CASUALTY LISTS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1918, Page 4

CASUALTY LISTS.

» ;—, I AN OFFICIAL EXPLANATION* By Telegraph.—Press Association. ' Wellington, Last Night. As there is evidently misapprehension 1 among some sections of the public as to 1 the publication of casualties in the news- ' papers, it is considered desirable to again j set out the system which has now been in force over twelve months. The official casualty lists contain information [ submitted by the Imperial authorities, • and as this goes through several channels before being cabled to the Base Records Office here lists are not recived until about two or three weeks after the date of the casualty. In addition to this information, the Minister of Defence has arranged that > wherever possible cabled notification shall • be received as soon as a wounded soldier reaches hospital in England or France, , with particulars of the nature of the ' wounds. This information is usually received within a few days of the soldier's arrival in hospital, and, in addition to be- , ing immediately notified to the next of kin, appears in the hospital and progress ' reports which are issued to the press [ twice daily, when necessary,' with the casualty lists by the Base Records Office. During the present offensive fully 75 ; per cent, of the soldiers admitted to the hospitals in France and United Kingdom . have* been first reported under hospital . reports, and this accounts for the sol- ' flier's name appearing twice, first on a [ hospital list and later the official easual- , ty lists. When 'no hospital reports have been received before the official casualty list, the soldier can often only be notified to the next of kin as "wounded," in j siead of more detailed information being available, as is the case with a hospital notification, except in minor cases of wounds, which often do not necessitate 1 a soldier being sent to hospital. Detailed information is nearly always supplied » within a few days. The instructions *r» ; that notifications must always be classi- , fied as (a) dangerous, (b) serious, or (c) wounded, which means that all notifications under category (c) need not cause the next of kin any undus anxiety, as any change in condition to the "dangerous" or "serious" list is immediately notified by cable to the Base Records Office, which in turn telegraphs this information on receipt to the next of kin. Every casualty list as received is at once dealt with, and notifications sent. by urgent telegram to the next of kin, 1 and arrangements are in force' at the Base Records Office under which any casualty cables received before 8 p.m. are always dealt with and next of kin telegrams deposited with the G.P.0.. before the casualty staff ceases work. On a recent Sunday during the present offensive 1400 casualty reports were received. unexpectedly at the Base Records Office at 10 a.m. An emergency staff was collected, and next-of-kin telegrams WSM lodged in the G.1'.0. by 9 p.m.