BRITISH RED CROSS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2630, 27 November 1915, Page 3

BRITISH RED CROSS

AND ORDER OF SI. JOHN

N.Z. OFFICER'S OBSERVATIONS

Some interesting particulars of the work being done by the British Rtd Cross and St. John Ambiilanco in Egypt and tho Dardanelles are forwarded by Major G. Barclay, or the Now Zealand Ifingineers, to his brother, Mr. A. Barclay, of Wellington. Major Barclay was in hospital at Cairo, and -was sent from there to Alexandria Convalescent Home (Lady Godley's), and gathered tho particulars personally while. at tho latter place. He has since returned to duty a t Cairo, and Major Barclay writes: During my brief stay in Alexandria I came in contact with the authorities who control the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John in that city, and was ablo to obtain some interesting data with respect to tho immense amount °t work, _ supplementary to the Army Medical Service, which is being carried out by tho joint organisations in the zono affected by tho operations of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. Alexandria :s necessarily Ilia headquarters, • and their central offices and immense stores have been provided to enable the work to be expeditiously P. e u Y°fp ie d. It would be almost impossible for an ordinary individual to concoive the extent of the operations which are being undertaken by these wellknown bodies. I was conducted over tho commodious promises which aro in nso as Red Cross Stores, and was astonished at. the quantity and variety of gOods which are stocked. There, in tiers of shelves extending from floor to ceiling, were articles of almost every description—clothing, bedding material, hospital equipment, articles for amusement, and toilet, stationery, literature, etc., etc.

"Some idea of the very large turnover that takes placo in- the Red Cross Store may be • gathered from tlio fact that the^-order supplies stores to about seventy-fire military and Red Cross hospitals and convalescent homes, and also supplementary, stores to hospital ships (called ambulance carriers) pjving botween the Dardanelles and Egypt, and Egypt and England. It likewise furnishes stores and comforts to the five military hospital trains which are running in Egypt. "la addition to the Alexandria headquarters, Red Cross stores have been established at Malta, Cairo, Port Said, Suez, Cyprus, Mudros, Capo Helles, and Suvk Bay, and considerable quantities of stores have been dispatched to these places. The depot in Murdos (Island of Lemnos) is utilised to some extent as a distributing sub-centre ; The store at Suez ivas established primarily for the purpose of supplying requisites and comforts to the hospital ships passing through with sick and wounded for India, Australia, and New Zealand. Whenever possible, small .packets of gifts-have'been prepared and presented to the patients—these packets containing such things as Eau-de-Cologne, cigarettes, matches, stationery, handkerchiefs, and various other little comforts. "In order the better to convey some idea of the' gigantic output of stores, 1 1 quote the following figures from a list of 130 items recently dispatched to tho Murdos Depot:—34oo bandages, 3200 tooth-brushes, 2000 tablets of formaline, 6GOO handkerchiefs, 2900 hospital shirts, 7300 yards mosquito netting, B'2oo pillows, £200 pillow-cases, 2300 pyjama suits, 27,200 shirts, -1300 lpairs slippers, COOO cakes toilet soap, 6000 towels, 800,000 cigarettes, 4000 pipes, 35,000 sheets letter paper, 37,0{0 envelopes, 6000 one ounce tins of tobacco. It may further be mentioned, in order to emphasise tho importance 'of . tho work, that during a'recent fortnight twenty-live hospital ships wero roequipped with stores at Alexandria, one ship alono taking 1000 shirts and 1500 pvjama suits. Many of the 6toras are purchased or manufactured locally, but large quantities are also received from Englaiid, from tho St. John and Red Cross depots there. "The joint organisation has now 100 Red Cross nurses working in the hospitals and hospital ships. There are also five masseurs employed for massaging patients in the hospitals, mid about 400 voluntary workers—the latter are employed in the hospitals, at the buffets on tho' quays, and in the hospital trains. There are in addition a considerable number of theso workers who are organising and rendering invaluablo aid : n othor ways. . "The institution has also dispatched to the Dardanelles . several motor launches and crows to bo utilised for the purpose of distributing Red Cross stores, and for convoying and towing the wounded; Quite a number of motor ambulances and chauffeurs are in use, while others are on the way out. "Another excellent arrangement which has been perfected by the Red Cross is the supply of refreshments to the sick and wounded arriving by hospital ships. Refreshment buffets have been- established for this purpose on tho quays at Alexandria and Port Said, and havo fully demonstrated their usefulness. Refreshments are also dispensed on the various hospital trains and likewise at Cairo on arrival there. Admirable work has boen done by tho refreshment buffet recently provided at Mudros, whore many thousands of the siok and wounded havo already boen supplied, and steps are now being taken to establish similar conveniences on tho Peninsula.

"Due provision is made to secure the entertainment of the inmates of the various hospitals, etc., arrangements for concerts, kinematogragh shows and other forms of entertainment, as well as for carriage and motor drives for convalescents being carried out by a special Red Cross committee. Recreation 1 rooms have also been provided at Alexandria and elsewhere, while a number of recreation tents were recently dispatched to Mudros, etc., in charge of R«d Ctobs workers. .

"In addition to supplying stoTes and material to the military hospitals, the Order,undertakes the maintenance and ! control of quite a number of institutions. In Alexandria, there are three British Red Cross Convalescent Hospitals for officers and four for non-commissioned officers and men, while/tiro convalescent rest, homes for nurses are also provided, with a. total accommodation of over 2000 beds. At Cairo the British Red Cross Hospital (Saidleh) accommodates 650 patients, while the "Walda Palace Convalescent Hospital at flelonan is also provided by the organisation. 'At Malta, the Red Cross and St. John Hospital for officers is doing good work. ■ "Another very useful department of work carried out by British Red Cross and the Order of St. John, is fbe British Red Cross Inquiry Bureau, which lias been established at Alexandria., Cairo, and other centres. A larje staff is fully employed in answering inquiries from relatives and friends of the wounded and missing. "The abovo will probably give gome conception. of the extent of the_ work which is being carried out by this dual organisation, and when it is remembered that tho Near East is- only one of

the theatres in which tho Red Cross and Order of St. Jolm operate, it will bo well understood that a task of great magnitude has not only been undertaken, but is being successfully carried out. New Zealand has already forwarded considerable sums of money and much material to St. John's Gate, and

it will bo manifest that there exists tho necessity for sustained efforts on tho part of those associated with, and sympathising witlli, the St. John Ambulance organisation."