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Medical Services in New Zealand and The Pacific

XII: Joint Council of the Order of St. John and New Zealand Red Cross Society

XII: Joint Council of the Order of St. John and New Zealand Red Cross Society

The Joint Council of the Order of St. John and New Zealand Red Cross Society was the sole accredited expending agent of the National Patriotic Fund Board for the sick, wounded, distressed and prisoners of war. This Joint Council, which was originally established in June 1933, was formally constituted by Act of Parliament of September 1938. The direction of the affairs of the Joint Council was then vested in twenty-four members, twelve from the Order of St. John and twelve from the New Zealand branch of the British Red Cross Society. On the declaration of war in 1939 the Government vested in the National Patriotic Fund Board all rights regarding the collection of moneys for relief and other matters pertaining to active service personnel, and this board supplied the Joint Council with the funds needed for the pursuance of its work. The board itself received substantial grants from the Government from 1943 onwards to defray the cost of food parcels for prisoners of war.

The Joint Council set up sub-committees to handle the varied calls upon its organisation. The work of the committees was voluntary, and these committees had the assistance of a splendid band of women helpers whose work throughout the war achieved magnificent results. There was a War Purposes Committee which supervised the Stores Purchase and Control Committee and the Prisoners-of-war Committee.

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Stores Purchase and Control

An important activity was that carried out by the Stores Purchase and Control Committee, which supplied sewing and knitting materials to working parties all over New Zealand so that full stocks of comforts would always be on hand to meet requisitions received from New Zealand hospitals overseas, hospital ships, merchant vessels, and also hospitals and camps within New Zealand. A list of articles made is set out in Appendix A.

Hospitals on all transports calling at New Zealand ports were supplied with surgical supplies, comforts and foodstuffs.

The quantities and values of goods sent overseas are set out in Appendix B.

Through its Red Cross Commissioners with 2 NZEF in the Middle East, the Stores Committee was able to arrange for supplies to be on hand to meet any emergency, and much-appreciated Red Cross comforts were received by sick and wounded in field medical units, base hospitals and convalescent depots. All hospital ships were fully supplied with comforts, and on the departure of each ship from the Middle East carrying sick and wounded to New Zealand a generous stock of foodstuffs and comforts was placed on board. In addition each invalid boarding the ships overseas was presented with a toilet bag and items of clothing such as pyjamas, pullovers, socks and scarves. (More of these comforts were provided when the returned sick and wounded entered the Casualty Clearing Station, Wellington.)

The Red Cross Commissioners purchased comforts in Egypt, Italy or England to supplement what was received from New Zealand. Materials required for occupational and diversional therapy for patients during convalescence were liberally supplied by the committee for hospitals and convalescent depots overseas, hospital ships, and all hospitals and Red Cross homes in the Dominion.

Convalescent Homes

The control of the four convalescent homes known as 'Evelyn Firth' (Auckland), 'Mowai' (Wellington), 'Rannerdale' (Christ-church) and 'Montecillo' (Dunedin) passed to the War Purposes Committee, through the Joint Council on behalf of the National Patriotic Fund Board, on 29 February 1944. The homes, which had served the needs of men of the First World War, were modernised, refurnished and equipped to provide amenities of great benefit and assistance to service patients.

Prisoners-of-war Committee

The provision made for New Zealand's prisoners of war was in itself a huge task for the Prisoners-of-war Committee. Food sent to page 419 the prisoners of war was the means of saving many lives and restoring the health of countless more. It was necessary to pack the food parcels in Wellington and this was done by 2500 voluntary women helpers. There were at one stage over 8500 New Zealand prisoners of war throughout Europe. The number of parcels sent overseas was 1,139,624, and to pack them 142,403 cases were required. Only a very small percentage of parcels failed to reach their destination.

From the inception of the scheme the policy of the committee was to see that the widest variety of foodstuffs was maintained. Expert advice was obtained on the vitamin content of the parcels, and a calorific value of 12,316 calories a week, or 1759 a day, was attained. This compared more than favourably with parcels from other countries.

The total number of cans and packages of food sent to the camps in Germany, Italy and other places from the inception of the scheme until the final packing on 18 May 1945 is set out in Appendix C. Some were shipped on behalf of the Joint Council by the Canadian Red Cross Society. Arrangements were made with the War Organisation of the British Red Cross and the Order of St. John to supply all New Zealand prisoners of war who were hospitalised in England with special invalid parcels.

The Joint Council publicised the procedure to be followed in the sending of next-of-kin parcels, and also sent free to next-of-kin every two months a prisoner-of-war pamphlet, which contained information translated from the International Red Cross Review as well as other material relating to prisoner-of-war life and needs.

Where it was shown that the next-of-kin was unable to undertake the packing of a next-of-kin parcel, each provincial centre of the Joint Council undertook the supply of a regular three-monthly parcel, mostly containing clothing and toilet requisites. Next-of-kin parcels of clothing and books were censored and repacked at the packing depots, and these reached a total of 18,349. A prisoners-of-war inquiry office was established.

Relationship with American Red Cross and Hospitals

American Red Cross units were first established in New Zealand in April 1942. Owing to the unfortunate loss of their transport vessels, they were compelled to rely upon Joint Council stores for many months. A liaison was established between the War Purposes Committee and the American Red Cross representative. This liaison enabled the requirements of all men of the United States Army and Navy to be taken care of. As their numbers increased, the demands on the Joint Council stores increased accordingly. Large quantities page 420 of underclothing, pullovers, socks, thousands of surgical dressings, etc., were supplied and arrangements made for voluntary workers within the Joint Council organisation to attend to the hospital visitation and distribution of comforts. Letters of appreciation received from commanding officers of United States hospitals conveyed generous appreciation of New Zealand support and of the fine work executed by voluntary helpers throughout the Dominion.

APPENDIX A
Work done by the Joint Council, such as the Making of Garments and Surgical Dressings

Included in the articles made were:

Aprons Balaclavas Bed jackets
Bed capes Bed-pan covers Bottle-top covers
Binders Blankets Face cloths
Bandages 1 in to 6 in as Dressing gowns Finger stalls
well as special bandages Gowns – surgeons and Gloves
for various parts of the orderlies Handkerchiefs
body Hospital bags Hot-water bottle covers
Hussifs Masks Mittens
Operation stockings Operating sleeves Operating suits
Pyjamas Pillowcases Pullovers
Pillows Slippers Sox – bed and day
Splint covers and pads Shirts – canoe Scarves
Shirts – butter muslin Skin suits Skull caps
Shirts – helpless case Surgeons' caps Sandbags and covers
Serviettes Surgical glove covers Sheets
Draw sheets Abdominal sheets Lithotomy sheets
Theatre guards Tray cloths Table cloths
Tea towels Surgeons' towels Undervests
Urinal covers
Surgical Supplies

Surgical orders forwarded to both the Middle East Force and 'B' Force, each consisting of the following:

  • Swabs, large abdominal, stitched at one end, 2 ft 6 in

  • Swabs, medium, 10 in × 14 in

  • Swabs, small, plain gauze, unstitched, 4 in square

  • Guards, top, 36 in × 24 in

  • Dressings, 4 in × 6 in (layer of cellulose and wool inside)

  • Aprons, surgeons' Jaconet

  • Masks, surgeons'

  • Guards, large, 35 in × 39 in

  • Caps, surgeons'

  • Bandages, many tailed, trunk, 44 in (3–tails, 8 in wide)

  • Bandages, head

  • Bandages, 'T'

  • Bandages, many tailed, leg, 20 in

  • Bandages, many tailed, arm, 18 in

  • Muslin (No. 14 Book) 6 in × 6 yds

  • Muslin (No. 14 Book) uncut

  • Flannel, soft white, uncut (grey flannel sent) 49 yds to each Middle East Force and 'B' Force

  • Small gowns

  • Sleeves, operating

  • Large operating towels with central slit, 12 in

  • Small operating towels with central slit, 12 in (42 in × 36 in)

  • Glove bags

  • Gowns, operating (surgeons)

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  • Operation suit, thin material

  • Bottle-top covers

  • Stump bandages

Six-monthly order to Middle East Force consisted of:

  • Large abdominal swabs, 32 in × 36 in, stitched at one end

  • Small swabs, 6 in × 6 in

  • Dressings, 12 in × 12 in

  • Guards, 36 in × 24 in

  • Side towels, 12 in × 12 in

  • Large guards, 60 in × 36 in

  • Jaconet aprons

  • Surgeons' caps

  • Surgeons' masks

  • Surgeons' gowns

Three-monthly order to 'B' Force consisted of:

  • Large abdominal swabs, 32 in × 36 in, stitched at one end

  • Small swabs, 6 in × 6 in

  • Dressings, 12 in × I2 in

  • Guards, 36 in × 24 in

  • Side towels, 12 in × 12 in

  • Large guards, 60 in × 36 in

The numbers of all the items during the war reached the stupendous total of 538,765 pieces; of this total the surgical dressings formed about one-third.

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APPENDIX B
Merchandise sent Overseas by Joint Council and Avenues of Distribution
—— Distributed in NZ and packed by Stores Section for Overseas also Hospital and Sick Bays on Ships calling in the Dominion Distributed to United States Forces in New Zealand Distributed in Egypt and the Middle East by Red Cross Commissioners Distributed by High Commissioner in London Shipped on behalf of the Joint Council by the Canadian Red Cross Society, Toronto, Canada
Item Quantities Quantities Value Value Value
Foodstuffs, includes fruit (fresh) and food for prisoners of war 5,947 tons £
Sweets, including chocolate 591,699 pks. 3,562 Canada sent foodstuffs only, the value in NZ currency being £83,000.
Cordials 16,688 bttls.
Soap, toilet 17,260 tabs.
Soap, shaving 13,808 tubes
Toothpaste 7,809
Toothbrushes 16,286
Tobacco 355,315 ozs. £
Cigarettes 54,957,080 *6,736 61,222
Wearing apparel, includes sox 207,707 pces. 13,074 41,128
Slippers 7,279 prs. 1,700 prs.
Towels 14,411
Face and other cloths 47,686
Bed linen, all kinds 16,983
Table coverings 12,430
Bed capes, etc. 6,457
Bandages (guard)
Skin suits, etc. 247,502 82,528
Hot-water bags 1,872
Furniture and grants to hospitals, etc. 12,360
Books and stationery 8,199
Surgical and medical equipment 1,198 4,638
Value
Miscellaneous £6,873 746
ex British Red Cross: games, sports gear, and reading matter 12,395
General, ex High Commissioner, London 17,132
total values
£
Cigarettes and tobacco 336,457
Clothing, bandages, etc., and value of material used 264,373
Foodstuffs and sweets for PsW and hospitals 1,490,653
Medical and other comforts 94,692
——
TOTAL £2,186,175
total values
£
Cigarettes and tobacco 336,457
Clothing, bandages, etc., and value of material used 264,373
Foodstuffs and sweets for PsW and hospitals 1,490,653
Medical and other comforts 94,692
——
TOTAL £2,186,175
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APPENDIX C

The total number of cans and packages of food sent in prisoner-of-war parcels to the camps in Germany, Italy and other places from the inception of the scheme until the final packing on 18 May 1945 was:

From Canada From New Zealand
Meat 274,000 2,300,248
Cheese 137,000 1,139,624
Coffee and milk 1,000,730
Condensed milk 137,000 982,870
Jam 137,000 1,160,624
Honey 360,085
Golden syrup 259,895
Butter 137,000 1,160,624
Tea 137,000 2,279,248
Dried fruit 274,000 1,139,624
Mint 486,754
Sugar 137,000 1,139,624
Peas 678,567
Oatmeal 561,057
Cocoa 561,047
Chocolate 137,000 1,139,624
Fish 274,000
Biscuits 137,000

In addition, 355,315 ounces of tobacco and 49,191,178 cigarettes, and 73 cases of books, of educational and historical interest, were despatched.

* Equals 2,839,000 cigarettes Grand total of 78,203,080 cigarettes.

Equals 20,407,000 cigarettes Grand total of 78,203,080 cigarettes.

Includes games and reading matter.