SERVANTS OF BRITAIN.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 February 1924, Page 4

SERVANTS OF BRITAIN.

TX OBSCURE PLACES,

(William Francis, D.C.M.)

The report of the lamented death of Ifr Torrance, of Tiberius—"the Galilee Doctor”—and the many references that have been made to his self-sacri-ficing work and great influence among all classes in and around Galilee, bring home to one a sense of the great contribution such men have made to the good name of Britain in the near East. While serving in the A.E H. in Palestine and Syria I was impressed with the high regard of all classes for Britain and British institutions, and invariably one found that it was contact with such men us Dr Torrance that: was responsible for ibis. 1 was not in Tiberius for many hours, just hew; enough for the troops I was with 1,, draw rations and maps betoro burr ring on in pursuit of the retreat - j,!„ Turks, hut I heard something oi the English doctor who had Jought disease and ignorance in Galilee, and had thus assured for every Briton a welcome in Tiberius and district. It was, however, a few weeks later that the value of the work of such, men in Palestine and Syria was tally brought home to me. An attack oi Tin and malaria forced me to stay m Damascus after my brigade had moved on towards Aleppo, and instead ol being evacuated to Egypt with the oi her side able to stand the journey I elected to stay in 'Damascus that 1

might he of sonic -endec to the many sick and dying. 1 tH. refute stayed uith the British medical stall at the |,'lunch Hospital. Unite near was the English ilo.-pital. which was also being used by us for our sick and wound od. dust before 1 left to rejoin mv regiment Dr M’l'.eaii. the doctor who had been in charge ol this hospital for many years prior to the war. returned, after having been away sine soon after the outbreak. I count ii as one of the greatest privileges ol me life to have been in 'Damascus on his return and to have met him. Kor more than twenty years since he had ministered impartially to Moslem and Christian, and within a few hours ol his return the good news was known throughout the bazaars and slums ol Damascus. ADDRESS OK WELCOME I remember sitting in a room overlooking the courtyard of the hospitals, and becoming aware ol a great stir below I looked out and saw gathered there in the courtyard a number of well-dressed city men. apparently men of high standing in the city, one of whom held an impressive document. in liis hand. For a time I looked in wonder at tlm strange crowd, for all the time fresh people kept crowding in through the gates until the courtyard could hold no more. I then discovered that it was a

deputation of the notables ol the city who had come along to present an address of welcome to the doctor on his ret nni. Shouts of delight greeted him when he appeared on the steps ol the hospital and spoke briefly to them, and it was evident that the welcome hack was no formal tiling hut was indeed an expression of high regard.

This was not all, for shortly alter amitlii-r crowd arrived, representing, i believe, the Christian population oi the city. But most impressive ol all am! most illuminating was the third crowd that thronged the courtyard later in the day, bringing address of welcome, a company of hundreds of llte poor of the city, tnilv a motley assembly t li.it not. only filled the open space inside the hospital gales, hut spread right out into the street for many yard* each side of the gate-. A company of people who even alter Dr .McLean had - flown hinn-elf to them and spoken to them could no! he liOlunded to go away. They • veined .is if they mii-t slay armiltd about the precincts of the lio'-jhlnl in the how el’ again gelling a sight of their beloved lienm'setur and to a--..ure Pcm-cLo 1 hat il was really true that he wa hack again in I heir mid'-t. It v.om a striking tribute to the man, to hicountry, and to his religion. An out standing thing in almost r-very .Moslem city is the fact that the healing; of the people is in the hands of non-Moslem organisations, in the hands of the servants of the Cross the ■Moslem despises, [| .seemed to me that tlm only serious attempts to grnp-p-e with the awful problem of disease and suffering, and it has to l.e seen lo realise how great a problem thiis, in Damascus and many other cities

were being made by those who were of Die Christian faith. This is perhaps something that the British Moslems should take note of. The tragedy of war K shown in intensified light when we remember that such good, essential work' as that being done by those Christian agencies had for the mo-L narl to cease. The siory of Me Bean's "escape” from Syria after the outbreak of war was indeed a thrilling one to listen to.

Alter repealed promises, none of which was honoured.'he was in the end able to gei away, hut not before he had suli'et'ed hardship at the hands of fin- Turks, lit fact it was only the high regard of Djemal Pasha for him and for hi- work that enabled him to get away safely. The ingenuity with which he conceded wlmt gold lie had and how he got it away, was ie sav the least, remarkable. HIS HOSPITAL.

The doelor immediately got to work to get l.is hospital in order, hut he found that strange and depressing things had happened. Almost everything worth taking had been looted by the enemy, much damage had been

'"uo to the property, and the hospital garden had been made a graveyard. Am- ng those buried there was Carson, a brother, I believe of Lord Carson. Fn fort ima U'll.v, the good doctor did not live to see his work reestablished. Worn out with his labours. he fell a prey to the disease lie had so successfully fought in others, and died a few weeks after his return to Damascus.

So long as such men continue to do such humane work, work that calls for considerable sacrifice, so long will the name of Britain he honoured in other lands, and among less favoured people. Thinking of such men it scenis to he not without reason that the terms "inglesi" is commonly used in Syria for all that is upright and honourable.

Later on, only a few days later, in fact. 1 had a conversation which emphasised the same thing, and made me proud of my British blood. Circumstances—a broken-down lorry, and an impassable road up the Syrian coast—led me into conversation with an Armenian doctor, who had received his medical training on the Continent, and wlin, having escaped front the Turks in the earlier days of the war, was now serving in the Arab army of the king of the Hodjaz, as a medical officer. The armistice had just been signed, and naturally our conversation turned towards a discussion of the future of Syria, and other parts of the Turkish Empire. My Armenian friend ventured to hope that Syria, where he intended to settle and practice, would puss into the hands of the British.

My answer was that it would not be so, as I thought we had just about as much of the world as we could manage, and was good for ug and

named the country into whose hands I thought the control of Syria would pass. He answered rather sadly, I thought, “I hope not. When that country has control its officials live on the people, hut when the British have control they live for the people." A striking illustration of the high regard Inf Biitain held by the people o; this unfortunate country. I dare not have said such a thing my-cll, whatever I. thought, hut i cannot help thinking that it was contact, with, and knowledge of the work of such men as Torrance of Tiberius, and McLean of Damascus that made the Armenian speak as he did of Britain. In obscure places, in the common things and amongst the common neen!o. unknown to many of their own - mint rynieu, such men keen ihe name d’ Biitain. fair and honoured.