Y.M.C.A. and Red Cross
The Soldiers' Club in the Ezbekieh Garden grew in favour and was extended in area and staff. In the autumn of 1915 some ladies became available, and did splendid service in the superintendence of the catering for the men in the Club, and by their presence there did much to help.
A more extended experience of the work of the Y.M.C.A. and of the Red Cross has given much cause for thought. The Y.M.C.A. organisation appears to me to be excellent, since it is the organisation which caters for the social welfare of the soldier, wherever he may be, whether in camp or at the base; and the work is conducted by men whose business it is to understand him and see that all reasonable wants are gratified. In Egypt as I write (July 1916) there are no fewer than forty-seven Y.M.C.A. huts and centres, and Y.M.C.A. officers in the desert, in the oases, and elsewhere, doing their very best to make the soldiers comfortable. In other words, the business of the Y.M.C.A. is to provide comfort by personal service over and above military necessaries for the men who are well.
The Red Cross Society, on the other hand, attends to the wants of the sick and wounded, and its functions have already been discussed. They may, however, be supplemented by the following definition of the work of the Red Cross which was furnished by the High Commissioner for Egypt, Sir Henry MacMahon:
"Government supplies all the necessities for the care, treatment, and transport of the sick and wounded, while the Red Cross supplements these necessities by everything that can in any way go to the comfort and well-being of the sick and wounded soldiers. The distinction between necessities and comforts is sometimes so indefinite that the Red Cross, wherever possible, endeavours to have both ready to hand for use when needed."
And later:
"A word must be said here about the work of the Red Cross Stores. The object of the Red Cross has never been to supply in any large quantities the goods which the War Office sends to the wounded, but it does its best to provide the troops with such things as the War Office does not supply at all or cannot supply at a given time. A State Department, bound as it rightly is by hard-and-fast rules, cannot work as quickly as a private body with more elastic regulations; moreover, the supplies of any department may change at times, hence it happens that the British Red Cross occasionally supply certain things more than the War Office can, or it may supplement the War Office supplies, and it does so until the War Office steps in again. Further, the Red Cross supplies many things or small luxuries which the authorities cannot possibly supply, and these are just the things which are most appreciated by the sick and wounded."
In other words, the function of the Red Cross is to assist over and above necessity, and to be ready to act in event of emergency.
The following lists of the Australian Branch and Egyptian Branch of the British Red Cross show that in both cases, but particularly in the case of the Australian Branch, the Red Cross is supplying articles which should clearly be supplied by Government. There is considerable danger in allowing this system to become too largely developed. In the first place in the case of the Red Cross there is no rigid system of accountancy such as military regulation requires, and the natural tendency for commanders will be to get goods in the easiest possible manner; nevertheless, it may not be the best thing for the service.
The British Red Cross safeguards the practice more fully than the younger branch, and its lead might well be followed. (See Lists on pp. [212]-[216].)
AUSTRALIAN BRANCH BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY
List of Articles in Red Cross Stores which must be requisitioned for by Commanding Officers of Units for the Care of the Sick and Wounded and where there is no Red Cross Store.
1916
To the Commissioners,
Australian Branch British Red Cross Society,
Shepheard's Hotel, Cairo.Please send to ———————— the following articles:
Quantity Description
Clothing
Balaclava Caps
Cardigans
Cholera Belts
*Cushions, Air
* " Ordinary
Dressing Gowns
Facewashers
Fly Veils
Gloves
*Handkerchiefs
Mittens
*Mosquito Nets
Mufflers
*Pillows
*Pillow Slips
Pneumonia Jackets
*Pyjamas, Cotton
* " Flannel
*Quilts
*Sheets
*Shirts, Cotton
* " Flannel
* " Hospital
*Shoes, Deck
*Slippers, Hospital
*Socks
* " Bed
*Surgeons' Aprons
* " Caps
* " Gowns
* " Swabs
*Towels
* " Glass
Underpants, Cotton
" Flannel
Undershirts, Cotton
" Flannel
Foodstuffs
Allenbury's Diet
" Food
Arrowroot
Beef Extract
Benger's Food
Biscuits
Bovril
Brandy
Ceregen
Chocolate
Cocoa
Cocoa-and-Milk
Coffee Essence
Coffee-and-Milk
Condensed Milk
Cornflour
Cornina
Fruits, Dried
" Tinned
Glaxo
Horlick's M. Milk
Jam
Jelly Crystals
Lactogen
Lime Juice
Linseed Meal
Malt Extract
Oatmeal
Pickles
Plum Puddings
Port Wine
Robinson's Barley
" Groats
Semolina
Soda Water
Sweets
Tapioca
Tinned Rabbits
" Tomatoes
" Tripe
" Vegetables
General
*Absorbent Wool
*Bandages
*Bed Cradles
* " Rests
* " Screens
Books
*Brushes, Hair
* " Nail
* " Tooth
*Camp Stools
Cigarettes
*Combs
*Crutches
*Deck Chairs
Eau-de-Cologne
Envelopes
Fly Veils
Fly Whisks
Gramophone Needles
*Hospital Basins
*Hot-water Bottles
Housewives
*Insectibane
Looking-glasses
Matches
*Medicine Glasses
Old Linen
*Oil Heaters
Pencils
Periodicals
Pipes
*Primus Stoves
*Razors
*Razor Strops
*Rubber Sheeting
*Safety Pins
*Smoked Glasses
*Soap, Monkey Brand
*Soap, Shaving
* " Toilet
*Splints
*Sponges
*Tables, Folding
*Thermometers
Tobacco
*Toilet Paper
Tooth Paste
*Vaseline
Writing PadsNote A.—As a general rule the Commissioners only supply goods that cannot be obtained from either Ordnance Dept. Army Service Corps, or Base Medical Depot Stores. Any O.C. requisitioning for goods of a kind properly obtainable from those sources should state on the requisition that the goods applied for cannot be obtained from the usual source.
Note B.—Regimental Medical Officers can obtain their requirements from the O.C. of the nearest Field Ambulance, who will forward requisitions to Red Cross.
————————————
Officer in charge of Hospital.[All the articles marked * were permanent Government issues, and any of the foodstuffs would have been supplied by Government if necessary. There was no practical difficulty in obtaining any articles from Government on proper application being made.]
BRITISH RED CROSS AND ORDER OF ST. JOHN
No. of Patients ———— For the Use of Patients
List of Articles in Red Cross Stores which may be
Requisitioned for.————191
To the Commissioner,
British Red Cross and Order of St. John
Gresham Buildings, Cairo.Please send to ———————— the following articles:
Items marked— A.S.C. (Army Service Corps), O.D. (Ordnance Dept.), B.D.M.S. (Base Depot Medical Stores), will only be provided by the British Red Cross on the understanding that the Military Departments have been applied to and cannot supply, or that it is a case of grave or unexpected emergency. Such a demand to be supported by signature of O.C. Hospital, which implies he has indented on the department concerned and failed to obtain.
N.B.—All indents to be countersigned by the O.C. Hospital.
| Items marked— | |
| A.S.C. | (Army Service Corps), |
| O.D. | (Ordnance Dept.), |
| B.D.M.S. | (Base Depot Medical Stores), |
The British Red Cross has definitely been placed under military control, and the Chief Commissioner has been attached to the staff of the Commander-in-Chief. The work goes on just as usual, but if necessity arose the Commander-in-Chief could exercise his authority.
I understand that in France the Australian Branch British Red Cross has now been placed under military control; the Director of Medical Services, Australian Expeditionary Force, being Chief Commissioner and the other commissioners and officers being graded with various ranks. To me this arrangement is definitely a step in the right direction, though I still think the British system in Egypt is better. The officers of the Red Cross in Egypt have no rank, but are under military direction, and the Chief Civil Commissioner is attached to the staff of the Commander-in-Chief; he has had the rank of Hon. Colonel since the war began. It is interesting, however, to note that the Australian Branch British Red Cross has passed through four phases, so far as the work in the field is concerned:
(1) It was a purely military organisation.
(2) When the High Commissioner in Egypt was requested to form a committee it became a combined civil and military organisation.
(3) When the Australian commissioners were appointed it became a purely civil administration.
(4) It has finally become a combined civil and military organisation, in which the military element holds control.
This step further indicates the logical development, in my judgment, of both the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross. They should both be regarded as definite branches of the service. They should both be organised in time of peace largely as independent organisations, and as part of the Reserve, and, on declaration of war, they should be incorporated in the service and placed under military control. The function of the one would be to attend to the social wants of the men who are well, the other to attend to the wants of the men who are sick and wounded.
I do not think that any other funds or societies should be permitted to interfere with military arrangements; all those who desire to help with money, with goods, or with personal assistance could do so through the one channel or the other.
As a corollary to the foregoing it is evident that there should be only one voluntary war fund, which should be placed under the control of a committee representing the Y.M.C.A., the Red Cross, and nominees of the Government and public, who could allocate the money subscribed to the Y.M.C.A. or Red Cross as necessity arose. The following list shows the unnecessary multiplicity of organisations and funds in the State of Victoria alone, viz. at least seventeen societies in a community of about one million and a half people. Even in Egypt enthusiastic people started an "Australian Comforts Fund," a "Soldiers' Outings Association," "Camp Welfare Association," and so forth, and these bodies simply did for varying periods the work of the Y.M.C.A. or the Red Cross as the case may be, in a more or less patchy way.
MULTIPLICITY OF FUNDS
(From "The Argus," Melbourne, 1916)
"WAR RELIEF FUNDS
"Objects Outlined: A Guide to Giving"It is only when one sees the complete list of war relief funds compiled by the State War Council, in connection with its announcement regarding the supervision to be exercised over future collections, that the full extent of the relief organisations and the wide scope covered by the Victorian public's generous giving are appreciated. There are in existence here a score of war funds of one kind or another, and by the devoted efforts of their organisers and the warm-hearted support of the public the lot of our soldiers has been brightened, the burden of pain and suffering borne by the sick and wounded has been eased, a helping hand has been extended to the homeless, broken sufferers of Belgium, Poland, and Serbia, and a gleam of happiness brought to many a home in France whose erstwhile bread-winner is on active service.
"All the Victorian organisations have clearly defined objects, and are working along sound lines. The list of funds is to be increased shortly by the creation of a Repatriation Fund the details of which are now being worked out. The money raised will be devoted to the settling in suitable employment of soldiers who have fulfilled their service. A similar object is aimed at in the repatriation scheme which has been launched with such marked success by Mr. Rodgers, M.H.R. The objects of the other funds, which have been and are doing so much, are thus summarised for the information of the public by officials of the organisations:
"British Red Cross Society
"(Australian Branch)"Objects officially stated as—'Red Cross work, to assist all hospitals in time of war.'
"Victorian Red Cross Fund
"For Australian sick and wounded soldiers (Lady Stanley Appeal). The proceeds are being and will be remitted to the Australian Red Cross Society, to be used by it for the benefit of Australian sick and wounded soldiers and institutions in which they may be treated.
"Red Cross Society
"(Victorian Division)"Objects officially stated to be 'those of the Geneva Convention.'
"French Red Cross Society
"The raising of funds for the work of the French Red Cross Society.
"Australian Patriotic Fund
"For the benefit of Victorian soldiers and their dependents, soldiers from any part of Australia and their dependents, other deserving objects consequent on service at the war, and the augmenting of pensions granted by the Commonwealth.
"State War Council's Fund
"For discharged soldiers. Its object is to assist in re-establishing discharged soldiers in employment.
"Commonwealth Button Fund
"A collecting body, which has used its organisation for collecting for various funds. It has collected for the Belgian Fund, Red Cross Society, Lady Stanley's Appeal, French Red Cross, Serbian Fund, Italian Fund, Russian Polish Fund, and for institutions at the front and in camps belonging to the different churches and the Y.M.C.A.
"Lady Mayoress's Patriotic League
"To assist in providing comforts, extra clothing, and foods for the fighting men in the navy and army.
"Belgian Relief Fund
"To assist in relieving distress in Belgium.
"Serbian Relief Fund
"To assist in relieving distress amongst the Serbians.
"Polish Relief Fund
"To assist in relieving distress amongst the Russian Poles.
"French Société Maternelle Fund
"To collect funds for the Société d'Assistance Maternelle et Infantile. The fund is administered in France, money and goods being collected here and sent forward.
"Y.M.C.A. National Appeal
"For the benefit of soldiers in camps, on troopships, and abroad, by providing recreation, games, stationery, literature, and comforts, and ministering generally to the moral and spiritual welfare of the Australian troops.
"Commonwealth Service Patriotic Fund
"Objects determined, as necessity arises, by a committee consisting of heads of departments and branches. Allocations to different funds.
"State Service Patriotic Fund
"Relief of distress resulting from the war.
"Education Department Patriotic Fund
"Relief of distress caused by the war, and for providing clothing and comforts for our troops.
"Railways Department Patriotic Fund
"Relief of distress in Belgium, relief of distress due to unemployment in Victoria, and Red Cross purposes in the proportion as nearly as practicable of one-third to each."
An additional advantage of the arrangements proposed would be that all those who assist would be under a measure of discipline. Neither men nor women helpers should be permitted to enter the war zone unless they visit it with a serious purpose and an earnest desire to help. If they enter in this frame of mind they will have no objection to submitting to discipline. If they object it is far better for them to stay at home.
It is furthermore apparent that Red Cross workers should be limited to elderly men of experience or younger men who are physically defective. In the case of the Y.M.C.A. young and healthy men are required, since their work is very arduous, the living at times rough to a degree, and there is not inconsiderable personal risk undertaken by those who are placed in advanced positions. In national wars every healthy adult is of great value as a soldier, and it is necessary to see that as few of such men as possible are utilised in these auxiliary services.
If the arrangements here indicated had been carried into effect, the work in Egypt would have been much better done and the activities of the Y.M.C.A. would have prevented a vast amount of trouble and disease. As it was, the value of the Y.M.C.A. was not apparent to the public at first, since its activities are not so dramatic as those of the Red Cross Society, and funds have never been provided for it on anything like the same scale.
In conclusion, with regard to the Australian Branch British Red Cross, there is something more to be said. As its name implies, the Australian Red Cross is a branch of the British Red Cross Society, and yet we have experienced in Egypt the spectacle of the Egyptian Branch and the Australian Branch of the same society doing the same work for different sections of troops engaged in a common cause. There were two Red Cross stores in Cairo, Australian and British, two stores in Alexandria, and two in Mudros. Would it not have been much better to amalgamate the two branches and administer the Red Cross in Egypt as a whole? The separation served no good material purpose, and whilst by the exercise of good sense some of the difficulties arising from the dual arrangement were obviated, yet this evidence of particularism was not advantageous.
Vast quantities of goods were donated to the Australian Troops by the Comforts Fund, and vast quantities of goods were given to soldiers in hospitals and convalescent homes by the Australian Branch British Red Cross. As evidence of soundness of heart on the part of the Australian public this action was beyond praise, but it is doubtful whether the methods were the best which might be devised. The generosity of the public lent itself to some abuse, and soldiers are known to have sold these goods to Arabs, and employed the cash as they pleased. It is difficult to draw a healthy mean between strict administration with proper restriction and lavish administration and abuse. It is doubtful to me whether it would not better conserve the self-respect of the soldier and be more dignified if these donations were to cease. In their place proper facilities might well be substituted for the purchase of such articles as the soldier required at very low prices. This is the plan followed by the Y.M.C.A., who never divorce personal service from any distribution of goods. If the pay of the Australian soldier—which by the way is the highest in the world—is thought insufficient, it could be increased by voluntary help conveyed through the proper official channels. If this system were adopted it would necessitate the appointment of a Y.M.C.A. and of a Red Cross officer to certain defined military units, and a well-organised method would at once make its appearance; in other words, we should substitute sympathetic order and justice for amateurish enthusiasm.
Does not the necessity for the foregoing criticism indicate our utter unpreparedness? For if we had possessed a national organisation for Peace and War, each and all of these problems would have been solved long ago, and we should have been spared the spectacle of willing helpers wasting their energy for lack of direction.