On a postcard with a view of Bordighera, on the southern railway route into Italy, just across the border from France. From the Unit Superintendent of the Voluntary Aid Detachment, Annie Florence Starkey writes, "I have put a cross on the Villa & another showing where about this house is". The crosses show up very faint on the picture side of the card, I have added two arrows to help. Postmarked Army Post Office L. 7, (located Bordighera) on 7th November 1918.
Signed A.F. Starkey, 62nd General Hospital, the card was censored by Lieut, W.R. Coates of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Miss Starkey from Fairford in Gloucester, was 47 at the time of her engagement and served in Italy from 30th September 1918 until 27th May 1919.
V.A.D. volunteers were civilians, usually upper crust ladies, who worked in military hospitals, they were not trained nurses, but proved very useful at times when the heavy casualties began arriving.
Frank Schofield