21 minute read
Vellum Vote of Thanks
60 REPORT OF THE CHAPTER-GENERAL
OBITUARY.
It is with ?eep with the relatives that I have to report the deaths of rr \Vllham Bennett, K.C.V.O., urgeon-in-Chief; Mr. \V. Harvey Reeve, O.B.E. (Commi ioner No. 3 Di trict), and Major A. Hammer ley Johnston, O.B.E. (Acting Commi ioner No. 6 Di trict). Their deaths are lamented by all who served under them and by those who knew them personally. The large amount they accompli hed i a fine example for those who follow to emulate with just pride.
CONCLUSIO . ly be without special reference being made to the m Pl!-I?g a 1 all h.me afforded to the Brigade by a great many Mumclpal Authontle , ChIef Con tables and iembers of their Forces,. ion, whose uns.elfi h labours enable the Brigade to mamtam Its hIgh tandard of effiCIency, the Pre s, e pecially the County Press, for the great help given in making known the work of the Brigade and, in many cases, for it a istance in rai ing fund to enable our members to carryon their ervice, and finally to all ranks of thi great organization for the loyal upport and good-will they have accorded me since I took office.
There are many member of the public who have yet to learn of the national importance of the Brigade, and it i hoped that, as the Brigad believes in deeds, not words, the bright example et by member of the Brigade may encourage others to give a portion of their time and their means to work of diminishing human ufiering, for which so many are offered by the t. John Ambulance Brigade.
In I W1 h to thank all members of the Brigade for their loyal and .efficlent support and for the ex.emplary manner in which they have carned out therr often arduous dube. By their work th y have set ?f self- and humanity which I am glad to ee recelvmg mcreasmg recogmtIOn by the public.
ST. JOH CE BRIGADE OVER E
Colonel J. L. Sleeman, the Chief Commissioner, reports as follows :-
I have the honour to submit my report on the work of the t. John Ambulance Brigade Overseas for the year ended 31st December, 1931.
During the year 33 I?ivisions (21 Ambulance and 12 Tur ing) have been formed, and 12 DIvISIOns (8 Ambulance and 4 Nur ing) have been disbanded, making a net increase of 21 new Divisions. There ha been an increase of 362 members during the year, so that the trength of the Brigade Overseas on 31st December, 1931, was :-
419 11,887 ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE OVERSEAS. Conid. 61
I am plea ed to be able to report a considerable increase in the Cadet strength during 1931, when 13 Ambulance and 13 Nursing Divisions were formed, and one Ambulance Division disbanded. This, with an increase of 547 members, bring the strength of the Cadet movement within the Brigade Overseas to :-
Ambulance ursing Divisions. 30 27
Personnel. 728 613
58 1,314
During the year, 117 Service Medals and 50 Service Medal Bars were awarded by the Order to members of the Brigade Overseas, and 340 Service Badge were issued by the Brigade Overseas Headquarters. These figures show an increase over those for the previous year.
It was a matter of much satisfaction to me that the Brigade Overseas wa represented so well at the Centenary Celebrations of the Order, when 163 Brigade Overseas members travelled long distances at their own expen e to be present. The largest contingent was from South Africa and Rhode ia, and practically every Dominion and Colony where the Brigade i established was represented. I was very glad to meet the Chief Commissioners for India and South Africa, and the enior Officers of other Dominion, with whom I had many helpful discussions.
It. my great plea ure to meet and welcome the first contingent to arnve-that from outh Africa and Rhodesia-and I am indebted to 1\1rs. Lancelot Dent, A.R.R.C., the Lady Superintendent-in-Chief, Dr. D. Bennie Hewat, Commandery Commissioner for Southern Africa, and Captain Cahu ac, Chief ecretary of the Ambulance Department, for repre enting me on the arrival of the Canadian contingents when I wa' , unfortunately, unable to be present. r y fir t opportunity of meeting the rest of those who came over to th celebration wa on lIIonday, 22nd June, when I arranged a Parade at the Queen' \Vestmin ter Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, with a view to explaining what would be required of them at the Parade prior to the Commemoration ervice at \Vestminster Abbey and the Review in Hyde Park. Over 130 members paraded in uniform, and the drill which follow.ed showed an excellent standard of discipline and efficiency.
WIsh, on behalf of the members of the Brigade Overseas who visited thl country for the Centenary Celebrations, to thank all the Hosts and Hoste es who so kindly and generously entertained the members and their friend. Their kind ho pitality was whole-heartedly appreciated, and the programme of entertainments thoroughly enjoyed. As the Chapter?ad extended invitations as far as possible to all overseas :VI ?tor lrrespechve of whether they were members of the Order or not, It IS not perhap out of place to include references to functions which were primarily re erved for members of the Order.
To the Banquet at t. James's. Palace on 22nd June, presided over by H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, It was only pos ible to invite the senior representatives of the Dominions and Colonies, but all other members invitation to the Reception, which followed it, and all were recelVed by His Royal Highness. Seventeen members of the Brigade
62 REPORT OF THE CHAPTER-GENERAL
Overseas were included among those invested by His Majesty the overeign Head at Buckingham Palace on the 23rd June, and a number of others were invited to witness the ceremony.
All over eas vi itors received invitations to the annual Commemoration ervice on the following day, which on this occasion was held at Westminster Abbey; those who were member of the Brigade paraded in Dean's Yard prior to the service, and marched to the Abbey, where the Nursing Divi ions were joined by H.R.H. The Duchess of York, the Commandant-in-Chief of Nursing Divi ions of the Brigade. The General Assembly of members of the Order was held immediately following in Vl estminster Great School.
On the 25th June, His Royal Highness The Grand Prior gave a garden party at t. James's Palace, and on Friday, 26th June, the Empire First Aid Competitions were held at the Wharncliffe Rooms, Great Central Hotel. Six teams of men and six teams of women took part in the competition from overseas, and gave an excellent account of themselves, especially when it is borne in mind that some of the member of the teams had never before taken part in a competition, and, in more than one instance, the members comprising the team were unknown to each other before their arrival in England. The result of the Competition was as follows:-
Men. Women. 1. Southern Railway (Barnstaple). 1. South Irica ITO. 1. 2. South Africa No.2. 2. Liverpool. 3. Kenya Police. 3. South Africa TO. 2. 4. South Africa No.!. 4. ew Zealand. 5. Canada ("Winnipeg). 5. India (Bengal). 6. Rhodesia. 6. Canada (Ontario). 7. Canada (Ontario). 7. India (Lahore).
I congratulate most heartily the winners in both sections.
The magnificent trophies offered by the ub-Prior, the Earl of Scarbrough, and the Chancellor, ir Aylmer Hunter-\V ton, were presented by H.R.H. Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone. At the clo e of the Competitions, the Earl of Athlone very generou ly announced his intention to present replicas of the men's trophy to the members of the Barnstaple team, who, with the Liverpool ur ing Divi ion, a winners respectively of the Inter-Railway and Perrott hields, had been invited at the request of the overseas teams to take part in the Comp titions for the purposes of comparison.
The historic week closed on Saturday, 27th June, with the Review in Hyde Park by H.R.H. Prince Arthur of Connaught. This was a magnificent spectacle when in delightful weather over 4,000 paraded, of whom 133 were members of the Brigade Over eas. Owing to the unfortunate illness of the Acting Chief Commissioner of the Brigadeat-Home, Major-General Sir Percival Wilkinson, K.C.M.G., D.S.O., I had the great honour of commanding the parade and leading it in its March Past, and owing to the loyal assistance I received from all on parade thi passed off most successfully. By the courtesy of the Brigade-at-Home, their claim to precedence was waived in favour of the representation from overseas, an act of kindness much appreciated by the men and women who, in some instances, had travelled over twelve thousand miles to be ST. J OIIN AMBULANCE BRIGADE OVERSEAS. Contd. 63
present. Con idering that no opportunities for the rehearsal of the parade could be made, the drill and manceuvres of all was of a remarkably high standard and the discipline as high as that of Regular troops. This impressed His Royal Highness very greatly, and I was asked to convey his deep approval to all ranks of the Brigade present.
Copies of the Centenary number of the Gazette, the reprint of the Whitehall Gazette containing the Presentation Plate of the Investiture, and the message of congratulation from H.R.H. Prince Arthur of Connaught have been sent to each of the overseas visitors and all Divisions of the Brigade Oversea. I greatly regret that the calls upon the space in the Centenary number of the Gazette were such that room could not be found for the inclusion of my own report, for I know that many from overseas were disappointed at this omission. vVith regard to the work in each Dominion it is my pleasure to report :-
AUSTRALIA.
The Brigade in Australia has been severely tested during the past year by the unparalleled economic distress of the country, which has placed many of our Divisions in a penurious condition. It is a matter for congra iulation, however, that in spite of the tremendous difficulty in the way 0 f rai ing new finances to carryon the work of the Divisions not one public duty has been neglected, and there has been a steady increase in the nun1ber of Divi ions and personnel.
The following additions to the District staffs have been made :-In the w outh \Vales District, Lieut.-Colonel J. S. Purdy, D.S.O., LD., :\Ir. . L. Par on ,and Ir. J. \\. Booth have been appointed District Officer ; in the outh Au tralia District, Sir Frank 10ulden and Lieut.-Colonel G. Bice have joined the District Staff, while, in the Victoria Di trict, Ii E. J. \\ ells becomes its first Lady District Superintendent.
I r gret ery much to have to report the death in March of Mr. J. H. Lord, the Di trict ecretary of the Victoria District. Mr. Lord, who was al 'o ecretary of the Central Council for Australia, had been connected with the work of the Association and Brigade in Melbourne since 1914.
In the \Y t u tralia District, the demands upon the Brigade continue to increa e. I am glad to be able to report that three new Divisions have been formed during the year, which represents a definite step forward.
BERMUDA.
The Brigade Over ea in Bermuda is now getting more firmly e tablished and it is my plea ure to report that notice has been received that a further Ambulance Division, a Nursing Division, and a Cadet Nur ing Divi ion may shortly be registered. Public duty has been done on several occa ions, the outstanding example of which was at the fire on board 1.V. Bermuda, in the Hamilton Harbour, when members of the No.1 Hamilton Division, although handicapped by shortage of material, performed excellent work in attending to the many casualties. They remained on duty for nearly three days and came through what was a severe test for a new Division with great credit.
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REPORT OF THE CHAPTER-GENERAL
CANADA.
The second largest contingent from the Brigade Over eas present in thi country for the Centenary Celebration was that from Canada, and I understand that considerable difficulty was exp rienced in financing the contingent, which was only overcome by the genero iLy of members and friends. I was pleased to note the appearance of all Ambulance and Nur ing members at the various parades. I wa orry it was not pos ible for the Chief Commi ioner, ir Henry Pellatt, Lo accompany the contingent, as was at one time hoped, but I wa very pleased to welcome hi senior officer, Dr. C. J. Copp, the Commi sioner of th On tario District.
Dr. Copp, on his return from England, made a tour of \tVestern Canada, and stated that he found that the object and purpo e of the Brigade were becoming more fully understood by the public in Canada.
The work of the Brigade during the year has remained steady. }ive new Divisions have been formed, a very con iderable amount of public duty undertaken, and, in some cases, Medical Comfort Depot have been maintained. The roadside service scheme in operation at \\'innipeg ha been extended and continues to do valuable service.
CEYLON.
The work of the St. John Ambulance Brigade Over eas, which in Ceylon i confined to the Ceylon Police Corp, continues to be carried on to the great benefit of the public. The number of ca es of accident and injury in Ceylon during the year i very large, and in very many in tance the fir t aid efficiency of the Ceylon Police ha been instrumental in aving life. The Corps was inspected on the 12th October by Hi Excellency The Governor.
HO G KO. G.
'[any instances of the value of the services of the Hong Kong Di ·trict of the Brigade Overseas to the Colony have been recorded from time to time, and in 1931 these have been even more evident. In pril, there occurred the disaster on the Kowloon-Canton Railway, when member of the Brigade rendered meritorious fir t-aid as i tance Lo the victim ' of an accident caused through the derailing of a train by rea 'on of flood. Outstanding service was performed in anolher direction when members of the Brigade at much risk to them elve performed duty at po t throughout the Colony during the Anti-Japanese Riots which broke out in September. Excellent work was also done in connection with a fire which occurred in the crowded Chinese quarter, so that the member have every reason to be proud of the record of work performed during the year. The attention of Chapter-General has been drawn to these cases of outstanding public duty.
Although outside the scope of this report, I should like to r fer to the prompt response of the members of this District to the need for ambulance workers at Shanghai during the recent hostilities. IO details have yet come to hand of the work actually performed, but I have no doubt that the party sent from Hong Kong to Shanghai fully maintained the traditions of the District and the Brigade Overseas. ST. JOlIN AMBULANCE BRIGADE OVERSEAS. Contd. 65
I am very glad to be able to report the kind interest taken in the work by Their Excellencies The Governor and. Lady Peel. Lady has kindly consented to accept a rank in the. Bngade, and has been apPOl,nted Lady District Superintendent. The mterest shown by the Chmese themselves in the work of the Brigade is a characteristic feature of the work in Hong Kong. .
During the year the Brigade in Hong Kong has purchased and eqmpped another motor ambulance for work in the Colony.
INDIA.
The un etUed conditions which continue in India do not make for progress, but the work of the four Districts of the has been carried on, and, although there has been a slight decrease m the number of Divisions, it is gratifying to know that there has been an increase in the total personnel. I regret that the proposed formation of a new District with Headquarters at Patna did not prove to be practicable.
I am glad to be able to report that since her arrival in India, Her Excellency The Countess of \Villingdon has kindly consented to becoI!le the Patrone s of the ursing Divisions of the Brigade throughout IndIa, and ha generou ly presented a cup for competition at the All-India ompetilions between the Nur ing Divisions of the Brigade in India. uch valuable support will unquestionably do more than anything else to a si. t matter at thi juncture.
Public duty has been performed on a great many occasio.ns, and in T o. District valuable services were rendered at the disturbances m connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement.
In the o. 2 District, following the resignation of Dr. Pollock, who has returned to England, Major-General \tv. V. Coppinger, C.LE., D.S.O., has be n appointed to the charge of the District.
During the year, the Par i Divi ion has been successful in its appeal for funds to build and equip its Headquarters. The foundatIOn tone \\ as laid in October, and on the completion of the building the Parsi Di\ ision will be the fir t Di ision in India to own its headquarters.
It wa a very great pleasure indeed to meet the Chief Commissioner for India, ir H nry Moncrieff mith, C.LE., who attended the Centenary el bralion .
KENYA.
The strength of the Police Divi ion continues to increa e, and many in tances have come to hand where the knowledge of first-aid has proved of the greatest value to members of the Divi ions when on Police duty in the remote parts of the Colony. During the year, Mr. R. G. B. Spicer re igncd a District Superintendent on leaving the Colony to take up an appointm nt with the Palestine Police. Mr. Spicer, in his capacity as Commis ioner of Police, first introduced the work of the Association and Brigade into Kenya, and did much to foster its growth. Mr. Spicer also was largely responsible for the presence of the Kenya team at the Empire First-Aid Competition. Mr. R. C. A. Cavendish, who succeeds
E
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REPORT OF THE CHAPTER-GE ERAL
Mr. Spicer as Commissioner of Police, has kindly undertaken to fill the vacated by Mr. Spicer in the Brigade Overseas, and Captain Pntchard Brown, who has also done so much to foster the movement will remain as Divi ional Superintendent of the Division. '
MALTA. .work of the Brigade O.verseas in Malta has been satisfactorily maIntaIned, and the recent revIval of the Hamrun Divi ion continues.
NEW ZEALAND.
The strength and efficiency of the Brigade Overseas within the Dominion of New Zealand continues to increase, and during the year, 5 adult and 16 Cadet have. been re&"istered. I am very pleased to be able to report thIS contInued mcrease m the number of Cadet Divi ion in the
Dominion and that the movement is obtaining a firm footing. This is largely due to the interest taken in thi important branch of our work by the Com!lli sioner for the Dominion, Colonel G. Barclay, O.B.E.
As mentIOned In my last report, the year 1931 is outstanding in the of the in New Zealand by reason of the great earthquake whIch occurred In February. The work of the Brigade Over ea , both at the actual scene of cala!llity and in the towns to which refugee were sent, was splendId, and It will stand to the record of the Briaade for all time that it so readily and efficiently responded to the of great emergency. I have already reported to you for the I?formatIOn. of details of the work performed in rescumg and canng f?r the InJured at Hawke Bay and in the organization of Depots for the relIef of refugees and the sending of food and material to the of the disaster, and I am proud to record that the members of the Bngade upheld the best traditions of the Order and Briaade and were of the greatest assistance to the authoritie during the whole time of the duty. Splendid and rapid as this respon e wa , I understand that a scheme for even quicker mobilization of the Briaade in a time of emergency is under consideration by Colonel
A number of changes have taken place in the variou Di::.trict taff. In Auckland, Mr. W. E. Froggatt has been appointed a District Officer and Mr. F. Schofield has left the District taff after many year valuable serVIce. In the \Vellington Di trict, Ir. G. Hancox has been appointed District Officer vice Mr. H. Hepworth, who has retired with years service to his credit. fr. H. T. Hale, Di trict Officer ill the Wanganui District, has found it necessary to have to transfer to . the Reserve, and in the Canterbury and \Ve t Coa t Di trict MaJor \V. Crampton and Mr. VV. H. Thomson have been appointed Di -trict Officers and Mrs. Cordy Lady District Officer.
I regret to have to report the death of two of the oldest and mo t valued members of the Brigade in New Zealand, District uperintendent . M. H. Grenfell, of .the. Otago District, and Corps Officer A. W. Potter, of the Auckland Dlstnct. Mr. S;-renfell, who died on the 5th September, 1931, was one of. the foundatIOn members of the Oamaru Division, which was. formed In and had been connected with the Brigade from then until the date of hIS death. Mr. Potter, who had 37 years' connection ST. J OIl AMBULA CE BRIGADE OVERSEAS. Contd. 67
with the Brigade, was killed in tragic circumstances while on Brigade duty, when the ambulance in which he was proceeding to carry out a transport duty met with an accident which caused him to be crushed beneath the vehicle. The loss of these two Officers will be much felt. SOUTH AFRICA.
I was delighted to meet at the Centenary Dr. Bennie Hewat, Commandery Commissioner for Southern and to have conversations with him regarding the work of .the Bngade Overs.eas. The contingent from South Africa and RhodesIa to the CelebratIOns was the largest from overseas, and they are not only to be on their success in winning both of the trophies at the Eml?rre Frrst Ai.d Competitions, but also for their showing at the Royal ReVIew and therr general appearance and bearing, which was the subject of highly comment. I find it difficult to express adequately my deep appreClatIOn of the magnificent effort made by the South African and Rhodesian Contingent at the Centenary Celebrations. Not they: the largest representative unit from overseas but the diSCIpline, effiCIency and esprit-de-corps was outstandingly high. .
The work of the Brigade within the Commandery progress satisfactorily. The foundation stone of the building o.f Natal Centre of the Association and District of the Bngade was laId In July la t, and it is hoped the building will be officially opened during 1932. . .. lr. . F. \\,illiams, Officer in charge of the Cape Provillce DIstnct, and Colonel J. R. lore, Officer in charge of the South African and Harbours Di trict, have been promoted to the rank of COffiITllSSIOner, and lr. H. Chapman has been appointed Assistant Commissi?n.e:: in charge of the Rhodesian Railways District, where three new DIVISIOns have been r gi tered during the year. CO 'CLUSIO .
I \\!ould again draw the attention of the Divisions of the Brigade Ov r eas to the work of the Ophthalmic Hospital at Jerusalem, and I thank all tho e who have so generously forwarded a donation during the year. The appeal of H.R.H. the Grand Prior in aid of the fund to extend the Headquarters of the Order has not met with the response I had hoped for, but I should like to take this opportunity to express my thank to the Divisions that have subscribed.
I again have very much pleasure in expressing my deepest thanks to Irs. Lancelot Dent, A.R.R.C., the Lady Superintendent-in-Chief, for her continued help and interest. The work of Mrs. Dent as chairman of the Ho te se ' Committee, which arranged for the entertainment of the overseas vi itors to the Centenary Celebrations, was without doubt one of the greatest factors which helped to make the Celebrations the great uccess they were, while the hospitality of both Mr. and frs. Dent was unbounded, and did more than anything else to make the representations from overseas enjoy this most strenuous visit.
To Chief Commissioners for Dominions I would gratefully express my thanks for their continued interest in the work of the Brigade Overseas under their command, and the sacrifice of so much of their time to Brigade matters. To all officers in charge of Districts and other officers and ranks,
