COLONEL RHODES AT THE FRONT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2664, 8 January 1916, Page 6

COLONEL RHODES AT THE FRONT

ROUND OF THE TRENCHES INSPECTION OF HOSPITALS AND POST OFFICES (From Malcolm Ross, Official War Correspondent with the N.Z. Forces.) The Hon. Colonel Heaton Rhodes, M.P., has been busy going the round of the trenches in the firing line, in visiting the field-dressing stations, and generally inquiring into matters' of interest and importance to the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. Colonel Rhodes arrived at Port Said on October 6, and at once set about visiting the various military hospitals m Egypt. He went first of all to tho No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital, which, under Colonel M'Gavin, had got together a lirst-cla-ss equipment, and was doing excellent work. Shortly afterwards—as New Zealandors will know by this time—the situation in the Balkans and tho new landing at Salonika made it necessary that the hospital should shift to that place. Accordingly, doctors, nurses, and attendants ivero shipped on board a troopship and joyously set out for their new sphere of action nearer tho front. The .'ship, as you already know, was torpedoed by an Austrian or German submarine in the Gulf of Salonika, and tile whole of the valuable equipment is now at the bottom of tho sea. Unfortunately, amongst the loss of life that ensued was that of ten of the New Zealand nurses, who had been got safely into one of the boats and were killed by another boat. falling oil them. Many of those rescued—there were about 1000 all told on board —were for eight hours in tho water. All tho doctors wero saved. Colonel M'Gavin has remained in Salonika, aud the other doctors have gone back to Egypt to get a new outfit for the hospital, which will be established as soon as possible. From Port Said Colonel Rhodes proceeded to Alexandria, where ho inspected the New Zealand Base, now about to be shifted to Cairo. On the afternoon of October 7, with Captain-Chaplain Greene, of the Salvation Army, he visited tho Greek Hospital, whero, among the patients, he found a number of New Zealandors, all of whom expressed themselves as satisfied with their treatment. Ho also saw the No. 21 General Hospital,; -with accommodation for 1400 patients. Here he.found some sixty New, Zealanders, and three New Zealand nurses. Colonel Rhodes had a talk with each of tho New Zealanders, and again everyone expressed himself as well satislied with the treatment received. This, indeed, "was the same story told by tho New Zealanders in' every one of the many hospitals visited in Egypt. In this particular hospital _ there were a number of cases of enteric, and Colonel Rhodes ascertained that whereas in New Zealand the vaccine used was against only one kind of the disease, quite a different vaccine was needed for tlia types of disease contracted here. He hopes to arrange with the authorities to have cultures of the new types sent out to New Zealand, so that the special kinds of vaccine could be prepared there. During his rounds of the various hospitals, both British aud Now Zealand nurses expressed a great desire that the New Zealand nurses should be sent to England and the British nurses sent to New Zealand and Australia with the hospital ships carrying the sick :„nd wounded. On the same afternoon Colonel Rhodes visited the New Zealand Hospital Ship Maheno, which was just on the point of leaving for London. The MaLeno has already justified her existence I as a hospital ; ship, she having up to date carried about 4000 sick and wounded. The personnel had . proved efficient, had worked well together, and had been wonderfully free from sickness. On October 8 Colonel Rhodes went to Ca'iro, where he was met byi'the N.Z. A.D.M.S. and the Base Commandant at Zeitoun. He also had a conference with General Maxwell, in command of the troops in Egypt, and with General Ford, the D.M.S. in Egypt. He returned to Alexandria that night, and on the following, day visited Lady Godley's convalescent homes, whioh are beautifully situatod on the seafront, at Ramleh, Norland House, one of the homes, has been generously lent by Mr. G. B. Alderson, a' merchant at Alexandria. On October 10 Colouel Rhodes again visited Cairo, and had a further conference with General Ford on tie subject of convalescent homes and other matters. He inspected the Winter' Palace Hotel at Healoan,' where are the famous hot springs mentioned at Herodotus. Tho negotiations for a lease of the property are, however, in;abeyance, as the offer of a more suitable building is under consideration. Thero Colonel Rhodes met "Plevna" Ryan, of Melbourne, who occupies an official position, and who told him that there were no patients better looked after than the Australians audi New Zealanders. The following day the New Zealand Record Office at Alexandria, in charge

of Major N. Fitzherhert, was visited. Ihe arrangements here were found to be first-class, an exoellent system being in operation. Tho New Zealand Ordnance Depot, and the New Zealand Advanced Base Post Office, at No. 12 Rug do la Porto Rosette, wero likowieo visited. Generally speaking, Colonel Rhodes found that tho postal arrangeso far as New Zealand is concerned, wore now working satisfactorily though they wero, still some complaints about the late delivery of letters and tho non-delivery of parcels. In regard to parcels, however, it was found that in many cases tho non-delivery was duo to the careless manner in which they had been wrapped up and addressed. With regard to records, Colonel Rhodes has suggested that, in order to facilitate inquiry, to save expense, and prevent delay and confusion, all official inquiries in regard to sick and wounded, or those killed in action, should be made through one office in New Zealand. It is not easy to convey to people in distant countries the difficulties that exist in supplying the answers to many of the inquiries that are made; but in overy case all that is possible is done. One. matter on which there are many inquiries is in regard to the graves of those who have been killed in action. Colonel Rhodes is arranging to havo, as far as possible, the graves of New Zealanders killed in action photographed. This, however, will be no easy matter, at all events for some considerable timo to come. In a great many cases the brave fellows who have given their lives for the Empire lie in unnamed graves, or are uuried 6ide by sido with the enemy in the trenches where they have fallen. The Turks have buried' our men, and we have buried theirs. The other day I saw a grave on which a .cross had been placed by some of our men with tho inscription, "Here lies a Turk." The Turk would not be very pleased to knowthat his body was reposing under a cross, but it was a kindly thought that prompted this action of one of our "Tommies." ■ There are in all eighty-ona hospitals and convalescent homes in which New Zealandors are located in Mudros. Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt. Amongst other hospit-als visited by Colonel Rhodes was' the Deaconess's Hospital at Alexandria. This waß . originally a German hospital, and for a time was managed by tho German deaconesses, with German nurses. It was, however, thought better, after a timo, that German nurses should not be employed to nurse our wouuded soldiers, and their services were dispensed with. They were very well treated hy the authorities, and were sent to Switzerland,' from which country they could make their way back into Germany. The hospital, which is now run by the R.A.M.0., had eight New Zealanderß in it at the time of Colonel Rhodes' s visit.