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When war declared Edna Pengelly applied to go on active service.
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The long cramped journey to Britain was difficult, there was lots of excitement about the exotic sights they went pass.
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The nurses arrived in London,From there they thought they would be going across the english channel to nurse the wounded men on the Western Front, but the NZ soldiers wern't fighting at the Western Front they were fighting at Gallipoli.
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The nurses arrived in Alexandria, Edna was sent to No. 19 general hospital. The work was punishing, it was very hot and they worked for hours with out stopping.
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Soldiers fom Gallipoli sometimes had terrible frostbite, and some of these men had to have thier feet amptutated.
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Edna was sent back to England. She went to work in the NZ hospital at Brockenhurst near Southampton. The soldiers were glad to be cared by nurses from their own country.
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'The hospital got very busy after the battle of somme, NZ soldiers were heavily involved.'
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Pateints were pouring in and there were operations galore.
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Edna described the arrival of yet another convey of anbulances and wounded soldiers.
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The campain started around June it lasted for months,
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The long conveys of ambulances came again. This time, they carried survivors from Passchendaele. Many of the patients were 'limbies', but the hospital also cared other serious wounded soldiers.
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The Germans launched their last huge attacks. Many soldiers had been effected by Mustard gas (which was used by both sides) these mens were burnt,swollen eyes and blistering throats.
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Edna described Oatlands as a 'like a beehive- at least a thousand here.
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Finnaly, the war came to an end "we heard rumors at 8.30 that the armistice had been signed but, of course nobody beleived it. At noon it was a fact." Some people went to church to celebrate.
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Edna came back, she went to work at Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer, nursing soldiers recovering from the war.