g to the
wounded, especially in the Field Dressing Station of an
Ambulance, where the men are first attended to after being
brought in from the field. Their condition is often
indescribable, and opportunities of a word of comfort
abound. Even as a man lies upon the table, his wounds being
probed and dressed, the Message of God, coupled sometimes
with so material a solace as the placing of a cigarette
between the lips of the sufferer, will help him to bear his
agony. In Casualty Clearing and Base Hospitals there are, of
course, always a number of sick to be visited, and this work
falls within the region of ordinary civilian hospital work.
In many cases where a man is first hit and he is not in a
too collapsed condition, his first thought is of home; and a
painful anxiety is often evinced by the sufferer to get a
message through, describing his condition, before his name
appears in the casualty list; for, unhappily, no distinction
is made in the published lists between slight and serious
cases.

(5) All this involves a large amount of correspondence on the
part of the chaplain, and there are busy times when a
'scrap' is proceeding. Every spare moment is occupied with
writing letters for those who are unable to do so
themselves. On the top of all his other work the padre is
constantly receiving letters from home, asking him as to the
whereabouts of this or that man, who may be dead, wounded or
missing; and this phase of the work of itself takes up a
great deal of time.

(6) A not unimportant duty which falls to a chaplain's lot is
the recreation of the men, and if he is a good sort he will
endeavour, during periods of rest, to enliven the lot of his
men with sing-songs, boxing competitions, football matches,
athletic sports, etc., etc.--anything to buck up the men and
keep them cheery. In addition to this, many nondescript
duties fall to the chaplain's lot. Sometimes he is mess
president, and that will give him an anxious half hour. The
solicitude of a young wife who asked a matron of mature
experience as to the best method of keeping the affection of
her husband and preserving his interest in the home, was
answered by, 'Feed the brute.' A mess president knows to the
full what this means. T