'Mesopotamia Commission. Report of the Commission Appointed by Act of Parliament to Enquire into the Operations of War in Mesopotamia, together with a Special Report by Commander J Wedgwood, DSO, MP, and Appendices. London: HMSO, 1917.' [‎89v] (178/248)

172
V
(100 beds) complete ; (c) No. 57 Indian Stationary Hos
pital (200 beds) complete ; (d) No. 2 Field Ambulance.
2 British and 3 Indian Sections, (e) No. 4 Field Ambul
ance. 1 British and 2 Indian Sections complete; (/)
No. 106 Field Ambulance. 1 British and 3 Indian
Sections, (g) No. 9 Advanced Depot of Medical Stores
complete.
(a), (b), (c), and (e) were in Kut when we arrived.
(a) had 2 medical officers and 2 assistant surgeons.
(b) had 2 medical officers, l assistant surgeon and 2
sub-assistant surgeon.
(c) had 2 medical officers and 2 sub-assistant surgeons.
(d) had 5 medical officers, 3 assistant surgeons and 3
sub-assistant surgeons; much of its equipment was
abandoned at Ctesiphon. One medical officer died, and
1 sub-assistant surgeon was killed during the siege.
(e) had 3 medical officers, 1 assistant surgeon, and 2
sub-assistant surgeons.
(/) had 4 medical officers, 3 assistant surgeons and 2
sub-assistant surgeons; some of its equipment was aban
doned at Ctesiphon.
53. No. 2 Field Ambulance received the sick and
wounded of the 16th and 17th Brigades, No. 106 of the
18th Brigades, No. 4 of the 30th Brigade and Divisional
troops : the British General Hospital admitted the more
severe cases occurring in British Units, and all British
Officers, the Indian General and Stationary Hospitals
the wors3 cases of all Indian units and followers.
54. The British General Hospital was expanded to
200 beds from December 4th, 1915.
Wounded and sick Arabs were mainly treated in No. 106
Field Ambulance, but in emergencies were treated in the
nearest hospital.
55. On December 8th, I issued an order that the “ field
ambulances are to admit all the slight and less severe
cases of sickness and wounds.” With regard to the sick
this could not be adhered to completely, for when the
General Hospitals became congested the field ambulances
had to retain many cases of serious illness.
56. h ormally the above-named medical units are
eq nipped and staffed to deal with a total of 650 patients.
The daily average number of sick and wounded under
treatment was 1,351. The General and Stationary
Hospitals were short of their usual number of medical
officers and medical subordinates. A large part of the
equipment of Nos. 2 and 106 Field Ambulances had to be
relinquished during the withdrawal from Ctesiphon.
57. The staff attached to these units included :—
18 Medical Officers (1 died).
10 Assistant Surgeons (1 died)
11 Sub-Asst. Surgeons (1 killed).
As five medical officers, two assistant surgeons ana
one sub-assistant surgeon of corps units were killed or
wounded at Ctesiphon their places had to be partly filled
from the above staff. During the siege one medical
officer (regimental) was killed and one died, one assistant
surgeon (regimental) was killed and one died, and one
sub-assistant surgeon was killed, while on an average
20 per cent, of the medical officers and medical subordinates
were on the sick list, so that the work thrown on the re
mainder left for duty was exceedingly severe and carried
out under exceptional difficulties. On January 23rd,
1916, we had eight medical officer on the sick list, and
on the 28th of the same month, r. ne. Seldom had we
less than four. Some of the medical officers and
subordinates previously attached to the different units
were, just before the siege began, sent down river with
convoys of wounded after the I tie of Ctesiphon, and
their services lost to the Defence.
58. The perpetual sniping on the part of the enemy and
his daily but irregular shell fire necessitated the admission
of the wounded into the hospitals at all hours of the day
and night; these cases had on several occasions to be
dressed and operated on during the enemy’s bombard
ment.
59. There was a constant interchange of medical
officers and subordinates in the hospitals. When work of
one got very heavy one or more medical officers were
transferred temporarily from the field ambulances, whilst
medical officers of corps units gave their services for
several hours daily.
60. The menial establishment was insufficient. We
obtained several British privates to act as cooks and
nursing orderlies in the hospitals, and Indian soldiers to act
as ward orderlies and help in the cooking; convalescents
also assisted in these functions.
The shortage of sweepers was made good from brigades,
the units of which h&d under existing circumstances
a superabundance.
61. Statement Showing Number of Personnel by Classes Attached to Medical Units of 6th Division in
Kut-al-Amarah on April 26th, 1916.
-C CQ
t: u
^ GO
3 c
-M GO
” §
U GO
° ^
U
CO
U .
9 GO
K. F-
o
Unit.
;■§ 8
K S
.1 a
GO
<2 3
<! 02
3 3
m m
m c«
&
§ fe
Ps 02
00 ^
ce
Pi
2
^ o
o
£ o
^ ffl 6
Arm
Hospi
Corps
Supp
and
Transp
Total.
No. 2 Field Ambulance
Personnel
4
3
2
1
3
5
3
200
18
23
262
No. 4 Field Ambulance ...
... 3
1
2
1
1
4
54
20
2
88
No. IU6 Field Ambulance
... 4
3
2
_
_
2
5
94
13
21
144
British General Hospital ...
... 2
2
—
_
__
23
14
18
14
73
Indian General Hospital ...
... 2
1
2
_
I
_
10
16
28
60
Indian Stationary Hospital
... 2
-
2
-
4
-
8
23
5
25
69
Total
... 17
10
10
2
9
34
26
401
74
113
696
Location of the Medical Units.
62. As soon as we reached Kut I went round the town
to select buildings for the hospitals as the position of the
General Hospitals and field ambulances was dangerous.
There were only two large places suitable for hospitals,
the Serai and the Covered Bazar. The Serai, situated
at the North-West angle of the town, was directly exposed
to both rifle and gun fire. The Covered Bazar, which
could roughly hold about 1,000 patients, was selected
for the British and Indian General Hospitals, the Indian
Stationary Hospital and No. 106 Field Ambulance. It
took 200 men two days to clean it up and make it habit
able for patients
63. The four great defects of the Covered Bazar as a
hospital were : (a) Leakage to a certain extent during
the rain ; this was periodically attended to by the engi
neers ; (6) the thoroughfares became converted into a puddle
after each heavy shower; remedied by partial rough pav
ing with brick; (c) dust in dry weather, and (d) exposure
to enemy shell-fire.
64. The accommodation of all the medical units was
indifferent, but it was the best that could be provided, and
it was to some degree satisfactory that all the sick and
wounded could be billeted throughout the siege.
Anterior to the commencement of the siege the British
and Indian General Hospitals were in reed and mat huts
supplemented by tents and located to the North-East
of the town: the Indian Stationary Hospital in tents in
the same vicinity; No. 4 Field Ambulance was encamped
in an orange grove to the North of the town, and close
to it was No. 9 Advanced Depot of Medical Stores. These
positions were very exposed to the enemy’s fire.
65. On arriving in Kut, the field ambulances of the 6th
Division were encamped in the orchards between the