Moore Barracks Hospital,
England, 10/10/1916.
My Dear Sister,
My book shows that I wrote you on the 21st of September, but I really think I must have written you since. Should have anyway.
For that time I was on a surgical ward where we treated cases before and after operation. Now I am in the operating ward, where we prepare them and receive them from the table, then transfer them to the surgicals in a day or two. We have two operating theatres, and they send us from seven to fifteen patients a day, the ward has 50 beds. This means that they are all bed patients, and we have some stepping to do. Ten look after the meals and do nothing else, so I do not have any of that. The ward is in two small and one large room. I have the large room, beds 16 to 50 and by the time I polish and sweep the floor each morning, I am nearly a wreck. I do get a little dressing to do tho and will likely get more soon.
For some foolish reason, we have orders that no passes for the afternoon will be granted except Saturday and Sunday, and as we cannot all get off in two days, it makes it pretty rotten. One of our boys went down town yesterday afternoon without a pass and was clinked, he comes up in the morning. I wanted very much to go down town to do some shopping this afternoon and applied for a pass from 2 p.m., but was turned down. The other never came out in orders that I know of, so I went up to the office and tried to get one put through but could not work it. I got off the ward tho, and went down town about 4.30 and got along all right.
I had the misfortune to have a four dollar pen, I purchased before leaving home, stolen yesterday, and as I write letters, at least six nights a week, could not get along without one so had to make a purchase. I could not get exactly what I wanted in a waterman, but after much searching, got one like we sell for two dollars and a half in Canada. They charged me 15 shillings which would be three dollars and sixty cents. That shows how high things are here. You see it pays even to have nearly all you can sent from Canada. I think tho that they get their pens from New York, and likely the duty is more now. The drug duty is sure heavier. I am sorry Dear I intended writing more but it is just 9 pm, and they are going to lock this room up and I have to get out. Hope to leave the tents for a room of my own to-morrow and will be all right then.
Lovingly
Worth.
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