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told. UShile the peine didn’t "bother me en I was lying down,, except vhen I tried once to turn on to my right side. Never thought I’d get heck again,- Fritzie’ s bombing planes did. They were over in droves £hat night and some of them were dropping altogether too close for comfort, I can standshel 1 ing, hut I sure do hatethose blasted bombs.
In the morning I asked Rich to speak to the S.M. and have the M.O, examine me. As the pain was in the right side I had a hunch that it was appendicitis. Cushy came over and examined me, diagnosedrry case as pleurisy, and ordered me to be evacuated to C.C.S. With such a. rush on I had visions right away of making Blighty, and he was of the same opinion. As none of our cars could be spared he suggested that I flag a lorry and go down to the M.D.S. to be sent on from there to C.C.S. I wasn’t particular hew I reached there, just so long as I did, so I agreed with him that it was the best method. Had Sammy bring me my pack, went through it, took out what I thought necessary, and handed the rest over to him. I also emptied my pockets cf the souvenirs I had been toting around and asked him to ma.il them to you. Knowing the thieving proclivities of these R.A.M.C. "base wallahs" I wasn’t taking any chances. Some collection of junk, isn’t it? .You see I’m presuming that it reached you safely.
Sammy came outtothe road with me, and waited till a. lorry came along. Bid him goodbye, hopped on the .front seat, and rode in style down to the M.B.S, Bumped into Jimmy Stewart down there and chatted with him a few minutes, before going into the "walking wounded" marquee to have my particulars taken. In ordinary times a fellow with pleurisy would go down a stretcher case, but being wise tothe ways of the medical service in such times, realized that I’d get to a C.C.S. a whole lot faster by going down with the walking wounded on a lorry. It wasn’t a joy ride in that lorry to the C.C.S. by any means, the roads not being in any too good shape, and the driver not being overly careful. Found the C.C.S, to be in the Asylum, They must move as quickly as a field unit in times of stra,fe. Had a bite to eat there, my medical card O.K.’d, and bundled onto an ambulance in no time at all. Another run through Amiens brought us to the station where we were loaded on an ambulance train, and in cue course arrived at No 11 Sta.ty Hospital, Rouen, from which place I dropped you a few lines.
My hopes of making Blighty were dashed to the ground when the M.O,, an American, examined me next morning and entered on my chert, - Pleuricy, slight, right side. Stayed in Rouen 5 days, all spent in bed, -then was shifted down to No 74 GenL Hospital at Trou- ville. Only put in three days there, but that was plenty for me..
The day nurse gave me the "willies", and the ward was almost entirely filled with Imperials, whose eternal squabbles about this regiment and that one etc., etc., got on my nerves. Why a fellow couldn’t sleep in after six in that ward, for at that ungodly hour these Imperials would be up to scrub the floor and wax the linoleum running down the center of the ward,. Some of ’em had beenthere six weeks and
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