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The report dating 16th September 1915 begins with a short update to say that all is going well at the Hospital in Étaples and that a second convoy of wounded has arrived, although there are still a number of vacant beds.
However, there is much discussion of hospitality, as, upon its opening, the Hospital at Étaples receives a number of high profile visitors. These include Members of the Order of St John such as Lord Claud Hamilton, MP, and Knight of Justice, Lady Helen Sophia Sloggett, Lady of Grace, and Lady Muriel Paget, CBE, Lady of Grace and humanitarian relief worker. Similarly, it appears that the Hospital is generating a lot of interest within France ‘as one of, if not the best, example of a Field Hospital’ with an expected visit from the French Minister of Medicine, Monsieur Godart, and the Director of the French Military Medical Service, General Chevasse.
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St. John Ambulance Brigade Hospital,
Army Post Office S. 11,
British Expeditionary Forces,
France.
Sept 16th 1915
The Director,
The Ambulance Department,
The Order of St. John of Jerusalem
In England.
My Lord,
I have the honour to report that all is going well.
We received a second convoy of wounded on Saturday the 11th inst.
and the hospital may be said to be in full working order though
we have still many vacant beds.
The flag of the Order was raised over the hospital yesterday
in honour of the Chairman of the Joint Committee and the members of
the Commission in Boulogne who visited the hospital and dined with
us afterwards.
There have been many visitors to the hospital amongst them
Lord Claud Hamilton, Sir Henry Norman, Lady Paget and Lady Sloggett,
and today we are being visited by French Minister of Medicine –
Mons. Godart, The Director General of the French Military Medical
Service – General Chevasse, and their staff accompanied by Sir Arthur
Sloggett and staff.
Just at first the strain on our hospitality is rather heavy
and may possibly exceed the grant of £10 a month allowed by
the Order but this will be made up later I hope when the first rush is
over.
The hospital is creating very great interest I may almost
say throughout France, as one of if not the best example of a Field
Hospital: and as the Senior Medical Officer in this district expressed
to me today we must be prepared for a very considerable number of
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Contd. 2.
visitors interested in hospitals for the sick and wounded in the
war, both French and English.
I am in receipt of Your Lordship’s letter of the 12th inst.
Your interpretation of my last report is correct.
I still advise that the account submitted from the Hospital
out here shall be a monthly account, for the reasons I stated in
my last report. Sir Arthur Lawley and I are in perfect accord
regarding the hospital and the position therefore out here is quite
clear and satisfactory.
With regard to your very kind remarks personal to myself,
I shall do my best to continue to merit them, but the excellence
of the arrangements to which you allude are due equally to the most
able assistance I have received from my staff, particularly from the
Secretary Captain Gordon, The Chief Surgeon-Major Maynard Smith,
The Chief Physician – Major Trimble and the Sanitary Officer – Lieut Hall.
I have the honour to be,
Your Lordships
Obedient Servant
James Clark
