Racecourse Hospital
Military Camp
Featherston, NZ
Feb. 17th 1918
Dear Mary
I expected to be back in Awapuni today, as we have been here for three weeks now, & they don’t usually keep a section here for longer that time. I hear some say that they are closing down this Hospital next week on account of races coming on. perhaps that is why we are being kept here another week; I expect we will be back in Awapuni by next Sat. night . Im afraid I am not going to get down for another leave I may get two or three days but, that, wouldn’t be much good to me. They seem to all think that we will be sailing in about a fortnight from now March 2nd. I have never had any advise of my being transferred to the 35th Section yet but, of course, they can soon fix that
[Page 2]
up when we get back to Awapuni. rather hard luck, wont it? I would have liked fine to get down again about “Easter” time. but, I suppose I cant expect too much. I have been on duty all yesterday and again today in the Hospital. A fellow can learn a great deal here in the way of medicine & nursing we get lectures crammed into us two & three times a day, a great deal more than my brain is capable of grasping, however we all take down what “notes” we can & so we always have them & can study them in our spare time. The Major gives a lecture in the morning & one of the sisters usually gives a lecture in the afternoon on nursing different “troubles,” besides this we have bandaging to do, something like 36 bandages altogether, each of us have them all to do to the Major’s
[Page 3]
satisfaction. we practice on each other. most of us have finished them all. I had a letter from Kate a few days ago; I wrote to her on Jan. 23rd, Sunday. she got it on the following Saturday, pretty quick, wasn’t it? She wrote to me on Feb. 1st, I received the letter on the 13th. She wrote me a good big letter (6 pages) & told me a good deal about Bob prior to leaving the Station & about the ten days they were besieged; it is very pathetic; enough to make one weep; I may send it down before I go away, Kate says she told me so much, in case she wouldn’t see me before I go away; she hadn’t written to any of the rest of you in the same way. I have seen both Alex Scott and Arthur Rae since I came over here. Dave Smellie is in the 38th Inf. & I hear they are expected over here from Trentham any
[Page 4]
day now, In fact, they may have come down yesterday, I will look out for him anyway. I heard that the Loco. has fallen through the viaduct at Crosbies & nobody hurt rather marvellous isn’t it? & that Don Faulkner & H.G. Simpson have been accorded a welcome home in Glenham. I received the “Farmers” alright saw about “Appeal Board” etc those “fellows” are lucky to get off so long. I am writing this in the “Hospital Ward” we have a pretty slack time of it in the afternoon’s generally & there are only five patients in now so there is not much work apart from the usual floor scrubbing etc. I will write again when we go back to Awapuni so I will not write any more just now. Your Affect Bro.
Jack.
