FAR EAST RELIEF

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23059, 9 June 1938, Page 15

FAR EAST RELIEF

WORK IN DIFFICULTIES AIR RAIDS ALMOST DAILY DOMINION DOCTOR'S LETTERS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] ■WELLINGTON,' "Wednesday A letter received by the Far East Relief Committee from Dr.. Hector C. Tremewan, a New Zealand doctor stationed at Chen Chow, in the Honan province, says:—"We are still the nearest hospital to the front lines. Even although the Chinese have moved up n little, air raids continue almost every day."

One bomb, added Dr. Tremewan, landed in the hospital grounds, but no one was hurt. The institution was conducting about 200 beds, and an assortment of soldiers, refugees and local civilians was treated every day. They had people who had been hurt during an air raid weeks or months ago coming in for treatment. Tho hospital was running, besides tho beds, an outpatients' department for refugees, and saw on an average about 70 cases daily. "They receive drugs, dressings and good advice free, but many of them are rather abusing the system by bringing along their ailments of about 20 years' standing, for which they could not afford treatment," says the writer. "It would do your first-aid principles good to see compound fractures of the femur travelling 200 miles in a luggage rack without any splints or anything on them. The treatment these people get would possibly kill most Europeans in 24 hours."

In a letter dated May 10, Dr. Tremewan said they were getting a large number of wounded soldiers. "Only yesterday a couple of aeroplanes camo over here and machine-gunned the local military headquarters," he Bays. "We had a superior type of air raid this morning. The alarm went at 7.30, when seven large black bombers flew over Changchow in a V formation. I listened to a few explosions until they got near to me, and then made for cover in a near by ditch. This was unfortunate, as my only pair of pyjamas are now beyond repair." The ditch was good cover, said Dr. Tremewan, as some people only 30yds. away were killed instantly. They' were still working hard in the hospital at 2 p.m., and the wounded were still walking in or being carried in. Ho would say there were 400 wounded, and 200 killed in this raid.