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My Lord, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I beg to submit my report for the year 1945, on the Public Health and
sanitary condition of the City of Westminster. This report, in accordance with
the requirements of Circular 49/45 of the Ministry of Health, is compiled in
abbreviated form as have been all the annual reports of the Medical Officer of
Health during the war years. It is hoped that if paper restriction is removed
within the next twelve months it may be possible to compile a report for 1946 on
the wider and more informative linos of the pre-war reports.
The war ended less than a year ago and in reviewing 1945, so quickly
do events fade in significance, it is difficult to realise that rocket bombs were
still falling in the spring of the year in the London Region on the night of
March 28th. This Public Health Department remained on a war footing until the
end of June, the staff remaining on their rotas of night duty. Civil Defence
personnel, Fire Guards and Anti-gas Squads kept watch until the stand down order.
A record of the work performed in civil defence under the direction of
the Medical Officer of Health has already been submitted to the Ministry of
Health at their request. It is not intended here to do more than touch upon a
few of the aspects as they came under ones observation. There had already in
1938 been a rehearsal for what was to come and much had been learnt of the
usefulness of improvisation and of its defects. The evacuation of mothers and
children was one of the earliest events after the declaration of war. The
Health Visitors and staff of the Welfare Centres registered those who wished
for evacuation, advised them as to luggage and feeding arrangements and in the
case of expectant mothers accompanied the convoys to their destination.
The figure laid down by the Government for recruitment to the casualty
services was as follows:-
First Aid Posts - 270
Mobile Aid Posts - 36
Light Rescue Parties - 500
With these services in the Council's Casualty Depots were housed those
sections of the London County Council's Ambulance Service and Heavy Rescue
Service which were under the operational control of the City Council.
Before September 3rd, the grave concern was whether enough volunteers
would be forthcoming. That doubt was quickly dispelled. Men and women enrolled
in great numbers but a large proportion although eager to help had received
little or no training. The Council had been wise in linking its fortunes with
the two great voluntary societies of St. John and the British Red Cross quite
eighteen months before the war. They trained many hundreds of First Aid workers
and what is much more important had nominated many of their expert members for
work in Westminster. Thus there were ready a body of experienced man and women
distributed in 10 First Aid Pests in the City. Four of these posts were in what
were designed as underground garages of large modern buildings. The other posts
wore in the Council's Welfare Centres or in Hospitals. In the underground garages
were stationed Mobile Aid Posts, Ambulance services, Heavy and Light Rescue
Parties and complete decontamination facilities for wounded and unbounded
casualties and for the first aid personnel themselves.
General Air Raid Precautions and special instruction for the Civil
Defence services, as well as training in First Aid, was given under the direction
of the Medical Officer of Health and later basic training for all personnel,
including 40,000 Fire Guards, the latter receiving practical training in fire
fighting. Some 24,082 persons were trained while 1,279 were awarded certificates
as Instructors. Members of the public numbering. 49,529 received general training
by lectures and demonstrations.
The Civil Defence Mortuary Service was organised in four war-time
Mortuaries. The staff consisting of skilled and unskilled mortuary assistants
were in the charge of the Sanitary Inspectors who volunteered for this service.
Too high a tribute cannot bo paid to these officers, for apart from them, volunteers
for this particular service were a very scarce commodity.