Étaples Weekly Reports

Étaples Weekly Reports – 29th March, 1916

Museum of the Order of St John

For an introduction to this project, follow this link.

In this report, the Director of the St John Ambulance Hospital at Etaples shares the bad news of members of staff who have variously been injured or fallen ill. The Hospital had also been recently spring cleaned, as the fighting had calmed somewhat, which took some time as they were short of workmen. Also included is an incomplete note discussing publishing the work of the Order to support the war effort.

 

Page 1

 

Army Post Office. S. 11,

British Expeditionary Force,

France.

29/3/16.

 

My Lord,

I regret to say that the following casualties have

occurred since last I wrote:-

  1. Captain Collum our Anaesthetist while watching some

soldiers at Bomb practice on Thursday the 16th. inst. was hit

in the back by an exploding bomb. A piece of shell entered

his back and was extracted by Major Maynard Smith the same

afternoon, he has progressed favourably from the first and will

soon be about again. The injury is not likely to cause any after

effects.

  1. Sergeant Curr, in charge of the Sanitary Squad, was

seized with a stroke on the 25th. inst. and lies here in this

hospital in a serious condition. He is a young man 35. years of

age, of sober and steady habits and such an attack is unusual

under the circumstance and the exact cause has not yet been

arrived at.

  1. Private Hare, Mess Waiter, has contracted either a mild

 

Page 2

 

(2)

 

attack of Measles or German Measles and has been taken into

the Isolation Hospital here.

Otherwise the Hospital is going on satisfactorily.

We are taking the advantage of a lull in the fight-

ing to do our spring cleaning. The wards, beds, bedding etc.

are being turned out and thoroughly cleaned and the inside walls

washed with one coat of distemper and the outside walls with

preservative. We have been somewhat delayed by the difficulty

in obtaining workmen but that has now been overcome.

I have the honour to be,

Your Lordships

Obedient Servant,

James Clark

 

 

The Director,

The Ambulance Department,

St. John’s Gate,

Clerkenwell. E.C.

 

Page 3r

 

Appendix

17 LENNOX GARDENS,

S.W.

 

Personnel

 

Return admissions

“       by Reg ts of admissions

 

Notes

Average Daily Sick and Wounded

 

Deaths. Cemetery.

 

Page 3v

 

that the Committee recommended to Council that

the Order publish the work of the

Order and Brigade during the War in add. to

that of the Hospl & that an

Editor at a recommendation be

appointed to write a work there from

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