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Owing to the enormous number of men joining the Army, and
in many cases having to remain in the towns where they joined,
it early became evident that the health of the military population
was very closely bound up with the health of the civil population,
and that if this was to be maintained close co-operation must exist
between the civil and military sanitary services. There were
therefore many consultations between the Local Government Board
and the War Office as to how this could best be accomplished, with
the result that the Local Government Board issued various circulars
instructing the Medical Officer of Health and sanitary staff to cooperate
as far as possible with the military authorities in the district
and exchange with them information as to infectious disease, etc.
They also asked the staff to inspect places where soldiers were
billetted in the district, either for the purpose of guarding public
works or for any other purpose. All cases of infectious disease
which had any connection with the troops were immediately
reported to the commanding officer of the regiment concerned.
Guards were billetted at various points of the goods depot of the
London, Brighton and South Coast and South-Eastern and Chatham
Railways and at other important points in the Borough. These
were regularly inspected by myself and the sanitary inspectors,
weekly reports being sent up to the Deputy Director of Medical
Services for the London District at the Horse Guards. Lists of
houses where soldiers were billetted were also received from the
police and these were kept under observation.
Any defects found in any of the billets were first of all reported
to the commanding officer of the district and if not remedied in a
reasonable time they were reported to the Deputy Director of
Medical Services who took steps to see the recommendations for
remedying the defects were carried out.
Another important piece of supervision was carried out by the
Food Inspectors, acting under myself. This consisted in the regular
inspection of the manufacture of articles of food for the Army and
Navy carried on under contract by firms in the Borough. This
was done in close consultation with the medical inspectors of the
Local Government Board. The Board received intimation of all
contracts from the War Office and immediately sent them on to us
and we inspected the process of manufacture during the completion
of the contract. On several occasions we found it necessary to
interfere with the selection of raw materials and with the methods
of manufacture, cleanliness of premises, etc., and I feel quite
certain that this important work was of great benefit to the troops
and am confident that very little of the food supplied by Bermondsey
firms had to be rejected on its arrival at the front.
The various activities here described will be continued during
the period of the war.