大象传媒

An Army Nurse on leave in Khartoum

Annette Le Page was a nurse who had trained in London. She came from Guernsey, which had been occupied by the Germans, so she was out of contact with her home and family. The following is an extract from the diary which is in the form of the letters which she could not send to her family.

Jan. 20th.
We have decided very, very suddenly that it would be advisable to visit Khartoum & Omdurman before we left the Sudan 鈥� so we are due to leave this evening for the great city.
I forgot to tell you of two great joys.
One was a walk to the water hole. We walked over the desert, which was rather rough going over loose stones, but we found our way in record time, & we discovered the well, which was 20ft deep, & lined with large stones, the water is collected in goatskins by the camel boy & emptied into a large trough made of mud from which the animals drink. It was a lovely walk & we came back at sunset time 鈥� it was marvellous.
The second joy was yesterday, when Margaret Hingston & Joyce Weston (both from Barts 鈥� Joyce was my set & Margaret was a junior nurse in Childrens) & I went for a three hours camel ride 鈥� The camels were good ones- the saddles were comfortable 鈥�(very important) & away went. Ali was on his camel & was our guide 鈥� we walked, trotted, cantered, & finally we galloped home, it was simply great.
Jan 21. 6.30pm.
We arrived in Khartoum 鈥� as there was a taxi strike on, we were taken to our hotel by the R.T.O. After dinner we went to the cinema. The strangeness of city life was amazing 鈥� the lights, Sudanese driving their camels down 鈥渞otten row鈥� on the side of the street 鈥� a strange mixture of Western & Eastern customs.
Jan. 22.
A perfect orgy of shopping 鈥� the shops were very mixed 鈥� some very native ones & others quite British in appearance. The Sudan book shop was a disappointment, very few books & terribly expensive.
Major Monteith & 鈥淏arney鈥� A.D.C. called for us during the afternoon & took us to Omdurman, where we bought some native silver & ivory. We also visited the Caliph鈥檚 house & were given some information regarding the battle of Omdurman.
After dinner more cinema.
Fri, 23rd.
Spent the day on the River Nile 鈥� in the governor general鈥檚 motor launch. Saw six or eight crocodiles 鈥� very thrilled. Most interesting to see the oxen turning the treadmill to get water from the Nile by a series of petrol tins tied on a circular piece of rope, which empty into a trough & taken on by pipes. Very primitive,
Cinema again in the evening
Sat. 24th.
Shopping again in the morning & Sudan club in the afternoon 鈥� had a swim in the pool. Glorious garden.
Tea at Sir Noel & Lady Beresford Pearce 鈥� Monty & Barney were there, the very superior car called for us with the A.D.C. & away we went clad in our [tricolines] 鈥� my only pair (with me) of white gloves were soiled 鈥� so I hastily cleaned them with shoe cleaner. We loved it 鈥� saw some beautiful cut roses, which reminded us of home. It was sheer bliss to sit in a lovely shady garden on the lawn 鈥� have tea out of china cups 鈥� pretty ones - & cakes etc. for tea. Our formal hour went all too quickly.
Still more cinema in the evening.
Sun. mor
Left the hotel 7.15am for the station 鈥� not sorry to leave.
On the Thursday morning I went with Margaret & Isabella to early communion at the Cathedral

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