AWM41 1071 - [Official History, 1914-18 War: Records of Arthur G Butler:] Anonymous Narrative of a nurse in the AANS [Australian Army Nursing Service]

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ANONYMOUS.

NARRATIVE OF A NURSE IN THE A.A.N.S.

(3)

A.W.M.

LIBRARY

Classn No 373.2

Catd. V.B. 27.2.1941

 

[1071] 

ital Ships 2/2

Thomas' splint greatest help

in many cases saves
amputations

The Official War Historian of the Commonwealth

Government (Dr. C.E.W. Bean), after his study of the

collection of private war records preserved in the Australian

War Memorial Library, wrote:

"The private diaries in this collection furnish some of its most

valuable historical records, but, like, all private memoirs which were

not compiled with any historical purpose, they should not be

regarded on first-hand evidence except where it is certain that they

are so. The diarist is almost always sincere in his desire to record

accurately, but he is subject to no obligation or inducement to

indicate whether he is recording his own observations or incidents

told him by friends or heard at third or fourth hand at the 
mess-table.

Thus, in some of the diaries in this collection, scenes described with

vivid detail, and without any warning that they are told at second

or third hand, have been found to be completely inaccurate in

important details. A certain number also have been written up

or revised long after the events, though doubtless usually from notes

made at the time.  In most cases the student must rely on his

experience and on internal evidence to guide him in judging what is

real and what is not likely to be historically accurate."

 

(2)
2
No 14 A.G.H.  
Abbassia.
12.4.1919.
Name?
On the 24th April, 1915, when the wonderful Fleet.,
including Battleships for the bombardment, and the ships carrying the
the troops, who were to make their famous landing on Gallipoli. -
on On the following morning, we left Lemnos with the H.M.H.S   "Guilford Castle" -
(one of the very few Hospital) Ships) then ready for the great
rush of work -- was left in Mudros Harbour.
On the morning of the 26th orders were received to
"proceed immediately to Sed-el-Bahr",  where the 29th Division and
some French troops had made their landing. On arrival at the
Beach it was found that each of the other Hospital Ships, had filled
up and left for Egypt, and barges full of Patients were awaiting

embarkation.  The "Guilford Castle" was kept there for over a week

acting to a certain extent as a C.C. station. ---Several hundreds of

the patients who were brought abroad being dressed and passed on to

transports of almost any description. But many hundreds ^∧ wounded men were

carried straight aboard the transports and arrived at the Base

Hospital in Egypt wearing the same uniform they had worn when

wounded and the first field dressing, which had in many cases been

self-applied, still covering their wounds, so it is not difficult to

realize the extremity of their sufferings and discomfort.

Yet one rarely heard any grumbling or complaining, the

men being wonderfully bright and cheery, which was a great help to

all who were attending them. When the ships brought the loads

of wounded to Egypt in those first busy weeks the civilian residents

gave excellent voluntary help, even to the disembarking and transporting

patients to hospitals, where also the residents were willingly

helping the inadequate staffs in a thousand ways. On the boats,

the ships' Officers & Crew, including Stewardesses, helped nobly too,

at anything they could, from the cutting of dressings and rolling of bandages
 to helping with patients meals and helping to lift and carry the

wounded. Work on a Hospital Ship was naturally always a period 

of stress whilst patients were aboard but on the trip when the empty

boat was returning the whole staff was able to relax and rest and so

be ready and fit for duty when needed. Even in Base Hospitals the

nursing staff must necessarily expect periods of stress after

engagements where there are many casualties, and must be prepared for

more strenuous work and less leave than at other times, for a badly

wounded patient often needs the help of three or even four people

at one time. Of all the appliances I have seen I think the

Thomas' splints have been of the greatest benefit to the wounded and

many limbs with shockingly septic compound fractures, which, without

them would have been amputated, have, with the aid of a Thomas" splint,

swung in a Lawrences" cradle been dressed with comparative comfort

for the patient and ease for the nurse. Very rarely indeed was a

pressure sore unavoidable as even in the case of a severe compound-

fracture comminuted fractured femur a patient could be usually be

turned from side to side and even lifted from one bed to another.

(2)

But there is apparently one very important device lacking still

in the treatment of wound irrigation -- it has never been in use

in the 14th A.G.H. -- namely, a proper method of drainage.

However, with the aid of the old Army pattern biscuits, it

is always possible by using two instead of three the usual three 

to a bed to separate them under the area of the wound and with a 

large piece of waterproof sheeting protect the bed and drain the 

fluid into a bowl on the floor. 

On the whole there does not appear to have been need 

for a great deal of improvising but i have often longed for some

comfortable head rest for patients who were obliged to sleep in 

a sitting posture and were frequently wakened from their much 

needed sleep by severe noddings of their heads. 

Back rests and pillows achieve much but still leave much to be desired.

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Australian War Memorial
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