THE OTAGO MOTOR AMBULANCE FUND.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16285, 19 January 1915, Page 5

THE OTAGO MOTOR AMBULANCE FUND.

THE SECOND THOUSAND. Substantial progress ha- already been made in tho effort to secure a second sum of £1000 from Otago for motor ambulance work at the front. The public is reminded that the net profits of the sessions at the Plaza Pictures to-morrow will bo devoted to the fund. In order that the fund may derive as much benelit as possible from this generous offer, it is suggested that those who are in a position to attend the day sessions should as far as possible do so. The Otago Motor Club has decided to form its executive into small sub-commit-tees which will undertake the duty of inviting subscriptions from the public, not in Dunodin only but also in the neighbouring districts. We have to acknowledge the receipt of the following subscriptions:— • Acknowledged up to January 16 £1120 3 9 Remitted to London 1000 0 0 Balance £120 3 9 Proceeds of sale of gift lamb at Greenfield picnic (per Mr E E. Pitt) _ a 7 0 J C. Marshall _ 10 10 0 Watson Shennan 10 0 0 Alex. C. M'George ... ... ... 55 0 Miss Hilda Hazlett _ 5 0 0 Miss M. Downie Stewart ... -. 5 0 0 Daniel Clarke ... _._._„. 6 0 0 "A Subscriber" ... ... ... ... 5 0 0 . Collected by Miss Hilda Patrick at Taieri Show _. ... 312 6 A. and T. Burt ...„__. 330 Dr Marshall Macdonald _. 3 3 0 R. G. Baxter .. _. ... 3 3 0 W. A. Scott and Son 3 3 0 Reid and Gray _. _. 3 3 0 C. R. Chapman ...... 3 3 0 Scurr and Co 22 0 A. Moritzson ... 22 0 Roderick M'Kenzie 22 0 J. Sead-Gowihg, Christchuroh ... 22 0 "S A. E." 22 0 Rev. W. Saunders _ 22 0 John M'Kenzie, Palmerston ™ 22 0 i P. J. Ness „ ... 2 0 0 Miss Duke ... 2 0 0 Mrs J. H. Thomson .„ ... ... 20 0 ■"', John M'lndoe ._ „._.._ 2 0 0 Mrs P. Duncan ... _ 110 W. W. Menzies ... _. 110 " Mrs M." ' „ ._ „. 110 R. M'Adam 110 J. Romison and Go 110 E. Easterbrook ... .- 110 James Murphy 110' Marshall's Pharmacy — 110 Alex. Thomson and Sons 110 Stone, Son, and Co. 110 Rupert Fountain _. ... 110 "J. T," Karitane 1 1.0 "W. R. S." ... 110 Hugh W. Sprott, Momona ... 110 A. Andrews 10 0 " A Friend," Warepa ... ... ... 10 0 "H. E. M." 10 0 "J. A. A." 10 0 "J. M. 8." 10 0 Mr? Birch 10 0 Professor Benham 10 0 *R. Jack, Gore 10 0 Lily Holmes .- 10 0 Lillie Holmes ' „ 10 0 John Macaulay. Flag Swamp ... 10 0 Miss Macaulay, Flag Swamp ... 10 0 "F. A. J." 10 0 "M. G. M." 10 0 Employees J. W. Swift and C 0.... 017 0 J. Gillies 6 10 6 "A. M. H." 0 10 6 "Jim" _. _ ... 010 0 R. Proctor - 0 10 0 D. Moloney ™ 010 0 "E. J. F." ... _ „. _. ... 010 0 "C. L. H.'' 0 10 0 "M. E. M." ... .- -. 0 7 6. W. C. Ruffel 0 5 0 "J. M'D." ... 0 5 0 P. Woods ~. _ 0 5 0 W. Henderson _ ... ™ ... 0 5 0' "F. T." _ ... -. 0 5 0 "E. J. C." _ _ _ 0 5 0 "C: S." _ _. ... 0 5 0 "H. E. B." _ _. _ 0 5 0 "S. T.'l _.__...- 0 2 6 "S. B.'> _ - ™ 02 6 "T. T." _ _, ... _. 0 2 6 "F. T." „„..„_...-. 026 E. MTntyre ... .„ _ ... ~ 02 6 " W." „. ._ ._ ._ 0 2 6 "L. R." ... „ ~ ._ -. ... 0 2« \ "W. D. R." „ _. -.026 "W.R." „. _. .- 0 2 6 "A. B." ... - 0 2 0 Edgar Hunter ... ~ 0 2 0' Total ... _ ... „ _ ...£26317 3 THE VALUE OF MOTOR AMBULANCES. The following account of the work of the motor ambulance, sent by a doctor of medicine who is a lieutenant in a field ambulance. of the R.A.M.C, was published in the Weekly Times of November 27:— "The public has been appealed to for & large sum of money to provide motor ambulances for the British Forces, and has responded to that appeal with great generosity. That this money is being well expended and that the work done by the motor ambulances is invaluable is well known to all who have to take part in the removal of the sick and wounded from the fighting front. " Before the advent of the motor ambulance the whole duty of conveying wounded from the battlefield" to the clearing hospital (in practice this meant railhead) fell to the field ambulances. The latter possess horse ambulance wagons—among other vehicles— whioh are pushed forward during an engagement as near to the firing line as is consistent with moderate safety, and the wounded are placed in them from. the 'regimental aidposts' behind the firinjr line. In the course of the protracted semi-siegc-like battles which are characteristio of this war, it is usually only under cover of darkness that it is possible for the wagons to approach the aidposts, and the collection of wounded is accordingly begun (by the wagons) at dusk. Having collected the wounded, the wagons are driven to the headquarters of the field ambulance, whioh may be two, three, or four miles in the rear; and here the patients are fed on hot beef tea, soup, tea, milk, or other sustaining food. Their wounds are also redressed if necessary, and operations of urgency can ' be undertaken. '' In some cases it may happen, as at the battle of the Aisne, that the headquarters of tho field ambulances are so near to railhead that the wounded can be transferred! straight to ambulance trains or to clearing hospitals in which they can await the arrival of such trains. But as a rule this is not tho case; thero is nearly always a gap of some miles separating the headquarters of tho field ambulanoes and the nearest available point reached by ambulance trains. It is this gap which the motor ambulances are employed to bridge, and most exos** kntly they do it."