TREATMENT OF WOUNDED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16349, 2 October 1916, Page 8

TREATMENT OF WOUNDED.

GOOD WORK OF R.A.I.C. MJCKLAXD SURG EC PS RETURN.

SERVICE ON THE MA|UIA. "The system of treating woiflcd soldiers on the .western front is wfderful, remarked Mr. Carrick Robertsoi/of Auckland, who returned to New fttland by the Willochra after serving forP months as a medical officer on the hr >>tal ship Marama, and who arrived ii Auckland yesterday. J " Immediately the men are \|unded, no matter bow slightly, they are fdered out of the trenches, and are giv an antitetanic serum. This treat me bas been found necessary owing to the eniarkable • prevalence of lockjaw in 1' nee. The wounded men arc admitted ti ■ base hospital in France, and in less ban a day they arc sent on by British pital trains to the French ports. Magnit equipped British hospital ships fcceive the wounded, and quickly trajP ol ' l them across the Channel. They a transferred to fast-moving trains, which re lined lip at the wharves like motor-( ill 'd the\ are conveyed to all parts I the united Kingdom." Work Proceeds Like i ck-work. "Tlio Royal Army Med: Corps is a wonderfully efficient orgaifrtion,' continued the surgeon, "and | Ir work pro, ceeds like clock-work. Wlf received on board the transports, thef cn are , ne , and hungry. The work/' " le £ nip * staff consists mostly of iiJinfi them comfortable and fowling the/ soldiers arc a wonderfully courag# sari( cheer band. The predominant feature about tiiem is their smile of JMaction, borne of a feeling of having Bone their bit.' This was particularly f'ticeable about those who took part Ithe great .July ' push ' on the westcrr! oll^ Mr. Robertson saijtbat for three weeks the ship Mararj ac ' cc l as a base hospital at Salonika, f then did service between England ail Alexandria and Malta. One shipment l ' British soldiers i received at Alexandra consisted of men who had suffered fr# frost-bite in the Balkan campaign. f h' "i July the Marama was ordeil to report at a French port. Thenl lln menced the task of transporting woi/ed between Franco and England. Onl cas, °" the Marama carried as many men. Queer Beliefs operman Wounded. " Among ihe wof received 0:1 board were many Ge# lls >" continued Mr. Robertson. "It! aT) actual fact that these men were aid to cross the Channel because of Geri# submarines. They were in hourly F that the ship would be torpedoed. 'fy could not be made to believe that I certain port existed. Even when tha arr ' ve there they expressed doubt Jt the place really wa» the port in qtfion. They told people on board that®don had been destroyed, and they belfd that in the Jutland battle the Brf 1 fleet had been 'wiped out.' How til held to this view," observed the sffii "seeing that thousands of rei arrived daily in the trenchesJu'd not be accounted for. When they | d they were going to be treated welll lo Germans were not slow in expressiiyheir happiness at being out of the firiiJ-" Mr. Robfon said the trip in the Willoehra m England was quiet and uneventful/News 'bout tho war was the only thin Jacking. The men were convalescing, |d were a happy band all the way. I TROfflR CRAWFORD-WATSON, I D.C.M. VALU WORK AT GALLIPOLI. j TrocJ E. Crawford-Watson, D.0.M., j who rffued 011 Saturday, was awaited the (Miction lie bears by General Sir Willis Birdwood for gallant work done on tffioccasion of the memorable landing jGallipoli. Trooper Crawford-Wat-son jplayed commendable courage during § work of transferring the German vossllmtzow into a hospital ship.. He risrf bis life repeatedly in carrying wolfed men, to safety , while under fire. Wig war broke out, Trooper CrawfordWen was residing at Orini, Waikato, anie was the first man in the Ngaruawjp Mounted Rifles to enlist. He was a dical student prior to going on active s&ce, and during the absence of medicfofficei's lie was enabled to render inTjjable aid to wounde<J men at the fit. lie is much scarred by wounds, § showed' a vdecided disinclination, to & about his achievements when apgoached.

TRIBUTE TO THE MAORIS.

FINE BOMB-THROWERS.

I That the Maoris are magnificent fighters is the, opinion held by Sergeant-Major' J [TV. Singleton, of Waerenga Valley, who returned on Saturday. The Maoris, he said, were particularly clever at throwing bombs. , They were plucky, willing to take risks, and displayed much native ingenuity in dealing with barbed-wire entanglements. The Maoris proved of great service as members. of bombing parties and won the high admiration of the other New Zealanders and the Australian troops. Sergeant-Major Singleton was attached to the Maori troops in France, f and did useful work with the pioneer battalion. He contracted pneumonia, and was ordered to return home for treatment-.! t