THE BRITISH FINALLY SUCCEED IN capturing the German trench but at a cost, hundreds of soldiers lay on the ground. The mist hangs in the air still; Tom is barely conscious and is aware of people around.
“There’s another one here still alive” comes the unknown muffled voice.
Another man joins the first; they are wearing gas masks and rubber gloves. They lift Tom onto a stretcher leaving his father’s watch and the picture of Ellen in the mud. The stretcher bearers start to make a move, the rear bearer’s boot treads on the watch and picture, pushing them into the mud then the two men carry him across the battle area. Although Tom can hardly breathe, he can still see. Just. His eyes are sore with unbelievable pain and everything is out of focus, but he can make out the bodies lying everywhere before he passes into unconsciousness.
Several soldiers are carried into a concrete bunker, a field hospital at St Jean. The soldiers are laid out on tables and the doctors and nurses are wearing gas masks, rubber aprons and rubber gloves. Tom is starting to regain consciousness just as water is poured into his eyes; he is unable to breathe properly but gives out a strangled scream. He tries to sit up but the doctors hold him down. The nurses are stripping him of clothes and as soon as he is naked, another nurse comes in with a bucket and starts to scrub his bare skin; the other patients in the room receive the same treatment. Tom is panicking now and his breathing becomes harder and more erratic as he fights for breathe. His skin itches and his eyes hurt, he can’t see properly as his eyes are streaming, everything is blurred.
Tom fights for breath and for consciousness; he is desperate to know where he is and what happened. The nurse lays a clean sheet over him, he tries to speak but all that comes out is a strangled gasp. His lungs are burning, his throat is on fire, and he is gasping for air. He feels like he is underwater and has swallowed in liquid, it feels like he is drowning but he can still breathe. But only just. His itchy skin isn’t even registered in his mind as his main concern is to get air into his lungs then panic starts to set in again but he unable to do anything about it as he slips into unconsciousness.
Tom doesn’t know what the time or day is but he is aware that time has passed as he slowly awakes, he is also aware he is somewhere different. He has been transferred to Poperinge Hospital. He is still finding it difficult to breathe but can’t see at all now. Suddenly nurses come into the room; they’re not wearing protective clothing this time but go through the same routine as before. Water in the eyes and a thorough wash. The soldier in the next bed is also being washed, it is the young lad. The boy gasps then is quiet. The nurse stands back and says to Matron “he’s dead”. Nurses flock to him but there is nothing more they can do, the gas has taken its toll. Tom can only hear the chatter as doctors and nurses attend to the wounded.
The dead soldier is carried out while two nurses attend to Tom’s body wounds. Although he has been cleaned several times since being brought into hospital, he still has to have treatment. The first nurse pulls back the blanket and Toms’ chest is covered in reddened blotches, looking rather like scarlet fever. By his left armpit is an extremely large blister, with several more scattered around his body. The nurse goes through the same routine of washing the skin of gas residue, while the second nurse inserts a hypodermic needle into the large blister and draws out the liquid. The needle is re-inserted for the next blister, and a third until all the blisters had been evacuated, the blisters are then covered with dry sterile dressings.
Tom can feel his eyes were swollen, and indeed they are. The nurse pulls back the swollen eyelids and pours a saline solution into Tom’s eyes, causing a near panic. He hates this but tries his best to allow the liquid to penetrate onto the eyeballs and run off into a clean dressing. All needles and used dressings are taken away, even at this stage no chances are to be taken as the gas can still be soaked into the flesh.
“I can’t see” croaks Tom, still gasping for breath.
“Calm down Private, you’ll be alright” comes the reply from the doctor.