IV
Dumbea Days

But to turn now to the activities of the 4th NZ General Hospital at its new location, Dumbea. An advanced party of 50 had left Boguen on 25 September, 1943, to make the necessary preparations for the reception of the main body and to handle equipment as it arrived. This latter was a major job as, in all, page 53some 142 six-by-four truck loads of stock and equipment had to be moved—a quartermaster's nightmare, but which entirely failed to disturb Lieutenant W. J. Freddy or his imperturbable RQMS, Sergeant-Major H. W. Jones. The balance of the hospital personnel was due to arrive on the same day that advice was received that patients evacuated from Vella Lavella would require admission. Fortunately the patients were delayed en route and did not arrive until 9 October, two days after the medical staff had reached Dumbea. The hospital, at this stage when it opened, consisted of four wards, a hospital kitchen, laboratory and dispensary, while sufficient personnel huts were available to house the existing staff. The theatre block had been completed, but, until late November, it lacked steam equipment, and autoclaving had to be done at the neighbouring 8th US General Hospital.

Towards the end of October our first New Zealand battle casualties from the 14th Brigade operations on Vella Lavella were admitted. They had been evacuated by sea and air transport through the 2nd NZ Casualty Clearing Station at Guadalcanal to Noumea Harbour or Tontouta Airfield, where they were met by the vehicles of 4th Motor Ambulance Convoy and transported to our hospital. We had had some earlier experience of battle casualties from amongst Fijian troops who, along with all other British personnel serving in the South-west Pacific area, were hospitalised, where possible, in New Zealand facilities.

On 15 November, 1943, our commanding officer, Colonel Tennent, relinquished his command. Colonel Tennent had seen the unit through its early formative days and his task had never been an easy one. He had, however, the satisfaction of seeing his unit safely installed in a hospital which could be, and did become, as fine as any base general hospital working under the Union Jack. Lieutenant-Colonel Savers, on his return from Vella Lavella, which he was visiting in his capacity as consultant physician to the force, was promoted and assumed command. Because of his long, pre-war experience of malaria and tropical diseases in the Pacific, Colonel Sayers still retained his appointment of consultant physician to the NZEFIP.

From this time until Christmas the building programme proceeded apace and we were able to treat a continually increasing number of patients. Buildings completed and pressed into immediate service were the unit cookhouse and messes, a fifth ward for psychotic cases, a recreational hut for patients and Waacs, page 54bulk ration, store, medical equipment store, and bakehouse. The completion of the latter building enabled a section of the field bakery unit to be attached and allowed us to make a very welcome return to New Zealand bread. The opening of the patients' recreation hut saw the arrival of Sergeant-Major M. W. Kennedy, representing the Army Educational Welfare Service, and Private L. G. Scott, and, later, Sergeant C. McI. Robertson, as YMCA representatives.

Christmas, 1943, at Dumbea was celebrated in a manner traditional to hospitals. On Christmas Eve the sisters, wearing their attractive red capes, and VADs, all with lighted candles, filed through the darkened wards singing favourite carols. Next day Lieutenant-Colonel M. Williams, NZMC, the new senior physician, made a most realistic and jovial Father Christmas as his sleigh was dragged through the ward by cavorting 'reindeer,' those erstwhile Boguen collaborators, Major C. L. E. L. Sheppard and Captain Hamilton. With an issue of extra foodstuffs and a Christmas ration of ale, with the base training depot pipe band as our guests to provide music, and with a determination to entertain our patients and ourselves, Christmas, 1943, Was, we agreed, as enjoyable as any we could wish for while away from our homes and our folk. The New Year saw the building programme still forging ahead, and we gradually occupied completed portions, until nine of the ten wards were in use and all administrative and technical personnel were housed in new buildings. The job of installing the colossal boilers for steam production and an improved electricity supply was not completed until June.

In January we farewelled our senior surgeon, Lieutenant-Colonel Comrie, who was transferred to the command of No. 2 NZ Casualty Clearing Station. Lieutenant-Colonel Comrie was an 'old hand'; he had commanded the Tamavua Hospital in Fiji, and had been with the 4th General since its inception. Our best wishes went with him to his new appointment. Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. Waterworth returned from his surgical unit in the Treasuries to become OC surgical division. By the end of January, 1944, the remainder of our staff from Boguen had joined us at Dumbea, and with, them had come the No. 1 Army Optician Unit. We should like to record the harmonious relationships which always existed between the hospital and this, its ward. Though there were only three members in the unit they were enthusiastic participants in our regimental life in all its page 55different phases. In its official capacity the unit, during its eighteen months' service overseas, coped with a considerable volume of work, and, by developing a happy working partnership with the specialist ophthalmologist of the hospital, this branch of medical treatment was covered most satisfactorily.

Though most of the staff were kept fully occupied with their normal work, recreation and amusements were not neglected. Noumea was fairly close, and many enjoyed visits to this picturesque and very busy community. For the energetic, tennis could be played in Noumea; there were ideal hikes up the valley available to trampers; swimming could be indulged in the Dumbea River or at more distant beaches; the steeds of an allied cavalry unit provided hacking for those so inclined; Sergeant Peter Gowing led a band of soccer enthusiasts, while Private B. W. Chandler's rugby team claimed the really tough. Films were shown three times a week by a mobile thirty-five millimetre machine in the 'Tennentorium'—an open-air theatre named in honour of the first commanding officer. Concerts, unit dances, and the inevitable unofficial parties all helped to pass away any further surplus time.

In April a new department which filled a much needed want in the hospital organisation was added. This was the occupational therapy department, which, under the capable management of Sergeant E. I. F. Johnson, NZWAAC, proved an immediate success and a tremendous asset as a source of constructive occupation and entertainment for the patients. April, too, saw the beginning of a heavy undertaking for the medical services of the force, when it was decreed that all personnel returning to New-Zealand under the recently announced manpower scheme should be medically boarded and, where possible, X-rayed. This meant an increased tempo of work for many medical officers who were required to form medical boards, and set an almost impossible task for Captain G. L. Rolleston, the radiologist, and the radiographer, Sergeant Ron Harvey. However, these two did a splendid job and, by reorganising their department, they were able to cope with the work and were eventually completing X-rays at the rate of one a minute.

On Friday, 30 June, 1944, the 4th NZ General Hospital held a meeting to which the members of the medical and nursing staffs of all the allied hospitals in New Caledonia were invited. Some 300 guests were present for this medico-social gathering. After a page 56tour of inspection of the hospital area had been made papers were presented by members of the staff. Following this the guests were entertained to dinner, and the day ended with an open-air concert given by the visiting New Zealand NBC concert party. During the afternoon the ladies of the NZANS were hostesses to visiting nurses, and two papers were read on topics of nursing interest. That the social, as well as the professional side of the day, was a success was due in no small measure to the dietitian, Charge-Sister T. N. Hill, and Sergeant F. j. Cheater and his band of cooks, who excelled themselves to provide a buffet meal which would have soothed even the most demanding gourmet.

The unit had still to face two further major outbreaks of fire. The first occurred in June, in the infectious disease block, which was not occupied at the time but was used as a linen store, tailor's shop, and ironing room. On 1 July another outbreak occurred in a mess hut which was being used as a quartermaster's store. Both fires did considerable damage, and only by the excellent work of the hospital fire team, under the firemaster, Lance-Corporal Bert Plumb, and with the assistance of the adjacent American fire department, were the outbreaks prevented from spreading. Our three major fires, despite exceedingly strict precautions, especially at Dumbea, were all similar as to place, time and circumstance, and, though exhaustive enquiries were made in an endeavour to discover their cause, they remain rather a baffling mystery.

By the end of July it became obvious that the force as a whole would be withdrawn to New Zealand, and preliminary preparations toward this end were made. Hospital numbers were reduced as far as possible, and many of the staff embarked for New Zealand—officially on furlough, to return at its conclusion to New Caledonia, but we all knew that their chances of return were very slight. By the end of August all patients and the majority of personnel—NZANS, NZWAAC, officers and men— had left New Caledonia for home, and by early September only a small team, under the quartermaster, remained as members of the force rear party to clean up. On 9 September, 1944, this latter team left Dumbea to join the main body of the New Zealand rearguard at Tene Valley, near Bourail. And that was the end of the 4th NZ General Hospital, though final rites were not observed till later at Mangere Crossing Camp, Auckland, New Zealand.

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