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New Zealand Medical Services in Middle East and Italy

The ADSs

The ADSs

With the speed of the advance the distinction between reception and evacuation sections of the ADSs became purely nominal, as they had frequently to open individually as complete sections and then leapfrog each other. Besides working in two sections, the ADSs often set up casualty posts and this necessitated the attachment of three medical officers. Under the conditions pressing needs were wireless communication and small lighting sets.

The role of the ADS was exacting, necessitating frequent sudden moves, often over bad roads, demolitions, and improvised bridges; but, except on a few occasions, the ADS was always less than an hour's run from the battalion RAPs, and usually much closer. Casualties were relatively light, but the line of evacuation to the MDS was seldom easy owing to the speed of the advance and the difficulties of a narrow axis with many one-way stretches. A round trip for ambulance cars of six hours to the MDS, sometimes 40 miles away, was not uncommon. This time factor made it essential for resuscitation and immobilisation to be more thorough than was usually required at an ADS.

Houses were taken over wherever possible. The 5th ADS moved fifteen times in twenty-one days and the 6th moved on every day except five between 9 and 30 April. In spite of this, large numbers of cases were treated, though mainly during the early part of the advance. Each ADS treated 700–800 patients, of whom 500 in each case were battle casualties.