Lying in bed all day recovering just didn't suit her.

It is possible she took things at a slightly slower pace, but that would have been about the limits of her concessions to doctors orders. Two days later she was up and about: " Got up in the afternoon. Pain still there, but cough improving."

Those wretched Passes were not to be denied, and the next day, under the watchful eye of Cole-Hamilton, she was off to Chalons-sur-Marne to get her Pass renewed. Rather gruesomely she reports that they "saw an aeroplane taken away after an accident – all blood and bits of flesh."

The Ist of May saw her 'unpacking cases" again, just 4 days after her blood-letting! Some tents had arrived, and after several nights of constant bombing around Epernay, not far away - "awful noise, flashes all night" – they erected them in a field nearby so that they could sleep out. "Much fresher and nicer". It was going to be a very hot summer. As fate would have it, the night after the tents had been set up, all the FANY ambulance crews were called out to air raids on Troissy a few miles away, from the early hours of the morning until well into the afternoon. Grace noted that she slept for an hour in tent. Presumably before the call-out.

About that time she also mentions, "two Boches in – one dying with sunstroke – quite delirious." She rounded up this entry next day with just two words, "Boche died." The entries carried no word of pity, far removed from the loving, caring Grace she really was. For the rest of her life she never forgave the Germans for the deaths of her two brothers.

The next day she and Doris Allen set out for Paris. In no hurry, they hitched a lift to Chateau Thiery, and after a leisurely lunch finished the journey by train. Grace was relaxed and happy, writing: "country gorgeous – masses of blossoms on every side." Although one of her reasons for going to Paris was, as she wrote rather ominously "I shall see Boutiron and have it out with him!" He was a senior official in the French Red Cross HQ with whom she had had many brushes, particularly about Passes.

It was to be the start of a rather bittersweet week , had she but known it. In Paris the Metro had broken down, Grace and Doris booked into a nearby hotel, unaware that her husband was staying the night at the Grand Hotel, not far away He was heading for Binson to see her, thinking she was still in bed with pleurisy.

More relaxed, Grace called on her old friend Baroness Mannerheim the following day, went shopping, and managed to see M. Boutiron briefly at about 6 o/c, who fixed an appointment for the following day.

Meanwhile Ronald made his way to the Priory Hospital outside Binson, all unfamiliar territory to him. There he was brought up to date on Grace's whereabouts, spent some time trying to reach her through the Red Cross connections. Finally, he stayed the night at Binson, as it was going to be quite impossible to get back to Paris.

He did, however, send a wire to their friend the Baroness, knowing that Grace would be sure to contact her if in Paris.

When Grace got to M. Boutiron's office, she was surprised to find the Baroness there as well, with Ronald's telegram! Of course, she was over the moon, wasted an hour trying to reach him by phone, eventually sending him a wire, urging him to get back as soon as possible. Which he did, but not until late that night.

A week in Paris, for two young newly-weds, separated by war for such long periods, should have been idyllic. In reality their time together was fragmented, and disrupted continually by Grace's commitments. What should have been a time of pleasure and excitement, was spoiled.

They tried to make the most of it, roaming around Paris, seeing the sights at their best, in glorious summer weather. They took a boat down the Seine, went shopping in the chic Paris boutiques. In drab khaki uniform she may have been, but it certainly didn't diminish Grace's feminine side. She records in her diary "Bought some shoes 65Frs a pair – awful – price, but they are pretty ones – also silk stockings & the dinkiest garters."

There was afternoon tea at the fabulous Rumpelmeyers; then the equally famous Café de Paris at night – "Weird place – awful women, full of English officers." was Grace's comment. They walked for miles, happy to be together.

But these periods were interrupted and obstructed by Grace being called away constantly. She had to go to the de Dion works at Puteau with Mr Sawyer to deal with vehicle problems. Then there were interminable meetings at Red Cross Headquarters; separate meetings with M. Boutiron; there were FANYs up to collect goods; others departing on leave, returning from leave.

They went to another well known café for afternoon tea. It was not a happy experience. Grace wrote " Rotten on Sundays. Waiter tried to cheat Ronald of 5 Frs. Failure!"

After a bit Ronald, was 'thoroughly fed up with Paris.' Towns were never really his 'thing', being much more at home in wide open spaces. Grace now had to return to Binson. She and Ronald would both much rather have gone off somewhere alone for the time that was left to them, but it just wasn't possible. Once again she was trapped in the manacles of duty. Ronald went with her.

On their first full day there, Grace was called away to Chalons to collect or change those so-necessary Passes. She went in the de Dion expecting a quick there and back, but almost inevitably the car broke down, and she had to hitch a lift back to Binson. She records she was "very cross and tired", no mood to be in on Ronald's last night of leave.

Her sadness and despondency at their flawed week together really began to show through at this point. She was downcast and wistful, filled with a feeling of helplessness, so alien to a woman of her character. "Wandered about. Ronald's last night. Wish we could have had proper leave, right away from Corps and work."

The following day Doris Allen drove them to Chateau Thierry. There they said their goodbyes – Ronald to return to his unit, Grace back to Binson. It affected her deeply. That night's diary entry was full of misery and sadness. "So………………..till the next time. I am so tired, I wish we could be together really; endless partings, and giving up, and doing without, and endless females, and always worry.

And people are afraid to die!

Why?"

There is an awful note of despair in those words, a heart-wrenching cri de Coeur. Just how strained were those sunny days together, Grace recovering from illness, Ronald with the stress of going back to the hell of the Front Line? And just maybe, a touch of jealousy, hence her nebulous reference to 'endless females'. Ronald was a man of great charm, full of laughter and twinkling blue eyes.

For a few days she involved herself furiously unpacking stores of one sort or another, doing all sorts of physical tasks to get her mind off things. Then, once again into action.

She had been in talks with the French authorities, for the FANY to provide reliefs for the Directrice of a French Army canteen, Le Foyer de Soldats, at a place called Fismes. Relations with the French were at a high point, and Grace readily agreed to this new venture, thought it was only to be for a month.

She decided to visit it, see for herself, and meet Miss Joseph who ran it, and .was due a month's leave. Setting out with the Russell-Allen sisters, Doris and Gerry, they made good time. Even at Binson there was the constant booming of the guns 20 miles away, and the sinister rumblings got a lot louder as they neared Fismes. There they met Miss Joseph, listened to what she had to say, had a leisurely look around, approved of what they saw.

Leaving rather later than they intended, they decided to go via Ville en Tardennois, lost their way, and found themselves much nearer the Front than was healthy. It was getting dark, and soon they were taking turns to walk in front with a torch, as headlights were not permitted.

Passing through a completely strange village, they "picked up a poor Poilu with a wounded head, walking to railhead for Epernay, but he was pretty far gone so we slung him aboard".

They drove on, not really clear where they were. There was a lot of artillery activity. – "star shells everywhere and big flashes". They had no idea where they were, neither did their patient! Though she later tried to find that village again, Grace never did.

They finally managed to get home safely, and next day they were back to the 'unpacking' routine. However, The French confirmed the arrangement quite soon, and would let Grace know when her girls were needed, a day or two before Miss Joseph departed on leave.

Time passed quickly, with little of note happening. Grace celebrated her 31^st birthday. The staff gave her a " lovely silver Vanity Bag " and had planned a birthday picnic tea in the grounds of the Priory, but that fell through due to the funeral of a leading Pere Blanc. It was held in the Cloisters, instead, which later drew a gentle rebuke from the Father Superior about holding 'revelries' in the Priory!

Meanwhile there was plenty to do at Binson Hospital. Grace was constantly on the lookout for anything that would entertain the recovering wounded. On a visit to a local Mayor with food and clothing collected for the poor of the town, there was a military band playing nearby. She talked her way into meeting with the C.O. of the Regiment, the 147^th Infantry, and asked him if his band would play at the hospital. He agreed immediately, and Grace invited him and his officers to come along to tea at the same time.

Shortly after that, she had the personal satisfaction of being informed officially that Queen Alexandra of the Belgians "had been pleased to accept her gift of her book, Nursing Adventures"

That very day, she received a phone call from the French authorities that the FANY were to take over the Foyer de Soldats at Fismes in 2 days time. This was a particularly tense time in the French Army. Because of the dreadful losses incurred by abortive onslaughts against the German lines, the morale of both soldiers and civilians was at rock bottom and a number of mutinies had already taken place. In fact, there had been one at Fismes the previous Sunday, in which the men had locked up all their officers at gunpoint.

The paperwork for the temporary take-over of the Foyer de Soldats arrived, involving Grace in a frenzy of form-filling and letters to keep the Administrators happy. She finally set out for Fismes at about 5.30 p.m. getting there without any trouble. Leaving Andy Anderson, who was to be in charge, and a Mrs Wybrants, with Miss Joseph she set off back to Binson. She noted that she was held up by "a terrible storm, had to sit in car for rain & hail & lightning. Heard thunderbolt, trees knocked down. Ran into a mutiny at Ville en Tardenois, men all drunk. Got home about 10." Such understatement of what must have been an exciting, - and frightening, - set of circumstances, was the normal FANY response

Fismes was just 14 miles from the Front Line, and under almost continuous bombardment. Because of the way they carried on under fire daily, the French troops called them Les Petites Soldats for the bravery they displayed. It had always been busy, but Anderson and her girls greatly improved the place by the huge spring clean they gave it. Among the very large numbers of French troops they served, fresh from the Lines, they made a great name for themselves, and the Corps, even though only there for a month.

Soon after her return she was to have a good deal more to worry her. For a long time, since the war began, the FANY Corps had been a thorn in the side of the British Military Establishment because of their independence. Right from the start they had been told that there would never be women driving for the British Army. This had been the main aim of the Corps, but undeterred by the British attitude, they had carried on, driving for the Belgian and the French armies.

Finally, the fuse was lit in 1917, when the British Administration in Calais woke up to the fact, that in spite of all the obstacles and refusals they had constantly put in the way of the FANYs, here they were, in a large and important British Controlled sector, doing ALL the driving for ALL the hospitals in the area, Belgian, French AND British. They moved, loaded, unloaded, transferred, collected all wounded in the area. During the frequent and continued air raids on Calais, it was the FANY who turned out to pick up all casualties, civil and military, whatever nationality.

And yet they were still a volunteer, independent body, who ruled themselves. No matter how good they were, this was a state of affairs which, in the mind of the Military, could not be allowed to continue. In this, the Army were strongly backed by the British Red Cross, (BRCS) who were not happy with the FANY Corps for much the same reasons. They were too independent. They should be either Red Cross or VAD.

Between them, the Army and the BRCS hatched a plan to abolish the Corps for good. If they cut off the head of the serpent, the rest would follow. They were in no doubt as to the identity of the 'Head' they were after. If they destroyed Mrs McDougall and her powerful and well organized Unit 5, attached to the Belgian Army, they had no doubt at all that they could get rid of the rest with little effort.

Grace had made a few enemies in her determined quest for expansion of the Corps, but she had also made a great many friends, some in high places. The whole episode is a bit misty, little appears in records, but somebody tipped Grace off about the plan while she was at Binson, soon after her trip back from Fismes.

She lost no time. Returning as quickly as she could to Calais, and to her Unit 5 Headquarters, she went straight to the General Commanding the Belgian section. He listened attentively, and swung into action.

Every FANY in Unit 5 was paraded in front of the Base Commandant, and his Chief of Staff, an aptly name Colonel Dieu-Donne. They were subjected to every step required by the Belgian Army army to be enlisted – weighed, measured, photographed, and sworn in as Soldats de la Corps de Transporte de l'Armee Belge. They were then issued with the blue gorgets and silver badges of rank, as used in the Belgian Army.

The following day, as Grace had been tipped off they would, a delegation from the British Red Cross stormed into the Base, bent on eliminating the FANY. They were escorted to the Mess where they were met by the Base Commandant. He greeted them very courteously, and asked to what did he owe the honour of their visit.

He was told, rather bluntly, that they had come to tell the FANY that their services were no longer required, their passes would be withdrawn, and they would be sent home.

At this the Belgian General drew himself up. In the most dramatic tones he directed their attention to the fact that on this Base they were standing on Belgian soil, and the ladies in question were all Soldiers of the Belgian Army Transport Corps, over whom the BRCS had no jurisdiction.

The delegation was utterly poleaxed. It was game, set, and match to the FANY! Never again did the Establishment, either Civil or Military, try anything of that nature. And the FANYs in future worked under the auspices of the army, rather than the Red Cross.

There were those in the British administration who were not at all happy with this outcome. They sat and they brooded, and looked for revenge. It wasn't long before they got it.