It was not until the latter part of the affair that I was called upon
to deal with any wounded, and then a rapid succession of cases were
either carried or managed to walk to the main deck after, where,
assisted by the first-aid party, I cleansed and dressed their wounds.
Two or three returned to duty the same afternoon, the others being
placed in the wardroom temporarily after dressings had been applied, a
reliable first-aid man being placed in charge. In addition, one case
was treated at the forward station, and later on in the day a man who
had received a somewhat severe contusion and abrasion of the thigh from
a spent fragment of shell reported himself. Seven of the eight cases
were wounds due to fragments of shell and splinters of steel or wood
from the ship. The exception was a scald of the forearm, sustained by
a stoker while investigating a steam pipe burst by an exploding shell.
While I was occupied with the cases mentioned above, we had taken
the destroyer _Laertes_ in tow, she being temporarily disabled by
gunfire; and the order coming to retire, we proceeded from the scene
of action for some considerable distance, when I was ordered to go to
the _Laertes_ to attend to some seriously wounded, and tranship them.
The _Laertes_ was cast off, and lay some two cables away. Arriving on
board I found the worst case was that of a young stoker in a serious
condition from shock and loss of blood. He had sustained several shell
wounds, one of which involved the left tibia and fibula, some two
inches of the tibia being torn away from its middle third.
Around this patient the deck was covered with blood, and so slippery
that I had to send for cloths to be put down to enable me to keep a
footing. The condition of the deck enabled one to form an idea of how
decks were on the _Mainz_, where 200 men were killed. Near by were two
others, somewhat less severely wounded, lying on the deck, while just
behind me lay two figures covered with the Union Jack. The wounded
had all received first aid, the wounds being neatly dressed, but
considerable hemorrhage was going on. Returning with these cases to
the _Fearless_ I found several other wounded had already been brought
on board from other destroyers. The sick bay, which had been prepared
to receive the most serious cases, was soon filled, and others were
sitting or lying on the mess deck near by.
Owing to the probable proximity of the enemy I had to bear in mind the
necessity for all possible speed, which was awkward, as they required
very careful handling. However, I hurried up as much as I was able.
Sudden manoeuvring or the shock of shells hitting us might make our
work impossible. Firstly, iodine was applied to the majority of wounds
and their immediate area, and a fresh temporary dressing applied. Then
ably assisted by the sick-berth steward and two first-aid men, I spent
the next few hours in endeavoring to get these, for the most part, very
dirty patients, as clean as possible. It should be added that, at this
stage, morphia was administered by hypodermic injection to three or
four cases, and again once or twice during the night. It was found to
be very beneficial.
Many of the men had lost an arm and a leg, and in some cases both arms
and legs. Several poor fellows had their faces almost entirely blown
away.
I had prepared masks of lint for the faces, specially medicated, to
relieve the terrible burns caused by the picric acid used in shells.
A German seaman, a brawny young fellow, suffered much pain and
considerable loss of blood from a wound in his left foot. Examination
showed the presence of a piece of metal, embedded in the lower part of
the instep, from underneath which steady oozing of blood was occurring.
I put the patient under chloroform, and he was kept lightly under,
most excellently, by the Paymaster, while I removed the fragment of
shell and many pieces of loose bone. The removal proved more difficult
than I had anticipated, owing to the numerous "talons" the piece of
shell possessed. These pointed in all directions, and were embedded in
the bones of the foot so firmly that it was rather like the extraction
of a huge molar with a dozen or more distorted fangs. The fragment
weighed some six ounces, and its removal gave the patient great relief.
A German seaman had compound comminuated fracture of right radius,
ulna, and humerus, due to a huge wound in the neighborhood of the
elbow. Multiple wounds of face and body and a scalp wound. This man
appeared to be suffering from severe shock, was at times wandering in
his mind, but at others quite clear. The wound in the scalp was found
later to penetrate the skull in the left frontal region. He died after
several days in hospital.