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PREFACE
The annual. report is again curtailed for reasons
similar to those which obtained when the report for the year
1939 was drafted with the additional cause that the calling
up of members of the permanent staff has made its preparation
more arduous.
The various rates are based upon the RegistrarGeneral's
estimate of the resident population at the middle
of the year of 210,650. The number of persons in the
district holding ration cards was however below 160,000
towards the end of the year so that the value of the statistics
for purposes of comparison is not great. In the first half of
the year conditions were not strikingly abnormal but the sudden
and remarkable changes which took place during the Battle of
Britain both in population and in environment, conceal the
facts concerning the first half of the year and at the same time
even out the extremes of the second half.
As can be woll imagined the work of the Public
Health Department has been completely disrupted by the events
of the autumn when all members of the staff were asked to
undertake work quite outside the ordinary scope of their normal
duties which were perforce left in abeyance. The change in
policy forced upon the government with respect to the use of
public shelters added many difficult problems to the
extraordinary complexities with which the local authority
were faced. More and more duties and instructions were
constantly being added to the already almost intolerable
responsibilities imposed by circumstances and by higher
authorities so that there was little wonder to find urgent
improvements in shelters, billets, war damage repairs and so
on, lagging behind. The good will shewn by the staff of the
department in cheerfully taking in their stride so much
additional responsibility is a testimony to the resilience
of the department.
The additions to the peace time responsibilities
of the department practically all of which still remain include
(i) a large temporary staff on A.R.F. and allied services of
some 800 made up of stretcher bearers, M.T.C. drivers, doctors,
nurses, auxiliary nurses, cooks, cleaners and clerical staff
whose pay, sick and accident pay, leave and so on present a
formidable item, (ii) the six first aid posts, six medical
aid posts in large shelters, three mobile first aid units, five
stretcher party depots, two mobile cleansing units and five
public cleansing stations, (iii) the A.R.P. casualty services
store where some 500 principal kinds of equipment are held not
counting the large numbers of accessory items, the tailoring
and repair of uniforms and (iv) the four mortuaries in which
war casualties are received. There are also (v) some 70
motor vehicles which were badly worn when purchased owing to the
low maximum prices fixed by higher authority and these have
always been a source of trouble, (vi) the checking of petrol
issues, log books and repairs all add their quotas to the work
and responsibilities which have to be shouldered.
The really amazing feature of this heterogeneous
combination of temporary and permanent staff is that, in spite
of drawbacks such as lack of proper disciplinary powers and
lack of any previous experience, it has remained a combination
which has withstood all strains and maintained its cohesion.
Great credit is due to the many who have cheerfully accepted
long hours of work and extra responsibility without any added
remuneration, and thus made success possible.