MRS ROOSEVELT'S DIARY

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVI, Issue 55, 2 September 1943, Page 4

MRS ROOSEVELT'S DIARY

THE ROUNDS AT AUCKLAND

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•Auckland, September 2. is getting good food and enough of it. We had our breakfast on the train Breakfast: Assorted fruits, assorted dry yesterday morning and were ailowed JSjfb^n just time enough to leave our bags at Dinner: Beef and vegetable broth, the Officers' Club, in the Grand Hotel, grilled , steak and gravy, creamed before we started at 8.35 to visit a whipped potatoes, Spanish string beans, U.S. Naval mobile hospital. This hos- creamed cauliflower, vegetable salad, pital has the kirfd of a record which assorted pie, diced cheese, ice cream. makes us proud of our efficiency and Supper: Pepper pot soup, braised lamb, so I am going to give you its history: cubes, gravy, cranberry sauce, creamed June 9, 1942, left New York; July 11, potatoes, boiled lima beans, chopped 1942, arrived in Wellington, New Zea- silver beet, wilted lettuce salad, jelly land; July *L 9, 1942, arrived at Auck- and whipped cream, land; July 20, construction began; Aug. You Will agree, lam sure, that on ust 16, completed more than 40 build- such a diet any patient should put on ings to house 250 staff personnel and we}& "J- OA . . .. 380 patients with all facilities for feed- At 12- 30 a cmc reception (was held ing. . I should explain here that some in the Town Hall. These gatherings buildings were brought with the unit, are very impressive and fill me with but many have been added since of awe, for the mere presence of so many local construction. The New Zealand People is evidence that they are honworkmen worked very hard, but even «u«ng not an individual but a country the doctors took hammer in hand be- and its elected ruler. My part dwindles cause our men were going into Guadal- to nothing except as I am abte .to canal and this was the second hospital embody in what I say something of the in this area rid had to be ready to £°od Wl\l which we at home feel.tocare for our wounded. Awards all "the people of the United • On August 20, 366 severe battle cas- Nations with whom we stand side by ualties were received from the first Sld.e ti?~ ay* , ■. ~ , naval battle for Guadalcanal. From .In the afternoon we visited, succesthat day to August 20, 1943, this hos- sively a Re£ c/ oss se.™ce club which pital has handled over 15,000 patients, »** seen half a million men pass with only 18 deaths. The present nor- through its doors since it opened. The mal capacity of the hospital is 1150, outstanding thing to me is how _ the and in emergency 1800. The adminis- small number o£ American Red Cross tration also controls 1160 beds for con- personnel with the New Zealand volunvalescents. Some of the convalescents Jeers ever has done the work and met are housed in a race track under the the needs of the great number of men spectator stands, and I know you would m m I f lis area- ... - * ■ . be as surprised as I was to see how . T£ en we K wen^ 6^ hT es> comfortable these quarters are. I need both ru" by the R? d Cr^ ss .' wher? hardly say that when a race is-run the y°un£ flyers co, me to rest m great boys have a,wonderful day. numbers as well as men .from,other Our party ate in the men's mess at branches of the service. _ , noon yesterday and the food seemed to At 4we went to tea at .GpvernmenJ me very eood They nut frpsh milk House, the Auckland home of the m eiar c gr e y pftchers on all ?he tableland governor-General, which he .has donathis eountrv has ennri rirh milk- wViir>h ted as a club for the Allies. The our bovsseem tSaoSiate I am last thing was a dance in the evening giVins you here a samJle of on P d a vJ at the Town Hall run by the Red Crosi woman wonders whether her son or every°ne niucn pleasure. her husband or sweetheart in hospital ELEANOR ROOSEVELT.