Margaret Box, my Great Aunt, traveled to Serbia as a nurse in 1918. Following on from her previous letter, where she was leaving Southampton on the 17th September, she writes this one on the morning of the 18th, from ‘Somewhere in France’. She would have been a long way from the battle lines, where the Battle of Épehy was being fought.
The post ‘Margaret Box, Nursing in Serbia and Salonica‘ acts as an index and timeline to the letters she wrote and is updated as I transcribe them.
Somewhere in France
Wednesday morning
My dear Father,
We have had a good journey across – no mishaps of any description. We camped out on deck for the night as there were no bunks available (I would not have got in one if I could !) so my eiderdown & sleeping bag came in very useful – also the little air cushion Leonard gave me.
It was a fine night & the sunrise this morning as we came in was glorious. I shall not forget my first view of France & wish you could all have seen it too. At present we are having a jolly nice rest & awaiting lunch. This is such a nice old fashioned house with plenty of easy chairs & kind people to look after us.
We have been out this morning to have a look round – it was frightfully hot but very interesting.
I wonder if Norah has fixed up yet where to go & when.
Much love to all
Your loving daughter
Margaret Box
Have you had the photo’ proofs yet ? I hope they will be printable.
Notes
Norah was Margaret’s younger sister. She later became a nurse too, but would have been 19 at the time of this letter.