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Date: February 16th 1917
To
Sister
From
Worth Davis
Letter

Raven’s Croft Military Hospital
Seaford, Sussex
16/2/17.

My Dear Sister,

I was more than tickled to receive yours of the 30th, because I know just how busy you are. For a change, I am not very busy at present as you know from my letters home. In them, you have particulars of both Seaford and Eastbourne, but I will give you details of Seaford as you will be more interested in those than they are at home.

We have three buildings here. Raven’s Croft, formerly a girl’s school, where ordinary cases are kept, Hawkswick, measles isolation and Southlands, which I think is mumps isolation at present. I am in the former and on the middle of three floors with one other of the boys. There are no nursing sisters, and believe me, I like it better without them. On our floor, there is a main ward of 23 beds, T.B. ward of 5 beds, officers ward 2 beds and another general ward of I think eight beds. The latter very seldom has more than two patients tho, as the larger ward usually accommodates all we have.

In the morning I take up the breakfast in buckets and patients serve it. I serve breakfast for officers (just one in now) clean their grate and build fire, sweep room, bring them water to wash and shave and make the bed. Between times I do an odd dressing in the big ward or give medicines. Then at noon carry up dinner and serve officers, then at 4 p.m. take L.P.K and bring up supper. The patients do practically all the work as sweeping and cleaning, except scrub the floors twice a week. We have been getting fatigue parties from the battalions here to do it, till this week, now we have to do it, but it is a cinch as the patients help and we have those long handled scrubbers. I hope I don’t get stuck on isolation, but it would be just my luck. I expect to be here not longer than eight weeks, then will return to Eastbourne where I will likely be till fall, and I may never come back here. In Eastbourne, I hope to be in Eye, ear, nose and throat dept, or possibly may get something better but former would satisfy me.

I was really only sick for three days at Moore but after my throat got better, I had to get the cold out of my system and that took some time to make a sure job of it. I caught a little more coming here but not much, altho I still have a little cough. It is clearing up now tho.

You sure have some fine patients. I have been lucky so far, but will likely get mine yet. That transfusion is interesting and I hope to see some interesting things like that and grafting, before I get thro over here.

Funny, you meeting Hutch. If he is there again, ask him if he ever got that pair of cuff links he left at the store. I don’t think he did.

It sure makes you sick sometimes, the way you are shunted around, just to suit everyone’s pleasure. I like to stay on a ward when I get there, and that is one reason I have never taken my six days pass. When you return, they generally change you to some other place.

Glad you see Dot. How is she? Give her my best.

I think I will go down town to-morrow aft, have not been down since last Sunday.

Lovingly,
Worth.

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