Front cover - same fabric-covered "MSS" notebook as first four.Jan 14, 1916 to April 30, 1916
Comparison of day and night shifts, greatly prefers day shift
It has more breaks. Night shift is more confining "the cozy little suppers
that seemed so nice at first get monotonous after a while.
Back in "Adelaide" ward.
Adelaide ward is the toughest, the "least slack" and she's proud of keeping up.
January 17
Done last shift saying goodbye to friends, packed up and taxi to new abode.
New Address:
Warwick Club
21 St. George's Square. S.W.
Expect to leave soon
Enclosing "a circular", clearly the application form that's been scanned
in Scans 3,4, and 5.
Circular for The Warwick Club21 St. George's Square, S.W.
A residential club for ladies
Two references
25/ per Week (I believe that means 25 shillings, just over $10 Canadian then.)
Club consists of eight houses, addresses given.
Two more are married quarters where friends may be received.
Circular for Warwick Club, page 2All the terms 4/ per day, exact costs of meals, showers, coals
Circular for Warwick Club, page 3Application form to join, not filled in.
Quite a good dinner.
Describes studying for exams, dentist, long walk, A.B.C. for lunch
Loves Trafalgar Square, found Garrick Theatre and had to go in despite
"one shilling in my pocket, one pound in my stocking".
Seized with desire to see show "The Rainbow's End - at the End of the Rainbow"
Cost five shillings, loved it - child performers ("darlings")
Music by Roger Quitter was so good.
And then to come out into dusky grey London, muffled lights in the streets,
and searchlights playing across the sky - oh Dear!
Window shopping in London for everybody, wishing for a million dollars.
"I love London, even by myself" most loved thing isn't Parliament or Abbey
or narrow little streets...
Also isn't Hyde Park or Aristo squares, or West End shopping or the Embankment.
It's Trafalgar Square - many reasons: love the Column and lions,
But biggest reason is all the Canadian signs for our governments, CPR, etc.
Trafalgar Square also covered with big maps of Canada, Canadian recruiting
posters, rolls of honour.
Last night, watched in Charing Cross station as trains of wounded were put
into ambulances and taxis. "A sickening display", since new soldiers had
to stand and watch the men before them coming home as "wrecks".
"However, let's be cheerful at all costs".
Theatre with Frank Godfrey tonight,
lunch with Florence on Monday (would be January 24, 1916 - just five weeks before her death, 29 February)
New suit, navy gabardine, simple. Clothing she brought is wearing out.
Lunch with Florence and Nora last Monday (January 24, 1916),
Got "Enteric innoculation all over" no sickness.
Visiting Gladys (Mrs. Bruce Conybeare) a lot, in Middlesex Hospital
Not possible as Western Hospital, "It's a fever hospital"
Going home to Cambridge for a month.
Bruce is in Ireland with 10th East Surrey Regiment
No. 7, Y.O.C.
Moore Park
Kelworth
Co. Cork
Ireland
"Walter Ross asked me how I learned to talk English"
[Name of father of Jack Ross ]
PS Barney has a commission in the RFA
Not going to Egypt soon, temporary post
Jobs may be paid or unpaid, ticked "either" on form.
Expects to have few expenses.
Oly leaving for front again, won't be in trenches until 10th.
Called on Frances Winslow at Canadian Red Cross office
Up to date on Lethbridge and N. Battleford from papers sent.
"Dad tells me about Bosh" with Bosh circled in red pencil with "MY DOG"
below. (Still not sure who did the red pencil, even with "MY" there. Many
of the red marks seem unclear about her life. My dad or aunt?)
"Did you see that story in Punch" both ends reading same magazines!
Joyce Hutton gone to France as masseuse, Frances Winslow is doing same.
"Just now Frances has been working at the Candian Red Cross ith a lot of
well-off Montreal girls - it's all voluntary work".
(NB: This, and her own unpaid work, previous page, indicate how the wealthy were still contributing to war, back then...)
Reverend James Conybeare has gone to Nottingham where he is Dean, or something.
Will probably become a Bishop.
Discussion of Canon(?) McMillan insisting on going to war with 25th Battery,
which did not go as a unit.
Mother may see Percy Belcher in Edmonton to learn how Gladys ("new daughter-in-law") looks. Percy, Ethel, Gladys and Bruce all had dinner.
Gladys should not go back to nursing again after "breakdown". "You need the
toughness of a young rhinoceros to be a nurse..."
Chiding people for not having written, mainly Aileen Bunting
Also (sister) Elaine Fisher, "the Davidsons and McArthurs" and Donald Duff.
PS: knew Monaghan had enlisted, we correspond, he's still in Brandon
Appalling about Parliament Buildings. Discussion of how that happened.
"the silver-tongued R.B. I presume, is quite safe"
Decided she must see a few shows while in London, or would kick herself.
This afternoon spent seeing Peter Pan at the New Theatre.
Golden opportunity to be in London and not tied up at a hospital.
Tried seeing it from the pit, was happy to find the people there were nice.
Took Home Nursing course at Westminster Divisional Headquarters, which
is her father's old Westminster School playing field.
School field now used by soldiers for football games.
1916 February 6
Went to church on Sunday (today, Feb 6) at St. Paul's, loved it.
Loved that you come and go at will.
Likes that you can move out of earshot of a boring sermon at St. Paul's.
Loved the building and music, too.
Went with Frances Winslow, working with Canadian Red Cross
Lunched at "Les Gobelins".
Saw Gladys Conybeare at Western Hospital, "a fiendishly nerve-wracking place
where everything seems to be labelled "Scarlet Fever" or "Diptheria".
Were made nervous by requirement to don gowns and caps (not masks!)
before visiting, though not an infectious ward.
February 5, had tea with Barney at the Criterion, then a "picture show",
working hard at his "O.T.C."
PS: Saw "Eskimo Dogs" at movie, one looked like her "Bosh" pet at home.
Ends with florid sign-off and tiny cartoon of a fish.
This page is just half-filled, with pasted in photographsof Bruce Henry Attwood Conybeare (best picture of him so far),
Gladys Conybeare, and the two of them together, with
"Bruce and Gladys in Ireland" noted by Ethel.
(Scanned at 300 dpi resolution, better than the original photos had.)
On duty since Friday morning (February 11) and there isn't enough work
for even her half-day schedule - though was called saying they were short-handed.
Explains it is a private house of the Bouwen Family, that Mrs. Bouwen had turned over much of her house to be a hospital, is paying much of the costs, and her daughter, Miss Bouwen, is performing much of the management.
There is currently an internet page devoted to this hospital, at:
http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/oldnews/wo-1916-june-VAD-hospital-Boxmoor.htm
A copy is stored here, with the diary.
Discussion of the staffing of the hospital. There are several staff,
and Ethel believes "two efficient women" could manage it all.
Boxmoor House Hospital, Boxmoor, Hertfordshire, 1916 February 13Trying night duty, the only hard work they have.
Praise that the Red Cross has ditched the "Sister Dora Cap", has a new,
better look. A small cartoon of her new look is beside the text.
Boxmoor House Hospital, Boxmoor, Hertfordshire, 1916 February 13A second cartoon of her cap and uniform is shown beside descriptions
of the look.
Has been several walks around the "pretty country". She lives in the
house with another V.A.D. nurse; wouldn't have come if she had to board
out because she couldn't afford it. (All positions seem to be unpaid, staffed
by richer families.)
Discussion of how wealthy the Bouwens must be to pay to feed 20 patients
and several staff. Compliments on the free food and open larder.
Happy with this assignment, at least for a while. It's a "haunted house" with
various stories she doesn't believe.
Took First Aid and Home Nursing exams in "town" on the 21st.
Got money from bank, a non-trivial bit of work.
Barney had to skip post-exam tea party, ordered him to France.
Met Barney's cousins instead, stayed overnight, they are a musical
family and she hopes to know them better.
Mentions "Mrs. Mockridge", I believe "Barney" is "Barney Mockridge"(?)
Whole family have good singing voices and are in music when civilian.
Being around Mockridge family made her long to be in music again.
More stories of Boxmoor House being "haunted" and having a lot of
odd staff superstitions, led by Mr. Bouwens believing she's psychic.
Various ghost stories.
Has learned the Bouwens are paid by the state, 3 shillings per day
for every soldier, and the staff are paying them, 10 shillings/week for
board, about the same as Warwick House. Still, they are doing a lot, not to
belittle.
Admires the Mockridge girls spending 1 pound, 7 shillings, 6 pence on
12 lessons of a an hour each in how to run motorcars, so they can get
war work. Wants that course herself.
Going with roommate, Miss Spencer Smith, to see Doris Keane in "Romance"
for February 14 matinee.
PS Annoyed by watch costing more to fix than to buy.
Discussion of allowances needed, fees to be paid - 12 guineas.
Living on very little, basically.
Doing better at night duty than the "rest of these amateur nurses".
The first is a group shot of the patients and staff, not including Ethel.
The second is one older nurse, very likely the head nurse. "Sister Blackmore"
mentioned on the Internet page for the Boxmoor Hospital,
( copy here), with the diary.
The third is probably Ethel and her roommate, but is too damaged by time to tell.
A tweaked version of the top photo from scan 42, the Boxmoor Hospitalstaff and patients. Also at 300 dpi. Nobody is identified in the text.
300 dpi rescan of lower-left photo on scan 042.Not labelled, but from other photos, this is "Matron",
Sister Blackmore.
Feels she should be doing the hard job (night) as she's one of two
not paying board. Night is a few hours work over 12 hours, cleaning,
dishes, set up breakfast and then "Florence Nightingale around the
wards with a candle about once an hour". (The famous nurse is already
a verb in 1916.)
Three are scanned at higher dpi on next three scans.
Top is group shot of patients and staff, only Sister Blackmore (presumed)
is recognizable.
Lower left is annotated "Miss Latour Sister - sitting. Ranny, the dog,
Me, with Red Cross"
Lower right is the same group.
At bottom a picture of a twoRed Cross nurses, and another staffer;
it was too damaged to bother scanning at higher resolution.
Top picture from scan 44, rescanned at 300 dpi.Group picture of 8 women in front of a wooden gate, is almost certainly the
snapshot mentioned on Scans 059 and 060:
"In the large group by the gate...your humble servant...talking...on one side of me, the Sister [presumed "Blackmore"], on the other Miss George [with] different headgear. Miss Gladstone with white apron and cap; Miss Spencer-Smith with hair parted and a pleasant expression, Miss Macdonald, sweet and pretty, Miss Nickson, the artist-maid. The group of two is Miss Macdonald and Miss Spencer-Smith."
Working from that, I believe the eight, left-to-right, are:
Miss Bouwen, Miss George with Croix Rouge Francois, Ethel Conybeare, Sister Blackmore, Miss Gladstone, Miss Macdonald, Miss Spencer-Smith, Miss Nickson.
Descriptions of all of them continue on scan 060.
Lower left photo in scan 42, rescanned at 600 dpi.Photo with annotation, "Miss Latour sister - sitting", presumably at lower
right with "Ranny - the dog".
And "Me, with Red Cross" is the figure in upper right of the photo.
(600 dpi caused some artifacts, I think from being a higher resolution than
the original photograph.)
Scan of lower-right photo from scan 42. Rescanned at 600 dpi.Lower left person is again presumed "Sister Blackmore" the head nurse.
The upper-left and perhaps upper-right figures are also perhaps
registered nurses. The two Red Cross nurses are not Ethel, nobody
is identified. Except the dog. Ranny.
Snow all week, hard to keep the men amused.
Pictures of staff sent along, for pasting in (this very) book, gathers
that Mother is starting work on it. (The notes in the book, red pencil, etc,
may indeed be Ethel, adding to it after she found it at home, years later.)
Gathered pussy-willows to send to Mockridge family in London.
600 dpi rescan of top photo from scan 46Hospital patients in beds set up outside, with a nurse smiling at the camera.
600 dpi rescan of photo from scan 046Four men, presumed patients, in regular clothes, at an outdoor table
playing cards.
600 dpi rescan from scan 046Three presumed hospital patients at Boxmoor
Two officers in greatcoats, one enlisted (I think) in a cloth cap like the nurses.
600 dpi rescan of from scan 47Six presumed hospital patients at Boxmoor, in uniform, one with officer's hat.
One woman in dark mufti, not apparently a nurse.
600 dpi rescan of scan 47Eight presumed Boxmoor patients, at same card table as used by
four men in scan 46.z2. I believe at least two of the men are
the same as the playing-cards picture.
600 dpi rescan of photo on scan 47Fourteen presumed Boxmoor patients, with presumed Sister Blackmore in the middle.
Several are the same men from previous pictures on scans 46 and 47.
Current assets are one penny stamp, one return ticket to London, and
4.5 cents. Needs to hit London and Bank of Montreal for cash.
Written in wee hours as she struggles to stay awake, all asleep but her.
a friend.
600 dpi rescan of top left photo on scan 49Ethel Conybeare, in Red Cross Nurse uniform, beside a tree.
600 dpi rescan of top right photo on scan 49Ethel Conybeare, in Red Cross Nurse uniform, beside a tree - other side
from previous photo. None of them have her in her glasses.
600 dpi rescan of bottom photo on scan 49Ethel Conybeare, in Red Cross Nurse uniform, with a female companion
in mufti, not identified.
Condolences to Hugh, son of "Mrs. McCullough", presumably deceased.
(nearby, Florence Annie Conybeare also died this date.)
Pleads she cannot write letters to all, just one to family.
Have only written to Mother twice, once for birthday.
One to "Aunt Clare", a relative never mentioned before or since.
Describes a picture enclosed, may be scan 044.z1, because it
mentions five women in a row: Sister Blackmore, Miss Bouwers, and
"Miss Nickson, an artist", along with some of the men.
Continues description of photograph that may be 044.z1: two more women.
Miss Seaton, a violinist who had to flee Germany when war broke out,
with "An English Girl's Experiences in Hostile Germany", by Mary Littlejohn,
is her account of it. The fifth woman is Miss Gladstone, kitchen maid
and "descendant of the G.O.M".
Stuck in book is a two-cent stamp, one cent stamp with a one-cent tax
added. Begins story about "Chappelowe", in German hospital, getting
leg amputated.
600 dpi rescan of stamp mentioned on scan 53.Canada Postage, Two Cents, with "1Tcentsign" below the King's portrait to
indicate the war tax.
Finishes Chappelowe's story from Germany: crying over his amputated leg, he
is given sympathy by the Scotsman in the next bed - only to find later that
man lost both legs.
Suggestions for naming of "new little Fisher", son of Elaine her husband Mr. Fisher, eventually named Crawford. (Nice guy who put me up for a night in 1977, with his wife, Doris, and son Paul Fisher. Never saw any of them again.)
Boxmoor House Hospital, Boxmoor Hertfordshire, 1916 February 29More about naming.
Charlie Conybeare is home from the Dardanelles to take training, has
won a French Croix Militaire.
1916 March 2
Today the National Service bill applies, and she sketches out what the signs
are saying on streets:
Single Men!
Will You
MARCH TOO,
or will you wait till
March 2?
Speculates about press-gangs in London.
Mentions roommate is "Miss Spencer-Smith" and this may identify woman in
scan 049.z2.
Men in hospital writing letters to papers against drafting
conscientious objectors, as they don't want them.
Shocked by death of Annie Florence Conybeare.
"She died of gastritis and septic poisoning - being rather run down" by work.
(This may allow an update of A.F. Conybeare's Wikipedia page, which mentions
a "long illness" that is not supported by this diary, as Florence was
going on outings the previous month.)
Continues description of funeral of Annie Florence Conybeare.
Augustus looked quite ill; Grant Conybeare was there. Ethel
knew only a few people there, from Florence's household.
"there were a great many rather Semitic looking people".
Depressing lunch with Frank Godfrey, visited Westminster Hospital,
caught a cold. Generally awful day.
[Link to: The Royal Chapel of the
Savoy, where the service was held.]
Put in bed in hospital because of "grippe". Describes a snapshot, which I
believe is the one scanned as 044.z1 - the text there uses this page and
the next to identify the eight women.
Continues description of snapshot 044.z1.
Goes into nicknames given to some of the women, if not full names (frustrating).
Her own nickname is "Gay Tom Tit" because she's cheeky and perky and
picks up a guitar to play, a lot.
Does not like new pen nib (neither do her readers...)
March 9
Still sick, but feeling better by the day.
"interesting to be an invalid and be doped with quinine" (I think)
Also on cough mix and some kind of powders, eating bovril and barley water
"starving the fever!"
Keeps relapsing.
Relates propaganda poem about Kaiser and the Devil
Still has cold, mustard plaster on chest, looking awful.
Wing Ward, Boxmoor Hertfordshire, 1916 March 12Attended by doctor, nearly got "an extra large dose" because she had
on big slippers and looked "such a big girl".
Needs a few more days in bed, on liquids, relates bill-of-fare
Doctor called it "good old British working-man's bronchitis".
Relates cute story about British officer with monocle irritating Australians
but winning them over.
Jokes about medical term; about new nurses not knowing procedures.
"A nice letter from Oly yesterday - his battalion has changed its frontage...
on a reserve line, where he has a comfortable dugout with a table, two chairs,
a brick fireplace, a wooden floor, and [some] roof..."
Oly inspects his men and reads by his fire in bedroom slippers all day.
"Barney" still has no address, conducting 40 men hither and thither.
Reveals she came close to pneumonia, Sister was a bit anxious, but now
she has recovered.
Should have mentioned Uncle Crawford's death. (Not related to WW1.)
[This may be why the "new baby" back home was named Crawford Fisher..]
After a drought of letters, now an orgy of many. Some later ones arriving
before those posted earlier. Enclosing a clipping [this would be scans 076 and 077]. Mentions Eric Reid, Dorothy Reid's brother, has earned a commission and
a Military Cross, but has been injured at football, possibly crippled.
Thanks for pictures of Bosh, her dog, more than for the niece.
Discussion of photos to go in book.
Discussion of sister Elaine getting "Victoria", a relative, as a nurse,
better than a professional.
Discussion of some mistake brother Bruce had made, got in trouble - his
hut with kit burned down while he was visiting his wife in Ireland.
March 19
Made it out for a small walk.
Tales of a walk with their donkey.
Gladys home address: York House, Hartingdon Grove, Cambridge.
"...Dad not liking winters in Lethbridge, but I bet he wouldn't last
one English winter - beastly damp things".
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 March 19Describes dog there who resembles her own "Bosh" and how
illness made her homesick.
Bottom third of page is pasted-in newspaper article. From "The Daily Chronicle",
Special Correspondent, Philip Gibbs.
Dateline is "BRITISH HEADQUARTERS, Jan 25", headline is "Canadian's Fine Exploits", "When the West Comes East", "The spirit of the Trapper in the Trenches".
Clearly a heroic propaganda article about Canadian prowess.
Finishes the pasted-in newspaper story by Philip Gibbs started on previousscan. Canadians are praised for their patient sniping, their creativity,
the keeping of chickens for eggs in the trenches.
This is the first of five scans that are of half-length pages pasted into
the binding of the book. Four sheets of 150mm-long, translucent "onionskin"
paper that were all one letter; only the sixth sheet has anything on the
back, a pasted-in photograph.
"A short note" that she is better, can't leave, Oakfield Park is closed as
"Augustus [C.A.V. Conybeare, Florence's widower] has returned to teaching at Canterbury"
Boxmoor Hospital, 1916 March 26Photograph of diary, showing inserted onionskin half-pages, and
previous page with pasted-in newspaper story.
Page 2 of half-length onionskin letter pages
"Brogueswood is without coal or wood", "Platway is out of the question
just now". (From Vol II, I know "Platway" was the home of "Uncle Crawford",
who also just died, mentioned on scan 070 of this volume.
Page 3 of half-length onionskin pages
Story of being joked at by a soldier, a dumb joke.
Page 4 of half-length onionskin
Mrs. Bouwens treating her like a guest, her own room "have a fire every night - it is the haunted room of the home"
Boxmoor Hospital, 1916 March 26Back of fourth onionskin half-length pages, pasted-on 100mm-square
photograph of three "Red Cross Nurses" and two registered nurses,
smiling at the sundial in the yard of Boxmoor. At right, the Sister
in charge, Sister Blackmore. In centre, looking at camera through the
sundial, Ethel Conybeare.
Snapshots taken, will send. (These are probably the ones coming up in about
20 pages).
Back on night-duty. More interesting, have T.B. men who sleep outside and
have to be visited frequently. (Shown in Scan 046.z1; dpulicate of that photo appears later, with "Conybeare" below, the nurse in
it is presumably Ethel.)
T.B. patients kept outside garage, "where a long glass roof keeps off the rain",
and require some nursing, unlike other patients there.
Sister Blackmore asked a military doctor to send more "interesting" patients
that needed wound dressings. Mrs. Bouwens shocked at horrid idea.
Nurses are appreciated by lady on train; enclosing some "poems" that
show up in a few pages. One poet "Baby Macdonald" not a big success at
nursing; surprised at talent for rhyme.
Sister is lecturing, providing nursing books; Ethel thinking seriously
of becoming surgical nurse. Will take years; right now wants V.A.D.
experience (Voluntary Aid Detachment) for six months.
After V.A.O. would like to take 6 month massage course. Would like to
learn to drive and repair motorcars. Better to take professional course.
Plans may not pass as Mrs. Bouwen psychically predicted she would soon
be married by surprise. (War records indicate my grandparents married
on December 19, 1917, about 21 months later.)
Been without money for a month, needs to visit London, also for "oculist"
as she's getting eyestrain with 4-year-old glasses. Describes visit to
garden with "Col. Ryder" and "a couple of Tommies".
Full description of gardens at a nearby house named "Ashridge" also hosting
a small hospital.
More description of Ashridge gardens.
Description of all the trees at Ashridge, the design creating vistas.
But, there had been a big storm.
The big storm took out some 2000 trees at Ashridge, thousands more in
area - shallow roots; notes that Lethbridge may be dry, but the
trees go deep and are windstorm-proof.
New page April 11, 1916
Going to London for money, must skip oculist for now as may get
bad prescription when "Run down" according to doctor. On health
regimen with iron pills. Was glad to have lunch with "real people", i.e.
friends she knows.
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsPasted-in sheet with song lyrics in pencil, and "Baby's Morris Dance!"
at the top, with "Baby McDonald" penciled beside that. The poem
by the short-term older nurse mentioned on previous pages.
Second page of lyrics to "Baby's Morris Dance".
Basically a complaint about hours of kitchen drudgery.
page 3 of "Baby's Morris Dance" lyrics.
Added page with "K. Seaton" at the bottom, possibly "Irene Seaton" shown
on scan 103. Title "The Runny-Bunnies Hymn", with later-added pen
"to be sung to the tune of 'We are but the little children weak'"
(The "Runny-Bunnies" are mentioned in text as the kitchen/cleaning staff
who are not even "Red Cross Nurses") First line:
"We are but the Runny-bunnies meek, not born to nurses proud estates.."
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsPasted-in cardboard post card, apparently intended to need no censoring.
The soldier checked off one of five messages ("well", "sick", "sent to hospital", etc) and could tick a box for "I received your letter". A message
says any added sentence will cause the postcard to be destroyed", in boldface.
This one is from J.A. Ross, 2/3/16. (He was well.)
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsscanned at 300 dpi.
Two pasted-in commercial postcards, the top black-and-white, the bottom
sepia. On top "Grave of Robert Snooks, Highwayman, Boxmoor";
on bottom "London Road, Boxmoor", a public house with horsecarts out front.
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsscanned at 300 dpi.
Two commercial postcards pasted-in. On top, a colour Union Jack flag
with a black-ink line drawing of a lion's head and mane. When you
look at the lines that make up the mane, they also spell (a bit like those
words supposedly in ice-cubes with "subliminal" messages) the names
"Canada", "India", "Australia", "New Zealand" and "African Colonies". At lower
left, Gothic lettering "The Glory of a Lion is his Mane". [My great-grandfather's poetry books make clear that he was very proud of being a colonist of
the great British Empire; his daughter seems to share the view.]
The lower postcard is a black and white photo titled "Felden Lane, Boxmoor".
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsScanned at 300 dpi
Two commercial black-and-white postcards:
"St John's Road, Boxmoor"
"The Moor, Boxmoor"
Scanned at 300 dpi
Four photographs, three seem to be duplicates from scan 046.
Ethel Conybeare posing by a tree, and standing near another,
outdoors at Boxmoore House, in her Red Cross Nurse uniform.
Lower left, a lady in white apron with a broom, with "Irene Seaton"
added later in red pencil. Lower right, a repeat of 046.z1, the
picture of the T.B. patients in beds outside. This one has "Conybeare"
at bottom, indicating Ethel Conybeare is the nurse in the photo.
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 7 - additionsScanned at 600 dpi
Another repeat of the lower-right photo on scan 103, and the same
photo as 046.z1. A nurse (label indicates "Conybeare", and at 600dpi I can
confirm it is her) stands behind three beds, with male patients,
that have been moved outside, under a tree.
Text indicates this is how they handled Tuberculosis patients.
Scanned at 300 dpi
Two black-and-white postcards, titles
"Moor and Canal, Boxmoor" and "Fishery Road, Boxmoor".
Start of new letter. Tells of going out to "play soldiers", a picnic
with her roommate Miss Horsman, where they pretended to hide in foxholes
and throw grenades.
Continued their game right to the house.
game annoyed the "coachman", Herd, the nurses thought it all funny.
1916 April 20
Staff fluctuations are extreme, either too many or few.
[This reader suspects this barely-a-hospital is used as a "parking place" for
staff being moved where needed.]
Getting into London more often - saw "Tiger's Cub", starring Basil King and
Madge Titheradage at the Garrick. Best thing were Husky dogs in the production
brought out unwillingly to help collect for the Red Cross, between acts.
Hope to "go on spree together" with Oly, coming for his second leave.
Hears "George" has applied to American flying school.
Another excitement is Chappelowe, very fed up with his current care-place,
still cannot stand on remaining leg.
Ethel has spoken to Miss Bouwens, wrote letter, hoping to get him a place
at Boxmoor. Not easy, they only normally take from one hospital.
"He's had enough military discipline, and there isn't any here".
Requests no birthday presents, as she may need the money for clothes
and equipment that are required when she gets a placement.
[Just have to insert a comment here: this letter comes 3 days after women
in Alberta got the vote. Not mentioned! Even though she just lost her
friend who was a famous suffragette. Huh.]
Left Ted Conybeare's death to the end, just saw him on casualty list, poor
Aunt Amy. This is NOT the "Cousin Edward" who gave them a tour in Volume 2, scan 020, back in 1910.
That was John William Edward Conybeare 1843-1931,
not Edward Bruce Conybeare, 1893-1916.
["Aunt Amy" was the widow of "Uncle Crawford", owner of the house
"Platway" mentioned in Vol 2, Scan 008 and Vol 4, Scan 091. The
War records for Ted and his brother indicate their parents names,
see scan 124.]
Great weather, out at every chance. Flowers wonderful, woods perfect.
Describes walk along lanes, listening to silly cuckoos - letter includes
a bar of music they sing, just eighth-notes, Middle-E, Middle-C, "ceaseless".
Been to London twice, saw Chappelow. [Just tried many spellings again at
Canada's War Records; nothing.]
Chappelow got a furlough and a placement in a convalescent home, thanks
to her "meddling". The sister at Bromley home is very nice, likes him,
says he's mostly happy.
Wednesday [1916 April 26] saw Augustus [Charles Augustus Vansittart Conybeare]
for the first time since Florence's funeral. Presented with some of her
clothing, her Red Cross pin, 100 quality cigarettes. Shopping, lunch at
Kensington Palace Gardens. Going to another school nearby, hope to see him.
Ethel and her roommate, Eileen Horsman, got new quarters by walking nearby,
picking a nice house, (the "Clare's") and persuading them to rent their
spare room "by sheer effrontery".
At "Clare's" house, they have big twin beds, a view, morning tea and bread,
and "the worst possible taste" in furnishings; consider it lap of luxury.
This is for the "paltry sum" of 10 shillings/week for both ladies. [NB: this
is just room and tea, not board].
Very worth it for "clean comfortable room...we did not have in the house. It's the same all over, though - the voluntary workers are always badly fed and
badly housed..no one grumbled".
"Isn't this Irish Rebellion appalling...dastardly and treacherous..I wonder
if Bruce has seen anything".
Bet about whether she would wear mourning clothes for Uncle Crawford is
moot, as she wears only uniforms. Getting Red Cross coat and skirt made
at "Debenham and Freebodys"
D&F is cheap, only 52 shillings and of quite nice serge.
Complains about suggested names for Elaine's new son, Bayard Attwood Crawford,
are awful. [I only knew him as "Uncle Crawford", so I guess everybody
used the third one.]
Boxmoor House Hospital 1916 April 30Doctor insists on calling her "Nurse Connie Dear", often skipping the "Nurse".
Hopes Oly will finally appear on leave.
Page has a cartoon of a little stick man in the margin, she comments she
doesn't know why he is there and will make inquiries.
This is the end of that letter, and of Volume 5, save two paste-ins on the
back page and inside back cover.
600 dpi scanLast Page has only a photograph of a man in uniform,with
"Ted Conybeare in Mesopotamia" written in pen, below.
(Seems to be the same nib, though I thought the book was in Canada...)
300 dpi scanInside back cover has newspaper story about Ted Conybeare as a
minor hero a year earlier at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in France,
directing mortar fire, won the Military Cross in March 1915.
The newspaper name or date is not shown, the illustration by "F.E.Hiley".
The Lieutenant made Captain before his death.
I found a record for him: Edward Bruce Conybeare died 5 April 1916
age 23, born in India. (Volume II, scan 004 describes "Platway" as
filled with Indian ornaments from Uncle Crawford's time there.)
He is buried at the Basra Memorial, Iraq, near where Britain again
lost 11 men, exactly 87 years after his death, first week of April, 2003.
The record for his older brother, lost January 1915. Aunt Amy Maxwell Broadhurst lost both sons and her husband in 15 months, leaving 3 daughters.