A GENERAL HOSPITAL (520 BEDS)
War Establishments
| Detail. | Personnel. | |||||
| Officers. | W.O. | St. Sergts. | Buglers. | Rank and | Total. | |
| and Sergts. | File. | |||||
| Lieut.-Col. in charge | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Lieut.-Cols. | 2 | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Majors— | ||||||
| Sec. and Registrar | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| General Duties | 4 | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Captains or Subs. | 12 | — | — | — | — | 12 |
| Quartermaster | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Warrant Officers | — | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Sergeants— | ||||||
| Nursing Duties | — | — | 4 | — | — | 4 |
| Steward | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Dispenser | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 |
| Cook | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Pack Storekeeper | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Linen " | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| Clerks | — | — | 3 | — | — | 3 |
| Buglers | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Corporals— | ||||||
| Steward | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Cook | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Clothing Storekeeper | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| General Duties | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Supernumeraries | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Privates— | ||||||
| Steward's Stores | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Cooks | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Pack Stores | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Linen " | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Clothing " | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Clerks | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| Ward duties | — | — | — | — | 66 | 66 |
| Batman | — | — | — | — | 25 | 25 |
| General Duties | — | — | — | — | 11 | 11 |
| Supernumeraries | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 21 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 126 | 164 |
With reference to the duties of N.C.O.s and men, nothing gave more trouble than the fact that men recruited in Australia were made N.C.O.s before their special qualifications were known. There is no officer in the Army whose position is so thoroughly safeguarded as the N.C.O., and nothing but the adverse decision of a court martial can effect his removal. Yet an unsuitable and even dangerous man, from the point of view of the sick, may do nothing to warrant a court martial (which no one enjoys). These appointments should be made therefore with great care. Such considerations, of course, lead to but one conclusion, viz. the necessity for sketching out these hospitals in time of peace. Scratch enlistments are too dangerous.
The "grouser" is always with us, and sometimes gives trouble. The particular Australian "grouse" was that the Australian hospitals should have been nearer the front than Cairo, and at last No. 3 Australian General Hospital was placed at Mudros.
Now we have always understood that a large base hospital cannot be placed far from a great city. A city grows in a particular place for natural reasons—water supply, lighting, transit, etc. The hospital gets the benefit of all these agencies, whereas it was necessary at Lemnos to create them. The result was somewhat disastrous as regards supplies, and might have been foreseen.
"Grousers" should stay at home, and exercise their privileges there.
The difficulties of obtaining supplies by requisition were easily surmounted at Heliopolis because of the broad policy adopted by the Officer Commanding the Australian Intermediate Base, Colonel Sellheim, C.B.
Ordnance cannot supply the varied requirements of a group of expert medical officers during a great war, and delays cause untold annoyance to active men. On the other hand, it would never do to give the staff a free hand to purchase when and how it pleased.