The Australian Army Medical Corps in Egypt

Yet another amusing incident. Sitting on the great Piazza at Heliopolis were a number of men convalescent from serious illness, pneumonia and the like.

A short distance away on the outside of the iron railing fence, the Arabs were conducting illicit and prohibited trade with the men inside, and a sentry appointed to prevent it was walking up and down studying astronomy.

The Commanding Officer witnessed the occurrence, visited the happy scene, interrogated the sentry, and asked him what his duties were. The sentry answered, "To walk up and down here with me gun to prevent them prisoners" (the unfortunate convalescents) "coming down them steps, and to prevent them niggers jumping the fence!"

The hardest part of military work is waiting. The soldier who has the magnificent fundamental qualities of the Australian, and who can wait and obey, would be the greatest soldier on earth. We are hopeful that the experience gained will render the Australian the claimant for this coveted position. All thoughtful Australian officers we know tell the same story: "Give us discipline, and again and again discipline."

There is much to be said for the soldier. He will obey if he knows why an order is given, or if he trusts his officer and knows why it is given. But if he is uncertain on these points he pleases himself. Discipline cannot be enforced in general, except by properly trained professional officers.

Again, there was more drunkenness than there should have been from the same cause. One evening visitors passed liquor into hospital, and a hideous din arose. On seeking the cause, I discovered it to proceed from a ward containing three patients, of whom one had a broken leg and another a broken arm.

These two men were uproariously drunk, and were sitting up in bed making Australian political speeches. On my entry he of the broken leg demanded in broken tones to be at once paraded before the orderly officer.

On another occasion a particularly nuggety patient had broken the rules, and becoming troublesome was ordered back to his ward. Refusing to go, the guard was sent for, and a fight of a desperate character ensued before he was overpowered; yet we found accidentally that later on this man was made a N.C.O. and apparently gave satisfaction.

In other armies such an offence might have been punished with death.

On reading the account of the life of Stonewall Jackson it is clear that similar difficulties were experienced with the Confederate soldiers, and that Jackson against his inclination was compelled to enforce grave penalties at times to prevent still graver trouble.

It takes several men on the lines of communication and at the base to keep one man at the front, and only loyal obedience to orders during the wearisome and exacting day's work on the lines of communication will make the machine run smoothly, and do justice to the man in the line of battle who is risking his life.

Yet it seems to us there is much to be done by attention to the soldiers' social wants. The work of the Y.M.C.A. and the provision of soldiers' clubs were powerful influences in favour of good order and conduct.

CHAPTER VI

EVACUATION OF THE UNFIT – RELIEVING THE PRESSURE ON THE HOSPITALS AND CONVALESCENT DEPOTS – BACK TO DUTY OR AUSTRALIA – METHODS ADOPTED – TRANSPORT OF INVALIDS BY SEA AND TRAIN.

CHAPTER VI

It became evident, both during the crisis and before the expected attack in August, that Egypt must be cleared of those who were not likely to be fit for service in the immediate future. The necessary effort made to send invalids away for change, and to send the permanently disabled home, involved important questions of policy the determination of which took time. A number of problems at once obtruded themselves. Who was to be permanently invalided, and how was the determination to be reached? Who was to be sent away temporarily, and for how long was he to go? Where was he to be sent to? What was to be done with malingerers, of whom there was a small but sufficiently numerous percentage? As regards the first question: is a man, for example, who has lost an eye permanently invalided? Is he fit for base duty in Egypt, or must he be sent home? It is hardly fair to send him to the front and expose him to the risk of total blindness. In this particular case, in view of the possibilities of the development of ophthalmia in Egypt – which, by the way, did not prove nearly as serious as was anticipated – it was decided that the man who had lost one eye should be sent home as permanently unfit. Men who had lost a limb were put in the same category. It might be argued that such men were quite fit for clerical work, and that one-eyed men were quite fit for ordinary guard work, for which, indeed, the demand was overwhelming. The view already indicated, however, was taken, and these men were sent to their homes to be discharged. But when these definite and obvious cases were disposed of, there remained some thousands of men whose cases were full of difficulty. In each hospital Boards were accordingly appointed to investigate their cases and to fully answer the questions set out in the following Army Form B 179.

MEDICAL REPORT ON AN INVALID

(Taken from Army Form B 179)

8. Disability

STATEMENT OF CASE

Note. —The answers to the following questions are to be filled in by the officer in medical charge of the case. In answering them he will carefully discriminate between the man's unsupported statements and evidence recorded in his military and medical documents. He will also carefully distinguish cases entirely due to venereal disease.

9. Date of origin of disability.

10. Place of origin of disability.

11. Give concisely the essential facts of the history of the disability, noting entries on the Medical History Sheet bearing on the case.

12. (a) Give your opinion as to the causation of the disability.

(b) If you consider it to have been caused by active service, climate, or ordinary military service, explain the specific conditions to which you attribute it. (See Notes on p. 71.)

13. What is his present condition?

Weight should be given in all cases when it is likely to afford evidence of the progress of the disability.

14. If the disability is an injury, was it caused —

(a) In action?

(b) On field service?

(c) On duty?

(d) Off duty?

15. Was a Court of Inquiry held on the injury?

If so – (a) When?

(b) Where?

(c) Opinion?

16. Was an operation performed? If so, what?

17. If not, was an operation advised and declined?

18. In case of loss or decay of teeth. Is the loss of teeth the result of wounds, injury, or disease, directly[6 - Loss of teeth on, or immediately after, active service, should be attributed thereto, unless there is evidence that it is due to some other cause.] attributable to active service?

19. Do you recommend —

(a) Discharge as permanently unfit, or

(b) Change to England?

– —

Officer in medical charge of case

I have satisfied myself of the general accuracy of this report, and concur therewith, except[7 - Delete this word if no exceptions are to be made.]

Station—

Officer in charge of Hospital

Date—

OPINION OF THE MEDICAL BOARD