Kent's Care for the Wounded

KENISCAREOI THE^DUNDED A RECORD QFTHE\^C»KOf THE A/QLUNIAFY.AID DETACHMENTS KENT'S CARE FOR THE WOUNDED THE MARCHIONESS CAMDEN President, Kent County War Fund. KENT'S CARE FOR THE WOUNDED BY PAUL CRESWICK, G. STANLEY POND AND P. H. ASHTON WITH A PREFACE BY SIR GILBERT PARKER, BART, M.P. {Hon. Col. Kent Royal Garrison Artillery) All Profits on Sale given to the Kent County War Fund HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO MCMXV INTRODUCTION No nation in the world has the capacity to impro- vise and the will to compromise so thoroughly as Great Britain, and these characteristics have never been shown more fully than during the past ten that since the Great months ; is, War began. There is in the British nature a curious instinct of freedom which, in its highest expression, has made Great Britain the mother of freedom in govern- ment in the world, and in its lower form makes anything like iron discipline imposed by any force outside the individual himself more than difficult to apply. The instinct of every British man is to think for himself, act according to his conscience, the fear God and honour King ; but he does not " easily lend himself to what has been called mili- " tarism in civil life. No doubt he carries that to an extreme, and organization on an extensive scale is, therefore, difficult in ordinary times. Yet his habit of thinking for himself, and of assuming a 6 INTRODUCTION personal responsibility, enables him to recover lost balances in crises like that produced in August, 1914. Given the crisis and the need, action is not long delayed, and the Englishman can produce marvels of improvised organization in a quicker time, with more skill, and with a greater basis of solidity than any man anywhere in the world. That he has the defects of his qualities is unhappily apparent, because he fails to appreciate organization for long purposes and for far-reaching ends ; but when once he gets going, as it were, when once he begins to organize for his accepted purposes, he keeps on and on with endless persistence. It was well known that the Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem had an efficient and well-tested organization, that they were filled with enthusiastic, capable and skilful workers ; but they were not organized for a war like the present. However, the same earnest, far-seeing souls who realized that a great European war might come, did something to prepare for the crisis and arrange a nucleus of purposed effort by establishing Voluntary Aid Detachments in connection with the Territorial Force. I do not think that enough credit has been given INTRODUCTION 7 to those who originated this idea, or to the enthusiastic people in Kent and elsewhere who worked, long before there was war, in preparation of hospital work by trained amateurs, with all the multifarious, difficult and intricate duties attached to Field Hospital and Rest Hospital work in war-time. At the beginning there was the usual half-con- temptuous chaff, and even sneers, at hospital amateurs, as there had been at Volunteers and Territorials, by those who believed that only the long-term discipline of regular service could produce effective and skilful organization, units and individuals. These people forgot, as they always do, that amateur assistance is drawn from the most intelligent and the best classes of the community, with a sense of responsibility, and with voluntary desire to which accomplish a purpose behind ; makes up to a considerable degree for a lack of those prodigiously valuable qualities of the professional in the army and in hospital work. There was criticism there there was ; was jealousy ; even belief that the Voluntary Aid Detachments, when they were formed, were only playing at hospital work ; and when war broke out even responsible people said that they would not be 8 INTRODUCTION employed for nursing at all, or, if employed, their hospitals would only be Convalescent Homes. All that disappeared like mist before the sun. Just as the great political parties in the State composed their differences and compromised with their prejudices in order to produce an active national administration, so the British Red Cross Society and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem amalgamated for war purposes, and the professional hospital began to act in sympathy with and to give encouragement to the V.A.D. hospital. I can speak for what happened in Gravesend where we have two V.A.D. Hospitals, where representatives of the general hospital sit upon the Executive of the V.A.D., and assist, advise and co-operate in every possible way. No better evidence of the capacity for initiative and for improvised organization may be found than in the work done by the Voluntary Aid Detach- ments in Kent County, under the Presidency and control of the Earl of Darnley. When he assumed the responsibility the War Office were not absolutely clear as to the extent to which the Voluntary Aid Detachments could be entrusted to do responsible hospital work, and the detach- INTRODUCTION 9 ments themselves were only groups of partially- trained amateurs in nursing and war-work, though the commandants had shown skill and enthusiasm in organizing and training their detachments. There " " was even discouragement from above as to making ready hospitals for receiving and caring for patients. This did not deter the detachments from making due preparation of hospitals in the certain anticipation that the War Office would use them at a very early date. Many detachments believed that their skilled services would be called upon very soon, when it was remembered that the hospital organization of the army was only devised for, at the most, 300,000 men. While wiseacres deprecated the preparation of hospitals, and while the Voluntary Aid Detachments were advised in responsible quarters to abstain from opening hospitals, yet in places like Gravesend, common sense and ordinary prevision decided upon a of This was done policy making hospitals ready. ; and not a moment too soon, for, on October 13th, a command came from headquarters to mobilize all hospitals in Kent. But the Voluntary Aid Detachments were not taken unawares and re- sponded efficiently to the call. The account given 10 INTRODUCTION in this book, admirably written, and arranged interestingly, reads like a charming piece of fiction, though it is but a tender tract of truth, full of enthusiasm, vitality and graphic description. It is no fancy picture, but represents British initiative and improvisation, British energy and character at its best. And as to the work done, the fact that the War Office has, since October, continually sent patients to the V.A.D. hospitals in Kent, sometimes even crowding them, is good evidence of their national usefulness and of good things accomplished. Lord Darnley and his organization may well plume themselves upon the commendation given by such hospital experts as Colonel D'Arcy Power, whose letter to Dr. Yolland on April 27th (quoted in chapter vm) is a certificate of which the Kent V.A.D.'s may well be proud. Sir Frederick Eve, Advisory Surgeon to the War Office, has also given his warm commendation; but the warmest commendation comes from the patients themselves, who have continually praised the skill of the hospital staffs, and enjoyed comforts which have been most generously supplied. This book is no dry account of work done by a gallant and efficient organization, it is almost a INTRODUCTION 11 thrilling story of human effort, suddenly com- mandeered to perform both military and civil services effort forth with a and ; an put capacity whole-heartedness which makes the nation and the empire its debtor. I commend this book for its own sake to the generosity of the public, and I commend it for the cause to which the profits from the publication will go. GILBERT PARKER CONTENTS PAGE Foreword ...... 15 CHAPTER I How the Belgians Came to Kent . 17 CHAPTER II A Glance Backward .... 23 CHAPTER III Paying the Piper ..... 29 CHAPTER IV The Call ...... 33 CHAPTER V One of Many Vigils . .40 CHAPTER VI Stories ....... 48 13 14 CONTENTS FOREWORD To the County Director of the Kent Voluntary Aid Detachments. Sir, I am commanded by the Army Council to request that you will convey their cordial thanks to the Voluntary Aid Detachments in your command, more especially to those of the Dover and Folkestone Districts, for the able assistance rendered to the Representative of the War Office during the disembarkation and disposal of the sick and wounded Belgian soldiers, arriving during the period 12th to 16th October. I am to state that the Council much appreciate the assistance rendered by all concerned, which materially expedited the handling of the large numbers of sick and wounded to be disposed of, and mitigated the discomforts which the Belgian soldiers were bound to suffer under the conditions then existing. I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, (Signed) B. B. Cubitt. November, l'jlh. The Rt. Honourable THE EARL OF DARNLEY County Director, Kent Voluntary Aid Detachments. KENT VOLUNTARY AID DETACHMENTS HOW THE BELGIANS CAME TO KENT " Three more here, please. Qu'est-ce que vous desirez ? Avec votre ami ? Mais oui, certaine- ment. Can we squeeze in —another ? Carefully now. Par ici, m'sieur South Hill Wood Hospital ; come back here again. " Cot case ? The Chief of Staff says Memorial Hospital ? Bring the stretcher along to the ambulance car, keep the blankets over his feet. Help them, you other bearers, will you ? That's the idea. " Four for the Hall friends more Masonic ; keep together as much as you can.

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