N.Z. ARMY AT HOME.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1919, Page 7

N.Z. ARMY AT HOME.

, THE BEOC3O2SEEHOT SQ&TITAL. BOW OUR WOUNDED ARE XAEEI# AND WOMSEQES By H. T. B. Drew, 2nd' lieutenant. When the wounded, or gassed,, or sick K>w Zealand soldier arrives in EngLaad from -France be may be salt to one of aevotaJ hospitals. It depends kux'.ely upon the wounded draft with wiiieli he comes eral "Tommies'' he ma/ go with thein to an Imperial hospital, and, if his case is urgent, ram»u there until sufficiently recovered or mended to bo removed to one of our own institutions. But"-xc-sually our soldiers are eent across-;, under an arrangement by which they arrive at a port w porta handy to got own hospitab, whither they are theii sent by hospital train. We have three large hospitals—Ho, J? at Brockenhurst, No 2 at Waiioa-on-• Thames, and Bo- 3 at Codford. Brockeuhnrst is a small old-Euglish. village a few xr ']<" from Southhampton r nestling in the southern edges of tJsc Uew Forest, that very Sap, historical; wooded 'espanse whitii, i£oogi here u:m? there cut into by the fortatoar's axis,: sti|l spreads in desse masses met many acres, and win so xeaaain till Britain learns to the lull tae greater value of produce than trees. On the fringe of the forest—wSiencc issue at times droves of "forest ponies" to spoil the gardens and iawns—and just outside Broekenhnrst, on a rias called Tiled Barn Hut- <*lߣtnre the main section of our No. I Hospital KearJjjr] wanders idly akmg in the aammer son the Lj-mmiagton "BSvet." Estahfisherl early in the war by lady Saarfingß for wowfird Indiana, the site and buildings were aand"d over to as in June, 19&5The Hew Zeaiaml hospital lmd been stationed in Cairo at tht> cod of July, 181$ % and vss known then ph t o. 2 Stationary Hospital, but on being removed to England became the (Ho. I (or Brock Tiutst) Sew Zealand General Hospital The esiahliskmeafc of a general hospital is I,OW beds. Brockenhurst can acconuiodate IjSHX; but when Mew Zea.land "stunts* aa» pending provision is made for 1,500 cases, and with more huts recently constructed (and with tents 3 required) the provision has been still further increased. The hospital is actnaßy divided into throe ssctnns: Headqoartrrs at Brock enlnurt, whrcit can accommodate 800 patients; Balmer Lawn, about a mfle from the village along a charming stretch of wooded road, where nerve cases are dealt with, taking 250 patients; and Forast Park, on the farther outskirts of the village, which accommodates 100 officers or thereabouts. Then there are four auxiliary hospitals to which patients requiring only slight dressings, and who are well on the way to recovery, are sent: Morant, in the village, with 70 beds; Hill House, seven miles away, at Lvndhurst, 23 patients; Home Mead, at Lymington (four miles), 86; Thory Hill (ten miles), 24; and Avon Tvrell, twelve miles away, a charming convalescent home for twenty officers. These auxiliary places are under the supervision of a Medical Officer and a Senior Sister. To administer these institutions there is a staff (under the Commanding Officer, Colonel P. C. Fen wick) of fifteen doctors (all New Zealanders), 77 nurses (also all Uew Zealanders), 1-45 V.A D.'s, 183 orderlies (including 54 motor transport drivers), 3 Padres, a Dental Officer, a Pathologist, and Medical Corp3 mea. The strength of the staff is maintained by C2 PB. men, and V A.D.'s are taken on as much as possible to relieve the male nursing l orderlies, who go to France. Colonel Parlces, now D.M.S., established the hospital, and after linn came Colonel D. S. Wylie, who left for New Zealand and was replaced s>y Colonel Fen wick.

"SHE CENTRAL INSTITUTION. With no main bride edifice as at Walton, the central institution oi this group is comprised entirely of long huts, or wards, conveniently arranged. It has a large corridor, in the centre of which is the headquarters group and administrative and Quartermaster's offices: and at either end run back long pasragea, or off which at right angles extend the wards —ten -or surgical cases on one aide, and ten for J tedieal cases on the other. In the centre of all, in detached hats, is the patients' dining-hall, re-creation-room, cookhousee, operating theatres, and other similar places All communication is by covered passages. The Medical Stall havo comfortable quarters and »m excellent mess; and special accommodation has been erected for the nurses and other members of the staff it is scarcely necessary to say that the wards are as bright and cheer' fill as our splendid New Zealand nursea can make them, or \ihat the care of these devoted women, whose pride in their men k pathetic, uever flagr. Could the people of New Zealand but see them at their work, or catch a glimpse of them snatching a few minutes off in the beautiful, tree-shadgrounds uhan the sun b out, helping this or that crippled, blue-clad figure to get a. little exercise, or cheering him up! The food, chiefly New loferuanij produce, is plent'.t'ul, and —shall <xno say.it?—better titan you get anywhere eiso in ricitain at present By an arrangement wluc'i will 'be told in another article, it is drawn iron the stores, that come in our own ships. Wholesome meat, wrr primast butter, ohoese, jam, and heney —or poetry and gamo becared at Hoiue; milk in largest quantities, which ecables nofirjaMng pnddings,' ;Wt);h eggs—viiwa, fchotfi*h Sold at 44 dozen everywhere elso, seem to have 110 limrtatlojij in our hospitals—to be sarvcJ up withers end- Sueh things axw famojs cor men. Thera may be "grousers" and grumblers—they ara everyrwhera—hat to ibsa miat not SiQ ■ ''''

A GOOiQ;!PROGIEAMKS, ißar paiiente abl# 4» leave theEr ■wards tb*w is staple attraction. The 2JHXJ-A. tecs chiefly to tJria. Sven where every ct» htlps an rjneh so possible, the hospital is fortanata tn having a very five ftttd highly qnaJrVd Ctagsn, Mr A Bsunflton, in charga of thie branch. There is, «fr 4a5KS3e, the \saal ST.M.C.A. institution, -voSth its generaS utfe-actioas and gaiua aafl ■vrrfting and reading rooms Sfld library, which iaclnde»»©e«tfnoW9IBtptfß fowß ca«i the four New Zealand centres—» very mneh sought-after | wbskv—find a cinematograph fe run in I *ilbi bags Smß, o»d concerts on other afJtoTßoons and evonmgg. Afternoons aroi otilked in concerts and cinema s?wWB a&' amoh as pospSMe at koKpitais, as some tSie meO cannot Temaio <*st 5* -the mwniugfß

BaHiw <PMfe*gfctfc»g&ii(K <C-catwtU

further tt&n this. It isa* well-cxHsaa- j ized workshops, in winda axe tton latest I cugineecngi, carpentry, carving, toreansJ said oi&sr tzsies tcoifi, cspy>-| usecip aid jiatOTiaJlf ia«hidiEg two Jajgttj ■and expeuaare Jatheaj aiul-i pfijia workshop is not mareijr a iouse" for tte p&tfaita, boti plsust* of'j ieeriona iuataiction i& fuicro Kiauheocln, j ►and at the same time a of eftca-f jtiY© treatment for «4heis» In. daugfc 'are experts, New !3ealand men thenrisulves who are permanently waSfe to 'active sarvk*.'. Rr instajfcce, 3s£ha w-ork 5s tasight for iVnlda and legCTissae where tho wounds Law ttc;i in the IbS, basket <w jfaliii worJc we: ■iinger-exfeßeisa, planing for ssesaa aiti' >ack, brace-:ind-iit ■s'<a , t for tho forearm and. ah w; Mess, asd so oil. 7"'is ia not dons at haphazard; tha doci'-' j decide on whatever course will beasilt ijibj, and he is put to that woEk, and' : mist do a certsvn amount every dajf. [About 250 patients .ire oa these eouxsen. Jl'key <&o two hours a day. ataay of 1 - athis mrato: are, of emirs'*, Yolnsfcuy ' leaaniftrs, and they do mot all attend "tJ the workshop, 2ar sosaa caoaot "ease [)£«cir beda; tal itve bed workers CJftpMy I'lieii" tiiiie at "fits an&crffta/* and. onc« |aay man has uadertakett iEstrQct'.'ii iflfrsay hraueh or under fuay cfecatßsEaHSfti' kta~ must continue it. The wsrfc ttot pSs done wooilsuaisoftiab: even tie snast [■arxlent admirers a£ l-fsw ; Zcs-Jandeis. and.-: ' fi&cir j JEUAT BIG,-If£KD3 (&3J IK). 5 hxfamy .moat delicate temiuhie fingers could not -outclass tiie dainty prodoct of these bio,; ■®aagh, bashful, awtavand plodders. At fast they do it "sailor fashion," as oaa OBJisa explained, bat later team tie-pro-per maaijKilatioßL of ilia needle, die two lady needlework instructresses, Mrs Thomas and Mrs Smith, from tha London Art School (appointed and paid hy the YJVLC.A.) -will proudly show you piles of needlework from & cupboard—tbeaaiifoi regimental monograms or bad" .gea worked in colosed silk on silk backgrounds, or pieces of landscape, or <u>w<£Cs and fanciful representations; or ■SI nurse •win ask eoai© temporarily tiredroiit giant in bed to show you iris bit of work, and with a half-ashamed smile, ■and sometimes with almost a biush, he -Drill pull out from under his pillow ox some receptacle beside the bed one of these delicate pieces of work, and you look at its beauty and then at his big rough hands and wonder how it was done! and perhaps you have a fleeting recollection of those same hands, mndgrimed and Woody, tugging a bayonet out of a livid German! In the school or workshop the men do penally well—at metal-work, leatherwork (ornamental tobacco-poodles, cigar-cases, pocketbook-covcrs, eta), raf-fia-work, and chair and wicker wortc in aU its finest branches; wood-carving, fretwork, eignwritinj, decorating, and—a very useful instruction—stained-glass window making—all taught by experts. Persons not seeing it would scarcely credit the class of work tarned cut. Many of the artificial limbs required af the hospital are manufactured here, and crutches and repairs effected to the hospital chairs of varied designs, and appliances that the men use. Last year £IOO worth of silk was used. Material is supplied free to the men- The work is gathered up, and may be disposed of at some sale or exhibition specially arranged, and the proceeds used for further supplies of material Bat each jaan can keep at least one moaogram or specimen of his work, and, if he wishes to do more for himself, can have the material at cost price, which is a trifle. Many of them do this and send it home to New Zealand, to sweetharts, and wives, and others, ind all the cost of this splendid msric is borne by the YJVLC.A But it's utilities or activities in tMs direction do not commence or end at Brockenhurot. Similar operations are carried out at tha other branch houses round about, and as for the work at other hospitals and convalescent homes, this will be told in its place. Further, la this particular instance Mir Hamilton is in charge of the farmng operations, which extend over 10 acres of good eofl, in which potatoes and vegetables have been planted. Men told off for this work put in an hour in tho morning. It is intended to extend operations to seicstiiw experiments. Pigs are Ibred fcr consumption at the hospital, and rabbitrearing aiao conies within the scope. Lectures are run regularly in the evenings on educational subjects—history, economics, labor and empire problems—<it which about three hundred men attend. Once awhile delates are held, which, to say the least aw popular! , Veterinary Benefice md agriculture also have been touched upon, but the education scheme vow being organised will embrace all these things on a larger scale. One regrets that all the detail that conld too written about ttiis

subject must be left untold because of the unwieldy length it would make the article, but it can fyj uecognized th.,t 'iime, is not uabealtiiil)- vsiaied in a •Sew, Zealand hospital. When convalescent the mm are tppt

on to Hornehurth or Codford, where this good work is continued and developed-