Inspiration from the past

Here is the next letter in the ongoing series of letters from my Great Aunt Mabel, written while she served as an Army Nurse during World War II. I’ve now posted all the letters from Camp Hale (seven new ones, including this) over on a page in the WIP section, which you can access HERE. [The only editing I’ve done is to shorten last names to an initial.] There are many more letters, from different locations around the world, and I’ll be posting them in weeks to come.

Camp Hale
March 10th, 1943

         Don’t laugh but I’m a patient again! Me who never used to get sick! Well I don’t ever seem to get anything very much but with the rest of them I get colds – Had one in my head last week but it didn’t bother me until Friday when I didn’t somehow seem to function like I should. I was so cold and was sure it must have turned much colder out. Was busy that day – had a ruptured appendix, broken vertebra and several other jobs needing constant Mabel attention so I didn’t take my temperature till in the evening when I got over to the barracks. 102^o Imagine me – who never could raise one much above 99.6. In the morning it was still up so I went to the A and D office where everything has to go that comes into this hospital and they in turn sent me to Ward 16. My throat was good and sore by then so I expect I had picked up some sort of a bug – we have plenty to pick from here! Sat. night my temp. was 103.4. They gave me sulfadiazine and pretty soon I was O.K. You see you are either sick or well – you are either in the hospital as a patient or you work. The ward is isolated on account of the scarlets and several measles, so no one is supposed to come visit us. So many nurses are ill – guess that’s Camp Hale! [continue reading…]

These letters from Camp Hale were what inspired the premise behind the story I’m currently writing. Read the new ones I just posted and then come back here and let me know what you think. I’m curious as to whether you can tell at what point I made a sharp left turn and began to wander merrily down Conspiracy Lane.