Professional High School

FOURTH QUARTER

SOCIAL STUDIES 9 Journal #1

NAME Zahkie Mamacotao SCORE
GRADE & SECTION 9 Amethyst DATE 4/24/2023

World War I: Diary of WWI Nurse

Introduction:
World War I, also called the “First World War” or “Great War”, was an
international conflict that embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the
United States, the Middle East, and other regions in 1914 to 1918. The war pitted the
Central Powers—mainly Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey—against the Allies—
mainly France, Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan, and, from 1917, the United States. It
ended with the defeat of the Central Powers. The war was virtually unprecedented in the
slaughter, carnage, and destruction it caused.

Directions
Read the diary entries of a nurse during the World War 1 and answer the following questions in NOT LESS than 5
sentences.

4 a.m., March 24.

They’ve come!

I’ve been working all night. Just got off…

… Our first warning that the convoys were coming was the low drone of motors — the ambulances,
winding over the roads in the moonlight. As far as the eye could see they were coming. Just black
beetles, crawling, scarcely a yard between them, and not a light anywhere. It was about an hour after
supper, and there was an air-raid on. Not a very bad one, but our shells were coming over so low that
our hair stood on end with every screech. Ruth and I were standing outside the mess watching the air-
raid, when, through the sound of whistling shells, we heard a low purring note that had nothing to do
with the jerky growl of Gothas. We exchanged a startled glance and started for Matron’s office, neither
of us saying a word.

Just as we reached the Administration Hut the first ambulance stopped in front of us, the others close
behind, and we had to wait until the boys were taken out. Nearly every one should have been a
stretcher case. Ragged and dirty; tin hats still on; wounds patched together anyway, some not even
covered. The boys’ faces were white and drawn and their eyes glassy from lack of sleep. Some of them
were not more than sixteen or seventeen. And they stood, ghastly in the pale light, waiting to be told
where to go. There were great husky men crying with the pain of gaping wounds and dreadfully swollen,
discolored trench feet, who sank down exhausted the moment they stopped. There were strings of from
eight to twenty blind boys filling up the road, clinging tightly and pitifully to each other’s hands, and led
by some bedraggled limping youngster who could still see.
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As the hours went by we ceased to think. Our hands moved automatically. We were hardly
conscious of the shuffling of feet and the steady drip-drip of wounds bleeding from surface vessels,
torn open when Ruth took off the dressing. I remember hearing a soft thump now and then. I
suppose somebody fainted. But there was no time to look up. We were needed elsewhere for
stretcher cases at that very moment. After a while Topsey had to give it up, and went away very
white. She was sick before we started, anyway.

We’re through now, just as the dawn is coming. I don’t know whether I’m sleepy or not, but when I
close my eyes the bandages go on rolling and winding and staining crimson. The blur of faces is still
there in the sputtery light, and I can hear the ceaseless shuffle of feet. So I’m writing in this until it
all goes away and I can sleep..

1. How was the condition of the soldiers and the general population during the war?

The soldiers during WWI were tired, hurt, and had trench foot. They arrived in large
numbers on ambulances and waited for their turn to be helped. Some were very young,
and many were blind and had to be guided by others. The nurses working were very
busy, and their hands moved automatically. The diary showed how chaotic and tragic
war can be for everyone involved.
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November 11.

In ten minutes the war will be over. Hostilities are to cease at eleven o’clock, and it is ten minutes
to eleven now. It’s incredible that one can measure peace in actual units of time. I lay awake all
last night, thinking.

What are we all to do now? How can we go home to civilian life, to the never ending, never
varying routine?

And the Twenty-second General Hospital, that vital living thing, saturated with the heights and
depths of human emotion, will become a slowly fading memory of days when we really lived.

There go the bells! And the drums! And the sirens! And the bagpipes! And cheering that swells
louder and louder! The war is over — and I never felt so sick in my life. Everything is over.

But it shan’t be! I won’t stop living!

2. What does the success of the Allies (UK, France, US, Japan, and Italy) during the
WW1 signify for their people? For the world?

For the people of the Allies, it meant a lot to them since they were able to end the war and
defeat the Central Powers. For the world, it represented a significant shift in international
relations and the beginning of a new era of global diplomacy. However, it also marked the
start of a new and logn era of recovering from the war as nations worked to rebuild and fix
the damages from the devastating effects of the war. The success of the Allies also had a
profound impact on the outcome of future conflicts, helping to establish the power and
influence of the victoroius nations in the years to come. Overall, the success of the Allies
paved the way for the future events in history.
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3. How did the general population react to the end of the WW1?

The end of WW1 made people feel different things. Some people were happy and excited that the
war was over and they could go home. But others were sad and upset because they lost loved
ones and things had changed. After the war, soldiers and regular people had a hard time healing
and getting better because it was difficult to go back to their normal lives.

4. If you were alive during WW1, why is it important to preserve your experiences
and how would you share it?

If I were alive during WWI, I think preserving and sharing my experiences will be my top priority
because I know that information like that will benefit the whole world. By doing so, I could also
help to ensure that future generations undertsand the impact of the war on both individuals and
society. In order for me to share these experiences, I would probably share them through writing a
book, speaking at events, or any ohter means available to me, in order to raise awareness about
the importance of peace and understanding in the world. Also, preserving my experiences would
allow me to reflect on the lessons of the past, and to draw strength and inspiration from the
sacrifices made by others during the war. All in all, if I were alive during that time I wuold make it
my responsibility to ensure that my experiences will be shared with the public to help give more
perspectives on the war.