Je vous ecris a vous pour ne pas tuer Maman qu’un pareil coup surprendrait trop.

J’ai ete blesse le ... devant ...  J’ai deux blessures hideuses et je n’en aurai pas pour bien longtemps.  Les majors ne me le cachent meme pas.

Je pars sans regret avec la conscience d’avoir fait mon devoir.

Prevenez done mes parents le mieux que vous pourrez; qu’ils ne cherchent pas a venir, ils n’en auraient pas le temps.

Adieu vous tous que j’aimais.

Vive la France!

Dear Godfather and Godmother,

I am writing to you so as not to kill Mother, whom such a shock would surprise too much.  I was wounded on the ... at ...  I have two terrible wounds and I cannot last long.  The surgeons do not even attempt to conceal this from me.  I go without regret, with the consciousness of having done my duty.  Kindly break the news to my parents the best way you can; they should not attempt to come because they would not have time to reach me before the end.

Farewell to all you whom I have loved.

Long live France!

Whilst loving his relatives tenderly, the last thought of the dying Frenchman is for his country.  Each one dies as a hero, yet not one realises it.  It would be impossible to show greater simplicity; they salute the flag for the last time and that is all.

At General Nivelle’s Headquarters

From Triancourt we went straight to the Headquarters of General Nivelle.  They had just brought him the maps rectified to mark the French advance.  The advance had been made whilst we were standing on the terrace at Verdun the night before.  We had seen the rockets sent up, requesting a “tir de barrage” (curtain of fire).  The 75’s had replied at once and the French had been able to carry out the operation.

Good news had also come in from the Somme, and General Nivelle did not hesitate to express his admiration for the British soldiers.

He said that there was no need to praise the first troops sent by Britain to France, every one knew their value, but it should be a great satisfaction to Britain to find that the new army was living up to the traditions of the old army.

He added:  “We can describe the new Army of Britain in two words:  Ca mord—­it bites.”

The Father of his own men, it is not surprising that General Nivelle finds a warm corner in his heart for the British Tommy, since his Mother was an Englishwoman.

At lunch General Nivelle and the members of his staff asked many questions as to the work of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals.  I told them that what appealed to us most in our French patients was the perfect discipline and the gratitude of the men.  We are all women in the Hospitals, and the men might take advantage of this fact to show want of discipline, but we never had to complain of lack of obedience.