4. The Medical Services
The Medical Service is of immense importance to the operations. No General can afford to neglect his sick and wounded. He can hardly fight, if he knows he cannot attend to them on the battlefield, and remove them afterwards to hospitals in rear. There must be at the front sufficient surgeons, as well as medical appliances and stores, to cope with this work. The transport of the sick to the rear must be carried out without delay or confusion, and on the Lines of Communication, and at the Base, there must be properly equipped hospitals to receive the sick and wounded.
The method of dealing with casualties in action is as follows:
In the front, with the fighting men, are the regimental surgeons and the stretcher bearers of the Infantry, for work on the battlefield. Behind the fighting line are stretcher bearers and ambulance wagons of the Field Ambulance, collecting the wounded, and taking them to the dressing stations. In rear are the Clearing Hospitals, into which the sick and wounded are collected, and whence they are despatched in Ambulance Trains along the railway to Stationary Hospitals on the Lines of Communication, or to the Base Hospitals. The invalids are then removed, either to convalescent depôts on the L. of C., or by hospital ship to the home country, where civil organization can be depended on to help the Military Hospitals to deal with them.
The Medical Services are manned and administered by the “Royal Army Medical Corps.” Their transport is provided by the Army Service Corps. The organization comprises the following:
(a) WITH THE TROOPS AT THE FRONT
1. Medical Establishments with Units.
2. Field Ambulances with Subordinate Commands.
(b) ON THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION
Six Clearing Hospitals, at Advanced Base.
Six Ambulance Railway Trains, each available for 100 patients lying down.
Twelve Stationary Hospitals of 200 beds each, on the Lines of Communication.
Twelve General Hospitals of 520 beds each, at the Base.
Convalescent Depôts, as required.
Six Hospital Ships, each to carry 220 patients.
Three Base Depôts, and three Advanced Base Depôts, containing a reserve of Medical Stores.
It will be observed that for a Division and a Brigade of Mounted Troops there are provided 1 Clearing Hospital, 1 Ambulance Train, 2 Stationary and 2 General Hospitals, and 1 Hospital Ship.
DETAILS OF MEDICAL ORGANIZATION
1. Each Unit has attached to it a Medical Officer, and itself supplies two trained Orderlies, and a cart (or pack horse for mounted troops), to carry medical equipment. There are also two trained stretcher bearers from the ranks of each Infantry Company (or four men from each Squadron), trained in “first-aid” duties.
2. Field Ambulances are allotted to each Division, and Cavalry Field Ambulances to the Cavalry Division, and to the Mounted Brigades. They are provided on the scale of one for each Brigade. There are also two Field Ambulances for the “Army Troops.”
Each description of Ambulance comprises a Bearer Division of stretcher bearers, and a Tent Division, which forms a “Dressing Station”—that is, a small mobile field hospital in which only absolutely necessary dressing is applied.
The Field Ambulance is divided into three equal Sections, and the Cavalry Field Ambulance into two Sections. Each Section has 3 ambulance wagons, a water cart, and 2 wagons and a cart for carrying its stores, baggage, and supplies. Each Section is thus self-contained, and can be sent off without reorganization, whenever required to accompany a detached portion of the Brigade.
The strength of a Field Ambulance is:
10 Officers, 120 stretcher bearers, 60 hospital staff, all belonging to the Royal Army Medical Corps (R.A.M.C.), and 60 men and 90 horses provided by the A.S.C. for its transport, which consists of 10 four-horsed ambulance wagons, 3 water carts, and 9 other wagons for medical supplies, baggage, and stores. Its Bearer Division provides 18 squads of stretcher bearers, each squad being of 6 men; and its Tent Division can accommodate 150 patients.
A Cavalry Field Ambulance comprises:
6 Officers, 38 stretcher bearers, 30 hospital staff, of the R.A.M.C., and 44 men and 70 horses of the A.S.C. It has 4 two-horsed, and 6 four-horsed, ambulance wagons, 2 water carts, 4 other wagons. Its Tent Division can accommodate 50 patients.
The establishment of a Clearing, or a Stationary, Hospital to accommodate 200 patients is 8 Officers and 80 other ranks; that of a General Hospital, 21 Officers and 140 other ranks. Nursing sisters are allotted to the non-mobile Hospitals on the L. of C. at the rate of 17 to 200 patients, but not to the mobile Clearing Hospitals.
Each Ambulance Train is provided with 2 Officers, 18 other ranks, and 2 sisters, and can carry 100 patients.
THE SANITARY SERVICE
The Sanitary Service is one of the Medical Services. Its object is to preserve the health of the troops, by looking after purity of water supply, and sanitation of camps.
The personnel of the Sanitary Service is provided by the R.A.M.C. It comprises a Sanitary Squad with each Unit, and on the Lines of Communication a Sanitary Section at the Base and Railhead, a Squad at each Post or Rest Camp, and 2 Squads at each Advanced Base.
The Section comprises an Officer and 25 men of the R.A.M.C., the Squad a Sergeant and 5 men.
In addition, a N.C.O. of each Cavalry Regiment, or Artillery Brigade, or Battalion, and 1 or 2 men of each Squadron, Battery, or Company, are trained for carrying out Sanitary duties with their Unit.