on all night which made us more comfortable Two in a room Colombo & Karachi.
4.45 am were wakened with tea and at 5.30 am humid & dark we & our baggage were loaded on to the wagon, along with the other passengers and driven precariously to the flying boat base passing many natives sleepily rising from the gutter the only bed they know. Our Sunderland lay anchored in Karachi harbour & after passing doctor, customs etc we took off & headed for Cairo at 7 am. Karachi which was so hot, looked cool & green from the air & we were sorry we had been unable to see more of it, particularly in one of the very smart 4 wheeler gharrys with brightly polished trapping and snowy cushions.
We settled in once more, this time, having a great deal more room, we were able to walk about as we wished We travelled up the Arabian Sea & Persian Gulf to Bahrein Is: where we landed for refuelling & lunch in a rest house on the wharf. Temp: 120 & we sat down to roast goats meat potato, cabbage & half melted ice cream with plenty of bread & butter. This meal was Helens undoing later, but fortunately I was not affected.
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After one hour here we left the Persian Gulf to cross the Arabian Desert most awful arid country with wonderful formations resembling veins on a giant leaf no habitation and rainfall nil, but we could pick out some camel tracks with nomad camps 2,000 miles of this endless waste, with magnificent light and shade through every shade of brown, sand & slate colours We saw the oil pipe line from Irak to Haifa and the Great Rift 3,000 miles long from the Red Sea to Lake Tanganyika One could imagine buried cities beneath the cruel surface. We crossed the Sinai Peninsula in 40 minutes while the Israelites were wandering over for 40 years. We were able to pick out various A. G. H. as we passed over the Suez Canal
It was dusk when we arrived over Cairo, which looked fascinating from the air with lights flittering & mosques standing in silhouette We landed on the Nile at 8.20 pm what a trip Colombo on 1/7/45, Karachi same afternoon, and Cairo the following evening! The usual business at the airport and before leaving the plane, it was sprayed with what we assume was D.D.T.!
Luggage is a curse & the constant vigilance to see that all baggages are there is wearing. The currency is also a nuisance for during the trip we dealt with Australian, Ceylon, Indian, Egyptian, Sicilian, and English and there were no facilities at the airport for exchange. In Colombo I gave a native boy an Aust. 6d. for want of something better & judging from the grin on his face it might have been a gold mine!
Having completed our business at 8.30 pm
[Page 32]
we walked aboard the houseboat which was to lodge us for the night. Dinner was welcome, even if buffalo butter was difficult for the palate. Helen was up all night with food poisoning, but after shopping early on Sunday I had her in fit condition to board our ship again. It was a very hot night and our cabins were small but those things dont seem to matter any more
We took off at 10.30 am on a clear morning and the pilot circled over the city & pyramids for our benefit. The country on either side of the Nile was vivid with intense cultivation we were flying low and could see the ancient water wheels where buffaloes still walk round & round, and the large circular depressions were the grain appeared to be harvested. The native quarters had straw roofs to the rough stone buildings and all looked most orderly, but would no doubt be just as squalid as those in Colombo, at close range.
The pyramids & sphinx were quite clearly seen from the air even if we did not have the usual tourist camel ride there We followed the main road to Alexandria through more desert with remarkable sheets of salt water, green, magenta, maroon & purple with their white crusts of salt at the periphery We flew along the Mediterranean coast to where El Alamein where the Aussies made history, and then over the Sea to Sicily Beautiful day, calmest of flying and the island was bathed in warm sunshine and one could hardly imagine it had so recently been the scene of such bitter fighting. We flew over Syracuse to Augusta a port set in a vivid blue sky & sea with Mt. Etna in the background.
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We were able to pick out sunken planes & ships as we circled over the harbour, remnants of the first allied assault & landing. The landing here was simple as the Allies are in occupation and we received a slip with instructions that we were to be housed in "Anson", the officers mess & formerly barracks when the Nazis were in power. The floors were all tiled & the outer walls still carried slogans exhorting Sicilians to victory small camp beds & mosquito nets welcomed us, and we were soon enjoying a welcome cup of tea!
We were allowed to change some money, so with 100 lira 5/- I set off along the main & only road "in bounds". Many gum trees and an occasional jacaranda reminded us of home, in fact the whole colouring did. Signing our names at the guard room at the entrance to the main street, we purchased some nuts, figs, & oranges to take to our friends in London. Oranges 35 lira per kilo It was a feast day and also Sunday so the entire population was out strolling, all in their best clothes. Shrines & altars were set up in the street & tiny children dressed as brides were on their way to church They could not have been more than 3 yrs old if that.
The street was lined with shops, but the wares were poor & very expensive. There were ice cream carts, barrows of nuts & cherries much loud music from wireless & bands and much hilarity. Children gathered round us in dozens acting as unofficial guides & some speaking English quite well. Strangely enough the hammer & sickle appeared frequently on the walls alongside slogans of Sicily for the Sicilians The road ended in a park where an extraordinary jazz orchestra was playing & boys & young men danced with each other.
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Certain areas had received direct hits & were devastated
The adults looked fairly healthy, but many of the children showed signs of rickets and most had skinny legs, although the adolescents were well covered.
We rose at 3.30 am and breakfasted in the mess at 4.30 am. The dawn was just appearing as we boarded our launch and at 5.30 am we rose above the most lovely scene sunrise behind Mt. Etna which was swathed in mist There was intense cultivation myriads of fishing boats dotting the sea, the sun shining on their russet & orange sails. There were many good roads crossing the island & we could see the donkey carts slowly moving along. We travelled along the south coast of the island & saw more sunken ships I forgot to mention that in Augusta we saw many with black bands on their lapels & many front doors with a black strip of material tacked on, grim reminder of recent fighting. At a wayside altar the candles were in [indecipherable] bottles & the flowers in empty shell cases.
Leaving Sicily we crossed the southern tip of Sardinia, with orderly orange groves nestling beneath the hills slit trenches & bomb craters were evident. At 10.15 am we crossed the French Coast at Sete & flew up to the west of the Rhone Valley a perfect panorama of railway bridges & tunnels, orderly fields and a network of roads although we were 8,000 feet up the hilled fields of Vichy France showed russet against the vivid green of the crops Unfortunately, as we flew north the country was enveloped in an impenetrable blanket of cloud
[Page 35]
which was very disappointing as we had hoped to see something of Caen or the Cherbourg Peninsular.
Our first sight of England was the Swanage Coast clear & soft & lovely the green fields & hedges & then the lovely English homes apparently untouched by the ravages of war, although there was some damage to the harbour at Poole. We landed here and I wondered if our Hughenots (spelling?) forbears the Rendells had the same thrill at seeing England as I did A short walk from wharf to Customs House took us through narrow cobbled streets & past many potteries for which Poole is noted. All their signs were in lovely tiles
We actually landed on the harbour at 2 pm left Bournemouth by train at 3.10 pm and during that time had the most outstanding example of English efficiency We were received into a quietly upholstered waiting room where we were served with tea & tomato sandwiches & then interviewed by the medical officer. I was in fear & trepidation lest my pityriasis should hold me up, for I was a sight to behold with prickly heat filling up the gaps However, as I felt perfectly well & produced Dr. Adrian Johnstons certificate all was well. We were interviewed by customs & security officers and a lady censor and after hastily sending of your cable, were packed into cars & driven top speed through the most delightful tree lined streets to Bournemouth
[Page 36]
where we fell into an upholstered compartment followed by a carton of "lunch" to fortify us on the way, sandwiches, sausage roll and biscuits.
Nearing London we had our first sight of the awful battle scars whole rows of working mens homes devastated whole blocks of flats split open with gaping wounds Hardly a roof was without some damage & there were many broken windows still unrepaired. We arrived at Waterloo Station at 6.35 pm. after having flown 12,144 miles, approx: in about 72 hours!! We were terribly tired after the 11 days journey and looked forward to a meal, bath & bed However
We were in the process of disgorging the inevitable luggage from our compartment and sleuthing that which was in the luggage van, with one eye hopefully looking for anyone who looked like UNRRA, for we had received no words as to where we were to stay, when we came upon "Cuthbert" who had been hurriedly sent to meet us UNRRA had only heard at 5 pm that we had arrived & accommodation in London is practically unprocurable
Thus must end the first instalment of my experiences to date what has happened since the 4th June, when we arrived, must wait we are in the throes of equipment problems, such as the R.A.A.F. Nursing Service never experienced in its entire history and which make their worries as childs play compared to our non-stop service round London town in search of that which is non-existant!!!
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We have approx: ten days more here, before leaving for Paris en route to Grandville the UNRRA Training & Dispersal Centre As my administrative job is not yet ready I will probably go out with a team & do the actual work for a week or so which will all be experience
There will be few if any letters (once we leave London) for a considerable time, were told, but we do hope some from Australia will get through My Bank address will always forward and our official address is: A. P. O. 757 U.N.R.R.A. C/- U.S. Army.
With love to all
Muriel.
[Page 38]
Temporary Address
20 Craven Hill, London, W.2
12/6/45
My dear Budd,
Life is so hectic that we are all thoroughly exhausted the problems of uniform are manifold The latest complication is that the goods which you are asking UNRRA to send our way never reach us. I expect you have sent them, but if not if you could stuff them all in my kitbag & padlock the whole thing UNRRA here will send it on if possible It would have to have my name & UNRRA stencilled on it, of course Otherwise or in either case if you can send me a list of the contents I can ask someone in London to open the case & send the most urgently needed articles over to me Isnt it a pest? And I do so want those things I left behind.
Will you sometime get me two or three extra pairs of service stockings khaki or drab, (you know the usual colour) size 3 shoe (8 ½ inches). Managed to get two pairs of shoes you should see the shape but they fit & are comfortable any way. We got £60 uniform & equipment allowance which doesnt nearly cover it things we should be able to purchase through the War Office are not there and the shops are exorbitant Will try & have a snap taken if possible if I ever get all my uniform Its one treck in & out of shops all over London to find they are out of it or never had it, or someone had just got in before you muddle is awful
Everything is very interesting & will send details in a long letter to Mother to hand round Will be quite impossible to write more than one copy & that only as long as the carbon lasts
Havent had one minute to see the King & Queen or Mr. Churchill
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but do hope to see them before we set out the boys on the march will be nothing compared to we pack horses when we load all our equipment!!
Food is ample but heavy and monotonous we miss sugar & sweets & fresh fruit we are always hungry, not because there is insufficient but probably because we have been through so many changes of climate & diet during the last two weeks.
Will you withdraw your name from UNRRA. I dont want you to go to the Far East and you couldnt ever go through this business We feel well all be exhausted before we commence our jobs. Write as often as you can to the bank or direct to me, UNRRA, A.P.O. 757 C/- U. S. Army My job is not ready yet may be Germany or Austria, am going out in a team in the meantime for practical experience.
Love from
Muriel.
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Miss H. B. Hetherington
Matron
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Missenden Road
Camperdown
New South Wales
Australia.
Miss M. K. Doherty
20Craven Hill
London W.2.
12/6/45.
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20 Craven Hill
London W.2.
13/6/45
My dear Mother,
After giving you & Budd my new address in an air mail letter and adding it to the 16 page letter I posted to you today to pass on when you have read, I find that I have been given a special assignment and then that address will not do so hope this reaches you in time to stop it.
We are hectically busy in & out of shops endeavouring to get our uniforms & equipment, but having great difficulty as stocks are so low & prices are exceedingly high Have seen the Finlows twice they are going to look after my civilian clothes when I leave London & I am going up to Cheshire to spend this week end with the other two.
We have to get canvas bath, basin, bucket & stretcher Haversack, kitbag & valise, knife fork spoon, jack knife, enamel basin, plate & mug mess tin, among other things Pillow, blankets, ground sheet etc etc. Its a non-stop treck all over London The sun was shining brightly at 9 pm tonight as we listened to the BBC news weve not had time to hear & read anything about elections, but pass the B.B.C. daily or the portion which remains.
Tomorrow we visit an Army Hygiene Camp which should be interesting as it is in the country. Will endeavour to write a second instalment of my detailed letter before leaving London & will probably be able to tell you where I am going. Before I forget you had better send all letters etc C/- Chief Nursing Advisor, UNRRA 170A, Great Portland Place Court, Great Portland Street, London, W1. until I further advise you.
I have never seen so many different uniforms in my life Poles, Checks, Norwegians, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, British, Dutch, French and I think they all look smarter than our old tunics that the Aussies wear.
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We havent been able to see anything of London except during our hectic rushes round and one walk we had round Kensington Gardens The trees are lovely & the streets so tidy and everyone so courteous except on the footpaths where we still cannot find out which side is the correct one to walk!!
No word from Australia yet but hope we hear before we leave London otherwise it may be ages
Take care of yourself
Love
Muriel
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Mrs R. K. Doherty
7 Rocklands Road
Wollstonecraft
New South Wales
Australia.
Miss M. K. Doherty
20 Craven Hill
London W2.
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London. 22.6/45
My dear Mother,
Your air letter was most welcome & arrived with several others last week. I am so glad you thought of sending it by air, for it would have missed me otherwise and may have been ages before it caught up with me
I think I mentioned in my last that I had been given a special assignment well it is Matron of Belsen, quite a plum of the jobs, but one which will be harrowing I know there are some 8 10,000 patients there still and it will probably be many months before they can be moved
I had a letter from Fauna, who had received a cutting by air from her brother, telling of my departure from Aust: She had not received my letter, but is still at Belsen although expecting to leave any day now. Hope I see her and she will be very surprised when she sees me I know. We see by todays paper that the Aust. have landed at Sarawak perhaps the war will be over sooner than we think I am flying in a day or so, so will not see Norah as I had hoped if we had gone by land.
London is full of the coming elections, but we have been so busy getting equipment etc that we havent been able to follow the progress, but apparently it will be a critical time. Spent a lovely week end with the Finlows in Cheshire, too short of course. Babs, who has a flat in London, is going to store my poor old shabby civilian clothes for me.
I had hoped to finish my second long instalment before leaving & will endeavour to do so, but time is short & there is so much to do carbon copies will be out of the question because paper is so short so will have to ask you to send the ink copy round & see you finally receive it back. Hope you have found a nice girl to live with you & that all is well no one seems to know what is happening to UNRRA at present, so I may not be away as long as we think. There is to be a big conference here this month to review the first years work. Soap & sweets very short.
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Have renewed my acquaintance with the Royal College of Nursing and had lunch with the General Secretary yesterday They are thrilled with my appointment made me sign the distinguished visitors book, with photo of Queen Mary on the front and said my entry was historical!! Youll need another room added to put all my gear in when I return camp bath, bucket, stretcher, valise, kitbag, enamel mug & plate, mess tin etc etc we could open a guest house!!
Must to bed now only wanted to send a note before leaving as you will probably not hear for sometime again & then get all the news at once After many changes of address the Bank is permanent or C/- Miss Udell, Chief Nursing Advisor, UNRRA, 170A Great Portland Place Street, London W1.
With lots of love & take care of yourself. Your handwriting on the last air letter was marvellous.
Muriel
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Mrs R. K. Doherty
7 Rocklands Road
Wollstonecraft
New South Wales
Australia.
[Page 44]
London. 23/6/45
My dear Budd,
This will probably be the last letter you will receive for some time as I expect to leave in a day or so by air have received a special assignment as Matron of Belsen and we have been told mails are slow
Am very pleased about the job, much better than the original one anticipated there are some 8 10,000 patients there still, but I believe Sweden is to take a thousand or two shortly It will, I fear, be a long business huge percentage of T.B. & bedsores etc. It will take ages to do my first round & make a survey, but it will be extraordinarily interesting Will probably have to train nurses aids (German) also As far as I know all German staff Dr. Layton of Guys Hosp: is Medical Administrator & we go out together, with perhaps 4 R.A.M.C. men. Will write all details later Food & soap is very short I believe in N. W. Germany or in fact everywhere in Europe Will let you know later.
Had a letter from Fauna who is still at Belsen, but who does not know that I am going there. Her brother wrote by air letter to say I was appointed to UNRRA and she wrote to welcome me to England she expects to leave Belsen soon but I hope I can take over from them as I have no other staff with me, although I shall certainly request an assistant as soon as I put in a report. Dont worry about me, I shall be quite alright and there is nothing I should like better. Have made contact with the College of N. all very interested in our plans & ready to help in any way
London is wonderful full summer, quite hot in suits expect to change into uniform tomorrow. Have been studying nutrition hard as that will be one of our biggest jobs I expect. Will write a detailed account of my experiences there which may be interesting for publication in Sydney. The people should know You can decide who would be most interested in extracting the news from my letters. Let Mrs. McCheady read my letters too will you cant enumerate everyone leave them to you & others interested. Spent a lovely 24 hrs at Abbeyfields nr. Sandbach, Cheshire Garden lovely, huge delphiniums, larkspurs, canterbury bells, aquilegia etc and the trees
Have arranged with Miss Udell, Chief Nursing Advisor UNRRA, 170A Great Portland Street W.1 to open my case & transfer urgent goods to a kitbag I am leaving with padlock & she will either bring it over or arrange for it to be sent. Pilfering is the trouble and lack of transport. The key I will arrange with the Bank for her to sign for it on arrival
My salary (£33 odd per month) is to be paid into Sydney Bank. I do not want it over here except the £5 we are allowed per month on the Continent which will be deducted. There will also be £10 deducted from the early instalment which was paid in advance here for us to change into francs
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and English currency to take with us. You might just check from time to time my salary commenced on 23/5/45 so the first should be paid in soon. If later, I find I want any shall cable Things are in the melting pot at the moment as some plans have not gone "according to plan" and the great changes in Europe affect UNRRA. I am not worrying any way for my job is there for sometime anyway.
Keep thinking of our cottage & wondering when we can build a long holiday when I return is my next objective!
Our P. in N.S.W., McK. is to be here shortly & has arranged in advance to visit the College. I think that is a good omen although confidential I told the Gen: Sec: all about our plans & she will do what she can to press for an early implementation. How things work out dont they Hope he is very impressed with their magnificent building.
My love to you and all friends, hoping for a second mail your first two air letters arrived together & were more than welcome
Take care of yourself Hope the plans for Med: Centre progress I am bringing all sorts of ideas back & the time is just flying one month already since I left
Muriel.
[Page 46]
Community Letter
No 2.
(London)
20 Craven Hill
London W.2.
23/6/45.
My dear Mother,
My last long letter only took you up to the day of my arrival in London June 4th, and it has only been possible to send short air letters since, but I know you will want to hear all about everything
As far as I can remember I left off when we were met by "Cuthbert", who had been sent to meet us at the last moment and who appeared to be overcome with confusion when confronted with four women and all their appurtenances!! Our enquiries as to where accommodation had been obtained for us met with no success and he finally decided that perhaps he would ring UNRRA H.Q. to see if "Mrs. Dent" had been successful in her search He was completely useless, but we finally engineered him along to the phone, while we & our luggage queued up for a taxi
The dear old London taxis with their ancient and reliable & very rusty drivers we finally all bundled in and were driven to Berkeley Square where we anxiously looked for the Nightingale. However, he (Cuthbert not the Nightingale) had muttered "46", an American WACs Club which had agreed to take us for the night only He tried every door bell but 46, while we itched to descend and assist However, he finally ushered us into the
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Club and after feebly offering to assist with our luggage left us, much to our relief, Miss Davidson, Michell, Butler & myself were given a 4 bedded attic room but we were so tired that we didnt much mind as long as we could have a meal & bath, both of which were forthcoming Cuthbert had suggested that we should report at 9 am the following day, but we were adamant & made it 11 am as it was already 8.30 pm when we arrived at "46".
We reported to 11 Portland Place in due course and then began a round of meetings, lectures, instructions etc which still continues and which has been very tiring for us all. UNRRA is unfortunately dispersed among 11, 13, 19, 54 Portland Place, as well as 170A Gt. P. Street & Western House This will give you some idea of our trecking about as we usually were concerned with each of these departments daily & more often than once
It is easy to criticise and allowances must be made for UNRRA, which I think was quite unprepared for such an early V. E. Day but things are rather disorganised & uncoordinated, from our point of view, anyway The staff was changing & European H. Q. had moved from Washington to London, these & other things have considerably added to our difficulties. For instance, we were instructed after the first few days that the mail would no longer be collected on the 5th floor but would be moved to the 1st.
[Page 48]
So we have been going daily to 1st Floor. I was told today that there was a letter for me on 5th Floor & on going up found that English mail is there & overseas on the 1st, but no one had told us!!
Well, we began "processing" means equipment, uniform, baggage, financial arrangement, insurance, allotments, coupon issue, inoculations, Xray Chest, passport clearance, travel vouchers etc: etc: etc: We thought we had completed most of this in Australia, but were soon disillusioned!
Everyone had their chest XRayed again & it was the good fortune of our group to arrive at our destination a considerable distance away, to find that the machine had broken down, the first time in two years!! After patiently waiting an hour we undressed & were girded with a little black chest apron a very good idea (& I suppose black doesnt show how many people have worn it or maybe there is so much blackout material available they are using it up & laundering after each person on never knows!) Anyway, I was alright & had completed my inoculations in Aust. So was spared that.
I forgot to mention that on our first morning after a cafeteria breakfast at the Club we had to pack up again & move to this guest house which UNRRA had found
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for us We were very lucky & are very comfortable Miss Butler went off to stay with the McCanns; he is Agent General for S.A. so there were only three of us to share this large, bright, airy room on the third floor Im rather like a mountain goat now, as lifts are scarce & rationed for the lower floors & all are requested to walk down
Accommodation is very difficult in London & very expensive we pay £3.13.6 each for bed, breakfast & dinner, with a midday meal on Sunday, but nothing after we receive an allowance of .15 per diem but as lunches are expensive everywhere and we try to have a cup of tea when possible, it just about covers it Those with dependents receive .15 (dollars) p.d. mine works out about £5.10.0 per week. We can do our washing & ironing here, but the water is so hard & soap strictly & severely rationed, it is not so easy Those lovely buckets of hot soapy water we knew in Aust. are no more That allowance will cease once we move off.
Uniforms have been an exhausting problem as everything is so scarce and very expensive and firms will not make under 6 weeks, we were told we must be ready in two. Everyone received a £50 uniform allowance & nurses £60 (as they were entitled to an officers type greatcoat -) That £60 is but a drop in
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the ocean I have already spent £90! It was a blessing I arranged for the transfer of some money before my arrival.
The uniform is Khaki "A.T.S." which is similar to our AWAS officers we found a tailor in Regent St who would make for us & I picked up most of mine today. Greatcoat £16.10.9. Tunic & shirt £16.10.9; Slacks £4.14.6. Battle jacket & skirt £13.2.6. Total £48.11.3. and no alternative cant imagine what I will use them for afterwards.
We were to receive or buy wholesale, a number of things at the Womens Q. M. Store War Office when we got there we found the cupboard bare, except for the first half dozen in our queue! So we had to buy in the shops at exorbitant prices I have a camp stretcher £3.13.6 which I shall probably never use but which will perhaps fit into our cottage & support one of my friends when I return
Shoes were my problem, for as you know I had been unable to obtain any in Sydney After walking in & out, round & round, I have procured two pairs which appear comfortable, but look anything but elegant on my feet. Cant get boots anywhere, but am hoping the Army Q.M. in Europe may produce something We wear berets or caps like the WAAAF I have a beret & forage cap
At the moment we are in the throes of packing & are surrounded by camp beds, buckets, stretchers, kit bags & valises, enamel plates mugs & basins, jack knives & mess tins & "K" "rations"
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My army (secondhand at Q.M. Store) blankets havent returned from the laundry, alas! Our manageress has suggested she will give me some of hers & keep mine when returned she is very nice
That brings me to London during our initial drive from the station to Berkeley Sq; we saw Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace Westminster Abbey & St Margarets all apparently undamaged but I believe there is no interior to the Houses of Commons at all London at first glance looks just the same, it is only when you move round & see whole rows of terraces gone or blocks of buildings torn open that one realizes what she endured.
In some areas the damage is appalling but everything has been cleaned up so quickly & neatly that evidence of war is rapidly disappearing The other day we came out of the underground and were taking our bearings from some heavy road blocks or something we had seen the previous morning, only to find them completely vanished. They have built 4 foot brick walls round devastated areas which has tidied them up, but I believe the housing problem is awful We are not far from Paddington Station & and this area has suffered badly as have all the areas near the main rail arteries We took a very hurried bus trip to see St Pauls, which stands proudly & dignified among the ruins of the
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"City" the business area of London, which suffered in the 1940 blitz 88 nights bombing without ceasing.
The people are marvellous cheerful and most courteous everywhere and patient. Some look very tired & very pale & nervy, but all are going about their work normally. The courtesy is outstanding Everyone queues up, no hurry and no pushing & jostling at all The traffic is marvellous & transport efficient, but I should not think normal yet
Everywhere one sees uniforms Poles, Checks, Norwegians, Free-French, Dutch, Belgians, and on thinks of Warsaw, Lidice, Narwir and Arnhem I believe the N.Z. & Aust. we see are nearly all ex prisoners of war they look so well & it is good to see the uniform. USA is well represented and the RAAF everywhere. The British regiments represented are many & their colour patches & insignia interesting. There are foreigners every where, probably many are outcasts from their own countries.
The children I have seen, except a few, look very well & extremely healthy, as they were given the correct food when adults were short. Food is short plenty of carbs hydrates, but very little meat, no fruit, vegetables limited to cabbage, & greens, with some carrots lettuce & perhaps a slice of tomato milk & butter heavily rationed, but the margarine
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which is vitamised is hardly distinguishable from butter & much more palatable than buffalo butter!! We miss the fruit already & sugar too the beet sugar is not so sweet and sweets are rationed.
In spite of all their terrible hardships & deprivations London is just the same the spirit of the place still lives and it is just that spirit which kept us on the map I hear that they were just at breaking point when the V2 bombs were brought under control and the allied invasion took place but no one complains and I sometimes wish Australia could see for herself what they have endured and how they responded to their ordeal It would perhaps chasten them somewhat
When we arrived we were divided into Groups, ours was No. 15 in which were about 150 people of all nationalities the majority being Americans The groups were divided into parties groups & parties having there leaders Group 15 was to move to Paris & Granville (UNRRAs to army & mobilisation centre in Europe) early next week, but plans have been suspended owing to Allied Control Commission taking over from Shaef. My job was not ready so I offered to go out as "team" nurse Each team consists of about 13 men & women each with a job to do These teams organise
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& deal with displaced persons at assembly centres.
The nurse who travelled over with me was not so keen & was holding out for her administrative position Little did I realise that my innocent remark was to be responsible for my being given the position as Matron of Belsen, but when Dr. Topping interviewed me he told me that I had got top marks in my previous interview for not minding what I did I had explained that I thought it would all be experience & would help me to understand what my nurses would be doing However, I did not get a team, but have received congratulations all round on my appointment The Aust. men in UNRRA are particularly pleased that an Aust. should receive that position
I called on Group Capt. Borland RAAF. P.M.O. in London one day & he rang Miss Taylor Matron in Chief Princess Marys RAF. Nursing Service who invited me to lunch we had corresponded before She was charming & was leaving London the next day for an extensive tour of inspection so I was fortunate in seeing her. There was no time to visit any of their units although I should very much have liked to do so
I fell into the hands of the London Police last Saturday and what a time I had.
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Miss Michell & I had been to the War Office to pick up one or two items & took a taxi with our valises, kit bags, tin plates etc for the former were to be marked at H.Q. UNRRA. I had my black zip brief bag, which is invaluable & in which I carried all my money, travellers cheques, check book, pen, coupons, in fact all my "worldly possessions". It must have slipped from my lap when I was wrestling with my bags & the taxi had driven off before I noticed it!!
The hall porter got on to Marylebone Police Station for me & round I went I had a ticket for Crewe in it & was leaving for the 12 noon train!! I had to fill in a full & detailed description of everything & put a value on each. Unfortunately I had £23 in notes but had remembered the serial numbers and for some unknown reason had registered the cap number in my somewhat fuddled brain the police sergeant was very nice, but told me that nothing could be done until the taxi driver delivered the bag.
They are bound to inspect the back after each passenger & to hand in any lost property within 24 hrs, but to any station & it then had to go to Scotland Yard & I would pick it up in a day or so. If it was found by the taxi man. I had to stop a cheque at UNRRA, cancel any cheques from my book, and decide if I would borrow money & buy another ticket to
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Crewe (Finlows, at Sandbach nr. Crewe) or stay at home & dwell on my misfortune
Having completed the ringing up, I suddenly remembered that I had not declared the travellers cheques (£50) to the police so back I walked to find the taxi man had walked in five minutes after my 1st visit and that had I been there I could have given him a tip & had no further bother As it was I had to pay the set rates (in my case £4-10-0 which the Sergeant had persuaded Scotland Yard to reduce from a higher sum) and could not receive my property, unless I had a very good reason, before Monday aft.
I gave my reason of my appointment & the necessity for a weekend in the country before undertaking that work He pleaded with Scotland Yard & I received my bag intact less the aforesaid £4-10-0, £4 of which the driver received, the remainder being office expenses. I was uncertain as to whether the Sergeant should receive a tip & anyway did not wish to be apprehended for bribing the police, so left him with a smile & thanks & left it to the taxpayer.
The weekend at Sandbach was glorious we rowed on the lake in their property & ate asparagus & gooseberry pie from the garden in small quantities of course I had had dinner with the sisters & sister in law in London the week before so was lucky to have seen them all Crewe had many attacks from bombs it is a very important railway. I stood all the way up, 4 hours,
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as my escapade with the police had considerably delayed me & I did not even have time for lunch! Nelson still overlooks Trafalgar Square from his monument and the lions look unconcerned and unharmed
I called at the Royal College of Nursing and renewed old acquaintances again they were all so pleased to see me & hear of our plans for reconstruction. I had lunch at their cafeteria with the Gen: Secretary yesterday & have arranged for the Nursing Times to be sent to me here
They made me sign the Visitors Book which contains many Royal signatures and Queen Marys portrait in the front. Said my signature was historical etc. etc and asked for a photo alas, I never have that done with any success, so apologised for not having one I still owe Miss Lang one to replace the awful one in her album & did intend having one taken in my [indecipherable] dress before leaving but didnt
My hair was in a dreadful state on arrival here after passing through the tropical heat I was recommended to a Sartory & Co & meekly asked if they could possibly give me a shampoo & set without an appointment Mrs. Sartory made it quite clear that when one comes to experts one must make an appointment etc. I was fading out of the shop when he said
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he had a vacancy left by a recent cancellation I could see the blank which had never held an appointment! However, I was only too glad to have it done and meekly sat in his chair. He reminded me frequently during the process of the "shocking" state my hair was in and slashed masses including my newly "permed" ends before I realised it It certainly felt cleaner & cooler but looks as if the plague had been through it!
All our books, papers, stamps & any printed matter which we wish to take to Europe has to be censored & heavily sealed up before leaving. Even my diary, address book, calendar and directions for filling my pen!!
The elections are going strongly but we have hardly had a moment to dwell on them unless we are reminded by loud speakers touring the streets, that a period of great importance to the nation is upon us the people I have met are very anxious and very disturbed that the coalition govt. should not have continued until the Japanese war is won.
The public gardens here are lovely, the trees in full summer dress & the lawns vivid green bright pink ivy geraniums adorn many balconies and flags are still to be seen every where.
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Materials & ready made garments are exorbitant but underclothing less expensive, but both are heavily rationed & so mostly remain in the windows.
Dozens of theatres are open but also very expensive as are the cinemas, but Ive been too tired or busy to think of booking, with the double summer time & late dinners there is nothing left of the evening after we prepare for the next day, write diaries and bathe.
Havent seen the King & Queen or Mr. Churchill yet, but am always hoping to.
I can scarcely believe I am riding round London again, and living in the heart of Empire again there is so much I would love to see but so little time.
Will write my next long letter from Belsen, probably, so that is all just now. Did I tell you that Sir Raphael Cilento is travelling with us to the same area, I think in charge of the Health Services in the area in which my Hospital is situated.
With much love & take care of yourself and dont worry about me,
Muriel
Please pass to usual friends: -
Miss Kirkaldie, Ring & Riley etc.
Miss Throsby, Edgar, Mrs. McCosker, PMO, etc.
"Relatives,
RPAH and anyone interested.
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C/- Commonwealth Bank
Australia House
Strand. WC2.
27.6.45
My dear Budd,
Here I am, all packed up but still waiting, so will send this note Life is not quite so hectic as I have all my equipment and uniform except greatcoat and am only waiting a signal they go by air, or better still by car across Europe depends on amount of equipment to be packed into cars
Another Aust. mail today but nothing from you one from Mother, saying she couldnt have managed without you Thank you ever so much for fixing up the luggage Miss Udell, will open & repack essentials in a kitbag Im leaving with her and will forward to me Have arranged for the key and all my mail to go from Bank to her, as it is safer that way
By the way you mentioned your Mother might make me a pullover and if not already too late, it would be better with a V neck as we wear collar & tie with battle jackets and the jumper would be extra warmth worn underneath
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Have had a difficult time procuring soap & some sweets to take with me Dr. OBrien advised me not to bring soap as I could get it at Q.M. store Well, we are not eligible for that & soap & sugar & sweets are very highly rationed in England.
Miss Creilman a Canadian nurse who is going out with Sir Raphael Cilento to somewhere in my area, gave me her coupons she has been here since Nov: & has a book. Our temporary coupons did not include soap or sweets Got 2 cakes of washing & one of toilet & 3/Q lb fruit drops to last me until I see if there is a canteen in my vicinity Have saved as many bits of sugar I can by drinking black coffee without, but so many shops put the sugar in the cup its difficult.
Our party of 4 has split up. Miss Butler to Davidson departed yesterday Miss Michell probably tomorrow & I, anytime.
Had a letter from Fauna today She has left Belsen unfortunately and is on night duty in Hamburg. Am hoping I may be able to see her & get some first hand information The War Office has a film depicting Belsen from time of liberation but arrangements could not be made for me to see it only male medical officers were allowed. I am sorry as it would have given me a background for my work there, terrible as
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it must be Was waiting for a bus in Kingsway yesterday, after collecting my printed matter from the Censor, when Miss Stewart, P. M RAFNS, recently in Sydney, came up & spoke to me!!
When McCathies begin making brassieres again, would you order 3 or 4 for me so that later on should I need them they will be ready
Am very well, rash almost faded according to textbook time of 6 weeks!! I developed some unknown disease abut 14 days ago felt alright, but had 7-8 large inflamed glands in both axillae one pointed P.M.O. (unofficially) thought I might have had a mild attack of glandular fever, as Miss Michell had something similar Im inclined to blame to typhus inoculation as an Aust. Dr. here had a similar condition but much sooner after her injection.
We find now that we cannot have that £10 advanced out of our salary, which I thought I mentioned in a previous letter. You will probably only see the £5 per month deduction which I am having on the Continent they say that is ample
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and anyway I have my travellers cheques That would make £33 odd per month less £5, which would mean £28 approx: paid into Bank in Sydney.
There are exhibitions everywhere aircrafts in Oxford St on bombed out site of John Lewis Aluminium houses at Selfridges I prefer my plan, I think, but havent seen the model erected in a day or so, I believe!! Red Cross, St Johns Amb: AAMC & many others but no time to go.
Went to Richmond on Sunday am, Westminster Abbey for evensong 3 pm, on to the changing of the guard (went twice & unspectacular) at Buckingham Palace, St Pauls later and bus to Whitechapel & Stepney terrible devastation as far as one can see burnt out & bombed out May take a bus to Windsor tomorrow if still here
Well, thats all just now many many thanks for all youve done & are doing for me
Much love
Muriel
P.S.
Discharge statement enclosed. Envelopes all packed enclosing pamphlet for Mrs McCosker I called at Recruitment Bureau they are writing to her
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London. 27/6/45
My dear Mother,
A most welcome airletter from you today when I went to the Bank to make final arrangements also a second letter from Fauna who has left Belsen & is in Hamburg I still hope to see her as I believe Belsen is between that city and Hanover I was expecting to be out of London by this but am still here, although all packed up
Was sorry to hear about Aunt Flo and do hope she settles down, for it will be so difficult if they have to move her now
On Sunday Helen Michell & I went to Richmond in the morning, and Westminster Abbey for evensong 3 pm, on to the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace (very simple, wartime) on to St Pauls for the end of the service and then by bus to Stepney Whitechapel & East India Docks to see the awful devastation there miles & miles of it It is wonderful how quickly they clean up the mountains of rubble & debris and how tidy everything is in London.
The traffic is amazing It just winds in & out of each other & one is constantly in danger of having snippings taken from ones person if standing too close to the pavement or on the islands in the centre of the roads. The double decker buses just scrape through the most amazingly crowded traffic, with only a hairbreadth between passing vehicles, but the drivers are so skilful that nothing seems to happen You do not mention if you have found anyone to live with you in the house yet do hope you find some nice girl.
Will you tell Budd that if she & anyone else addresses any parcels to me C/- Miss Udell, Chief Nursing Adviser UNRRA, 170A Great Portland Street,
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London, W1. it will save the Bank readdressing them to her She has undertaken to look after them for me & see I get them as soon as possible.
I want to catch the mail and really have no more news
Take care of yourself & dont worry about me Tell Kathleen if I am in Brussels I shall try & see Norah, but if I fly will not be able to do so.
Much love
Muriel
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Mrs. R. K. Doherty
7 Rocklands Rd
Wollstonecraft
New South Wales
Australia.
Miss M. K. Doherty
C/- Commonwealth Bank
Australia House
Strand. London WC2.
[Page 66]
No 3.
(London)
London. 1/7/45.
My dear Mother,
Here I am still in London all ready packed up & awaiting a signal which will start me moving There is just a chance I may travel by road instead of air which would be very much more interesting We have a station wagon, but there may be too much baggage etc to fit me in.
The few days respite after the hectic rush of finding equipment have been very welcome & as H Michell is also awaiting her authority to move off to Austria, we have been able to see something of London. Dr. Tewsley from Melbourne is also here & she joined us in several expeditions.
I think my last community letter was posted about 21/6/45, but as all my papers, diary etc have been censored & sealed I am not quite sure as Ive posted several airletters since and received two from you posted 11th & 19th June. Our address has been changed so many times that you will be wise to keep to the Bank except for any parcels, which could go direct to Miss Udell.
Miss Lang suggested there might be something I would like for my work that they might send and so I have arranged for all parcels addressed to me C/- Miss Udell, Chief Nursing Advisor, Health Dept. UNRRA, 170A Great Portland Street, London W1. will to be forwarded When I arrive at my destination and see what is required I shall send an airletter
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I am sure I shall want bed socks, woollen gloves & shoulder wraps of some sort for many of the 10,000 patients I shall have and am contemplating asking the Lady Mayoress (Sydney) & any other bodies to help. I thought through the Assn. of Hosp: Matrons they might be able to do something for me before the winter, also.
I visited the Nurses Recruitment Bureau and had a long talk to the Assistant there I think our figures compare very well with theirs and we seem to be on the right lines, but should do more advertising through the Press. Miss Piele is writing to Mrs. McCosker who will be interested to contact her Im sure.
I told you, I think, that I had had a letter from Fauna Campbell from Belsen Well, she wrote again after receiving my airletter from Aust. and has now left there & is in Hamburg. As she is on night duty I am hoping we may meet she says that she is due for demobilisation shortly but has not made any plans.
Have met a number of the officials at the Royal College of Nursing & renewed old acquaintances Had lunch with Anas Goodall the Gen: Secretary and discussed plans for the future in our respective countries I heard that our Premier (NSW) was interested in the College, so have written to the Acting Official Sec: NSW. Govt. suggesting that he invite Mr. McKell to visit there. He would then see a well established & highly successful
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organisation & may feel that our recommendations are sound & thus aid them through the various stages before they can be implemented If I am still here I may even be able to discuss the matter with him.
You will remember me mentioning three [indecipherable] who did the "Kings" Course with me: Darroch, Earney & Ceris Jones Unfortunately Darroch is on leave in Scotland, Ceris is too far out of London at present, but Earney came up from her P.T.S. at Henley to her Hospital, St Marys, Paddington (Prof. Flemmings habitat) and the Matron Miss Milne made her flat available for aft. tea Miss Milne had just received her O.B.E. and the hospital was all agog because their centenary celebrations were commencing & Queen Elizabeth was to visit them.
Little time British subjects we were on the pavement to "receive" her Majesty on the appointed day She looked charming in "Alice" blue and was received by the Lord Mayor of Paddington in full regalia, supported by the Lady Mayoress & many other officials whom we were unable to diagnose It was a wet day, but after reporting at the office at 10 am I had taken me off to Windsor Castle, a lovely train & bus drive After lunch partaken in a tiny cafι in the shadow of the castle, I had to rush back to keep my appointment at St Marys!
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Collected my slacks the other day, but couldnt sit down comfortably in them same fault as our Australians make so back they had to go. Hope to collect my great coat tomorrow & will soon need it for the "flaming" June weather described in the Press is over & quite a nip in the air, although warm sunshine between the showers.
Last Sunday morning we took a bus to Richmond It was a glorious day & all London was at play River Steamers packed & picnic parties everywhere The crowds at the railway stations on Sat. & Sun. are huge now that travel restrictions have been lifted How they must enjoy returning to a normal life once more, without fear of those terrible V1 & V2 bombs coming over in streams.
I went to an exhibition "London Triumphant", one of many on at present and saw both those horrors models & twisted pieces of the originals V2 is huge, & travelled at the rate of 3,000 miles p.hr, but fortunately only had a range of 200 miles when we put it out of action.
We are daily coming upon more & more damage, while the people of London carry on unconcernedly, little thinking what heroes they are we encouraged one typical Londoner, who sat opposite to us in Lyons teashop, to talk. During the whole of her conversation there was not one grumble. "They managed alright", when bombed out of John Lewis shelter, where husband
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was a tailor, they moved onto Selfridges the same night & where bombed again She managed with the food, "just a bit of onion, some thyme & marjoram & egg powder added to the sausage meat & pop the whole in a casserole covered with some nice brown gravy & there was a tasty dish when they come ome of an evening"
She hadnt an "h" in her vocabulary but was typical of the spirit of London, which although very near breaking point before D. Day & the destruction of the bomb sites in Europe, just carried on "for what else could you do", said she?
On Sunday afternoon we went by bus to Westminster Abbey to Evensong 3 pm, then after walking round went down Birdcage walk to Buckingham Palace in time for a wartime changing of the guard. A section of the railings has gone and I believe several bombs dropped in the grounds, but, apart from a pile of rubble, we could see no damage.
On to St Pauls where we saw the amazing damage The Cathedral stands alone all the surrounding buildings acres & acres being destroyed in the Great Fire & Blitz of 1940-41 A bomb went right through the roof of the transept & deep into the foundations leaving a huge crater It is barricaded off & the roof supported with steel girders The high altar was also destroyed I heard one
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clergyman say that he was underneath when the bomb went through and escaped injury. This was not made public during the war & even the people in England did not know the extent of the damage No doubt it will be repaired as soon as possible
Again on top of a bus we drove to Stepney, Whitechapel & East India Docks where whole areas as far as we could see were gone, burnt out or devastated: Some damage was recent, for heaps of rubble & twisted steel lay about. Saw a shop the other day nearby with a large sign in yellow "Horsemeat for human consumption only".
We have been here long enough to realize that food is short. We are always hungry although we eat enormous meals largely carbohydrate and monotonous. Fish is fairly plentiful, but expensive, fruit practically limited to the peaches at 5/6 & 6/6 each and the cherries & strawberries & raspberries which are appearing now again beyond the purse of the average housewife.
We do have a slice or two of tomato & some lettuce, but cabbage, "greens", broad & haricot beans, with a few fresh peas & carrots are the usual ones This scarcity of fruit limits the sweets to artificial custard, cornflour coloured & flavoured variously and a kind of trifle, while hot suet puddings are popular. The lack of sugar is noticeable & insufficient to sweeten the above sweets. I bought some saccharine to take with me for sweetening purposes.
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Soap is strictly rationed & not always available, while sweets are in short supply & also rationed
No one grumbles, but after six years (& rationing was introduced soon after the outbreak of war) it must be terribly monotonous potatoes, of course, are available in quantities. I believe eggs are coming back gradually I had one today Pork is more often seen than mutton or beef In fact the meat & butter ration is extremely poor The vitammised margarine is hardly distinguishable from butter except for a rather greasy feel it leaves on the palate Cakes are dry & uninteresting and biscuits on "points" we have cheese & biscuits for dinner each night, but otherwise have no "points" for individual purchases. Dont think for one moment I am complaining, but I just want you to know how the people here live
Walked round Trafalgar Square where Nelson surveys the universe and the four British lions watch the populace with disdain The pigeons still eat ravenously & attract crowds. On to Whitehall where we gazed at No 10 Downing St and hopefully enquired of a policeman if we were likely to see Mr Churchill who had that day returned to London after an intensive election tour of the North We were not fortunate but were able to see the damage which a "near miss" made almost next door
We went to Westminster Bridge & walked along the embankment past Cleopatras needle. Poor St. Thomas Hosp: has received extensive damage, and although
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the House of Commons is badly damaged, inside there is little apparent. Big Ben rings out as ever and is a wonderful piece of architecture all "picked out" in gold. One can see the change of dress in London each day. All the police signals are being repainted, & posts on "islands" in the road all dressed in new aluminium paint, trains & buses showing new green or red paint Gay window boxes are also appearing.
The other afternoon I walked down Camden Hill Road past "Kings College": The whole front has gone, and the laboratories appear to be empty shells The College is actually functioning in Leicester but workmen were engaged a month ago to make such repairs as were necessary in order for it to reopen in London. When they appeared on the scene they were mobbed by the neighbouring residents who had also been severely bombed, & prevented from commencing the work
On Sat: afternoon Dr Tewsley & I thought we would make for Burnham Beeches As the buses have not all resumed their runs and timetables & route maps are unavailable we had to just proceed by questioning as we progressed. We arrived by train at Burnham but had a long walk to the forest the trees were lovely & it was well worth the effort especially as we were rewarded by tea and
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scones at a wayside stall the "Brown Owl" We then took a bus from Farnham Royal and to Windsor and saw the very lovely St Georges Chapel where King George V is buried It was rather sad to see the place reserved for Queen Mary, beside him. The choir stalls carry the arms & banners of the Knights of the Garter & are very lovely.
We passed Eton on the way home & saw many of the lads in their Eton suits if "Juniors" and tails & tall hats if "seniors" we heard that the Queen had inspected the Land Army girls earlier in the day & if only we had known could have reversed our itinerary.
On Sunday last after doing the chores & commencing this letter we thought we would like to visit Epping Forest so off we set again groping in the dark. We always ask a policeman and were directed to a bus which took us by a most interesting if tortious route over Westminster Bridge & through the badly bombed areas south of the Thames The devastation is undescribable those houses still standing are mere skeletons, some with tarpaulins over huge gaps in the roof, inhabited still.
We went to Stoke Newington after crossing Blackfriars Bridge and saw Waltham Cross one of the many delicate & beautiful monuments erected where ever Queen Eleanors bier rested on its last journey It has been restored but dates back to the twelfth century I think there is a similar memorial at Charing Cross
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Waltham Abbey is also very old, I think Boadicea once camped on the site Here we saw the ancient stocks & gibbet & whipping post The world has not progressed very much today
Was at Miss Udells office yesterday when I heard that King & Queen were to be at Westminster Abbey 12 noon for Canada day service It was then 11.15 am. Asked a policeman and arrived by bus 11:30 am. with thousands of others but found a place right against the railings next to the entrance they were to use There was a bitter wind blowing but the rain kept off & it was interesting watching all the guests arrive, but a pity there was no one to say who they were I saw Lady Gowrie (Lord Gowrie is Governor of Windsor Castle now) and Mr. Attlee had some savoury epithets hurled at him from the crowd but very quietly of course
The clergy came out to the gate to meet their Majesties, am not sure whether it was the Bishop of London or Dean of Westminster Princess Elizabeth in A.T.S. uniform arrived first & led the way in followed by the Queen & then the King in Naval Uniform all this to the beautiful ringing of bells. I clung to my holding, in fact was almost frozen to it, for one hour (entry to the Abbey was by card only) and was fully rewarded by a perfect & very close view of them all.
The Queen wore the alice blue frock & coat with a cream rose, white gloves & bag, blue shoes & beige stockings Her blue hat was upturned with a blue "[indecipherable]" of soft downy features & she wore three rows of pearls & earrings to match
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Her hair is much darker than I expected but her complexion marvellous. She is getting quite stout. The crowd cheered & she acknowledged it by waving in our direction
Having had the highlight of the week, I hastened to an Express Dairy & unthawed by filling with sausage (mostly breadcrumbs) and mash followed by suet pudding & treacle sauce (thin) & the inevitable cup of tea.
A hasty dinner was followed that evening by a dash to Harrow Road some 25 minutes from here, where Mr. Churchill was to speak at 7.15 pm. The crowd was immense & being in a poor part of Paddington there was organised opposition thoroughly carried out by some pathetically thin, pasty, undernourished schoolboys of about 8-12 yrs old, who kept up a constant cry of "we want labour"
Mr. Churchill was Ύ hr late as he had been completely mobbed at Nth. Kensington & was unable to get through the crowd. We were kept advised of his progress by loudspeaker, but I began to wonder what kind of a reception he would have from our masses in the midst of which I was packed.
Finally he arrived to the cheers & shouts of thousands & the waving of handkerchiefs, papers etc. which far outdid the "ladies & gents" amid the masses who continued to croak their slogan. Mr. Churchill looked terribly tired, and ashen and made a number of
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attempts to speak What he said was to the point but I was disappointed at not hearing a spirited address It was, however, perhaps the best thing that could have happened for he became very flushed, & I was anxious lest he have a stroke. He was "[indecipherable]" as we know him but without the cigar and the final cheers left no doubt as to the course of the elections
The way the crowd just melted way was amazing, no hurry, jostling or pushing, and everyone finally caught a bus home. I had a cup of coffee at Paddington Station and fell into bed having had the day of my life
Today Miss Creelman (Canadian) & I visited the Queens Institute of District Nursing and this afternoon, after lunch at a Polish cafι, we went with Miss Lindsay (Victorian) to Harefield Sanatorium, a beautiful building or buildings where the old Aust. Gen: Hosp: was & where I think Miss Kirkaldie was once during the last war. Lack of both domestic & nursing staff is evident & serious, but Miss Shaw the Matron & Miss Fox her assistant gave up much time to show us round Some points of interest to my nurse friends who read this will be the method of dealing with sputum mugs, thermometers and handkerchiefs.
The mugs which are of metal with removable lids (& which fit into a rack on the bedstead or locker)
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are collected by a nurse gowned & gloved onto a trolley kept especially and wheeled to the room used exclusively for these articles The lids are removed with forceps & placed in a wire container and the flasks or mugs as they are, into individual compartments in the container & placed in the autoclave at 15 lb. pressure °150 C. for 30 min: The container revolves & so empties the flasks or mugs, after sterlization The outflow pipe is opened to allow removal of contents and the mugs thoroughly washed & dried in the autoclave they are replaced on trolly, some cyllin or other disinfectant added & again wheeled round the ward when changing time is due After collection, they are handled only by the porter who carries out the sterilization etc.
Each pt (400 odd) has his or her own marked thermometer Small narrow jars, well labelled also stand in wire baskets or stands and container clyco-thymoline Thermometers are left in situ 10 (or even 20 minutes in winter) and are taken in the mouth in adults, rectum in children of whom there are a large number of primary pulmonary infections
Each patient has an envelope shaped coloured calico bag and a clean handkerchief (
Paper considered unsuitable as it blows away) Once daily or oftener nurse, carrying a calico bag and a
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pile of clean handkerchiefs on her forearm (& in gown) visits each bed. Each pt. deposits his own handkerchief in the bag and is handed a clean one The bag is finally tied up & immersed in a bucket of disinfectant (carbolic 1-20) for 12 hours and then laundered in the usual way.
Have just heard we may be moving off tomorrow, but one never knows Will end this but send an airletter, (which youll receive first), the day we actually do go and then there will probably be silence for a while, but dont worry, the mails will improve gradually.
Havent told you anything about UNRRA yet but wanted to have time to observe before passing an opinion suffice to say that its one of the biggest international moves in history & if successful will show that international cooperation is possible There are Czechoslovaks, Poles, USA, Belgium, French, Dutch Southern & Northern Irish, Canadians, Aust. NZ. Costa Ricans, Negroes, Hindus, Austrians & Chinese, English & Scottish. These are not written in any priority but just as they came into my head
Must to bed now 11.15 pm & broad day light Love from
Muriel
[Page 80]
London
7.7.45
My dear Budd,
This wont be much of a letter, written in train en route Have given Mother latest news so will not repeat Am ravenous, so am about to devour sandwiches & thermos of tea. Hope the sea is calm! The story of my actual getaway will have to wait, but very funny really.
Letter late yesterday re my investiture here can be arranged I shall reply when I reach my destination will have plenty to write, if there is time
No letters from you since those two soon after my arrival. Do hope you are alright dont like the sound of your cold. Do take care
Train moving excuse writing. Went to Post War housing exhibition the other day. Mostly two storeyed tin flats Green bathroom, glass shelf over basin handy, but there was no cupboard.
Am struggling with the German
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language & feel that one should be "under the influence" to properly cope with the gutterals I never shall Im sure. Have learnt "I dont understand", and "Good Morning how are you", but progress is slow.
Hope my community letters reach Sydney safely & that it is not too much bother passing them round Its the only way I can manage
Luggage is the invention of the devil & this time you were not here to assist unfortunately.
Excuse scrawl, must end before train reaches it destination Journey promises to be interesting if uncertain!!
Much love
Muriel
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Miss H. B. Hetherington
Matron
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Missenden Road
Camperdown
New South Wales
Australia.
M. K. Doherty
C/- Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
Strand, London
WC2.
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[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Mrs R. K. Doherty
7 Rocklands Road
Wollstonecraft
New South Wales
Australia.
M. K. Doherty
C/- Miss M. Udell
Chief Nurse E.R.O.
U.NRRA
170A Gt. Portland St
London W1
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Community Letter
No 4.
(Europe)
U.N.RRA Personnel.
July 11th 1945.
My dear Mother,
Am commencing this letter now, at the above mess where we have spent the last 24 hours after arrival in Germany. There is so much to tell you that it will be difficult to know just where to begin Have tried to keep my diary "up to date" as that makes letter writing easier, but the original one was censored & sealed two weeks ago when we were first awaiting departure, and Ive been scribbling pencilled notes since, which will have to be copied in later.
Dr. Langton and I are now awaiting transport to Belsen in half an hour and as it is to be a jeep and Dr. Davis typhus expert U.S. Army & of Rockefeller Foundation has warned us he always makes that journey at 50 55 miles per hour, you can just imagine my feelings. If I survive and am in a fit condition you will receive this letter completed!!!
Well, here I am completing the letter I think No 3 letter was posted about 5/7/45 so will continue from there After the usual trip to UNRRA H.Q: had to undergo an interview with Editor of the Nursing Times and pose with Miss Creelman a Canadian Nurse who is coming out to this area in charge of all the odd UNRRA Nursing Staff on teams, flying squads etc Then I took Miss Udell, Miss Creelman & Miss Lindsay (Victorian Pub. Health Nurse in UNRRA) to lunch at a Swiss Restaurant. On our return word through that Dr. Layton and I would probably be departing at any moment.
The first signal from Staff to UNRRA, requesting us at Belsen was sent on June 23, a second on July 2nd and neither were known to anyone War Office was preparing fresh authority for us. So began our non-stop run to the various UNRRA offices gathering passports, travel authorizations, Allied Expeditionary Force Permit for N-W-Europe, UNRRA Identity Certificate, last minute papers to be censored & sealed & a host of other matters which could only be finalised at the last minute; including pay book. We are only allowed to draw up to £5 per month over here the remainder of my salary less a number of deductions, remains in Australia
Then began the fun War Office had sent our Movement Order by special messenger at 4.30 pm and at 6 pm no one in any UNRRA office had ever heard of or seen it!! Much confusion & telephoning & War Office decided to send a copy, which finally was put into my hands at 6.30 pm.
Having bought a 1,000 french franc note (£5) which Miss Creelman had procured for herself, at the last moment, as we were only permitted to take £5 stg. out of the country, I dashed home in time for a last minute bite of tea
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before commencing the exhausting task of repacking, for we were told we cold only take such baggage as we could carry ourselves.
I thought I could manage my kit bag in addition to two hand bags & haversack so readjusted that way, but finally decided it was impossible, and at 11.30 pm again repacked This also meant a completely new inventory, after the complete upheaval. Fortunately Dr. Tewsley came to my rescue and typed the triplicate lists, which to date have not been looked at or asked for by one single soul!
After three hours in bed, the borrowed alarm sounded & out of bed I crawled I had ordered a thermos of tea and sandwiches the night before & went in search of "Cook" who was to prepare same, while H. Michell very kindly at 6 am went into the drizzling rain to Paddington Station in search of a taxi However, that was in vain & we finally set out on foot laden like packhorses to the Underground en route to Fenchurch St. Station, away at the farthest end of London!! The kit bag would have been impossible under those circumstances & I was very glad Id decided to leave it for Sir Raphael Cilento & Miss Creelman to bring over with my valise when they received authority to travel.
At 8.10 am I set out in a carriage, alone, for Purfleet, my escort Dr. L. not having arrived on the scene He is not a young man and quite a problem, hence movement orders etc were given to me!! More of that when I return, but I shall have more than Belsen Hosp: on my hands, I fear.
After quiet journey, during which I ate my breakfast & wrote several airletters, we arrived at Purfleet & the R.T.O. directed me to an Army lorry which took me & my chattels to an R.T.S. Transit Camp was ushered into a Nissen Hut of 12 beds & given a cup & saucer of sweet tea We were to move on that evening at 5.30 pm. I was offered a hot bath as a special favour which I accepted gladly, not quite knowing when my next ablutions would take place.
I wandered to the tiny village, with its old world thatched cottages & gardens ablaze with Dorothy Perkins, holyhocks & delphiniums (Interruption here when German house fraulein brought me a bunch of carnations & we had a stilted & [indecipherable]
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conversation ) The locals are doing their best to be friendly at least on the surface but its a queer feeling all the same, when they were so recently such bitter enemies) Not knowing how long my "K" rations would last, I bought a cake at the P. Office & some OXO cubes, neither of which required coupons.
On my return the Sergeant issued me with "landing" rations, consisting of 12 biscuits in packet, 2 cakes of chocolate, 2 pkts cigarettes, life belt and 3 large strong lined brown paper bags!! German P.O.W. leisurely scything grass round the huts while the British tommy read the latest illustrated, made me think of the contrast I was about to see at Belsen
A party of women & I were driven by tender to Tilbury where we wended our way among the gear & accoutrements of thousands of soldiers awaiting embarkation. No sign of my escort, but I knew he was safe as I had phoned the male Transit Camp & spoken to him. He had arrived on a later train.
Again to the Censor, Customs etc & exchanged £1 to Belgian fr: (176) and £1 to German marks (40) and reprimanded for having French fr: Apparently there are large numbers of counterfeits of the new currency & they were suspicious as to where I had got mine.
My escort then "blew" in after I had overheard the N.C.Os discussing him in "no too complimentary terms"!! He is known as "Tubby" Layton, which he himself told me
We travelled on separate troopships mine the "Mecklenberg" a very dirty, exceedingly smelly Dutch transport very full women, (about 20) were embarked first so we were able to watch the scene, including a final round up of defaulters, from the deck
I was "on active service" at last, a thing I have longed for but never been given before A huge fire on the shore blazed fiercely & we were told it was the store of the Imperial Paper Mills The powerful jets of water directed on it, had little effect and before we left the wharf, a large area was gutted When paper is so terribly scarce over here too. We dined at 10 pm. bare tables, bread & butter, tinned cheese, stewed chops, haricot beans & masses of potatoes. After surreptitiously wiping out the enormous mugs we drank sweetened, stewed, milky tea, poured straight from the teapot We were later issued with rubber life belts (we
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(2nd Instalment No 4 Letter.)
UNRRA Personnel.
women already had ours) and red emergency lights.
Retired 11 pm & later ship moved to Southend Sleep was impossible Troops paraded the deck over our heads all night and there were some mysterious bites during the night also. The palliasse was hard, & my pillows having been left behind in London, the blankets none too clean were folded & covered with a calico leaf meant for the palliasse, & used under my head.
7 am. Reveille and 8 am breakfast after a very calm night moving through a minefield at 5 miles p hour with the three sweepers ahead of us. The mines are magnetic & lie on the ocean bed, the vibration of the ship passing over setting them off We were told that they were set by the Germans for 200 days & that time had not expired How true that is I do not know. We circumvented a number of wrecks outside Ostende which we sighted at 8 am.
At 10.30 pm, laden like a packhorse, and being joined by Dr. L. whose ship arrived simultaneously (in our convoy) we disembarked and paid the usual visits to the Customs, embarkation office etc. After a cup of tea & cake at the Navy, Army, Air Force Institute (henceforward known as RAAFI) we were conveyed in a 15 ton truck to our respective Transit Camps Before we parted my escort decided (contrary to very emphatic written instructions) that he would go direct to Bad Oeynhausen instead of to Brussels as instructed. Finally persuaded him to send signal (phone impossible) to [indecipherable] Army Group HQ to say we were coming as we had been warned there would be no accommodation at Belsen unless we pre-announced our arrival!
Immediately on arrival at the Transit Camp, I queued up for lunch and was greeted by Fauna Campbell!! She was proceeding to England for demobilization her orders had come through since she wrote. You can imagine how we talked I wanted to hear first hand so much about Belsen. I prayed that there would be no through train that afternoon & was overjoyed to find we were not to set out until the next morning.
We walked round Ostend in the heat and saw what was left of the "Atlantic Wall" which at one stage had so much publicity. Gigantic concrete gun emplacements, cleverly camouflaged to represent dwellings, unrecognisable until we were nearly upon them The Belgians are gradually demolishing them, but we could see the extensive damage to portions of them & to the surrounding houses & large hotels on the waterfront.
The Belgian houses looked as neat as ever, with their fresh & often hand made lace curtains Photos of King Leopold were in many windows the people who were taking their Sunday afternoon stroll were fairly well dressed & the children appeared healthy &
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fairly well nourished. Masses of people were sunbaking on the sandy beach or browsing in the shade of the gaily painted bathing boxes. We had tea at the Y.W.C.A. and I tried to buy some fruit for the journey but the quality was poor and the price high Fauna looked very tired & nervy She has been through so much and has had extraordinary experiences
Another early morn departure with a 24 hrs rations sandwiches and a truck driver over the cobblestones to the station Lovely morning, the fishing boats with their nets festooned from the masts, made the harbour a picture. The station held hundreds of baskets of fresh fish awaiting transport.
Train departed 7.15 am. A German train with very comfortable upholstered plush seats. Arrived at Bruges 35 minutes later and saw the Belfry & Hotel de Ville from the train. Surrounding country neat & fertile, with quaint hayricks with a pole in the centre. An hour later we reached Ghent where there was extensive damage round the station, with rolling stock mere empty, rusting, contorted skeletons All the way to Antwerp was evidence of the recent war. Dumps of damaged planes, enormous tank parks and collections of damaged and wrecked wagons & vehicles of all sorts.
Some of the houses were picturesque with fronts decorated with coloured tiles Intense cultivation amid devastation, crops, vegetables, clover & potatoes with scarlet poppies, cornflowers & daisies almost screaming the V Sign.
We crossed many bombed bridges, replaced by newly constructed army ones, and at 12 md. entered Holland and saw the first windmill. Roosendaal was a badly damaged Dutch station where we were able to get some safe & cool drinking water from a fountain. Quaint-Dutch architecture with thatched roofs to the farmhouses and coloured shutters set in a background of rich fields & spruce forests, was in sharp contrast to the masses of twisted rails, whole trains mere burnt out skeletons and the extensive damage seen round the railway area.
Fat Frisian cattle, & strawberries, raspberries & asparagus surrounded bombed out families living in caravans & gaily painted tramcars. Dutch [indecipherable] out to wave to the troop train. Children poorly dressed. Noticed everywhere thrift Piles of twigs & branches of firewood all neatly packed in gardens. Huge round bushes of rose pink & shot mauve hydrangeas Round thatches on centre pole of haystacks now. Each farm seems to have one draft horse and about six head of cattle, a few pigs, a sheep or two goats, fowls and an orchard.
About 3 pm we crossed the R. Meuse the original bridge lying in pieces in the river suggesting demolition by the retreating Germans. We crawled over the temporary structure with a single track and arrived at Gennep, where a long, bedecked train covered with chalked slogans, Vive de Gaulle, Vive la France, stood. It was packed with French men & women, strangely quiet, from Germany & Austria, being repatriated.
Another truck drive to a British Transit Camp, tented & cool Being the only woman on the troop train
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I was given the place of honour on the seat beside the driver. My skirt being extremely narrow, great difficulty was experienced in gaining a foothold on the axle, whilst a Br: Tommy gave a mighty heave from behind & I came to my knees on top of the 5 feet high wheel & subsequently fell into the cabin. The driver explained that he "nein sprechen English" and I that I "nicht sprechen Dutch", but we nevertheless carried on a lusty conversation We drove through the town & circumnavigated masses of tangled wires not one house or building was undamaged by a land mine which had scored direct hit
Lunch in the Officers Mess 1st Course: one sardine, diced carrot, beetroot peas & potato. 2nd Course: Diced carrot, beetroot peas & potato with a slice of cold beef. 3rd Course: trifle without the wine. 4th Cup of the usual b. sweet tea & 5th another bag of rations to add to the already full haversack.
At 5.30 pm. we entered British occupied Germany Phalzdorf with extensive damage to the few houses visible Our train was the first to pass on this line since it was repaired At Cleve the devastation was terrific Huge sections of rails & sleepers evulsed across the road, women searching among the ruins and loading prams & barrows. Now we saw the strength of the R.A.F. Enormous torn camouflage nets over gasometers
Crossed the Rhine about 6.30 pm. by a narrow improvised bridge somewhere in the vicinity of the first British crossing at Wesel, I think. A town nearly was in complete & absolute ruins, rows & rows of trains one tangled mass of steel Large areas wired off & interlaced with white material with a notice "Mined" Recalled Goerings famous speech, "and not a single bomb will fall on Germany"
Children look healthy crops in abundance Slave labour of course. More cattle here than on the Dutch farms we are told they were stolen from the latter & that as soon as they could the Dutch crossed the border and took back all they could General Montgomery recently issued an order that the British soldiers might fraternise with German children under ten There was an obviously organised galaxy of waving by every child in the district as we passed
It was, of course, the first train also that had come through as far as Seyuhausen. It was light until quite late being double summer time and twilight We passed a pile of RAF plane wreckage which brought to mind the B.B.C. voice we knew so well, "18 of our planes did not return".
At 9.10 pm we came to Coesfeld and no words could possibly describe the devastation. It was probably an important marshalling yard, and if you can imagine McDonaldtown with all the engines as far as you can see, blasted and overturned, lines & lines of trucks & carriages in the same condition, miles of rails & sleepers ripped up and twisted & balancing grotesquely like gaunt skeletons, and all buildings in complete ruins, you will have a small idea of the scene. Bomb craters everywhere
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All this set in a background of rich intensely cultivated country makes you wonder why the Germany ever started the war, and laid herself open to pulverization such as this. The number of churches still standing is in marked contrast to the hundreds in London either complete ruins or gutted by fire
At 10 p.m. we came to what was once Rheine and witnessed an even more chaotic scene. The Bridge across the river had either been demolished by the Germans or destroyed by us Festoons of twisted rails draping the embankment. There was evidence of local battles here also huge bomb craters.
It was now 13 hours since we entered the train, and I was feeling rather grubby after handling greasy sausage rolls, sandwiches etc from our rations or supplied at transit camps. At Osnabruk we were handed mugs of sweetened tea, ladelled from a dixie by a British Tommy, and another bag of sandwiches!! We had 1 ½ hrs halt here & as it was dark we could only exercise on the platform.
At 2.30 am we arrived at Bad Oeynhausen, met by the R.T.O. & directed to the Visiting Officers Mess, at the Victoria Hotel, and I, after a quick ablution, thankfully fell into the large feather bed and covered me with a cerise & soft eiderdown and slept. There is a notice in the entrance hall which reads in English "This hotel reserved for officers of the rank of Colonel and above, and equivalent ranks in other services & allied forces and certain important civilian visitors who are visiting 2 H.Q. on official business only" We are not sure into which category we fell but would like to imagine the latter!! We were asked to sign the visitors book which contained such illustrious names as General Montgomery
A cheerful fraulein brought me a cup of the usual brand of tea at 7.15 am and after a welcome bath & good breakfast, Dr. L & I reported to 21st Army Group (Montys) H.Q. and that various officials, medical & otherwise who were interested in us.
Major W. A. Davis, U.S. Army Typhus Commission is one whose name will always be associated with Belsen & will go down in Medical History for his work there & throughout Europe. He gave me an outline of the early & terrible days, when the British liberated the Camp I am writing a separate account of Belsen later, because you will not want to read it, but it will be of interest to my friends in the medical & nursing profession.
We then drove some 50 miles to Herford where we met the D.M.S. 21st Army Group, Major Gen: Phillips and Miss Pike Senior P/Matron Q.A.I.M.N.S. Drove round at 50 m.p.h. on cobbled streets British everywhere & things appear to be returning to normal. Civil affairs in the hands of Burgomaster & local authorities German officials on stations & directing some of the traffic.
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The Barracks we visited had recently been Nazi strongholds and an arrogant eagle standing over a swaztika was carved on the wall. All signs of course of the Nazi regime had to be removed when we conquered them, and it was good to see the Union Jack fluttering over all.
The district was rich in crops from roadside to horizon, some 5 to 6 high. Passed a convoy of the first batch of Wehrmacht returning to the land to save the crops & feed the people. All wore the yellow triangle denoting demobilization and looked shabby & unkempt.
After a short rest in the afternoon we walked in some lovely gardens round the Bad Lans and watched a lovely fountain playing, shot with rainbow colours. We visited the UNRRA representatives in Bad Oeynhausen and the following day 11/7/45 Dr Davis drove us to Belsen, as I told you at the beginning of this letter.
I packed myself between the luggage in the back of the jeep and prepared for the worst We travelled between 40 55 miles p.h. on roads of all kinds, cobbles & those rich in craters Had I not watched for the bumps ahead & raised myself from the saddle, as it were, there would have been multiple fractures of spine & pelvis Im sure for our speed did not slacken for a small thing like a bomb crater.
We followed rivers & canals some of the way in a very picturesque countryside there was evidence of street fighting as well as aerial bombing. We passed burnt out woods where our flame throwers had attacked pockets of Germans and crossed several newly constructed army bridges It was good to see British troops everywhere in occupation and street signs in English as well as German.
We arrived at Nienburg H.Q. 30th Army Corps at 12 md. Dozens of overturned tanks, cars, antiaircraft guns etc all burnt out, and piles & piles of disused ammunition. Farm houses appeared prosperous, built mainly of red brick, half timbered with the large barn adjacent or nearby. Passed innumerable lorries, farm carts, push carts & wheelbarrows, buggies & carriages laden with luggage & household goods of evacuees returning.
A small white cross surmounted by a British steel helmet along-side a roadside studded with [indecipherable] holes was a grim reminder of the fierce battles which had so recently been fought there.
Met all the H.Q. Staff Officers and lunched at their mess and later collected passes for Belsen Ran into heavy rain, but the hood of our jeep kept the worst of it out and we skidded along the road at 55 mph. much to my consternation The country had changed from rich farmlands to lovely wooded areas and it was hard to believe that it could have concealed such horrors as there is ample proof they it did.
The original No 1 Horror Camp lies some 5 miles away and was the one which was burned after the evacuation of the survivors & burial of the dead.
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Belsen Camp today is the most amazing place I have ever been in It occupies some 5 miles or more in area, and was the Panzer Training School until taken over by the British for the reception of patients from the No 1 Camp There are some 90 100 large two-storeyed blocks of buildings, each 4 blocks forming a square and divided into Camps 2, 3 & 4. Each block houses 150 200 Displaced Persons (henceforward D.P.s) and the whole camp is laid out with good roads, administrative blocks, Canteens, Kitchens, Hospital areas, Concert Halls, Clothing distribution centres Q.M. Stores etc etc.
The Military Govt. is in control and a large garrison of British soldiers is stationed here a very necessary precaution as a camp of some 15,000 to 20,000 persons of every nationality, faith & political party is a potential volcano.
We called on the Camp Commandant & the Head of the Military Govt. and as we were unexpected unofficially, accommodation had to be arranged A signal notifying our arrival came the next day!!! Major Davis drove us round the camp to give us a picture of the whole some roads are 3 miles or more long. There were many so called "fit" D.P.s walking round in the rain & children playing in puddles The O.C. Military Govt. invited us to be his guests until accommodation could be found for us & we were driven to this comfortable farm-house after collecting two army blankets & a pillowcase each.
The German Frau who now lives next door with her mother brings my [indecipherable] tea & hot water The local burgomaster finds the domestic labour of which there is now no shortage This is part of reparations We are very comfortable my laundry is done by other German girls & my shoes cleaned. The barn in which the cattle sleep opens directly from the kitchen and the loft from the upstairs bedroom, so that there is a continual wafting of stable into the house, and the flies are terrible There is plenty of rich creamy milk, but one hesitates & being guests in the house one cannot do much about it until we have our own mess. The furnishings all point to prosperity of the heavy German type. Steam heating, electric bath heater, combined fuel & electric range and a huge kitchen with tiled floor Army Sgt. Cook looks after us well, but as no appreciation of the fly question!!!
Must post this untidy epistle which has been written in sections at spare moments & is consequently rather disjointed.
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This was commenced on July 11th & completed on the 19th, will travel by air to London, but ship to Australia. There does not seem to be any way of sending it by air all the way as were were not allowed to bring any stamps abroad They are apparently considered currency
Tell Kathleen that I was sorry not to have seen Norah, but heard that her unit had left Brussels a week or so before & do not know where she is now.
St Christopher is doing his job well and has looked after me well, so far
It will be good to receive some mail It must be two weeks since I had a letter, but expect a bunch of mail from London shortly.
Take care of yourself
With love
Muriel
P.S Keep to Miss Udells address or the Bank.
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Belsen Camp
21.7.45
My dear Mother,
Your most welcome letter came yesterday only one day late with its birthday greetings Considering it was only written on July 1st that was very well timed for it had to be readdressed from London I am making some enquiries as to whether I can send airletters from here or even airmail. My No 4 letter is ready for posting and I hope it will go by the latter route.
I am afraid your letters & papers which went to the A.P.O. U.S. Army address will probably do some travelling round before I finally receive them, and I am hoping Budds parcels did not go the same way.
I have now visited all parts of this enormous camp and observed the various departments functioning. There are some 12,000 displaced persons at present here, not all patients, of course, but of all nationalities awaiting repatriation or a solution of their problems if they are stateless, as so many are.
Belsen is a huge town on its own
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with cinema, concert hall, welfare depts and churches, scattered over an area of what I should estimate would be 5 miles or more. Lovely woods & forests, a lake, pretty walks give freedom of movement to all and the D.Ps go freely outside the camps also. In fact we frequently see groups of them digging large quantities of potatoes or filling bags with apples from the German farms & fields Why worry, the Germans brought them here so must take the consequences I believe they are actually frightened of them & let them do pretty much as they please.
As soon as our staff arrives we take over from the Army Hospital which is still here & finally I think UNRRA will replace the Red + teams whose contract expires in Aug: & who are finally to be withdrawn from Europe by November.
I have found I can send air mail letters to you so will divide the big one in two as I have no way of weighing & can only send one ounce I believe Am sorry if you have to pay excess will you let me know if you do? I had a letter from Thelma Long with yours & a cable from Olive [indecipherable] & [indecipherable]
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book going ahead
Love from
Muriel
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Usual address
C/- Miss Udell.
29.7.65
My dear Budd,
I am sending my first "instalment" of the story of Belsen Camp, as I have been able to piece it together
If you think Mother wants to read it, well & good but I dont think she will.
It is the only copy I have so hope it reaches you safely Will you let anyone interested read & use it as they like Perhaps Miss Throsby would have a typed copy made for the RAAF people to read.
Am writing my usual air letter to you, and will send this air mail also Hope you do not have to pay excess, but I have no way of judging the weight.
Will endeavour to write Phase 2 of the camp, when I can & send it along.
Hope you are preparing to have a nice long holiday when I come home, for I am already!
Am very well, and do hope you are not working too hard I know you always do
Much love,
Muriel
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Community Letter 5
Belsen No 1.
Belsen Camp
N. W. Germany
27.7.45
Dear Friends,
I am sending this account of Belsen for I know you will all be interested in the early history as well as the present state of this extraordinarily community.
The figures quoted are authentic and I am hoping to procure some photographs which I shall bring back with me.
My information has been extracted from official documents, gathered from talking to those who actually carried out the pioneering work, to displaced persons who have experienced the terrors of a concentration camp, and from my own observations since arriving at Belsen on July 11th 1945.
The work which was carried out here in the days immediately after the liberation by the British, of the infamous Belsen horror camp, by doctors, medical students, nurses, Red Cross and St Johns Ambulance teams, army personnel and others, is one of the most remarkable achievements in medical history.
On April 12th 1945, when a decisive battle was being fought all round the Belsen area, the Chief of Staff of the First Para Army (German) approached the Brigadier General Staff of the British 8th Corps. He explained that a terrible situation had arisen at the Concentration Camp and that a typhus epidemic was raging He invited the British to take the Camp over, as it was quite disorganised.
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A special truce was arranged, under the terms of which the British agreed to take over the camp, around which a neutral area was to be defined.
The S.S. or die Schutzstaffel (Black Guards) camp staff were to remain and the British were to deal with them as they wished. The Hungarian regiment which had been moved in by the Germans before the liberation to reinforce the S.S. whose morale was disintegrating, were to remain, armed, and be used by the British as long as they had use for them.
The brutal & infamous Commandant Kramer and some of his male & female henchmen are, I believe, awaiting trial in a nearby jail. The remainder did not reach that sanctuary, and a few escaped and have since been recaptured.
The Hungarians may be seen about the camp today, unarmed, doing the scavenging and heavy work, an exceedingly lazy, rather unpleasant lot of men.
Brigadier Glyn Hughes, Deputy Director of Medical Services Second Army is believed to be the first to arrive in the camp.
The first British unit in was an anti-tank battery which arrived on April 15th, and on April 16th the infamous Belsen Camp was liberated and some glimmer of hope
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and life came to those who long before had despaired of ever being free again.
The R.A.M.C. under the command of Lt. Col: J.A.D. Johnston Commanding the 32nd British Casualty Clearing Station; the 11th Light Field Ambulance and two Hygiene Sections began work on April 17th. With the C.C.S. were eight sisters of Q.A.I.M.N.S., the first women to arrive.
Lt. Col: Mather with the 113th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment; H.Q. 10 Garrison and 224 Military Government Detachment came in on April 18th when the L.A.A. took over from the Anti Tank Battery.
Medical personnel of all kinds was at this time urgently needed for the treatment of British war casualities, so that it was impossible to divert more R.A.M.C. personnel to Belsen before the capitulation of Germany.
The first British Red Cross & St Johns Ambulance teams with four sisters arrived on April 21st and from then on a steady flow of reinforcements from R.A.M.C., Q.A.I.M.N.S. and other British Army units and various voluntary organisations began.
Miss G. F. Campbell formerly of R.P.A. Hospital Sydney and now the *Q.A.I.M.N.S. (R) of the 9th British General Hospital was amongst these.
Because of the extreme shortage of medical personnel in the area and the great urgency of the situation, it was decided
*Queen Alexandras Imperial Nursing Service (Reserve)
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to ask that the students from the London Medical School who were being held ready for work in Holland should be sent immediately to Belsen to give assistance there.
Ninety six medical students commenced work on May 2nd. Belsen Camp consisted of two sections, Camp No 1, the horror camp, and Camp No 2, an overflow area in the German Panzer Barracks buildings some 1 ½ miles from Camp 1
Between the two camps, hundreds of men, women and children, destined for camp 1, but for whom there was no room had been forced to live in the open, under the trees, without food, shelter or warmth All were closely guarded by ruthless S.S. men & women.
Some 800 girls were marched on foot from Bremen to Belsen shortly before the camp entered upon its final phase of horror. They had been used as street sweepers in Bremen. Some had shoes of a kind, others did not. They were three days on the march without any food. Their guards carried lashes The girls sang on the way, but were cruelly thrashed for this
When the British were expected in Hamburg, the German Commander of a worker concentration camp hastily evacuated a large number of girls. After travelling three days & two nights, (the lines were blocked and travelling slow & confused) under terrible conditions they reached Bergen Belsen. A Czechoslovak girl told the following
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story in her own way:
"The way and all we saw on this way was fearful. Crazy S.S. women accompanied us, throwing stones into the crowd of women, who were 100 in one truck. We had no place to sit or lie; we could not leave the truck for the lavatory; it was a desolate situation; people got mad and some dies from this fearful way, from hunger, thirst and desolation"
"Arrived at Bergen Belsen we were surprised by another fearful aspect. Hundreds of trucks with dead and dying men were standing in the railway station Their bodies were blue & bloody skeletons, the faces wounded, the dirty clothes torn & full of lice. That was so called transports of men to Bergen Belsen. This transport never reached its destination"
"We on our way from the station to the camp had to reflect about the purpose of our coming here. The result was very bad. We saw lots of old torn, dirty clothes & shoes, no people at all and a hidden camp in the forest"
"We did not think anything else than that we come to an empty camp, where transports are killed by some unknown way. The more we witness of so many German crimes, that these beasts did not wish us to over live the war"
"The liberation was so near, we were full of hope and had to die just now, after having spent so hard years
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of prison, after having felt the whole seal of German cruelty. God did not hear our prayers. He leaded us through all the dangers to forget us in the moment, where liberation is coming. These are the ideas of a desolated crowd of hungry and tired women."
"And the miracle happened again, we did not die. The 15th April was the miraculous day when the second British Army liberated Bergen Belsen We greeted our safers with deepest thankfulness and never will forget this historical day which gave us back our lives"
That girl had been in three terrible concentration Camps including Auschwitz the notorious torture camp with its gas chambers & crematoria.
Deliberate and slow starvation had been carried out at Belsen camp, up to the time of liberation. Word spread and internees of other camps knew when sent to Belsen that they would starve.
Camp No 2 in which there were approximately 15,000 men who had only been there a few weeks, was free from typhus, the internees suffering only from starvation. The medical problem there was nothing to that in Camp 1 which at the time of liberation contained some 50,000 people, mingled with about 10,000 dead in the huts or lying unburied in piles about the camp.
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The starving & disease ridden inmates including a number of children had received no food or water for about 7 days after a long period of semi-starvation. Their food had consisted of watery soup, potato & dry bread in very small quantities
The lack of water resulted from the act of sabotage carried out by the Germans during the truce which they had requested for handing over the camp. All camp records were destroyed by the S.S. Guards during this truce.
A pump in the yard was found surrounded by 300 400 bodies, piled up, where they had fallen in there vain effort to obtain water and whose end was hastened by the rifle butts and lashings of the S.S. Guards and the sniping of the Hungarian troops.
There were some 25,000 living sick who were dying at the rate of 4% (about 1000) per day. In many huts the living were packed on the floor amongst the dead, often times naked. Owing to illness & despair, corpses were often not moved from the bunks which were shared by the living.
Louse born typhus, diarrhoea and pulmonary tuberculosis in advanced stages were rampant. Excreta was everywhere. Faeces were 6" deep on the floors of the huts.
The walls were heavily coated also. Thousands were too ill to move. Those living in the lower of the
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two tiered bunks had no protection from the excreta dropping from above. Lice were everywhere Filth, stench, decomposition & corruption almost beyond comprehension, prevailed.
The air was heavily polluted The weather was hot and the temperature at times was 95% F. This abounded.
The work facing the liberators must have at first appeared unsurmountable and no praise is too high for those men & women, who by their courage, energy, initiative & enthusiasm brought to the survivors of this horror, tragedy and suffering, food & drink, cleanliness and sympathy and some glimmer of hope for the future.
The immediate task on liberation was to provide water & food for the starving The first small units of British troops who arrived were only able to deliver food from the Cookhouses to the doors of the huts, leaving distribution to the inmates.
Those who were able to stagger seized what they could. So broken was the morale and so long had existence in the camp depended on "every man for himself" and the ability of the strongest to secure as much food as he could, that many became extremely ill from overeating, and numbers died as a result of this, while large numbers of helpless patients died because there was no one to feed them.
The cries of "essen, essen" were heartrending.
The liberators cleared out the large barracks of a
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German Panzer Training School in the neighbourhood the present Belsen Camp Parties of armed troops collected from the surrounding country all the equipment necessary for a 7,000 bedded emergency hospital Col: Johnstones anaesthetist of the 32nd B.C.C. Station was in charge of the collection & distribution of these supplies On the day that this hospital was ready for use the Germans again sabotaged the water supply & delayed transfer.
Before leaving Camp 1, all patients who were considered fit to walk were taken to a large building, all clothing removed, & burnt, and their bodies cleansed of the gross filth & deloused. As far as possible women & children were evacuated first and the sick were transported direct from Camp 1 to the Human Laundry
I have been told that many internees were horrified on hearing that they were to be taken to the bath, for in the Camp of Auschwitz where so many had been before coming to Belsen, those marked for incineration were first given soap & towel, marched to the showers, from which they never returned, for instead of water came lethal gas.
Ambulances conveyed the sick direct from the huts and the "walking" cases who had received the preliminary cleansing & delousing, to the Human Laundry in Camp 3 in the German Barracks area German nurses supervised by the British were obliged to scrub & cleanse and dust with D.D.T. each
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one From 500 900 persons were treated per day These poor creatures, some of whom were but skeletons, with only a spark of life within them, were then wrapped in a clean blanket and conveyed in a "Decontaminated" ambulance to the "Blocks" as they are called. Here they were placed naked in a clean blanket (there were at this time no clothes) in on a straw palliasse on a barracks stretcher where the Sisters and other workers fed them & gave them nursing care.
By May 1st 1945 7,000 sick had been evacuated to the Hospital area, but there were still approximately 10,000 persons in Camp 1 requiring urgent medical attention and for whom no hospital accommodation could be provided for some days
The male members of the BRCS, RAMC Doctors & British troops & doctors & nurses from among the *D.P.s who were fit to work carried on in the intense squalor of the Horror Camp, feeding & nursing patients, cleansing huts, rendering first aid & performing minor operations S.S. Guards under close supervision & pressure where necessary from the British troops and assisted by buldozers, dug enormous graves and buried the dead.
On May 2nd the Medical students commenced work in Camp 1, under the direction of Dr. A. P. Meiklejohn, member of the Rockefeller Foundation Health Commission, who
*Displaced persons.
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was seconded to the Nutrition Section of the Health Division European Regional Office, U.N.RRA.
In the hutsEach one assumed responsibility for one or more huts with 100 150 sick patients and about 200 300 so called "fit" internees able to feed themselves.
Other students worked in co-operation with officers in charge of the army cook houses, travelling with the food trucks and delivering the food personally to their colleagues in the huts, who had the extremely difficult task of seeing that the food was fairly distributed among all Here again was the cry of "essen, essen". "Food, Food"
A dispensary was organised by some of the students and medical treatment given to the sick in the huts, whilst others assisted by groups of internees endeavoured to clean out the worst of the filth and dirt which lay inches deep on the floors of the huts.
Twenty five medical students led by Capt. Crisp M.C. Kings Royal Rifles, one of the senior students, and under the direction of the RAMC Officer in Charge, created within the horror camp, a hospital area in which the most seriously ill were nursed until they could be evacuated. They cleansed the filthy, verminous huts, creosoting the floors, and disinfecting huts with DDT and equipping them with the necessities of a
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Hospital ward.
In one week after the arrival of the students the death rate was halved and in two weeks halved again
Mention must be made here of Dr. W. A. Davis U.S. Army, member of the Typhus Control Commission, who was working at Belsen on the control of the typhus epidemic Typhus "Jo" as he is called can today look back on a task efficiently completed
Within 2 weeks of the medical students setting up this Hospital in the Camp, 1,200 patients had been washed, disinfected and admitted, where they were treated & nursed entirely by the medical students & volunteer nurses from among the internees It has been authoritatively stated that a large number of patients owe their lives to this achievement.
This venture was so successful that the Hospital was allowed to function until all the other patients in the horror camp had been transferred to the German Barracks They eventually evacuated patients, equipment & nurses to the very palatial "Round House" which had been the German officers mess of the Wehrmacht, and where it is said, Kramer the Beast of Belson once entertained
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such high ranking Nazi officials as Himmler, Georing & Gobbels.
On May 19th the last of the 28,000 persons was evacuated from the Concentration Camp to the four Hospitals and three transit camps in the Barracks Area. Up to that time 2,006 had died since leaving the Camp and the British had supervised the burial by SS guards and German P.O.W. of some 23,000 of which approx: 10,000 or even more lay unburied when they arrived on April 15th 1945.
The daily death rate has steadily decreased. On April 30th 1945 548 people died, on May 17th 97.
The burning of the infamous Belsen Concentration Camp commenced on May 19th and the historic ceremony of the burning of the last hut took place on 21st May 1945 at 6 pm, when Col: H. L. Bird, Commander 102 Control Section, 2nd Army addressed those assembled. With him were Col: J. A. D. Johnston and Brigadier Glyn Hughes, D.D.M.S. 2nd Army.
An invitation was given to personnel & to all D.P.s who wished to attend & transport was arranged. A large number accepted. Brig: Glyn Hughes & Col: Johnston each directed a flame thrower on to a huge portrait of Adolf Hitler at one end of the hut and a large
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Nazi flag at the other and the hut was finally reduced to ashes.
The Union Jack, symbol of British freedom and protection of the oppressed was unfurled.
Thus concluded the first phase in the history of Belsen since it was liberated by the British.
On 20.7.45 I was driven to the site of No 1 Belsen Horror Camp by a member of the B.R.C.S. and St. Johns Ambulance (amalgamated during the war) who was one of the original workers there.
The camp is some 1 ½ miles from the Panzer Barracks and is surrounded by lovely forests of spruce, birch & beeches approaching along the roadway was evidence of the habitation in the woods of those whose "home" it had but recently been All who tried to escape were shot dead by the S.S. guards.
The camp itself was entirely surrounded by two sets of heavy barbed wire, which before liberation was charged with electricity Outside this prison wall were the watch towers, situated at close intervals nearby, but also outside the camp were deep shelters for the guards There was no provision for the protection of internees during air raids
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Having satisfied the British guard that we had authority to enter the camp & that we had been inoculated against typhus, we drove to the first section, carefully wired off by the Germans & which had been the administrative section, housed in the usual hutted buildings.
On the right was a large stable or garage in which all entrants to the camp after liberation were dusted with D.D.T.
We walked through the dispensary, dressing room & room where minor operations were performed and first aid was rendered by the British assisted by doctors & nurses from among the D.P.s. All was chaotic, quantities of damaged medical equipment, furniture, rags, papers littered the floors, we passed the cleansing station where the "fit" were cleansed & deloused & clothed if possible, before being transferred to the Barracks transit camp. A nauseating odour still pervaded these buildings.
At the entrance to the actual concentration camp area where the British found 50,000 souls huddled together in filth disease and decomposition, terror & despair, are two huge notice boards one in English on
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the left, the other on the right, in German, reading thus: -
"This is the site of
The Infamous Belsen Concentration Camp
Liberated by the British on 15th April 1945
10,000 unburied dead were found here.
Another 13,000 have since died.
All of them victims of the German New Order in Europe
and an example of Nazi Kultur."
We drove past vast areas of burnt out huts with only the charred remains & a few odd bits of china & rusted & burnt metal to mark the site.
Enormous graves holding from 500 to 8,000 bodies each are grim reminders of Nazi brutality. Practically no children under two survived.
A crematorium complete with metal stretcher and long handled metal stoker, nearby, needed no explanation No babies born in the camp were allowed to live.
An enormous pile of half burnt out leather boots & shoes, marks the place where they were dumped by the Germans to be used as fuel.
The pump where so many were beaten to death as they crawled in search of water, was evident
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We saw a relic of the striped blue & white prison garb stretched on the barb wire fence. A large yellow cross was branded on the back of those worn by Jews, I am told. Outside the camp we had seen a large drum of yellow paint.
We drove past the site of the Medical Students Hospital now a charred mass
The huge camp ovens & cauldrons which the British set up are still there.
The S.S. guards quarters were wired off & well protected from the inmates of the camp.
The stone prison was in this area, heavily wired off; quite a small building the tiny windows being guarded with barbed wire interlaced in the iron bars. A large dog kennel marked the H.Q. of the savage dogs, which are said to have patrolled the area between the building & the barbwired barriers
I saw an erection which could have been a gibbet, in full view of the camp.
Two poles mark the site where of the final burning ceremony took place & from which the portrait of Adolf & the Nazi flag were suspended Adolf took a lot of setting on fire I believe!
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The platform from which the final ceremony was conducted, still stands.
From this point the vast area of the devastated camp can be surveyed A foul blot in a picturesque countryside, hidden by thickly wooded country.
As we left this scene of desolation, tragedy & despair where thousands of Jews & non-Jewish French, Belgians, Russians, Poles, Dutch, Greeks, Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, Romanians, Italians, Austrians and Gypsies met their death, I no longer found it hard to believe that Nazi brutality & ruthlessness was a fact for I had also seen many victims of these Nazi crimes in the hospital wards.
In spite of the fact that the Panzer troops were forbidden to visit the S.S. Guards at Camp No 1 & vice versa, one finds it difficult to believe that the horrors which existed in that camp were unknown to those living in the neighbourhood
I felt proud to be British
M K Doherty
Matron, UNRRA
Belsen Camp.
N W Germany
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Belsen Camp
N-G Germany
29.7.45.
My dear Mother,
Two most welcome letters from you, yesterday, along with one from Kathleen, Budd & some RAAF Sisters. Tell K. I find hers terribly hard to read but have written to Norah and although too soon to have reply am pleased to know she is in Bremen Dont think I shall see her all the same unless she comes this way.
Your letters are dated July 9 & 12 and arrived on July 28. so thats good Fear many papers & letters will be delayed owing to the original confusion re address, but hope they finally turn up. Fancy all the excitement over me in the Aust. papers!! You have been kept busy at the phone, but am sorry they got you out at 11 pm. to talk to Ass. Press!! I hope they keep all photos out of the paper The one taken in London, which in the Nursing Times of July 21st isnt bad Miss Udell is bringing me the original when she visits us.
Do hope you are having good fires and not waiting till 7 pm to light them. We only get the Continental B.B.C. over the air here but heard that we are progressing towards [indecipherable] rapidly. We do see the English papers irregularly but they dont give a great deal of Aust. news. Budd is sending Wed. Herald so that should be interesting reading & useful for my purposes after. Paper v. short & writing paper & envelopes bought at canteen small & poor cant be helped.
Had letter from Kit yesterday giving me some family news. Poor Flo do hope they keep her at the home. I wonder if the person who rang you re UNRRA was Ridley who was one of my seniors at P.A. when I was a [indecipherable].
Am settling into the life of Belsen and enjoying it very much will write a newsy community letter shortly. The contents of the parcels you & Budd are sending sound thrilling, am looking forward to receiving same
Arrangements are being made for my investiture in London Dont know how long it will be, but will fly over & back I expect. Posted No 3 Community letter on 3.7.45 & No 4 23.7.45 both by air so hope they arrive. There may be excess to pay, I have no way of weighing them, but the A.P.O. told me that the fee was 1/3
I am hoping to be given a building which will more or less be our permanent building for a mess, shortly I expect our staff
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will be about 60 70 (UNRRA) when they all arrive and we shall gradually increase when they take over the welfare etc from the British Red Cross.
You sound busy with your "Books" etc do you still go to "buttons"? Fancy you having all the luck with the raffles I never do
The estate at Avalon sounds as if it were growing rapidly in the way of extra trees, orchard etc we have had some terrific electric storms here which remind me of the one we had down there
Lovely concert for D.P.s to which we were invited on Friday. Yehudi Menuhin the violinist & Benjamin Briton the composer who accompanied him Both were perfect
Well, this will let you know that I am well, busy and thinking of you, also looking forward to hearing all the news
With much love & take care of yourself,
Muriel
[The following text appears on the cover pages of the Air Letter].
Mrs R. K. Doherty
7 Rocklands Road
Wollstonecraft
New South Wales
Australia.
M. K. Doherty
U.N.R.R.A
[Transcribed by Sandra Mutton for the State Library of New South Wales]