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V
In Retrospect

The 4th General Hospital at Dumbea, conspicuous on the slopes of a hill overlooking the length and breadth of the valley and with a superb view out to sea, was a magnificent building. Constructed from prefabricated wooden parts, the whole establishment was spread over 33 acres, and buildings occupied a total floor space of 133,799 square feet. There were nine 60-bed wards, one 76-bed ward for infectious diseases, and a 20-bed ward for servicewomen—a total of 636 beds. Every department usually found in a metropolitan hospital was there, with the exception of a radiotherapeutic branch- While it is not fair to single out any particular department, special mention must be made of the X-ray plant, which was one of which any civilian hospital in New Zealand, or any teaching hospital anywhere, might well be proud. A 70,000-galIon water reservoir on a hill at the back of the hospital drew water from the main Noumea supply, and was fed to the whole hospital area. Steam was produced by two enormous oil-fired Babcock and Wilcox boilers in the power house, and this made possible an excellent steam and hot water service throughout the hospital. The kitchen was equipped with the very latest in the way of steam ovens, steam presses and steam cookers. A 125-KVA electric generator, steam driven, supplying enough power for a small town, lit up the 959 electric lights in the area and also supplied the power for 157 power points. To the officers, NCOs and men of the Works Service Construction Company who built this splendidly appointed hospital we have nothing but the highest praise.

It would be untrue to say that the 4th NZ General Hospital at Dumbea ever reached its peak of work. That casualties were light and sickness rates low may have caused feelings of professional frustration amongst the medical officers, but even they, for they are sometimes human, will agree with us that it was better so. Some 2,636 patients were hospitalised at Dumbea—the large majority, of course, being New Zealanders of the three arms of the service, but included in the total were Fijians, Australians, British, Free French servicemen and French civilians.

During its existence changes in the hospital staff were considerable. Of the officers who joined the unit in New Zealand only page 58Colonel Sayers and Captain M. W. Gatman the pathologist, survived with it to the very end. Amongst the NZANS there were fewer changes, though many sisters were transferred from our strength to the staffs of 2nd NZ Casualty Clearing Station at Guadalcanal and to the Kalavere Hospital. Only three Waacs —Sergeant D. G. Julian, Private P. Bassett and Private B. M. Iggulden (nee Findlay) remained of the six girls who had embarked with us on the West Point in 1942. Considerable changes in NCOs and men were made, especially when the advent of Waacs allowed their release to field units.

It is extraordinarily difficult to single out for particular mention some members of a unit, and it is especially difficult to do so from our unit, where each man had his own special sphere of work, which, almost without exception, he did well. But the effort is being made, and we beg forgiveness if some names, worthy of mention, have escaped our notice. Two of the 1940 members of the old 7th Field Ambulance, Staff-Sergeant Ian Thomson, a laboratory technician, and Sergeant Ron Harvey, the radiographer, were with us almost to the end and rendered yeoman service in their departments. Other senior NCOs, always hard working, loyal and cheerful, were Sergeant-Major R. G. MacDiarmid, who was RSM until he left us in a vain endeavour to join a field unit in the forward area; Sergeant-Major Horrie Jones, the RQMS; Staff-Sergeants Len Ashworth and Fred Archer, wardmasters; Staff-Sergeant Lloyd Anderson, of the hospital office; Staff-Sergeant H. R. Thompson, a specialist in weird potions perpetrated in the Boguen laboratory; Sergeant Roy Dimes, of the company office; Sergeant Don Malcolm, the pay sergeant; Sergeant Peter Gowing, of the admission and discharge department; Sergeant Lance Wooles, a veteran in matters pertaining to quartermastering; Sergeant M. Shepherd, the keeper of the pack store; Sergeants Gavin Gifford and Jack Ross, of the dispensary; and Sergeant N. A. Hipwell, the optical mechanic from the optician unit, an able cartoonist and radio expert. Then we remember Corporal L. R. J. Pilkington, the energetic NCO in charge of transport; Corporal 'Snow' Petersen, the superintendent of the men's mess; Corporal D. R. Beatson, in charge of hygiene and sanitation; Corporal Alec Hastie, who, with Sergeant Cheater, so ably controlled the cookhouse; Corporal J. C. Bellingham, in charge of the linen store; Corporal Les Williams and Privates Give Boreham and Paddy Mohan, of the page 59ration store; Corporal E. R. Johnston, Privates Clarrie Grainger and Des O'Grady, of the quartermaster's stores; Private Fred Schutt, the whilom runner who graduated as a cook; Private G. F. Bowman, whose inventive and mechanical ability became a byword; the incomparable Private Chris Christiansen, with his ukelele and boilers; the hard-working carpenters, Privates R. C. Farmer and W. W. McDougall; and last, but not least, the canteen manager, Private Leo Timothy O'Gorman, who, being Irish and having a way with him, made some excellent contacts with the American Post Exchange from which our canteen benefited accordingly. These are but a few of an excellent team.

The story of the 4th NZ General Hospital would not be complete without some acknowledgment of the regard in which members of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service were held by us all. Nurses have a tradition of service which is seldom equalled in the cause of humanity, and our sisters worthily upheld this tradition. They were cheerful, conscientious, able and thoroughly loyal, not only to our unit, but to the Pacific force as a whole. A limited few were allowed forward of the 4th General to the casualty clearing station at Guadalcanal, and there was much heartburning that higher command could not permit womenfolk to work in the actual areas of combat. Our nurses were quite prepared and even anxious to be sent anywhere that their nursing experience might prove to be of help and comfort to sick and wounded. We were all delighted when the award of the Royal Red Cross was made to the matron, Miss Hall, the ARRC to Charge Sister Joyce Sexton, who commanded the first contingent of nsurses to go forward to Guadalcanal, and the MBE to Sister Merle Farland for her personal courage and devotion to duty while a civilian nurse in the Solomons during the Japanese invasion. We are grateful to the NZANS for the work they did, npt only for the 4th NZ General Hospital, but for Tamavua and Namaka Hospitals, and for the hospital of the original 7th Field Amblulance.

The casual manner of the final break-up of the unit was most disappointing to all members of the staff. To the last we had hoped that the unit might retain its identity and operate again as the 4th NZ General Hospital in some other theatre of war. Such was not to be, and our members are now scattered far and wide—some in civilian life once more, others still in the service page 60at home and abroad. However, we feel that we can confidently claim that '4th General 'did well all that it was asked to do and that it can take its place with pride alongside other units on the roll of honour for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Pacific.