SIDCUP FACIAL HOSPITAL.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18443, 29 March 1922, Page 2

SIDCUP FACIAL HOSPITAL.

APPRECIATION OF NEW ZEALAND’S CONTRIBUTIONS. At the request of the honorary secretary and treasurer of the Queen’s Hospital, Sidcup, Sir Chas. H. Kenderdine, Mrs Cecil Wray forwards us the following correspondence, wnich we have pleasure in publishing:— London Region, Burton Court, Chelsea, S.W., Nov. 7th, 1921. Minister of Pensions, Dear Mrs Wray,— 1 have not had the pleasure of meeting you or your husband, but I have heard of the very kindly help you have both been giving to our good fellows who are still unfortunately in hospitals suffering from their war disabilities. I know how often you have entertained many of them and I cannot tell you how much good this sort of thing is for their health and for the general atmosphere of the hospital. While the fighting was on these good fellows were almost overloaded with kindnesses from the outside public, but so few people like yourself nowadays do anything for them; and consequently hospitality, such as yours, is very highly and Very gratefully appreciated by these men. To this I can testify with the utmost vonfidenco. I thought perhaps as Regional Director in the London Region, and in snat capacity responsible for one third of all the pensioners in the United Kingdom, you would allow me to offer you and your husband my personal thanks. Yours very truly, (Signed) W. T. FURSE, Lieut.-Geueral. British Red Cross Society, County of London Branch, 27, Grosvenor Place S.W.I. November 2nd, 1921. Dear Madam,— This Branch of the British Red Cross Society has heard with great interest of the work done by you and Mr Wray with the help of New Zealand friends in providing river etc., tor wounded soldiers, particularly from the Special Surgical Hospital, Duncaue Road, and the Special Facial Hosital, Sidcup, trom the period May to October this j ear. This Society very greatly appreciates all such work for wounded soldiers and we feel you could not have chosen a more welcome manner to help these men. It is so seldom that people now remember them, and thougn the Red Cross Society and Order of St. John are doing all they can to provide drives ana entertainments for men in London Hospital's, there Is always plenty of room for individual ettort, and we warmly welcome your co-opera-tion.

The men, we are sure, appreciate the fact that they are remembered uy the Dominion of New Zealand.

I'ours faithfully, (Signed) A. R. ALDRIDGE, Col. County Director, British Red Cross Society. The Queen’s Hospital, 12, Little College Street, Westminster, S.W.I. January 25th, 1922. Dear Mrs Wray,— I am writing on behalf of VlS'count Chilston, P.C., G.8.E., (chairman) and the committee of this hospital to convey to you an expression of their very sincere thanks for the generous donations which nave been received through you to provide comforts and amusements for the patients at Frognei, who are still suffering from the effects of severe facial and Jaw injuries received in the wai. I am requested also by the committee to especially thank the editors of the “Wanganui Chronicle” and the Wanganui Herald,’ and the people in Wanganui and other parts of New Zealand who have so generously sent donations. It would be very kind of the editor of the “Wanganui Chronicle” and also the editor of the Wanganui Herald if they could find space to publish this expression of the committee’s thanks, in order that it may be widely known in New Zealand. It might also interest the donors to learn some details from the report on the hospital recently published, and of which I enclose two copies, when they will no doubt realise how deeply grateful these poor sufferers are for the entertainments and picnics which have beeen so kindly provided through your instrumentality and their aid. There are now in the hospital about 250 patients whose terrible injuries will still take some time to repair, and it will be necessary for the Hospital to continue its functions for probably another two years. Yours very truly, (Signed) C. H. KENDERDINE, Hon. Secretary.

LOCOL CONTRIBUTIONS. In a note to the Editor, covering the above communications, Mrs Wray writas:As to the money sent to me through your help as well as through the assistance of other people, I wish to say that I have accounted for the following sums to the various givers; The Swankers’ Club, Wanganui, £6O; The Ladies’ Golf Club, Wanganui, £10; Messrs Joseph Nathan and Co., Wellington, £3l; Mr J. R. Orford, Geraldine, £10; the headquarters staff of the Band of New Zealand, Wellington, £7 10/; Messrs. Nathan’s London Branch, £lO 10/. Then I have a few small parties to send in accounts for but I will reserve them until I account for the £llB, which I have kept as a sort of nest egg to begin the summer parties with, this year. From May, 1921, to February, 1922, we nave been able to entertain 780 men from Queen’s Hospital, Sideup, also from the Ministry of Pensions Special Surgical Hospital, Shepherd’s Bush, London. I had a party of 30 on February 15th from the Facial Hospital, Sidcup and I only knew four of them, the others were new cases who have been waiting to come in, I think, when vacancies occurred and and men were drafted out. When one thinks of this and realises that there are still many waiting to be treated it is a heartbreaking thing. In fact the effects of the war seem to me quite as bad as the war itself. So, thank you very, very much for helping me to give these suffering men outings which they thoroughly enjoy and say are “champion.” 1