‘I thought it would be easy to find where we were supposed to go and who to report to,’ Scarlet muttered.
‘Me too,’ Ellie said. ‘I thought Matron would be looking for us.’ She stared around, not sure where to look or where to go. There were soldiers everywhere. Some of the young men were standing in groups, laughing and talking loudly, acting like they were invincible. Others were quiet, maybe more reluctant about where they were headed to, and Ellie couldn’t blame them. The same feelings were running through her: on the one hand wanting to be full of life and bursting with excitement, and on the other quietly terrified about what she was about to do.
Then she spotted other Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service women. The other QA nurses were dressed just as they were, in their new scarlet-trimmed greatcoats.
‘Look, over there.’
Scarlet stepped on tiptoe beside her and nodded. ‘Let’s go.’
They walked briskly in the direction of the other nurses, and Ellie saw there was a stern-looking matron with a clipboard, taking names.
Scarlet’s name was called almost immediately. She responded, ‘Present!’ her voice slightly cracked with nervousness. They waited until Ellie had her name called and then finally, after much muttering, Matron announced, ‘We will be travelling to Broomfield House, where you will spend the night before you are sent to your final units. There you will be working under canvas and sleeping in two-man tents, so I highly recommend that you enjoy your last night of comfort!’
There were groans, but Ellie stayed silent. She hadn’t expected even one night of luxury, so she wasn’t about to complain. She and Scarlet followed the others out of the station to a truck, engine running, that was waiting for them on the road. Ellie took a deep breath and climbed aboard. This was it. No turning back.
She sat beside Scarlet and another girl, who gave them a tight smile.
Ellie had spent all of her young life at home, never having been away from her family for more than a night, other than for her army training. Tears welled in her eyes, but she swallowed them down and smiled back. Everything was going to be just fine.
Ellie had to consciously keep her mouth closed, otherwise she feared her jaw might actually drop to the ground.
‘Heavens,’ she muttered as she stood outside the truck, staring at the grand house in front of them. The drive hadn’t taken too long, but it had been bumpy, cramped and stuffy inside the truck, making her want to stretch her legs. She could see now that it had been worth the discomfort.
‘Please proceed into the house. The nurses before you were stationed here for some time. However, you will only have the luxury of one night before moving on,’ announced Matron.
Ellie wondered why, what news there had been. But she didn’t dare ask. She walked with Scarlet, although they both stayed silent. Her bag was heavy and Ellie grasped it tighter, taking in the large pond at the front of the house and the grand entrance. She’d certainly never set foot in a place like this before. She stepped inside, eyes darting to the old portraits hanging on the walls and the huge staircase that ascended out of view. The carpet was threadbare and the house more unkempt inside than it had probably ever been prior to the war, but it was still beautiful in her eyes. Like a grand old lady wearing finery that is a little worn around the edges, she thought.
‘I wish we could stay here a bit longer,’ Ellie whispered.
Scarlet grinned. ‘It’s quite grand, isn’t it?’
A month earlier, when she’d been issued with her uniform, Ellie had been stationed in a house with other nurses, where they’d worked at a hospital that had needed them, tending to minor cuts and burns in addition to their training. This was certainly a step up.
‘Good afternoon!’ a short man in uniform yelled out from the bottom of the staircase. Ellie hadn’t even seen him appear, but she had to stifle a laugh; he looked too short to be a soldier, even though his shiny black boots and uniform were impeccable. He saluted them. ‘This is how you should salute your sergeant!’
Ellie stood straighter, still holding her bag in one hand.
‘You are lieutenants, and as such you must learn to salute correctly when in uniform. Some of you may have received instructions already, but I want you to practise!’ he told them, his booming voice belying his stature. ‘Salute!’
Ellie mimicked his action, doing her best to salute properly back. They might only be lieutenants, not to mention female ones at that, but she figured this particular sergeant was going to be a stickler for army procedure, and probably the sour-faced matron, too. She tried not to laugh thinking about the first lesson she’d had, back in London and wearing a cotton frock, trying hard to do as she was told without laughing at the very unimpressed sergeant instructor.
‘Your stay here at Broomfield House will be short, but it will be long enough for you each to be issued with a gas mask, bedding roll and straps, two blankets, one small pillow, and a canvas bucket, bath and basin, as well as a kitbag with a stove and lamp.’
Ellie gulped. Gas masks? A shudder ran through her body. She hated the things, was certain she’d panic if she had to wear one.
‘Questions?’
‘Will we need any more injections?’ one of the other nurses called out.
‘Yes! Next question?’
Ellie groaned. The worst part of her training had been the injections they’d been given in preparation for the possibility of nursing abroad.
‘Are we on rations here?’ another asked.
‘Yes, but you will receive four meals each day that you are here, and the same at your next lodgings, which will be under canvas to prepare you for war,’ the sergeant replied. ‘You will be shown to your quarters now. Please make your way back down promptly to collect your service items and kitbags.’
Ellie kept close to Scarlet as they followed Matron upstairs.
‘Two to a room,’ she announced as they passed down the corridor lined with rooms containing hospital beds. Ellie realised the house was operating as a makeshift hospital as well as providing their temporary accommodation. She’d had no idea what to expect.
‘This is the bathroom you may use. Remember, five inches of hot water only is permitted,’ Matron continued, her face devoid of any emotion. ‘Further, you must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.’
They ascended the last flight of stairs, walking across stained carpet on the landing. Ellie glanced into a room through an open door, saw two men huddled around a bed and wondered what was going on.
‘Excuse me.’ A deep voice jolted her from her thoughts. Ellie stumbled and felt her cheeks ignite when hands grasped her elbows. She looked up, aghast, at a young man with thick dark hair and even darker eyes, wearing a white coat – obviously a doctor.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I should have been looking where I was going.’