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BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

No. MCCXXXIV.

AUGUST 1918.

VOL. CCIV.

A MOBILE X-RAY SECTION ON THE ITALIAN FRONT.

BY HELENA GLEICHEN.

OUR X-Ray plant consisted of a switch - board, an interruptor, and a coil, the motive power being derived from the engine of the motor-car, which worked the dynamo. This dynamo was carried under the front seat, and worked with a separate gear (150 volts, 17 ampères). The table we found most useful was Sir James Mackenzie Davidson's ordinary ambulance stretcher, laid on a couple of trestles, which folded up, and took very little room in the ear. We preferred it to other tables, because it only meant one move for the patient instead of one from his bed to a stretcher, another from the stretcher to the table, and then the whole performance having to be repeated before he got back to bed. The apparatus took ten minutes to unload and fix up ready for work.

VOL CCIV.NO. MCCXXXIV.

I.

Our first month was full of woe. We knew we could take good radiographs, but every one we took was & failure-in our eyes at least. People were kindness itself, and politely assured us that they were very good, adding, in their own minds, "for women and amateurs!" But we knew well how bad they were, and could not make out why. At last we discovered. We borrowed some plates from a base hospital, and, lo and behold! behold! the beautiful radiographs we were accustomed to see produced by our apparatus reappeared. Our plates that had bought in Paris must have been stored in a damp place, and had been utterly ruined! Cappelli, the big plate-manufacturer at Milan, was most kind when we told him our trouble, and volunteered to

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take all the spoilt plates and replace them with good ones for nothing-a truly noble present to the wounded.

Such an innovation as this type of werk, run entirely by two women, was bound to meet at first with a good deal of curiosity, not unmixed with suspicion, as to whether we were capable of carrying out what we had offered to do; but when the surgeons saw that we understood our job, and only thought how best we could help them in theirs, they adopted us whelesale, and used us on every occasion. This was what we had come out for, and we were exceedingly proud of the fact.

The first evening that we spent in our new rooms will long remain in my memory. The windows looked towards the Austrian lines, about seven kilometres off, and the persistent flashing reflecting in one's room, and the incessant booming of the big guns, quite did away with all possibilities of sleep. I suppose I must have been snoozing, when I suddenly became aware that the big guns had changed to the quick rattle of rifles and machine-guns, to my unaccustomed ears suspiciously close. I lay and listened for some time, but did not like to get up, as, being new to the game, I thought it probably was always like that. At last I could bear it no longer, and

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thing in the Zone of War, we had better go to sleep and get accustomed to it as soon as possible. So I departed, and slept the sleep of the just till next morning, when our orderly came in with the news that there had been a big attack by the Austrians in the night, and that they had got through in one place, and had reached a little village not three kilometres from our house. They had been driven back to their original lines only at five that morning. So my getting out of bed had not been so very uncalled for after all. I packed my bag with necessaries, and kept it under my bed for quite a long time after that, including sufficient for my partner, as she was proud, and refused to take any precautions for herself.

As soon as we found that all our plates had been spoilt, we decided that one of us must go to Milan to see what Cappelli could provide: we were determined that we would be ready for a rush of work when it came, as it inevitably would come, and that fairly soon. So I settled to go in our Berliet touring-car.1

1 Presented to us by Sir James Mackenzie Davidson, who had kindly given us six weeks' coaching in the localisation of foreign bodies.

My idea was to go through as quickly as possible, and bring back with me in the car fresh plates, developing materials, &o. I had many adventures on that journey, mostly due to the fact that I had no proper permit with me to get petrol. It was not my fault, 28 the Colonel of the Staff had assured me that his signature was sufficient to procure me petrol in any army; here, however, I learnt a lesson-that no permit belonging to one army is of the slightest use in any other, whatever the person who signed it may tell you. Well, we got there all right, and started back as quickly as might be. I slept in Brescia, and started for Cormons at seven in the morning. We made good travelling until dark, when it became necessary to fill up the petrol tank. I had had the brilliant idea of trying a short cut home. I have now learnt that short cuts are not advisable in the Zone of War.

Our first adventure happened when we tried to get the petrol. It was dark and pouring with rain, and as we drove into a little town, Whitehead, my Red Cross chauffeur, a first-rate man, got down to ask the way to the military petrol-depot. Not being able to make himself understood, he returned to ask me to explain. By this time a carabiniere appeared, and on seeing our lights rushed up and ordered us to put them out immediately. I agreed politely, and gave the order to Whitehead to put out the big ones, but to leave the little ones,

On my speaking English the carabiniere became convinced that we were spies. He ordered us, in a very abrupt manner, to put out even the little oil lamps, which was manifestly ridiculous, as every one else in the street was using them. He said we were to go immediately with him to the police quarters. Whitehead turned to me and said that if the man insisted on his turning out the small lamps toe, he should assuredly drive into the diteh in the darkness. The dark was solid, and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The carabiniere by this time was rabid with us for speaking English, and again ordered us to come with him to the headquarters of the Carabinieri; this I promised to do directly I had finished filling up my tank, the military depot being two doors off. He was furious, saying he forbade it, and that I must immediately give him the number of the car. This I had completely forgotten, and as the carriage was thick in mud, I told him to look for himself, which enraged him still further. I too, by this time, was getting angry, and go back I would not until the ear was filled up. So I told Whitehead to drive on to the depot. Here the man in charge was charming, and had just finished filling us up when his corporal came out and whispered something in his ear. The first man, a sergeant I think, then advanced in a very shy manner and said, "I don't know how to tell you, Signora, but an order has just come through

on the telephone from the head of the Carabinieri to say that you are to be detained here until an officer arrives. I am ashamed to incommode a lady, but orders are orders, and I daren't disobey-if you would like to come into my office I should be delighted." I shose to remain in the car, as warmer and more comfortable, and wondered if I should ever get home that night. Now that I know the game better, I should be much more worried if such a thing should happen to me; but I was new to the country, and hadn't realised the many agitating things that may happen to the most respectable people in a sorap with the powerful Carabinieri! So I sat calmly in the car and read a book, secure in the thought of the fat case in my pocket containing innumerable permits.

After about ten minutes had passed, I heard the bell of an approaching bioyole. I did not move, and presently a large face was thrust in at the window and a gruff voice said, "The orders are that you are to accompany me at once to the headquarters of the Carabinieri." I answered with mueh dignity, "Am I to understand that this is an arrest?" This time he spoke more civilly, "Si, Signora." I informed him that I was an officer, and that if they wished to arrest me they must send an officer to do so. I then composed myself to read again and paid no further attention to the man, who was evidently much wor

ried as to what to do, and retired to consult the sergeant of the depot as to the next prooedure. I, meanwhile, was half soared and half amused at my own swagger, and much relieved when I heard the carabiniere depart. Then ensued another long wait, cheered by the encouraging remarks of my friend the depot sergeant, who looked at me with undisguised admiration, and murmured at intervals, "Che coraggio!" He also murmured that English people were known to have very bad tempers, and that it was very unsafe to excite them too much. I waited another ten minutes, and was beginning to think I had had enough waiting about, when a cheerful face showed itself at the window and saluted, saying, "Signora, I regret my Captain cannot come himself, but if you will accept my escort we shall soon be at Headquarters, and this tiresome matter will then be settled. I regret that I am only a Brigadiere, but it cannot be helped." I at once asked him to get in, and told Whitehead to go where the Brigadiere1 told him. It was not far, but he made himself most agreeable, and said I must not judge the man too hardly who had originally made all the trouble, that he was young and only a contadino, and new to the work, &o., and that the Carabinieri are not what they were in peace time, when they were all picked men-that they had to

1 A Brigadiere is between a N.C.O. and an officer.

take anybody they could get nowadays, &o.

Cheered by my conversation with the nice Brigadiere, on our arrival at the Headquarters I walked in, feeling all would be well, and that I should in minute or two be free to continue my journey. Not at all,-I found myself in a large room fitted up as an office. In front of me sat an officer of Carabinieri surrounded by a half circle of other officers standing. It looked exactly like a courtmartial, and I felt I was losing what little Italian I had, as well as my head! The officer at the table looked up as I came in, but did not move from his seat. I had some vague idea that it was better for me to attack first, so I began a complaint of his subordinate's manners. Suddenly, in the middle of one of my own sentences, I became aware I was being left to stand while he was comfortably sitting. I stopped in the middle of a word, and said very slowly, looking hard at him, "I do not think, Signor Capitano, that you have understood that I am a Dama della Croce rossa Inglese." There was rustle of movement among the other officers present, and the badmannered (or absent-minded?) one slowly got to his feet, with a very red face, and bowed, Quickly changing my tone to a friendly one, I advanced on him with all my papers, and before he could ask for them, spread the whole lot on his table, saying, "No doubt you would like to see my papers

here they are; and while you study them I will look at your map, as I am quite lost, and do not the least know where I am"-and I walked straight past him to a big map which was hanging on the wall behind his table. The cheek of this took his breath away, and he only gasped in answer. Looking at the map enabled me to recover my somewhat rattled wits, and after a short glance at my papers he rolled them up and came to help me to find my road on the map. The tense moment was over, but as he accompanied me to the car, I felt that I had been within an ace of spending my night in a cell. I was afterwards told that I had been quite right to refuse to be arrested by a private soldier, and that it probably saved me a long wait and many disagreeables, as the officer, who was young and inexperienced, might have made things very unpleasant if I had not been so cocksure.

Our adventures were not over for that day, because hardly had we left the town when our chain broke. By this time the rain had stopped, and Whitehead spent a weary three-quarters of an sitting in the middle of the read mending it, with me holding one of the lamps for him. By this time it was about nine o'clock, no stars and no moon, and we had had no food since twelve o'clock. Luckily I had some meat lozenges in my pocket, which had been there many months. The usual excellent taste of glue and ink was in no way

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