Agnes Warner, August 14, 1916: The King of Belgium and gassed soldiers

Agnes Warner was a Canadian nurse who worked on the Western Front. The following letter, dated August 14, 1916, was later included in the book, Nurse at the Trenches: Letters of Agnes Warner, a World World War One Nurse. 

"We have had a strenuous and exciting week. It began with a visit from the King of the Belgians, who came to decorate three of my men who had fought in the trenches with conspicuous bravery. He visited all the wards and talked with the soldiers. Like all the royalty I have met to far, he is  extraordinarily simple -- wore no decorations or distinguishing marks of any kind. We were all presented to him in turn and shook hands with him.

King Albert of Belgium

The next day we got twenty gas cases and several badly wounded men -- one Canadian from Ontario and two English boys, one was a policeman in London. I asked the Ontario man how he happened to get to our Ambulance, he said, 'he'd be blessed if he knew,' he was working on the lines which run right up to the trenches when the warning for gas was given. He started to put on his helmet and the next thing he knew he was in a 'Red Cross' ambulance on the way to the hospital. He is getting on splendidly but we lost four of the gas cases. It is the worst thing I have seen yet, much worse than the wounded, and the nursing is awfully hard, for they cannot be left a moment until they are out of danger."


From page 86, Nurse at the Trenches: Letters of Agnes Warner, a World War One Nurse.