12
H.—l9b
relieve Chaplain Burridge, of our No, 1 Hospital, to be sent to Mudros instead of to Salonika. At the same time 1 forwarded a request to the authorities at Salonika that a Chaplain be appointed to attend to the requirements of the hospital until Chaplain Burridge, who was on the " Marquette" when she was torpedoed, was sufficiently recovered to enable him to return. While on the subject, of Chaplains I desire to say that I was greatly impressed with their work both in the field and in the hospitals. Owing to the distances separating the many hospitals and convalescent homes in (he Alexandria district, in which New Zealand patients were located —some of them being in the country —it was found necessary that Chaplain Greene should have the exclusive use of a motor-car to facilitate his visits to those institutions; and later, when he was placed in charge of our gifts store at Cairo, the work in connection with the distribution of gifts also necessitated his having the use of a car. The one (hat he had been using had done good service, but the time had almost arrived when it should lie scrapped. I therefore ordered a new car for him from England for his sole use. This arrived shortly before I left. Nurses. I received many expressions of appreciation with regard to the qualifications of New Zealand sisters, and it was evident thai all those despatched from this country had received a thorough (.raining and were well qualified to carry out the duties imposed upon them. Of the las( contingent of one hundred nurses sent from New Zealand at the request of the Imperial authorities some seven or eight were at the time of my departure still staying at the Seiniramis Hotel, a large building on the banks of the Nile which had been taken over by the military authorities for the accommodation of unemployed nurses from Great Britain and the overseas Dominions. Some of the contingent hail found work in the Anglo-American Hospital, a private institution in Cairo, in which a certain number of beds were reserved for the military ; while others were employed in a new British hospital which had just been established at Abbassia, Cairo. As you are aware, the fifty that, arrived by the hospital ship " Marama " were sent to England. In the course of my visits to the hospitals I received suggestions from a number of British nurses that for a change they be sent to New Zealand in charge of patients on returning Iran sports, ami that New Zealand nurses be sent on hospital ships going to England. I saw Miss Oram, the Matron-in-Chief, Q. A .1.M.N.5., about this matter, and she pointed out thai there would be difficulties in regard to pay, but, that in some cases the authorities had been able to send our nurses to England in hospital ships. I submit the proposal io you for consideration. In my letter to you of the Bth December last I mentioned that all Home nurses were designated "Sisters," and that it was a lowering of the status of ours to designate them "Staff nurses," these being in a lower grade in Ha- scale of the R.A.M.C. I understand, you subsequently approved of the designation " Sister " being applied to all New Zealand Army Service nurses. Field Ambulances. Colonel Parkes urged that the greatest, care be exercised in the selection and the training of men for our Field Ambulances, and that if there was not sufficient time Io train them in New Zealand they should be trained on the way to the front. Of eighty men sent by one ship, only ten had, he said, received any training. I understand, however, that Ambulance recruits arcnow receiving a thorough training at Awapuni. Dental Services. New Zealand was the only country to organize a dental service at (he beginning of the Gallipoli campaign, and received kudos from the authorities for having done so. Owing, however, to the demand for dentists by other units than our own, our dentists became very scattered, and, although not giving all the attention that could have been desired Io New Zealand troops, they were rendering great assistance to the general cause. Before leaving I discussed the matter fully with Colonel Parkes, who was then drawing up a scheme of organization. This, J understand, he has since submited to you. Following our lead, Australia has now established a dental service. Orders ok Pay. An officer of our Force represented (o me that thousands of pounds were being remitted through the Anglo-Egyptian Bank and other agencies to soldiers in Egypt by friends who had received orders on their pay, and that such money was in most cases squandered by the recipients. I do not suggest that orders on pay should be abolished but that, if possible, there should be greater supervision of the purposes for which orders are given. As fraudulent, cablegrams asking for money are known to have been sent to relatives of our men, I suggest that, as long as our troops remain in Egypt, all remittances, both from the Department and from private individuals, be sent through the Paymaster. Soldiers' Christmas Messages. 1 interviewed the Superintendent of the Eastern Telegraph Company, Cairo, about establishing code words for soldiers' Christmas greetings to New Zealand, but, owing to (lie near approach of Christmas and the delays that, would have taken place in communicating with London and New Zealand, 1 found that it was too late to make a satisfactory arrangement last year. There will, however, be ample time before next Christmas to consider the matter if it is thought, advisable to follow it up.
Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.
By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.
Your session has expired.