Fanny Goes to War | Page 2

Director Medical Services, First Army, July 1917 to
April 1919._
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. IN CAMP BEFORE THE WAR 1
II. FIRST IMPRESSIONS 11
III. THE JOURNEY UP TO THE FRONT 19
IV. BEHIND THE TRENCHES 27
V. IN THE TRENCHES 35
VI. THE TYPHOID WARDS 41
VII. THE ZEPPELIN RAID 49
VIII. CONCERNING BATHS, "JOLIE-ANNETTE,"
"MARIE-MARGOT" AND ST. INGLEVERT 59
IX. TYPHOIDS AGAIN, AND PARIS IN 1915. 70
X. CONCERNING A CONCERT, CANTEEN WORK,
HOUSEKEEPING, THE ENGLISH CONVOY, AND GOOD-BYE,
LAMARCK. 88
XI. THE ENGLISH CONVOY 111
XII. THE PASSING OF THE LITTLE LORRY, "OLD BILL" AND

"'ERB" AT AUDRICQ 129
XIII. CONVOY LIFE 152
XIV. CHRISTMAS, 1916 176
XV. CONVOY PETS, COMMANDEERING, AND THE
"FANTASTIKS" 197
XVI. THE LAST RIDE 216
XVII. HOSPITALS: FRANCE AND ENGLAND 240
XVIII. ROEHAMPTON: "BOB" THE GREY, AND THE
ARMISTICE 267
XIX. AFTER TWO YEARS 283

FANNY GOES TO WAR
CHAPTER I
IN CAMP BEFORE THE WAR
The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry was founded in 1910 and now
numbers roughly about four hundred voluntary members.
It was originally intended to supplement the R.A.M.C. in field work,
stretcher bearing, ambulance driving, etc.--its duties being more or less
embodied in the title.
An essential point was that each member should be able to ride
bareback or otherwise, as much difficulty had been found in
transporting nurses from one place to another on the veldt in the South
African War. Men had often died through lack of attention, as the
country was too rough to permit of anything but a saddle horse to pass.

The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry was on active service soon after War
was declared and, though it is not universally known, they were the
pioneers of all the women's corps subsequently working in France.
Before they had been out very long they were affectionately known as
the F.A.N.Y.'s, to all and sundry, and in an incredibly short space of
time had units working with the British, French, and Belgian Armies in
the field.
It was in the Autumn of 1913 that, picking up the Mirror one day, I
saw a snapshot of a girl astride on horseback leaping a fence in a khaki
uniform and topee. Underneath was merely the line "Women
Yeomanry in Camp," and nothing more. "That," said I, pointing out the
photo to a friend, "is the sort of show I'd like to belong to: I'm sick of
ambling round the Row on a Park hack. It would be a rag to go into
camp with a lot of other girls. I'm going to write to the Mirror for
particulars straight away."
I did so; but got no satisfaction at all, as the note accompanying the
photo had been mislaid. However, they did inform me there was such a
Corps in existence, but beyond that they could give me no particulars.
I spent weeks making enquiries on all sides. "Oh, yes, certainly there
was a Girls' Yeomanry Corps." "Where can I join it?" I would ask
breathlessly. "Ah, that I can't say," would be the invariable reply.
The more obstacles I met with only made me the more determined to
persevere. I went out of my way to ask all sorts of possible and
impossible people on the off-chance that they might know; but it was a
long time before I could run it to earth. "Deeds not words" seemed to
be their motto.
One night at a small dance my partner told me he had just joined the
Surrey Yeomanry; that brought the subject up once more and I confided
all my troubles to him. Joy of joys! He had actually seen some of the
Corps riding in Hounslow Barracks. It was plain sailing from that
moment, and I hastened to write to the Adjutant of the said Barracks to
obtain full particulars.

Within a few days I received a reply and a week later met the C.O. of
the F.A.N.Y.'s, for an interview.
To my delight I heard the Corps was shortly going into camp, and I was
invited to go down for a week-end to see how I liked it before I
officially became a member. When the day arrived my excitement, as I
stepped into the train at Waterloo, knew no bounds. Here I was at last
en route for the elusive Yeomanry Camp!
Arrived at Brookwood, I chartered an ancient fly and in about twenty
minutes or so espied the camp in a field some distance from the road
along which we were driving. "'Ard up for a job I should say!" said my
cabby, nodding jocosely towards the khaki figures working busily in
the distance. I ignored this sally as I dismissed him and set off across
the fields with my suit case.
There was a large mess tent, a store tent, some half dozen