HOSPITAL SCANDAL AT JERUSALEM.
It will be remembered that I had been ordered to proceed to Nimrin to
intercept any Turks who might attempt to break through from the South.
When I reached my camp I found about 1,500 Turkish prisoners already
concentrated there; hundreds of them were too feeble and ill to be
marched further, but about 1,000 were considered fit enough to go on,
and these were escorted by Captain Harris and a small detachment of the
38th to Jericho, and, after a short rest there, on to the prisoners'
cage at Ludd.
On October 1st Battalion Headquarters moved to Jerusalem, and on the way
thither it was pitiful to see these unfortunate Turkish prisoners,
starving and sick, crawling at a snail's pace up the steep ascent from
the Jordan Valley through the Judæan Wilderness; many fell by the way
and died from sheer exhaustion. The medical arrangements were quite
inadequate to cope even with our own sick, who now began to feel the
effect of the poisonous Mellahah, and went down daily by scores.
Our new camp was situated about a mile outside the walls of Jerusalem to
the southward, on the Hebron road, and by the time we reached it
hundreds of the men, exhausted and worn out from the effects of their
terrible experiences in the Jordan Valley, were ill with malaria;
practically every officer also was struck down with the same fell
disease. I myself had been far from well throughout the recent
operations, but I managed, with the skilful aid of our Medical Officer,
Captain Haldin Davis, to keep going.
Unfortunately, just before we arrived in Camp, there had been a terrific
downpour of rain, which had thoroughly soaked the ground, and as there
was no hospital accommodation available, the unfortunate patients had to
lie on the wet earth, with only one blanket, and no medical comforts or
treatment. There were no nurses or orderlies, and the men received no
attention of any kind, except such as could be given by those of their
comrades who were still able to move about. As a result of this
lamentable state of affairs, which could easily have been prevented by a
little forethought on the part of the Staff, many died of malaria and
pneumonia, and one poor fellow killed himself by cutting his throat in
his delirium.
Captain Davis had been taken ill at Nimrin, and removed in an ambulance
to hospital. I made urgent appeals for another doctor, but without
avail, and it was nearly a whole year before the authorities thought it
worth while to provide a medical officer for this Jewish Battalion,
which at one time was almost 2,000 strong. Not only were the Jewish
troops unable to find hospital accommodation, but hundreds of others
also--British, Australian, New Zealand, and Indian.
The whole thing was a grave scandal, which must be laid at the door of
the responsible muddlers.
It was distressing to see the German Hospice on the Mount of Olives, a
building which was absolutely ideal for a Hospital, used for Staff
purposes, while the sick and wounded men, who had suffered all the
hardships and done all the fighting, were allowed to lie about on the
wet ground in and around Jerusalem. The muddle was not the fault of the
few medical men on the spot, for they worked like slaves. The whole of
the blame for this wanton lack of organisation rests with G.H.Q. I had
written in the previous July recommending that hospital accommodation
should be provided at Jerusalem for Jewish troops, but no notice was
taken of my recommendation. If this had been acted upon many deaths and
much unnecessary suffering would have been avoided.
In my own battalion we lost over a score of men in this way, who, I am
convinced, would not have died if proper hospital arrangements had been
available, and had it not been for the timely arrival of Captain
Salaman, R.A.M.C., with the 39th Battalion, to whom I turned over all my
sick, the death-roll would in all probability have been much greater.
The battalion numbers, owing to the hardships we had undergone, were
reduced from a strength of nearly 1,000 to about six officers and less
than 150 men.
I can illustrate the pettiness of at least some of the G.H.Q. Staff no
better than by giving the following correspondence.
It will be remembered that I had reported to General Allenby in the
Jordan Valley that the medical arrangements were not good. This
apparently displeased some of the Staff, for they hunted up a private
telegram which I had sent some months previously (on July 18th),
addressed to the Secretary, Medical Committee, Jewish Regiment, London,
in which I had said:--
"You should see Sir Nevil Macready. Am strongly advising base to
be at Jerusalem."
On discovering this mare's nest the D.A.G. sent the following memo. to
General Chaytor:--
A. 13780. TO GENERAL CHAYTOR,
Subject: Medical Headquarters,
Arrangements for Chaytor's Force.
Jewish Battalions.
Please find attached herewith a copy of a telegram purporting
to have been sent by the Officer Commanding 38th Royal
Fusiliers.
Please call upon this officer to furnish his reasons and such
explanation as he may have to offer for advising a course of
action which concerns the C.-in-C. under whom he is serving,
without reference to or obtaining permission from the C.-in-C.
(Signed)--MAJOR-GENERAL, _D.A.G._
G.H.Q. 1st Echelon,
17th September, 1918.
All this ado because I had simply sent a private telegram to the Jewish
Hospital Committee months before to say I was advising a Hospital base
to be set up at Jerusalem. This telegram was in reply to a cable from
the Committee in London asking if special hospital accommodation could
be provided for Jewish soldiers.
From the date on this memorandum it will be seen that G.H.Q. thought fit
to send out such a communication on the very eve of the great advance.
It would have been much more useful if the Deputy Adjutant General had
devoted his attention to providing Hospital accommodation for the
unfortunate sick and wounded, instead of choosing such a moment to harry
troops in the field engaged in a great offensive, the success of which
meant everything to England.
There was no excuse whatever for this memo., because on the 26th June,
1918, immediately on receipt of the cable from the Hospital Committee, I
had sent the following to G.H.Q.:--
38th Battn. R.F.
No. A/412/1/3.
31st Inf. Brg. No. 57d.
10th Divn. No. 1324A.
XX. Corps No. P.C.A. 563.
G.H.Q. 1st Echelon No. a/13780.
HEAD Q. 31st. Inf. Brg.
I have received the following cable from the Hon. Sec. Medical
Committee for Jewish Units:
"The Matron-in-Chief Q.A.I.M.N.S. sanctions Jewish Nursing Staff
for Service in Palestine. Can you arrange Jewish wards in
existing military Hospitals or other special provision?
"Committee awaits reply."
With reference to the above cable I have to state that when I
was organising the Jewish Units in England, I had recommended a
Jewish Base Hospital, and the A.G., Sir N. Macready, had
sanctioned this, and given instructions, after I left England
for Egypt, that it was to be based at Plymouth.
The A.G. probably misunderstood my intention when he based it
at Plymouth, as I had intended that the Hospital should be
based in Egypt or Palestine. I therefore wrote home and
suggested that there was no need for a special Jewish Hospital
in England.
I have no doubt that the above cable is the result of some
negotiation with the A.G., and I would suggest that this matter
be referred to G.H.Q., 1st Echelon, so that they may get into
touch with the W.O., and find out what has been decided upon in
this question. _Personally I would recommend that the Hospital
should be at Jerusalem_.
(Signed) J. H. PATTERSON, Lt.-Colonel,
Commanding 38th Battn., R.F.
In the Field, 26/6/18.
To the above I received the following reply:
A/13780.
Subject: Jewish Wards,
and Military Hospitals.
H.Q. 20TH CORPS.
With reference to your memo. No. P.C.A. 565, dated 30/6/18, and
attached correspondence regarding the question of Jewish wards
in Military Hospitals. All Jewish soldiers will be sent to one
particular Ward in the 27th General Hospital, as long as the
casualty rate allows of this procedure being followed.
(Signed) F. DALRYMPLE, Lt.-Colonel,
A.A.G. for D.A.G.
G.H.Q., 1st Echelon,
10/7/18.
It will be seen therefore that if the D.A.G. had only known what was
going on in his own office there would have been no need for him to
trump up this petty inquisition, or trouble anybody for an explanation
about a private telegram which had been sent to London a couple of
months previously. General Chaytor had the good sense to retain the
D.A.G.'s memo, until active operations were over, upon which he sent it
on to me. As an explanation had to be given, the following is a copy of
my reply:
HEADQUARTERS,
CHAYTOR'S FORCE. A/412/1/3.
With reference to your M.C.412 dated 13/10/18 re medical
arrangements for Jewish Battalions, I think that perhaps it will
explain the situation if I point out that I was in direct touch
with the War Office on all questions affecting the Jewish
Battalions, and I had several interviews with Sir Nevil Macready
on matters relating to this Jewish movement; in fact, I was
looked upon in England as the responsible leader, and I had
every conceivable kind of case to investigate and decide. I had
already told Sir Nevil Macready my views while in England re
Hospital for Jewish soldiers, and when I got a cable from this
unofficial medical committee I replied in a private cable
recommending them to consult him, and stating my own private
views on the question.
I certainly do not consider this private expression of opinion
as "advising a course of action," and when I sent the cable
nothing was further from my mind. I simply referred the
Committee to Sir Nevil Macready, with whom I had already
discussed the matter, and said what I personally thought the
best place for a base.
Naturally no action could be taken without consulting the
C.-in-C., E.E.F.; as a matter of fact I did forward a copy of
this telegram to G.H.Q., and also a letter in which I
recommended Jerusalem as a base.
I attach copy of my letter and, at the same time, I regret that
my advice re Hospital at Jerusalem was not taken. If a Jewish
Hospital had been established there, before the recent
operations took place, much unnecessary suffering and many
deaths would have been avoided. Men of the Jewish Battalions,
who were very ill indeed, were lying about in hundreds on wet
ground in Jerusalem, because there was no room for them in the
overcrowded hospitals, and it was quite impossible to get our
sick evacuated for days after they had really become cot cases.
It was no fault of the Medical Officers on the spot; it was
simply impossible to cope with the sick for want of Medical
Officers and hospital accommodation. I may mention that of the
Battalion under my command alone there are 27 Officers and 824
other ranks in hospital, as a result of the Jordan Valley and
subsequent operations.
In conclusion I must say I am somewhat surprised that a private
communication which I sent to a private individual in July last
should be produced at this stage.
I again and most emphatically state that I advised no course of
action, merely gave my private opinion, and had no idea of any
such action when I sent the cable.
(Signed) J. H. PATTERSON, Lt.-Colonel,
Commanding 38th Battn. Royal Fusiliers.
In the Field,
19/10/18.
As a result of the representations made by the Medical Committee in
England on behalf of the Jewish Battalions, a Staff of Jewish Nurses, in
charge of Sister Oppenheimer, were sent out to the 27th General Hospital
at Abbasieh, near Cairo, and I have on many occasions heard expressions
of gratitude showered on these nurses by men who had been under their
care.
It will be remembered that a number of Palestinian Jewish ladies
volunteered for Nursing Service as soon as the British occupied Jaffa
and Jerusalem. I had strongly urged that their offer of service should
be accepted and that they should be taken on and trained, for I foresaw
that they would be required as soon as a determined effort to oust the
Turk from Palestine was made.
Unfortunately, my advice was not taken, for, as I have already shown,
they were sadly needed in Jerusalem.
Later on about half-a-dozen Jewish ladies, including the Misses Berline,
who were well known in Jaffa and Jerusalem, were enrolled and attached
to the General Hospital at Belah. I went there on more than one occasion
to see my men, and on enquiring from the Matron-in-Charge how the Jewish
nurses were getting on she told me that she had never had better or more
conscientious workers under her in all her experience.
It was deplorable that the Staff had ignored the voluntary offer of the
Jewish ladies until it was almost too late to make use of their
services.