Poem ~ New Zealand Nurse Honoured - Wednesday, 17 March 1915

Miss Beatrice Dormer Maunder - sketch by Jamie.  View Original image at

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/beatrice-maunder

Across France spread the needy

Growth of hospitals, for treatments

Of injured armies - many buildings

In various towns were taken

Over - as in Boulogne and Dunkirk,

That offered large palaces or hotels

Ripe for temporary conversions.

The situation of Rouen behind

The lines, proved usefully placed

To treat Belgium and French

Wounded - but did not possess

Very grand residences - this

Led to a use of school buildings

And even a monastery for 250

Patients of the British Red Cross.

Many English women already

Had undertaken own voluntary

Tasks to set up hospitals - as in

The central Rouen situation -

Of the Albert Ier Hospital backed

By the Belgium Government

And solely secured by a woman.

Some kind of confusion came

From the claim that this was an

English woman - a compatriot -

But a national of New Zealand -

Her name Miss Beatrice Dormer

Maunder, formerly of Rangitikei.

The task had started with a group

Organised by Lady Paget -

To arrange a hostel for Belgian

Refugees - then came necessity

With the receiving of wounded

Belgian soldiers - against odds

The unexpected hospital met

Demands - with Miss Maunder

Gaining help of Canadian Medics.

Finally an approaching German

Army made for an evacuation.

Miss Maunder's endeavours

Involved her in administering

Hospital of the Hotel Continental -

With her success, on a return

To England, came a request

For her to create a Hospital

In Rouen - for Belgium soldiers.

Negotiations led to Miss Maunder

Acquiring the central site in Rouen

Of a boys school - once prepared

And ready, the wards opened

Their doors on boxing day, 1914 -

By the Belgium Minister of war

M. de Brocqueville and others.

A large building with an enclosed

Courtyard for patients to exercise,

And a perfect wide gated entrance,

For the ambulances to arrive.

Miss Maunder was soon praised

For her devoted work in the plan

Of expansion, for a hospital that

Would hold up to 500 patients.

With Dr Damm, a Belgian surgeon,

In charge of Staff, Miss Maunder

Was their organiser and director -

Having aid of a London solicitor

As a secretary - in such a position

Miss Maunder did not make requests

For funds, as all their subscriptions

Came from private British sources.

Although not making any open

Appeals for donations her story,

That had been reported in country

Of her home, described how gifts

Would be gratefully received -

Aid arranged by New Zealand's own

Miss Maunder was a worthy aim.

Miss Beatrice Dormer Maunder,

On Tuesday 16 March 1915,

Met King Albert of Belgium -

To be honoured and presented a

Cross of the Order of Leopold I -

For her work in helping wounded

Soldiers of this King's armies.

That country's highest order,

Produced by Royal Decree,

For services to a Belgium nation.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Honour for English Nurse. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 17 Mar. P.11. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11475658/Daily-Telegraph-March-17-1915.html [Accessed: 17 March 2015].

Anon.,1915. Miss Dormer Maunder's Work - Ostend and Rouen. Evening Post, Wellington, New Zealand, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 60, 12 March 1915, [online] 17 Mar. P.4. Col.5-6. Available at: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19150312.2.37 [Accessed: 17 March 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 1 March 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11475658/Daily-Telegraph-March-17-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ The Pope and The Prisoners - Thursday, 07 January 1915

An exchange of telegrams,

Made on 31 December 1914,

Between by King George

And Pope Benedict, agreed

On principal of prisoners be freed.

The Bishop of Rome declared,

In the closing years day, 1914

Was proved as a disastrous year.

That to inaugurate 1915,

He asks, for reasons of Christian

Charity, that opposing nations,

Take steps, to exchange all those

Prisoners no longer able,

To undertake any military service.

On 1 January came his reply

From majesty King George -

with address to his Holiness,

His appreciation of proposals -

Which added to the weight

Already made out to Germany.

That country’s government,

Since had provided consent
In the hope of being actioned.

Five days later - by Tuesday’s

Edition of Observatore Romano -

Came replies to the pope from

Britain, France and Belgium.

The French President, Raymond

Poincare, confirmed their own

Consideration to exchange,

Soldiers of permanent disabilities -

To whom humane treatment,

Had been given by France.

Sent via Belgian General Staff,

King Albert joins to say how this

Suggestion reflects his thoughts.

Yet the French President’s

Statement is most noteworthy,

In exchanging those definitely

Incapable of fighting abilities.

Via Copenhagen was confirmation,

Set out in message from Berlin -

Of how all the warring nations

Are acceptable of the proposals

Of the Pope’s call for exchanges,

To free disabled soldier prisoners.

These number 150,000 to be

At liberty within two months.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Exchange of Disabled Prisoners – The Pope’s Proposal – King George’s Reply. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 9 Jan. p.9. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11327844/Daily-Telegraph-January-7-1915.html [Accessed: 7 January  2015].

(Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 07 January  2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11327844/Daily-Telegraph-January-7-1915.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Haven of Calais - Sunday, 27 December 1914

A place in Northern France,

That played a pivotal role,

Perhaps forgotten or taken

For granted - yet deserving

Of recognition - was the

Coastal port town of Calais.

With the drawing close of

Five months of battle and war,

Calais stood firm and resolute -

Determined and resourceful.

Protective with kind people.

The invaders from Germany

Had not gained their objective

Of the port - since the crisis

Point of October had passed -

With forces of allied armies

Beyond the towns defences,

Held back enemy advances.

While German troops edged

Their way down - Their planes

Dropped bombs onto the town -

Yet made little or no success -

As Calais people stayed calm,

Throughout the German push.

On a small corner of France,

Calais held an age long link,

Across narrow waters to British

Shores - Calais before war

was a place for travellers -

Who could meet the Paris

Express – not to forget Calais

Had its own unique industries -

Being a leading manufacturer,

And centre of lace makers.

A setback occurred to this

Industry, with the designers

Of lace - being young men -

Answering a call to arms,

Halted much production.

The small, significant port

Calais was home to 70,000.

After commencement of war

This part of French coastline,

Became a place of transience -

To welcome more than 200,000.

As a fulcrum of movement,

The port of Calais found itself

A centre of news and stories,

From battles raging northwards -

As over previous months, Calais

Became as a beacon drawing

Fleeing people to place of safety.

From summers unfolding fights,

Across French, Belgium borders,

Frightened people fled homes,

As fugitives from Lille, Roubaix,

Tourcoing and Armentieres -

Followed by many other places.

Carrying what possessions

They could, enforced refugees

Came, travelling by whatever

Way they could – in wagons,

Motors, trains - with thousands

On foot calm, -stoic Calais,

Felt the great tread of refugees.

As some biblical tale, peoples

Told of German atrocities -

So too did the next exodus,

That came Calais’s way -

As Ostend, Antwerp and

Ghent fell aside to onslaught.

As the sun arose daily, came

A river of displaced people.

With all the stories they were

Told - Calais was prepared -

Should the worst come - still,

As a population nearly tripled,

Calais could not be shaken.

An enormous task was taken,

In accommodating refugees

Somehow peacefully - this

Was done – all hotels, inns

And houses quickly filled.

Their plight also found a job

For any street boy, who could

Run from house to house -

For a penny - to find rooms

For the strangers - As hours

Moved on other boys appear,

Volunteering their parents

Homes, for a temporary stay.

Thousands each night bedded

Down, and Calais slept to shelter

Grateful refugees from the late

Autumn rains and early winter -

While rested, they would awake

With the needs of sustenance.

Foodstuffs could be in sudden

Short supply and provisions

Of tobacco and matches, sugar

And chocolate ran out – 

As in whiskey for visitors, whose

Voices gave away their nation.

Whiskey, that had once been

Cheaper in Calais than England,

Forced needs of raised expense.

Still the feisty port managed,

And this population were fed.

In undertaking its provider role

The little tight-knit Port of Calais,

Was also to serve the wounded.

And buildings of a public nature,

As in Lycee des Jeunes Filles.

Became as British hospitals.

Battles raged about the Yser

And Ypres, - when at their height

Came 7,000 wounded – on one

Day four ships conveyed some

1,800 injured to Britain - In mix

Of nationalities Belgian soldiers,

Arrived at the Port's hospitals.

On two occasions Calais town

Was visited by Royal visitors.

The King and Queen of Belgium

Arrived to see their wounded –

Already Calais developed a feel

Of a Belgium principality. 

Flanders Flemish being widely

spoken In the streets - as many

Employed Gendarmes wore

uniforms of the Belgium forces.

To welcome royalty, the flag

Of Belgium met the sovereignty -

Giving an illusion of their country.

With a need to control the flow

Of people, driven from their homes,

Were organised arrangements,

To move the transient populations

southwards, to other towns. 

The Mayor, Msieur Morieux, had been

Called to join mobilisation, but then

Military authority felt with importance

Being placed upon the port of Calais,

That instead of duty as artillery gunner,

He was to remain as mayor - with rank

Given, of '2ème canonnier servant.'

German soldiers did get to Calais

But only arriving as prisoners,

Waiting to be moved further south -

So the little port of Calais, resilient

And protected, witnessed months

Of unfolding war - giving transient

Population’s food and shelters and

Proved itself solid - holding its own.

by Jamie Mann.

Beaumont, A., 1914. The Struggle for the Port of Calais – Industry and War – Problem of Refugees. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 26 Dec. p.8. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11310971/Daily-Telegraph-December-26-1914.html [Accessed: 27 December 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 December 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11310971/Daily-Telegraph-December-26-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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