to do
all the ambulance work for the outlying camps, and cars were regularly
detailed for special _depots_ the whole day long. Barges arrived mostly
in the mornings, and I think the patients in them were more surprised
than anyone to see girls driving out there, and were often not a little
fearful as to how we would cope! It was comforting to overhear them say
to each other on the journey: "This is fine, mate, ain't it?"

When we drove the cases to the hospital ships the long quay along which
we took them barely allowed two cars to pass abreast. Turning when the
car was empty was therefore a ticklish business, and there was only one
place where it could be done. If you made a slip, there was nothing
between you and the sea 50 feet below. There was a dip in the platform
at one point, and by backing carefully on to this, it was just possible
to turn, but to do so necessitated running forward in the direction of
the quay, where there was barely the space of a foot left between the
front wheel and the edge. I know, sitting in the car, I never could see
any edge at all. If by any chance you misjudged this dip and backed
against the edge of the platform by mistake the car, unable to mount it,
rebounded and slid forward! It was always rather a breathless
performance at first; and beginners, rather than risk it, backed the
whole length of the quay. I did so myself the first time, but it was
such a necktwisting performance I felt I'd rather risk a ducking. With
practice we were able to judge to a fraction just how near the edge we
could risk going, and the men on the hospital ships would hold their
breath at the (I hope pardonable) swank of some of the more daring
spirits who went just as near as they could and then looked up and
laughed as they drove down the quay. After I was in hospital in England,
I heard that a new hand lost her head completely, and in Eva's newly
painted 'bus executed a spinning nose-dive right over the quay. A sight
I wouldn't have missed for worlds. As she "touched water," however, the
F.A.N.Y. spirit predominated. She was washed through the back of the
ambulance (luckily the front canvas was up), and as it sank she
gallantly kicked off from the roof of the fast disappearing car. She was
an excellent swimmer, but two R.A.M.C. men sprang overboard to her
rescue, and I believe almost succeeded in drowning her in their efforts!
This serves to show what an extremely touchy job it was, and one we had
to perf