17 - War by Pierre Loti

Discover the compelling insights of Pierre Loti [Julien Viaud] (1850-1923), a French naval officer and novelist, in War. This captivating work of non-fiction features a selection of letters and diary entries that reveal his thoughts and experiences during the tumultuous times of war. Loti not only reflects on his involvement in World War I but also shares his perspectives on the preparations leading up to the Turkish Revolution of 1923, a significant event that inspired the naming of a famous hill and a beloved café in Istanbul after him. Join us as we explore the mind of a man who witnessed history firsthand. (Summary by Carolin)

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seventeen of War. This is a LibriVox recording. All
LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information
or to volunteer plays, visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by
Becky Cook. War by Pierre Loti, translated by Marjorie Laurie,

(00:21):
Chapter seventeen, For the Rescue of Our Wounded, August nineteen fifteen.
The preservation of the lives of our dear wounded, who
day by day are stricken down upon the field of battle,
depends nine times out of ten on the rapidity with
which they are carried in, on the gentleness and promptness
with which they are taken to the field hospitals, where

(00:43):
they may be put into comfortable beds, and left in
the care of all the kind hands that are waiting
for them. This fact is not sufficiently well known. Often
it happens that wounds which would have been trifling have
become septic and mortal because they have been left too
long covered within ouriquate, uncleanly bandages, or have trailed for
many hours on the earth or in the mud. In

(01:06):
the first weeks of the war, when we are taken
unawares by the barbarians attack treacherous and sudden as a thunderbolt.
It was not bullets and chapnel alone that killed the
sons of France. Often too, it happened that help was
slow in arriving, sufficient haste could not be made, and
it was impossible to cope right at the beginning with
these shortcomings, in spite of much admirable devotion and ingenuity

(01:29):
in multiplying and improving the means of service. Since then,
helpers have poured in from all sides. Gifts have been
showered with open hands, Organization has been created with loving
zeal and things are already working very well, but much
still remains to be done. For the work is immense
and complex, and it is our duty to hold ourselves

(01:50):
more than ever in readiness, in anticipation of great final
struggles for deliverance. Now a society is being formed for
sending to the fronts and fresh squadrons of fast motor
ambulances furnished with cots and mattresses of improved design. Thus
thousands more of are wounded will be laid immediately between
clean sheets than brought into hospital with all speed, without

(02:11):
that delay, which is a cause of ganggreened wounds. Without
those jolts that aggravate the pain of fractured bones and
inflict yet more grievous suffering on those dear bruised heads.
But in spite of the first magnificent donations, a remainder
of the money has still to be found to complete
the enterprise satisfactorily. And so I beseech all mothers whose

(02:32):
sons may fall at any moment. I beseech all those
who have in the firing line a kinsman dear to them.
I beseech them to send their offerings without hesitation, without calculation,
so that soon before the April battles begin, several hundreds
of those great life saving ambulances may be ready to
start with which assuredly preserve for us a vast number

(02:55):
of precious lives. End of Chapter seventeen.