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41
SCHOOL MEDICAL SERVICE.
GOVERNMENT EVACUATION SCHEME.
On 1st and 2nd September, 1939—just prior to the outbreak of
hostilities—some 4,493 Leyton school children were evacuated by
rail to billeting areas in the County of Essex.
During the first three weeks of the war all members of the
Authority's School Medical and Nursing Staff were fully occupied
on work in connection with the Council's A.R.P. Casualty Service
arrangements in Leyton.
As the result of requests for medical and dental supervision
by Leyton Teachers in the Reception Area, on 22nd September
your Director of Education and School Medical Officer,
along with Dr. Mary Gilchrist, visited Chelmsford in order to
confer with the County Director of Education and County School
Medical Officer with reference to the supply of Medical and Nursing
assistance. After full consideration of the whole question it was
agreed that the following members of the Leyton Education
Authority's Staff should be seconded for duty with the County
Council in the area in which Leyton school children were billeted :—
School Medical Officer (Dr. Mary Gilchrist).
Dental Surgeon (Mr. Horton).
School Nurses (Misses Stiles, Edwards and Corby).
Dental Attendant (Miss Grimshaw).
It was also agreed that Leyton Education Authority should
transfer for the use of the County Council one complete set of
dental equipment for the use of the Dental Surgeon. These
suggestions were approved by the Chairman of the County Education
Committee and the above members of your School Medical
Staff were transferred for duty in the reception area on 25th
September, 1939.
A special report by Dr. Mary Gilchrist (see page 61, et seq.)
gives some indication of the medical inspection and treatment
carried out by her in the reception area from 25th September
until 31st December, 1939.