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wounded would receive first-aid, their contaminated clothing would be removed, and their bodies decontaminated
as far as possible in one ward of the block. They would then be transferred to the other ward
pending the removal by ambulance to a general hospital. To this end one side of the block at least would
have to be rendered gas-proof in the same manner as described above in the case of the Cubicle Block,
i.e., by preparing removable gas-proof frames to be fitted into the windows.
Casualty Clearing Station.
Casualties to crews and passengers that have been subjected to attack but have not been contaminated
by gas would be landed at Denton Hospital and taken at once to the Typhoid Block to receive first-aid
whence they would be transported by ambulance to the appropriate base hospital.
Staff and Equipment.
It is clear that the peace-time staff and equipment at the Denton Hospital would be quite inadequate
to meet the needs of the emergency scheme outlined above. The scheme of Air-raid Precautions for the
Port includes measures for the evacuation and treatment of wounded coming into the Port, and the Port of
London Authority would, under that scheme, furnish the necessary additional staff and equipment.
Arrangements would be made by the Port of London Authority to draft doctors, nurses, first-aid men
and decontamination personnel to the hospital by the most rapid means available.
Part 2.—Inspection of Arriving Ships for Contamination.
Under the scheme envisaged the Assistant Port Medical Officers stationed at Gravesend would, in
addition to their normal duties, board all ships flying the "Gas" signal and would also undertake to board
other ships that had been bombed, but not gassed, on which casualties had occurred, for the purpose of
arranging for the disposal of urgent casualties. The Medical Officers, whose number might have to be
increased to cope with the work, would have attached to them a certain number of qualified Gas Inspectors,
whose duty it would be to assist the Medical Officers in detecting the presence of lethal gas, and in deciding
whether the cargo in the holds had been involved. Instructions would then be issued, in the case of contamination,
to the ship to proceed to the mooring station set apart by the Port of London Authority. Here
again such additional staff as was considered necessary would be furnished by the Port of London Authority
under their Air-raid Precautions scheme.
On the arrival of the contaminated ship at the decontaminating mooring a further inspection would be
necessary to decide by closer scrutiny to what extent the cargo had been affected, and whether the whole or
part of it was safe for discharge after entering the dock or so contaminated that it must be discharged into
lighters for eventual destruction or for disposal in some other manner. The Port of London Authority
suggests that seeing that many ships carry food cargoes of some kind and, in any event, the question of
safety to health in handling contaminated cargo would arise in each instance, your Inspectors might take
over the duty of examining all cargo suspected of contamination and of determining its ultimate disposal.
It is obvious that your Worshipful Committee could not spare for this purpose more than two or three
of its trained Inspectorate, and that the rest of the Inspectorate for duty at the decontamination mooring
would have to be supplied by the Port of London Authority to work under the direction of the trained
Inspectors.
Part 3.—Inspection of Cargo on Discharge.
One of the principal duties of the Port of London Health Authority in time of war would be, as it is
now, the supervision of foodstuffs entering the Port and the decision as to their fitness for human consumption.
In the case of a ship that had been contaminated by a persistent gas, such as mustard gas or
lewisite, each individual parcel of food would have to be carefully inspected for contamination and a
selection made somewhat as follows : (a) fit for human consumption ; (b) fit for human consumption after
suitable treatment; (c) unfit, and to be destroyed under special precautions.
There would remain the problem of safety of handling contaminated cargo by stevedores, and it is
suggested that your Inspectorate might assume this duty. The added responsibility not only of inspecting
and dealing with contaminated foodstuffs, but of inspecting all cargoes for safety in handling, would involve
a very considerable increase of labour and time, and it would be necessary considerably to augment the
Inspectorate. The Port of London Authority would share the responsibility of recruiting the additional
personnel and of collaborating with your Worshipful Committee in their training in the duties they will
perform under the direction of your Inspectors.
Part 4.—Certification of Cargo for Export as free from Contamination.
The Government Air-raid Precautions scheme includes machinery for the declaration at the point of
manufacture, during transit, and at the point of loading of cargoes as free from gas contamination, and
consequently safe to handle, and in the case of foodstuffs, for human consumption. Your Inspectorate
already deals with the certification of foodstuffs for export or re-export, and the inspection of all cargoes to
ensure freedom from contamination could be encompassed in the existing machinery. In the proposed
scheme of co-operation with the Port of London Authority, the latter would share recruiting the additional
personnel.
Part 5.—Central Administration.
It seems clear, even in times of emergency, that the Port of London Health Authority must retain
control of the duties which devolve upon it by statute, and even if a wide and close co-operation were to be
established with the Port of London Authority, the individuality of the Port of London Health Authority
must be safeguarded.