Interesting sidelights on the realistic character of the training which our young soldiers undergo are given by Mr. W. T. Davies, of the 42 nd Field Ambulance, encamped at Farnham, in a letter to “Min.”
It should be mentioned that prior to responding to the country's call, Mr. Davies was in the service of the Park and Blaina Colliery Co. as clerk. A young athlete, he played cricket and football with signal success. In the course of the letter he states:
“The life in huts is very comfortable, and be under a roof again is a big advantage in our training, as for instance it rained like fury all day yesterday, yet we had a very interesting day.
We transformed our hut into a hospital, curtaining off the upper portion as an operating theatre, whilst the rest of the hut contained the beds, etc.
The wounded were brought in by the wagon orderlies, and about a hundred and one particulars taken, and they were then conveyed to their beds. Afterwards the officer came round and explained to us thoroughly the treatment which each man should receive, and those who required to be operated on were taken into the theatre, and we had explained to us the technique of an operation,
Perhaps you would be interested in quite a different part of our training. It is what we call field work. We are marched out in the morning to a position where a battle is supposed to be in progress.
When we arrive there some of our men are sent out to act as wounded, and their injuries labelled on. Each stretcher squad is them extended out, who in turn extend in a set form, so that we have a long line of stretchers, with an interval of ten paces between each.
When we find a wounded man, the stretcher is called up, and we set about dressing his wounds, and then send him back either by stretchers, the various lifts or “Shanks pony” to the 1 st Field Dressing Station, where, at the front, doctors will be in attendance, but in our training our officers are there, and they put us through a cross examination on our treatment of the patient.
We have to take advantage of every little bit of cover, and continually keep dodging imaginary “Black Maria's,” and on some occasions our officers with binoculars post themselves on some elevated spot, and count us out as we expose ourselves to fire.
“I have been unable to have a game of Rugger since I have been here. Soccer is all the go. Wally Shaw has been converted, and plays full-back for the Ambulance, and keeps up the reputation of Ammanford in this part of the globe.”
