Report upon the conditions of work in flax and linen mills as affecting the health of the operatives employed therein / Hamilton P. Smith.

Smith, Hamilton P.

Date:: 1904

Credit: Report upon the conditions of work in flax and linen mills as affecting the health of the operatives employed therein / Hamilton P. Smith. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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$18- M; W, H, Russell), also prepared in South Africa, and for which a staff had been d tailed from the personnel of No. 3 Stationary Hospital. This train went straight through to Orange River, bringing down the wounded from the battle of Modder River to Cape Town. Natal at this time asking for more personnel, No. 4 Stationary Hospital was sent round with, in addition, one Officer and 30 men, and six nurses of No. 2 General Hospital, besides some reservists who had now arrived. In addition to the field units with Lord Methuen's force, which were complete,there were also hospitals at De A.ar and Orange River, which had been opened in September. The hospital at De Aar was being enlarged by the erection of wood and iron huts with an operating and X-ray room, and sisters' quarters, and on November 23rd No. 3 Stationary Hospital (the late Major Perry Marsh) left Cape Town to take over the hospital Irom the provisional staff which had been in charge of it. By November 29th the accommodation had been increased by the erection ot marquees and tentsj while the sick and wounded who could be moved without risk had been sent down the line to Cape Town, so as to give ample accommodation for cases from the front. ( De Aar is an important junction, and it was necessarily the point of concentration for all bodies of troops moving from the coast ports to the western line; hence its occupation was obligatory. But in all respects it is a most objectionable site : on account of the dryness of the climate and the nature of the soil its dustiness is extreme, while from the number of horses and transport animals continually passing through a plague of ffies soon developed which continued to be a source of discomfort during the greater part of the period of its occupation. But the provision , of adequate hospital accommodation had to be made ; it was indeed proposed to establish a general hospital there, but a careful inspection of all possible sites showed that this was impracticable on account of the limited area available within the line of defence. ]'\ The temporary hospitals at Orange River were formed by the two half- field hospitals of the original Cape establishment under Majors Birch and Greenway, with a portion of the staffs of No. 2 Stationary and No. 3 General Hospitals temporarily detached for this duty. F.—Lord Methuen's Advance. Lord Methuen's force concentrated at Orange River during the third week of November ; the advance began on November 21st, and the division fought its first action at Belmont on November 23rd, commencing at dawn. Belmont. The Guards Brigade and 9th Brigade Bearer Companies removed all the wounded (22 Officers, 206 N.C. Officers and men, with 35 Boers) back to the three field hospitals at Belmont Farm and Station by 1 p.m. On the following day (24th) the slighter cases were removed at 1.30 p.m. by No. 2 Hospital Train to Orange River. This train returned by 8 p.m., and left for Cape Town at 11 p.m. with the remaining wounded. Meanwhile the division had moved off taking with it the 9th Brigade Field Hospital; the remaining units were left behind entraining the wounded, and marched at 1 a.m. on the morning of the 25th to rejoin their brigades at 4.30 a.m., when they continued their march with the division to Graspan, coming into action there about 7 a.m. on the morning of the 25th. Graspan. Here the 9th Brigade Bearer Company, assisted by the Guards Brigade Bearer Company, formed a collecting station, whence the 9th Brigade Field Hospital, stationed at Graspan Siding, received the wounded (171 of the) 9th and Naval Brigades only), all of whom, except 20, were in the field An additional water-cart was issued to each bearer company$