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Page from a nursing sister's diary

Mitchell, Sheila Macbeth, 1916, Document, Press cutting
Page from a nursing sister's diary
Page from a nursing sister's diary
Page from a nursing sister's diary
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Item no
41410
Title
Page from a nursing sister's diary - The Last Voyage in H.M.H.S "Britannic"
Description
Page headed from a nursing sister's diary - The Last Voyage in H.M.H.S "Britannic" November 1916.

Leave up - so back to Southampton to join our ship. Such a relief to find the same cabin and room-mate, and to see how homely it is now looking, with my chintz cushions and our nice jar of brown beech leaves. Everything is much nicer this voyage - as there are no passengers (These were always medical officers and nurses - going out to different hospitals in India, Egypt, Salonica, or Malta. Occasionally we took out a few Chaplains - but never any combatants) and, in consequence, we are allowed to wander all over the ship, and do not find the deck roped off at every turn with a notice saying:- "Officers Only" or "Passengers Only".

Sunday afternoon was bitterly cold so instead of staying on deck to see the last of England, we gave a tea-party in our cabin - i.e., W. And B. came and brought the food, whilst we gave them our chairs and made the milk with some Horlick's Malted Tablets (don't try it!).

Our days are well filled. One of the sergeants gives us a gymnastic class each morning on the boat deck, much to the amusement of the M.O.'s, who come up and take snap-shots of us when looking most ridiculous and unable to retaliate. Each afternoon we have a lecture by the bacteriologist, and, as soon as we can get away, we fly down to have that precious hour in the swimming bath - when I am always made the fox who chases B's chicks (B. is an out-size and very difficult to get round). After our swim, we have tea and then either play cricket or some other game on deck.

Having no passengers to help us, we were kept busy getting our 3,000 beds made before reaching Naples - which we did at breakfast time on the Friday. As soon as we got our passes, we...
Artist / maker
Mitchell, Sheila Macbeth
Date
1916
Size
35.5 x 26.5 cm
Copyright
Reproduced by kind permission of the family of Sheila Macbeth Mitchell
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