BASE RECORDS

Evening Star, Issue 17034, 3 May 1919, Page 5

BASE RECORDS

VALUABLE WAR DEPARTMENT. ITS REMARKABLE DEVELOPMENT. WELLINGTON, May 3. Though it did not exist when the war began, Base Records branch of the Defence Department has developed into one of tho most important of State services, and is certainly the best known to the community. by reason of its close association with the personnel of the Expeditionary Force and soldiers’ next of kin. The general public hardly realise how rapidly this department has grown, keeping pace with- New Zealand’s splendid war effort; but an opportunity is given of taking stock of Base Records’ activities through the compilation of a report on the matter by Major Norton Francis, C.M.G., the first director of Base Records, who relinquishes the position to return to private business at the end of this month. When the war broke out, and New Zealand offered to do its share, no one could foresee the immense expansion of tho work of an office designed originally .to collect and preserve the records of the comparatively small number of reinforcements which it was expected would bo sent overseas. That over 100,000 men would embark was certainly not anticipated, but as they went away tho errands after thousands the record system grew, and became only as the result of experience, for existing military instructions under this head were of the most brief and sketchy type. The work commenced with the making up of the Samoan force records in the district Defence Offices. After the . embarkation of the Main Body and First Reinforcements, on 16th October, 1914, their records were centralised in Wellington in a small office at the Military Headquarters, where the visitor could, from the counter, see the whole staff and equipment. To-day the office is a very large two-storied building at the back of Government Building, Wellington, and its staff comprise 95 soldiers, 206 civilians (including 184 women) —a total of 303.

Every soldier who entered camp represented potential work for Base Records. His military history has .o be kept here, and the important duty of keping in touch with his next of kin in case of casualties or return to New Zealand, as well as answering all his relatives’ inquiries, devolves on this busy department. Multiply the individual by the 100,000 soldiers sent away, and an idea of the extent of the work can be gained. Success in dealing with the immense quantity of correspondence and organising the work of the office has only been possible by a thorough system ’of subdivision of responsibility. Ten sections are at work in Base Records, each with a section head, who is, in turn, responsible to one of the executive officers. The record room section is the great clearing-house of the office. To this department is sent 'the documents as they arrive. A staff of distributors sends the letters and files to the special departments created 'to deal with the subjects to which they relate. The number of files in daily transit through this section during last year increased from 8,000 to over 15,000, and high-water mark has not yet been reached, as it is intended shortly to house at Base Records the files of the Director of Recruiting, and to undertake the handling of the pay branch correspondence and its records. It is hoped shortly it will be possible to amalgamate soldiers’ files from the camps and other Defence offices, so that there may be only one file to contain all records of each member of the Expeditionary Force, thus giving greater efficiencv and a reduced pay roll. This section has charge of no fewer than 110,0000 files. They have to go to various departments when action is being taken upon them, and the section collects and delivers files from all parts of the office every hour, a careful record being kept, so that no tile can be lost. The Expeditionary Force files are kept alphabetically. There are duplicate index slips, one alphabetical and the other numerical—a system which greatly facilitates the tracing, of files and the correct identification of incorrectlyaddressed correspondence. The general correspondence section is responsible for all typewritten work, and nearly all the correspondence of the office. In a large, well-lighted room are dozens of typistes who deal with the letters dictated in reply to those received from the general public. A rulings book is kept showing the official decisions given on the multitude of points always cropping up in letters, and this is carefullv indexed and continually brought up to date so that it can be readily used by those who have to give information to the public. If there is no previous ruling the letter is submitted to the Director of Base Records for decision. As an additional check on the correspondence issued from Base Records Office, no letter is signed in tlia correspondence section, but is sent to the executive head responsible for the matter alluded to. Though the cessation of casualties has eliminated an enormous number of inquiries under this head, and the closing down of the recruiting branch and the national registration operations has also disposed of more sources of work, the demobilisation process has created a fresh set of inquiries, and the result is that the correspondence branch deals daily with approximately 2,500 inwards letters and 2,000 outwards, or double the total handled a year ago. The demand for return of members of the Expeditionary Force out of the order of sequence, owing to domestic or business reasons, necessitated dealing with no fewer than 1,537 of such cases during the last five months. The history sheet section of the office was formed at the end of 1915, when it was decided that, to ensure promptitude in the issue of casualty reports, it would be necessary to have a record, separate from the soldiers’ file, on one sheet, kept in cabinets in alphabetical order. The soldier’s personal history and his next of kin are noted on these sheets, and a staff of 50 has to be employed in keeping them up to date and securing from them the necessary particulars for the preparation of rolls of returning drafts and the notifi-, cations to next of Join. This section did valuable work when the military _ service ballots were being operated, as it was through the medium of the history sheets that the Government Statistician was able to ascertain whether men drawn in the ballot had already become members of the Expeditionary Force. The casualty section is now a rapidly diminishing factor in the office, but its splendid work in the quick notification of the Uste to the general public will not be forgotten. The casualty ledgers from the western.fronts are now being received and checked*with the Base Records entries preparatory to the issue of a final casualty book and a general alphabetical index of all casualties suffered by members of the ExpsdHionary Force. A rotumcd soldiers'' section records and traces the movements of a returned soldier from the time of fata arrival in New Zealand until bis discharge. It receives regular reports from hospitals, and is responsible for the issue of autl'orities for the pav of Invalids. Last February it \pas round i&ctsMQr to a diaomWkjskoa.

section to cope with the largo numbers of solorers returning under conditions where all boarding is completed before arrival. Its representatives meet all ships, and check and distribute the numerous documents received from the demobilisation officer on board. Base Records is the D- re at inquiry bureau of the soldier and his relatives, and as thousands of these inquiries are made personally a special staff is kept busy at the counter giving all possible information and issuing to next of kin the tickets enabling them to enter the special enclosure provided for relatives of the men returning on transports. The discharge section issues discharges, prepares rolls for the issue of medals, and checks all accounts in connection with the four weeks’ free rail ticket given to the soldier on arrival. During the last three months over 12,000 dischrages have been dealt with by this section of the office. And this category does not exhaust the list of Base Records activities. There is a returning draft section which compiles rolls, deals with the medical papers of returned men, and the issue of clothing to them. For several years Base Records had the assistance of a voluntary staff, the valuable work of which was recently described in the newspapers. The Director of Military Hospitals and the officer in charge of vocational training of soldiers have their headquarters at Base Records, which does the necessary clerical work for these busy branches of the Defence Department. Every changing phase in connection with our soldiers gives more work for Base Records. It has had to adapt itself to many changes and to an enormous amount of important “rush work,” yet it has never failed to give prompt service; and Major Horton Francis, who now retires from the control of this unique war department, is to be congratulated upon the success which it has achieved, and the smooth running of its operations under the most difficult.of conditions, with no * precedents existing for his guidance.