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Apart from these two main items Civil Defence personnel have
given valuable help in Minor Ailment and other clinics, Day Nurseries
and Oakdene Medical Rest Centre. It can be truly said that
any help desired by the Public Health Authorities has always been
most rapidly forthcoming from Civil Defence, and this has undoutedly
quickened the civic sense in Public Health work.
The Joint War Organisation of St. John and British Red
Cross has been responsible for the greater part of the staffing of
Oakdene Medical Rest Centre, and in so doing have made a great
contribution. This is perhaps not the place to comment on the
work done at Oakdene except to say that it has helped a considerable
number of bombed out people. Members of the Joint War
Organisation based on First Aid Posts have at all times cheerfully
carried out various duties required of them by my department.
The Volunteer Car Pool organised and run by the Women's
Voluntary Service has been of the greatest assistance in the transport
of the sick and infirm, and the service they have performed
will be impossible to replace without a continuance on some lines
of voluntary help.
Medical Practitioners in the district responded en masse to
such calls for aid as were made upon them for Civil Defence purposes,
and when incidents occurred, doctors invariably arrived amongst
the earliest helpers, frequently without waiting to be called. The
Wellhouse Hospital responded magnificently to the work of treating
air raid casualties, and gave most valuable aid to the community,
due in no small measure to the ever present interest and co-operation
of the Medical Superintendent.
In conclusion I would like to mention the work involved in
the recruiting and training to a high degree of efficiency of a Food
Decontamination Squad, formed entirely by volunteers for this
work. This organisation although happily never needed for the
purposes for which it was reserved, caused considerable extra
work on the part of the Chief Sanitary Inspector.
I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
Your obedient Servant,
C. M. SCOTT, m.r.c.s. (Eng.), l.r.c.p. (Lond.),
Medical Officer of Health to the Council and
A Assistant School Medical Officer.