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The New Zealand Medical Service in the Great War 1914-1918

Notes on Some Military Formations

page xix

Notes on Some Military Formations.

The following is appended for the information of the non-military reader. The figures are approximate, the conditions, those existing in the New Zealand Division in 1916 and 1917.

A Battalion of Infantry: 34 officers, 896 rank and file; has 4 companies. Each battalion has a:—

Regimental Medical Detachment: 1 officer N.Z.M.C. the R.M.O.; 5 N.Z.M.C. for water purification duties; 2 orderlies, one of whom drives the Maltese cart carrying medical and surgical equipment; the battalion chiropodist. Each company of the battalion provides 4 stretcher bearers and a certain number of men for sanitary duties. In action the 16 regimental stretcher bearers may be increased in number to 32.

A Brigade of Infantry: 4 infantry battalions and a headquarters, commanded by a brigadier. To each brigade a field ambulance is attached—

A Field Ambulance: 10 officers (9 medical, 1 Q.M), 20 warrant or noncommissioned officers, 211 rank and file N.Z.M.C. An ambulance is divided into 3 sections, A, B, and C, each section comprises a tent-subdivision and a bearer subdivison.

A Bearer Subdivision: 1 officer, 1 sergeant, 1 bugler, and 36 bearers. Duties: to collect the wounded from the R.A.P. and carry them to the car collecting posts or to the advanced dressing station. The total bearer personnel of the field ambulance, 3 officers, 3 sergeants, and 108 bearers, with 4 men to the stretcher can carry 27 lying cases in one trip.

A Tent Subdivision: provides 2 medical officers with non-commissioned officers and orderlies acting as clerks, nurses, stewards and cooks and can shelter, tend and feed 50 patients. The 3 tent subdivisions provide accommodation for 150 patients in all; but by the use of buildings many more can be housed and tended for short periods. All essential surgical operations can be performed by the tent subdivisons if required.

Ambulance Transport: 7 motor ambulance cars to each field ambulance and 3 horsed ambulance waggons. Capacity: cars, 28 lying wounded, waggons, 12 lying or 36 sitting cases. The medical, surgical equipment, nursing appartus, tents and blankets are carried in general service waggons. The drivers are attached from the A.S.C. or the M.T.A.S.C.

Infantry Division (see Appendix B. IV.).

The medical personnel includes, the A.D.M.S., the D.A.D.M.S., the officer in charge Sanitary Section, 3 field ambulances and R.M.O.S., making 53 officers, 682 rank and file N.Z.M.C. total personnel with the division.

Infantry Corps: 2 or more divisions.

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