 |
Camp in Rockhamton |
Today I was relieved from the admitting office and put on surgery. I will have the Dispensary and a clean surgery ward [a ward with patients not suffering from "dirty" (infected, such as gut wounds) wounds so infections wouldn't be spread unnecessarily]. Hope I'll get to do some surgery.
January 27, 1944
I heard that [Maj. Omer C.]Rathman and [Capt. Irwin I.] Schatz are on their way back to the States because of disabilities (?). Lucky dogs, no matter what.
January 31, 1944
Maybe this is the beginning of the rainy season. Temp. this morning is 71° and humidity 50. Census runs about 300.
We received 2 new nurses and physiotherapist.
24th Division is leaving for somewhere up north. 24th Portable left us and are now on hosp. train duty. 16th is going with 24th Division.
February 25, 1944
The passing parade goes on and we stay here. The 24th Division is just about all gone, and part of the 41st is getting ready. We hear an occasional rumor that we may be assigned to the 6th Army and move up north. But nothing really exciting. My work on surgery continues to be very light. No really rainy season. Now it is getting hot again.
February 29, 1944
2 days ago, Sunday, I took a prisoner patient with Cpl. Barnes as attendant, to the 105th Gen'l at Brisbane (the 2nd Howard Unit). I borrowed [2nd Lt. Medical Administrative Corps] Klockner's gun, for I had to be armed! The prisoner was a psychotic with suicidal tendencies. We went down in a C-47. I had to wait at the Archer Field Airport [Archerfield Airfield] for 3 hours to take us the 50 miles out to Gatton [Gatton Agricultural College campus was the location of the 105th General Hospital where many of the psychological cases were taken].
I saw [Lt. Roy A. L.] Swanson and Miss Risby. He still doesn't know what will be done with him. He's working there at present. Miss Risby thinks she may go north to a small psychiatric hosp., of which there are to be 3. I stayed there overnight. Next morning we rode the pay car into Ipswich and took a train from there to Brisbane. I was assigned a billet at Albert Hotel, across from the City Hall. I bought 3 kangaroo skins for about 13/ each, but they were very thin.
At the American Center I saw a familiar face - it turned out to be Major Walter Neely, who was in my freshman class at Elmhurst [College] and whom I haven't seen for 15 years. I recognized his drawl, too, since he's from Asrkansas. He's in the Inspector General's Dept. We had quite a talk.
I called Bob Young (of the 24th Portable) to deliver a message, and he invited me to dinner at the Gregory Terrace Officers' Club.
I had to get up at 3:15 [A.M.], and a car was waiting to take me to the field where we left at 5. It took just 2 hours - a nice trip. I slept a good part of the way. (Back by Aussie plane.)
March 1, 1944
At 3 P.M. we had word to stop receiving patients and to get ready to unload what we have. Will this be another dry run?
March 3, 1944
! End of month we'll leave?
March 4, 1944
Packing and lots of rushing.
March 5, 1944
Everything being "combat packed". Beachhead? Admiralties?
March 6, 1944
We seem to be picking up speed. First we had until the end of the month to get ready. Now we're supposed to do it by the end of this week! The last of our patients go out by noon tomorrow. I worked the hardest today that I have for a long time. From 8 until 5, with about 20 minuets for lunch getting the dispensary fixed. We have 4 MD [medical dispensary] chests.
All this and I can't breath a word to Beth. In a way, I'm glad she doesn't know what outfit we are to support or where we're going, because news of a "bad go" would only worry. Now at least she doesn't know what to be afraid of! I only wish I could let her know not to expect much mail. I supposed that after none of the wives hear for about a week they'll compare notes and know what it means.
We are doing everything "combat pack". We may be getting ready for a beachhead landing. The 29th Evac. Hosp., an outfit just like ours, had a tough time in New Britain. They landed in the 12th wave (we heard!). After they were set up a bomb or mortar shell landed on a surgical tent and killed a number of officers and men. Their perimeter was 300 yds!
Maybe we'll follow in on the Admiralty Islands! That would be a fairly hot spot! The way things are going, we may be on the ocean a week from tonight! And we may still be sitting here next month.
We've handled almost 8000 patients since we set up here [in seven months 7,466]! A lot of stuff.
If we make a beachhead landing, my dispensary is to be minor surgery - maybe under some tree! Sounds interesting! I'll be interested to see my own reactions under shell fire!
I'm thinking of Beth more than ever, these days. She'll soom be going back to Trinidad [Colorado]. I wonder if I'll be there with her next spring? Hope so.
March 7, 1944
More packing of the dispensary. Hiram and I gave everyone cholera shots yesterday. But seems now that the nurses aren't going with us - at present at least.
The general packing goes on for about 18 hours a day.
Last night George and I walked straight down the road to the river - about 2 miles. We met an interesting old fellow, who lived there for 65 years! His dog he called Woombly, Black fellow [Aborigine] for dog. This old gent was a commercial hunter and fisherman. He made some comment about youngsters going barefoot "as soon as they're out of the pouch!"
March 8, 1944
George and I went hiking.
March 10, 1944
Last evening the nurses left, bag and baggage, for Brisbane. When we'll see them again (or rather when they'll see us!) nobody knows. It seems that we are to take their furniture, so maybe we won't be going to such a bad place. Also, we have our full number of 20 2 1/2 ton trucks and apparently we are to take them with us. So it doesn't look as though we'll do any beachhead stuff. Just about everything is packed. I can't decide what to do with my blouse and pinks [Class A or service dress uniform] - store here or send back to Beth to store! Whatever I do will probably be the wrong thing later. ...
March 11, 1944
b.jpg) |
| Looking toward Rockhampton from the Mt. Archer Pathway |
March 13, 1944
Is this good! This morning I was going thru some things and discarding. I looked at the horoscope Beth sent me for my birthday as a joke. It says for March that I should avoid travel and danger! And me bound for up north!
Another 6 mile hike today, in the hot sun! I have a pesky little head cold.
Gene now writes one of those difficult, don't-divulge-anything letters
13 March '44
Dear Folks [Mary X and John],
Thanks so much for the [photographic] exposure guide and letter. It came today. I haven't had a chance to study the guide as yet, but it appears to be quite ingenious and comprehensive. And the calendar is just right.
The News Capsules came a few days ago and I enjoyed them very much. Thanks! Jack's V-mail came the same day.
And National Geographic - Jan. and Feb. came about 10 days ago. I don't believe that any one in the outfit has them, so they will pass through a great many hands and be enjoyed by all!
I'm getting along very well, except for a nasty little head cold that seems to have caught me a few days ago. But I don't believe it will amount to much.
By the time this reaches you Beth and Mother Ferguson will probably be in Trinidad. I hope they have a good trip.
Things are all quiet and uneventful here [!] and I haven't been doing anything exciting. I'm so glad that the war seems to be moving faster on all fronts.
Again, thanks a lot for everything! I hope you have a nice Spring!
Love, Eugene
March 14, 1944
Another 6 miles this morning. Last cholera shot.
March 15, 1944
Organized athletics this evening instead of hike. First volleyball I've played for 15 years at least! If my Honey could see me now! It doesn't look like we're getting ready for a tea dance! This evening we turned in our helmet liners and suspenders and shelter halves. We were issued: 1) jungle pack 2) machete 3) hammock with roof and mosquito bar [it's a net and bars mosquitoes from entering!] 4) camouflaged helmet liner 5) waterproof clothing sack 6) 6 small waterproof sacks for food, etc. 7) jungle shoes 8) mosquito repellant 9) match safe and compass 10) jungle flashlight 11) fish line and hooks 12) mosquito gloves [army green woolen gloves with knit tops] 13) wool socks, jungle 14) Red Cross Brassard [armband] 15) canned heat.
I promptly named my machete "Excaliber" [sic] although it says nothing on one side and "US Sidney 1943" on the other instead of "Take me" and "Throw me away" [like King Arthur's sword Excalibur, according to legend].
I still feel that if we go into a hot spot, I'll try to accept it philosophically - if my number is up - O.K. If not - that will be fine! Above all, I have an abiding faith in God, and an abiding love for Beth! Please God, I'd rather die than crack up mentally.
Actually, I rather doubt that we will ever use all this stuff. We'll probably go up north somewhere and be a plain old station hospital as we always have.
March 16, 1944
Only 5 miles today. Not bad. My blister still bothers me a bit.
March 17, 1944
More organized athletics tonight - I played volleyball. Lots of fun. Today we saw how the hammock is swung and the jungle pack fixed. It holds: 1 undershirt, 1 underpants, 1 handkerchief, 1 pr. socks, waterproofed bags and bladders, jungle boots, match box, canned heat, flashlight, sheet, mosquito gloves, machete and sheath, raincoat, mosquito headnet, blanket, hammock, mess kit, huck towel [16x32" cotten towel with a honeycomb weave] and toilet articles, and rations! Weighs about 30 to 35 #! I hope we never have to live out of it for long!
March 20, 1944 Rockhampton
Typical! They got us up at 0445, breakfast at 0500, and supposed to start on a loading detail at 0530. But nothing stirring until about 0615. Anyway, I sit around with the hot water bottle on my axillary abcess which Niemeyer opened last evening. They loaded our freight and shipped it to Gladstone with a guard detail.
March 21, 1944
Our trucks went down this morning. We were to leave today, but won't. So we'll sit, again. I washed a sheet, pillowcase, coveralls and socks this morning. Mended a hole in my mosquito net.
March 22, 1944
We expected to be here for several days. George went fishing. At 1100 they told us to pack hand luggage and bed rolls by 1400. I had to do up George's stuff and we couldn't locate him. We'll leave about 0400 - maybe.
March 23, 1944
 |
| Rockhampton train |
They are obviously going to nearer the fighting because the nurses aren't coming with them, but where? Admiralty Islands? Aitape? Wewak? Hollandia? Biak? Tune in tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment