The Committee of Crawley and Ifield Cottage Hospital having
placed eight beds at the disposal of the authorities, the first batch of
invalid soldiers arrived on Sunday, half a dozen being brought in a motor car
from Brighton . Some had been badly wounded in
battle, whilst others were cases of appendicitis and adenoids, for which
operations had been performed prior to their arrival at Crawley .
The two most serious cases are those of Prvt. Berry, of the
Kings own Royal Lancashire’s, and Srgt. Glover, of 2nd Cheshire
Regiment, both of whom telling thrilling stories of their awful experiences at
the Front. Srgt. Glover, who lives at Nantwich and is 35, has 17 years service
to his credit. He served throughout the South Africa campaign and was
wounded. He went to France
in August and after various engagements was wounded in the mouth by a bullet in
September. He was invalided home and returned to the Front in December, being
again wounded in the ankle by shrapnel shell. Subsequently Srgt. Glover
received terrible injuries to the eye and face and a piece of shell, an inch
square, is still embedded in his left cheek.
Prvt. Berry
has injuries to his legs, arms and chest, and most of his wounds were received
while he was attending fallen comrades. He went to the Front early in August
and took part in the battles of Mons , Marne,
Aisne, Lys and other places, and was wounded
at Le Touruet on December 26th, receiving a bullet wound in each leg
and bayonet scratches in the arm and left side. He returned to England and
again went abroad in February. In May he was wounded again, receiving a bullet
in the arm, which smashed the bone, and another bullet, which entered his
chest, went right through one of his lungs and came out at the back. These
terrible wounds were inflicted at a moment when he was dressing the wounds of
others. Both men can tell vivid stories of the battles and they can confirm the
atrocities alleged against the Germans, but space forbids their recapitulation
here.
Despite the severity of their wounds the men are extremely
cheerful and full of gratitude for the kindness and consideration shown them by
the Matron and her willing staff at the Cottage Hospital. Occasional motor
rides are being provided for them and these are, of course, much enjoyed; and
the remainder of time is spent in the garden at the rear of the hospital, where
they sit and smoke and recount to each other their individual experiences.