New Zealand

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 12, 8 December 1916, Page 5

New Zealand

! TREATMENT OF WOUNDED | SOLDIERS, Per Press Association. Wellington, December 6. la view of'the fact that continual enquiries are being received as to the procedure to be followed in the treatment of our wounded soldiers in England, the Minister of Defence has issued the following statement for general information:— Whenever possible, casualties among the New Zealand expeditionary force are transferred from the front to England, and it frequently happens , that our soldiers are comfortably settled in English hospitals within 21 hours of their being wounded In France. Upon arrival in England. NeWjZealand soldiers are sent: (1) To the New ZealantPCJeneral Hospital No. 1, Brockenhurst, which has 1500 beds, with a separate building containing 150 beds for oflicers: or (2) to the New Zealand General Hospital (No, 2), Walton-on-Thames, which has 520 beds; or (3) to one.of the many British military hospitals situated throughout the United Kingdom, j Regulations have been issued by the | War Office that New Zealand soldiers should be concentrated in as few hospitals as possible, so it is an exception for New Zealanders to he located in a hospital without their fellow countrymen. From the hospitals many of jour soldiers are drafted to the New 'I Zealand Convalescent Hospital at Hornchurch, where there are 1025 bods. Here the patients arc divided into three classes; “A” fit for service; “B” likely to he fit for service within six months ; “C” not likely to ho fit within six months. Soldiers in class C are returned direct to New IZealand as opportunity offers, while those in classes A and B are transferred to the command Depot at Codford, where they are divided up into five different squads. The first of these contains only men fit for general service who, after 1-1 days trial, are sent to join the reserve group at bling camp, situated on Salibury Plain, and soldiers are detailed to other squads, according to their physical fitness, j until eventually they are passed as jfit through their squad, j At the Reserve Group at Sling are (located the reinforcements as they arjrivo from New Zealand, and from here (New Zealanders cross to the New Zealland infantry base depot in France, en route to the New Zealand division and the trenches. Soldiers who require hospital treatment while at Sling camp or the Codford Command Depot are treated in No. 3 New Zealand Hospital, Codford, which has 350 beds. The above figures are not exactly correct, as the hospital accommodation has recently been increased, but it is anticipated this statement will supply general information of much interest to those who have relatives at the front. VICTIM OF MENINGITIS. Wellington, December 7. Charles Samuel Dalcombe, a member of the 22nd Reinforcements, died in Featherston military hospital today from cerebro-spinal meningitis.