EVACUATING THE YPRES ASYLUM.
26
The Ypres Times.
sent us their authorised commission on sales as a donation to the Beague. The names
mentioned only include a few of those who helped us in this way, and we regret that all
the names were not in our possessionMiss Jean Bateman, Mr. Henry Silk, Miss E. b-
Brompton, Miss F. H. Smith, Mr. O'Connor, Mr. George Wood, Miss Caucutt, Miss Roach,
Miss Walker, Miss Moore, Miss Verne\% Mr. H. Bryant, Mr. S. Aldridge, Miss Starr also the
lady attendants from sixty other cinemas. Among other musical directors of various
theatres who added to the success of the song by careful rehearsal and clever performance
were Mr. Albert Goossens, Mr. B. White, Miss Morell, Miss Szymanani, Miss Williamson,.
Mr. Mattock. Mr. Norman Buller, the well-known baritone, sang for us with great success
also Miss Drina Strange. Capt. Turner, O.B.E., with a powerful and sympathetic voice,
who was and is, a most energetic worker for the beague, sang for four nights in three
cinemas nightly, and he made a most effective appeal for the cause of the beague.
Finally we had the valuable help of Mr. Boul, of Berwick-on-Tweed, Mrs. James, of
Exeter, Mr. Gibbons, of Tunbridge Wells, Mrs. Briggs, of Harrogate. Owing to lack of
space a full account of their activities and the cinemas which helped them, is held over
till our next issue.
In olden days, when one left Ypres and went
along the road to Vlamertinghe, one saw on the
right a large and fine building. It dated from
1900, and with its beautiful chapel, separated
pavilions and exquisite gardens, seemed likely
to be a permanent tribute to the genius of its de
signer, M. Coomans, architect in the town of Ypres.
This was the Le Sacre Coeur, a lunatic asylum for
women under the management of reverend sisters,
and the chaplain, Pastor René Neuville.
It was not until just at the end of October,
1914, that war came to interrupt its peace, but
from October 28th it became, alas, a noted part
of the war zone.
Por twenty-five days Ypres and all the neigh
bourhood was bombarded by the Germans, and
whole streets were in ashes caused by incendiary
bombs. In the asylum itself many shrapnel
shells had burst, but happily no one was touched,
although the inmates spent many long nights
sitting up wondering what was going to happen.
The danger became more and more acute, and
at last it was decided that, however hard it was,
they must at last leave their beautiful home and
take refuge in France. It was a cold winter's
morning, November 21st, 1914, and a little snow
was on the ground. Very early in the morning
everyone was on foot, the womenfour hundred
of themall put on their best clothes, parcels
were packed, and everything was ready to move
off. A few minutes after lunch a long train was
brought behind the big building, and the people
prepared to get into it. For the last time they
gazed at their beautiful chapel and their lovely
gardens, and then sadly left them behind whilst
shrapnel shells were still exploding only a few
metres from the train itself.
Can one imagine anything more sad than the
flight of four hundred mad but innocent people
Here a woman is crying like a child others are
singing, laughing, dancingsome are terrified
with frightmany have to be carried away in
chairs, and the sisters have endless trouble
with some of the worst cases. The first coaches
of the train were already full of male lunatics
from the men's asylum in the Rue Thourout, two
of whom had already been wounded by shrapnel.
After working for nearly two hours everyone was
got into the train all that they could carry was
safely packed away the sign was given and the
train slowly moved off. Many tears were shed in
adieu to their lovely convent where they had been
living so joyfully and working so hard and it
seemed now to them as if it were verily home that
they were leaving, and it was a trainload of sad
hearts that the train gathering speed carried over
the frontier into France.
SISTER MARGUERITE.
