The Australian Army Medical Corps in Egypt / An Illustrated and Detailed Account of the Early Organisation and Work of the Australian Medical Units in Egypt in 1914-1915

by Sir James W. Barrett; P. E. Deane

CHAPTER III

ARRIVAL AND SETTLEMENT IN EGYPT—DISPOSAL OF THE HOSPITAL UNITS—TREATMENT OF CAMP CASES—THE ACQUISITION OF MANY BUILDINGS—WHERE THE THANKS OF AUSTRALIA ARE DUE.

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CHAPTER III

On arrival at Alexandria, there seemed to be no great hurry in disembarking, and many of the older medical officers were fully persuaded that the units were not wanted in France; that there was very little to do in Egypt; and that if their services were not required it would be fairer to inform them of the fact, and let them go home again. They were soon to be undeceived. A message was received asking the O.C.s of the various units to visit Cairo, where they waited on Surgeon-General Ford, Director of Medical Services to the Force in Egypt. They were informed that there was more than enough work for all these Lines of Communication Medical Units in Egypt.

The First Australian General Hospital was to be placed in the Heliopolis Palace Hotel at Heliopolis. The Second Australian General Hospital was to take over Mena House and release the regimental medical officers and officers of the Field Ambulances from the hospital work they were doing. The First Stationary Hospital was to be placed with the military camp at Maadi, and the Second Australian Stationary Hospital was to go into camp at Mena and undertake the treatment of cases of venereal diseases. The First Casualty Station was temporarily lodged in Heliopolis, and then sent to Port Said to form a small hospital there in view of the imminent fighting on the Canal. These dispositions were made as soon as possible.

It should be noted at this juncture that the bulk of the Australian Forces, namely the First Division, was camped at Mena. A certain quantity of Light Horse was encamped at Maadi, whilst the Second Division, composed chiefly of New Zealanders, was encamped near Heliopolis. New Zealand had not provided any Lines of Communication Units, but her sick had been accommodated at the British Military Hospital, Citadel, Cairo, and also at the Egyptian Army Hospital, Abbassia.

The First and Second Stationary Hospitals used their tents for the respective purposes. The Casualty Clearing Station utilised a building assigned to it in Port Said.

Some description is required, however, of the Heliopolis Palace Hotel. This, as the photograph shows, is a huge hotel de luxe, consisting of a basement and four stories.

It was arranged that the kitchens, stores, and accommodation for rank and file should be placed in the basement. The first floor was allotted to offices and officers' quarters; a wing of the third floor provided accommodation for nurses, and the only portions of the building used at first for patients were the large restaurant and dining-room, and the billiard recesses, i.e. the Rotundas and Great Hall.

The hospital when fully developed required a large staff. The two large wards in the Rotundas and Central Hall could be administered easily enough, but the rest of the hotel consisted of rooms holding from three to six beds. The doors were removed. There were fortunately many bathrooms and lavatories. The rooms are very lofty, and provided with very large windows, but there are no fanlights over the doors, so that if doors were left in place ventilation was inadequate. A good deal of difficulty was experienced in providing suitable slop hoppers and sinks, places for cleaning bed-pans and the like, but little by little suitable arrangements were made.

The Arab servants, employed to ease the pressure on the staff, were housed in tents in one part of the grounds, and some of the rank and file in tents in another part. Others, for a short period, slept on the roof. The accommodation in general of the rank and file was excellent. The kitchens were a source of difficulty as the ranges were so elaborate; the hot-water service was unsatisfactory because of failure of fuel due to war conditions. Still, by one device and another, smooth running was ultimately secured.

When full value is given to all adverse criticism, it must be admitted that few better surgical hospitals could have been obtained.

The Officer Commanding the hospital (Lt.-Colonel Ramsay Smith) visited it with the Registrar, and made the preliminary arrangements. He then returned to Alexandria to supervise the disembarkation. Meanwhile the Registrar spent his time interviewing the proprietors, the D.M.S., and others concerned.

Only those who, knowing nothing of military organisation, tackle a job of the kind can fully appreciate the bewilderment caused by the mystic letters A.D. of S. and T., D.A.A. and Q.M.G., and the like, with all they connote. The Imperial officers saw the difficulties and were kindly and helpful to a remarkable degree.

The hospital was opened on January 25, with provision for 200 patients. The first patient to be admitted was suffering from eye disease. An ophthalmic department was opened on the first floor, providing accommodation for out-patients as well as in-patients. As there were few oculists and aurists in Egypt at this juncture other than those at this hospital, the department rapidly assumed formidable proportions. The solid floors, lofty rooms, shuttered windows, and provision of electric light lent themselves to the creation of an excellent ophthalmic department.

The number of soldiers within easy distance of Heliopolis was not very great. Nevertheless patients, mostly medical cases, made their appearance in steadily increasing numbers, especially as Mena House was soon filled, and was limited in its accommodation.

With the arrival of the Second Australian Division in Egypt, and of subsequent reinforcements, the pressure on the First Australian General Hospital intensified, since these new arrivals went into camp at or near Heliopolis. The hotel rooms were filled with valuable furniture, including large carpets. From the outset it was arranged that neither carpets nor curtains were to be retained, and that the only hotel furniture which was to be used was beds and bedding for the officers and nurses. Everything else was stored away in various rooms. Up to this period the belief in official circles was that the First Australian General Hospital would soon be moved to France, and that it was consequently unwise to expand further, or to spend any considerable sum of money. The pressure, however, steadily continued, and when the Dardanelles campaign commenced, orders were given for the immediate expansion of the hospital to meet the ever-growing requirements of the troops. In order to effect this development the whole of the hotel furniture was moved into corridors of the building. Subsequently it was taken from the building and stored elsewhere, a difficult proceeding involving a great deal of labour.