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138
CIVIL DEFENCE.
The work undertaken in connection with Civil Defence merits
special mention in this review of the Department's activities during
the past 30 years. The Public Health Department was responsible
for the organisation of light rescue depots, first-aid posts including
gas cleansing, mobile first-aid units, medical aid points in the
larger public shelters and to rest centres for persons displaced by
bombs; training in first-aid for civil defence purposes; mortuaries,
removal of the dead from incidents and burial of the dead; isolation
shelter unit for infectious diseases in the Martello Street Club and,
in connection with these services, the training of nearly 3,000
whole and part-time personnel.
Some idea of the magnitude of the task which these services
had to face can be gauged from the fact that there were 891 incidents
in the Borough of which 471 were due to high explosive bombs,
39 to flying bombs, 26 to parachute mines and bombs and 9 to
long range rockets; as a result of these incidents 3,960 houses were
totally destroyed or damaged beyond repair and, in all, 26,897
houses received damage to varying degrees.
One of the most impressive facts of the war, in view of the
extensive damage which was caused, was the incredibly small
total of casualties and deaths—the casualties treated at first-aid
posts numbered 2,303 whilst 736 persons were killed, of whom
109 were buried by the Council at East London Cemetery, Plaistow.
These low figures were due, of course, to the evacuation scheme of
the London County Council and the public and house shelters of
various types.
There were many occasions on which the Public Health Department
and the public had reason to be grateful to Mr. Holt, the
former Borough Engineer and Surveyor, and Mr. Downing, the
present Borough Engineer and Surveyor, whose fine work in adapting
the buildings used as first-aid posts and other civil defence establishments;
and building the public shelters, prevented so much death
and suffering.
The staff of the Public Health Department, of course, generally
took a share in this work but those principally concerned were
Dr. Barlow and Dr. Bielenky and three sanitary inspectors—the
Light Rescue Organiser, Mr. Gratwick, who received the B.E.M.,
Mr. Dawson, the First Aid Post Organiser, who received the M .B .E.,
and Mr. Long, who was in charge of Mortuary organisation and
conveyance of dead bodies and burials on behalf of the Council.
Finally, tribute must be paid to the courage and unfailing
devotion to duty displayed by all members of the casualty services,
whose efficiency played no small part in maintaining the morale
of the citizens of the Borough during the most exacting years of
the war.