TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2525, 28 July 1915, Page 8

TRENTHAM CAMP INQUIRY

THE MEN'S BEDDING SOLDIERS HAD TO BUY THEIR MATTRESSES SENDING ROUND THE HAT TO PURCHASE TEA-TOWELS AND SALT The Trentham Camp Commission continued the hearing of-evidence yesterday. His Honour Mr. Justice Hosting presided, aud tile other members of the Commission are.Dri A. A. Martin and Mr. W. Ferguson. • ■ • Surgeon-Captain -Yeates proceeded with his evidence. He said that the men in the isolation camp were so badly guard-, ed that ho had seen them in company wi'.h other men. Frequently they wero not in their tents, and not on. the isolation ground. Their mates often had to carry their food to them! At first tlis isolation camp was without cooking equipment. The latrines in camp were insufficient in number; and the means of disinfecting them were inadequate. Some of the hutments were built over the site of old latrines. Respecting thp prevalence of sickness, ho-thought that more care should have been taken of the infectious cases. Certainly there should have been a hospital at the canm. .From the beginning the arrangements were inadequate for even 100 men. The tents should havo been shifted once a month, and the camp once in three months. Fresh arrivals in camp occupied the tents of' recent departures, and this, without the tents being fftmigated, as far as he knew. Thero were no drying facilities, and there' ought to havo been. Shops and halls should not have been allowed in the middle of the camp; tho middle should be an air space. The septic tanks smelt" very badly. Wit l noss severed- his connection with Trentliam Camp on February- 27, when he was struck off the strength,

Mr. Skerrett: I understand you complained that you had been improperly removed from the position of captain in the medical branch of the service?

Dr. Yeates: I consider, as a soldier vtho volunteered to servo the King, that 1117 difference with the Defence Department Is open to a good deal of question as to the regularity, or irregularity, of what they have done.

His Honour: How did you come to cease duty? . ' ,

Dr. .Yeates said that he received a registered letter from the Camp Commandr.nt (Colonel Potter), which communication conveyed the information that, in view of a report by tho Director of Medical Services, General Robin was unable to recommend Captain Teates for appointment to tho Expeditionary Forces, that there were no other vacancies to which he >could.be appointed, and that his services would not be required in oamp ; The Director of Medical Services said in his letter that he had had many opportunities of judging' Dr. Yeates's capabilities, and that he was of. opinion lie was not, suited for service in the forces. Dr. Xeate3 said that he did hot 65® how Colonel Purdy, whom he had seen only twice officially, could say he was in a position to judiro him. The Sick Parades. Mr. Skerrett: You have the highest testimonials. for your military .work in South Africa? Dr. Yeates: Yes. Dr. Yeates said that he felt that he had suffered a gravo injustice, but did not think the Commission the placo to ro into the question. , Continuing, the witness said.that when he went into camp {he provision for the reception of the siok consisted of a marquee in which there wero a few straw mattresses on the ground, and some stretdhlera. That lasted about four weeks. . His. Honour remarked that it had been said that one cause of sickness was that men returned, to camp drunk and slept out in the open all night. 1 Dr. Yeates: I think they were a, -very sober lot of men. Eespecting the sick parades, Dr. Yeates said if a man went on sick parade-lie had to stand about outside the marquee in which tho doctors were. The parades lasted from G.BO a.m. till 8 a.m., and measles cases ; were mixed up with the other cases. He thought .there should be a preparatory camp to nurture tho men up to a certain stage of camp life,' and nifn should bo medically examined very shortly before going into camp, as under the present system a considerable timo generally elapsed between tho medical examination of the recruit-and the adnrs sion of the recruit into camp. He was not prepared to say it was tho practice, but he had seen one sick man marched to hospital when he was absolutely unfit to walk. It was absurdity to call Trenthnrn Camp a training camp for medical officers, for there was no'one there with the experience to train them.