TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT JULY 26, 1918 P. 3
Since I wrote you from London I have moved 10 times. We think we are now settled for a while. The place is simply beautiful. It is an old mansion, now being made into a hospital. The grounds around here are covered with fine old green trees, hundreds of years old. Such lovely walks, lakes, etc., fairly full of romance. From my window I can see ships coming and going, for we are right on the bay.
The hospital will be ready for patients in four or five weeks. When everything is completed we will be glad to go to work, I’m sure we’ll be awkward though, for we’ve been so long at leisure.
This place is the country estate of an English nobleman, and has already hundreds of rooms. It has steam heat and all modern conveniences. The grounds have numbers of greenhouses, with beautiful flowers in them. Last Friday night we went to an aviation camp to a dance. The officers were from New York and New Hampshire. They had been here six months, and we were the first American women they had seen. Gee, they showed us a good time. Met a good-looking lieutenant from Boston while there. I rather like him, or, as these people say, “He’s jolly nice.”
We will go to a dance at C(censored) soon. We visited S(censored) last Saturday. It’s the most Americanized place I’ve seen here. Saw some of Uncle Sam’s boys. They sure looked good to us. We had lunch with them, and while there bought some real American records for our Victrola.
Miss French is getting used to life here. She is a good old scout. Did you know Miss Williams of St Luke’s? She’s one of us now. Sometimes thoughts of friends and home so far away come so thick and fast that tears fill these lachrymal lakes of ours, but they’re never shed. My last tears were shed when I crossed the Arkansas River on the train that carried me from you all.
Am black and blue all over today from trying to ride a bicycle. That’s the only means of transportation here, and regardless of bumps and bruises I must learn. I have already torn up three fences and ruined three flower beds. I tore down one fig tree, too. I don’t mind the fig tree, since Eve isn’t wearing them this year.
Went out to the strawberry field this afternoon. Gee, but they grow big. Never saw such berries before.
Haven’t had a letter in two months. Though I know some of you have written me, they have not reached me. O, my! Not until you are half a world away do you know what a letter from home means.
It’s so cold nights I sleep under a blanket, but it is warmer in the day time. Give Dr. and Mrs. Green my love and tell them to write to me sometime. And don’t forget to give my love to the good old U.S.A.
I was in London 10 days. One day I saw the Scottish Highlanders drill. Went to a baseball game, U.S. Marine vs U.S. Navy. The boys play every Saturday, and although the English don’t understand the game, they like to go. The “Crowns” were there in state. We sat near the Royal Box. Princess Pat was there with one of our major generals and the great admiral from America. They are very popular over here—as the Englishman would say, “By jove, that’s jolly right—they should be.” Oh, at the ball game the U.S. Marine Band played “Dixie” and “Over There,” “Under the Flag,” “Sewanee River” and, of course, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Oh, my, how it makes our hearts go pit-a-pat to hear our very own band play our own airs. Sounds just like home.
Pennies count heaps here. You can ride for miles on the penny buses. Don’t see any street cars. They have electric trains that look like little play trains, they are so small. One coach seats only eight persons. They are very fast, though.
United States soldiers are always glad to see us. One who was new over here and didn’t recognize our uniform asked us if we were New York policewomen. Didn’t tell you about the Stuttgart boy we saw. He saluted us and then said, “Hello, America, how’s Arkansas?” And he was tackled to death to discover in us some real Arkansas girls. The United States boys all smile when they see us.
You should see how the Englishman waxes his mustache. Looks as stiff as a bayonet. In London I visited an old church built in 1501, where I saw the statues of kings etc. Went to church last Sunday—an old Episcopal Church, and so different from ours at home. Will close for now. please write, and again, I saw please write, whether you hear from me or not.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Nina Inez Allen to Miss Hetser Harris. She was born on August 4, 1892 in Morrilton, Arkansas and died on June, 1970 in Dade County, Florida. She is buried in the Perryville Cemetery, Perry County, Arkansas. Her gravestone has her death date as June 6, but other records have the date as June 24. She was a Red Cross Army nurse and served in England with Hospital Unit T. She met Lieutenant Evan G. Galbraith, a doctor with the medical department in England and they were married after they both returned to the U.S.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
Since I wrote you from London I have moved 10 times. We think we are now settled for a while. The place is simply beautiful. It is an old mansion, now being made into a hospital. The grounds around here are covered with fine old green trees, hundreds of years old. Such lovely walks, lakes, etc., fairly full of romance. From my window I can see ships coming and going, for we are right on the bay.
The hospital will be ready for patients in four or five weeks. When everything is completed we will be glad to go to work, I’m sure we’ll be awkward though, for we’ve been so long at leisure.
This place is the country estate of an English nobleman, and has already hundreds of rooms. It has steam heat and all modern conveniences. The grounds have numbers of greenhouses, with beautiful flowers in them. Last Friday night we went to an aviation camp to a dance. The officers were from New York and New Hampshire. They had been here six months, and we were the first American women they had seen. Gee, they showed us a good time. Met a good-looking lieutenant from Boston while there. I rather like him, or, as these people say, “He’s jolly nice.”
We will go to a dance at C(censored) soon. We visited S(censored) last Saturday. It’s the most Americanized place I’ve seen here. Saw some of Uncle Sam’s boys. They sure looked good to us. We had lunch with them, and while there bought some real American records for our Victrola.
Miss French is getting used to life here. She is a good old scout. Did you know Miss Williams of St Luke’s? She’s one of us now. Sometimes thoughts of friends and home so far away come so thick and fast that tears fill these lachrymal lakes of ours, but they’re never shed. My last tears were shed when I crossed the Arkansas River on the train that carried me from you all.
Am black and blue all over today from trying to ride a bicycle. That’s the only means of transportation here, and regardless of bumps and bruises I must learn. I have already torn up three fences and ruined three flower beds. I tore down one fig tree, too. I don’t mind the fig tree, since Eve isn’t wearing them this year.
Went out to the strawberry field this afternoon. Gee, but they grow big. Never saw such berries before.
Haven’t had a letter in two months. Though I know some of you have written me, they have not reached me. O, my! Not until you are half a world away do you know what a letter from home means.
It’s so cold nights I sleep under a blanket, but it is warmer in the day time. Give Dr. and Mrs. Green my love and tell them to write to me sometime. And don’t forget to give my love to the good old U.S.A.
I was in London 10 days. One day I saw the Scottish Highlanders drill. Went to a baseball game, U.S. Marine vs U.S. Navy. The boys play every Saturday, and although the English don’t understand the game, they like to go. The “Crowns” were there in state. We sat near the Royal Box. Princess Pat was there with one of our major generals and the great admiral from America. They are very popular over here—as the Englishman would say, “By jove, that’s jolly right—they should be.” Oh, at the ball game the U.S. Marine Band played “Dixie” and “Over There,” “Under the Flag,” “Sewanee River” and, of course, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Oh, my, how it makes our hearts go pit-a-pat to hear our very own band play our own airs. Sounds just like home.
Pennies count heaps here. You can ride for miles on the penny buses. Don’t see any street cars. They have electric trains that look like little play trains, they are so small. One coach seats only eight persons. They are very fast, though.
United States soldiers are always glad to see us. One who was new over here and didn’t recognize our uniform asked us if we were New York policewomen. Didn’t tell you about the Stuttgart boy we saw. He saluted us and then said, “Hello, America, how’s Arkansas?” And he was tackled to death to discover in us some real Arkansas girls. The United States boys all smile when they see us.
You should see how the Englishman waxes his mustache. Looks as stiff as a bayonet. In London I visited an old church built in 1501, where I saw the statues of kings etc. Went to church last Sunday—an old Episcopal Church, and so different from ours at home. Will close for now. please write, and again, I saw please write, whether you hear from me or not.
NOTES: This partial letter was written by Nina Inez Allen to Miss Hetser Harris. She was born on August 4, 1892 in Morrilton, Arkansas and died on June, 1970 in Dade County, Florida. She is buried in the Perryville Cemetery, Perry County, Arkansas. Her gravestone has her death date as June 6, but other records have the date as June 24. She was a Red Cross Army nurse and served in England with Hospital Unit T. She met Lieutenant Evan G. Galbraith, a doctor with the medical department in England and they were married after they both returned to the U.S.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT