On the Fringe of the Great FightNasmith, George Gallie
History
On the Fringe of the Great Fight
Nasmith, George Gallie
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, English
The casualty clearing station, on the other hand, having an
established capacity of nearly 600 beds, has much heavier equipment
and is not supposed to be a mobile unit, though it is capable of
moving with the aid of its two lorries by making repeated trips. Many
of the casualty clearing stations are located in huts which can be
torn down and moved forward and rebuilt by the engineers and
construction units.
There is also in each division a sanitary section composed of one
officer and 25 men, whose function it is to keep an eye on the
sanitation of the divisional area, report failure on the part of units
to observe the established sanitary regulations, see that the
incinerators are operated, have new sources of drinking water tested,
look after the bath houses on occasion, search for cases of typhoid
fever, etc., among the civilian population, and, in general, make
itself as useful as possible.
The British army regulations are such that each officer and man must
be a sanitarian and must not only observe the regulations but see that
others do the same; the principle underlying this system being that
"if each before his doorstep swept the village would be clean."
Consequently it is not left to the sanitary section to clean up a
divisional area, but rather to report those responsible for not
keeping it clean. In this way every man is made a responsible party,
and if the officers of any unit see that the regulations are enforced
by each man, the unit will be a sanitary one.
Naturally as the battalion M.O. is directly connected with the field
ambulance to which he sends his cases, he is most interested in the
efficiency of that unit. Since the field ambulances are under the
direct supervision of the A.D.M.S. of the division, you will find the
latter during a battle visiting these to see that they are operating
smoothly and whether more motor ambulances, stretchers, supplies or
other necessities are being provided.
At the same time you will find the D.M.S. of the army visiting his
special pets, the casualty clearing stations, and seeing that the
evacuation of the wounded by train is working smoothly.
The hospital trains are specially fitted up with beds, kitchens and
dispensaries, and with nurses and a medical officer in charge.
The hospital barges make the finest little hospitals that you could
desire. They are the ordinary flat-bottomed square-ended Dutch barges,
roofed in, and when the interior has been cleared out they form
elongated covered floating boxes. Skylights in the roof give a
splendid light, and the barges are wide enough to allow of two rows of
beds with an aisle down the middle. The medical officer's surgery and
bedroom are at one end of the barge, while the nurses' quarters are at
the other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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