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4
What about the personnel ? The personnel have been responsible
for the control and running of the Council's Scabies Clinic
where no less than 617 persons have received skilled and sympathetic
treatment during the year. The Council's civil ambulance service
is maintained and serviced by the personnel of the civil defence
ambulance service. In an emergency the civil defence ambulance
service has provided a substitute cook at one of the Council's wartime
day nurseries in the absence, on account of sickness, of the
cook. At the time of writing this report civil defence has found a
substitute for a war-time nursery school teacher who is away on
account of sickness.
The staff of the Council's war-time day nurseries is assisted by
personnel from the civil defence ambulance service, who come in
turn every day to undertake the most unpleasant of the tasks that
have to be carried out in a nursery, i.e., peeling potatoes and washing
up for hours on end. At one time the civil defence casualty personnel
were responsible for the conveyance of food to British Restaurants,
and lastly our drivers are now available to take the Council's
midwives to urgent cases during black-out hours, if necessary
in the midst of barrage conditions.
There are some, too, who perhaps forget that the civil defence
ambulance service is also the ambulance service to the Home Guard
with whom there is need for close co-operation. In the event of
serious emergency, we would also be the ambulance service to the
army.
The full-time paid personnel of the service is now very small ;
it covers not 8, but 24 hours a day. I think that the above summary
of extraneous duties carried out in conjunction with the routine
work of civil defence, must dispel all the fears of some of those who
are apt to think that civil defence is just a question of " standing-by."
While recording my thanks to the personnel of the civil defence
ambulance service for their loyal co-operation, I would assure the
Council that despite repeated call-ups and curtailment of wholetime
personnel, the efficiency of the service has been excellent
throughout the year, and if the service has added considerably to
my responsibilities and duties, I should also feel bound to say that
its efficiency, and the happy co-operation I have received at the
posts and stations, has given me great satisfaction and pleasure.
These few remarks about the service would be incomplete were
I not to acknowledge the services of the hundred or so part-time
members. Being a part-time member of civil defence does not
mean giving a few hours service at the convenience of the volunteer.