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By Alison Kay on

Work and Play on a First World War Ambulance Train

The most recent addition to our rare book collection is an amazing insight into the lives of people who worked on ambulance trains during the First World War.

A Train Errant was compiled by the Friends Ambulance Unit (FAU) and (in their words) consists of ‘articles from our train magazine, and reflects for the most part the lighter side of our life – the other side was all too present in our minds’.

The Friends Ambulance Unit was made up of conscientious objector Quakers, who by choosing not to fight often served in medical positions assisting injured soldiers.

Working on ambulance trains meant dealing with the many horrors of war; terrible debilitating  injuries and diseases and men traumatised from their war experiences. The Friend’s Ambulance Unit dealt with these terrible things, whilst at the same time being opposed to the war that caused them.

A.Train Errant. Being the experiences of a voluntary unit in France. 1915-1919
A.Train Errant. Being the experiences of a voluntary unit in France. 1915-1919

Archives held within Leeds University’s Liddle CollectionThe Imperial War Museum  and The Library of the Religious Society of Friends document horrific experiences of the Friends Ambulance Unit. ‘A Train Errant’ provides us with a lighter insight into how ambulance train staff coped with their experiences.

The cartoon below from the magazine shows how men on the trains had begun styling their beards as ‘facefins’.

‘Sergeant writes. My moustache is a treat. the satisfaction I have derived from same especially on tedious railway journeys is quite worth the necessary trouble. They all say they like the one that tickles ‘

Facefins! Facefins!! Facefins!! If you have not got one now you have got to get one quick
Facefins! Facefins!! Facefins!! If you have not got one now you have got to get one quick

Men could spend years serving on ambulance trains close to the front. The below cartoon is obviously a dig at the quality of the food on the train.  Those travelling on the train ate ‘armoured pies and tarts’ made by ‘Bub and Co … Jam and armour plate makers’.

BUB IMPENETRABLE PASTY - a specialty in armored pies and tarts
BUB IMPENETRABLE PASTY – a specialty in armored pies and tarts

This extract written by a matron on a train is tinged with the same sense on humour as the above; her ‘impressions of an A.T. [ambulance train]’  describe the superior driving of British engine drivers (as apposed to the French),  smashing of enamel as the train jerked forward, moving to the more profound ‘wooden crosses in the rude God’s acre’, making us pause and think of the cheery ones “gone west”‘ and rumbling of guns far away.

Impressions of an A.T. [ambulance train] by R.M.C. (Matron)
Impressions of an A.T. [ambulance train] by R.M.C. (Matron)
This is only a small selection of the fascinating articles contained in ‘The Train Errant’. The book helps us to understand how people coped with the enormous pressure of war, where people were launched into unfamiliar and horrifying situations.

We hope to include this kind of real life insight in our ambulance train exhibition due to launch in 2016.

The book is available to view now in Search Engine, our library and archive centre. For details on how to access items from our library and archive see these pages.

Other Ambulance Train blogs:

Recreating a First World War Ambulance Carriage – click here

Coming Home From the Front Line – wartime ambulance train travel – click here

 

4 comments on “Work and Play on a First World War Ambulance Train

    1. Hello Alison,
      I am late to this conversation.
      However I came across your conversation on life on the Ambulance trains, as part of some research I am conducting into Quakers and the friends ambulance unit and the Ambulance Trains.
      Do you still, by any chance , have the records you compiled on this period.
      It is fascinating, and brilliantly curated.
      I would live to be able to come look at the records Covid restrictions permitting in the next month or so.

      In any event it would be good to follow up with you.
      Ps
      Are you by any chance based in York..
      I look forward to hearing from you.

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