FOR THE WOUNDED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3197, 22 September 1917, Page 2

FOR THE WOUNDED

NEW ZEALAND WAR CONTINGENT

ASSOCIATION

EXTENSION TO FRANCE

(From a Correspondent.)

London, July 23. It is quite clear that, in romo form or other, the inestimable work which the New Zealand War Contingent Association has bcon doing in. England must shortly Hud a field in. France. The developments of tlie last year or so have included a steady concentration of New Zealand wounded in Now Zealand Expeditionary Foreo hospitals, which have been greatly incieased in size, so that at the present time there aro more than 4000 patients in New Zealand hospitals in the United' Kingdom, and only a couple of hundred in British institutions. In tho Now Zealand hospitals visiting is still a desirable feature of welfare work, .but as the "tails (medical and nursing) are composed of New Zealanders there is a sufficient guarantee that our men will not lack anything requisite for their comfort or entertainment. In the English, hospitals we have indeed the same guarantee, with the sole exception that patients treated in, them aro cut off from tlie company of their own. countrymen and particularly appreciate the visiting arrangements of the association, Quite a recent development, though, is the aggregation of New Zealand casualties in Hospitals in France as part of the general policy of security against sulirii arises. The reports which reach the association now deal with a considerable proportion of men who are remaining across the Channel for treatment, and 60 cannot be visited by New Zealanders at all. Only a few of them are in our own hospitals. The rest are scattered over the whole length and ureadth of the Pas de Calais, the Nord, and the Sorame. Their fellow-patients are British, but only here and there New Zealanders, and the people amongst whom they must spend their time during convalescence ar« all Frenoh— chiefly peasants. They therefore require'the visiting system almost as urgently as 'our first arrivals from Gallipoli in 1915. The War Contingent Association has been taking steps in the matter for some time past, and with the co-operation of the British. Red Cross is endeavouring, to make some arrangement to give more attention to New Zealand wounded in hospital in France. Lord Plunket, Sir. Charles LMgar, r.nd Mv. I. W. Raymond are conferring with General Richardson' on the question. -The following eummary of a list of cheques paid out gives some idea of the varied nature of the work now being carried out in England by the Sew Zealand War Contingent Association.- Groceries, Nurses' Home,. Sandwich; live poultry for camp farms, comforts for men returning per Ruahihe, officers' and 'sergeants' messes, P.U. Camp, alterations at Hornchurch Club, auditors' fees, reorganising book-keeping, 'stationery, boots for a man with a wounded foot, booksfor men returning per e.s. jlrawa, donation to Free Buffet at Paddinston, donntion. to Kmpire Union Club, donation to Sports Fund at Codford. \ ■ An , Inquiry Bureau, Relations anxious for information about their soldier eons who have passed tlf rough, hospitals, in England or France during the past two years can always apply to the Record Department of the New Zealand War Contingent Association at J25 High Holboni, W.C. These records have been kept since the first wounded men arrived in England from the Dardanelles in Mav, 1915, and they now refer to approximately.. 30,000 men. Every man wlio is reported to the association cither officially. or through the visitors, ■as a hospital inmate, is recorded on a card, and thenceforth every detail as to his welfare and progress is noted. The nature of the injury'or sickness is recorded from the office data, progress reports by the hospital visitors, movements of the men after leaving hospital until they., return to the front or to New Zealand, and, incidentally 'a statement of the. articles of kit or clothing supplied.to them by , the association. The association Conines its records to men who have been in hospital, and will be most happy to furnish to/relatives any information in its power. Tho records from -France hare only' been received recently, but they are" now/regularly registered. Sliss Eileen Fitzherbert was in charge of the. caTd index for a considerable time, but has recently handed it over to Mrs. Martin. '■'■.'■' '■'.'. Tlie number of men at Walton Hospital who have undertaken basket-sinking and ueedlework is steadily increasing, in spite of summer temptations to different methods of passing , the lime, and Miss Monro, tho work superintendent, has been given an assistant instructor. Tlio office canteen of the New Zealand War Contingent Association has recently received a donation of .£SO from Mr. H. Giithric-Smfrh for furnishing and equipment. Miss Pratt, who has been associated with Mra. Burnett in charge of tne canteou since November last, is returning to New Zealand; to the association's regret. Mies Dinneen, who has had charge of the Aotearoa Club at Cud-,. {o'rd, has resigned to Into up work in tho war zone in France. Mrs. Shellsheur' has been appointed in her place. At tha.jP.tr...Depot at Torquay, where - Captain Garner is in charge, the openair life which the men are leading is indicated by Tlie principal items of expenditure ,by the War Contingent Associa-

tion on the- entertainment of llio men. Boat hire, swlmr/iins:. tickots, and bath-ing-snils liend tho list.