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.
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:
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Swabs, large abdominal, stitched at one end, 2 ft 6 in
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Swabs, medium, 10 in × 14 in
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Swabs, small, plain gauze, unstitched, 4 in square
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Guards, top, 36 in × 24 in
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Dressings, 4 in × 6 in (layer of cellulose and wool inside)
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Aprons, surgeons' Jaconet
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Masks, surgeons'
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Guards, large, 35 in × 39 in
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Caps, surgeons'
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Bandages, many tailed, trunk, 44 in (3–tails, 8 in wide)
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Bandages, head
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Bandages, 'T'
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Bandages, many tailed, leg, 20 in
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Bandages, many tailed, arm, 18 in
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Muslin (No. 14 Book) 6 in × 6 yds
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Muslin (No. 14 Book) uncut
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Flannel, soft white, uncut (grey flannel sent) 49 yds to each Middle East Force and 'B' Force
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Small gowns
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Sleeves, operating
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Large operating towels with central slit, 12 in
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Small operating towels with central slit, 12 in (42 in × 36 in)
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Glove bags
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Gowns, operating (surgeons)
page 421 -
Operation suit, thin material
-
Bottle-top covers
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Stump bandages
Six-monthly order to Middle East Force consisted of:
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Large abdominal swabs, 32 in × 36 in, stitched at one end
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Small swabs, 6 in × 6 in
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Dressings, 12 in × 12 in
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Guards, 36 in × 24 in
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Side towels, 12 in × 12 in
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Large guards, 60 in × 36 in
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Jaconet aprons
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Surgeons' caps
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Surgeons' masks
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Surgeons' gowns
Three-monthly order to 'B' Force consisted of:
-
Large abdominal swabs, 32 in × 36 in, stitched at one end
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Small swabs, 6 in × 6 in
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Dressings, 12 in × I2 in
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Guards, 36 in × 24 in
-
Side towels, 12 in × 12 in
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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.
APPENDIX B
—— | 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 |
£ | |
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 |
£ | |
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 |
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.