Title: New Zealand Medical Services in Middle East and Italy

Author: Stout, T. Duncan M.

Publication details: Historical Publications Branch, 1956, Wellington

Part of: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945

This text is the subject of: ‘Something of Them Is Here Recorded’: Official History in New Zealand

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The Work at the MDS

This varied a good deal, depending on the use made of the CCS. For the first attack on Rimini the active MDS took over the functions of the CCS, except for certain types of cases which were sent on to the Canadian CCSs. The MDS operated on the large majority of the cases and evacuated them direct to 1 General Hospital at Senigallia by ambulance car.

Later, the MDS situated at Faenza was called upon to deal with many casualties before sending them on to the CCS at Forli, but operation was undertaken only on the very urgent of the major cases, and on the minor cases which could be passed quickly through to Senigallia. The performance of almost all the forward surgery at the MDS, followed by rapid evacuation to 1 General Hospital, did not produce as good results as those obtained during the second period when the CCS took over the bulk of the work in the forward area.