V.A.D. NURSES.
ere THII EDITOR OF TH1 " EIZZOTAT011."1 SIR,—May I add one word to the correspondence on the subject of the V.A.D. nurses and their recognition by their professional sisters P Do we not stand to the professional nurses in exactly the same relation as the officers and men of the Territorial battalions to those of the Regulars P We, like our prototypes, were, up to the date of mobilization, amateurs—that is, we trained annually for stated periods (in many cases, as pointed out by your correspondent "English- woman," for weeks or months at a time), and for the rest of the year pursued our ordinary avocations. By the end of October or beginning of November last, which was the date at which Territorial troops were first sent overseas, many of us were hard at work in auxiliary hospitals recognized by the military authorities, and have worked continuously since that date. We have it on the authority of our generals in the field that the Territorial battalions are fully com- petent to do and dare alongside the Regulars and have proved themselves equally valuable, and the question naturally arises : If nine months' active service makes an amateur man into an efficient soldier, may not nine months' hospital experience give the V.A.D. some claim to be considered a nurse P—I am, Sir, &o. A V.A.D. WHO HAS BEEN AT WORK SINCE NOVEMBER 1ST.
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