Dr Bethune Short Story

Victim still of his own foul temper, Bethune at times of frustration would lapse into his infamous behavior. Jean Ewen described his near rage: "Dr. Bethune was furious, I had never seen such a temper before. He stomped and kicked everything in sight. Yet his demeanor altered when he was with the sick. He was very tender with the wounded, and very concerned.” The soldiers looked up to him. Word quickly passed from mouth to mouth in China of the amazing Canadian doctor who shared his clothes, his food, and even his blood with wounded soldiers and civilians. He won the admiration of the locals by accepting their customs, sleeping in their homes, and suffered the same hardships as they. His name sparked the courage of thousands of Chinese soldiers, he was their war cry: "Attack! Bethune is with us!"

Bethune had lost a lot of weight.
Norman Bethune died. He was buried in an American flag, as no Red Ensign or Union Jack was at hand. His team carried his body for 4 days along icy mountain paths to a place of relative safety, as all around battles raged in the countryside. Two memorial ceremonies were held in succession in his honour : on 1 December 1939 a memorial meeting was held in Yan'an, the troops of the 8th Red Army stood row upon row, filling the valley between the honeycombed hills while Martial Chu Teh, the commander-in-chief, spoke to them of the man who died for them. Bethune's death was a major loss to the Army. A tomb was built for him in the valley where he died. Nine years later General Neieh revisited his grave to wipe off the desecration done by the Japanese. In 1952 his remains were taken to the Mausoleum of Martyrs, and re-buried in the Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Shih-chia-chuang, Hebei Province. A statue, a pavilion and a museum mark the site. Every year on the anniversary of his death, a ceremony is held