Helena Gleichen, August 7, 1916, second day of the Battle of Gorizia

Gleichen & Hollings at work

Lady Helena Gleichen and Nina Hollings were English radiographers who worked on the Italian Front during World War I. The following letter excerpt, dated August 7, 1916, gives Gleichen's impressions of the second day of the Battle of Gorizia, aka the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo. The letter was later included in Gleichen's memoir, Contacts and Contrasts. 

"They have been at it with big guns now for twenty-four hours and they say that we have taken the two most strategic points already, I suppose I had better not mention names, besides, you get them in the newspapers much quicker than you will get this. Nina and I had to take our interrupter to Palma Nova yesterday to try and get it mended and on the way went to our own little observatory at Langoris. You never saw anything like it. All the things that look likes trees are explosions, the tall ones high explosives and the little ones shrapnel. On our way back the fog and smoke was so thick that you could see nothing but the actual bursting of each shell...

Last night was thrilling; firstly, the quantity of prisoners marching by and all the soldiers cheering, and then the crowds and crowds of troops waiting at the end of our road, for their turn to go up. There was a moon which just dimly showed them, and as well went by a motor arrived with a staff officer to give directions where they were to go. the motor then swished on through all the waiting soldiers to pass on orders to the next lot, it was like a glorified field-day all day long, with despatch-riders tearing past us, men on sweating horses galloping with messages, cars full of generals hurrying up for the attack, and one thing  not a field-day, twenty or thirty or forty ambulances waiting under the hedges and coming past very slowing in the evening with wounded, mostly slightly wounded, looking very pleased with themselves for getting off so lightly...

This morning an urgent telegram from the head of the sanita to go up to Medona to examine a general who had been wounded. We were rather pleased with ourselves as we were packed and up there within thirty minutes of receiving the telegram. The General, a most cheerful soul, is the most successful of the lot, having been the one to take the mountain of Sabotino yesterday. Then, while we were radiographing, in came the King and stayed while we did it...Four thousand prisoners taken and everyone screaming with excitement. We are lucky to be right in the thick of it like this."

From pages 195-197, Contacts and Contrasts, by Lady Helena Gleichen

The story of Helena Gleichen's work on the Italian Front is included in the young adult collective biography, Women Heroes of World War I.