St John Review (1978)

VISUAL AIDS

The SJA Mul t i-Media App ra isall!'anel, whic11 cQ mprises doctorB, nurs-e!Y fi r!Ytaiders and visual aid exp erts, is o ne (jf the offiCially appoil1l.ed panels of the Britis h M edi cal A s sociation. It s revie ws ar e also publish ed in th e BMA Information '.

HYGIENE IN THE JOB SITUATION. Tape/Slide Presentation. Purchase Price: £39.

Kit K - FOOD POISONING AND YOu. 24 trans. Distributed by: Guild Sound & Vision Ltd, Woodston House, Oundle Road, Peterb0r"ough PE2 9PZ. This presentation is a bound c cmtainer with commentary script and question and answ€r sheet.

Content: This kit sums up information in previous kits about food poisoning - its causes and the fa(;tors involved in its spread and control.

Appraisal: Kit K is the final pFesentation in this series 'Hygiene in the Job Situation The entire series is prese n ted in well-bound oontainers the tramsparemcies a rr e neatly and spotted, the €: ommenta FY is clearly typed and sallient points givcm , and the entire packaging motably g(')od.

Food Poisoning And You is a summing-up amd is certainly one of the best of the series but once again it is on the dull side , rep€titive and carries no great impact. For what it is the price is not low.

THE V1iSUALLY HANDICAPPEID. Tape/Strip/Slide Presentation.

Price Slides, £6.95; Cassetted tape, £3.95; Printed commentary, 50p. Distrihuted by: Camerra Talk>s Limited, 31 North !tow, Loml(i)1i1 W lR 2EN.

Part 2: The Advancing Years. 43 trans.

Part 3: Growing Up With A Handicap. 26 trans. This series endeavours to explore the world of visual handicap and show se rvices available to those affecteQ by it.

Part 2: programme discusses the needs of old citizens and the way in which these needs are met; it is a simple production which €:ontains pl€nty <of rrelevamt imforIimation, all of which slr1@wld incite enqui rr y by those affected.,

Part 3: This is less interesting than Part 2 and all -in -all is but an average presentation.

It is difficult to imagine the precise audience at which these presentatigns are aimed - they are not detailed enough for social workers although there is no reason why the public at large should not find them of interrest.

I AM YOUR H llE ART. TapelSlide programme. 15 (rrans.

Price: Slides Cassetted tape £3.95; Printed commentarry 50p.

Distributed by: Camera Talks Ltd, 31 North Row, lLondon W lR 2EN.

Content: The working of the heart and its components.

Appraisal: The heart is the commentator in this presentation a Fl d this first person effect is movel. The programme is interesting and factual but it is difficult t o define its objectives amd intended audie mce There are to@ many te elnmicall terms fo rr a lay audiem oe yet it does show cleaFly the workings of the heart amd e>ffers advice re exercise and di'et.

Audience: Difficult to defoine accl!lrately.

I'M NO FOOL WITH ELECTRICITY. 16 mm film. 8 mins. Hire

Fee: 2 days. £6.

Distributed by: Guild Sound & Vision Ltd.

Content: Jimmy Cricket shows children the basic rules. of electrical safety - hcs 1!l ses garmes amd songs to inc.ulcate good safety habits.

Appraisal: This Jimmy Cricket eaJli to Oi1l is less ef fective than others specifically since AmeJi ican plugs a nd terrnilJology differ fro m the U.K ; nonetheless it is harmless a md amusing

Audience: The younger element.

THE TREATMENT OF MINOR INJURIES. Tape/Strip/Slide presentation.

Price each Part: Casse t te £3.50; Slides £5.95; Script SOp.

Distrributed &y: Camera 'ifallks Limited, 31 North Row, London WIR 2E N

Supervised by: Ms Susan Foster & Dr. Ward G a rdner.

Part 1: 37 Transparencies. The home treatment of minor injuriesthey can be treated by adults or by children themselves under super v ision Injuries include an injured arm from a thorn , a cut leg , a small burn , sunburns, a bumped head, black eye and splinters.

Part 2: 32 Transparencies. Injuries include ' something in the eye a foreign o bject in the nose and ear o f a chi ld , cmoking, dog bites, bee sti mgs , Cliou rnp wind and sti t ch and con cl ude by s howing items reoommended for a home First Aid kit.

Appraisal: There is need for a simple audio visual aid that gives clean concise treatment for first aid in the home environment and this presentation nearl y meets that need. The situations portrayed are minor and clear advice about thcs desirability of a doctor ' s advice is clearly given for any injury other than minor or anything at all doubtful.

The treatment fOI[ minor b urns which incll!ldes a is not cOlilsiderlild entirely sound -a dry gauze is preferable - the advice to leave dressings on wounds for several days is doubtful and reference is not made to allerg y to melolin. Finally ,. the presentation fails to emphasiz e that loving care and kindness is essential.

However, the presentation would be useful if an instructo r is present.

BOOKS

MEMOIRS OF A SURGEON by Hedley Atkins

Springwood Qooks Ltd, 11 Garrick St. London, WC2E 9AR. Price

£3.95

It is sometimes said that anyone who reaches a mature age and indeed some who do not , has accumulated material of sufficient intere s to create a book

This is a superb example.

They are the memoirs of a man; no more a surgeon than a student , a husband, a father, a sailor, a m examiner, a t ra velling professor or a oommit t ee rn a n wh6l has hamessed with wisdom t he fruits of opport l!l lility as a challenge to a full amd exciting life

The story of his life , no more, no les s, is t old with candour and wit , embellished with sketches of those that he met on his way and with comments at times very much to the point.

His observations of the qualities necessary for a are pregnant with thought and are full of interest for the lay or profession a l, and of great value for those seeking kmowledge for plan ming a career of this sort.

Hi s; he art is lost fi o Shakespe a re on the evening he hears the faliewell of Romeo beneath the balcony and his soul is found during a night alone with Susan on the Suffolk saltings.

He is honest enough to admit that the speech he made from the heart immediately after election to the Presidency of the Royal College of Surgeons was composed some t ime before, indicating his confidence in his ability to take the chair with distinction , which he undoubtedly did and obviou s ly reg aJrr ded his three yea r s in offi 0e a s his rnnagnus

opu s It is full of interest and beautifuIi ly t old and I am confidel1lt that the reader will find a s much enjoyment as the author im writing it.

P. H. Newman

ST. JOHN

REVIEW

THE JOURNAL OF ST JOHN

Contents

Visual Ai ds - Book s, i nside fr o nt c ov e r

At Random b y Watkin W Wi l liam s p

Grand Pri o r 's T ro ph y com pet ition s p.2

SJA girls and t he r ship go a'voya gin g by Jo yce Zielinsk pA

A p robl e m s so lv ed in B ath p 7

Around an d About , by th e Editor p 8

OurHAT -a n d y o urHA I R p. 1 2

Inv estit ures, Nov. 14 and D ec. 1 p .14

Rea d er s Vi ew s p. 16

SJA an d W e lfa r e: Th e Futur e, b y Eri c M c K e rli e p 19

News from Sco tl a n d - Wal e s - Ov e rs eas p .2 0

Nottingham - a n eye - o pe ner p. 21

N ews f r om Divi s ion s/ Cent res p.2 2

EDITORIAL an d A DVE R TISEMENTS

Edited a nd prod u ce d fo r th e Orde r of St Jo hn by D risco Produ cti o n s, W oo d H gh Corner Butl ey, N W on d brid ge, Su ffo lk P 12 3QF.

Pho ne Orford (St d 039 4 5) 5 48 Ed tor Fra nk Dri sco ll.

A dv ert is in g, d spl ay an d c ass fie d , rat es o n re que st ro m Dri sco ll Prod uc ti o n s.

Price 3 Qp monthl y £ 4 .3 0 p er a nnu m, in clu d ng po

A T RANDOM

by Watkin W. Williams

EACH indi vidual member of St. John Ambulance will no doubt remember one part icular occasion which , for him or her , wa s the clima x of our Centenary Year and will stand out as a trea sured memory throughout the years to come. But it will not of course be one and the same occasion for all. For many of those in London District it will surely be the Service of Re-dedication and Thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey on December 11 , and fortunate i ndeed are those whose involvement in such an event can gi ve them the inspiration and the strength to carryon into our second century and make it an even more glorious fulfilment of the two mottoes of our Order than the first century has been. For many others , not merely in the United Kingdom but in all the countries and territories where the St. John Ambulance Foundation exists and operates throughout the world , there will be a whole host of other occasions - some of them very personal and individual - that will stand out in memory as their St. John high-light for 1977.

But the work of St. John Ambulance during the past hundred years has above all been about the teaching and learning and performing of better first aid and nursing skills throughout the whole of the community to which we belong , so that an ever-increasing number of members of that community - the vast majority of them acting in a purely voluntary capacity - can not merely save lives and alle viate suffering at tragic moments when some sudden and large-scale clisaster befalls ; not merely help the injured and the sick where ver we chance to come across them in our homes , at our work , during our travels , our leisure activities and sports and on great public occasions , but further develop in all of us the desire and the ability to offer that compassionate care which will increase the ' wholeness of every member of the human family.

So , from the practical point of view , as far as St. John training in our own country is concerned , it may well be said tha t the Grand Prior ' s Trophy Competitions held in L ondon on November 29 provided a fitting climax to our centenary year ' s training programme -a climax all the more memorable because it was graced by the presence of H RH The Gr a nd Prior to present his Trophy and to give (continue d on p .ll)

Gra ·nd Prior's Trophy

Boisover

lsover Co ll iery Ambulance Division 's team conip eted the double (by winning t h e Grand Pr or's Trop h y and the Brigade Fina ls) for the 4th time during the ast 10 yea r s They also won both of these major nationa l competitions in

(Far left) Our fine ship , the Sir Winston Churc hill

awa it s us in Ipsw ch d ock. (Left) the SJA girls all ready to put to sea - with Mark Tennant of H eadquarters, who came to see them off (Below, eft) Joyce, who wrote this article, oins sh ip with p lenty of warm gear

SJA girls and their ship go , . a voyaging

ON SATURDAY , May 7 1977, I travelled to Ipswich with my parents. We arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Scarlott where we received a warm welcome and a hot cup of tea.

The Sir Winston Churchill was already docked , and Mr. Searl ott directed us to her so that my parents could see my ' home' for the next two weeks. When we arrived we could easily see the ship, as her masts were the tallest in the dock.

Unfortunatley there were so many people queuing to see the Churchill that my parent s could not get on board , so after a while we went back and m y parents returned home to Bedford By then some of the girls in the Brigade

party had turned up , so we got to know each other while waiting for the others to arrive.

When everyone had assembled, we were split up and taken to the people with whom we were to spe nd the night. Susan Bree, a member from 1 ersey, and I we r e taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Little. We were to share the room of their daughter Rosie, also a Brigade member who had recently spent three weeks at the St. 10hn camp in Australia. We settled our belongings for the night , and while Mrs. Little treated u s to cake and tea, I discovered that s he had been the chaperon to the cadet teams I h ad been in at the Regional Competitions about two years before. Thi s, of course, broke the ice

completely , although there was not really any ice to break as everyone we had met had been very friendly.

After a while we travelled to the Division s HQ where a ll the girls were to meet for a supper party so that we would have the chance to get to know each other before boarding the ship the next day. The evening was a great success, and J believe we all felt relieved that we would know some of the people on board.

The next day at lunch we were introduced to Mr. Mark Tennant, w ho had come from Headquarters in London to see us gir ls off.

After lunch we went down to the dock in plenty of time to board by 2 o'clock. When we arrived I was surprised and delighted to

I waved goodbye to my parents. I was on my Arst trip away from home on my own.

We started stowing our gea r , and were then called up on deck. We were to go down to the chartroom, o n e by one , to have a few wo rd s w ith the e.0 (C hief Officer) before meeting the Captain, signing on and handing over our passports, money and valuables to the Purser.

We then finished stowing our gear and carried out the tasks we had already been set. I helped to t ake down a lar ge canopy at t h e stern (b lunt e nd ) of the ship that had been e r ected to shelter visitors.

Later in the afternoon we were all mustered on the Half Deck (which is where the trainees eat and sleep) where we were introduced to the crew. The captain then told us our proposed route, across the North Sea to Den Helder in Holland, up to Esbjerg in Denmark, back to Amsterdam, and then to Hull.

We should sail between three and five o'clock the next afternoon.

Each trainee had been provided with a working smock, an armband showing watch and number, and a jumper with 'Sir Winston Churchill ' across the front (mine was the wrong size and full of holes!). We were told to look after the armbands and not to lose them , on pain of forfeiting shore eave!

Ship's routine

The routine of the ship was explained to us, and before sailing the next day the Bosun (Boatswain) and the e.0. tried to teach us all they could about the working of the ship, how each sail was hoisted and controlled, how to brace the yards and switch the runners. We were told not to try to learn which rope did what but Arst pull on one. and if it moved the part of the ship we wanted it to - heave away!

For the second year running, SJA teenagers have been sponsored for 2 -week cruises on the Sail Training Association's schooners. JOYCE ZIELINSKI, a nursing member from Bedford, tells us how the girls enjoyed life under sail.

Part 1

see my parents waiting for me. Thinking the ship was sa ilin g that day, they had returned from Bedford to see u s off. But once more they were out of lu ck, as she didn't sail until the next day.

My father, who is a keen photographer, took some pictures of the ship and the girls, which he gave me when I got back from the trip.

After handin g up our kit-bags, we boarded a nd were told our s h ip's numbers, which we would be known by during the cruise. I was Z II - that is mizze n watc h number II

Since there were thirteen people in each watch , this left three spare. These spent one full day as day -wo rk ers / galley rat, whic h meant they worked for t h e Bosun or the Chef in turn. These jobs were exempt from watch duties for 24 hours. so they were very popular!

Safety drills

On Monday we had Are and lifeboat drill explained to us, which was a necessity before setting sail. Every crew-member had a job to do in the event of fire; mine was to collect the No.4 Are extinguishe r from the chart- r oom. When we had a run through the routine, I rushed to my extinguisher only to And it securely jammed under a shelf. Afte r much tugging and pulling (and a helpful hand from a watch officer) it came free and I heaved it up the steps and along the deck. Th ankfull y there was no need to use the drill whi e at sea. The lifeboat drill was much simpler. You just dropped whatever you were doing and rushed to your lifeboat. in my case one of those on the bridge.

Before sailing we all had the chance to climb to the craw's nest, so that we would know what to expect when we had to fist in a sail from one of the yards. But of course it is very different to go aloft when the ship is sailing than when she is tied up safely in port!

That Sunday night watches started and continued round -the-clock until we reached ' our fina destinat ion of Hull. Watches were di v id ed into groups of four hours, except for the dog -watches which were two hours each. The dog - watches are to break the routine. so that each group does not stand the same watch each day. On each deck watch there were ten people, split into two groups of five, plus a watch officer. The two groups shared each four hour watch on a one-hour -on, one-hour-ofT basis. The posts they filled were: port and starboard lookouts, who were to report anyth in g they saw on the sea: a helmsman, who took the wheel; a note-taker. who wrote down all the things that happened to the ship, such as gybing, tacking, course alte r ation, etc, and kept a re cord of wind force. barometer temperature. sky cover, log, etc; and a messenger, who was used to cover all the other jobs that came up, including making coffee for the watch officer.

During Monday morning while practising sail handling, another girl, Pip, and I were summoned to see the captain. We went immediately, both wondering what we could have done wrong since boarding. When we reached the chart-room the captain was smiling and introduced us to two reporters from 'Yachting News'. Pip and I, it seemed, came from the area where the magazine was distributed and the editor wanted to publish a feature about us We were interviewed and photographed and as a result we appeared on the front page!

We sail

At about 3 o'clock the pilot who was to see us down the River Orwell to the sea came aboard, the gangway was raised and we were away. My watch - mizzen - were on duty as we left Ipswich. I was working with the chef. as I was galley rat for t he da y. This should have meant that I finished at about 9pm, and could sleep through without a watch until 6 o clock the next morning. but somehow the system became muddled and I ended up being on the midnight till 4am watch. having worked in the galley till late! As soon as we had cleared the land, gybing and tacking were drilled. These are methods of bringing the wind from one side of the ship to the other.

The next day we had our first full introduction to 'Happy Hour'. This occurred

every morning between 9 and 10 o'clock and was anything but happy! Each trainee was allocated a certain area of the ship which she had to clean, scrub, sweep and shine, whether in harbour or at sea. The areas were changed at the end of the first week, so that those who had nasty jobs, such as cleaning the heads , would have an easier, cleaner job for the second week, and viceversa. I was lucky for both weeks, as first I had the permanent crew's quarters to clean, and then the bosun's mate and assistant cook's cabin.

By now we were well on our way. The sea wasn't very rough and the wind was with us , so we made good time and reached Den Helder about 24 hours after leaving Ipswich Coming into port , all the large mooring ropes had to be dragged out of the aft hold and made ready for mooring The fenders (old motor tyres) were also brought out on deck and hung over the side to prevent the ship from knocking against the harbour wall.

Mad girls

While we were in Den Helder it was like being in a cage at the zoo. Everyone came to look at the mad English girls taking a topsail schooner across the high seas! Before going ashore we were assembled on the Half Deck and the perils of a foreign port were explained to us. We had to be back on board by 10.30 ship's time (Greenwich time), which was 11 .3 0 shore time The time on board ship is never moved forward or back - it remains constant.

There was shore leave on Tuesday evening as soon as the galley had been cleaned. All crew members were allowed ashore except those on harbour watch. This meant that two trainees kept watch instead of five , as the other three were not needed in port (ie port and starboard lookout, and helmsman). The watches were made even easier by being only an hour long , and volunteers were asked for. This was a good arrangement as not everyone wanted to go ashore at the same time, so those left on board usually coped with the watches. The next day shore leave was split, so that half the trainees could go ashore in the morning after Happy Hour ', and the res t J could go ashore in the afternoon. Mizzen were allowed ashore in the morning but unfortunately by the time we reached the shopping centre all the shops were closing for lunch. We ju s t managed to buy some stamps and post our cards before returning to the ship.

We left Den Helder on Wednesday afternoon about 4pm with a fairly strong wind behind us. For the rest of the night we steered 360 degrees (north), which kept the wind at around 30 degrees to our stern on the port side. At 4am we tacked to bring the wind 30 degrees starboard of our stern.

We were at sea all day Thursday, heading for our next port of call, Esbjerg ill Denmark. By now we were used to the ship's routine, including getti ng up in the middle of the night to go on watch.

It was 'All hands on deck' as we came into Esbjerg at 6 o'clock Friday morning. From then until after dinner we were scrubbing decks (again), polishing all the brass in sight with Duraglit (again!) and coiling all the ropes in a neat harbour stow. Harbour stow is different 'from a normal stow, in that the ropes are all very neatl y coiled, some of them in decorative circles, making the Churchill all ship-shape and Bristol fashion ! After dinner and he galley had been cleaned we were allowed ashore. It was in Esbjerg, while shopping for souvenirs, that a lot of the girls experienced 'land sickness'.

This is very real indeed, as I found out when loo king around a pottery shop All t he s helv es we re stacked from floor to ceil in g with crockery and g la ss, and r had the unnerving fee ling that they were moving towards me! I looked around and saw some of the other girls from the ship gazing wildly about the s h op and heading for the door! It was quite a relief to get back o n board for s upper

We had shore leave again after we had

AMBULANCE FOR ...

eaten and the galley had be e n cleaned. I went for a sho rt walk, as J was on watch from 9 to IOpm This gave me a long night's rest; I could actually sleep without interruption un ti l 5.30 next morning!

At 10 o'clock on Saturday morning (after an ea rl y Happy Hour!) we went on a coach tour of Esbjerg, w hich had been laid on at a nominal fee by the Merchant Seaman's committee.

First we were shown the dock area , which now a rgely handle s container freight and then the fishing harbour. Our guide proudly told us that all the fish is frozen as quickly as possible after landi n g, thus making the harbour the cleanest and most smell-free in Europe. We got out of the coach to have a c loser look at the colourful boats and to take pictures - and were greeted by a terrible po n g of smelly fish!

The guide quickly ushered us back into the coach and on to our next stop, the sa lt water aquari um , where we sawa ll types of fish as they would be in the sea. We were very glad we had not been shown around the aquarium on Friday - before our fi sh dinner!

We finished the tour with a trip around t he beautiful houses of the suburbs, and arrived back at the ship for dinner. Our watch were on second sitting, so before eating we ree fed the mizzen sai as the captain thought we were headin g for rough weather. Reefing the sa il means that it is tied in s uch a way that the canvas area is reduced This was also done to the main sail.

(continued n ext month)

A problem is solve'd in Bath

VEHICLE TO SERVE MANY PURPOSES

ABOUT 18 months ago, we at Bath City Ambulance Division had a problem. One of our three amb ulan ces was very old and badl y needed replacin g At about the same time we had a series of all day duties in bad weather conditions and our nursing members said they would like: a tent or caravan to work in: Due to the usual lack of money , we had to decide which we needed most , for we couldn't afford both.

The inevitable committee was formed to resolve the problem. We decided against a tent for various reasons - storage problems when wet, bad wo rkin g light, time taken to erec t and dismantle, etc. We then discounted a ca ra van because of problems of towing. All of which left the nursing member s unhappy.

But eventually a compromise was reached. If a suitable vehic le could be found, it could be u sed as a mobile dressing station.

We thought of converting a bus - too big , too costly and difficult to find garage space. We looked at several vans, but found they were bodil y unsuitable. We then heard that Bath City ambu lance service, now taken

over by Avon Area Health Authority, was disposing of su rplu s vehicles.

One of the vehicles being sold was a large Karrier - Dennis type ambulance with a large working area in the back. We decided to make an offer for the vehicle, which was accepted. At about this time the Rotary Club of Bath informed us that the proceeds of their 1976 cocktail party would go to St. John, and at a memorable cocktail part y in Bath 's famous Guildhall banqueting room, over £600 was raised for our mobile dressing station project.

Then came the hard work, with many of our members turning up on odd evenings and weekends to help. Motor mechanics and engineers were overhauling the engine and electrics, and fitting a radio communications receiver. A carpenter (with advice from a local caravan manufacturer) was building cupboard units with built-in sink and cooker , etc. Other members were cleaning painting , fitting trolley stretcher and other equipment, etc. All under the supervision of Trans/Off.

J. Harris.

After advice from our Div. Surgeon Dr.

R. Snook, who is also the loca hospital casualty and accident consultant, va rious equipment was purchased including oxygen, Entonox , resuscitators and intubation and transfusion equipment for use by doctor s and SRNs.

Eventually everything was ready and last July members of the Bath Di visions gathered at HQ for the presentation by Bath Rotar y Club. The ambulance was presented b y Rotar y President, Dr. Noel Newman and rece ived by Divisional President Major K. A. B. Dawes and Div. Supt. R. C. Ashman , who asked the Rev . K. Stewart to dedicate it to 'the furtherance of the work of St. John Ambulance',

Major Dawes thanked the Rotar y Club of Bath for their ge nerosity in providing us with an article of equipment, so useful for our work in helping the suffering and wounded'. The result of a year of hard work is a vehicle which can be used as ambulance, dressing station, or just to make ourselves a cup of tea. A vehicle of which we at Bath are proud.

R C. Ashman , DilJ. Supt.

BABYGRAM

The following telegram (Babygram) was sent from Headquarters to Princess Anne during November: To: Her Royal Highness The Princess Anne Mrs. Mark Phillips Buckingham Palace. All St. John Cadets send Your Royal Highness and Captain Mark Phillips their loyal greetings and hearty congratulations on this very happy occasion

The following telegram was then received: To: St. John Ambulance Cadets, I Grosvenor Crescent, London SW 1. We were delighted to receive your message. Thank you very much. Anne.

A BIG THANKS

The Post Office Ambulance Centre, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1977 organised a collection fund for the POAC and St. John Ambulance. Over £10 ,000 was raised - two-thirds of which was sent to the Association Branch for its centenary funds and the other third to the Hospitaller for the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem. A fine achievement - and a big thank you to every member of the Post Office staff throughout Britain.

SJA AIR SERVICES

It is evident that a considerable amount of confusion exists in the minds of many officers and members concerning the activities of the Air Wing and our Aeromedical Services

These are two separate and distinct activities.

The Air Wing consists of a number of highly trained pilots , who are Auxiliaries of St. John, and whose mission is to fly human spare parts (mostly kidneys) to the nearest airfield to the hospital where a suitable recipient is awaiting a transplant operation.

Most of their flying is done at night in support of the Department of Health and

AROUND and ABOUT

WHATS GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN

Social Security. Their work is co -o rdinated by a team of controller s - some auxiliaries, some full members - who maintain a 24hour standby at a control centre at Epping, Essex.

Policy and direction is provided by a committee of pilots and controllers under the chairmanship of the Commissioner-in-Chief.

Readers will be interested to know that 3 10 successful missions have been flown since the formation of the Air Wing in 1971.

This means that the useful lives of some 310 individuals have been prolonged by the efforts of these dedicated members in the past six years.

The Aeromedical Services ha s developed from the old Air Attendant Service which really started in 1956 , although the first invalid carried by air and attended by a member of the Order ' s Invalid Transport Corps happened as long ago as 192 4 . This service was reorganised and greatly expanded under Mr. George Woodhill as the first Director of Aeromeeical Services in 1975. The function of this service is to provide highly trained Brigade members to act as Air Attendants to accompany casualties and patients by air to and from anywhere in the world. The majorit y of these attendants are doctors and nurses who have taken the Air Attendants ' Course and gone on to further specialist training. Most of

JERSEY

Cadets formed a guard of honour f o Princess Margaret at the Royal Gala Performan ce in aid of St John Ambulance held at the Odeon Cinema Jersey, during October. Arranged by Sir William and Lady Butlin the evening's entertainers included Moreca mbe and Wise , Vera Lynn. Arthur Askey and Frankie Vaughan. Lady Butlin presented a cheque for (10 ,000 to Princess Margaret for St. John Ambulance (Photo Eveni ng. Post Jersey)

these mis s ions are carried out in ordinary airliners on sc heduled services usually with a screened stretcher replacing three or more seats. However when the nature of the infirmit y, or the destination so dem ands, an aircraft Atted for ambulance work is chartered.

Mr. Woodhill is a member of the Headquarters staff and operates under the general direction of the Commissioner - inChief.

So far this year the Aeromedical Services has carried out 27 a ir ambulance flights in specia ll y chartered aircraft and 85 sched uled air flights, a total of 112 flights. In 19 76, they made 94 fli ghts; in 1975,44. ]n addition there have been 8 land /s ea escort and 81 road ambulance t ransport duties.

RINGING

THE CHANGES

Saying it with music, say in g it with song, saying it with verse or rh yme - none of these is an unusual way of paying compliments or congratulating anyone.

But on Saturday, November 19, the Lancashire Association of Change Ringer s said congratulations and best wishes to St. John Ambulance on its 100 Years of Service to Mankind by dedicating a peal of 5008 changes on the bells of the St. Annes -on -Sea Pari sh Church , Lancashire.

One of the band ' ringing the change was Nursing Member Christine Blyth, of the Lytham-St. Annes Nursing Division. The conductor was Cyril Crosthwaite. The 5008 changes took 3 hours 2 minute s to play.

LONDON APPEAL

'People and organisations in Greater London are today having an unique opportunity; they will have the chance to say 'Thank you' to St. John Ambulance', said Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Elworthy, at a press conference in November.

He was launching the £100,000 Centenary Appeal to purchase mobile first aid units and equipment for London District.

CLEANER FOOD

The Association Branch and the Environmental Health Officers Association jointly launched a project for cleaner food courses fpr workers in the food industry in December. For the first time in Britain,

BY THE EDITOR

MIND BENDERS

Find th e first aid word or words in the clue. Th e numb e of letters in the answer is given.

I. Go back with 6 toward s initial letter. (4).

2. Headgear. 'under he weather" sign of ram. ( I).

3. Ursu a is cut o fT after a lie. (6).

4. Sound s like an expletive befor e sto c king acc dent. (7).

An swe r s : Upside down - are at the bo ttom of page 10 N o cheating.

courses on basic food hygiene training will be offered in St. John Ambulance centres through out the cou ntr y.

TOP OF THE PEW

In 1973 the co mmittee of the Bromley Common Group of Churches decided to institute , as a light -hearted means of fosterin g friendship between churches of all denomination s, a general knowledge quiz tournament called Top of the Pew. Heats were held in the various church halls, and entrance was free - exce pt for the Anal at wh ic h an admission fee was charged, the proceed s going to a loca charity. The tournament was a great s ucce ss, and lots of new fri endsh ip s were forged across the whole spectrum of congregat ions, from Roman Catholics to Salvation Army. It became an annual event, and more and more Bromley churches joined in. 1977 being the St. John Ambulance Centenary the proceeds from the final. on November 14 , were in aid of SJA Bromley Divi sio n s. Dickie Davies , of LTV s World of Sport and a well - known supporter of St. John gave his serv ic es as questionmasterand an excellent one he was , too. (Incidentally, he had to mi ss an important sporting dinner to be at Bromley that night).

The troph y was presented to the winning team by Area Commissioner Arthur Bone (South - Eastern Area London District), and a vote of thanks was given by Colonel B. R. Wood Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London in Bromley, who is President of the Bromley Corps, SJ A.

The photo (right) shows th e winning team, St. Swithun 's RC Church, Bromley Common, with the questionmaster, Dickie Davies. (L to R) - Miss Evelyn Holdsworth, sc hoolteacher; Mr. David

A sponsored spell of 25 difficult words rai sed (500 for SJA Avon Amanda Ran som, of Bristol s Stoke Bi shop Prim ary S c hool h ands the cheque to Mrs Joan' Bourns chairman of SJA 's fund - raising committee. Left s Miss Myra Meredith Avon press officer

Crawford, journalist; Miss Dorothy Boyle, retired schoolteacher; and John BedeIIs Corps Staff Officer Bromley Corps , captain of the team and organiser of Top of the Pew. Th anks to an exce ll ent attendance at the Whitfield Hall, a cheque for £89 was later presented to Miss M. R. Crosdale. Corps Supt , Bromley Corps.

KNIGHT COMMANDER

Dr. John Tanner, a member of the Order s Chapter - General, has been created a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Gregory by His Holiness The Pope in recognition of international educational and ecumenical work.

HUNGRY

r hear that a survival cairn. built by a UK SJA party in Canada's N -W Territory two years ago, has been opened by a group of starving eskimos. Oh well - our new young Labrador had the dinner off the kitchen table the other day and he's still with us.

MILLION-TO-ONE

59 -y ear -o ld Harry Beasley of London 's Hackney Division, who saved a man from drowning last July (A & A. Nov. Review)it's Harry not Henry, as repo rt ed ear lier - was commended for his action by the Hackn ey Council in November. A week later, Harry, who is a keen angler. was TOP OF

THE PEW

fishing the River Lea when he spotted

body. which he managed to get to the bank with his fishing line. Mr. Beasle y waved down a low-flying police helicopter and the local police were called who later identified the body as the man Harr y had rescued three months be fore. 'It was a million-to-one chance against my coming across the same man,' said Harry.

FI RST FOR YEARS

For the first time in many years a county training day for cadets was held recently in Wiltshire. It proved a great success.

Held in the Salisbury HQ the programme was arranged by CSOs Mrs. J. Mercer and Mr. S. Snook and included such contrasting subjects as Care of Pets and a report of a visit by Ambulance Cadet Adrian Mears to the jubilee camp in New Zealand. Other interesting sections included radio communications, a naval film entitled Handle with Care, and an ambulance and its equipment open to examination.

For the Care of Pets talks, given by two cadet divisional presidents. Miss J. MacArthur and Dr. Lynn Francis, both of

IN MEMORY

lettering by

G. Stee

whom are 've ts', six pets which fascinated the cadets. were brought along to points. A number of animal skulls were also available for inspection.

Despite the varied nature of the programme, perhaps the most beneficial aspect was the opportunity which the cadets had of talking to each other and of taking part in an open discuss io n session w hich was led by County Surgeon Colonel M arks. The friendly spirit was further encouraged by a camp concert, which involved most of the divisions present and wound up a most interesting and e njoyable day.

COURSES

Details of the 1978 two to four -day courses at Castle Prior y College. the training centre

of The Spa st ics Society. can be obtained from Castle Priory College, Thames St. W a llingford, Oxon OX 10 ONE.

IN

FINALS

r hear that among the finalists of the BandAid SJ Emergency Aid com petition (Dec. Review) was Wolverhampton Combined Division's Superintendent John Lumleywho finished as a runner - up in the n atio nwide contest. Mr. Lumley - his division rep orts he 's an excellent first -aider - h as receiv ed a Royal Humane Society certificate for sav in g a man's life at work.

ON THE BALL

I he a r th at two films on fire and its prevention were due to be sc reened for the SJ A multi-media appraisal panel at Headquarter s on Nov. 15 - the first day of the Fireman ' s strike, So all available H Q staff members were prudently invited to come along and see the fil ms too. both of w hich proved excellent.

The films were I 'M NO FOOL WITH FIRE, a Walt Disney cartoon which cost £6 to hire from Guild Sound & Vision Ltd , Woodston House. Oundle Rd. Peterb orough PE2 9PZ; and APPOINTMENT WITH FIRE. the lat est o n th s s ubject from the Army. which consists of four true stories that happened in B.A.O.R. In some respects the film is quite horrifying - but justifiably so - and everyone shou ld see it. Obtainable. hire fee £5 plus V AT. from Services Kinema Corporation. Chalfont Grove. Gerrards Cross. Bucks SL9 8TN.

TO CANADA

It s being planned that a party of about a dozen Brigade members of both sexes between the ages of 17 and 24 shall v isit Alberta to assist in public duties during the period of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Edmonton. The v isit will take place sometime during the latter part of July 197 8. Further details will be circulated as ear ly MIND BENDERS (answers)

Time marches on, but . ..

CLEVELAND: Eston Nursing Division held a reunion evening for past and present members as part of centenary ce ebrations. Th e photo (left, above) shows members of around the 1940 to 50 period while (be low) are exist ing members. A few faces are in both groups of course, while there are many new yo ung members who have jo ned via the Association c la sses the Division organises. As a result of this suppe r eveni ng - which obv iou s y eve ry one en joyed - past members have suggested more such get-togethers and many now want to help with fund raising. Well done, Eston! - Work through having fun

as pos s ible but applications may be forwarded through n orma l channels at any time to Headquarters.

CORRECTIONS

In the November Review , page 247, the photograph of the highe st individual woman

his personal congratulations and encouragement to all the competitors. And there can be no possible doubt that for one Derbyshire division , the Bolsover Colliery Ambulance Divis ion, this was indeed the climax. Not only was this the fourth time that they have won the Grand Prior 's Trophy during the past ten years, not only did they repeat their 1976 record of winning the St. John Ambulance Brigade finals the National Coal Board finals and the Grand Prior's Trophy all in the same calendar year, but for good measure they won (as we saw in last month's Revie w) an international first aid competition held in Vienna to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Arbeiter Samariter B undo

Before ca llin g on the Grand Prior to address the gathering, Pr ofessor Harold Stewart (Director-General of t he Association) paid a ve ry moving tribute to the most outstanding support and inspiration that HRH The Princess Alice Duchess of Gloucester had fo r many years given to these competitioris, and more especially during the last few years of the late Grand Pri or's life when h e had been too ill to give them hi s support in person; and he handed to the Grand Pr ior the very beautiful broochbadge of an Honorar y Life Member of the Association, asking him to convey it to his mother and invite her to accept it as a token of our gratit ude and affection. And in this connection J hope I may be a llowed to pay further tribute to the quite outstanding s upp ort that our Grand Pri or and hi s family hav e g iven to St. John Ambulance durin g our Centenary Year despite the very heavy pre ss ure of their many official duties which in 1977 were all the greater owing to Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee. On many occasions when they have been carrying out official visits connected with The Queen's Jubilee they have quite literall y gone 'out of their way' to visit the first aid post and chat to the Bri ga de members on duty; and the Grand Prior himself has personally carried out at leas t ten official engagements on behalf of the Order and the St. John Ambulance Foundation - so me of t hem (for example, the Foundation Conference and the Festival of the Order on June 24 and 25) involvin g his pre se nce throughout a whole day - a record of personal support and inspiration which can never have been equalled by any pre v ious Royal Grand Prior.

sco r er in the National Industrial fir s t aid competitions was Miss L. Turpin and not Miss S. Barbery, as sent to us. And - again supp li ed to us - in the Order Investiture (Nov. R eview) the Chaplain invested is The Very Rev. George Clive Handford - Wayside is the name of his house in England! He is in fact, I'm

kindly informed by Dr. Batten the Warden of the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in J erusa lem. the Dean of St. George's Cathedral J erusa lem. And at the same inve s titure. Miss Jennifer Clair. as Officer Sister. was given simp ly as of Cornwall. She was of course until quite recently Matron of the Ophthalmic Hospital.

AT RANDOM

(cont. from p.1)

On behalf of the Association WPC D Wickens presents to the Grand Prior a Spo de centena ry plate

In his address at Seymour Hall the Grand Pri or emphasised that what we had seen the winners achieve that day was but the ' tip of the iceberg ', and he congratulated not merely those to whom he was about to present troph ies but all those who had proved themselves competent to take part', which must include the estimated 21,000 firstaiders who had competed in the eliminating rounds of the many industrial and other firs aid competitions of which that da y's events were the grand finale. In saying this he was harking back to a similar occasion two years ago when. in congratulating the winners and the losers, he added 'except that in this game there are no real losers', for they had all made a vital contribution to spreading a knowledge of first aid th ro ughout the whole community. He then presented the trophies and individual commemorative plaques to the first three teams in the men's section and the first three in the women's section of the competition (for full details see p.2).

And it was a very special joy to all present that on this centenary occasion the Grand Prior him se lf did not escape unrewarded. for WPC D. Wickens. who had captained the Staffordshire Police team which won the women's sect io n of the competitions in 1976, presented to him on behalf of the Association one of the beautiful Centenary Plates in Spode china which had been specially designed to commemorate the centenary of the Foundation. New century's resolution Yes, we've each one of us. I hope,

experienced our individual moment of climax during 1977. But what really matters is how we react when, starry-eyed with the memory of that inspiring experience, we come down to earth again and face the realities of life which all too easily and all too often prove an almost shattering anti-climax; when, like Peter. James and John on their descent from the Mount of Transfiguration. we are pitchforked into the sordid scene of an angry crowd arguing about how to treat an epileptic child: when, like Wordsworth's yo uth. we perceive 'the vision splen did die away, and fade into the light of common day'.

In this first month of a new year which. for us, is also the beginning of a new century, I want to ask all my fellow-members of the St. John family to make a very special 'once in a century' new year resolution in words "vhich I quote from a prayer by Rober Louis Stevenson - 'to bear about with us the infection of a good courage, so that we may be diffusers of life. and ma y meet all ills and cross accidents with gallant and highhearted happiness'.

The infection of a good courage. Normally. when we're given a 'shot in the arm', it's to protect us from infection, but the one and only purpose of the 1977 SJ A jab is to make us infectious. so that in the years ahead as many people as possible may catch from us that joyous spirit of adventurous service to mankind with which for the past century the members of our 'family' have been so gloriously and incurably infected!

DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS

The way you wear both can make or break you so far as Dress Regs - and that 'friend' - go

THE same basic tricorne hat is worn by SJA presidents, vice -presidents, officers and members, Appropriate ribbons and badges are added to denote appointment and rank.

The hat is designed to be worn with the point to theJront, straight or very slightZv tilted to the right, andfirmly on the head so as not to blow off in the w ind nor needing visible anchorage by hat pins.

Worn at the correct angle and with a suitable-Jor-uniform hairsty le, the hat is smart and attractive. Let's all make it look just that.

On this page are our artist's impressions oj some oj the ways the hat shouldn't be worn. On the opposite page,Jour girlsJrom Headquarters staff, each with a completely difJerent hairsty le, show how attractive the hat can look when properly worn.

(Above) In the presence of members of Chapter General and the officiating Chaplains of The Order the G rand Prior invests Th e Lord Westbury Co mm ander of Sl. J o hn A mbu lance. Humberside as a Knight

(Left) Sir Zelman and Lady Cowen. both of whom were invested. with the Duke of Gloucester after the ce remony

by The Grand Prior

london, Nov. 14

AT a special ceremony at St. John' s Gate the Grand Prior. HRH The Duk e o f Gloucester , inve s ted :

Knights

The Lord We s tbur y, MC DL. Deput y Dire cto r of Cer emo ni es for The Ord e r. Lt. Col. E. Rem n gto n - H obbs, DSO, OBE, an Assis ta nt Dir ecto r of Ceremonies (C r oss Bearer) for The Order.

Major The Earl H aig of Bemersy de. OBE MA. FRSA. DL.

Major Sim o n Whit bread. Lord Lieutenant of Bedfords hir e a nd President of the St. John Counc il in t hat co unt y.

Mr. Maitland Mackie. C B E. lP Lord Li eutena nt of Aberdeen s hire and C h airma n of th e Aberdeen Comm itt ee of The Order.

Associate Knight Sir Zelman Cowen CMG. QC. Governor Ge n eral designate of Australia.

Dame

The Marchione s of Aberdeen and Temair MBE. LLD. FRCM. GRSM, ARCM. DL. w id ow of t h e late Prior of T he Order of St. J o hn in Scotland.

Associate Commander Sister Lady Cowen.

(Left) The Lord Prio r. Lord Caccia. congratulating the Deputy C-in-C St. J ohn Ambulance. Major General P. R. Leuc h ars. imm ediate y a ter investing him as Commander of the Order

(Left) Lo rcl Graci e. of A TV becomes an Officer Brothe r

by

The lord Prior

london, Dec. 1

Commander (Brother)

Thoma s Franci s Black we ll (London).

Capt. Michael Patrick RadclilTe Boyle (Hant s).

T e rence J o h n R yan. OM. FRCP (Oxon). A lexa nd e r R obert Harbins o n. MB. Ch B (Lancs)

J oh n Stewa rt M offat, MB ChB MRCGP (Carlisle)

Leonard J oy Evans (Cheshire)

Lieul. Col. J oh n Coa es (S un bu r y o n Tham es).

Maj. Gen. P et er Raymond Lcuchars. C B E (London)

Sa mu e l J e n k in Evans. aBE MB ChB. DPH (C eve land).

Cdr. Andrew Le sl ie Craig- J e lTr eys. RN (Lonclon).

Officer (Brother)

Robert J o hn W a so n (T yne and Wear).

Dougla s Ha ro ld Townsend Gawn ( Bri stol).

Capt. H a rold R obson Conway, RN Su ssex).

K en neth Gordon Oxford, QPM (Merseyside).

Pete r Dru ry H aggers ton Gadsden (London).

Sur g. Capt. Fergus Alasta ir Ferguson Mackenzie. RN (H ants).

John Scott (Cleveland).

Courtenay Chirgwin Wade. TD MB ChB, MFCM

DPH RHA (C r oy don).

Maj. Gen. Philip Thomas Tower, CB. DSO, MBE (No rwi c h).

Sur g. Capt. F. M Kingsman. aBE. MRCS, LRCP,

MF C M DA ( H ants).

William George Goldfinch (Sunbury o n Thames).

Sir Frederick William Pontin (London).

J ohn Coward (North Yorks).

Edward J ohn Baker (Bath).

Lieu !. Col. Norman Edmind Co ins Bamford. TO, MB. ChB ( Belfast).

T he Lo rd Grade (London).

Surg. Cdr. Joseph Shaw. RD. MA MB. BcH FRCS. RNR (Co. D own).

The Lord Ir win ( London).

Al fre d R aymond Beards (Walsa ll ).

Sir Char les Abrahams. K CVO (Su rr ey).

Alfred J o hn Evans (Salop).

Will iam Bryan H andyside (Sunder a nd ).

Maj Arthur Jame s Hayes (Sussex).

Surg. Cdr. Alan McEwan. aBE, RN Middlesex)

Colin George K n owles (Bristol).

Re g in a ld Frederick Nicholls (Kent).

Cecil Frederick Hur st (Sheffield).

Bri an H en r y Burne. LRC P , MRCS, DPH (Bucks).

Cyril Marmaduke Simp son (London).

Lione l Per cy C a rk e. MRCs, LRCP. DPH (H a nt s).

James Omer od Llewelyn (Devo n)

W illiam Jo sep h Saunders (Ches h ire).

John Willi am McKim (M iddl esex).

Derek Emmanuel Barso n (Su rey).

Wi l iam Douglas Taylor, MB. ChB (Jersey).

John Arthu r Ha lle tt (Du rh am).

W g. Cdr. Der e k Howard Br ennon (Surrey).

John D. Th o m as (Linco ln ).

Associa e Officer Brother

Maj. Gen. M P Bogert. CBE. DSO CD.

Officer Sister

Elsi e Ma y, Mr s. Williams Hubbard W orcester).

Mar y Hope Mr s. Pedder (Devon).

Chri s tin e H elen Mr s St. George (London).

Evelyn Betty. Mrs. Ro erig (Essex).

Mr s. Gwencloline Elizabeth. Mrs Thorn e Warmin s er).

Peggy Diw a, Mi ss N utta l aBE ( Lond on).

Gwenfr a M a r y. Mi ss Am o r (Milton Keynes).

Se r ving Brother

Rona d W il ton Trebilcock ( D evo n).

Stephen Henry R oya (Bedford).

Leonard Doran (Berks).

Arthur Willi a m M cGove rn (Wilt s

(Left) Sir Frederick Wil iam Pontin. of Pontin' s Hol idays Ltd. be co mes an Officer Brother. (Right) Dr Br ia n H. Burne Commiss one r SJA. Buckinghamshire. also becomes an Off icer Brother

Mr Colin G. Knowles. who is head of Public Affairs for Imperial Tobacco Ltcl and is an advisory member of the Chancellor's committee for fund raising and public relations becomes an Officer Brother

William H adfield (Nr. Warrington).

Robin Andrew Bulbeck (Bucks).

Stanley R obert Albert Mansfield ( Essex).

George Stanley Lambert (Sussex).

Alfred Elliman (Beds).

Thoma s William H all (Co. Durham).

George P hilip Elliott (Berks).

Bernard D av id J ames Crisp (Su rr ey).

The Rev. Frank Thewlis (Sheffield).

R obert Alwyne Longland (SulTo lk ).

M alcolm Wi lf ed P ar r y (Me seyside).

William Edward Sm ith (Isle of Man).

Eric Wilkinson (Cheshire).

P hilip Maurice Arthur Burn s (Essex).

Alber Wood (W. Mid ands).

Cyril Matthew Davies ( H ull)

P ete Lymbery. JP (Beds).

R egina ld J ames Mitchell (Glos).

Albert James Digger ( Beds).

J ohn Andrew Gow (Cheshire).

Eric Edwin J o hn Upfold Slou gh).

Alan Gooding (Nottingham).

D ona ld Sidne y Thomas Edwards Bu cks).

John Edward Himing (Middlesex).

Les li e Smith (Ches hi re).

Willi am Char les New (Suffolk).

R obert William Roberts ( Po wys).

T homas J ames Scriven (G os).

A an Greening Ri chardson Buck s).

J ohn Kevin Lynch (S taffs).

J a m es Ernest Slack (Cleve and).

J o hn Cecil Spring ett ( Hull ).

Cy r l Douglas Wh ee ler Han( s).

Ernest GeolTrey Pu g h (S toc kport

Alexander Cou r tney John sto ne Miller ( H erefo rd ).

D av id Ernest R oberts (C h este r) R o n ald Evan Taylor.

Ser vi n g S is(er

Syl via Ann Youngjohns (Coventry).

Irene Betty. Mrs

ST. JOHN HOSPITAL AT ETAPlES

from Mrs. A. M. Walker. london District Pool

I was so interested in the para g raph (At Random, October) a bout th e Bri ga de hospital a t Etaples.

Each bed had its plaque to s how which division had s ponso red it. The se plaque s - one of them can be seen in the Museum - were roughl y cut o ut of hea vy tin probably ration containers. with th e Order shield an d the St. John cross, painted in their a ppr opr iate colours, and the name of th e sponsoring division.

We have in our po ssess ion the one that was over our bed (No. 15 Ilford Nursing Division). This wa s presented to me on th e occasion of our Golden Jubilee in 1961 by our first Divisional Superintendent. t hen an aged lady of 90 or so a nd blind , who had dec ide d that th e divi s io n ought to have it.

I mi g ht mention in passing that thi s shield with it s ra zor- lik e points on the St. John cross can be lethal if handled carelessly! liford, Essex Amy M Walker

from P. W. I. Corkey, District Secretary

We have a plaque , with reference to the ho s pital at Etaples, which we think is made of bra ss and is worded: THIS BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORY & EQUIPMENT WAS PRESENTED BY TH E COUNTY RELIEF COMMITTEE OF COUNTY ANTRIM TO THE ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGAD E HOSPlTAL. ET APLES , FRANCE 1915.

Somebod y told me that Mrs. J. B. Joh nstone. w ho is now our Belfast Vice ' President , had se rve d at the ho sp ital at Eta ple s, but whe n I spoke to her she told me she had been in Mal ta and Salonic a. Belfast P. W. 1 Corkey

lET'S NQJ CHANGE THESE from Martin M Ennis

As a younger, ordinar y member of an adult division, whose upbrin g in g was through the junjor and cadet units s ince the age of 8. ] would be up-in-arms about a relaxation of our traditions - ref LETS CHANGE (Oct Review). It 's taken St. John Ambulance 1300 years to a heritag e of Christian action. Our forefather s fought hard for their beliefs our beliefs. We should surely have re s pect a nd give thanks that we do not ha ve to make such sac rifices ourselves. First aid is easier to co -or dinate when di sc ipline is pr esent. no matter w hat we call our leadin g members. I wou ld s uggest th at a ll present ranks, being und er s tood by those w ho matter (if t h ey have taken active intere st in them) - the member s - that public opll110n of the meaning of our rank s is irrelevant. Let us not fo rge that altho ugh our prime f unction is fir s aid, we a re the oldest Christian o rd er of our t y pe in exist ence ; can we be seen to deny th e work our ha ve done by snubbing their meaningfu pageantr y? I thll1k not. I n the se day s when our national pride is waning, let us not allow o ur St. John pr ide o falter as well.

S win don Martin M. Ennis

BRIGADE AMBULANCES

from Rodney Bain. Divisional Superintendent

I would like to endorse the views expressed by ASO M. V. Monn g (Oct Review) and Div. Off. E. Jemmett (Nov Review) on Bri gade Ambulances'.

A s St. John ha s b een operating ambulance vehicles since the turn of thi s centur y , I find it amazing that there are no Brigade governing the standards of maintenance , equipment and trall1l11g of crews.

T am sure that a ll of u s have at so me time o r other been on public duties and encountered ambulances in v ar y ing condition s of deca y. No doubt the di visions owning s uch veh cles would cry 'lac k of money ', but it takes very little money and effort to keep a vehicle in goo d condition and well equipped, providing you have enthu s ia s m trall1ln g and knowledge. Enthusiasm is usually easy to find in a divi s ion but training and knowled ge are all too often sadly lackin g.

READERS VIEWS

Read e rs vi ews and op inion s. which should be se nt to the Editor, although published are not necessarily e n dorsed by the Edito r or the Order of St. John and it s Foundat ion Although readers may s ign published letters with a pen - name , wr it ers must supply thei r name and address to the editor.

The fact th a t t her e is no Ambu la nce A id Cert ificate m eans that there is no sta nd a rd governing a mbul a nce crews. Perhaops the pow er s that be a r e wor ri ed about sett in g sta nd ards too high ?

I heard tell rec en tl y of a County w ho ban the use of oxygen on their ambulances. presumably because they ha ve no confidence in their crews abi lit y to use it properly! Thi s urely is a negati e altitude: the answer of course is to raise t he sta ndard of training.

[ am certain that a tra inin g course ba ed on the 'Mil ler Certificate' cou ld be devised at nat ional level and impleme nt ed by county transport officers A ba sic minimum s tandard for equipmentm u t al s be la id down fo r di vis ion s wanting to purchase amb ul ances (and for those a lr eady operating them).

All the time we exhibit a less professional image to the public we s hall always be opcn to critisism by the full time services, but think back twent y yea r s or so and we II'ere the full time service. leaders in t he field of patient ranspo rt and care, so why do we continuc LO let our s tand a rds fall behind in this vital branch of the service?

So come on. St. John - give our Ambulancc Di visions a target to aim for and let us ha ve no mor e second -rate ambulance work on d isp lay.

Caferham Ambulance Division Rodnel Baill

CHALLENGE

from J Dyson. Divisional Super intendent

In respo n se to the CHALLENGE made by R. E. Pip es. Greater Manchester County PRO. ( Review Nov.).

In o ur turn we are so rry to disappoint Mr. Pipes w hen he claims t hat the Oldham Ambulance Divi s ion is SJA's o de t division. It is indeed surpr ising to learn hat Mr Pip es appears to be qu ite unaware that the Heywood Ambulance Di vision, a division with whic h he IS aq uainted and it is only 4 mile s from his address, was reg iste red on the 5 Jun e [ 883, and being the first di vis ion in the County of Lanca ter became the Senio r Division of that County, a title w hi c h it wi ll hold III the new Greater Manchester County Referring to Th e St. John Ambulance Assoc ation. its History , And It s P a r t In Th e Ambulance Mo ve ment ', comp il ed by the late Dr N. Co rb et Fle tcher, in his time a Surgeon -in -C hief of t he Brigade, quoting briefly we lear n that the As hfo r d Co rp s, registered 4 April. 1879, became the Senior Division of the Brigade, and if st ill active w ill stili hold that title. Other Co rp s for med were, Sevenoaks (sho rtl y after A s hford), fo ll owed by C r a nbr ook and Tu nbri dge Wells (Jun e Leicester 14 Nov. 1882, a nd Brighouse (Yorkshire, t he first diVISion III the Nor t hern Counties') December 1882 Add in g t he Heywood Division to t hi s li st means that t here are at east seve n Divisions senior to t he Oldham Ambulance Division. The re may be ot her s - w ho kn ows?

How eve r , in fairne ss to o ur frie nd s and neighbour s at O ldham it s hould be mentio ned that , according to Dr Corbet Fletcher, the Oldham Nursing Division wa s the first Nursing Division to be re gis tered in September 1885 , a nd became the Senior N ur s in g Di vis ion of the Brigade. It would ap pear th.at the title 'Co rps was use d at fir st, and the title Divi s ion ' intr o du ced later.

H eywood Ambu lance Division J. Dyson

UNIFORMS, BADGES

from R J lilley. Divisional Superintendent

I s hould lik e to make two points: 1) Uniforms; 2) Badges. De a lin g with the points put forward by David R. Hooper (Oct. R ev iew), I ag ree e nt ire ly w ith hi s se ntiment s. Keep the uniform as at pre se nt and use it for ceremonial and indoor duties, and use a white ove rall or boiler -suit with appropriate badges. There is nothing mor e exasperating than to go on duty at a m udd y motor c ro ss or sc ramble even t in a freshly pressed uniform , used last Sunda y for a church se rvice and to be used next Frida y for a divisional inspection. As a Div ./Supt I personally do not iss ue a new uniform un til a member has been in th e D ivision for at least a yea r , whereas a boiler-suit could be iss ued as soon as the first aid certificate is gained. And 1 rather like the poin t regard in g the convenience of bein g able to take the boiler-suit to work, and change into it on reaching the duty or even at work. Wit h regard to 2248, West Midlands (Oct. Review). I feel that his view on the lay instructor's certificate is very well founded. and as a holde r J should like to see the badge recognised for use on uniform. I am a ho ld er of the C.D. instructor' s badge, but have neve r attempted to wear thi s both because it does not be long to St. J oh n and, as state d th e o rga ni sat ion does not now exist.

Ballemena. Co. An/rim R.1. Lilley

HAT SIZES

from John Webb Director of Supplies

The Supplies Departmen t has r ecen tl y consulted a leading firm of hat manufacturers to try to standardise the sizing of women's hat s to re asonab le limits It has becom e increasingl y evident that hats ha ve been sent o us labe ll ed with an Ys size for example 7% and when we have measured them on the gauge we find th at they do not comp ly with these measurements.

The practice in the trade is for hats to be made in a standard range of sizes, whic h are: 6Y2 small. 6 3 4 medium. 7 large 7Y4 extra large, 7 Y2 ex tr a la rge plus

In future hats for women will be s upplied in these sizes , while men's ha t s izes rema in as they are.

St. J ohn's Gafe John Webb

MILITARY HOSPITALS RESERVE & VAD's

from C W. Tozer

(A dditi ona l information provided by Major J. D Sainsbur y TD.)

Th e aut hority for the issue and wearing of the brooch bar s is co nt ai ned in Army Order 26 of Febru ary 1932. In brief t h e pro vision s o f t hi s ·order a r e as fo ll ows:

(a) H .M. the King has approved th e inst it uti on of a mark of distil1.ction to recog ni se active and efficient service of mobile members of VOluntary Aid Detachments and member s of the Militar y Hospi ta ls R eserve.

(h) The awa rd wi ll be in the for m of a bar brooch in s ilver s llp erscribed 'V.A.D' and 'M.H.R.' respectively, surmounted by the Royal C rown.

(c) Th e award w ill be co nfined to individu a s serving on or after 1st Jan uary 19 3 1 who co mplet ed 12 years' active and effic ie nt service as mohil e m e mb er s of V.A D .s or as members of the M.H.R.

(d) R egulat io ns rel at in g to the award will be subm itted to the Arm y Co un ci l for approval.

MOBILE:

, That's what SJA units are becoming

WEYBRIDGE Di vision's new mobi le ·unit, which made its debut (t reating 10 I cases) at the Le wisham riots and the Notting Hi ll ca rni va l last year, was dedicated and accepted on behalf of the Order by the C -in-C on September 18.

The 38ft-long unit was converted from a travelling showroom coach by local firms. and members and friends of the di\·ision.

The Di vision s Transport Officer R C. Pe nnock writes: Enter in g by the rear doo rs, to left and right are two cupboa rd s. one for coats. etc, the other containing Automan Re susci ta.tor and first aid kits. T here a re th re e be rth s on the r ight-ha nd s id e and two berths on the left-hand side. Each berth has a cot top which can be removed and stored in the rear locker, Furley stretchers being used in their place. Ben eath the cots are full-length cupboards with sliding doors, in wh ich pillows blankets. rubber sheets and linen are stored.

The surgery unit is on the left, opposite the third right -ha nd berth, and includes a hand-basin with ru nning water incorporated in the work top.

Then there is'a partition with a door which sepa r ates the front of the unit from the treatment area. In this front a r ea there is a kitchen unit consisting of a single draine r. sink with running water and a calor gas hob. Opposite is a table and swivel chair where the radio base set is mounted.

The main item on the exterior is a stem light to the rear of the roof which extends upwards for 8 ft. and carries floodlights. blue light a nd radio aer ial. The usua l beacons air horns. etc. are fitted.

[n the rear locker under the floor and accessib le from both side are eight stre tchers, a 1. 5 kw generato r spare fuel for sa me a nd the re ar steps.

Carried in the lockers on the near side are 20 gallons of water. e le tr icall y pumped to the surgery and kitchen sinks: also one ca lor gas cylinder

If any Di visions are considering getting a mob ile unit and would like to see over ours. or have queries regarding unit s we wou ld be only too g lad to he lp. Should anyone wi h to book the unit fo r a dut y, please co ntact Div Supt. Ste\'e Smith. Weybridge 40683.

(e) Qualifying ser vice must be continuou s.

(f) The bar br o och will be worn (a) by memb er s in po ss ession o f the Ser vice Med a l of the Order of St. John or the Voluntary Medic a l Service Medal at the top of the riband s uspending the medal (b) by members not in possesion of either medal on the left breast below any decorations or medals.

(g) A bar will be granted for each further period of six yea r s qualifyin g service, to be worn on the riband of either medal immediately below the bar brooch

(h) When in undress uniform a member in possession of the bar brooch and one of the medals will wear on the riband of the medal a token bearin g the letters 'V.A.D.'or 'M.H.R.' respectively. The token will not be worn on the riband when the medal is worn.

Bognor Regis C. W. To ze r

HOME SICK-ROOM BELL

from G Hillman

T have made an impro vement to m y front door bell that might interest r ea der s.

T have a door bell chime that works from a main s transform er. Under the floor there is a junction box that links up the tran sfo rmer , the chimes and the bell push at the front door. I have done the following: with the power on and armed with a piece of bell wire, bared at each end, it is simple to find the two connections that make the chimes work. Turn off the power and connect a long length of bellw ire to the two connections Run this wire up the stairs and fit it to a two hole so cket. then fasten the socket to the wall. To one end of a long piece of wire (not bellwire) fit a two - pin plug , and to the other e nd a bell-push. The front door chimes can no w also be wo rked from the upstair s bell-push.

r h ave made this for use in a s ick room , no matter which up stairs room thi s is. The long lead from the upsta irs plug will reach all bedrooms. T think the idea could also be u se d for adjoining hou ses, for a sick or ag ed person to call their neighbour.

Pll'mouth G Hillman

BRIGADE BANDS

from Sgt. Major D. J. Minney

J am in the proces s of compiling a li st of Brigade bands and would b e grateful if bandmasters or officers-in-charge would contact me at the address below with a view to providin g information about their bands. 12, A raJ;on Road

Morden. Surrell SM4 4QF D 1. Minn ey AN IDEA?

from Jack Baker

While in hospital recently as a patient I had time for reflection and J thought 'I suppose when a St. John member find s him / herself in hospital it can well be that he /s he is an unusuall y well-informed patient.' Remembering the 'Family Doctor booklets, published by t he BMA man y years ago , I thought up the idea that St. John m em bers who had recentl y experienced hospitalisation could produGe an informati ve brochure , pamphlet or booklet , ba se d on their particular trouble as explained by a more-than -usuall y- informed layman. I thought of present colleague s who had experienced hear t attack , h iatus hernia. hysterectomy broken bones , kidney stone , pregnancy etc , etc, and wondered if they could be persuaded to prepare a 'g uide to other s ufferer s' which would be vetted, illustrated etc, and publi s hed a s a St. John publication.

Bath Jack Ba ker

AWARD SCHEME CHANGES

from Bob Mann, Association Deputy Director, Essex

Certain amendments have taken place in The Duke of Edimburgh' s Award Scheme, changing the standards required in the Servic e Section , First Aid , both at Silver and Gold level. Ther e hav e bee n no changes in the Bronze lev el sy llabu s The s tandard s required now are as follows:

BRONZE LEVEL: Service First Aid

Esse ntial of First Aid Certificate CSt. John Ambulance As soc iat o n); OR Junior Certificate (St. Andrew 's Amb ul a nce Assoc iation ): OR Junior Certificate (British Red Cros s So c ie t y). '

SILVER LEVEL: Service F irst Aid

Adult Certificate (St. J ohn Ambulance As soc iation); OR Senior Certific a te (St. Andrew 's Ambulance Association); OR Adult (initial ) Certificate (Briti sh R ed Cross Societ y).

GOLD LEVEL: Service First Aid

Advanced Certificate'" (St. J o hn Ambul a nce As soc iation ); OR Hi g her

Certificate (St. And re w's Ambulance Association); OR Profici ency Certificate (British R ed Cross Society )

An important footnote to Th e Award Pro gra mm es (relative to the Gold Award sy ll abus) r eads '" Youn g peopl e may qualify by be in g re -assessed at Silver Leve l TOGETHER WITH obtaining an Adult Certificate of the Volunt a ry Aid So c ieti es in an allie d s ubjec t, ego Nursin g o r Welfare o r The Aw a rd of Merit of The R oya l Life Saving So c ietie s. In s uch cases parti cipants must indicate th at they ha ve made a ll reasonable efforts to obtai n in st ruction on Th e Hi g he r First Aid Courses.'

Essex

PRETTY BLONDE CALLED

. . from Bruce Coltman, ASO

Bob Manl7

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE AND WELFARE: THE FUTURE

Thi s article was a winning e nlry for a C o unty Welfare Compe tit ion h eld in Chesh ire.

by 14-year -old Cadet Sergeant ERI C McKERlI E, of lymm Combined Cadet Division

ST. JOHN'S GATE ha s remained open during one hundred ye ars of voluntary, de vo ted se rvi ce to m a nkind , but let us not rest on our la ur e ls. The yout h of today, who will be the le aders o f to mo rrow, mu s t hold thi s gate open by steppin g forward to meet the chal len ge, excitement and demand s of the twenty -fir s t ce nt ury The wo rld abo ut us is changing a nd wil l change into the o ne o f our c hoice . The fant as tic powers of scie nce engineer in g, nu clear po we r medicine, computers a nd space probes all have a beginning but no end

As a very keen supporter of the Nottingham Training Confere nce I am at pre sent compiling a collection of the papers given by Dr. Tudor

P owe ll Jone s , t he Bard of Notti ng ham. I h ave he transcripts of a ll of hi s papers from 1973 to date, but] am inform ed that he delivered two pape r s in 1972. ent itl ed 'Co ntrol in Leadership and Leade rship in the C lassroom E nquirie s made with Col. Pat Adam, Chief Officer Brigade Tr ain in g and Cadets, and Dr. J o nes h ave failed to produce any on these ta lks. I wou ld therefore lik e to appeal to any reader who was at the 1972 Nottingham Tr aining Conference, and who has a record in g of these ta lks o r any comprehensive notes to contact me at the below address, so that I may make arrangements to hav e them copied, a ll expenses of which I wi ll meet.

I s ho uld a lso lik e to thank all of the people a t Nottingham 77 who r al lied to my s upport. in the true tradition of St. J o h n after learning th at I was conva lescing fr om a long period of illnes

People like ASO Phil Wra y, of London District, and a pretty blonde nur s ing member called Christine from the same Area. who drew me int o long and heated discussions over num ero us glasses of Coke. To Cathryn Brawn of Northants who wa nted a different op ini on on numerous poin ts To th e ladies of D o ncaster, who not o nl y wa nt ed so me new ide as to di scuss, but t hou g ht th at convalescence meant that o ne was fully fit and s hould take part in all of the Saturday dances.

To the present godfather of Nottingham, Co l. P. Adams, for the diplomatic way in which he vo unteered my services in group discussions and to all of the ot he r mem be rs of that great family of Nottingham, many of whom were pa ss in g well -wishers. The resu lts of their effort s have certa inl y paid off.

While on the s ubject of Notting ham, I s hould lik e to s ug gest that the R eview prints a 13th editio n a nnu a ll y, at no ex tra cost and d evotes this solely to the Notting h am Conference. In this way one cou ld sto p two piece s of criticism: 1) The comp ul sory purcha se of t he R ev iew 2) The doubting Thomas' who feel t h at there is nothin g good about Nottingham.

By producing thi s ext ra edit ion, the good of Nottingham could reac h al l divi s io ns and a ll member s, if Officers -in -Charge of the Divisions would pass t he Review around a mong their members. For I am afraid th at ther e are many who regard t he R eview as t heir ow n a nd not for th e ed ucation of junior ra nk s.

141 K enlon Lane

Newcasl Le-ol1- Ty ne Bruce Coltman

The fu t ure lie s in the hands of the human being. We of St. John Ambulance must try to keep ordinary people foremost in o ur thou ght s, try to understand their hope s the ir fe ars and heir prob lems and make t hei r lives worth living because n ot hin g is m ore preci ous.

It is a known fact that one half of the peop le do not know how the other half lives - nor wish to. The past century has seen t he birth of a Welfare State in Br itai n and indeed t he hop es of a We lfare World. Thi s task is immen se, but we who are indeed most fo rtun ate to li ve in the beautiful county of Cheshire can begin by opening our own gate and lookin g o ut and inviting the people to look in.

Young people today

We hope that the ce ntennial celebrations have s hown to the public some of t he work whi c h we do and we must not a ll ow this spark to die out, but use it to kindle active interest and financ ia l s upport. Never ha ve we had finer young people than todaystronger. healthier, better educated and. apart from t he minorit y who make the he ad lin es throu g h the press and television for ac t s o f v io ence, vandalism a nd hool iga ni s m wi llin g and able to better mank in d. Let us go into the schoo ls and coll eges and search out this wealth of ta lent as ne w recruit s. Let us te ac h them how to hel p themse lves to help others, perhaps guidin g them to the first steps of a career in the Social Services or nursing. There are many opinion s for and aga in st television but let us use it to enter he homes of th ousa nd s of pe op le. Show t hem and tell them about St. J o hn Ambulance. Let them know th a t we in Cheshir e number over one thousand

vo lunta ry workers giving freel y of our time atte ndin g to the swooni ng teenager after the pop concert, the sp lintin g of that broken bone, comfo r ting a todd ler lost in a forest of le gs and a sea of faces, and to the ultimate task of saving ife after some fearful di saste r or road accident.

With the ever increasing traffic jams and chaos so metimes preventing ambu lanc es from r eady access to the sce ne of motorway accidents, why can we not reach the man y wealthy families in Cheshire and launch a fund to purchase our own helicopter? Already our vo luntar y Air Ser vice has proved invaluab le. but we s hould no w be training crews for the f uture where ever increa sing techno logy must bring with it further danger to life.

Go to the people

P erha ps we should now go out to the people and ask of their needs. When on dut y the y co me to us - not only for first aid or nur sing, although they are of great importance - but with many queries. This is not of nui sance val ue but a gift that we mu st not reject. The art of convers ing with people is dying out so let us re vive it. Too often there is the plaintive cry, 'How do I get in touch?' We require contact point s in towns and vi lla ges The Doctor , District Nurse or Policeman has his or her plate on th e door. Could we not have stickers for car or windows? Vo.le could also have

Down Under

Thi s cartoon is reprinted from Fir st Light, the third SJA District magazine to be established in New Zealand. The pub li cation, star ted early 1977, covers the Hawke's Bay -Eas t Coast District which, with a population of 175,000 people, ha s 950 SJ A mem bers in 34 division s. The cost of producing 1500 copies of t he pocket-size, 64-page quarterly magazine is covered by advertising. Another District ma gazi ne is due to appear sho rtl y.

information posts or kiosks Let the people come to us and show us the way with questions, ideas and detail s of the family in need o r how the y feel we could help a lonel y neighbour. That old age pensioner is not just a crotchety old man with a stick on which to lean hea vil y - he is a wealth of information and experience, one who has watched his family grow from babyhood to manhood s hared their problems and fears, t heir achievement s and failu res. He s hould not be sitt ing a lone in h is cottage with on ly hi s memorie s. The Government provide s cash and Local Authorities provide special services such as home help s and meals on wheels, but a visit from a cadet , cheerful and he lpfu l, wil l bring a sm ile to hi s lips and the lonel iness will have gone. The old and the young ha ve much to give to each other.

How to enjoy life

Our present Welfare Stat e alread y covers the channels into which m y thoughts wander and perhaps we are reaching saturation point where t here are just too many people in this comparatively small area. Perhaps it is time for peop le to relax and stop being too bus y making mone y. Let St. John Ambulance concentrate on teaching the people how to enjoy li fe and enjoy the compan y of others. Why can we not gather all our brain po wer to tr y and understand each other. instead of some wanting so much at the expense of others

Most ideas of the future must be short termed. because there is no definition of this word w hich can affect us all in a similar way. Can one plan for the uncertain future which we all face? I believe St. John Ambulance will always find a way to care for others. We are a ll part of this wonderful organisation and the future we lfare of Che shire is in our hand s. We should, by our own example. care fo r and help othe r s at all times. The future has no end. We must keep the Cheshire Gate open.

Look girls! It's that gorgeous St. John here again I think 'm going to need h m!'

NEWS from SCOTLAND'

The Festival in 1978

By special permission of Her Maje s t y t he Qu ee n, th e investiture ne xt summer will take pl ac e at Hol y rood

Priory

Mr. Ernest Fortune , Prior y Secretar y for t he last few years. retires at the end of the yea r. All members of the Order , a nd p a rticular ly of Chapter wi ll remember him w ith gr atitude and affection. He has pres ided over the c entral office of the Order in Scotland with unflaggin g zea l, providing a muchneeded continuity at a time of many changes. Energetic and effic ient , he has kept o fficers of the Prior y up to the mark and has given a friendly and knowled gea b le w elcom e to all vis itor s to the Prior y headqu a rter s. Most of the new s in th is column ha s been pro vided by him He will be greatly missed.

On No ve mber 14 the Mar c hioness of Aberdeen and Tem a ir , Mr Maitland Mackie and the Earl Haig of Bemer sy de were invested as Dame arid Kni ghts b y the Gr an d Prior at Clerkenwell. (See Inv es titu res, thi s issue),

Mr. Martin Cruickshank h as be e n appointed Sword Bearer to the Prior. Bri g J. Balharrie has been appointed Chairman of the Glas gow St. John Asso ciation, Mrs. Edith J. Hender son, Rev Robert G. La wrie and Major Richard R. M Por ter were presented with Silve r Jubilee Medals for twent y- five years ' service to the Order of St. John.

Torphichen

On No vember 13 members of Chapter attended a ser vice of rededication in th e ancient church of Torphichen. There are no w s pecially built stalls for executi ve officer s and the banner of the Prio ry, pre viously used in procession at Clerkenwell , has now be e n laid up an d hangs from a bracket on t he wall. The arms of the families of Gillan, Torphichen and Hop e are painted in front of their re s pecti ve g aller ies

OVERSEAS

SJA Malaysia establishes regular first aid instructors' courses

A t a c heq ue-prese nt ation ceremony at the head offic e of I nchcape Malaysia Sendirian Berhad in Kual a Lumpur , its Chairman , Tan Sri Abdu l Kadir Bin Shamsuddin. stressed th e imp o rtanc e of first-aid know ledge in indu stry and in the community. and the vital rol e the St. John Ambulance can play in implementin g its present policy to achieve t he ultim a te goal of 'A First - Aider in Every Hom e and a First -A id Squad in Every Factory'.

He expla in ed t hat in ot he r countries the k now ledge of first -a id is compulsory in many occupations.

In Pakistan, for examp e, bus drivers and drivers of public vehicles must know first aid, In Malta , pilots of motor -launches must possess a fir st-a id certificate before th ey can obtain a licence. Even in Malaysia , firemen a nd e lectr ic ian s mu st k n ow h ow to render first aid, a nd those in the po lice, the railwa ys a n d the teache rs trai nin g colleges are enco ur aged to attend first -aid classes. It ha s been proved that the knowledge of first a id a lone can reduce dr as tically the hi gh inci dence of accidents in industry and in the home. Thi s mea ns not on ly t he savi ng of life and li mb, b ut also a tremendous saving in man - h ours, hospital beds, insurance compensation , and litigation ex penses

Although the re is no legislation making first - aid knowledge compulso r y in factor ies and sc ho o ls, St. John Amb ul ance Malaysia ho pes that schoo ls a nd factories would act

At the rece nt SJA Wales co nf erence, held at Llandr ndo d Wells many SJA vehicles we re on disp l ay so that course members cou d in spect them ( Ph oto: Mar i na Gallery

Northern Ireland

as it were so, and to he lp ac hi eve thi s s embark in g o n an extensive prog r amme of indepth training of first -aid.

Dr. Chong Kim Choy. Chief-of-Staff (Trai nin g) who wi ll supe r vise thi s nationwide programme, explained that St. J ohn Ambulance wi ll hold their first national combined first-aid (lay lecturers) course at t he N.U.B.E. Centrre at Port Dick so n during 1977,

This intensive higher first -aid in struc tor course wi ll be ope ned by the Menteri Besar Datuk Mansor Bin Otham. who is also St. J ohn Ambulance State Pr esident. for 120 men and women participants se lected not on ly from thcir rank and file from all State including Sabah and Sarawak. but also from industry and teachers' training co ll eges.

On completion of thi s course these new instructors wi ll return hom e to their respective States to teach e lemen tary first aid in the factories, the schools and the variou departments.

Deputy Commander -in -Chief. Datuk Dr. P T. Arasu believes that this initiative taken by Inchc ape Malaysia in sponsori ng this course wi ll pave the way for the private secto r to lend the ir support in financing future and regula r courses. because t hi s trainin g will benent soc iet y in general. and factories wi ll in particular profit most from it. On behalf of St. John Ambulance, he expressed hi s profound g ratitud e to Inchcape Mala ys ia.

NOTTINGHAMAN EYE-OPENER

Friday

ON ARRIVAL at Nottingham University, our first task was to find the house of Cripps. Thi s took longer than expected and once we had found the building , we then had to find ou r rooms Our group which had travelled from Lancashire consisted of Div. Supt. C. C Loughran , Corps Staff Officer G. Wilcock , and myself. Luckily, our rooms we re in the same block. After a heart y meal, we 't hr ee stooges' dec id ed to take a s hort dri ve around Nottingham. Needless to say we got lost, and our 'short' drive lasted about 33 4 hours.

Saturday

After a large breakfast, we proceededalong with two members of Area Staff and a County Staff Officer (all of whom were human ) to the ma in hall where the lectures were being given. The opening address , by Colonel P. A. Adams, surprised me somewhat, because, being newly appointed from the Cadets, r didn't think that the high ranking officers were human'. I was pleased to find out I was wrong.

At the group discussion about the' Link Up' topic , I accepted the position of sec retary. And after an interesting debate on th e subject, the group was asked to nominate a speaker, and I was elected to read my report on our discussion. After being nominated speaker, my pulse rate went from 72 to 102 a minute.

At the open forum, which followed the g roup discussions, many views we r e expressed about the topic a ll of which I fou nd of intere st. I was especially interested at the reaction of HQ Staff, including that of Major General D. S. Gordon.

After a goo d lunch , the afternoon was taken up with three lectures, all of which were intere sti ng. One, however , stands out in my mind more than t h e ot hers, that was the talk by Rev Basil D. Pratt about the Zaire River Expedition. This lecture was very intere sting, but at the same time im mensely funny.

Once again we we nt to fill our stomachs before the 'legendary' dance in the evening Never before have I seen officers of all ranks, from Div Officers to Commandant, act in such a way as they did that night. I think it would be a good idea if cadets and you ng adults were told more abou t such things, then perhaps they would not think on quite such an 'us - them' basis The dance, for me , was the highlight of the conference.

Sunday

Sunday was a slight anti-climax, in my opinion, for the inter -denominational se r vice to be followed by more lectures see med , on paper at least , to be the perfect recipe fo r boredom. One speaker, however, made all the listening worthwhile. Bryn Williams, a toastmaster. gave a hilarious talk on his profession and experiences. This although the other lectures on Sunday turned out to be good, was the one whic h stood out in my mind. At the end of the day , I felt very disheartened that the conference had come to an end.

I'll be going to Nottingham 1978. I advise you to go too. In many ways it's quite an eye-opener.

FrenchlVood (Lancs) Ambulance Div. Michael Dicki nson, A / M

We are the greatest!

IF THERE is an adult or cadet division which can beat our record for Brigade centenary year, we would like to hear of them.

Our record is:

I) Formation of a team the leader of which, Cadet Martin Goddard , age 11. is a member of the Casualties Union.

2) Fo rm ation within the team of a film unit for team and divisional purposes.

3) Since the formation of the team last May, we have given two public displays, one on the prevention of accidents in the home, and the other dealing with first aid treatment for a fractured fem ur.

4) To finish off the year we gave a public demonstration on fire -work injuries and their first aid treatment - aimed at warning childTen and parents of the dangers of the misuse of fir ewo rk s. We were also booked to give demon stratio ns on gene r al first aid training and practice to a Scout troop , an Army Cadet Force unit , and a Br igade cadet division.

S) A) The film unit has r evised and reproduced the film 'That they shall live', which is about Chicken (the dangerous 'game' involving children and rajlways) o r iginally made by di visional members under the auspices of Dem-Lec B) Made a film showi ng the work of the team. C) And have commenced production on 'E mergency Call'. which is the first of three first aid training films for our division.

6) As cadets. we all ha ve routine first aid training to our credit. As demonstration team members, we all have training in other subjects, thus: John Murtagh and P aul Routle y, both 11 - photography sound recording. film commentating and make- up assistants: Ed Gillard, 14. publicity agent and casting/ set director for film production: David Phillips, 12. pUblicity agent; and four other cadets , 11 to 13 years old , our spare parts (ie casua lt ies)

7) In 1978 we shall start training for the RoS PA accident prevention badge, and we hope to attend our first annual camp and give at least one demonstration at camp.

8) Last yea r Martyn Goddard was selected to do q casualty make-up demonstration in front of the Queen during her visit to Bri stol's Filton High School on August 8.

As a demonstration team, our motto is: 'Whatever you want, we can do it. But then, after all WE ARE THE GREATEST. So we have to do it. as we bel ieve that no-one else can.

Our division is noted for always doing the unusual and the unexpected, so perhaps you can head this information with something like 'Filton cadets have done it again'. Filton Cadet Division, Bristol Ed. Gillard & David Phillips

News from Divisions/Centres

CORNW

- 15 teams from

am, took pa rt in the 12th open Ar st aid competit ion of t he St. Blazey Ambu lance D ivision at St. Austell on Nov. 19. This tremendous ly successful event - it was almost a nationa l competition - was o rga nised by D iv. Supt. C. R. Julian and members of St. Blazey Ambu lance and Par Nur s in g D ivis ions.

The results were:

DEVON - Torquay Ambulance Cadet

Div is ion's float, named First First Aid' and depicting a pre -h istoric Arst aid post - a cave - won 2nd prize out of 23 entries at the Torbay carnival. During the procession the Division collected £70. Cadet Sargeant David Jordan. of the same di v sion. recently received his Grand Prior 's Badge.

LANCS - Pr es ton Corps held an outdoor exercise at the local railway sidings during the afternoon of Sept. 18 , when some 40 casualties were treated and remo ve d from railway coaches. then evacuated in 3 ambulances to Corps HQ. which was used as a clearing station.

SUFFOLK - Lowe s toft Nursing Division he ld a fashion show. organised by President Mrs. V. Hall s, on Nov. 9 and raised £70 for uniforms for new member s.

OBITUARY

Sidney Beasley, Secretary Coventry Centre. Joined Brigade as a 10-yea r -o ld cadet, then Foleshi1l and Longford Ambulance Divi sion, superintendent in 1952. Warwicks County Staff in 1967 to become Assist Cty. Sec. Officer of the Order. Died October 10.

Ralph Davison, OBE, QPM, DL, County Director for Cleveland, and until recently Chief Const a ble of the Cleveland Constabulary. Died December 6

G. J. Fowler, 9 J, Coventry. Daimler Division 's superintendent in 1916 Assistant County Comm issioner of Warwickshire when he retired from Brigade in 1961 Co m mander of the Order. D ied October 10.

Dr. J L. Johnston, Surgeon to Felixstowe Ambulance Division 1914 to 1946.55 years Brigade service. Officer of the Order.

BUCKS: Ay esbury Nursing Cadet Divis io n 's annua enrolment for ce ntenary year inc uded members and cadets in old-style uniforms made by D Supt. M iss D. Hickman and % Mrs. E. Hackett. Mrs Boothman Dame of the Order and member of Chapter General. made the presentations (Photo: Bucks Herald)

(Above) SURREY: Heave - President of the local Round Tablers makes a heavy lift for Frlmley and Camberley Div ision (Sup!. K.

(Above) SUFFOLK: Framlingham Division members in the fancy dress parade for the medieval market at the town's Jubilee celebrations.

CHESHIRE: Congleton Nursing Cadet Division

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.1 (78)

Compiled by W. A. Potter

Across:

3. Tissue forming surface layers of skin and internal cavities is 60 % helium. (10). 8 Wrongly inter a part of the eye (6) 9. Immediately following ten in net. (4). 10. Obstinate - due to having a thick skull? (4.6). II. Go wrong in Londonderry. (3). 13. Take care of the intellect. (4). 14. One of the health team who stops in his job. (7). IS Moan in severe oral infection of debilitated children. (4). 18. Encapsulated tumours containing fluid. (S). 21. Just right for a boy or girl. (3 ) 22. Town divisions where the patients are accommodated ( S). 24 Main nitrogenous constituent of urine. (4) 26. Recompenses concerned with 22 Across (7). 27. Appendage of an eyelid (4) 29. British Rail has nothing for little brother. (3). 30. Drab part of brain and spinal cord ? (4.6). 31. Roman emperor in fi'ne robes. (4). 32. Exhibiting dwarf-like characteristics in man's disorder. (6) 33 Should be prevented by judicious covering of an injured person. (4.2.4).

Down:

1. Important factor in occurrence of haemophilia .(8). 2. Affected b y a blow over the solar plexus. (6). 3. Oriental rough sea bird (7 ) 4 Discharge from ulcerated wound forming blood of Greek gods (S). S. Suspend to kill by dislocation of the cervical spine. (4) 6. Bury French king turning up in the central part of the country. (8) 7 It is following changed term for inflammation of the uterus (8). 12. Wintr y phenomenon for cocaine addicts. (4). 14. A large number consumed a fruit. (4). 16. How soup appears in a musical work. (4). 17. Spoil fractured arm. (3). 18 Affecting the brain. (8). 19. The old surgeon observed the skeleton? (3 S) 20 . Painful reverse for Eros. ( 4) 23. Sends pie for what the pharmacist does. (8). 2S. Arab and men with temperature provide food (7).27. Pathological condition producing no signs or symptoms. (6). 28. Never changing tissue. (S): 30. Game in which good drivers should do well. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 12 (77)

Across:

I. Hysteria; 8. Disorder; 9. Neoplasm; 11. Doctor ; 12. Left; 13. Scar ; IS. Scratch; 17. Tale ; 20 Oxide; 21. Par; 22. Steer; 23 Exam ; 2S. Par.o.tid; 27. Rash; 29. Mi .me ; 30. Frolic ; 32. OdontOId ; 34. Vitamin D; 3S. Sphenoid.

Down: I. Henle's loop; 2. Top; 3. Reagent; 4. Admit; S. ,Us.ed ; 6. Trochanter; 7. Heroic; 10. OUa; 14. Radio-ulnar; IS. Se.ra ; 16. Hard-headed ; 18. Aped; 19. La.x; 24. Ma.m.moth; 26 Aortic; 28. A lt.o ; 29. Moods; 31. Chin; 33. Tan.

AMBULANCES!

Anatomical models

The Cam e ra Ta lks Package D eal comes fully equipped with a min projector and casse tt e re p lay unit. Twe lve filmstrip s (of your own c ho i ce ) with corresponding taped commentaries a nd exp anatory n otes can be put nto this sma rt ca rrying case.

Below i s a list of relevan t subjects. Please mark the programmes of interest to yo u , with 0 or without 0 th e Pa ckage D eal. prefer s l ides 0 or filmstrips 0

Lif e Savin g Fir st Aid 1 - 3 0

The Rol e of Oxygen i n the Body 0

What Would You Do 1 - 2 0

Bas ic First 'Aid 1 - 7 0

Firs Aid f o r Fr ac tur es 1 - 6 0

Fir st Aid at Hom e 0

Fir st A d f o r Road U se rs 1 - 3 0

Adv anced F rst Aid 1- 5 0

Liv e and Learn 1 - 8 0

Treatm e nt of M nor In j urie s 1 -2 0

The Package D ea s available o n a ppro va l 0 pur c h ase 0

M a rk th i s and r etu rn it to.

CAM ERA TALI< S LI M ITED 31 North Row, London , W1 R 2EN. T el: - 493 - 276 1

Nam e Po sit ion

Addre ss

T e ep hon e Dat e

ST. JOHN REVIEW

THE JOURNAL OF ST. JOHN Volume 51 No.2

Contents

At Random by Watkin W. Williams p.25

Across the world to camp by Andrew Ha ywa rd p .2 6

77 Westmin ste r Bal l for St. John p.2 9

Nursing Cadets Our BERET and yo ur HAIR p 30

Around and Abo ut by the Editor p 32

Baron Larre y's Fl ying Ambulances by Laurie Justice p 36

Those early V A.D. days by W. J. L Gotch p 37

SJA girls and their sh ip go a'voyaging, part 2 , by Jo yce Zielinski p 38

Re ade rs Views pAO

On the W ards by D avid Williams p.42

News from S cotland - Overseas p.44

Cadets c amp in M a lt a - PR -c hat p.45

News from Di visions Centres pA6

Visual A i ds pA8

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Edi te d and produced for the Order of St. John by Drisco Productions , Wood Cottage High Corner Butley , Nr Woodbridge Suffolk P12 3QF Phon e: Oriord (Std 039 45 ) 548. Editor: Frank Driscoll.

Adve rt ising, disp l ay and classi fi ed, rates on request from Dr sco Pro ductions

Pr ice 30p month y £ 4.30 per annum, inc luding postage from Rev ew Sales SI. J o hn Ambulance 1 Grosvenor Crescent London SW1X COVER : LOOKING AHEAD Happy trophy winners of Leicester s Moat Road Nursing Cadet Division For t he third time running Les ley Bonner 15 (to p eft) won the Christine Bonner Memor ia Cup a trop hy

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W . Williams

THE MOST notable of the New Year Honours conferred by Her Majesty in recognition of St. John services was awarded to Mr. Alan T. Gandell, Chancellor of the Priory in New Zealand , who was created a Knight Bachelor for his outstanding service to the Order of St. John in New Zealand. Sir Alan (as he now becomes) has for many years played a leading part in developing Association training in the Dominion , in recognition ' of which he was admitted to the Order in the grade of Officer in 1965 , promoted to Commander in 1968 and to Knight in 1971. He was Director of Association from 1967 to 1972 and has been Chancellor of the Priory since 1971 , an appointment (originally known as Sub-Prior) in which he bears re s ponsibility as the executive deputy of His Excellency the Governor-General as Prior. We offer our warmest congratulations both to Sir Alan personally for this welldeserved honour and also to all our fellow-members of the St. John family in New Zealand , where Association training has been carried out ever since the first Centre w as formed in Christchurch in 1885 and where the firstever overseas division of the Brigade was formed in Dunedin in 1892.

An OBE has been awarded to Dr. Walter W. Cashmore. Commissioner for the Metropolitan County of the West Midlands. Dr. Cashmore joined the Brigade in January 1941 as Divisional Surgeon of the Austin Aero Division , Birmingham , and , including a period of war service in the RAF , remained in that appointment for 16 years before becoming Corps Surgeon in 1957. He was appointed County Surgeon of the (then) St. John County of Birmingham in 1965 and became Commissioner in 1970 , continuing in that office as the first commissioner of the new County of the West Midlands when the boundary changes took effect in April 1974. But any such bald record of his appointments during his 37 years' Brigade service is totally inadequate to describe the way in which he tackled , with a remarkable combination of energy and tact , a wide variety of tasks , some of which were by no means easy to perform. As Corps Surgeon , County Surgeon and Commissioner he has been untiring in his efforts to get to know personally all the officers and members within his command and to involve himself (continued on p.J5)

The C-in-C organised an essay competition for the party. This article is the 1st prize (£15) winner , written by Andrew Haywa rd (above), A I M of Exmouth Ambulance Division. Pho to: Exe ter Expres s)

IF THERE was an underlying theme to our New Zealand visit it must have been meeting people, and the interchange of ideas with these people, The process started in a rather damp London on Monday August 22, Ten young St. John members and two officers, drawn from all parts of the country as far apart as Lancashire and the Channel Islands, met for the first time at the Grosvenor Crescent HQ, After lunch with General Gordon , the Cin-C, we made our way to Heathrow and a six-hour wait due to a strike, more time however to get to know each other, So on to Auckland , via Los Angeles and Honolulu

A party of 12 young UK members (including 2 officers) were invited to attend SJA New Zealand's Cadet Golden Jubilee Camp at Wanganui

ACROSS THE WORLD TO CAMP

where we arrived to see the sunrise over t he mountains, In Auckland there was the first taste of the friendliness and welcoming s pirit that was to follow u s throughout New Zealand.

The people and personalities of St. John in New Zealand are ve r y similar to those found at home. For instance the wonderful ladies and gentlemen of the h ospi taller s w ho provided cups of tea as we arrived in Auckland, and the families who were so understanding and reali sed that all we wanted on reaching their houses was go to bed! The following day was spent sightseeing in Auckland, and so it was on the Friday that we left the spring sunshine of that city a nd flew to Wanganui. Perhaps I had better explain the purpose of our visit to Wanganui, It was here that 50 yea rs ago the first St. John Cadet Division was founded outside the United Kingdom b y 'Corpora l' Edward

Gilberd, who is now a Knight of St. John

The Wanganui camp thu s had a two -fold purpose: first as a venue for the annual New Zealand cadet competition finals and second as a celebration of the cadets' 50th centenar y in New Zealand. in which groups from Australia, Fiji and England had been asked to take part. The spirit and friendliness at the camp was something I s ha ll never forget, and it was another example of our abi lit y to communicate, between people of different nationalities and ages, It is. however, true to say that this spirit was aided by the organisation of the event. For instance everyone wore name badges and thus total s trangers could be addressed by their Christian names , and in addition officers and cadets slept in the same dormitories, as did people of different nationalities, The concept of the New Zealand

THE LUCKY TWELVE

Th e party on arriva by bus at Napier from Wellington , halfway thro ugh their tour of New Zealand

(L to R) Front r ow: Lynn Norman , 16 , Cadet. Sargeant from Jer sey: Sarah Brennan 1 7 Nursing Cade t from Feli xs towe Suffolk Julie Hol co mbe 17 , Nursing Cadet from Weymouth Dorset. Middle row Martyn Harris 17 Cadet Leade r from Wisbe ch, Cambs Janet M a thieson 17, Nursing M embe r from Nelson Lancs : Heather Lambley 17 Nursing Member from Matlock Derbys : Mrs Kathrine Guilbert. Div Supt from Guernsey B ack row: James Bond. Area Staff Offi cer (Training) Ess ex (party leader ): And re w Evan s, 16 Ambulan ce Cadet from near Preston, Lan cs (2nd prize essay com petition ): Andrew H ayward, 18, Ambulan ce M embe r from Exmouth, Devon : Nigel Godolphin, 17 Cadet Sargeant from Ash Vale Surrey Adrian M ea rs 1 7 Ambulance

Cadet from Swindon Wiltshir e

competitions is very different from ours, with greater emphasis being put on care of the patient as a human being rather than detailed first aid, and that the competition is an opportunity for everybody to get together and talk rather than for a particular team to simply win all the cup s, In this connection J found that the teams tended to mix more in the waiting areas, and there was no separation between those who had competed and those who were waiting to do so. Although this was a special occasion, it appears that the New Zealand national cadet competitions are spread over several da ys each year, and thus there is time for social events and conferences. The cadet team s are all mixed and rathe r than being representatives of one particular division , they are drawn from all part s of that di strict.

Their comps.

The events in the competition are totally different from the English events. Each team co nsists of five members. The tasks set also vary a great deal in subject matter. There is a trophy for drill, judged by two army warrant officers, and a written test. There are 5 3 and 2-man team tests and individual tests for each member. The test s covered a varie ty of topics, with both boys and girls doing first a id and nursing tests, for the ambulance cadets also have to hold a nursing certificate. a development which might be encouraged in this country. The team tests in particular were very much more realistic being held outside, irrespective of the weather, and involved the use of an ambulance and its equipment. On the arrival of the ambulance , the test switched from assessing the leadership and skill of the team member s to their ability while under orders of the ambulanceman. Another simple but effective test involved moving a person out of a car. into a wheelchair, up some steps and into a house. One of the individual tests was a lecturette delivered to a small class , which was marked on lecture technique as well as factual knowledge I think this was excellent, for the ability to talk to a class is a skill that must be developed in NCOs and potential leaders. However , it must be said that the depth of knowledge of first aid required throughout these tests seemed to be of a much lower standard than we would expect in England.

Our turn

Having watched these competItIons the next day we took part in the international competitions. Each of the four countries entered two or three teams, each comprising 3 members. Not having worked as teams before, our group was not quite sure who to put into which team , so we used the timehonoured custom of picking straws and each team then chose its leader. Our competitions were spread over the whole day and comprised a team and individual test. As

In the inte rnational co mpetit ons held at the ca mp , the UK teams finished 2nd , 4th and 6th.

Here Mr Edward Gilberd who founded the first St John Cadet Division in New Zeqland (and the first outside the UK) presents prizes to the 2nd team (R to L) Andrew Hayward Janet Mathieson and Sarah B ren nan - with James Bond

before, the team test was extremely realistic. involving the use of ambulance equipment and acting on the instruc tion s of the ambulance driver. A New Zealand team came first, my team 2nd , and the other two Eng lish teams 4th and 6th a very creditab le performance considering none of us had worke d together before and some of the other teams had been together at weekend training camps.

Highlights

Other highlights of the Wanganui camp were meeting the Governor General , Sir Dennis Blundell , and the moving church serv ice held in the s chool chapel for which we pro v ided one member of the colour party. There was the cadet disco which everybody joined in, including the Chief Commissioner for New Zealand, and genuinely seemed to enjoy themselves. And there was the memorial dinner and the international conference. It seems St. John has much the sa me problems the world over: the los s of young people between adult and cadet divisions, and the broadening of our scope to provide sufficient challenge to members being paramount.

On the last evening we had a sing song at which we rendered (I can hardly say sang!) a few typically English songs, but we could not hope to compete with the display of cultural activity and vitality given by the Fijians who ga ined the admiration of everyone for their warm and sincere approach, So we left the Wanganui camp having gained not only a wonderful trophy in the form of a gavel made from all the different kinds of New Zealand woods and inlaid with 2 silver medallions won by the runner - up in the international competitions, but also a whole host of experiences and new friends.

Now began our tour of the North Island staying with families in Wanganui, Wellington, Napier. Rotorua and Auckland. So much happened that I can only hope to

cover those events that stand out in my mind. Three of us went skiing on Mount Ruapehu , which was something totally new for me and most enjoyable, although I collected quite a few bruises. In Wellington we visited the chapter room of the Priory in New Zealand and the Houses of Parliament whic h are very much like the House of Commons. and the wonderful aquarium in Napier stands out in my memories, Perhaps Rotorua is the most exciting and dramatic place in New Zealand , with its geysers and boiling mud pools, and everywhere a smell not unlike rotten eggs; with its hot pools that produce such a sense of well being and lethargy. which no doubt helps in the treatment at the Queen Elizabeth's rheumatic hospital around which we were luck y enough to be shown.

Differences

St. John in New Zealand is so similar to its English counterpart, even in such details as the social evenings that were held wherever we went. These were admirable occasions to meet the St. John members and to talk. although shaking so many hands and answering so many questions was very tiring at times. There are, however, differences between our two countries. For instance. the Association is in most parts of the country responsible for running the ambulance service, with a paid staff. Cadet ages extend to 21, although a cadet may join the adult division when he wishes after 16. Consequently those cadets staying on after 16 are cadet leaders and the role of the cadet leader is very different. He is viewed as a potential leader, and is given responsibilities befitting such a person. The cadet leader is expected to attend officers' meetings, and the New Zealanders are trying to develop a more challenging programme of duties for these yo ung people. The Grand Prior subjects tend to be conducted as projects rather than lectures, which is

ACROSS THE WORLD TO CAMP

(contd.)

unpopular with the cadets, for they feel they have done enough project work at school. Also, each Grand Prior subject is rewarded with an individual distinctive badge, which is positioned neatly on the upper arm and make a visible but unpretentious display of a cadet's achievements. The idea could well be considered in this country.

The time had come to leave New Zealand, a country I shall remember for the warmth of its people, and the breath-taking quality of its scenery, where there is no habitation for mile upon mile. After landing briefly at Sydney the next stop was Hong Kong where we were to spend a day as guests of the Brigade in Hong Kong. The most outstanding things about Hong Kong are the heat , the humidity, and the people; Hong Kong's late summer provided us with temperatures in the 90s and a humidity of about 85%.

Bustling city

We were met by the Chief Commissioner then whisked through the bustling city to our hotel. Most of the people of Hong Kong live Ln skyscraper apartments, which are packed in with virtually no space between them; the social pressures and problems must be tremendous. The following morning we met some Hong Kong officers and cadets, and in a bus loaned by the British Army set off on a tour of the attractions of Hong Kong. Ocean Park, with the performing dolphins and magnificent aquarium was extremely interesting, but the highlight of the day must have been our lunch on the Tai Pak floating restaurant, as guests of the President of Hong Kong St. John Ambulance. The food was wonderful and the flow of drink unceasing , for no sooner was your glass empty than it was instantly refilled. I even managed to master the use of chopsticks , and did not have to resort to the knife and fork provided for the English. In the afternoon we toured the various St. John headquarters , and saw the monument to those members of St. John who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation.

Limited activities

Cadet activities in Hong Kong are limited by social conditions. For instance, cadets are not allowed to attend football matches , etc , due to the danger involved. Hence there is a degree of encouragement to enter the adult divisions, when they can attend such public duties. The Brigade runs the non-emergency side of the ambulance service, leaving urgent matters to the fire service ambulance section. Our departure from Hong Kong was delayed by some 10 hours, so we spent an

unscheduled second night in the hotel before returning to Heathrow via Bombay Bahrain and Frankfurt.

We had all undoubtedly learnt a lot , and the aim of '15roadening our experience had undoubtedly worked. We had learnt about ourselves , about each other , and about St. John world-wide. It remains only for me to thank our two leaders Mr. Bond and Mrs Gilbert, for managing to attain that difficult balance between being part of the g ro up and maintaining control over it in the friendliest possible way ; to thank ever y one at Headquarters who must have worked extremely hard on the organisation ; and finally , to thank the Brigade in New Zealand and Hong Kong fo r entertaining us in s u c h a splendid fashion.

The C-in-C later received this letter from SJA New Zealand's Chief Cadet OfficeI: Trevor Dick:

I have not forgot t en m y prom ise to w rite to y ou per s onally fo ll o wing your countr y s representatives return fr o m o ur Jubil ee Camp in Wanganui. Th e dela y in doin g so onl y strengthens my earlie st impre s sion s on meeting with them - that the y were th e nnest of young people very capabl y led b y the most courteous and under s tandin g o ffi c ers in K a thr y n a nd Jam es. Bot h m a d e

th eir m a rk o n the c amp through their willin g ne ss to b e in c amp ' and part o f it alon

' 77 WESTMINSTER BALL FOR ST JOHN

Grand finale to centenary year

LONDON 's famou s W es tmin s ter Bal l, t he charity ball of th e year , was in ai d of S t. John for 1977 -a fine gr a nd final e to St. John A mbulan c e 's c e nte n ary y e ar. He ld a t the Lo nd o n H il to n H ot el on December 1, wit h HRH The Du ke of Gloucester and the L or d Mayor an d L ad y May o ress of Westminster headi ng t he 8 00 guest list the evenin g included mu sic b y J oe Loss and his Orche s tr a and the To n y Charle s Steel Band ; cabaret b y A ni ta Harri s ; a discotheque ; a r a me in w h ic h the fir s prize was a Mini 1000 and t he s eco nd prize a £1000 G r eek I sl a nd c ruise ; and an a uc t ion of paintings and oth e r ite m s organised by Sotheb y's , w hi c h rai s ed ove r £4000 , Each year the Westminster B al l Committee choo s es a different char t y to benent from th e proceeds of the Ball. Th e 1977 Ball , which wa s spon s ored b y Jam es Buchanan & Co L td (Black and W hite Whisky), was devoted to S t. John th r ou g h an introduction to the comm ittee b y Sy lvia Lady Wilkin s on , w ho is Pre s ident of Grahamstown St. John A mbulance , S ou t h Africa and an act iv e fri e nd of St. Jo hn for many years , It was a great ev en in g for ev ery o ne, an d is expected to rai se abo ut £17 ,000 for St. John

(Above) Wish you were here! say members o the Ball Committee (L to R )

Mrs Nicholas D urlacher Mr Edward Garrett Sy via Lady Wilkinso n; Group Captain Gordon Pirie Mr Adria n M cAlpine (Join Chai r man ); Mrs Leona r d Pearl (Joint Chairman) ; T he Commiss one r- in-Ch ef , M ajor Gen e al Gordon ; Mrs John M ll s; Mrs Ch arles St George and Wi lfred Sherman

A good story f rom Ma r or e, Coun t ess of B re cknock (left ). Chie Pres dent , St. J o hn Ambulance enthralls (R to L)

Mrs Le onard Pearl , Ball

Co mm itt ee c hairman The Duk e o f Gl o u c ester , and the C- in - C, Major Gen Desmond Gord o n

L est er Piggot s 1977 D erb y winn ng wh p was among th e tems au ct oned Here s th e bu y er H arry D emetriou , who paid £ 1,300 for t

DO YOU LOOK LIKE THIS

For the young that extra-special super hair-do is a 'must' - but so is that beret if you 're a cadet

The Pan c ake The beret irone d

The beret . Shakespeare spoke of 'imperfections on my head' ( Haml e t).

In this age he might have been referring to way s of wearin g 'Our Beret' with popular hairsty les!

And hairstyles according to Dress Regulations

Page 4. Amendment dated May 1977 stat es 'Hair will be tidy

Cadets with long hair will wear it neatly t ied bac k or in a bun or French pleat'.

Page 11. A n illustration shows the correct po s ition of th e ber et on the head and the correct position of the badge. A n am e ndm ent da te d Ma y 1976 states 'Badge 110, to be worn wit h be r et , outer edge oj red border to be %inch from the lo wer edg e of the bere t band '.

On the next page are three Cadets from London Dis t ri ct, ea ch with a popular though different hairsty le, sho w ing ho w th ey ar rang ed th eir hair suitably and put on their beret in th e co rr ect way.

OR THIS. •

100 NOT OUT

A 'Red Letter Day' for St. John Ambulance Aeromedical Services was Wednesday October 19, when the Operations Room at No. 1 Grosvenor Crescent received an urgent call to repatriate a young man aged 18, with chest injuries and a damaged lung following a motor cycle accident, from Lyons, France to the Brompton Hospital. London.

This was the 100th flight to be carried out during 1977, compared with 94 in 1976 and 44 in 1975.

The call for flight No. 100 was received at 1O.15am, giving only two hours for the Operations Room staff to make all the necessary flight arrangements and to find a State Registered Nurse who was free to undertake the mission , which meant reporting at London Airport to join British Airways flight BE 092 and then to return with the patient from Lyons on flight BE 093 that same afternoon After many 'phone caJls to Air Attendants in the London Area, the honour of being t he Air Attendant on flight No. 100 went to Mrs. Barbara Newman SRN QN, a Divisional Nursing Officer of Eastern Area, London District. Mrs. Newman quickl y made arrangements to find someone to act for her during her absence in the business she runs , but unfortunately due to a delay on the return flight Mrs. Newman missed the theatre party she had organised for her business colleagues and staff. When reporting the flight delay to the Controller of Aeromedical Services, she commented: 'A h well, I will be at the theatre in time to meet my staff after the show'.

In addition fo the air ambulance and schedule flights the Aeromedical Services have carried out 81 road ambulance transport duties and 8 land sea escorts making a total of 178 missions since January 1 1977 - the most active period of

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN

operations since the St. John Ambulance Aeromedical Ser v ices were set up They have been able to meet and satisfy all requests, thanks to the willing co-operation and helpfulness of all the Air Attendants and the St. John Ambulance Counties, w hi c h ha ve provided road ambulance transport w hen required

The services have dealt with many severe ly ill and seriously injured patients, including cases of cardio-vascu ar accident and m yoca rdial infarction, which necessitated ha vi n g to borrow portable cardiac equipment. The services will soon have the ir own equipment, which is due for delivery s hortl y.

Over the Christmas period the SJA Air Wing control centre at Epping had its busiest pe riod ever

In addition to handlin g a re cord number of missions the Wing hit the he adlines when Winston Churchill piloted an aircraft on a mercy dash from London to Hamburg on De cembe r 27-28.

A fully fledged member of the Air Wing, Mr. Churchill has flown sev eral missions for the service, but owing to hi s h eavy parliamentary sch edule is often precluded from regular standby dut y.

Between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve the Wing handled roughl y one flight a da y ferrying badly needed kidneys around Great Britain and the cont inent.

BY THE EDITOR

Throughout the C hristm as and New Year periods there were teams of air cont r ollers and p ilot s on stand -by duty to cope with the ru sh of emergencies.

Senior flight controller Wing Commander H. H. Drummond , said that the large number of missions was probab ly due to the fact that almost all forms of normal transport cease over the Christmas period and a lso accidents tend to be more frequent at this time.

The SJ A Air Wing, wh ich is staffed purely by volunteers provides a 24 -hour -a- day emergency service

ROME DUTY 1975

Miniatures have now been received of the medals awarded by the Sovereign Military Order to Brigade members who were on duty in St. Peter s Square, Rome, during the Holy Year. Will all holders of this decoration please send a stamped addressed envelope to Alan McKay at Brigade Headquarters , Grosvenor Cresc e nt London SW 1, w h e n their minia ur e s will be forwarded.

NOT MISSED A DAY

The Wellingborough Evening Telegraph carried this stor y: Twice a da y for the past five y ears members of Wellingborough ' s St. John

Ambulance have visited a pensioner in a bid to prese r ve her sight.

Mrs. Ada Angel , 76 , who suffers from gla ucoma can just see out of one eye To keep what little sight s he has , eye drops have to be put in twice each day.

As well as glaucoma Mrs. Angel who lives on the north side of the town , also suffers from arthritis , so she is unable to administer the drops herself.

'The St. John Ambulance has been marvellous. They have not missed a da y in the last five years ,' she said For the first time the organisation arranged to provide volunteers over C hri st m as because Mrs. Angel cannot visit her daughter due to travell ing difficulties

Mrs. Angel said : I can read or write and I can barely see the te levision. I can just abo ut manage to sign my pension book .'

She said her eyesight was now so bad she h ad rea c hed the stage where she had to work her way round the room from one p ie ce of furniture to the next.

Keep up the good work Wellingborough.

SJA

AMBULANCE

DEFINITION

T he London Ambulance Service's magazine LONDAM tells us:

The official definition of an a mbulan ce has now been altered to include ve hicl es carrying disabled people for soc ial as well as medical reasons .'

The new definition from the Department of Tran s port reads: 'A vehicle w h ic h is

A ine display stand built by the Pre s t o n Co rp s for centena ry year The stand was built initially for a major three - day exhibit on staged in the town s Guild Ha , which attracted over 13 ,000 people. Since then it has been used many times o

pecificall y constructed or adapted and outwardly identifiable as a vehicle for the carriage of sick, injured , or disabled persons and used for their conveyance to an d from hospitals and other medical and welfare centres. (In the context of disabled persons a welfare centre means an establishment for the welfare of disabled persons. Entitlement to exemption would not be lost if an ambulance was also used by an organisation catering for the welfare of the disabled to take disab led persons on social visits) .'

SECRETS FOR SALE

For those who don t know the area , Suffolk is an unpretentious no-nonsense county which calls a spade a spade Its best qualities take patience and time to discover , but once you ve glimpsed them you realise only too well why they re not paraded for all and

But in the case of the Suffolk Cookery Book , which has been produced by the Council of the Order of

in Suffolk, council-member Lady Stirling and

daughters Patricia and Mary, have made all the effort - so that everyone can participate in the secrets of Suffolk kitchens. Friends and SJA supporters throughout the county (

have parted with their favourite recipes and what feasts some of them are! - so that Lady Stirling could compile this book in aid of St. John. Personally, I'm surprised that Suffolk is parting so easily with these secrets. I only hope it's not going to become a habit.

The book costs £1 (plus 20p postage and packing) from Lady Stirling, Saxham Hall, Great Saxham, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Michael Scott, who was in the U.K. during the summer, writes to the C-in-C from South Australia: 'The remainder of this memorable year has disappeared so quickly. As your winter draws on I expect London has quietened considerably, pondering, no doubt on how economically successful 1977 has been for Britain with the Jubilee. At Victor Harbour, we continue to go from strength to strength. This year we recruited 10 new ambulance and nursing members and increased our ambulance fleet to 5 vehicles. John Hill has transferred to Darwin N.T. as Training Officer for the Northern Territories. Our Cadet Division had a good year, winning Junior State First Aid Competitions.'

GOING OUT TOTHE PEOPLE

, there were 9 new adult members , many more nursing cadets and many enquiries about courses.

(Photos: R l. Smith)

THAT DOG

Our new Labrador, who had the dinner last month (Jan. A & A), is proving a problem

He 's now had two of the neighbour 's hens. They were old hens, thank goodness , and the neighbour didn't particularly mind. So far. But this can't go on, of course, or we (or the dog) will be ostracized locally. It 's not that Simba - I'd better give you his name , in case you run into him - wants to kill hens , he just can't resist picking them up and running off with them. Which doesn 't do the hens any good of course. These two expired from fright, as we were trying to prise his jaws apart to release them.

The other cold, January morning, as I was shaving, I almost cut myself laughing at what I saw from the bathroom window. My wife, in dressing -gown and slippers, had rushed from the house to the neighbour 's paddock after Simba. He'd got a hen and now my wife was sitting on his back in the long - and no doubt very wet - grass trying to free it

That darned dog is a problem , I can tell you. If anyone knows how to cure this chicken-grabbing habit, I'd be pleased to hear about it.

CORRECTION

The group photograph to part 1 of article SJ A gir ls go a'voyaging (J an. Review ) did not include Mark Tennant of Headquarters, as we were informed, but Dr. S. T. G. Gray, Deputy Commissioner of Suffolk.

MI D BENDERS (answers) ·t\J d IJY·1> 'de:> ddU)! E 'ddl S ul .c: 'IOU)! 1

HANTS Shirley Cadet Division s mas

closely in all their Brigade activities. His friendly personality and wise counsel, and the many hours that he spent visiting, helping and befriending all the units which joined the new county in 1974 constituted a major factor in welding together the various St. John elements in the West Midlands into a united whole. The honour conferred on him by Her Majesty will give special pleasure to his many St. John friends both in the West Midlands and further aneld.

Miss Florence E. Busby, County Staff Officer, Bucks , has received the BEM in special recognition of her services during the past 25 years in performing Brigade public duties at the Silverstone Motor Racing Circuit. Miss Busby joined the Buckingham Nursing Division in 1934 and became Divisional Offlcer of what had by then become a combined A & N division in 1957 ten years later she was promoted to Divisional Superintendent in the year following her di vision 's golden jubi lee The Buckingham Division ha s for long had an outstanding record in public duties, and for many years Miss Bu sby has personally carried out an average of 600 hours' public duty annually, a very large proportion of these havi ng been at the Silverstone circuit si nce its inauguration in 1952. Throughout the past quarter of a century, during which Silverstone has developed to its present preeminence and vast ly increased in public attendance, Miss Busby has not only been present on public days but whenever the circuit is used for practice; her devoted and efflcient voluntary service has been greatly appreciated by the Silverstone authorities, a nd only last year, when she decided to retire as Divisional Superintendent in order to give a younger member a chance of promotion, she was appointed County Staff Officer with special respon sibility for duties at Silverstone.

AT RANDOM

contd. from p.2S

express them. As a result, and partly too because they have less news -value for the media than the small minority of hooligan s, fa r too many older folk refuse to believe that they exist. But that's just blindness, a blindness which plays into the hands of the hooligan s and makes it harder for people like Eric to succeed in making their dream s come true - discouraging those who are outside our ranks from joining us, and di scou raging those who are already with us from staying there. If you happened to miss this item last month, look it up NOW; you'll find it a very worth-while theme for discussion at you r next divisional meeting.

Humanists they

Kyte's Estate, Garston, Herts) has received the CBE in recognition of his services as Chairman of the Hertfordshire Social Services' Com rruttee.

Medical progress

Launchi ng the Cleaner Food Courses during December. (L to R) Mr. James Clancey, Vice-Pres. The Environmental H eal th Officers Assoc; Professor Ha ro ld Stewart Dire ctor General SJA, Capt. F. A. Bland , Deputy Sec. Association Branch a nd Mr Kenneth Tyler. Sec EHOA

There are no doubt, in addition to the above , other members of the Order of S1. John and its Foundations who have been honoured by Her Majesty at the New Year for their services in other nelds, and I hope that details of any suc h awards will be sent to the Editor. Meanwhile it gives me great pleasure to record the following: The Hon. Sir Peter Ramsbotham (President of the St. John Council for Bermuda) who was HM Ambassador to the United States from 1974 to 1977 and became Governor and Commander -in -Chief of Bermuda last yea r , has been promoted to GCMG in recognition of his further outstanding services; The Most Revd. A. H. Johnston (Chaplain of the Priory in New Zealand) has received the CMG in recognition of his services as Archbishop of New Zealand and Bishop of Waikato; and Mr. P. H. Bolshaw (Secretary of the St. John and Red Cross Joint Committee 's settlement for paraplegics at

The honour conferred on Sir Peter Ramsbotham reminds me that I recentl y had the pleasure of reading the speech that he made at the S1. John Ambulance Centenary dinner in Bermuda last November. After referring to the parable of t he Good Samaritan and commending, in very moving terms, the Samaritan as a model to all St John members for his efficient first aid and se lfle ss service in saving the life of a total stranger w ithout regard to nationality , class or creed, he continued in lighter vein: Nowadays we have stretchers and am bulances, instead of donkeys and horses to carry the wounded to an inn or a hospital. Of course. in the past 2000 years medical science has made great progress Let me pause a moment to illustrate this: a solicitor was advised by his doctor to give up all forms of alcohol as part of his treatment for dyspepsia. Five years later , visiting the same doctor but now complaining of insomnia, he was told to take a nightly tot of whisky. The solicitor, who had a good memory. pointed out to the doctor that his previous advice was to avoid alcohol altogether. The doctor. a man of resource, replied 'A h yes, but medicine has made great strides since those days'

Ideas for all

I hope you enjoyed Cadet Sergt. Eric McKerlie's prize essay on St. John Am bulance and Welfare; the future (J an., p.19) as much as I did! The ideas that Eric offered to his own county of Cheshire apply equally to all of us, everywhere. I know that there are many thousands of young people today , both inside and outside St. John, who share Eric's views with the same enthusiasm and sense of purpose, but they lack his ability (and perhaps his opportunity) to

Another item which I particularl y enjoyed last month was A/M Michael Dickinson 's reactions to his nrst 'Not tingham (p.21). I was much amused by his sudden and su rprised discovery, when he heard Col. Pat Adams's opening address that high -ranking offlcers are human. and longed to know whether he had hitherto pictured them as subhuman, superhuman. or just inhuman! People who work at HQ are all essentially human when you sc ratch beneath the skin! Many of them have had long years of 'human' experience at divisi-::nal. area and county levels before they came to HQ. while others have an even wider background of 'human' experience in other spheres which make a very valuable contribution to the life of the St. John family and prevent us from getting too in - bred.

That 's what 'Nottingham is all about; that's what the RevieH is ail about - to develop. share and above all communicate that human vitality throughout the whole of St. John.

And I liked A/ S/ O Bruce Coltman's suggestion (p.18) that we should produce an extra (I3th) issue of the Revie w annually, free of charge, devoted entirely to 'Notti ngham '. The trouble is that the paper. printing and distribution of a single 24-page issue costs just over £2.000 (excluding overhead expenses). and we couldn't possibly afford to do that 'for free' with our present number of subscribers. If each one of YOU, who DO read the R eviell and find it worth while to do so, can during the next few months persuade ONE other person not merely to borrow it (which unfortunately doesn't make it pay!) but to become a regular s ub scriber, then I'm pretty sure we could do what Mr. Coltman suggests.

Short of that. I shall certainly discuss with the Editor and Col. Adams the possibility of making one of our regular issues (perhaps even with a few extra pages at no extra charge) a special 'Nottingham' number. Meanwhile. see what .1'011 can do to get that one extra subscriber to what I know our Commissioner-in-C hief regards as one of our most vital lines of communication.

BARON Larrey (1766-1842) was the probable inventor of the ambulance. He served through all the Napoleonic wars and his fame as a military surgeon is second only to that of his great fellow-countryman Ambroise Pare.

Dominique Jean Larrey was born at Baudean near the Pyrenees He was only 13 when his father died and was educated by his uncle who was a surgeon to the General Hospital at Toulouse.

After making several voyages as a ship's surgeon, Larrey went to Paris to continue his studies. In the winter of 1789 he witnessed the street fighting that ushered in the French Revolution and a large number of wounded came under his care at the Hotel Dieue. Soon after this he was appointed surgeon to the army of the Rhine.

It was during this campaign that he invented the 'flying ambulances.' It was the practice then to station the ambulance service at the rear of the troops and to leave the wounded on the field until after the battle. Larrey went into the thick of the fighting with his ambulances volantes, which were of two kinds: light , closed twowheeled vehicles for two patients , drawn by two horses for rapid transport over even ground , and heavier, four-wheeled ones accommodating two or four men and drawn by four horses, for use over rough ground.

The ambulances were fitted with removable litters and they carried splints , bandages drugs and food. The 'flying ambulances' caused a great sensation and their use became general in the armies of the Republic.

Larrey took part in 60 battles and 400 engagements and was wounded three times. His life was devoted to his master Napoleon and to the welfare of the wounded soldiers. At the British attack on Alexandria , Larrey had just finished amputating the leg of a 60-year-old general when he realised he had been deserted by all his assistants except one and that a squadron of English cavalry was bearing down on his ambulances. He put the general on his shoulders and ran, picking his way across a field, over which the cavalry could not follow. Alexandria was safely reached and the general recovered.

At the capture of Smolensk , at the beginning of the Russian campaign , he amputated the arms of 11 men , nine of whom recovered (two died of dysentry). His speedy amputations carried out in the field, helped reduce sepsis.

During the Russian campaign he noticed that the intense cold seemed to inhibit supuration and also had an anaesthetic effect. Larrey's careful observations played

Baron Larrey's I Flying Ambulances'

a part in inspiring present da y work on artificial hibernation and refrigeration anaesthesia.

At the battle of Borodino in 1812 Larrey either performed himself or supervised 200 amputations in 24 hours!

At the crossing of the Beresina in the retreat from Moscow he returned to the left bank to retrieve some surgical instruments but was caught in the battle. He was recogni sed by the soldiers who picked him up and passed him over their heads to safety, such was the high regard in which he was held.

Larrey's methods and the amazing toughness of the troops are illu st rated by the case of Colonel Sourd , commander of the 2nd Lancers at Gennape: Larrey amputated his right arm , which had received six sword cuts, at the roadside after which the colonel with clenched teeth and stitched-up stu mp rejoined his regiment and led them into battle

His la st battle was Waterloo, during which he was wounded and left for dead. He was captured by the Prussians and sentenced to be shot, but the surgeon who

AS THE mention of my first V.A.D. day s (August Review) referred to something that happened s ixty years ago present day member s might be interested in some of the things that went on in those far ofT days.

A joint war organisation of the Order of St. John and the British Red Cross Society was the co ntrollin g body and as the latter was universally recognised as a medical organisation and S1. John was not the Red Cross appeared to be the leading body. There also seemed to be some association with the War Office. On becoming qualified we were issued with khaki uniforms with a plain Red Cross cap badge and shoulder numerals , in our case V.A.D. over Northants with the figure 5 between them. With my first aid certificate I received a certificate of membership of the Voluntary Aid Detachment.

Those ea 'rly V.A.D. days

byW.J. L. GOTCH

Justice

approached to bandage his eyes recognised Larrey, for he had attended one of his courses of lecture s on surgery. I nstead of bein g shot Larrey was taken in front of von Bulow, another trick offate because Larrey had saved the life of von Bulow's son after the battle of Toeplitz. He was now treated well and sent to Louvain where he recovered from his wounds.

He ended his days in the highest honour and repute. His ingenuity and dedication under the most appalling conditions earned him great respect. His techniques and careful observations, combined with the use of fully -equipped ambulances in battle must have saved countless lives.

He set a precedent for the future and we are still benefitting from it.

Napoleon himself wrote a fitting epitaph in his will: 'To Surgeon-in-Chief of the French Army, Larrey, 100,000 francs. He is the most virtuous man [ have ever known.'

(Reprinted from LONDAM, th e magazine of the London Ambulance Service).

We wore the customary belt pouch , khaki haversacks and khaki covered water bottles. Our only evident link with the Brigade was that we had black St. John buttons. We had plain bottom trousers but, with troops stationed in the town, to quite a few of us this did not appear in order so we acquired puttees but when we turned up for practice wearing them we were forcibly reminded that this was not regulation of our organisation and had to rather reluctantl y di spense with them. When we returned to be St. John men we changed the Red Cross and V.A.D. numerals for black Bri gade insi gnia. It was some time later that we resumed the familiar black and white uniforms and even then there was a link with our former outfits in that the tunic s were moulded on the style of military ones.

Uniform was the order for all drill s and practices; there was no question of turning up in 'c iv vie s' as seems to be the general practice today.

I still recall my first aid examination and often find myself comparing it with those of the present day. The skeleton with the name s of bones , the circulation of the blood with names of arteries and some information about the organs of the body were subjects on which we had to answer questions. Haemorrhage was a mandator y subject and to fail in its treatment was to fail the whole exam. At my first examination there were no fewe r than 130 candidates and the whole proceedings lasted over four hours. We certainly earned our certificates!

The numbers had been considerably augmented as a large proportion of the candidates were designed to be a Bearer Company of the Local Defence Volunteers and a stipulation was that if we trained them they would enrol as members of the S1. John Division. Of course they did not become V.A.D.s but they helped to make quite an imposing division , something in the region of 150 strong. Many divisions would like to have that number on their books today.

While most of our activities were as those of a St. John Division , there were at times additions to the curriculum designed to bring us int o line with possible conditions. It was also expected that some of the men would join the Royal Army Medical Corps when they were called up. The possession of a first aid certificate would give them automatic entry. To this end night operations were held. One of the local parks was placed at our disposal. It was locked up at night and here as full a muster as possible assembled.

'Cas ualties were strewn all around the park a nd stretcher parties set out to find and treat them. We had no such things as electric torches, so illumination had to be provided by hurri ca ne lamps suitably screened (s hades of Florence Nightingale) or cycle oil lamps

The parties were formed up as regulations: fo ur bearers with a man 10 charge with a medical haversack b l ankets and a set of splints w hich then comprised about a dozen. There was no such thing as s imulated wounds and injuries; the casualties wo re labels to indicate what was the matter with them. There were no packeted dressings either. so all that was required for treatment had to be cut from the packets in the medical haversack. When the cas ual ties' in j uries had been dealt with. he had to be loaded on to the stretcher. This a lw ays amused me, for despite the fact that we were supposed to be on a battlefield it was insisted that we lo ad the stretcher acco rding to regulations and the drill manual. The bandstand in the park was the casualty collecting station and the casualty was transported there for a subsequent ' inquest '. Again, as would be expected there was no attempt at precautions against discover y If all casualties had not been brou g ht in then a further search was necessary. When all were accounted for, a welcome cup of tea was the order.

Sometimes a field exercise was held, mostly on a Sunday afternoon. The idea

behind these was practice in tran s porting loaded stretchers over hedges, gates and fences. And occasionally they were held at a local ironstone pit, which provided 'she ll holes' and other features of a torn up battlefield. More prosaic work was done at the local War Hospital which had been set up in what was the mess room of the Gas Works. The stafT was almost entirely St. John. The matron was a lady corps superi ntendent as the rank was then, the Medical Officer a corps surgeon, while the nursing stafT was full time V.A.D.s men and women. Our detachment Commandimt was , incidentally , our Divisional Superintendent. I n order to give some of the War Hospital s tafT an evening ofT, some of us attended duties at the hospital. None of the patients had serious wounds, so there was no really se rious nursing, simply replacing dressings that had slipped and the like. We went on dut y from 7 to lOpm. There was no central heating in those days - unless you could call a massi v e stove in the centre of the ward as suc h - and our duty before we left was to fill two large scuttles with coal from the store and leave them beside the stove to ensure there was fuel for the night. When the war ended the hospital was run down and finally closed, and we took a large hand in disposing of the equipment.

As similar things were happening all over the country. there was a considerable surplus and much of this was diverted to St. John divisions. Some motor ambulances were also retained for service in the county and provided a number of divisions with a vehicle they had not been able to afford, so for some time after the war there were ambulances about with the legend Order of S1. John and British Red Cross on their si des.

Although things had been run down and St. J oh n had returned to its normal functions I found I was still a V.A.D and when I sought to join the Ro yal Naval Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve I had to resign. I did once have a reminder and that was during troublesome times in Ireland when some volunteers might be required to serve in hospitals there, but fortunately nothing came of that. Another thing I recall is that w hen a local firm built a new factory it was not allowed to move in as the building had been earmarked for a possible hospital, and one of the tasks we might be involved in was to help install the equipment. When there was an inspection of the Building by the authorities I was one of the local party which accompanied them to learn something of what we would have to do Fortunately there was no need for it.

Regretfully for us. when the war was over the Bearer Company faded away. and as men who had been in the forces did not show any enthusiasm to return it left us with sadly depleted numbers.

DraWing by J m Newton by Laurie

For the second year running, SJA teenagers have been sponsored for 2-week cruises on the Sail Training Association's schooners.

JOYCE ZIELINSKI, a nursing member from Bedford, tells us how the girls enjoyed life under sail.

STRAIGHT after dinner we left Denmark for our last foreign port of call , Amsterdam. Later on, when out to sea, we raised the raffee. topsail. mizzen , main : fore, staysail, inner and outer jibs, and jib topsail - we were reall y under full sail!

But at about 7 o'clock, as the wi nd got up, so me of the sails had to come down I was waiting to get a smashing picture of a glorious sunset when I had to go up to the top -ya rd to fist in a sa il! We were taking down sails or stowing them for the next two hours. I didn't get that picture!

Mizzen had a late watch on Sunda y night, and between shifts we worked out that we had had a total of around 30 hours of sleep during our first week on board. About 4 hours a day!

In t,he morning the captain had given us a short service, after which he told us we would be entering Amsterdam with the Malcolm Miller , t he sister s hip of the Sir Winston Churchi ll, which had a crew of boys aboard.

Our girls' 2 -

Later that day we were almost becalmed so everyone who had no specific jobs to do took advantage of the sun. There were girls lying aU over the deck , sun-bathing in jeans, jumpers, wellies and oilskins! The only visible parts of our bodies were faces and

and (Amsterdam) and finally to the schooner's home - port of Hull (left)

SJA girls and their ship go

, . a voyaging

Part 2: HOMEWARD BOUND TO HUll AND A GREAT RECEPTION

hands. Th at afternoon was the only one of the trip that could be termed quiet.

We met up with the Miller on Monday morning. and sailed up the North Sea Canal with the Churchill in the lead. We had the staysail and the mizzen set and the engine running. for [ believe the port authorities are not too keen on ships entering the harbour under sai l alone.

The Miller then passed us and docked first. We fo ll owed, turning the ship comp letely before finally mooring up. There is a lways a friendly rivalry between the two Sail Training Association schooners, and that Monday morning was no exception.

Both s hip s were sc rubbed and cleaned, but of course the Winston Churchill ended up far ,sma rter than the Malcolm Miller!

Once again we were allowed as hor e after dinner, but not before the capta in had given us a 'Big Daddy' talk on the sins of the city!

Amsterdam is fast becoming the centre of international v ic e and drug rings and we were warned about wandering around the city a lone. Th e captain adv ised u s to go in threes or fours, and to avoid the 'Cana l Street' area after dark.

With these happy thoughts we went as hor e, and any stranger coming within three feet of us was immediately under s uspicion!

We h ad to be back to the s hip by 5pm and supper, but we were allowed ashore again that eve nin g after the ga lley had been c leaned and we had promi se d to stay in the 'safe' a rea of the city.

The next mornin g, Tuesday, the Malcolm

mo st of the crew were on the Half Deck at breakfast, and I think he was really pleased. The cake must hav e been O K. as it was al l gone by midday!

On Thursday mornin g we a nch ored in the Humber in thick brown water. This was the day we presented the e.0. with a li ghter we had bought him in Amsterdam. I had sugge sted getting him something. as he had been really g reat to us all throughout the cruise, and the others agreed. He also see med pleased with his present. He said he shouldn t really accept it , but we wo uldn ' t let him give it back!

Joyce captioned this picture - th e end of our ship and of ou cruise

Miller left port at 7am. The Churchill wa n't lea ving until the afternoon. and we were pleased to learn that a trip had been arranged for u in a g la -topped canal barge. to see all t he ight o f the city by water.

We left Am terdam at abo ut 4pm and headed for Hull and home. By 6pm we met up with the Malcolm Miller. which had gone off o n another cour e and was motoring back. We were under sai l only. and let the boy know it

As the Miller came up on our starboard beam. he cut across our ste rn . The e.O. and the navigator had brought out the hip' cannons - heavy brass miniature which they fired at the Miller as she pa s ed. We then had a potato fight - the gi rl s coming out on top again of course!

The next day. Wedne da y. was the chefs birthday. John - known as Superchefhad been really fantastic all through the cruise. He had kept us well fed, with three two -course meals a day, fruit cake when he thought we needed cheering up, hot drinks when we were co ld, and club biscuits when we went on our two hour watches. He was very popular, so we decided to bake him a birthday cake on Tuesday night.

Somehow Chris and 1 found ourselves elected to make the cake. We waited until J o hn had gone to his cabin for the night, then we set to. We used two pounds of nour two pounds of sugar, s ixt een eggs, etc, etc, to make a c hoco la te sponge which was large enough to feed fifty -two!

After baking, the cake had to coo l, and the on ly safe place to keep it seemed to be on my bunk, where it cou ld be strapped in as t he sea was rough. 1 slept on the deck. But not for lon g. I got up at 3am to ice the cake before John got up. This 1 managed to do in p e nty of t im e. and then c le a ned the ga ll ey or all ev idenc e!

We presented John with the cake when

Most of the day was made into an exte nded 'Happy Hour The ship was cleaned until she sho ne, and the guardrail that runs all around the deck was scrubbed so many times that the wood turned white! We were told that it was the trainees turn to ente rta in the main crew, so the evening was set aside for a sing-song -cum -cabaret. We se nt out invitations to all non-trainees, giving the venue as the Half Deck , and the dress (rig of the day) as tails and wellies We decorated the stage with the ship's flags and anything bright coloured. The captain and his party came down - the e.0. with a notice pinned to his sh irt tail which read Tails'. The captain brought a tin of coke for each t raine e. We were ready to start.

The first 'ac t' consisted of the Bosun, Bosun's Mate , the Cook and his assistant, and the Chief Engineer - all dressed in pink plastic rubbish bags - singing to us! They were really hilarious. and everyone was in fits of laughter. The evening continued with various 'acts' and everyone singing songs we had rewritten during the day. The captain even did a star-turn - a magic trick with two pieces of string and the purser's knickers. But enough said about that!

Feeling very sad

The evening finished with everyone joining in th e song 'Now it' s time to leave the Churchill' to t he tune of 'Match of the Day' , which was reall y moving. We sang it a secon d time before breaking up and going to Our bunks , feeling very sad as we real ise d that o ur voyage was nearly over.

The next day, in preparation for our triumphant entry in to Hull , was spent sc rubbing the sh ip again and manning the ya rds. Also a BBC / TV Look North crew came aboard to film us gi rl s going about our shipboa rd tasks, which put paid to the captain's plans for us to repaint parts of the s hip (hooray!).

We had a ll been invited to a civic reception that evening, so we were to man the yards while entering the dock at Hull. I do n 't think I have eve r felt so proud as I did then , up on the yard. as we came into dock. The band started playing, and all the reception people in evening dress on the

quay s tarted cheering. That was whe n the tears came from the yards like a rain -shower for tho se below.

We were on the ya rd s about threequarters of an hour and when we came down we were really read y for a good hot shower to warm us.

That night the captain locked up the ship as there would be no -one on watch. and we all set off for the reception hall. singing on our way. When we got there we were given a glass of wine and congratulated on our trip. Then there was a big an nouncement : And here are the girls who have just returned from a hard trip on the Sir Winston Churchill'. And we were pushed forward to do a lap of honour [ don't think the people there knew what hit them! We answered hundreds of questions about our trip. met many people. and the dancing went on till two in the morning. We got into our bunks at about 2.30 - but had to get up again at 5.30 to move the ship to another mooring!

Even on our last day aboard we had a Happ y Hour. And then when everything was finished we packed our gear signed off. collected our duty -free - and said good-

SAIL TRAINING CRUISES 1978

bye s . The trip had been hard, but that was hardest of all. We'd all been together for two weeks - working. eating sleeping and playi ng. Parting was not easy. The Sail Training Association's bus took us to the station to catch various trains and lifts It was allover. I was picked up by car at the station and on the way home I relaxed a nd sl ept (in the middle of conversation!). At home I we nt to bed. to sleep for 16 hours. I found the trip a very valuable and enjoyable experience. [ believe I learned a lot. both about people and about myself. I learned to like and respect people for themselves. not for what they have or who they are. I learned to put other people's feelings and needs before my own. I learned that you must give. as well as take. I also learned to work as one of a team: and that. I think is a ve r y valuable lesson indeed. The trip was ve ry hard work. but I'm glad [ had the chance to go. It has taught me to live life to the full. not to waste a minute. It also ga ve me a taste of independance. I can sum up by saying that. given the chance. r would gladly go again. And w hoever sponsored me. enabling me to experience what I have - I thank you.

Places have been reservedfor 26 Brigade members in the STA Schooner Malcolm Miller for 13 young men and 13 girls, who must have reached their 16th birthday on thefirst day of the cruise but NOT have reached their 24th birthday on 1 st May, 1978. Please note the higher age limit this year.

Young men will sail in Cruise No. 176 which will leave Weymouth, Dorset, on May 29th and return to Merseyside on June 10th.

Girls will sail in Cruise No. 177 from Merseyside on June 11 th and return to Southampton on June 24th.

week cruise on the Sir Winston Churchill. written for the Review by Joyce Zielinski (right) took them from Ip swich to Den Helder H o ll and), then to Esbjerg (Denmark) then back to H o ll

AMBULANCES

from Dr. R. H. Percival. Commissioner. Kent

Mr. E. Jemmett's letter Brigade Ambulances (Nov. Review) raises good points , but he may be under some misapprehension

First of all I would suggest that many people affect to 'look down on' St. John out of envy for our largely selfless and entirely strike-free devotion.

Secondly, and especially in the context of the Brigade , it is proper to regard an ambulance as a vehicle for transporting sick or injured. Such a vehicle can , it is true, be elaborated into something like a mobil e hospital, but that would be taking the name of ambulance in vain. Moreover, the extent to which it is feasible to stretch one's resource s of money, and man-power into expens iv e mobile units is open to question.

It is necessary to remember that the distinction for our members is between First Aid and Medical Aid.

I ignore Mr. Jemmett's comments on blue lights , except to stress that all vehicles should be properly equipped for use on the roa d for the purpose for which they were designed Drivers being over 21 may well be already a condition of insurance of ambulances.

Most doctors, especially Brigade Surgeons , wou ld feel that there is more need for thorough competence in ' ordinar y' first aid than for any fancy qualifications

Mr. Jemmett's observations on a recently qualified fir st-aider, of course, apply to an y Brigade duties. I am not sure that he succeeds in his avowed aim of 'not condemning the Brigade in any way' Kent R obert Percival

from Alan E. Grigg. Divisional Superintendent

How I agree with D / O E Jemmett's comments (Nov. R eview) about Brigade ambulances. I feel that regulations have no t kept up to date with respect to the advances made in ambulances. There should be some guide lines laid down as to the vehicles used basic equipment carried and specialised training of crews It is indeed tr ue that a Division whose members recently qualified in first aid may purchase a converted van, equip it with a stretcher and attend duties as an 'ambulance'. Ev en more dangerous ma y be those who purchase , or have donated to them specialised re s uscitation equipment , etc. Who trains them? There should be a training cour se specially for mem bers interested in ambulance work. The idea of an Ambulance Aid Certificate could fulfil this omission

Here in the West Midlands we have a Tran s port Committee where representitives of Divisions owning ambulance s meet to discuss their mutual problems, arrange courses and take part in exercises to learn and practise the necessar y skills and techniques required when on duty with an ambulance. We are also producing our own handbook which we hope will be of use to Divisions acquiring their first ambulance.

I agree with the suggested rules regarding crew s and would add that they should be of smart appearance and phy sica ll y capable of d oing the duty allocated to them.

READERS VIEWS

Readers v iews and opi nions which should be sent to the Editor although published are no necessarily endorsed by the Edi tor or the Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although readers may sign published letters w ith a pen-name writers must supply their name and address to the editor.

meet increased calls upon their services wh ile faced with financial cutbacks and stemmed cash flows; and (ii) increased calls upon their assistance wi ll be made. Added to this, average journey time is increasing due to specialist se r vices being 'ce ntr ed' at se lected ho spitals I am therefo re convinced that there are areas in ambulance work where the Bri ga de can assist without causing either major friction between full-time and voluntary personnel, or redundancy.

Coming to Mr. Parker 's other point o n this subject: I indeed was not aware of a Brigade working party report on ambulances. It is a pity that no mention has ever been made in the 'Review' of either their finding s or the availability of such a report. Actions cannot be imp lemented if such reports remain secret' I was. however , aware that about ten yea rs ago a Brig ade Ambu ance Advisory Committee was formed, but thought that due to lack of publication of anything about Brigade ambulances that this co mmittee had since ceased to exi s t.

The St. John Review provides an excellent media for distributing Ithoughts and info rmati on and now reaches every U.K. Division. Perhap s more use could b e made of it to keep members informed on late st HQ developments. Some time ago (March '75) an article was wr itten on the work of the Medical Board's Equ ipment Appraisal Committee and the equipment it has appra ised. Has the Board not appraised any new equipment since? Or is this again 'secret' informati o n ? As too, apparently, are recommendations in the Surgeonin -C hiefs ne wsletters.

I am not suggesting that full reports on s u ch pape r s should be publi s hed but n otice of su bjec ts raised or equipment appraised would enab le members concerned to make further enquiries from respective te c hnical officers. This is already done in the case of visual aids and bo oks, why not equipment ?

I apologise if I see m over-critical but I feel stro n gly about improving the work of St. John and this can only happen if the thoughts and decisions of tho se in co mmand reach t ho se in the ranks.

South end-on-Sea

from M V. Moring. Area Staff Officer

I think Roy W Parker (Dec Review) over reacted to my views o n the Brigade and A .H .A. ambulance work.

I too was employed for several years on full-time oca ambu lan ce service work until being attracted by necessity , to the private sector and therefore I appreciate only too fully the implications of doing another man's This was ne ver my intention, bu t as I stated, and Mr. Parker must surely be aware ha vi ng pre vio us ly been a professional ambulanceman , there are instances which are on the borderline of N.H.S. ambulance service work.

Recently I have read several papers on Community Health Care Schemes now being introduced throughout the country. It is apparent from these that (i) A.H.A. ambulance services can no t continually

Visual Aids Department under the guidance of Mr. Phillip Adams. F r ankly I was amazed at the vari ety of visua l aid s avai lab le at very rea sonable prices to Divisions; although we get information se nt to us it does not sink in just re ading a catalogue. Every type of projec to r was catered for: O.H P. 35mm 16mm , Carramate, etc

I know t hat the cost of these projectors wo rrie s a lot of Di visio n s, but after a little chat wit h Mr. Adams I found his advice on c heap er ve r s ion s put these aids within everyone's range. And do not for get that most of them are u sually avai l able o n free loa n from sc h oo ls, industry and various associations

We are in an age greatly influenced by the Industrial Training Boards , when modern training techniques are no t only accepted but are expected and I feel that in the St. John Ambu lance particularly at D ivisional le ve l o ur presentations at training sessio n s leave much to be de s ired.

Most Divisions do not hesitate to advertise thei r courses (a nd advertising these days is not cheap) to satisfy their recruitment o bjecti ves, b ut at a small cost in putting on worthwhile presentations and d emonstrations it will do much more to make people want to atte nd our courses and also to maintain the interest of our present members and so retain them.

So may I suggest that you contact Mr. Adams, or better still ask him to give a talk to your Officers. If you do this , I am sure you will burn that blackboard , w hi ch is often the sole visual aid avai lable to Divisions , and develop your own programmes using modern techniq ues.

Divisional instructors should remember the ol d saying - 'If the learner has not earnt , the instructor has not taught'.

So who is to blame if your percentage of failures is high?

Stafford M. A Simmons

WHY? -- WHY? - WHY?

fr om George EItome, SBStJ, Divisional Superintendent

As a member of the Brigade who first joined in 1927 (when the uniform of the 'private was really smart and one felt proud to wear it)

I s ho uld like to ask why Headquarters is thinking of changing the uniform for the horrible and tatty-looking specimens we see Illu strated in the December Review?

I Suppose it is in keeping with their policy of trying to be 'with it in the present -day rotten and soft state of poor old once 'Great ' Britain.

A few more questions are in my mind?

I Why make an Association Certificate last three yea r s instead of one? Making it soft and easy for those who can't be bothered to keep their first aid up to date.

2. Why drop the etter heading 'The Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of J e rus alem', with the Brigade Badge?

3. Why is the word Brigade being phased o ut ? (It seems to be just St. J o hn Ambu lance these days).

4. Why a r e the Brigade button hole badges such insignificent lookin g little things?

M. V. Moring

Editor: Since preparing the December Review I've learned that the report of the Headquarters working party on the use of a mbulan ces in SJ A, dated June 1971, was distributed to all County Commissioners. Mr. Moring's further s ugge st ion s are bein g look ed into.

BURN THAT BLACKBOARD

from M. A. Simmons, Commissioner, Staffordshire I fee l I must write (so that other Counties may b e nefit) of the most interesting and informative da y that I spent at Headquarters in the

5. Why. follow the example of the country s present day rulers a nd JOIn counties together whic h have nothing in common a nd would never agreed to be joi n ed if their Divisions h ad been consulted befor e thiS step was taken?

I ho pe that the coming generations will continue to st rive to uphold ;he and of the Brigade durin g the next century, as we anC ients ha ve trIed to do in the past.

Hereford

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

from W. E Street. Divisional Officer

George Eltome

N. Staffs enrolls over 150 cadets

TH E CLI MAX of a very busy centenary year for Northe rn Area, Stafford s h ire, was an enrolment ceremony of cadets on an Area basis at a church parade and march past at Newcastle on October 30 After a parade to St Giles' Church the service included , as well as the enrolment of more than 1 50 cadets by Sir Maurice Dorman , the Chief Commander presentation of long service awards and new appointments.

I note with regret the fal ling off all over the country in the number o f a mbulanc e person I d d ne an won er If the cause IS that we have bec o me

Sutton Coldfield Alan E. Grigg

The parade w as led by a band of the Sc o u ts and Gu des (Photo : Staffordsh re Sentinel )

(Above Enter ng SI. Gi es Church.

( Below ) The Ch ef Commander Sir Maur ce Dorman with the Mayor and Mayoress of Ne w castle , c hat ing to some of the c adets aher the service ( Photos Staffordshire Sent ne l)

too complacent in our outlook and are prepared to just go along to the occasional football match or fete, content to just 'belong' to our divisions now that the glamour of most transport duties have been transferred from us?

Surely we are not prepared as an organisation to be resigned to a fate of gradual extinction? Ours is a worthy cause - For the service of Mankind - and anything worthwhile requires continual effort and enthusiasm. For years we had the general public with us, as we were the ambulance service, but now things are different and more tough. But it is said that 'When the going gets tough, the tough get going '. So come on, Members - get out and show and tell the public what we do and just how much we are still a part of every day life! There is still much that we can do, as there will always be a need for dedicated voluntary workers. And that's what St. John is all about. Welfare work will playa large part in St. John's future. Why not start turning up regularly again at drill nights and pass on your knowledge to as many as possible. Make your aim a first -ai der in every home. Surely, also, there is somebody ill or living on their own whom you could visit, or take out in a wheelchair or in your car? Or perhaps your division could arrange a concert , a party or coach trip for the elderly and infirm a few times a year?

In this way our dedication and sincerity of purpose will again become obvious, bringing once more support and possibly increased membership from the general public.

Exmouth W. E. Street

THAT TALENl CONTEST

from E. J. Cross, Divisional Nursing Officer

Having read the comments on the Belle Vue talent contest by N. Ratcliffe (Dec. Review) I feel I must write to support his views.

As a DNO, I was fortunate to have an entry reach the finals o f this contest - or unfortunate, as it turned out. The act -a musical arrangement by four ambulance cadets - only required the organisers to provide a piano. But what a piano they provided! It was broken and out of tune.

The organisers were so concerned about the stage setting for the pageant, they refused to allow the boys to be positioned correctly so as to enable them to perform as an integrated ensemble thus producing a disastrous act.

The outcome of this was that, if they had not been sensible, levelheaded lads with sensible parents, the division would have lost four excellent members of St. John.

The method of choosing a winner by the c1apometer was a nonstarter for anyone from outside the Manchester area. I felt especially sorry for the young lady magician who travelled from the Isle of Wight with only her brother and father for support.

ON THE WARDS

I WAS recently involved in a conversation as regards 'why has the standard of home nursing and the interest shown in this subject declined' My own views are that we are still trying to teach this very important subject in poorly equipped ambulance halls, some of which do not even possess a bed. The other is that some of our Divisional Nursing Officers are completely out of touch with today's methods. These officers may have

But I must mention that at all times there was a friendly atmosphere among the contestants , who appeared to be always willing to help and support each other backstage.

Lymm, Cheshire E. J. Cross

SRNs from A. Nother, SRN

I would like to support 'Puzzled SRN' (June Review) in his / her suggestion that the Association should amend the Class Regulations (page 6) for lecturers in first aid to include SRNs with first aid experience (acting nursing members of St. John)

Very often they give a much better lecture than a doctor , and are actually often asked to do part of the course, including some lecture s, by the doctor , although he signs the form.

I would also like to ask what members and nursing officers think about making it obligatory to take a re-exam in Initial Nursing before taking the Advanced Nursing exam. (ie Advanced Nursing to be taken in the third year)? This may help our standards.

A. No/her, SRN

FOR SALE

from C. Clifford, Transport Officer

We of the Sunderland Divisions , after a lot of hard work and the generosity of the Sunderland Lions, ha ve acquired a new ambulance and would like to offer our old vehicle to a Brigade unit before advertising it locally. I t is a 1962 Bedford J6 , petrol engine. with a glass-fibre body. Over the last year it has been fitted with new tyres, exhaust system and alternator. We have made a number of long journeys with this vehicle and it will remain in se r v ice until sold. A current test certificate is valid until February 1978 but no problem is anticipated when it is retested

To recoup part of the money we have spent on it over the past year, we are asking £200.

9 Askrigg A venue, Grange/own, Sunderland. Ph o n e: 0783 76335. C. ClijJord

PEN PALS WANTED

from E Clow, Divisional Officer

Would any St. John cadets in Canada, Australia or New Zealand. or from anywhere overseas, like to correspond with some of my ambulance and nursing cadets to help them with their internation al friendship badge?

Please write to me and I will pass on your letters to the cadets. 143 Renfrew Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng/and. E. C/Oll

Hospital experience is invaluable for home nursing says DAVID WILLIAMS, SEN, Supt. Cardiff Castle Division

been out of nursing for some years. The method of teaching the subject is of great importance. Home nursing is a practical subject and not one that can be taught solely from a book. Class participation is vital to sustain an interest.

I must agree that the true art of home nursing is using what is available in the home , but basic equipment such as a bed

_ and linen , a thermometer, items required for doing an aseptic technique, only to name a few, are vital. The other point is that when a person qualifies in first aid the y do have the opportunity of putting their knowledge into practice. Lately, with fewer hospitals encouraging our organisation to come in to help and the disbandment of the N .H.S. R. so m e years ago, the opportunity of gaining nursing experience has declined. However,

let me continue with my Divi sio n 's solution to the problem.

Last October I approached one of our local hospitals (which is an acute emergency hospital dealing mainly with accident cases) asking if it would be possible for my members to gain some nursing experience on the wards. The reply was most encouraging. As a nurse in that particular hospital, I asked if they could be assigned to the ward on which I work. This ward deals with orthopaedic and head injury cases. These two subjects were naturall y of interest to them

Each member was assigned to work with one of the ward nurses. On the first visit I was o n duty to s how them around and to introduce them to my colleagues. The first visit was a little ner ve- racking but this was to be expected. It should be pointed out that not every member would be suited to working in a hospital , although they may have been in the Brigade for some time. We all know the one person in a Division who tends to be a little slow. This is the one who is normally sent on duty with the more quick-thinking member. When [ say that , it must be borne in mind that when yo u send a person along they are representing St. John Ambulance and if they tend to be a bit slow and thing.s do not sink in too well, people tend to thmk that everyone is tarred with the same brush. On a hospital dut y it is not always possible for the slow person to have of his or her colleagues working with hIm He or she must be able to communicate and .absorb information correctly. The Supenntendent or Divisional Nursing Officer must therefore consider carefully those who would not be suited for this type of voluntary work.

Our Nursing Officer started a home nursing Course. It was after the third week that the members went along to the hospital.

Three already held the adult home nursing ce rtifi cate. They began by doing the ve r y basic tasks. These included helping to wash a nd feed helpless patients and having a chat with them. I should point out that these members who were attending the hospital were all aged around seventeen or eighteen All we re ex-cadets As the weeks went by so they began doing more in the clinical line, ego assisting with the carrying out of aseptic techniques of changing a wou nd dressing, etc. My colleagues spoke ve ry highly of our St. John members. A number of student and pupil nurses as well as the trained staff would ask them questions on first aid, and remarked how they dreaded the thought of having to do first aid in a street situation. As the weeks went by a good relationship was built up with the ward stafT.

The ward consists of many long term patients. As the members were coming on a regular basis the patients soon go t used to the idea of St. John members helping to nur se them. The girls would sometimes not think to answer when a patie nt would call them nurse ', but they soon became used to this. During visiting hours some v isitors were rather surprised to see St. John Ambulance on the ward. They thanked them for giving up some time to look after their relatives. As well as being a training ground it also turned out to be very good public relations.

As the home nursing course continued, o ur Nursing Officer noticed the difference in t he knowledge of those attending the hospital and those who only attended the weekly lecture s The advantages were very clear, the main one being that those doing the duty had a far better span of knowledge. They were more confident and methodical in their ways. The y were in the position of putting what they had learnt into practice or seeing it in pra c tice. Out of those who undertook hospital duties, all passed the nursing exam.

During the early part of the year there was

a high flu rate in the area and some wards became rather short staffed. During this period our members were of great help One afternoon a staff nurse came on duty to find that there was only herself and a pupil nurse to run the ward. The phone rang and following the conversation the staff nurse said: 'Tha nk goodness for that, the St. John are coming in tonight'. Those words made me feel ve r y proud.

I do realise that every division has to adapt its training to its area. Some hospitals adopt the attitude that they do not want a lot of 'do-goo ders ' around the place. Many of these do not understand the training that has to be undertaken and the standard our memb ers need to achieve to be efficient. I feel it is the responsibility of every supe rintendent and nursing officer to explore all the doors that are open for our organisation to gain practical nursing experience The community nursing service and you r local general practitioner may prove to be of some help to you. Seek also the advice of your county nursing officer who I am sure will be only too pleased to help.

There is one ve ry important point to bear in mind. The members I sent along were all ex-cadets who had undertaken the preliminary home nursing course during their cadet service. The y also had three adult home nursing lectures from the Divisional Nursing Officer and myself prior to attending the hospital. It should be strongly emphasised that no member should be sent along to the wards prior to having been taught the basic ground work. This would be most unfair and could IT'ake our organisation look very foolish, as well as being a little dangerous.

1 hope this article will motivate other divisions to follow our example. Please read Regulation 107a , as there are some legal points to abide by.

N/ M Cathleen Long assists a staff nurse with a patient

Bedside training. AIM Jonathon Asbr idge and N M Nicola Le wis watch an asceptic technique

fpom SCOTLAND

Priory Headquarters

LAST month I reported the resignation of Mr. Earnest Fortune and the great loss this entailed for the Order. S ince then I ha ve recei ved a letter from a member of hi s sta ff, who writes:

Mr. Fortune has

Edinburgh

The committee of the Order ha s agre ed in principle to sponsor the pro vision of a b a r ge for the use of the handi c apped on a stretch o f the Union Canal.

The St. John shop has ag ain been a gre a t s uccess , rais ing £2 ,000.

Central Reg ion

The Committee of the Order and t he St. John Associa ti on hav e been a s act iv e as us ual. A pon y trot raised o v er £600. A further £1 , 200 was rai s ed f rom th e Association s participat ion in the Far m Fa y re a t Stirling and the Summer Bar n Dance brought in £ 4 ,00 0 Plan

and permi ss ion s ought

ild a holida y home for the blind Glasgow Mrs Legg a t Sm ith has r aised no

s t h a n £700 by getting sponsor s hip fo

a pa r ty of 117 Oxfords hire cadet s an d o ffi ce r s attended thei r lO -day annual camp in Malta Initial negot iations had been conducted wit h the Comm issioner Malta, Mr. Bo rg, who obtained accommodation for the large party in an exBriti s h Commando camp at Ghajn Tuffieha.

St. J o hn Ambulance , Malta , went to an enormou s amount of t ro uble to accommodate the Oxford s hire contingen t and their hard work ens ur ed the succes s of the camp. A Liaison Officer , kindl y appointed by Mr. Borg lived in camp for the first few days , and made hims e lf avai lab le th roug hout t he ten days The SJA Secretary Malta wa s also of in val uao le he lp in arrangi ng various sight -s ee ing tour s and h is knowledge of t he histor y of Malta fascinated his audiences. The local know ledge , he lpfulness and friendliness of these two people w a s greatly a ppreciated and they became firm favourites of the cadets and ad ults a like.

T he camp was visited , forma lly and informally , by Mr. Borg and va ri ous members , including cadets of the Brigade in Malta . Likewise , t he Mal ta HQ was v sited by the cadets , when gifts we re exchanged a nd so me ca d ets were presente d with their Gran d P rior s Badge - a day to re member.

The pa r t y atte n ded t he Jubilee Ser vice of thanksgiving in the Engl ish Cat hedral. Va lletta, where s ingin g o ur national anthem wa s a ve ry emo t ional experi e nc e - a s wa s indeed the whole o f the Service J ubil ee Day d aw n ed fi ne and sunny with glorious blue skies Special pr aye rs were said at Flag Br eak and again , we felt very pro u d when we ho ist ed t he Un ion F lag

As us ual, wo rk for pr ofic iency badges co n ti nu ed eac h morning in ca mp , whi le afte rn oo ns were give n to exp lo r ing t he is land or to lazing in th e m a r ve ll o us suns hine - fee ling smug while Britain was having showers and co ld spe ll s.

In tim e t he cadets became expert s on t he isla nd's bus timetables and co uld quote the necessary changes o f bus fo r any destination on th e is la nd! They also changed t hei r own trave ll ers cheq ues, converting pound s s te rl ing to po und s Malta with great ap lomb!

There we r e a ll th e u s u al cam p a ct iv i ies; n ig ht walks , camp fires, c amp co nce rt a nd as a special eve nt , a Miss Cam p 1977.

On the fin a l day , ca mp was awake n ed at 6a m so as to breakfa s t, strike c a m p a nd board coaches for L u q a airport. But th e British Airway's pil o t had to abandon h is take-ofT run (due to a techn ic a l fa ult ) and we ret urn ed to a wearisome day in the h o t conditions of the a irp o rt. Eventually , wit h no prospect of a flig ht , at about 10.30 pm we we re ta ken to t h ree hote ls to spend an o ther night in Ma ta.

The a bo rti ve ta ke-off was an upl easa nt expe r ie nce , wh ich th e cadets

to o k ve r y c a lml y , to be co ng r a tul a ed by ot her passe n gers fo r t h ei r be hav io ur We left Ma lt a t h e n ext day after 10 glo r io u s days of M alt es e s un s hin e a n d fri en d s hip - an un forgeta bl e ex perie n ce for everyon e.

Sally Hardacre

New ambulance ordered . .. LAST Sep tembe r, Avon SJ A set about a centenary year fund -rai si ng project for a new ambulance which could

te to mark the occasion by the purc hase of a much needed ne w ambulance for use in Avon Our present ambulanc es ha ve gi ven years of service but are now difficult to maintain and cost ly to ru n. A full y equipped ambulance co sts something in excess of £8 000. Brigade members have made st renuous efforts to raise the mone y but , with rising costs our goal is moving further and fur t her awa y. We have bee n very much encouraged by the response which the general public has made to our earlier appeals and have therefore taken the optimistic step of ordering an ambulance in the hope tha the nece ssary sum can be raised before the total becomes prohibiti ve. Thi s, as you wi ll ha ve guess ed, is our reason for writing to you We hope that we can count upon you fo r some measure of sup port . You can see fr o m the enclosed diagram that the overal l cost can be broken down into smaller amounts. We hope th at this will enco urage small groups, an d worke rs in local industry , to partake in this ve nture In due course we sh all be pleased to demonstrate the amb ul an ce to t hose con ributing We are pleased to be able to tell you that all th e mone y donated will be used for ambulances or medi cal equipmen t since th is appeal is being finan ced pri vately.

We hope that the enclosed diagram displayed on your notic eboard will enco ura ge members of your staiT to join us in this project. P lease do not hes it ate to co nta ct us if yo u would like an y further info rmation.

Yours sincerel y, Mr s H. K. Bourns , Chairman, Avon Fund R aising Commitee.

News from Divisions/Centres

Two 1 7-year-old members of Norton Radstock Nursing Cadet DivisionPau line Rivers and Angela Jordanwho recently received their Grand Prior certificates from Mr George Creech Assistant Commissioner for Avon. Pauline thought her hopes of receiving this coveted award were shattered when in April 1977 she underwent an emergency operation fo r a fractured skull after being hit by a motor cycle whilst on a Brigade duty at a scramb le meeting. Angela. who is to train to be a nurs e next September, gave Pauline all the help and encouragement in preparing for their final examination - Knowledge of the Order. Both girls passed with flying co lours (Photo: Bristol Evening Post)

(Above) I n recognition of his services to SJA Andover over the past 12 years. Dr P. D Abbatt (seated. second from leftL who has s nce moved to near Cheltenham, was presen ted with a book token by Mr. Cecil Horne. the Centre Chairman.

Mrs. C. Holmes, the Centre Secretary said that during the past five years Dr Abbatt had lectured on 15 full adult first aid courses, 8 full day police courses one digest course and had presided over 6 examinations for the Centre and the yearly re -exa minations for the Nursing Division (Photo: Andover Advertiser) (Left) AVON: Officers of Weston - superMare Corps demo nstrated bandaging at the recent cadet annual training day. See report AVON. (Right) LONDON : Eastern Area Corps Supt T. L. Hurst manning the information stand at the SJA Centenary Exhibition held at Redbridge Town Hall last year

AVON - 40 ambulance and nursing cadets (representing divisions from Clevedon , Nailsea, Pill and Weston - Super - Mare) recently attended the annual training day organised by Woodspring (Avon) Area. The theme this year was St. John, Past, Present and Future. The speakers were Miss Joan Frieze, County StafT Officer (cadets) (N), who gave an interesting talk illustrated with slides, on the history of St. John , and Mr. Peter Satherly whose subject was 'St. John in action - through the camera'. The cadets themselves discussed the changes they would like to see introduced into St. John in future years. During the day the cadets took part in various actIvItIes which included a bandaging race. stretcher handling, casualty make - up and a road sa fety quiz. Many of the cadets entered the competitions to design a uniform and an ambulance for the year 2000. The prizes were presented to the winners by Mrs A. Robinson, wife of the County Commissioner.

LA NCS - Three members of the Poultonle - Fylde Combined Division, who have given l o ng service to St. John. became honorary members on Decem ber 10. They were Winifred Mary Hogan ( retired), Sister Edith Traynor (reti red) and Mrs. Alice Hanle y (resigned). On the same day. Mrs. Doroth y Brandwood, the Cadet Superintendent, received her 15 yea rs service medal and Mrs. Florence Br ow n her warrant as Superintendent of the combined division OBITUARY

Arthur Robert King, retired Area StafT Officer (Cadets). North Wiltshire. Serving Brother 45 years' Brigade service. Died December 9.

Miss Daisy Sparkes, retired as Hertfordshire County Superintendent in 1966. Dame of Grace of the Order. Member of the joint St. John and BRCS county committee. Died November 21.

AmbUIG1IIV"-' St. John the community Serves

(Right) En joying themselves. Redditch Nursing Cadet Division 's carniva fl oat, which won 2nd prize in their group, was mann ed by ambulance and nursing cadets n costu mes made by offi ce rs and friends of the Divis ion (Photo: Red d it ch Indi cator)

Malvern Ambulance and Nursing Cadet 0 ivisions started Centenary Year with a joint enrolment service wh ch includ ed groups from other youth organi sat ions On October 13 Ihe Ambulance Cadel Division gave a Centenary Concert featuring the Chase High School Band, of which six cadets are

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.2

(78)

Compiled by W A. Potter

Across:

1. Person disabled by disease is unacceptable. (7). 5. Stool indicative of bleeding in upper part of alimentary tract. (7). 9. Merry-making is following the umbilical cord. (5). 10. How one may be caught with a gory extremity. (3.6). 11. Pain in teacher's heart. (4). 13. Secreted by the liver to annoy. (4). 14. Mater becomes less wild (5). 16. Map the French associated with Canada. (5). 17. Produced by injury. (9). 21. The sort of fracture one would refer to a psychiatrist? (9). 24. A hard worker, even if not successful. (5). 25. Distinguishing characteristics of hordeolum occurring about 50. (5). 27. Terminal canal of the alimentary tract. (4). 28. Give out a form of 19 Down. (4). 30. Surgical procedure. (9). 31. Parts of external genitalia in Science Room 1A. (5). 33. Ossicle a thousand all use wrongly. (7). 34. Unit used in prescribing spectacle lenses. (7).

Down:

1. Hot, swollen, red, and painful. (9). 2. Leading vehicle? (3). 3. A bad slip in speech defect. (4). 4. Disease which is inactive. (7). 5. Location of vital centres for heart and respiration. (7). 6. Wrongly steal the smallest quantity. (5). 7. Lining of uterus shed during menstruation. (11). 8. First helping the injured. (5). 12. Gland controlling the endocrine system. (11). 15. Carrier of hereditary characteristics. (4). 18. Food grain in every epidemic. (3). 19. Strange time for a small coin. (4). 20. In gynaecology, it is often associated with dilatation. (9). 22. Contagious skin disease caused by 19 Down. (7). 23 Evacuated the contents of the abscess cavity. (7). 25. Senior N.C.O. goes round hill in violent atmospheric disturbance. (5). 26. Expunge from the record. (5). 29. Male voice. (4).32. A morsel in the horse's mouth. (3). SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.1 (78)

Across: 3. Epit.helium; 8. Retin.a; 9. Ne.x.t; 10. Head strong; 11. Err; 13. Mind; 14. Dentist; 15. Noma; 18. Cysts; 21. Pat; 22. Wards ; 24 Urea; 26. Re.wards; 27. Lash; 29. Bro; 30. Grey matter ; 3l. Ne.ro ; 32. Nanism; 33. Loss of heat.

Down: l. Heredity; 2. Winded; 3 Eas.tern; 4. Ichor ; 5. Hang ; 6 Inter.ior; 7. Metr.it.is; 12. Snow; 14. D.ate; 16. Opus; 17. Mar; 18. Cerebral ; 19. Saw-bones; 20. Sore; 23. Dispense; 25. Ali-ment; 27. Latent; 28. Nerve; 30. Golf.

VISUAL AIDS

The SJA Mlllli -Media Appra sal Panel, \I hich comprises doc lors, lIurses, firSIaiders alld isllal aid exp erls. is ail e of Ihe officia lly appoiJ71ed pallels of Ihe Brilish Medical Associatioll. It s rel'iell'S are a lso published ill Ih e BMA {lIforlllalioll '.

PRINCIPLES OF FIRST AID, O.H.P. Transparencies.

Distributed by: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 66 Wood Lane End, Hemel Hempstead Herts.

Unit 9 Emergency Childbirth. Price: £ 14 .40. Anatomy of pregnancy. handlin g the patient , fir s t stage of l a bour , second stage, third stage. unusual si tua t ion s

Appraisal: Thi s u nit is the m ost useful see n to date. The vu -foils tend to co nt ai n too much information and the colorat ion is at times not clear. Nonetheless th e transparencies wou ld be most useful to any le c tu rer.

Unit 10 Han d lin g Injured an d III P eo ple Price: £6.40.

I. On e a nd 2 man lift s. 2 Multiple lift s

Some of the multi p le lift s are of a type unknown in the U.K. and a practical demonstration would. in each case, have far more value.

Appraisal of series: There is a difference of technique between the U.S.A. and the U.K. in the teaching of first aid and the employment of the overhead projector. Manifestly, the purpose of the materia l is to provide a fl exible method of presenting basic materia l contained within a first a id course. A lth ough comprehensive th e tr ansparencies are gene r a l in nature a nd t he in str uc o r ca n present them w th or without over lays and in any sequence. They are in 10 sections each of which may be acquired indi vidua ll y. From the UK. view - point the vu - foils a r e ove r -laden w th mater ia l.

2. The d ifference in teaching first aid between the two countries is marked and for that reason about half of the vu -foils would be unsuitable for use here without explanation.

3. Within the U.K. no al t ernative ser ies of O.H.P. material on the s ubj ect of first aid exists a nd fo r that reason a lone the package has va lu e. With fluctuation in exchange rate a price is difficult to quote but the package w ith in structors notes. including bib iography, and an attac he case type contai ne r costs ahout £ 150.

Th ose instructors conversant w ith the a rt of using the O.H.P. would find this series of va lu e.

YOU AND YOUR EARS. 16mm film. 8 mins. Hire Fee: 2 days. £6.

Distributed by: Guild Sound & Vision Ltd, Woodston House , Oundle Road, Peterborough PE2 9PZ.

Content: Pr esen t s the st ructure and operation of t he ear.

Appraisal: Thi s ca rt oo n gives a n entertaining r ep r esentation on the organ o f hear in g a nd is, w ithin its limit s q ui te delightful.

Audience: None could re s ist this cartoon.

THE VISUALLY HANDICAPPED Cassetted tape. 21 transp. Part I - WHAT IT MEANS TO BE BLIND In co-operation with: Social Services Dept, Hertfordshire County Council

Distributed by: Camera Talks Ltd. 31 North Row, London WIR 2EN.

Appraisal: This is an excellent presentation ; by mean s o f tran s parencies it shows various types of blindnes s and their effect upon the par t iall y s ighted. The commentary is clear and concise, the presentation has good balance between sound and vision and all -in -all it is impressive as a visual aid.

Audience: This presentation is most useful to all - it could well be s creened universally. Recommended.

JERUSALEM

St John Ophthalmic Hospital

CENTRAL STERILE SUPPLY DEPARTMENT

An experienced S_R.N_, suitably qualified, required to take charge of this we" established department. Theatre experience an advantage. Please apply in the first instance to the Hospita"er, St. John's Gate, Clerkenwe", London, EC1 M 4DA.

UNDER £10 Bring-and-Buy

A R eview se r vice which we feel mi ght be of val ue to readers and divisions is a col umn for th e sa le or exchange of items of equipment. uniforms. books e t c.

• Arenoid sphygmomanometer, in case, as new. £ 10 D H CLARK, St John Aeromedical Services. Phone 0279 5 I 092.

Th e condition s of th e U nd er £ 0 Bring -and - Bu y are: I. Submi ssio ns fr ee of charge but limited to sixteen word s, which mu s include price, address

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Visual Aids p.71

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS Edited and produced for the Order of St J oh n by Driscoll P rod u ctions, Wood Cottage High Corner , Butley , Nr Woodbridge Suffolk IP1 2 30F.

P hone: Orford IStd 039 45 ) 548 Editor : Frank Dris co ll

Advertising, display and c lassified, rat es on request fr om Driscoll P roduc ti ons.

Pri ce 3 0 p monthly. £4.30 per annum including postage, rom Rev ie w Sales St. John Ambu ance, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SWl X 7 EF

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W. Williams

SO FAR, despite having been on the Retired List for more than a month , I've not yet had much chance to suffer from withdrawal symptoms! One or two jobs that I'd promised to complete before handing over took me till the end of January , and now I'm trying to prune my office files and remove my personal belongings and leave the place neat and tidy for Mr. Gerald Easton (Asst. C-in-C) to occupy when he returns from holiday on February 20. On the last Sunday afternoon in January I had the great pleasure of being invited to present the trophies at the Western Area competitions in Essex , which were held at St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping , only a mile from my home. It seemed strange not to be wearing uniform , but I explained that although I felt sure it was an occasion on which the Commissioner for Essex would have approved my doing so in accordance with BGR 92 ,' I felt it was important to remind both myself and others that I could no longer wear it 'as of right . Two interesting points about the competitions attracted m y attention and seemed worth passing on to others. As well as the official competitions for the 7 adult and 9 cadet teams taking part, a simple and less formal competition was simultaneously arranged for teams of St. John Juniors. The incident was one with which juniors could well cope within the limits of their knowledge; the judges talked to them and 'j ollied them along ' during the course of their test , which had , I thought , the great merits of (a) teaching them how to treat another injured child and a person who wasfrightened and in pain , rather than as a ' case ', (b) getting them used to working together and helping each other with their common task , and (c) giving them the thrill of competing with others in demonstrating even the most elementary skills. Surely , if the test is correctly geared to the youthfulness and limited experience of the competitors , and to encouraging gentle and considerate handling and the common - sense application of sound first aid it can never be too soon to do this.

15-hours of oil-rig drama off the storm swept coast of Guernsey shows how training between rescue services pays off

33 MEN PLUCKED FROM THE SEA

By R. J. HERVE,

Officer,

AT 7.20 PM on the evening of Wednesda y February I the dut y staff at the HQ of the Guernsey St. John Ambulance & Rescue Service were monitoring the VHF marine radio freq uencies.

Their attention was soon drawn to a PAN message being transmitted by Jerse y Harbour Radio to the effect that an oil rig had broken away from its tug and was adrift some 20 miles north - west of Guernsey.

With winds of storm force 10 gusting to force 12 (80 mph) coming from the north west, it was soon concluded after consulting maps and tide tables that unless the tow was quickly replaced the rig would finish up on the west coast of the Island.

How right these early conclusions turned out to be!

Seven minutes lat er a 'Lifeboat - Red' call was issued by the Guernsey Harbourmaster at St. Peter Port, summoning the crew to their boat. The ambulance service was advised simu ltaneously.

Shortly afterwards a request by the Harbourmaster was made for the St. John

radar to be brought into service. Despatched to Plein mont, a point overlooking the west coast, the unit soon located the drifting rig and plotting its progress commenced.

Bearings and distances were continuously relayed over the air to St. Peter Port Harbour radio to supplement the information the authorities were obtaining from their own direction finding equipment at the harbour and airport.

Meanwhile, the ambulance station stafT were quick to realise the plight the rig was in More serious was the news that 33 men were on board. The radar unit reported a drift of 6 knots and a steadily decreasing distance to the dangerous rocks and reefs ofT the island's coast. Lighting teams and men in 'wet suits and protective clothing were on standby, and when the Harbourmaster telephoned to say that there was no way of averting the onward drift to disaster, these personnel were despatched to the coast to await its arrival.

At sea, the accompanying tug had failed to get a line aboard the rig and during the

course of her endeavours came into contact with rocks on two occasions causing considerable damage and making her unfit for any further rescue attempts.

By 10.50 pm the drama was nearing its height. A short distance from the shore the massive rig could be seen ablaze with all its lights, being driven before wind and tide. The Guernsey Lifeboat was alongside, but was only able to take off two men before the massive 250ft structure hit the rocks on the tip of the headland at Grandes Rocques.

During this manouevre the lifeboat came into contact with the rig causing damage to her mast and exterior radar equipment.

Although hampered by lack of communication facilities she remained near the scene throughout the ensuing operations.

At the ambulance station the Major Disaster plan had been implemented.

Hospital and doctors had been notified , ofTduty stafT recalled. Equipment was being continually despatched to the scene - in particular at this stage all available lighting, including a large portable searchlight. The

Breeches Buoy rescue set followed in case this equipment - not yet used 'in anger'was required.

The radar unit was still in operation continuing its radio contact with St. Peter Port harbour. On the Grandes Rocques headland activity was at its height; police, fire and ambulance personnel and vehicles were in position on a flat area of open grassland , formerly used as a car park. Less than 300 yards away - spray breaking against its four towing legs was the stranded oil rig. Heavy seas were buffeting the structure and crashing over the surrounding rocks where rescue personnel were attempting to get as close as possible. The time was now 11.30 pm and high tide was in just over half an hour.

Two Sea King helicopters had been summoned from the Royal Naval Air Station at Culdrose and were due within ten minutes They were the only hope of rescue that night.

Raging surf forbade any rescue attempt by boats of any sort. It was also impossible

SJA Guernsey's Chief

who was in charge of the SJA rescue party

Photos by : Camera Centre - Guernsey

ANOTHER MAN COMES ASHORE

Working n the surf and roped to the rock (r ght) SJA members and iremen he p a rescued c rewman from the breeches buoy

A crewman coming ashore on the breeches buoy. The risk of striking rocks. due to movement of the rig. to which the far end of the line was attached. in the heavy swell. was ever present

to use the Breeches Buoy owing to the conditions between the shore and the casualty and the fact that the rig was unstable. During the next two hours she would turn 180 degrees. The whole area surrounding the rig was watched for anyone who may have been washed from it. An upturned rubber life-raft was dragged from the surf, but it was learnt by radio that it had been washed from the rig, and that no one had been in it.

Hurricane winds

By 11.45 pm the helicopters were overhead and the difficult and dangerous task of rescue of the remaining 31 men began. With skill and expertise the two pilots, unable to land on the rig's helicopter platform owing to the pitching of the structure, winched all but six of the crew to safety.

In hurricane force winds the pilots had done what onlookers thought to be the impossible, and in three separate journeys had deposited twenty-five men at Guernsey's airport. None was injured but all were wet and cold. They were seen by doctors summoned to the airport under the St. John Major Disaster plan, given warm blankets and taken to a local hotel.

The six men remaining on the rig were told that they were having to be left for the night. With the falling tide they were quite safe, and it was hoped that they would be able to walk off the rig, with assistance, at low tide.

Shortly before 4 am tired rescue personnel returned to their respective stations, leaving a few policemen on watch and ambulancemen in protective clothing to

lighter line which would eventually bring them the tackle which would ensure their rescue.

By this time daylight had come and the rescuers were working against the tide which was again rapidly rising. Heavy spray was drenching those at the water line.

Other members of the team had rigged the tripod and stakes on shore and soon the first casualty was on his way in the breeches to safety. Assisted in the surf as he came ashore. the first man was helped over the rocks to a waiting ambulance.

A second man was pulled across from the rig, but by then the tide had risen further, and he received an uncomfortable time in the surf as he neared the rocks edging the headland.

A third man was permitted to come half way down the jackstay when it was realised that with the increasingly heavy surf it would be foolhardy to continue his journey. He was therefore hauled back on to the rig.

await the tide and the subsequent release of the six men.

By 5.30 am it was realised that the job was by no means finished. The tide was not going to recede as far as had been hoped.

The men would not be able to reach shore safely by simply walking or clambering over the rocks!

The harbourmaster who had been to the area was now on his way to the airport to seek the assistance, once again, of the helicopters. It appeared that one had damaged its rotor gear during the earlier rescue and the pilots expressed a preference for the men to be taken off by other means at the disposal of the local emergency services.

The only. possible way was by Breeches Buoy and shortly before 6 am, St. John staff were again out of their beds en route with their equipment for Grandes Rocques and a stranded oil rig.

The situation was carefully assessed and it was found that although the rig was large, only a small portion was accessible to the crew. The rocket lines had to be placed very accurately.

Two attempts were made with a hand held rocket-gun firing a lightweight line. As this was taken on to the rocks below high water level, some degree of accuracy was anticipated. Gale force winds were still blowing and two heavy twelve-pound rockets were also fired from the headland before the rig radioed the St. John Rescue Land Rover that the crew had retrieved one of the lines.

Assisted by police and firemen the St. John men passed the heavy breeches buoy jack-stay, whip lines and tackle out to the rig, its remaining 6-man crew hauling on the

A decision to abandon further attempts was then made in view of the fact that a rising tide coupled with movement of the rig, which was again occurring, presented obvious risks to a rope pulled taut between it and the shore. It had already been observed that the equipment was being stretched to its limit of 250 yards, and that only one point on the shore and one on the rig could be used for this rescue.

Helicopters again

The helicopter crews were again approached and by 10.24 am, after a second display within twelve hours of skill and daring , the pilots plucked the remaining four men to safety. The rescue was over.

The day this report was written, 24 hours after the "events took place, was fine and sunny, with a light breeze blowing over the area of what had been the scene of Guernsey's biggest rescue operation. An operation in which a display of courage of the highest order had been shown by the crews of the Royal NavaJ helicopters, who had risked their lives to save others.

All of the Island's emergency services had been involved - St. John not least of.aIl.

All had worked in a spirit of mutual cooperation to achieve an operation in which no loss of life had occurred. Plans which had been made in anticipation of such a situation proved worthwhile and the joint exercises which have been held in the past had given some indication of what to expect.

Within the past 24 hours the Ambulance service has been to the area of the rig on two further occasions; once, to a boy spectator who fell on the rocks and fractured his arm, and the second time to assist the salvage crew when two of them fell into the sea; they were unharmed.

ST. JOHN COUNCILS in Africa and the Caribbean will soon be receiving a new and exciting programmed learning system for use in mass training programmes in SafetyOrientated First Aid. According to the Chief Commander, Sir Maurice Dorman , 'the new system is one of the most important results coming out of the decisions taken at the Overseas Conference held in London last June'.

The system is based on a new film entitled How to Save a Life' , which had its premiere in Barbados on November 15 1977 in the presence of His Excellency Sir Deighton Ward , The Governor General, Lady Ward , senior members of the Government and Diplomatic Corps, and members of St. John.

Hopes

In the keynote address, Major Peter von Braun, the father of this concept described how it is hoped the system will be used by many Councils as a part of nationwide programmes in first aid training and accident prevention. Several countries already intend to make this form of training an integral part of the curriculum in their secondary schools. Oth'ers aim to expand the training of Police Officers as instructors to enable them to teach, particularly in remote villages.

The film portion of the system can be used on television and a number of Councils are planning to run a series of programmes introduced by segments of the film and followed by demonstrations staged by St. John personnel. Because of the accident prevention focus of the programme , the Ministries of Labour in severaJ countries plan to introduce legislation necessitating the training of every worker in high risk job q.tegories and a certain percentage of all workers.

The new system is a major advance. The Course material has been simplified to the point that any trained first-aider who can

NEW FILM FOR OVERSEAS FIRST AID TRAINING

An exciting new programmed learning system

take charge can teach the course. The film portion of the system is built around a series of episodes , each showing how carelessness causes accidents and what happens to accident victims in graphic and realistic terms. The proper first aid procedurs: to be used to help the victim is subsequently demonstrated in a film studio sequence

The film is then stopped after each episode for a class programme of demonstration recitation , practice and testing. The instructor s manual which accompanies the film details each step of the practice sessions and provides new instructors with a complete script for everything which needs to be done in the classroom.

The film was shot on location in Barbados with the co -operation of the Barbados St. John Council without whose generous assistance the film would not have been possible. Great care was taken to ensure that the backgrounds were 'neutraJ' so that it could be used in any tropical country in Africa and the Caribbean.

The final editing and some of the studio work was done in New York. Watkin W. Williams , then Deputy Commissioner-inChief, and Dr. C. C Molloy , Deputy Chief Medical Officer, flew from London to supervise this work. The National Black Theatre, one of America s leading repertory groups , provided the actors for these sessions.

Pioneering Work

The approach used in the 'How to Save a Life' system owes a great deal to the pioneering work done by the Priory of Canada in Safety - Orientated First Aid, programmed learning development and work in medically isolated areas. Lt. Colonel E. W. T. Leach came from Canada to review the film in its early stages a d made many suggestions for its improvement. This is an excellent example 9f h6w St. John i'n one

country can help the Councils in many other parts of the world.

The film has been made so that it will be relati vely inexpensive to translate into other languages. Some Counci s have already said that the y want versions in several languages. A special translation kit is being prepared so that Councils can prepare their own script and titles for use in the film. The actual work will be done in laborator es in New York , to avoid the risk of shipping the originals aJl over the world.

Advantages

The manuals and workbooks are being produced by a unique computer-controlled composing, editing and typesetting process which offers many advantages. For example , any Council which wants to have its own version of the manual or workbook only has to write the desired changes in one cop y of the original book and mail this to London. The changes will then be fed into the computer and the text will be revised instantaneously. The printing can be done "centrally , or camera-ready copy can be supplied to the Council for their own printing operations. In either case, it is expected that major economies can be achieved. How to Save a Life was developed through a generous grant from the Presid ing Bishop ' s Fund for World Relief of the Episcopal Church (the USA Branch of the Anglican Communion). Thanks to the grant a certain number of sets of the system can be made available free of charge to St. John Councils in the Caribbean and Africa. An additional 20 sets are being held in reserve to be awarded to the St. John Council which submits the best plan for their use. The deadline for applications is July 1, 1978 and these should be sent to Sir Leslie Monson, Director of Overseas Relations , St. John Ambulance H.Q. , 1, Grosvenor. Crescent, London SWIX 7EF.

At the film's recent premiere in Barbados. The Governor General H.E. Sir Deighton Ward and Lady Ward are welcomed by Peter von Braun and (right) Deputy Commissioner Rex Wason

Peter von Braun speaking at

ACCIDENTS causing bleeding from the palm of the hand are so frequent that it is a subject worth exploring thoroughly. At work, at home in the kitchen or DIY workshop, in play areas where youngsters can fall whilst carrying a bottle or stumble and fall on broken glass - these are a few of the incidents met with so often.

The blood supply to the hand

The hand is plentifully supplied with blood. The brachial artery divides at the crook of the elbow into radial and ulnar arteries. The radial, which is the larger , runs along the thumb side of the forearm and passes over the bones of the wrist against which it can easily be compressed at a spot in line with the thumb and about 12i nch (Icm) from the crease of the hand and wrist. (This is the conventional site for 'taking the pulse' and, in nearly every case , the uninitiated attempting this reach too far in towards the centre of the wrist). The ulnar artery , at the little finger side of the wrist, is smaller and more deeply inserted between tendons and so not as easily compressed against unyielding bone. Within the hand the two arteries link up in a deep palmar arch and a superficial palmar arch from both of which tributaries run to the fingers. (See Fig. 1). It is of interest to note in passing that, just after the radial pressure point a branch of the radial artery runs towards the back of the hand (under two tendons which, when the thumb is sharply angled, form a small triangular depression) and supplies the thumb. (This depression is called, in medical text-books, the surgical snuff box because in the days of the Regency bucks the sophisticated snuff-taker put a pinch of snuff

BLEEDING FROM THE PALM OF THE HAND

Which can be caused by accidents in the home, at work, at play by

MANUElle SEAN

thereon , then in an elegant gesture brought his wrist up to his nostril to sniff up the snuff. (See Fig. 2). The pulse can be felt at this spo t. It is because there is such a direct arterial supply to the thumb that the pulse at the wrist must always be taken by the fingertips since the blood -supply to them is far less direct and the pulse-taker wi ll not be deceived by his own pulsations.

From Fig. 1 it can be seen how easy a gashed palm can involve one or other , or both, of the palmar arches. If the wound is longitudinal (from wrist to fingers) it is less likel y to gape if the hand is kept flat, but a wound across the palm is less likel y to gape if the hand is closed into a fist. The 'wholecloth triangular bandage' treatment, described in the First Aid Manual on pages 59, 61 and 62 and illustrated in Fig. 60, can have but a limited application because the

normal attitude is with incur ving and a flat hand, a lthou g h preferable for a longitudinal wound, would cause a lateral wound to gape.

Treatment

Counter the in stinctive attempt by the victim to let his arm hang down, to avoid blood so il ing his s lee ve, by wrapping a narrow-fold bandage firmly around his forearm just above the wrist. Preferably, since if he stands he will probably faint, have the victim lie down in a reclining position and raise his arm stra ight up, grasping the wrist w ith an encirc lin g hand firmly pressing on the radial pressure point.

Examine the possibilities of there being an imbedded foreign body such as a sliver of glass, since this may make it inadvisable to clench the fist, but, instead would require a ring - pad or built - up dressings and a splintwhich should go on the back of the hand.

If the direction of the wound or the presence or possibility of an imbedded foreign body dictate that the hand be kept flat , whilst still keeping the hand raised and the wrist grasped, prepare (if unaided) or ha v e someone else prepare:

(I) a suitable dressing

(2) a ring - pad if necessary or advisable

(3) a splint for which a school-ruler , or a newspaper (or periodical such as the Review) rolled into a cylinder then flattened, would serve admirably

(4) a narrow -folded triangular bandage.

Lower the arm a little at a slight angle so that the dressing and ring - pad (if necessary) will stay in place, and apply these.

Apply the middle part of a narrow -fold bandage acros s the tops of the fingers, crossing the bandage behind and trapping in this cross -over the splint (which should

extend from finger tips to well past the wrist).

Bring the tails ' of the bandage to the front and cross them firmly over dressing and/or ring-pad , leaving the thumb free.

Cross the tails at the back of the wrist and oontinue as necessary to immobilise both the hand and the wrist by the splint. (See Fig 3).

Tie off on the outer side of the forearm.

Keep the arm raised until the casualty sits up, then place the bandaged hand on the breast bone and secure the arm in this position by a triangular bandage applied as a sling, or alternative expedient (eg, safety pin attaching cuff to lapel).

If the wound is across the palm, once it is seen that there is no foreign body, the 'clenc hed fist procedure' of page 95 of the Manual is the best way to control haemorrhage.

Apply a dressil}-g.

Add a cylindrical pad (a 2ins or 3ins bandage with just its wrapping removed, or a handkerchief tightly rolled into a cylinder of this size).

A PRESS confer<;:nce was held in the Chapter Hall of St. John s Gate on Tuesday January 10 to launch the SOS Talisman a range of identity information jewellery, from which St. John will benefit from sales throughout the UK. Geoffrey Meek Director of Public Affairs , spoke of the inestimable benefits the Talisman could offer to all emergency services and Ivor Freedman, Managing Director of the SOS Talisman Company, explained the background history of the Talisman and gave a detailed account of the ways it can be used to help both wearers and helpers.

SOS Talisman is a small heat - and watefresistant capsule containing a strip of special non-soluble paper on which is written Of typed all the information necessary in an emergency. Since it is worn as jewellery, in the form of a pendant , a bracelet, or an attachment for a watch strap, it is always there, always available in an emergency, but always with the information it contains kept confidential until or unless needed.

The heart of the SOS Talisman is the strip. On the front is recorded the wearer s name and address, the names and telephone numbers of their next of kin and family doctor; their religion and blood group. On the reverse side medical particulars: allergies; long - term medical disorders, current treatments and vaccination dates are recorded. There is even a space to say if false teeth or contact lenses are worn and for additional information such as car and passport number.

SOS Talisman has several advantages over other identification systems. It is more

According to the size of the casualty's hand, take a narrow -fol d or broad -fold triangular bandage and apply it to the front of the wrist, trapping its half-way crease under the thumb at the radial pressure point. (See Fig. 5).

Sweep the bandage across the back of the hand and firmly down, over the thumb and fingers, towards the little finger side but catching the edge under the pinch of the operator's thumb on the radial pressure point in order to maintain tension. (See Fig. 6).

Sweep the other tail of the bandage up the back of the hand across the knuckles, firmly over all the bent fingers and towards the root of the thu mb. (See Fig. 7).

Cross the tails at the wrist and tie off on the outer side of the wrist.

Keep the arm raised until the casualty sits up , then secure it across the chest.

Have the casualty close his hand into a clenched fist firmly grasping the dressing and pad. (See Fig. 4),

Send to hospital with the casualty all blood-stained material in order that the blood -loss can be assessed.

What is the SOS TALISMAN?

adaptable (the information strip can be easily amended or replaced), it contains more information, and this is available immediately, In many accidents all forms of identification are often lost, destroyed or as in the case of swimmers, athletes and cyclists, simply not carried. SOS Talisman, however, can be worn constantly. Also, those people who suffer from a disability but want to lead a normal life without being seen to be different, can wear SOS Talisman safe in the knowledge that not only is it also worn by thousands of health y people, but the information it contains is hidden until required.

A revised strip is being produced which will identify willing kidney donors. Potential donors will simply complete the relevant section and, unlike a card which may be in another suit or handbag the information is avai lable immediately should it ever be required.

Each of the sections on the strip is identified in five European languages, so

wherever the wearer goes there is bound to be someone who will understand the information given. SOS Talisman is already sold in over 20 countries throughout the world. In Holland, where it has been available for the last five years, it is estimated that it is now worn by some 2,500,000 people.

For the system to be effective it is essential that emergency and medical personnel know what SOS Talisman is and what it contains. For this reason, during the past year the SOS Talisman Company has been contacting and informing police, fire and ambulance personnel and ensuring that special information posters are displayed in hospitals and doctors' surgeries.

The Talisman is available as a necklace, a bracelet and watch strap attachment in shops throughout the country· and all but the latter are available through St. John Supplies Dept at a discount of 20%, on packs of 24 pieces, to members of St. John Ambulance.

SJ ON TV

BBC/TV 2's Chronicle series has made a programme on the Order called The Knights of St. John , which will be shown at 8.10pm on Tuesday April 25. Filming included SJA in action, the Gate and Malta.

NEW HOME

The new headquarters of Altrincham Division was officially opened on Saturday, Dec. 17 , by Col. Robert Ollerenshaw

Commander Greater Manchester, in the presence of the Mayor of Trafford, Mr. C. E. Fink, and senior officers of the Brigade.

The new building (photo below) is on the site in New Street of the old HQ which was demolished five years ago. It is a single storey building measuring some 60ft. by 24ft., and comprises a main hall , suitable for training and lectures, an office storeroom , kitchen and toilets. There is a private car park near the porch entrance at one end of the building. The money for the building came from local donations and fund-raising .:ffo rts , plus legacies and £ 1500 from the Altrincham Lions Club. Building work was carried out under the Government's job creation scheme.

Altrincham Division has 22 adult members (I2 ambulance and 10 nursing members) , 9 ambulance and - wait for it50 nursing cadets! J ack Drinkwater , the Divisional Officer who has been in SJ A for 39 years, is delighted with their new HQ and looks to the division's future with great confidence.

UNKNOWN HELPERS

The letter below was passed to ASO R. H Shaw, of Northampton, by the local police Last August 13, a road accident occurred on the M 1 motor way at Whilton in Northants. According to attendant police officers a Mrs. Hamilton of 23 Kennedy Rise , Wallesley, Newark, received treatment at the scene from a number of St. John personnel

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN

tH who were travelling in a coach and stopped to give assistance. As is u sua l with S1 personnel , they just did the job and then left without giving their names or whe re they came fro m , writes Mr. Shaw. (Editor: Why this should be usual I don't know. I should ha ve thought that anyone helping in such a situation should always lea ve a name and address, in case further information is required from them later. Giving help has its responsibilities)

The letter reads: I wonder if yo u could thank all your people who helped when my Mini crashed on the M 1. They were really marvellous how they acted. David and Wendy are fine now and I'm just a bit shook

98 YEARS

London District brothers with 98 years of Br igade service between them (Left) District Staff OHicer A, Gilston (who changed his name) ex - Supt. of No, 30 East London) Div. and past District Treasurer, Commander of the Order51 years service (Right) Div, Off. N , Goldstein. Training and Publ c Duty Officer No 30 Division , Serving Brother - 47 years service

up still. If they hadn't moved so quickly a nd efficient ly I hate to think what may have happened. My special thanks to the friend who he ld my head and took a ll the weight while I was trapped. You were so kind 1 feel ashamed at not being able to remember your name. T do so hope none of you got hurt while helping us - it s sti ll a li ttle vague. I have had to send this to the police who we re

GREATER MANCHESTER (Below) An Emergency Aid session given by ASO Peter Ward for 33 members of the local Royal Observer Corps at RadcliHe Civic Hall during January Photo shows Major E Claridge. Div Supt of Whitefield Division before his retirement , instructing mouth - to - mouth resuscitation to ROC members SJA members have now been invited to visit ROC HQ and observing post

BY THE EDITOR

MIND BENDERS

Find the fir st a d word or wo rd s in he clue. The number of ette rs in the answer is given.

I Some part of Linda contains nought. (4). 2. Were abo ut Alf, but he 's rather mixed up. (7 ).

3. Turn towards a smoker, (8), 4. You won't slip up, if you view incorrectly. (6).

Answers: Upside down - are at the bottom of page 58, No cheati ng.

involved as I've no idea where you all live Once again, my thanks to your group. (M r s.) N. Hamilton.

BARGAINS

I see that Phil Adams at Headquarters is offering for sale overhead projector transparencies in bundles of 40 for £7.50 plus £1 postage I hear that people who have bought these bundles are delighted with the cheapness of this package ; knowing the cost of things these days , I ad vise anybody interested to get in quickl y.

CADETS DRill

Recently teams from Northern Area of London District met in competition for the squad drill trophies which cover both recruit training and trained squad marching movements - and for the uniform cups. After keen competition between the Divisions present, CN 25 Southgate cadets won the ·Rhodes Shield for the best drill,

CN 25 Southgate cadets showing how it's done, See story CADETS DRILL

Coventry's Allesley & Radford nursing cadet team, wh ch recently finished 2nd in the local Re d Cross open competition are from one family - the Cassidy sisters, (L to R) Carmel, 15, Pau la, 14, Maureen , 16, and Catherine, 11, practising on A M Ray Hunt. (Photo : Coventry Evening Telegraph)

With borrowed tools , Heather removed the shoe and the horse went on to ump into 2nd place

Left) LONDONDERRY: Mrs, Anne Hearney and her 15-year-old daughter Linda were both trophy winners in the recent N, Ireland competitions, Mrs, Hearney two years in the Brigade joined after going to a parents evening with Linda

Altrincham Divis io n 's new HQ See story NEW HOM E

N I M Mrs, Heather Harris , of Abingdon Combined Division comes to the rescue at a local horse show when a horse's shoe came loose.

(Above ) DEVON: Honiton s Stoke Hill Beagles held a meeting for SJ s centenary year donating the proceeds to St. John. ( L to R) Lady M, Forrest. Rea Adm!. Sir Ronald Forrest County Commissione r. Dr. Terry Glanvill (with satchelL whipper in and Master of Hounds, John Orchard

also taken part in the Area competition, represented Northern Area Despite only learning of this just prior to the District competition, they put on such a good show that they gained second place.

ST. JOHN/POLICE

The southern area eliminating round of the Police National First Aid Competition , held at Police Training College Exeter , On Jan 14 has always been a joint SJ / police operation, St. John supplying judges and s taging tests. This year there was great excitement when t he Devon and Cornwall team won the Peter Guthrie Memorial Trophy to go on to the Nat ional Finals in London during Februar y. Police Cadet Alison Rowe from Kent , won the individual competition.

any stage. That is where competitions at Area , County and perhaps even Regional level have one great advantage over the national finals, in being able sometimes to provide a realistic setting which not even Mr. David Hallard's brilliantly contrived 'stage sets' could equal.

In the county competitions in Bucks 2 or 3 years ago one of the team tests was set in a park , with one of the casualties up a tree. I've no doubt that similar tests have been ti'ied out elsewhere too, and with equal success; but I personally wish it happened a little oftener. A couple of ambulances could run a shuttle service to convey the teams to and from the scene, either out in the country or perhaps even in a busy shopping complex Impossible? No. Difficult? Maybe yes ; but not beyond the wit of man to devise.

coming second to Bowes Park in the uniform inspection.

So the following week Southgate nursing cadets represented Northern Area at the London District competition for squad drill , meeting the winners of the other Areas Here the uniform inspection was included in the overall marks - this time CN 25 gained 39%ths out of 40 marks! After a close contest Southgate nursing cadets, as winners of the competition, received the Pryer Cup - for the seventh year in succession. It was presented to them by Mrs. Fenton, wife of the District Commissioner.

The team (see photo) was led by Cadet Gina Bennett, and the other cadets who put

their best foot forward were: Lynette Clarke, Rosemary Humphery, Virginia Kiely Carol Lyness, Ramona Mason , Susan Roberts Lesley Summerfield , Liz Walker and C;::laire Wynnick.

The ambulance cadet winners of the Area trophy - 83 Enfield - and the runners - up were unable to compete at the District competition, so the team from the fairly-new East Barnet Combined Division , who had MIND BENDERS (answers) 'S lIdnd 'j;> ddldpUIM '£ 'd JllJldM c U1 0

Attending the day 's event s were the Lord Lieutenant of De v on , Lord Roborough who is President , St. John Council Devon , Lady Roborough , County Director Major M 1. Malcolm , Count y Comm iss ioner Sir Ronald Forrest Mrs. A Malcolm County Welfare Off.cer , and man y Brigade o ffi c er s acting as judges and officials The s tandard of fi r st aid wa s ver y high, for which the e am s are to be congratulated.

The Count y Director thank s the Chief Constable of the De v on and Cornwall r:onstabulary Mr. J , C. Alder s on and hi s deput y, Mr Grave s, fo r their g ra c iou s ho s pitalit y shown to SJ A member s wh o t o o k part or were s pectator s.

CLASS REG U LA TIO NS C LARI F I ED by Chief Officer for Cadets

IT IS appreciated that the issue of the latest edition of Class Regulations has created a certain despondency within the Brigade and it is appropriate therefore that members should know that this has been very much the concern of both the Association and Brigade at Headquarters.

It must be realised that Class Regulations are primarily written for the general public who use our courses.

Nevertheless certain dispensations are necessary to cater for our own particular situation within the Brigade, particularly in respect of the Cadets.

A great deal of consultation has taken place in the recent months between the Brigade and Association branches to find a formula which will help us to run our own training within Cadet divisions (and, indeed, within schools and other youth organisations) We believe that a suitable formula has been found and the Association has recently issued the following Directive (Ref No HQ A.I/I]O dated February 15 1978):

'It has become clear that in respect of certain of the preliminary courses

contained in the Class Regulation s Handbook issued in Jul y 1977 excessi v e difficult y is caused by unduly rigid adherence to the qualifications prescribed for lecturers and examiners. This applies particularly to courses which are relied upon by the St. John Ambulance Brigade for their own internal purposes.

As far as the Essentials of First Aid are concerned, the necessary relaxation has been promulgated already (H Q.A.l/95), and this appears to cover also classe s drawn from other organisations, e.g, Army and other Cadet Forces, Duke of Edinburgh s Award Scheme , schools , and similiar bodies who present their candidates to units of the Brigade for instruction and examination.

In the case of Preliminary Nursing , Preliminary Child Care and Preliminary Hygiene, occasions sometimes arise when the s ervices of a Medical Practitioner or State Registered Nurse cannot be obtained by the Class Secretary, or by the Centre Secretary with which the class is registered. In such cases, the Class Secretary will apply to the County Director for the

AT RANDOM

(cont. from p.49)

The second point that pleased me wa s that, despite it being a cold, drizzl y and muddy afternoon , the ambulance team test was held out -of-doors - or nearly so! Each competing team in turn was conducted to a partly - built shed in the hospital groundS , where two workmen had been injured during the course of building. There was no need for a stage set , because the real thing was there , in the precise setting in which accidents really do sometimes happen and if the path was muddy , and there was a lot of builder's clobber lying around, and a bitter wind was blowing all this contributed to a touch of realism that can t be reproduced on

I think it's so important that everyone in the Brigade should realise how very particular senior officers at HQ are to maintain the validity of their first aid (and , where appropriate , nursing) certificates, often indeed taking a re-exam at more frequent intervals than the 3 -year period required by BGR 95(A) (I) (i). And when I say ' required by' I'm suggesting that the words should hold a valid .' in that subpara of BGR 95 are not intended to be interpreted as 'can if they like but needn but as 'are expected to, though it will be understood if the pressure of their work occasionally causes them to over-run the 3y ear period of validity '.

To Singapore

As I write, Major-General Peter Leuchars (Deputy Coin -C ) is somwhere in India ', on the first leg of a 6-week official tour. After 12 days in India where he is visiting St. John in Delhi Bombay and Madras , he will spend a week in Sri Lanka before going on to Malaysia wher e, after a couple of days in Kuala Lumpur, he will be visit ng the Province s of Sarawa k and Sabah in Eastern Malaysia. His final visit will be to Singapore for a week durin g which he will be joining , as an observer. the UK delegation at a 3 -da y seminar on First Aid in Indu s tr y By that time he will mo s t certainl y have v er y well deserved a week 's h o lid ay on th e s land of Bali before h e r e turn s h o me o n M a rch 13. The Singapore seminar will be attended by delegations from 9 St. John countries : Australia (including the Commandery in Western Australia), Fiji , Hong Kong , India , Malaysia , New Zealand , Singapore Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom; and it is hoped that Papua New Guinea will also be represented. The UK delegation will consist of Prof. Harold Stewart (Director General , Association) , Sir Leslie Monson (Director , Overseas Relations) and Capt. F. A. Bland (Asst. Secretary , Association). This most important seminar , at which our participation has been made possible by generous help over travelling expenses from the Commonwealth Foundation, is the first of its kind and we hope it may prove to be the forerunner of similar events in other parts of the world.

Re-examinations

The C -in-C and his Deputy will I'm sure, forgive me for holding them up as good examples to us all by saying that one of the last things that General L euchars did be fo re setting off on his tour was t o take a 2 -da y 'refresher' course with industrial first-aiders followed by a successful re -examination first aid; and General Gordon did the same about a week later.

I must personally confess that though passed a first aid re-exam in 1977 the pressures of centenary year caused me to allow the validity of my nursing certificate to expire and 'I'm this week embarking on a full nursing course to revive it! And if you wonder why HQ officers are so particular about this it isn't only to set a good example.

Nearly a year ago , I was returning to London by inter-city train after attending the Regional Competitions in Newcastle , and as I only just had time to catch my train I was still in uniform. A few minutes after the ticket-collector had been through my coach he hurriedly returned and asked me to accompany him further down the train w here 'an old lady had been taken very ill'. I naturally complied , feeling rather like I used to feel when going out as an ambulance attendant on an unspecified 999 call!

Without going into too many details, it was soon clear to me that this elderly lady , travelling alone from Scotland was suffering fr o m an att a ck of an g ina - probabl y her fir s t. thou g h her doctor had prescribed a d a il y d o se of heart pills w hich she had t aken that morning , so I gently but firmly resisted the well - intentioned suggestion of her neighbours that she should take some more. She was going to visit her daughter in Middlesbrough changing trains at Darlington. The guard arrived and asked if he should stop the tra in at the next station, and I'm absolutely certain that if I'd said yes' he d have done so. But on hearing that we should reach Darlington in 8 minutes I asked him to arrange to have a wheel-chair on Darlington platform and an ambulance called to take her for an emergency hospital check-up, and for the police to get in touch with her daughter in Middlesbrough.

I got her into as correct and comfortable a pOSItIOn as possible and , telling her soothingly what we were doing and why , maint a ined a c onstant check on her pulse , breathin g a nd general condition We reached Darlington in 8 minutes flat, though I confess they seemed interminable. There were 3 Police Officers with a wheel -chair on the platform , and an ambulance was on the way. On my instruction they brought the

wheel-chair right into the train and we lifted the old lady straight into it , the guard telling us not to feel rushed as he was holding the train till we had quite finished. The police took charge of her personal possessions which ano t her passenger had kindly collected together. Finally, after thanking the other passengers for their help and giving the guard my name and address in case of further enquiries ( which mercifully there were not) , I returned to my seat - and we got to Euston only 3 minutes behind time! Now the point of this story is not just to give a well-deserved pat on the back to British Rail and the Police; still less is it to suggest that I did anything more than any reasonably competent first-aider would have done in m y place ; but to show the total reliance of the guard , the patient , the other passengers and the police on someone we aring St John uniform. And we shou ld only wear that uniform in public if we are both qualified and competent to justify that reliance.

I've been reading ... I've jus t been reading a fascinatingly interesting book , recently published. called The Order of St. John in New Zealand ', an historical symposium written by ten c o ntributors. The most extensive contributions w ere made, and the whole v olume edited b y Dr. R. E. Wright-St. Clair Principal Medical Officer of the WaikatoKing Countr y Centre and a learned student o f the histor y of the Order The book starts with chapters on 'The Earl y Histor y of the Order' and The Order in England ', and then goes on to trace the development of the Order and its Ambulance Foundation in New Zealand from small beginnings in 1885 right up to the present da y. Bound in cloth boards and ver y attracti v el y presented , it has xviii + 152 p a ges and , in addition to a frontispiece in colour o f Leonard Boden s portrait of Her Maj esty in the robes of the Sovereign head of the Order. 16 pages of black and white plate s.

To me. its o utstanding quality lies in the uniform skill of the authors in presenting a considerable mass of historical and factual deta il in essentiall y ' readable' language , so that having once started reading I was spellbound by the tale that was being tolda tale of which the Priory in New Zealand has every right to be proud - and found the book difficult to put down.

I would warmly commend it to all who collect books ab o ut the histor y of the Order , especiall y those who have any personal ties with New Zealand. It may be obtained from Prior y Headquarters, P.O. Box 10043, Wellington, New Zealand. The price including postage is ten N.Z. dollars , which a cheque for £5.50 will cover with about 2p to spare.

The Navy and St. John Ambulance

THE RN AUXILIARY SICK BERTH RESERVE

For nearly 50 years it was manned entirely by Brigade members

ON JANUARY 10 1900 the Med ica l Director of the Ro y al Na vy in v ited th e St. John Amb ulance Brigade to form a ne w Reserve of Naval Sick Berth Staff in cas e of mobilisation of the Fleet i n time o f eme r gency The Reserv e wa s es t abl is hed b y Admiralt y Order on No vember 19 19 02 and the first recruits were recei ved on Februar y 20 1903. Contrar y to expec t ation s. recruiting got off to a poor start and in the first year onl y 268 recruits came forw ard Numbers increased slo wly, and in 1905 th e r e were 373 members plu s an un s pecified number in the Royal Australian N a vy. In 1906 - 593: 1907 669: 1908 - 6 81' 1909 - 757 ; 1911 - 618 ; 1912 - 733; and 1913 - 1015. On Augu st 1 1914 , 849 Reservists were mobilised , and durin g th e First World War numbers steadil y increa s ed - by the end of 1915 , 2164 were se rvin g ; 1916 - 2668 ; and in 1918 - 3024. In the following y ear (1919 ) the Ad mi ral ty and the Chief Comm iss ioner (a s he wa s th e n called ) of the St. John Ambulance Brigad e agreed on new regulations for the Re ser ve , and the grant o f the Ro y al N a v al Re se rve Medal for Long Ser vice and Good Co ndu ct to Auxiliar y Sick Berth Reser v ist s wa s approved. 66 Reservi sts qualified for t he medal at that date.

A n es tab lis hmen t of 1275 was a ppr oved under t he ne w Re gula ti on s in 1920 a nd tr ai nin g re s umed as fr om A pr il I in t hat ye a r A t the en d of 1920 there we r e 906 member s a nd in 1922 - 1113. Then from 1923 to 1936 (inclusive) the Reserve was up to esta blis hmen t stre n gth with a waiting list to joi n. In 1937 t he esta b lishme n t was in c reas ed to 14 00, an d the vacancies thus cre at ed were immed at ely fill ed P arti al mo b ilis at io n of th e R eserve was o r de red on Sep te mb er 28 1938 as a res ult of th e int erna ti on al CrlSlS. 70 5 R eservists rep ort ed for d uty a nd we re re leas ed shortly afterward s. H owever, on August 25 in the folloWi n g yea r , the R ese r ve was mobilised for wa r s ervi c e an d a tota l of 1606 repo r ted for dut y. I n 194 1 t he st ren gt h was 2518 and in 1943 - 3 807, b ut as soon as the war end ed th e R eser ve was in abeyance until it was finally disbande d in 1949.

T he medal referred to above was awarded for 15 yea rs' service with the necessary per iods of t r aining in a R. N. H ospital or S hi p , a nd provided the character assessment of the reci pien t was neve r b elow 'very good'.

The nec essa r y per io d o f ra in ing' from 1919 to 193 2 was o ne course pe r annum, after t h at date it was o ne course biennially A w ard s to me m be rs of the Auxilia r y S ick

The three types of Long Service Medal (L to R) the reverse King George V in naval uniform , as on coinage and King George VI

time on the leh sleeve of Brigade uniform midway between shoulder and elbow

Bert h Reserve can be identified by the rank of the recip ient which wi ll be found with the name etc. inscribed round the rim of the medal and will include the letters 'S.B.A.· (Sick Berth Attendant) . These details are usually in impressed capital letters.

The medal is silver. 1.42 inch in diameter. with bar suspension. On the obverse is the Sovereign's head (t hree types were used (al King G eorge V in naval uniform (b) King George V as on the coinage and (c) King Geo rge VI) with appropriate titles. On the reverse is a representation of H M.S Dreadnought steaming to the right. and below this the words 'DIUTUR E FIDELIS'. From 1919 (as far as this Reserve was concerned) until 1941. the ribbon was green and inch wide, and after 1941 it was green with a white centre stripe and white edges. also I /J inch wide A bar to the medal was awarded for a further 15 years' service.

Some writers - 0 er many years - have maintained that this medal was awarded by the Chief Commissioner of the Brigade. This is definitely not so. It is an official Crown award, and all awards were dealt with by the Admiralty. From 1919 until 1939 the Admiralty sent the medals to the Chief Commissioner for presentation. From 1939 to 1945 they were sent to the recipient's hospital or ship, and after that to the recipient direct.

Up to 1922. 538 medals had been awa r ded, and by the time of disbandment. approximately 1500.

My thanks to A A. Purves. G Harris and Dr. A. L. Lloyd of the Orders & Medals R esea rch Society for their assistance. and the the Curator and the Libra r ian of the Order of St. J ohn fo r granting research facil ities.

Charles W. Tozer. OSu

Memories

AF T ER the First World War, recalls Bedfordshire N orthern A rea Commi ss ioner E. A. M ill ward , the Royal aval Auxilia ry

Sick Berth attendant s were de mobilised and returned to their normal St. John activities. expanding the ervice and sta rting many new divisions. One such division was started in the small Buckinghamsh i re village of Lavendon. and it proved very successful.

I was a small boy in the village at the time and I was greatly artracted to these ambulance members. always steali ng my way imo their meetings. I waited patiently until I was sixteen and then joined the Division on May 27 1927. although the official joining age was then 18 - but the Di\,. SUPl. did not see the need for such exactitude.

In June 192 8 I Joined the 'Sick Berth- and so started \\ ith what was then called the Saturday ight avy. After that. each year we looked forward to our annual training. to meet old friends to discuss progres s and .p romotions. whether somebody had been made a Leading Hand or even a Petty Officer.

The years passed quickly and happily. and during the mid-1930s people began to ense trouble brewing between Germany and ourselves. Then suddenly in September 1938 the R ASBR was mobilised. I reponed to R. Barracks Chatham, and was paid for a month's mObilised service. Then we were discharged and returned to ci\ vy streetbut not for long Suddenly there were again feverish preparations. the public was trained in first aid and ARP groups were formed. September 2 1939 found me once again at R Barracks Chatham. This time it was fo r real.

Little did r realise my destiny: ser ice with the R oyal Marines at the infirmary in DeaL the R Hospital Chatham. with" the Fleet Air Arm in the jungle of Trinidad. Scapa Flow with the training ship of the Midget Submarines. and finally in Australia and orth Borneo.

I remember my first week in the Royal Ma ri ne Infirmary at Deal and hearing the so und of marching feet. It was a company of R oya l Marines. They marched into the ent r ance of the hospital. The sergeant in

Standing, with a shipmate (Right ) His ship's medical party Petty Officer Millward sitting left. ( Be low) SBAs at a shore base , NComm Millward 2nd from leh See MEMORIES

,

command barking out his orders could be heard a long way off. 'Sick parade - fall out!' If this was a sick parade. I thought. \', hat' s a real parade like.

One of my earliest jobs was to take an amputated leg to the incineraror for destruction. I did not enjoy my lunch that day. Then I was put to work in the mOrTuary. to deal with a completely burned body which was unidentifiable. The work was completed with a hose and brush.

Soon there followed the drama of Dunkirk. We received the victims of enemy bombing. then the victims of the Battle of Britain. I was immune to all these horrors now Days and nights were spent cutting ofT dead skin and then applying the \'arious treatments. Often it would take an emire morning to feed and dress the burns of one patient.

Then the infirmary was closed and we evacuated our patients to the R Hospital Chatham. until one day I received a sudden call to the administration office to be told in cold official language that I was drafted to a Fleet Air Arm station in Trinidad. Two of my pals had earlier received the same draft - but they had both been torpedoed en route.

Bur I arri ed safely in the West Indies. to tart a difTerent way of life and to learn new skills for the treatment of new types of accidents and tropical diseases Survivors of actions at sea were also brought to us.

On one occasion a Fleet Ai r A r m office r and myself. both d r ess ed in white t r o pi c al unifo r m. together with a loc a gu

d through the island's ju n gle looki

fo r a crashed aircraft. S ud d enly the o ffi ce r t r ipp ed in undergrowth and fell hea d lo ng into a muddy stream. What a sigh t he was when he struggled to his feet' I f I was n 't so

, si r,' I said 'I'd laugh at you.' H is eyes sm iled back at me and we trud ged o n wit ho u t another word. to fin d the ai rc ra ft a nd 17 burned bodies. We rested, t hen t ru d ge d ba c k to report the locatio n After two yea rs in T rini dad I was dra ft ed back to Errgland. to the t r ai ning sh ip of t he midget submarines an exci t ing. ex act ing jo b. Then to the Far East. to North Bo rne o, and as the war was drawing to a cl ose, o n to Australia and some marv ellous hos pitality in Sydney. I arri\'ed back in Engla nd in Decemb er 1945 and was demobilised fr om a se rvic e of which it was a great pr ivil ege to be a member.

Ex-cadet lost AMBULA CE Member M. J . Ja ckso n PRO of Grays Division_ Essex , a n ex· Leadir:Jg Sick Ber th Atten d a nt who ser ved from August 1939 to D ec em be r 19 45 - the first three years at the 2/ 5 th G e nera l Hospital (later 64th). Alexan d ria. Egy p t. and then three years at HM S Beehive, F elixstow e (a light coastal forces base)_ writes : We in Grays had eight sick bay rese r vists who were called up a nd served th ro u ghou t the war in all pa r ts of t he wo r ld. fort una tely without injury. As Ca de t S u perintenden t at the time, I maintaine d c orr espo nden c e wi t h practically all my ca dets. O ne of t he se boys voluntarily joined up and chose the aval Sick Berth branch. no doubt emulati ng ou r example. He was unfo rtunately lost on the destroyer HMS Ardente. which with H MS Acasta another destroyer, was t ryi ng to defend the Aircraft Carr ier Courageo us against (I believe) the Scharnhorst. All ships were sunk and the D ivision suffered a very sad loss.

The badge worn during peace-

Area Commissioner E A. Millward while serving dur ng the war as a Sick Berth Attendant (Left)

The

A division suffers

PRO W. 1. L. Gotch, of SlA Northants, writes:

That the RN ASBR suffered casualties was only to be expected, but there does not seem to be any evidence available about them. For instance, during the First World War the Hospital Ship Rohilla was sunk by a mine, the RNASBR men aboard all came from one division, somewhere in the north , I think. As a result that St. 10hn Division was almost wiped out. I have suggested that as the Reserve were all St. 10hn men there ought to be a suitable memorial to those who died in its service at St. 10hn's Gate or in the Priory Church.

History of the RN Sick Berth staff

BEFORE 1884 there were separate arrangements for nllrsing naval wounded ashore and in H.M. ships , and it will be seen from the account which follows that the Sick Berth Branch was evolved at sea and proved itself of such value that in 1884 the system was extended to include nursing in naval hospitals.

In Tudor times the sick and wounded were discharged from ships and no further care was taken of them , though when possible accommodation was found for them in taverns and lodgings. There was little improvement up to the Commonwealth period when the four Royal hospitals in London were directed to reserve accommodation for the Navy, and the mayors of the home ports were ordered to make provision for the wounded in their cities.

In 1653 the Board of Commissioners of the Sick and Wounded was established and had authority to requisition accommodation for seamen in any civil hospital.

It will be seen that so far the chief concern had been for the housing of the sick and wounded; nursing as a specialised occupation was unknown. At this time, however, the first great military nurse appeared on the scene in the figure of Elizabeth AIkin who, having done good service to the Parliament wounded during the Civil War, was better known as Parliament loan. In 1652, at the outbreak of the war with the Dutch, Mrs. Aikin petitioned that she might be appointed to nurse the maimed seamen; she attended many wounded sailors at Portsmouth and on one occasion accompanied four wagons full of wounded who were being transferred from Portsmouth to London. She expended her own money so freely that in 1653 she wrote from Harwich to the Admiralty that she was reduced to destitution. Unfortunately this devotion was the exception rather than the rule, but her service may have directed attention to the needs of the disabled.

In 1689 the first hospital entirely for naval use was requisitioned at Plymouth and this

practice spread rapidly to other ports, while a further advance was made when Haslar was opened in 1754 and the building of the naval hospital at Plymouth was begun two years later.

In all these hospitals the nurs ing was done by women whose only connection with the Service was that they were often the widows of sailors or Ro ya l Marines' they had no training and the standard of care was low; hospital labourers were sometimes called in to give additional help and it was they who cleaned instruments and prepared dressings. Already, however, some effort was being made to choose suitable people for nursing and the Medical Officer had to 's atisfy himself of the moral character , the bodily health, strength sobriety, human disposition and general fitness for the duty of the party previously on her being entered for the situation'.

This system continued for a hundred yea rs, but in 1854, the yea r Florence Nightingale went to the Crimea , male nurses began to take their place in naval hospitals. the system having been found satisfactory at sea. These men were chiefly old pensioner s and were employed on a temporary basis according to the number of patients in the hospit a l. The term 'Sick attendant was applied to these men as opposed to nurses whic h was used for the women. By l883 the employment of women ceased

The sick attendants were still however, untrained and often unsuitable the lame, the deaf and even the b lind being employed. They continued to be drawn from seamen and marine pensioners, while a few were discharged soldiers ; they were paid at the rate of Is. 6d. a day with Is. 2d. for victuals, and , in genera l they were still employed on a basis of casual labour though there were now a few who were perman ently established.

A committee, appointed in 1883 to investigate these matters, found the whole situatio n ashore profoundly unsatisfactory and advised an extension of the arrangements made in H.M ships. Thus it was that the Sick Berth Staff became an organised branch of the Service in the following year, with the purpose of caring for the sick both ashore and afloat. During the years which have been under review the care of the wounded at sea had also undergone many changes

When King Henry VII organised the Royal Navy, surgeons were not part of the complement of the King's ships; they were only to be found as the personal medical attendants of a few high officers. In time surg eons were provided for ships' companies but they had no assistance and carried out all their own treatment. In the 17th Century a ' loblolly boy' was appointed from among the ship's company to attend on the sick, and derived his name from the grueL which he served to them at meal times.

[n the 18th Century the surgeons had the help of their apprentices or 'surgeon's mates', who now carried out most of the actual treatments. In 1741 we know that it was the practice for a boy to go round all the decks ringing a hand bell , and in rhymes

co mp osed for the occasion to invite 'a ll those who had sores to repair before th e mast' , when they would be dressed by one of the s urgeon's mates.

In hospital ships, however , attendants were appointed at the beginning of the 18th Century in addition to nurses thus ant icipatin g the system introduced in 1854 to naval h ospita ls.

By 1833 Sick Berth Attendants had come to be reco g nised as a distinct rating and bo ys were entered in the depot ships specially for this duty They had to be 18 years old, able to read and write, have a fair knowledge of keeping accounts and be medically fit. but they received no special training before going to sea and were employed only in H.M. ships. Where one of these attendants was not carried the Admiralty now directed that in ships of the fifth rate and upwards a man of good character is to be selected from th e comp lement and rated as Sick Berth Attendant whose duty it will be to attend exclusively on the sick, without bein g called away by the ordinary dutie s of the s hip , and who is to be fa id as a n a ble seaman'

In the thirty yea r s which followed distincti o ns in rating came to be mad e and we find both assistant S B.A s., S B A s. and Sick Be rth Stewards borne with the following rates of pay I s. 4d ., I s.9 d ., a nd 2s.5 d . a da y. A sys tem of training also evolved and b y 1866 both Sick Berth Attendants and ass istant Sick Berth Attendant s were given instruction at the home hospital s before go in g to sea; they were, howe ve r , to take n o part in the nursing in t he se hospitals

The results of this system anoat mu s t h ave been found sat isfactory for in 1883 th e committee already referred to decided to recommend the establ is hment of a tra ined Sick Berth Staff for employment both at sea a nd a s hore and this was authorised b y an Order in Council, dated the 17 October , 1884 This order introduced the furth e r rating of Chief Sick Berth Steward , who was to be emp lo yed in the home hospital s only: Sick Berth Stewards were also divided int o two classes.

On the 3 March , 1900 the scale of pa y was increased and three warrant officers were authorised with the rank of Head Wardmaster, one being appointed to each home hospital. The number of these warrant officers was increased by further order, which also made changes in pay , while in 1918 the rank of Ward master Lieutenant on retirement was instituted. In the following yea r the Nur s ing Acts were passed offering a further ince ntive to the Sick Berth Staff who were able to take the examination for S.R.N.

In 1920 the ratings of L.S.B.A. , S.B.P.O" and S B C.P.O. were introduced and the term 's teward ' followed his round jacket into oblivion. In the following year Wardmaster Lieutenants o n the active list were approved and promotion to Wardmaster LieutenantCommander was authorised.

For many campers 1977 proved a wet summer. Let's hope that this year is better for life . ..

UNDER CANVAS

CLEVELAND held it s county cadet centenary camp at Watermillock , near Penrith, Lake Ullswater from Jul y 30 to August 7. 39 ambulance and nur s ing cadets from five divisions attended the camp , which was o r ganised by CSO ( AC) 10hn Re s torick , who was camp commandant.

Activitie s included swimming in the lake (for the braver campers) , a s ession of It 's a Knockout with parents and officer s, a treasure hunt , and a hike on the fells.

One of the most popular events of the week was a night exercise. Late on the Tuesday ni g ht it was reported that a party of walker s had met with 'a n accident in nearby woods. At 11.30pm camp was roused , and everyone was o rganised in part ies to search the woods for 'cas ualtie s' under the officers and two senior cadets. All the ' c as ualtie s' were quickly located and transported back to a receivin g post set up b y some of the nur sing cadets in a hall adjoining the camp field After debriefing by officers and a cup of hot chocolate , everyone went back to bed - and a lie - in the next morning

On Friday evening wa s the camp concert , when each tent put on a n act - hilarious they were too ; to be followed by a 'slap-up buffet and a di s co.

A comment from one cadet on the way hom e: 'ft was the best camp ever '

Now , what about ca mpin g in 1978

Wei li es and waterproofs at last year's Wirral SJA camp at Criccieth, North Wales - but cadets' spirit was far from damp

( R ght) Cleveland cadets on camp night exercise. A blanket lift remo ves casualty from bushes

( Below , left) Cleveland cadets search party find a casua lty on their nlght exe r cise. ( Right) Cadets Kevin Thompson and Charles McKenna at the front of the stretcher bringing a casualty to the receiving post

from Miss Joan Rohan Jarrett, PRO 309 Oivision, London District

As

being told by Mrs. Bray of my visit

Divisional beach barbeque and also asked

I was forced to decline as both these

left for England. Ho w ever , it onl y goes to s ho w that as

of St. John nobody , no matter in w hat part o f t h e w o rl d one may land u p need ever be lonel y for long.

Biggin Hill Joan Rohan Ja rrett

APPLY FOR A GRANT

fr'Wl G. K Pilkington, Divisional Officer

I am sure most people ha v e heard of the Que en 's Silver J u bilee Trust Fund , but I wonder ho w man y ha ve con sid er ed a ppl ying for a grant or know how to appl y?

Early in 197 7 our Borough s Educa t ion D e pa rt men t inform e d all youth groups about the fund and asked for projects to be su bm itted as soon as possible Further enquirie s sh owed th at 'p roj ects incl ude d the purchase of training equ ipmen t.

An application w as made to our Educat ion Depa r t ment's You t h Officer. The Borou g h s commit t ee passed th e app licati o n an d it was forwarded to the GLC com m itt ee W ithin a fe w months of our initial enquiries we were informed that our appl ica ti on h a d b ee n a pp roved. Since then we have t aken deli ver y o f our record in g r e s u sci-anne , used it on sev eral occasion s and had it officiall y' present ed The objects of the fund include to en a ble y oung p e op le t o work together in helping others of all ages ' I can think of few org an isatio n s that meet this constraint as well as the St. John c a dets. Th e con d itions of such an award go straight to the hear t of St. John and it s obj ectives, and so Cadet di vi sions must s urel y ha v e a t re m e nd o u s a d vantage over many other appl icant s for a w ards

The fund is still in e x istence and so th e o p po r un ity h as not b een lost. It costs only time for though t -and a 7p st amp , bu t it cou ld bring that piece of equipment y ou need.

C151 Di vision, S W A rea London District G K. Pilkingto n ' UNIFORMS

from E. L. E Hearne, Divisional Superintenden t In the December Re vie w w ere p ictur es o f pr o p osed n ew un ifo r: m styles. It is a pity the designer s could not ha ve he ar d t he comments from several adult member s and cadets w h e n t h ey we r e seen here. While I understand the need to keep co s t s do w n , pe r so n a

READERS ·VIE·WS

From

A mbul a nce Brigade and to q u ote one adult NCO : Not a stand in for t h e oca l d ustman (We agree the dustman is doing a good job , but he dresses for the occasion)

Having just received a new uniform , the old but serviceable one is now used on d r ty duties and exercises and the new for parades and cleaner duties.

The Order members of old went to war in a flowing black cloak ov er their a r mour which must have been very impractical , but it made them eas il y recog n isab le Our present u niform is the same to the Publi c today a nd o ne of w h ich we are justly pro ud Let it always be so.

On a recent visit to the Gate we reminded our party of the cost o f the work of the Order and of the hospital in Jerusalem in particular , and fo und even the youngest cadet willing to ' dig deep '. May I su gge s t that all our members make a small donation to uphold our hospit a l in the Holy Land.

While on the s u bject of cadets , may I make an appeal to all mem bers to use the cadet s title when referring to them , particular ly in publ ic. They are full members of the Brigade and put in as much time as ma n y a d ults They are called cadets in Regulations but con s tantly we have officers and members referring to them as kids children , et c This rarely happens with members of our Windsor Ambulance and Nursing Divisions , because they take the trouble to learn the names of our cadets and so get the best out of them on duty.

The writer of a few months ago re Warrant Officers and n o t Commissio n ed Officers seems not to ha ve e ver read an officer s warrant of appointment (I have onl y recently done so) but it does read 'I co mm issio n you to be A lesson to us al to check before we comp lain

Windsor

MARLOW'S VIEWS

from D. Ha selgr ove Divisional Officer

E. L. E. Hearn e

compl eme nt this equipment , full training was given both by doctor s a nd full -time ambulance staff as each item wa s purchased We are now s art in g a six -week course for ambulance work an d equipment , with a pr ac tica l exam at the end and a refres h er exam every six months. We in t his d ivis io n think this is only fair to the f ull -time ambu la nce service as th e publ ic generally do not differentiate between us and the full -time s tandard of the AHA vehicles we also carr y extra kit wh ich we ha ve found useful on numer o us occa sions

Each v ehicle has two trolley stretchers and bedding , scoop , s tretcher poles and canvas , Ambu chair , carrying sheet , mechanical re s usci t ator , Laerdal bag and mask , Entonox suckers Fracimmobili sor , ladder sp lints , oxygen therap y , s ome rescue equipment and one of the most comprehensive first aid kits ever carr ed on a vehicle. serv ice.

Re. Mobi le dressing station for Bath (J an. Review) , I would lik e to co ngratulate Bath on this vehicle , but surely it is rather dangerou s to have oxygen equipment and a cooker in the same confined space a s oxygen aids combu s tion If the oxygen had been used or there wa s a leak , ighting the cooker could lead to a rapid fire.

Marlow Combined Division D. Raselgrov e

OUR AMBULANCES

fro m Kenneth Griffiths, Transport Sergeant

Having just received some copie s of the Review , I was very interested to rea d the letter s from E Jemmett (No vember) and M. V. Moring (October ) on the s ubje c t of Brigade ambulance s Like Mr. Jemmett , I am employed as an ambulanceman by the Gloucestershire Area Hea lth Authorit y, and have eight years experience I have been a me mb er of St. John for about fourteen years

I agree with the views stated about the black and white fools .' and in th is area we are ver y conscious of thi s type of attitude and are doing out best to reverse it.

We have obtained three new ambulance s ( see November Review ) to rep ace our two ver y old ones , and the equipment carried is up to the

WESTMINSTER ABBEY

MORE than 1700 uniformed members were at London Di s trict s magnificent se r vice of th a n k sgi v ing and rededication - to officially end it s centenar y yearat Westminster Abbe y during December.

Re. Unifo r ms on Trial (Dec . Review) , the photograph shows two ty p es, bot h of which seem quite suitable In our division , a combined di vision, we have adopted the anorak and slacks for most duties , espec ially transport a n d field duties The wome n of the division say they can work better in slacks eg bending and lifting without em b arrassment. One item which the men and women are strong ly against is t he be r et; the men wish to keep their caps and t h e women the tricorn c ap or a cap like the policewoman or full -time ambu lance woman's.

Re. Am bul ance Train ing: There have bee n v arious letters over the p ast two o r t hr ee m ont h s co n cerning ambu lances and their equipment.

O ur D ivision's am bul ance is u p to t h e same standa rd as the loca l area hea th a mbul a n ces with piped oxygen BOC minuteman resuscitator, E ntonox , Laerda l e lectric aspirator and scoop stretcher. To

Training on the use of this equipment ha s to be good if the patient is to benefit from the expensive apparatus which s a vailable. Cheltenham Corps has seven adu lt divisions , s o there is a lot of ground to cover. In the past , each divis ion has had a three -week course on ambulance aid , and for the last four years the equipment has been available for training as the divisions have needed it. At present we are trying to arrange a weekend course for ambulance crews , with driving and equipment tests.

We stipulate that drivers must be at least 25 years of age have three years clean licence , and at least three years efficient service The attendants have passed our own tests of their ability to handle the equipment carried Witb regard to the point that some ambulances have only st r etchers blankets and 15A, I would like to mention that I used to race a 'hot rod' , and d u ring intervals at meetings I alwa y s tried to visit the SJA personnel on duty On three occasions , I found the equipment in this diminutive state I too would like to see all Brigade ambulances brought to a high standard, but realise the problems involved , because we have had them too. For instance - mone y, what to bu y and where to buy it , etc.

Unusual about s uch an occasion was the colour party , which comprised Div. Officer Esme Salke ld of Harrow Nursing Division bearing the Brigade Colour and flanked by two sergeant s; and the lesson, which was read from the pulpit of the nave b y 16 -yearo ld Grand Prior Cadet COTporal Frances Stocker , of Balham Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Elworthy , President of the St. John Council for London was present , and among the many guests were the Chief Commander , Sir Maurice Dorman with his ad viser Mr. C. Rees Jenkins the C -in-C Major Gen. Desmond Gordon , the Deputy C -Ln-C Major Gen. Pete r Leuchars , as well as the Lord Ma yor of Westminster.

(L eft ) Bea er of h e Brigad e Colo u r - % Esm e S a ke ld (Righ t) Cad e Cor poral Fran ces Sto c ke rea d th e lesso n Belo w L o R) Commande r o London Col. H A Lew is t he C- n - C Ma o r G en D Gor d o n Co mm ss io n er of Lond o n Der ek Fen ton , and th e Chief Commander, S r Ma ur ce D o rman (Phot o s : N C Co o m er)

Incidentally, we have also built a trailer -mounted field unit and ha ve equipped it to be available for all types of outdoor dutie s. It is completely self-contained in that it has cooking lighting , heating facilities, two beds two stretchers and ropes , and an abundance of F.A. kit , etc.

This may sound as if the trumptes are blowing for C heltenham Corps , but it shows what can be done with effort, consultation and lot s of hard work.

Cheltenham Corps Ken Griffiths

NOTTINGHAM

from Col. P. A. Adams. Chief Officer Brigade Training

Referring to the letter Pretty Blonde Called from ASO Bruce Coltman (Jan. Review) his suggestion that we should publish a full account of the Brigade Leadership Conference at Nottingham is good, but I doubt very much if the Review could produce an additional issue at no extra charge (See At Random Feb.) , and unfortunately here is not sufficient space in the normal issues to be able to pro vide even an abridged edition of all the talks given at Nottingh a m If we decide to publish a reasonably detailed account , it might have to be done as a supplement to one of our monthly editions.

There is not only the problem of cost but also the work in vo lve d in preparing the articles

As regards the latter Bruce has been tremendously helpful in producing for me typescripts of the talks taken from tape recording s made at reGent conferences. Unfortunately, the spoken word does not always lend itself to literal reproduction in print without very considerable editing With all due deference to Bruce , most of the script produced from tapes would need almost re -w riting to b e readable , and even then we would have to get the articles checked and approved by the lecturers.

In the case of future Nottinghams I will endeavour to obtain fro m the main lecturers precis of their talks , so that at lea s t these can be published at a later date - finance permitt ing ! Headquarters P. A Adams

LAY INSTRUCTOR'S BADGE

from Col. P. A. Adams. Chief Officer Brigade Training

In answer to Div. Supt. R J. Lilley 's letter UNIFORMS, BADGES (Jan. Review) he may be interested to know that the wearing of a Lay Instructor's badge on Brigade uniforms has recentl y been approved

This badge may be one of the two medals , badges or emblems w orn by ambulance members at Position 7 (over the right breas t pocket) in accordance with Dress Regulations (Ambulance) page 24 and by Nursing Members at Position 2 in accordance with Dress Regulation s (N ursing) page 33.

Amendments to Dress Regulations Will be issued s hortl y. Headquarters P A. Ada m s

SIR HEDLEY ATKINS, KBE. DM. MCh. FRCS

from the Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Delegates to St. John Ambulance Medical Conferences held in the past and officers of HQ St. John Ambulance were invited last year to subscribe to a farewell gift to Professor Sir Hedley Atkins , the former Chairman of the SJA Medical Board who acted as conference chairman at so many of the annual Medical Conferences. It was felt desirable to restrict those subscriptions to a maximum of £1 per person; the esteem in which our former chairman was held was shown in the response to the subscription , which was overwhelming In my capacity as chairman of the Medical Conference Organising Committee and acting on behalf of many professional members of S t. John Ambulance I, together with the Secretary ,' had the honour and great personal pleasure of calling upon Sir Hedley at Down House last OCtober to present him with a copy of his own published works suitably bound in morocco

- Sir Hedley most touched to receive this farewell gift and ha s asked me to express his delight in the bound volumes which he will see

nearly eve r y day in his librar y; he has also asked me to pass on his warmest wis h es to a ll.

I am g ad to say that both Sir Hed ley and Lady Atkins are extre m e ly fit a nd working h a rder than ever.

Those delegates who had the good fortune to hear Sir He dl ey ta lk upon the Darwins and Dow n Ho u se wi ll realise what a great enc hantm e nt a visit there can be - Sir Hedley took Philip Adams and me on a p ersonal tour of the museum . It is open to the public on selected days of the week and is well worth a visit.

Sir Hedley h as recently published his autobiography under the title, Memoirs of a Surgeon. It is a fascinati n g record of the ife of a most distinguished surgeon and a ll of us in the Order of St. John have been fortunate in h aving him as chairman of the Medica l Board Headquarters

SECURITY CHECKS

from David Hunter. Divisional Officer

C. C. Molloy

I note (Sept. Review) some members feel that they are entitled to 'diplomatic immunity while in uniform.

By submitti ng to security checks we are setting a good example, as well as ensuring t h at the good name of the Brigade is upheld It also acts as a wa rnin g to those the checks are set to discourage.

My brother - in-law and I are both air attendants and between us have spanned the g lobe, so believe me when] say that the production of an I/D card and the patting of the pockets is child 's play compared with some of the searches we have been su bjected to.

These include strip searches in Israel, as well as other minor inconveniences such as ha vi ng one s first -aid kit x- rayed for explosives and if they are not sure even the dressing s opened and examined. It also helps to pass the time if they decide the wire former in yo ur cap is possi b ly a saw blade or something equally sinister.

I agree it shows the wo rld is in a sad state when people on missions of mercy must come under suspicion, bu by allowing ourselves to be .$ ubjected to security checks demonstrates that we have nothing to hid e, a nd in this way we can continue our work throughout the world

- For the Service of Mankind. Lenham. Kent David Hunter

USE OF SCOOP STRETCHER

from Irene Lappage. Nursing Member

Regarding the photograph in January 's Review , page 23, no doubt Frimley and Camberley Division is very pleased with their new scoop stretcher. However, I would like to point out that these stretchers are designed to be lifted at the sides. not at each end. If lifting continues as shown in the photo , the scoop stretcher will quickly buckle in the middle.

This point ties in with a letter from Mr. Bain , of Caterham Division , t h at instruction is essentia l on a ll pieces of ambula n ce eq u ipment before u sing them on casualties.

374 Kingston upon Thames Irene Lappage

MHR BARS

from W. Dodds. Divisional Superintendent

Regarding C. W Tozer's letter on the award of an MHR bar (Jan. Review) , it is a pity these bars were not issued for war service, even if it meant counting suc h service as double to get the award

When one considers that the MHR made a most va lu ab le contribution to medical services during the war years in particular I think the lea st they could do is to make the awards now , even if it appears to be belated.

I know that from my own division we were sad ly depleted after the war and a good part of the blame for this must be attached to the lack of acknowledgement from the MHR authorities as to their service. That is perhaps one of the reason s why many members were reluctant to rejoin divisions after demobili sat io n.

Perhaps Major J. D. Salisbury could state whether these awards are sti ll available even though the MHR is now defunct?

Newcastle-upon- Tyne W. Dodds

ONE OF the main advantages in belonging to S1. John is that one makes so many friends Recently I spent part of my annual holida y with a Divisional Superintendent and hi s wife, using their house as a base for tours of the West Country. In the even in gs we ofte n found ourselves at o ne of the loca l hostelries , and naturally the conversation drifted round to St. John matter s. Such things as training ideas, special duty uniform , maintenance of headquarters and so on appeared on the minutes. Such discussion wit h ot her divisions is useful but it is not purely the extraction of information wh ch is the aim of such contact.

Pit stop

One evening when we remained at home, we were visited by a member who was a cadet in my former Division. He is a tha lidomide vict im , and has arms which te rmin ate at the elbow with one finger at the end of each upper arm. His name had recent ly been in the national news as the first such victim to be taking hi s driving test. By the jubilant squeal of brakes outside the front door we could tell that he had passed. He stayed lon g enough for a cup of coffee, then announced that he had to get some more driving in. The impression was that this was just a pit -s top, and he had a few hundred miles to put on the c lock that night!

After he had departed, my host told me that he was still one of the most reliable members in the Division. As a cadet he had always been the sort of lad who was willing to do anything; he was for instance the first to ofTer to act as patient, cracking jokes about being "'arm less" and asking to be treated for a fractured wrist! His confidence and forthright manner often came close to being simply cheeky. His disability. however, was never allowed to get the better of him. He had artificial forearms and hands which he wo uld not use. often being sent to the meeting with them on, and removing them as SOon as he arrived. He tied bandages using his two arms a nd his teeth could perform mouth - to -mouth by sealing the nose with his finger, and when I asked him how he would carry a stretcher he s impl y sai'd he would use slin gs; he would manage somehow. Several times he came to Guernsey with the cadet camp he later was a member of the competiti o n team, and was always first to ask to attend a public duty.

Typical

That he passed his driving test with an unmodified car at the first attempt did not s urp rise me. It is typical. ] recall his nagging me to be a llowed to drive the ambulance Whe n he was o ld enough to take hi s test, and was most disappointed when I told him he would h ave to be 21 because of insurance req ui re m ents He st'll n eeds to use both arms to grip such things as a coffee cup, bl\t refu ses to allow this to defeat him in any

MAKING FRIENDS

by N. R. Tucker, Staff Officer

way. I know that unwrapping a packet of cigarettes, u sing his teeth, taking one out by holding the pack tetween his knees, and lighting it is a dazzling display of dexterity. He is a really likeable, buoyant per sonality, who makes light of his affiiction , and a member it is a privilege to know. There are other handicapped members in St. John, of course. (That reminds me of anothe r of David s comments I can't be handicapped because I haven t got any hands to be capped! ' followed by a dig in the ribs and raucous laughter). Da vid is a classic example, and serves as a reminder that one of the main benefits of St. John membership

QUICKIE X-WORD (3)

is the friends one makes. Friends who can be helpful to others, friends who need help themselves, friends who make one realise one's own blessings.

The people one meets in St. John make it the organisation it is A member may join for a number of reasons, and may quote advantages in continuing membership but almost certainly one of those will be the friends and acquaintances he makes Living in an island we of Guernsey are restricted in o ur contacts with other S1. J ohn sections. The only chance we have to meet people from outside the island on an informal basi s is when they visit us during camps for instance or when we travel to the mainland. These chances s hould not be missed, especially by cadets Whenever our members are out of the island , they should be encouraged to contact St. John people. Such events as the camps with the Johanniter Unfall Hilfe, or the Sail Training Association cruises are ideal for widening horizons and broadening the outlook of our yo unger members. Whether they are on such a course at a training conference or away at college, they can find friends with something in common, and at the same time bring fresh thought into their Divisions when they return. The decision recentl y to distribute a copy of the Re view to each Di vision will help us see what goes on in the rest of the S1. John world. but there is no real substitute for the personal touch!

Reprinted/rom SJA Guernsey's Bulletin

New York plans ambulance reorganisation

A THREE-YEAR programme has been launched to modernise New York City's ambulance services, the New York Times reported earlier this year.

While the city has the country's most sophisticated hospital emergency rooms , its ambulance services seem almost primitive: two paramedic units are based at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Centre and two others have been formed by voluntary hospitals. but many of the city's 100 other ambulances are manned by crews with little or no training.

Lack of co-ordination between municipal and private services means that several ambulances arrive at the scene of an incident together. competing for the job in what has been described as 'patient rustling' and 'a fight for bodies'.

Competition

'The city is served by competing ambulances, many of which often lack the necessities of life-saving equipment or personnel trained in elementary emergency medical care techniques,' says the NYT.

Some 1,550 ambulance calls are received daily on the city 's 911 emergency system (similar to our 999 system) and these are shared out among municipal and voluntary services. Private services are not at present connected to the system but will be after the reorganisation.

As a start to the shake-up a new $2 million computerised control centre was to open in the summer, allowing push-button contact between the dispatcher, the crews and the hospital emergency rooms. There will also be direct communication between crews and emergency room doctors and nearly 30 new crew members are undergoing the 360-hour paramedic training course.

Other cities

But New York isn't the only US city with ambulance problems: a NYT survey of 18 cities showed that most of them lack one or more components of an effective ambulance service: some cities run short of ambulances at peak periods ; response times can vary from two to three minutes in Miami and Seattle to 11 mins in Atlanta and New York; 60 per cent of the nation 's ambulances are still of the limousine type, long recognised as inadeq uate; and seven of those cities have no central emergency telephone number.

But although the present systems have their problems, they are stili a vast improvement on the services of the mid1960's.

'At that time four out of five ambulance attendants had no training beyond Boy Scout first aid,' says the NYT. Only six states could ge t figures on how man y ambulances they had and eve n fewer knew what types of vehicles were used. Only five per cent of ambulances had two -way radio and 75 per cent failed to meet minimum design criteria.' US

inadequate.

Worse still: 'Back in 1965 ambulances were designed lik e hearses and quite often the end result was the same. In fact at that time half the US ambu lance services were run by morticians who did not necessaril y have an interest in keeping the patient alive!'

(Reprinted from LONDAM. the magazine of the London Ambulance Serv ice).

NEWS from SCOTLAND

Priory

The Hospitaller has launched an appea l to all members of the Priory of Scotland for £3.000 to fit out a complete laun dry for the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem. The response has been immediate and encouraging.

The Regions

The St. John Nursing Home in Aberdeen has reported that the occupancy rate has gone up in the la st year from 55% to 82%.

The RISE and

a cautionary tale by

Thi s is the tale of Billy Brett, Who joined St. John as a Cadet. And went o n Mondays every week

To le arn about first aid ec hniqu e.

Up-to-date

Audio Visual Aids

by PHILIP ADAMS

LET ME say right away that all concerned with trainin g in first aid s hould besiege the National Coal Board money in hand, to demand copies of their new tape /s trip /s lid e presentation First Aid. They are excellent a nd a bargain at the pr ice.

There a re fourteen presentations in the se rie s, each runs for IS minutes or so; the material is supp lied in Almstrip format, or 12frame slides, and with a printed commentary. The price for programme tape/s lid e is £7.00 only and somewhat less for the A I mstri p version.

The orAcer responsible for the supply of the se programmes is: The Film Librarian. National Coal Board, Hobart House, Grosvenor Pl ace, London SW I X 7 AE.

The programme s available as write are:

The Annual General Meeting of th e Central Region Association took place in th e Park Hotel. Falkirk. on January II. Th e g uest s of honour were Sir Nicholas and Lady Morrison. After se rving for two years. Dr. T. A. Ros s handed over the chairmanship of the Association to Mr. Robert Barr.

The Dumfriesshire and Galloway St. John Association held a wine and cheese party o n December 22. This was its first public meeting and 29 new members were recruited J. R -S

FAll of BillY BRETT

Young B ll y soo n had picked up lots On bandaging and tying knots. He practised ni ghtly. did our lad. At bandaging his mum and dad; He bandaged up the budgie's beak Then wondered why it wouldn't speak: And while his gran s ept in her bed He tied a bandage ound her head. When gran woke up she had a fright, She thought her hair had urned snow -white!

But m ost or all our Bill did shin e

(Thanks to hi s gir l-friend Caroline) At mouth-to - mouth resuscitation. Whereat he was a grea t sensation.

One day, when Bill came home at rour, No soo ner had he reached the door

Than '00 come qui c k!' he heard mum ca ll: 'Yo ur gran ha s had an awru fall'. Poor gran sa t moaning in great pain, She'd tripped and burst a varicose vcin, And rom her eg the blood did pourOh! what a me ss upon the noor!

Bill. whcn he saw this ghastly sig ht. Turned pale, and pa ssed out like a light. As a Cadet he was a dud, HE COULDN'T STAND THE SIGHT OF BLOOD.

So rrom St. John he did retire, Gone was his dream to be Gra nd Prior!

Th e nervous system & unc onsciousness.

Treatment of uncon sc iousne ss

Bo nes and muscles.

Intr oduction to fractures.

Ind ividual fracture s.

Fractures of the spine.

Di slocations.

Blo od. circulation and b leeding.

Wounds & bleeding.

Shock.

Burn s.

The fo ll owing are just about to be made available:

Breathin g and asphyxia.

Resuscitation

Transport of casualties.

The original Medical Recording Service Foundation, which has been in existence (but not under that nomenclature) for two decade s, has been re - named It is now: Graves Medical Audiovisual Library, P.O. Box 99, Chelmsford CM I 5HL.

Of course it is exact ly the same organisation ofTer ing an excellent service at a cheap rate - if you haven't got their catalogue or need information in respect of their services I s uggest you write to their Fay Fontana, who is always most helpful.

Our old friend Dickie Dorset. of Camera Talks Limited, continues to ofTer hi s service. He has an excellent new series called The Visually Handicapp ed which I thoroughly recommend. and a n ew pro gra mme. Treatment of Minor Injuries, which is quite

be obtained for such films a s Don't Let Him Die and Give Him Air and cost about £ I 0 for leader. If this avoids throwing away a print in good condition, it's a good buy.

The James Archibald 20 -minute film shown at the 1977 Foundation Conference 'S1. John Ambulance (To sustain a life)' is now available at £80 a copy from the Visual Aids Dept. Headquarters. This is an ideal film for recruiting, publicity and fund raising It is to be released on the cinema circuit.

Ph ilip Adams s Secretary of the

useful. Camera Talks, whose address is given below , will always provide a catalogue and they do send their material out on a preview loan se r vice - if you like it you keep it and pa y for it, otherwise if returned after preview no charge is made. Camera Talks Limited, 31 North Row London WI R 2EN.

Films are getting more expensive as the years go by; this makes it more and more desirable to keep in good condition those fil,ms in your possession; I recommend extra long leader s, Perm o- leaders which I can supp ly, and that from time to time you have yo ur current copies professionally repaired.

Gordon Audio Visual Limited at the following address is one organisation that gives a very good service in this connection.

Gordon Audio Visual Services Ltd, 37 Camden High Street. (Symes Mews). London NWI 7JE.

Talking about damaged prints , since damage usually occu rs at the front of the film it is somet imes desirable to insert a new leader and the first 50 feet of film. The se can

The revised American film, New Pul se of Life, which run s for about half an hour and deal s with resuscitation is well worth acquisition if you can afTord it. It costs nearly £200 but is a good investment - I have a print available on preview loan.

The St. J ohn Ambulance Multi-Media Appraisal Panel consists of doctors, nurses and lay experts and is a panel that meets regularl y at this Headquarters to give its opinion on all new audio-visual material. Their authoritative reports are thought highly of and must pay tribute to these vo lunteer s who give up their valuable free time - they are indeed a sp lendid group. A thought <Q...n equipment. Both the Rank Organisation and the 3-M Company are courteous enough to inform me of any good value, good condition secondhand equipment that is avai lable to our members. So if you are thinking of purchasing a 16mm projection equipment or an overhead projector I might occasionally be able to help.

Lastly. one or two County Secretaries asked me at a recent conference if I could go to their Count y Training Weekend to talk on visual aids. Thi s I am always delighted to do. anywhere. anytime. any audience.

Ambulance Cadet ASHLEY SHAIRP, Lincoln Ambulance Cadet Division

V sual Aids Committee

News from Divisions/Centres

Division h e ld th e ir annual presentation of a

2 8 wh e n a total o f 72 award s were pre sented. Th es e included award s t

and father and daughter. The main aw ards were:

Pre s ident' s Cup for Fir s Aid - P e te r Baker; Shearin g Cup fo r s e rvi ces to th e Di v is

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.3 (78)

Compiled by W. A. Potter

Across:

1. Lost in fevers and anxiety states. (8). 5. Be present at ten with a letter. (6). 9. A point for arrest of severe haemorrhage. (8). 10. Bone extending from centre to circumference. (6)'. 12. Painful skin lesion. (4). 13. Customs of dangerous escapades. (4). 14. Guide a beef producer. (5).16. Eruption of exanthemata. (4).17. Incus, malleus, or stapes. (7) 21. Sense organ in 6 Down. (3). 22. Facial nerve. (7). 23. Illuminates the medulla oblongata? (4). 26. From east a railway is before the scheduled time. (5). 28 Cunning part of the foot. (4). 29. Headlight? (4).31. Situation of heart and lungs. (6).32. Drove very fast and was slightly burned. (8). 33. Tissue surrounding muscles and many tendons. (6). 34. Glandular complication of sepsis. (8).

Down:

1. Bring together the edges of a gaping wound. (6). 2. Serous membrane in 31 Across. (6). 3. Meal given for diagnosis of gastric malfunction. (4). 4. How the sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle makes one conceited? (5.3.4). 6. Emotionally stimulated secretion. (5). 7. Person of high rank formed by the thenar muscles. (8). 8. Untidy sickness? (8). 11. Vitamin present in fresh fruits and green leaf vegetables. (8.4). 15. Respiratory sign of drowsiness. (4). 18. Mineral that does not quench ones thirst. (4). 19. Boss eats mixed substance producing fibrosis of lungs. (8). 20. Patient who has taken an excessive amount of a drug. (8). 24. Distinguishing mark for capsule for administration of unpalatable drug. (6). 25. S.O.S. about strange red crusts on lips of neglected, debilitated patient. (6). 27. Vegetable cells which can produce a stye. (5). 30. Middle East state requiring rain. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.2 (78)

Across:

1. Invalid; 5. Melaena; 9. Fun.is; 10. Red-handed; 11. Ache; 13. Gall; 14. Tamer; 16. MapJe; 17. Traumatic; 21. Depressed; 24. Trier; 25. Sty.l.e; 27. Anal; 28. Emit; 30. Operation; 31. Lab.ia; 33. M.all.eus; 34. Dioptre.

Down:

1. Inflammed; 2. Van; 3. Lisp; 4. Dormant; 5. Medulla; 6. Least; 7. Endometrium; 8. Aider; 12. Hypophyseal; 15. Gene; 18. Ry.e; 19. Mite; 40. Curettage; 22. Scabies; 23. Drained; 25. S tor.m; 26. Erase; 29. Alt?; 32. Bit.

VISUAL AIDS

British M edic a l Asso ciatioll It s r ev i ew s ar e a lso publis h ed in th e BMA '11l/ormatiOIl·.

KNIGHTS IN WHITE. 16mm film. 20 mins. Hire Fee: £1.00

Distributed by: Visual Aids Section, H.Q. St. John Ambulance, I Grosvenor Crescent, London SW IX 7EF.

Appraisal: This is an excellent record of an exercise conducted by the Search and Rescue Unit of our Australian confreres It is most interesting and will have value in: a) Encouragement of mountain rescue teams; b) Planning of a large-scale exercise; c) Exposition of the work of St. John Ambulance in Australia.

Strongly recommended for exhibition at SJ A Divi s ional meeting s

MANAGEMENT OF THE ULCERATED LEG. 16mm colour film. 22 mins. Free loan.

Distributed by: Seton Group, Tubiton House, Medlock Street, Oldham, OLI 3HS.

Content: Venous breakdown is clearly illustrated and enab le s th e causes of leg ulcers to be appreciated

Methods of preventative care are discussed and the treatm ent of ulcers by Medicated Paste bandages compre s sion bandage s and elasticated tubular support bandages is demon s trated.

The theme of the film is the broad scope o f general care required and the film is of interest to all whose work bring s them into con ta c t with the 'bad leg'.

Appraisal: This film advertises the product s of its parent group but does so by means of a well-made film that s how s th e c au s es of varicosal conditions and shows treatment of an ulcerated le g. Th e techniques of bandaging shown are very clear. Recommended.

Audience: Mainly directed at members of the medical and nur s in g professions but will have value to those of our nursing member s wh o work in hospitals or assist District Nurses in the communit y.

A PRESCRIPTION FOR HEALTH. J6mm film. 29 mins. Free loan.

Distributed by: The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, 162 Regent Street, London WJR 6DD.

Content: This film examines the operation and contribution of th e pharmaceutical industry and poses long term question s about its future. It shows massive contributions to research and development and £400 million yearly exports.

The film uses Peter Fairley, Science Editor of ITV , and Dr . Michael O'Donnell of World Medicine as presenters and include s an interview with Professor John Butterfield amongst others.

Appraisal: This is a political film and the premiere was used as an occasion, in the presence of the Minister of Health , for the President o f the Association to warn that too much governmental interference could well lead to the country becoming less attractive for investmen t in pharmaceutical research.

The film marshals its case in favour of the industry very well it touches briefly upon the Roche incident and the Thalidomide tragedy but with some very good arguments and some that might be considered a little specious It is a comprehensive and useful anal y sis of one of our leading industries at work

Audience: Of general interest.

YOU AND YOUR EYES. 8 mins. Animated. Hire Fee: 2 days. £6.

Distributed by: Guild Sound & Vision Ltd

Content: Shows the structure and operation of the eye

Appraisal: This cartoon gives an entertaining representation of the physiology of the human eye. This type of Disney cartoon is excellent for elementary instruction to the young; indeed in reality the audience is universal. Recommended.

JERUSALEM

St John Ophthalmic Hospital

CENTRAL STERILE SUPPLY DEPARTMENT

An experienced S.R.N., suitably qualified, required to take charge of this well established department. Theatre experience an advantage_ Please apply in the first instance to the Hospitaller, St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, London, EC 1 M 4DA.

UNDER £10 Bring-and-Buy

A Re view service which we feel might be o f value to reader s and divi sio n s is a column for the s ale or exchan ge o f items of equipment, un form s boo k s et c.

• Ambulance member's tunic 42 inch chest , almost new £10 plus postage. Also set Welsh buttons I. Brockway , 5 Westbourne Place , Porthcawl Glam. Phone 41 I I.

• Cadet capes sizes 29ins 30 / 3Iins 31 / 32ins. £3 each. Miss Tuvey 15 Roderick Rd London , NW3.

The condition s of the U ndcr £ I 0 Bring -and -Buy are: 1. Submissions free of charge but limited to sixteen words, wbich must include price, address and or phone number. 2 Each submission must be made on the form provided in the Review, typed or in block capitals. Only

M

Package D ea l i s availabl e

a pproval 0 purchase

th s a nd return it to CAMERA TALKS LIMITED 31 N o rth Row Lo n don, W1 R 2 EN Tel : 01 - 493 2761

N ame

Addr ess

T elep ho ne Posit ion D ate

ST JOHN REVIEW

THE JOU RNAL

At Random , by Watkin W. Williams p 73

Pr evention and First Aid of injuries to the cervical s pine by Sir Ludwig Guttmann p.74

New Year's Ev e - Trafalgar Square p.77

Are you ready for a race - track duty? p 78

Around and About , by the Editor p.80

Oc cu pational First Aid , by W S. Truefitt p.84

Order Investitur e, Feb 23 p .86

Readers Views p- 88

Police competition results p 92

News from Scotland - Family 's 217 years of service p.93

News from Di visions/ Centres p.94

Visu a aids back cover

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Ed ite d and produced for the Order of St. John by Dri scoll Produ ctio ns Wood Cottage. H igh Corner Butley. Nr W oodbridge. Suffolk IP12 3QF. Phon e: Orfo rd (Std 039 45) 548. Editor: Frank Driscoll.

Advertising , display and classified. rates on request from Dris coll Produc t ions Price 30 p monthly [4.30

AT RANDOM

(Reports from

by Watkin W. Will iams

AT 2 PM on Saturday, February 18, Alec and Elaine Townsend and their 17-month-old son Richard set off in their mini from their home in Kidderminster on a 180-mile drive to stay with friends in Ilfracq,mbe. All went well till they reached the turning for Taunton , where police were diverting traffic from the motorway which was blocked by snow further ahead, but. the A.361 to Barnstaple was said to be passable. At Bampton , however, they were hit by a blizzard and the going became v er y rough; the hill out of Stuckeridge nearly lived up to its name, but they managed to reach the top with Elaine at the wheel and · Alec pushing behind. In the next few miles the blizzard worsened and the snow was drifting right across the road, until at Bullaford Bottom all traffic came to a standstill and visibility was down to about 2 yards. They kept the engine running so as to use the heater, but after an hour it stalled and wouldn't re-start , so they wrapped Richard in the warmest things they could find and snuggled down to wait. Presently there was a tap on the window and a local farmer and lorry-driver asked if they were OK and then miraculously produced some blankets. About an hour later the men returned and invited them, for Richard 's sake, to transfer to a Volkswagen Caravanette which was two cars ahe ad of them. They made the mOVe with some difficulty , and it was then that the men showed them the flasks of coffee and soup that they'd brought to help them through the night.

Morning came at last , to reveal a white ' sea' of snow whipped up into waves and ripples as far as the eye could scan. Presently they heard a loud noise overhead and , looking up, saw a bright yellow Whirlwind helicopter from RAF Chivenor, from which a rescuer was lowered to the line of half-buried cars. ' Goose y , (as he became known from the name displayed on his helmet and suit) could only take up one at a time , and said he would take Elaine first, so continued on page 82

Sir Ludwig Guttmann

IT IS now generally recognised that the proper management of spinal cord injuries of any level should start at the place of accident (Guttmann , 1968) Skilled first aid of a suspected fracture of the vertebral column involving the spinal cord and / or spinal nerve roots can not only reduce the broken vertebra and restore the normal contour of the spinal' column but prevent an nitjaIIy partially damaged spinal cord from becoming anatomically a complete one. On the other hand, there is no doubt-that faulty handling by first -aiders of a suspected fracture of the spine may be a further insult to the already damaged spinal cord and increase the symptomatology.

This article deals specifically with first aid of to the cervical spine, in view of the considerable number of fractures and fracture dislocations of the cervical spine occurring year after year.

In the author's statistics the percentage of cervical injuries with cord involvement increased from 8.7% of a total of 458 cord injuries in 1953 to 15% out of a total of 1349 in 1962 and to 23.6% out of 1963 spinal cord injuries in 1963 The age of the patients at the time of injury varied from 6 to 80 years. However , the age groups mainly involved were those between 16 to 35 years - well over 50% of the total.

Etiology of traumatic tetraplegia

The various causes of cervical cord injuries, complete or incomplete , in 506 patients were published in my book Spinal Cord Injuries, Comprehensive Management and Research , second edition 1976 They are shown in Table 1. l> From the statistics it would appe ar that sport and recreational activities play a very essential part in the etiology of cervical cord injuries, and if one were to add at least some of the road accidents due to motor vehicles, in particular motor bicycles, to the group of sport injuries the percentage would be even

Prevention and first aid of injuries to the cervical spine

by SI R lUDWI G GUTTMANN, CSE. OStJ

Stoke Mandeville Sports Stadium for the Paralysed and other Disabled, Aylesbury, Bucks

much higher. 83 out of 111 classified as s port accidents occ ur as the result of water sport, in particul ar diving into shallow water. If one realises th at the victims n vohted are mainl y young individuals this is a terrifying statistic.

The most important measure in preventing these dreadful accidents in young people is a systematic education of the public generally. Inasmuch as sc ho ol children and young adults are taught road safety measures to prevent accidents, the same should apply in schools as well as public swimming pools

and swimming clubs with regard to th e hazards of diving even from the lowest springboard and from the shallow end of the swimming pool. Moreover , when diving is practised in swimming pools no other swimmer shou ld be in the water within the diving area because of the danger of being struck by the diver as either the diver ,will break his neck o r the other sw immer in the water will sustain a fracture of the thoracic spine. Parents , sc h ool teachers and sw imming instructors should join in this important problem of educating the public.

The other important measure is the setting up of clearly VISIble v: arnmg notice boards , placed by local authontIes on river banks , lake sides and to swimmers of the danger of dIvmg mto shallow water or indulging carelessly in other water sports, such as surf riding and water skiing.

Recently, ska te - board sports have been introduced by young people and have become very popular although injuries have already been recorded. This is a new opportunity to create spinal injuries although some of the youngsters are wearIng crash helmets this may not prevent cervical injuries, just as it does not prevent cervical injuries in motor bicycle accidents. I would be grateful to be informed by first-aiders if they come across spinal injuries due to ska teboarding.

Diagnosis of traumatic tetraplegia by firstaiders

Tetraple gia is a Greek word meaning paralysis of four limbs , while paraplegia means paral ys is of two, mo st frequently in the lower limbs. The sy nononiou s expressions for tetraplegia in medical te rminolog y, although confusing to lay people, are quadrapJegia , quadriplegia and quadruplegia, a combination of the Latin word quatuor meaning four and the Greek word plegia.

The diagnosis for the first-a!der of a cervical injury with cord involvement is not difficult. If. following a suspected cervical injury, the patient being conscious, complains about pain in his neck and is unable to bend his arms at all, this indicates immediately a high cervical injury at the level of the first four cervical vertebrae. If he is able to bend the forearm but cannot extend it this indicates an injury of the 4th, 5th or 6th cervical vertebrae. If he is able to extend his wrist but cannot move his fingers this indicates an injury to the 6th cervical vertebra, but if he is able to extend or flex his fingers the injury affects the 7th cervical vertebra. Moreover, the patient in all cervical injuries will complain of numbness allover the body , including hands and fingers and may have difficulty in breathing

Sometimes the injured is able to move one or both legs but has weakness and paralysis of parts of the upper limbs This immediately indicates an incomplete injury of the cervical cord. This should be immediately recorded by the first -aider and reported to the Admitting Medical Officer of the hospital to which the patient is transferred. The following case of my own personal observation may be mentioned

During a jumping competition in a Northern Horse Show where I acted as medical officer a girl of 16 fell off her horse. She could not move her legs and arms and was taken immediately to the first -ai d tent. On arrival at the tent the patient complained

SPORT FOR

THE DISABLED

Table I Causes of Traumatic Tetraplegia

(Above) A wheelchair track event {Below} A weightlifting contest watched by Pr ince Charles at the silver ubilee of the International Stoke Mandeville Games

of inability to move her hands and was just about to sit up when I naturally prevented her from doing so. The neurological examination showed a paralysis of all muscles of both hands and fingers but the patient was able to bend and extend the forearms. She also complained 'about numbness in her upper limbs She was able to move both legs properly While I placed her head and neck carefully in a moderate hyperextension - ie . retroflexion she recovered some of the paralysis in the right hand but not in the left. I diagnosed a mild concussion of the spinal cord, and although the wanted to transfer her to a general hospital I declined and rang up the nearest Spinal Centre at the Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield and gave the Admitting Medical Officer my full report. She was transferred with a collar and supports to either side of the head and neck and was warned not to move her head. At Pi'nderfields Spinal Unit she received adequate treatment and recovered completely within the next few days and was sent home with a stitT collar.

First aid management

As the majority of tetraplegics are conscious after the accident the following rules should be strictly observed by the firstaiders.

1) The injured should be immediately warned riot to move ' at all and this applies particularly to the head. Any movement ,backwards, forwards or sideways could do great harm.

2) At least three, but better still four people are needed to move the injured person from the site of the accident to a more convenient place to await the arrival of medical aid and ambulance.

3) All aotivities of the first-aiders must be carried out slowly and with the greatest gentleness. Any undue haste or rough handllng may instantaneously increase the damage to the spinal cord.

4) When lifting the injured, greatest care must be taken not to bend the patient s head either backwards or forwards . One of the first--aiders should immediately hold the head firmly between his hands in such a position that the nose is in line with the midline of the chest.

5) All movements should be carried out simultaneouslY by inembers of the first aid party so that the patient is lifted or shifted and turned in one piece. Here again , the firstaider who {s holding the head must keep the head · always in position to the axis of the body.

6) Every person with a suspected fractUl'e of the cervical spine should be placed onto his back - ie. the supine position, if found in any other position. This' is essential in injuries to any part of the spinal cord as such a casualty may also have sustained :· additional injuries to other parts of the hody,

in particular chest. abdomen or long bones , which applies especially in motor vehicle accidents. The prone position would be particularly- hazardous in cervical lesion s where the respiratory muscles of the chest and abdomen are paralysed.

7) Only those with cervical injuries who are unconscious should be placed in lateral or semi lateral positions to avoid blockage of the upper respiratory tract b y aspiration of saliva or blockage of the air spaces by the falling back of the tongue.

8) The most experienced first-aider who is holding the head must take command and direct all actions. As mentioned before , when lifting the patient from a car or vehicle to the 'ground, the head should be kept in a straight line within t:he axis of the body.

9) When placing the patient with a cervical injury on the ground a small support should be placed underneath the nape of the neck.

10) Hard objects such as coins, keys, pipes , tins, lighte rs and match boxes must be removed from the pockets of the injured in order to prevent pressure sores during transport.

11) While awaiting the arrival of medical aid and ·ambulance, the patient should be covered to keep warm However, hot water bottles must never be used on any part a/the body.

12) Pads of soft material should be placed between the knees and, in particular, the ankles. Knees and ankles should be loosely bound togeth,er and a soft support should be placed underneath the calves and not behind the knees.

13) While waiting for the ambulance the first-aider should find out whether the patient is able to move one or two legs or one or both arms and, in particular, whether he can extend the wrist and fingers.

14) If the injured is already lying on a blanket with a small suppo rt underne ath the neck , the lifting onto the stretcher can be done b y the first-aiders from either side holding on to the blanket. However, the safest lifting is done directly from the supine

position by four first -aiders maintaining the s li g ht hyperextension of the head. and the person holding the head s hould be in co mmand so that the injured can be lifted at the order 'up' or 'lift ' simultaneously in one piece

15) The team should carry out the lifting preferably from the side opposite to the stretcher, with the exception of the man who is holding the head. Lifting the injured with the aid of webbing bands is as a rule undesirable as it involves turning the injured and unnecessary manipulation and movements which could easily result in further damage to the spinal cord.

Transfer to hospital

Whenever possible a tetraplegic should be transferred to the nearest spinal injuries centre where the most favourab le conditions exis t for treating all aspects of this severe injury from the start by specialised stafT. This has been recognised by increasing numbers of surgeons and physicians and hundreds of patients have been admitted either direct from the place of accident to a spinal centre or from the accident room or the nearest hospital. If direct transfer to a spinal centre is not possible and the patient has to be admitted to the casualty department of the nearest hospital, the medical officer in charge of the case should make immediate contact with the nearest spinal centre for transfer. If this is not possible for one reason or another (traumatic shock) the medical officer should seek advice regarding the initial management both of the broken spine and in particular of the paralysed bladder.

ST. JOHN MARCH

Cassette recordings of the St. John March played by the Southport St. John Silver Band are now availablefrom Brigade Headquarters, price £1.50 including postage, on application to Mr. McKay at 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London, S. W.l. Cheques should be made payable to St. John Ambulance.

Full copyright in this march is now vested in the Brigade. The Musical Director of the Band, Mr. Len McLachlan, having kindly donated this performance to us, this ' recording may be played without any restriction,

New Year's Ev 'e in

SOME 80 Brigade members (most of the younger set) f:om London DistrIct d Surrey's Weybndge and As h Vale an C M Divisions - as well as the C -lO - ajorGen. Desmond Gordon and London's Commissioner Derek Fenton - spent most f the night of New Year's eve on duty in o d Trafalgar Square With 17 Brtga e ambulances and 3 mobile units, the SJ A contingent , which worked under the directions of the London Ambulance Service, handled 184 casualties , 56 of which were taken to' hospital (where the C -in - C was helping out in the early hours of the morning) Some aching 1978 heads and limb s said 'Thanks'

Now stop and think ...

ARE YOU READY FOR A RACE TRACK DUTY?

Leics Western Area decided to hold a special motor sport training weekend

YOU HAVE passed your first aid / home nur sing examination and received your certificates, and you are rightly proud.

Now stop and think - are you capable of working safe ly and effic ientl y at a racing circuit, in conjunction with marshalls, observers and doctors, while cars or motor cycles are racing at speeds in excess of 100 mph?

Members of motor racing clubs, especially the rescue crews , train hard to ensure that risks which are prominent in the sport are kept to an acceptab le leve l. In the event of an incident a pattern of behaviour takes place. so ensuring that another incident is not triggered off by foolhardy actio n , There

cannot be impromptu , individual acts in the vicinity of racing machiner y, Consequently under the leadership of Area Supt. Mick Mardon, Western Area of Leicestershire organiscd a training weekend specifically for duties at motor sports, The weekend, opened by Area Supt. Mick Mardon with a brief introductory talk outlining the training programme began with a film on the use of Entonox by the British Oxygen Company, and a demonstration of equipment by Mrs. B. Rossiter of B.O,C, This was followed by a lecture by Area Surgeon Dr. R. Adkinson (City Area) on the treatment of head injuries, with particular emphasis on special problems and techniques,

An exhibition, put on by B.O,C., was now opened with a display of equipment used for resuscitation.

A talk, accompanied by colour slides, was given by John Collins , of The Derby Royal Infirmary Flying Squad on injuries and their treatment , extraction of trapped and injured persons, and how surgery is carried out to release patients in a critical condition.

A film called Thirty Seconds to Live was shown by the Chubb Fire Company on the use of equipment and specialist techniques required for fighting high octane fuel fires. This was followed by a lecture by Mr. Holt, Chubb Fire Co 's representative. on the technique s of fire fighting and a demonstration of extinguishers.

Mr. E. Hudson , Commissioner, SJ A Leicestershire, then spoke on the importance of special training for motor sport duties.

On the Saturday evening there was a da nce, which everyone enjoyed.

Sunday

A talk on track safety, flag signals and the techniq ues of marshalling, from a marshall/observer' s point of view. was given by Mr. A. Waro, of the British Racing and Sports Car Club.

The Techniques of Resuscitation, a lecture give n by Rodney Gunn , highlighted the use of various types of airways and resuscitators, the fitting of intubation tubes, and the use of the lar yngoscope. This was followed by a film Don't Let Them Die, which dramatically shows how life may be saved by the simple action of ensuring that a clear airway is maintained.

Area Surgeon John Clegg (Western Area) · gave a lecture on fractures. handling and treatment, with special emphasis on awareness of neck injuries and how to avoid further injury by correct handling

Divisional Officer J. Parkin (City Area) gave a lecture and demonstration on an a:ray of protective clothing. including eight different types of helmets showing the Correct way to remove such clothing so as to avoid further injury.

K A. Brewin. ASO (Western Area)

A visi from libr ary service vo lunt eers delights this pa t ient al St. Richard 's Ho spita l Chichester.

( Photo A C. Waine Rottingdean)

, I nearly died laughing

THE HOSPITAL Library Service of the Joint Committee of the Order of St. John and the British Red Cross Societ y received a grim warning recently.

'1 must warn you', wrote a patient from a London hospital, 'that one of your vo lunteer s lent me such a preposterously humorous book the other da y that I nearly died laughing - within three days of a major operation!

Of course. he was only joking and his letter went on to pay tribute to the service which. over the last five years, has issued nearly 13 million books to hospital patients all over Brit ain.

He wrote: ' Seriously, I look forward to the arrival of the bi -w eekly trolley of goodies. Hospital life would to me at least. and I am sure to thousands of others - be very much the poorer without your books and the dear ladies who bring them round. It 's such fun choosing them oneself. With heartfelt thanks to all concerned.'

The service is run by organisers in 48 counties. a small number of pa id staff and a network of 3.500 volunteers. More volunteers are needed. Its key is the friendliness of the volunteers. 'The patients look forward to their visits not only because it gives them a chance to choose a book. but also because it gives them an opportunity to have a chat to someone from outside the hospital .' says Miss Peggy Down ing. Director of the Service from 1972 until her retirement last month.

'Sometimes patients will choose a book with no intention of reading it simply to ensure that the volunteer will make a call on their bed during the next visit.' she said.

The service is available in nearly one tho usand National Health Service Establishments in addition to Naval. Army and Royal Air Force Hospitals at home

. and overseas. It is also available to homebound disabled ex-service pensioners. Nursing Homes a'nd Red Cross and St. John Homes.

But it was in one of the 14 prison hospitals which the volunteers visit that one of the funniest incidents took place. One of the patients asked the volunteers for a Bible. A patient in a neighbouring bed called out: What does he want? The Bible? Never heard of it. Who wrote it?' And the volunteer was certain that the prisoner wasn't joking!

The Hospital Library Ser vice began during the 1914 - 18 War when millions of books were sent to servicemen in hospitals at home and abroad. It was continued during the inter war period and throughout World War II. After the war the service was re-organised and continued into peace time.

Last year alone 73,000 hospital patients received books and many others were cheered up by the bi -weekly visits of the librar y crews The choice of books suggests that patients like to be taken out of themselves - men ask for crime books and westerns more than anything else and the women go for light romantic stories and historical novels.

Sir Arthur Bryant, for many years Chairman of the Hospital Library Service. summed it up: 'The mind and body are one; in the librarians hands are the keys of a vast dispensary which contains the answer to every patient ' s individual needs hope , laughter. recollection. understanding. companionship. courage. faith. It is not easy to lead a pain-racked tired man or woman to these living waters, But the reward for doing so is beyond price.'

(Reprinted/rom Red Cross Nell'S)

OLD HOSPITAL SITE

I hear from Jerusalem that the long-derelict buildings of the original St. John Ophthalmic Hospital on Hebron Road , opposite Mount Zion , are to be renovated and incorporated into a new hotel.

Built in 1882 on land made available to the Order by the Sultan of Turkey , the hospital functioned from this site for 60 years But when the dust settled after the fighting which followed the termination of the British mandate in 1948 , the hospital was inside Israel. Since the of its patients had always been Arab - and it was the A r abs rather than the Israelis who needed help from the hospital - the new hospital was built on its present site. The Hebron Road site was sold by the Order in 1964

The remaining buildings which are to be incorporated into a hotel will be part of a restaurant / night club complex created by the present owner of the site , Simon Peres , in 1972. At the time Mr. Peres was most helpful in allowing the Order to remo ve the most interesting memorials and armorial bearings that remained. They are no w displayed in the cloister of our new hospital.

HAVE A GO

Last summer , C.130 (Southwark) Ambulance Cadet Division formed a drill team for the first time. And then when drill competition time came round they decided to have a go. This , writes their Di v Off K. M. Horsman , is what happened:

1st stage : On July 16 we entered our drill team in No 13 Corps drill competition. Result - first place. So far , so good. We had made it to Area.

2nd stage: On Sept 17 we entered the Area drill competition with (dare we s ay it) hopes of getting through and representing Area at District finals A ft er a hard , long day of drill and uniform inspection , we wa ted for the results. When the y were read out we co uld hardly believe our ears. We were first again!

AROUN D an d ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN

BY THE EDITOR

3rd

The competition wa s ver y well o r g an ised and we all - e s peci a ll y o ur te a mthoroughly enjoyed it. I'd like to th a nk eve r yone who helped o ur team t o s u c h di zzy he ig ht s of s uc c e ss Bu t m os t of a ll I m u st thank the lad s t hem s el ves - for their he lp hard work and patien c e W e ll don e, a d skeep up the good wo rk .' ( Photo bel ow).

HAPPY GUINEA PIGS

The happ y faces in the photograph ( far ri g h t) are the ' guinea pig s' on the fir s reor ga n ise d

Delight - shown by Nursing Cad e Joanne Entwistl e. when Co Robert OJleren shaw Gr ea e r M anc hest e Comm a nder stops f o r a c hat dur ng the opening re c ently of Altrin c ham Di v ision s n ew HO

Occupational First Ai d co u rse to be run in D evo n The co ur se was orga ni se d by the Associat io n in co -ope r atio

ith t h e Hea lth a nd Safety at Work Executive from Bristo l, who not only jo ned the course but supplied their exce ll ent fi lm - A l in a Day's Work'. Candidates on the cou rse represe n t the senior safety officers and senior first-aiders o f t h e a r gest industr a l com p an ies close to Exete r It was ag r eed th at th e co u rse was a s u ccess and t hat a ll first -a iders in industry s h ou ld atte nd. T h e Assoc iation is t h erefore

(5).

3. Pow er to a postscript. (7 )

4 Soun ds as though Sall y is lively (3.8)

An swer s: Upsid e down - &.re at he hottom of page 82. No chea t ing.

a rr a n gi ng for the same course to be condu ct ed in each of he four County g eographi ca l areas under the close s uper vis io n of t he Senior Assistant County

Direct o r , H e r be r t Tap p

Th e C lass Lect u rer is Mrs Mason, S R N, OHNC , a nd s he is now on t h e Association

HQ li s t o f offic ia ls responsible for Industrial Fir st A d tr ai n ing in t h e county. both as ea cher a nd a d viser. The highest possible standard s a r e bei ng set, w th both a practical as well as a w ri tten and oral examination.

Casual ties U ni on s being used to sim ul ate accid ent s co mm o n to loca l ind u st ry. The condidate mu st tr eat the cas u alty, com pl ete a ll th e re qu ir ed documenta ti on and then an swer t he o r al exami n ation questions. Later in 19 79, a ll ca n didates for this course will be requ ir ed t o hol d a current nursi n g certificate as well a s a fi rst aid certificate.

Th e C o un ty Director be lieves that this will becom e a p o pul ar and we ll atte n ded co ur se, with direct b en efi t to indu st r y a nd fi n ancia l ben efit to St. J o hn Assoc at ion.

THE 'GOOD' OLD DAYS

DIO W. Dunwoody, of Caterham Division

has been reflecting about the 'goo d old days He writes:

I must confess to feeling a little thankful that I was not about in the 1800s a)1d becoming a casualty requiring first aid. Treatment. was, to say the least a trifle harsh.

A Surgeon Major in the Army Medical Department, Doctor Peter Shepherd was asked in 1878 if he would put into the form of a manual some basic first aid rules and treatments. This he did. He said that he would like to have seen the work fully adopted but this was made impossible by the Services requiring him to work overseas. Perhaps the powers-th at-be wanted him overseas because of the treatments he suggested!

Let me quote a few types of injury and the treatment he prescribes:

Bites of Animals: Tie a ligature around the limb between the wound and the heart to prevent the poison being carried all over the body. Wash the wound and then it must be burnt with strong acid such as Nitric or Sulphuric taking care that every part of the that she would be there to comfort Richard after a possibly frightening experience, Fixed in the strop, with her face protected by Goosey from the wind and snow, Elaine said that being winched up into air wasn't as bad as she'd expected but made her feel a bit light-headed! Then Goosey went back for Richard, wrapping him close in his arms to protect him from the bitter wind. Once on - boara :and safe with Mum, Richard soon from his shock, and they were both wrapped in blankets and the helicopter 82

wound is thoroughly burnt. If no acid can be obtained, burn the wound with a piece of red hot iron. If the accident occurs out of doors. gun-powder may be placed in the wound and fired, this being done three or four times, If the patient becomes faint some stimulant such as brandy must be given Burns and Scalds: Exclude the air from the wound by spreading thickly, flour all over the area.

Hysterical Fits: Speak firmly to the patient and tell her that if the fit continues you will have to drench her with cold water, Poisioning: To make the patient vomit put your knee in the pit of his stomach and with the open hand strike him firmly on the of his face.

Lastly, those of you who have recently' attended the First Aid course will be amused at the method of artjficial respiration recommended: Turn the patient onto his side and excite the nostrils with snuff or smelling salts. Or, beat the patient on the chest with a towel dipped in cold water. This is said to make him gasp and start breathing. Should you be unfortunate enough to suffer or experience any of these injuries, have no fear! No one is going to put their

AT RANDOM

(cont. from p.73)

mo ved further down the lin e to rescue 6 older children before they all set off into the unknown,

Meanwhile, 7 miles further along the road to Barnstaple, the small town of South Molton had been hit by the full force of the

and cadets , were digging their way to the doors of elderly and sick people, giving them hot drinks where possible and providing for their most urgent needs,

knee in the pit of your stomach and slap you, neither will anyone pour a cid over y ou if your dog bites you! It is the injur y that hurts - the first aid treatment now is painle ss,

REFORMED

Members of the Towce s ter C o mbined Division, Southern Area o f Northamptonshire, rounded off Centenar y year in December with the presentation and dedication of their own ambulanc e , It wa s , in fact, a most succes s ful y ear fo r the small town of Towcester for the division was reformed after a gap of 3S year s at th e beginning of 1977, It is now a combined adult and cadet divi s ion, w ith 8 a mbulances and 10 nursing members, 4 ambulance a nd 4 nur s ing cadets, and 6 boy s and 12 girl s in training. A health y start Towcester St. John Divi s ion fir st s a rt e d in 191 1 with 11 mem bers and b y 191 S had grown to 3S member s The divi s ion c lo se d d o wn in 1928 and was restarted in 19 34. With mo s t of th e member s in the 'for ces during the Second World Wa r, the di v isi o n closed down a g ain again in 1942

The new ambulance wa s presented t o th e division b y the member s of the T o wc es te r Round Table. See p 93 for a n o th e r Towcester report.

MIND BENDERS (answers) ';) lp e OIl les '17 's d::J:J Jo,j .£ uOJdv 'Z '>j :J0ll S :J 1J1:J;) 13 'I blizzard at Spm on Saturday evening, and at 10pm the electricity supply broke down, Early on Sunday morning Div. Supt. John Tucker of the combined adult division set out in his warmest working clothes and armed with shovel and broom , to clear the path to his own house and that of his nextdoor neighbour, an elderly widow who, mercifully having a gas supply, s pent much of the rest of the day making hot drinks for th e rescued and th e ir rescu e rs, In other parts of the town the St. John members, both adults

At 11 am John Tucker was asked by police Sergt. Dave Goodman to accompany him to the local Community College where a helicopter was expected with some people who had been trapped during the night. Scarcely had they clambered over the deep snow drifts that blocked the steep hill to the college when the helicopter landed in driving snow and they helped the occupants to alight. 'There are dozens of them out there ' Goosey told them; 'it's a living hell ; we shall be back with the next load as soon as we can,' Baby Richard , cold and rather frightened, cuddled close to Elaine as the y and the other six children (some of whom were to wait 3 day s before they s aw their parents again) were taken into the college, John Tucker organised an emergency message to all St. John members to come to the college and help as soon as the y could be spared from helping the local sick and elderly. DI O Jack Rundle of the combined cadet division N I M Mrs Rundle , their cadet daughter Jack ie and 2 other cadet s were the first to arrive, and they started making gallons of tea on the gas cooker s until the arrival of the college cook who had been contacted by the police a nd , with th e help of some neighbour s, set about preparing hot meals from her canteen,

By this time the college had been established as an emer genc y reception centre under the joint responsibility of Sergt. Goodman and John Tucker , each of whom was allocated a telephone, and a local GP had agreed that all arrivals should be checked by John Tucker who would report to him any who required medical attention either at the college or elsewhere.

Meanwhile a s the division's two ambulances were marooned only a mile away, Mrs Jill Tucker (Div, Supt. of the cadets) had set off with a garage proprietor in his massive ex - WD reco very vehicle to strip the ambulances of blankets , stretchers and carrying -chairs and take them to the college, preceded by a heavy earth - moving machine. Unfortunately , the machine buried itself in a deep snowdrift and all the gear had to be carried for the last 200 yards through the blizzard.

During the afternoon. a request was broadcast on Radio 2 for South Molton re sidents to give shelter for the night to stranded victims of the blizzard; the re sponse was magnificent and a total of 102 people were given accommodation in the town, many of them for 2 nights or even long er. It was arranged that any who were unwell should go to the homes of Brigade members,

Local residents escorteo those who were able to walk to their accommodation. while

others , attended by St. John members, were conveyed in the recovery vehicle which also distributed supplies of bread , milk etc , as well as the blankets which were no longer required at the college after it had been closed down as a reception centre at dusk. Carrying those who couldn't walk the 200 yards from the college to the recovery vehicle was no easy task, especially as the journey included going over a vast snow bridge under which lay a flight of steps and some spike railings.

During late afternoon a young couple showing distinct signs of exposure were brought in, and the young lady had the beginnings of frostbite in her feet and could only walk a few steps ; but John Tucker and Jack Rundle conveyed her safely in a carrying -chair to the recovery vehicle , by which she was taken to the home of D I O Mrs. Julia Nott, and 24 hours later the condition of the couple had improved sufficiently for them to continue their journey to Barnstaple.

Soon after 4pm, a couple of hours before the emergency reception centre was closed down , the electricity supply was restored and all stranded people had been accounted for with the exception of Alec Townsend , and a joint police and S1. John search party made ready to go out by helicopter to look for him before night closed in: but mercifully he arrived by the last trip before they set out, having remained as late as possible to help dig out other victims , and was reunited with Elaine and Richard in the Tuckers home where they stayed for the next few days.

South Molton will never forget that weekend. while Alec and Elaine - and indeed many others - will remember with deep gratitude their friends in South Molton and, of course the intrepid Goosey and his mate on the 'chopper. Richard is too young to remember: but he'll no doubt hear the tale so often in the years to come that if he ' s some day lucky enough to become a grandfather he ll be able to tell it word - perfect to his grandchildren,

The elderly

In Okehampton, some 2S miles further south, both the adult and the cadet combined divisions were busy digging their way to the homes of the elderly and infirm, ensuring that they had adequate heating and hot meals

Two members were unable to get any reply from homes where they regularly visited, and had to call the police to force and entry In one case N I M Mrs. Horsegood found an old lady suffering from hypothermia, and quickly arranged for her to be transferred to her own home where she stayed for at least the next week and made a good recovery , In the other, N I M Mrs. Hockridge found that an old lady living alone had fallen downstairs and knocked

herself out ; after rendering immediate first aid Mrs. Hockridge moved into the house herself and stayed there for several days to nurse the patient.

Many people who lived outside the town centre were cut off from all but their immediate neighbours. Some of these were patients of Mrs, Maureen Golly, the Div isional Nursing Officer who is also a District Nurse ; when she knew of a Nursing Member who lived nearby , Mrs. Golly was able to ring her up and give her detailed instructions for nursing care, including in some cases the administration of essential injections of insulin or cortisone. Okehampton hospital was totally isolated for several days , so new patients had to be looked after as well as possible in their own homes. The blizzard hit the hospital just as Div, Supt. Graham Payne was taking a patient there, and when he had completed his task it was already impossible for him to get away and he was marooned at the hospital for 4 days, the only accommodation available for him being in the maternity block!

Emergency plans

At Bere Alston another 20 miles further south the water supply failed on the first day of the blizzard. and the St. John street emergency scheme was put into immediate action. Members of the combined division were busy for several days, keeping the snow clear from the homes of the old and infirm doing shopping for them and ensuring that they had a fair share of the limited stocks of water, Fortunately the electricity was not cut off (as had happened during heavy snowfalls in previous years), so the Calor gas cooker in their HQ and the reserves of tinned and packet soups powdered milk , etc, which they always keep for such an emergency were not requiredbut they well might have been,

Grim weekend

These are but a few examples of the way in which St. John members reacted when what was perhaps the worst blizzard of the century hit the south-west on that grim February weekend, Those whom I've mentioned would no doubt be the first to disclaim having done anything heroic or spectacular. and to insist that many others whose names may never be known were doing as much, or more, in many places, The latter point. at least, may well be true; but it seemed to me that the fact that the whole story cannot yet be told was no reason for not telling as much of it as I ve so far been able to discover: for it's a s,ory which. without sparing the blushes of those \vho happened to be involved. can be a tremendous inspiration to the rest of us who - this time - escaped the full force of the storm,

OCCUPATIONAL FIRST AID

nd the qualifications desirable in given a . circumstances , eg a first - aider workIng without supervision who has a considerable amount of first aid and redressings to perform, and who may be in cha:ge of. a first-aid room should be traIned In occupational first aid and auxiliary nursing.

A seminar for Industrial Centres

Report by W. S. TRUEFITT, Deputy Chairman, Electricity Supply Ambulance Centre

Reprinted/rom [he Electricity Council's Ambulance Bu//elill

AS PART of their centenary celebrations

St. John Ambulance Association organised a seminar on Occupational First Aid for Industrial Centres , and consequently one October morning I found myself climbing the carpeted stairs of St. John's Gate in the company of Mr. E. H. Wignall and Mr. P. A. Crouch, Chairman and · Secretary respectively of the Electricity Supply Ambulance Centre.

It was my first visit to the Order of St. John headquarters, and I was imm.ediately impressed by the cloistered atmosphere .The · oil paintings of long-gone dignitaries of the Order adorning the panelled walls and plaques bearing Grand Priors' coats of arms from 1143, when Friar Walter was in charge, to the present day , all contributed to a scene which formed an ideal backcloth for a seminar on first aid.

We were welcomed by Sir Maurice Dorman , Chief Commander of St. John Ambulance, who expressed the hope that this would be the first of a series of annual seminars with a similar theme. He forecast that in addition to information gleaned from the programmed talks there would be an invaluable spin-off of shared experience from conversational exchanges between delegates, and so it proved.

Professor H. C. Stewart, Director General of St. John, was the chairman of sessions, and he introduced the first speaker, Mr. F. G. Thomas, chairman of the Visual Aids Committee and Advisor in Educational Matters, who was to present an historical survey of St. John in industry, from 1877 to 1977. In an extremely interesting talk Mr. Thomas traced the histo.ry of the As-sociation from its inception in 1877 to the present day, emphasising that its power base is still in industry as it has always been.

The 'Annals' " record that miners , railwilymen : dockers. policemen and fishermen - many of them former soldiers

who had realised the value of early treatment of wounds - were the first pupils at classes organised by the Association. Following the initial success of the movement the enthusiastic approbation of an influent ial section of the medical profession was soon forthcoming (no mean achievement by any lay body) and in 1887 the St. John Am bulance Brigade was formed.

In succeeding years the untiring devotion of its members to community service , coupled with Government legislation and T. U.c. recogmtlOn and encouragement, added increasingly to the status of the firstaider as an individual and to the stature of St. John as an Association.

The North Eastern Railway established the first Rail way Centre of St. John in 1895 ; the London Docks Motor Ambulance Service was introduced in 1912 ; intensive first aid courses of one week's duration were started at the Regent Street Polytechnic in 1914 - not in recent years to accommodate shift workers, as I had believed.

Films

The first film on first aid treatment was demonstrated at St. John's Gate in 1918 ; lay lecturers were recognised in 1943 ; external cardiac massage - the evergreen agenda item - was considered by the Deputy Director General in 1961; these were but a few of the milestones in the history of St. John.

Legislation which helped. to establish the importance of the first - aider in industry included the Miners' Accident Rescue and Aid Act 1910 , the Factory and Workshop Welfare Act 1911 (first statutory requi rement for first-aid boxes) the Board of Trade Regulations 1924 (skippers and 2nd hands in fishing fleets required to hold valid first -aid certificate); the Factories Act 1961 , the Shops, Offices and Railway Premises

Mr W. S Truef tt , Deputy Station Administrative Officer. Bl y th Power S tation, N E Region C E.G B is a first - aid er of many years standing

Act 1963 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. , Act 1974 ,

Mr, Thomas gave a brief but fascinating glimpse into the past which heightened anticipation of the second talk , entitled The future provision of first -aid training for occupational purposes', given by Dr. P. A. B. Raffle, Chief Medical Officer of the Association.

Dr. .Rame said that the need for the seminar had arisen mainly because of the implications of the Health and Safet y at Work. etc., Act 1974 in relation to first aid in indu s tr y. Some of the, shortcomings of the Factories Act could be eliminated, and it was essential for the St. John Ambulance Association and similar bodies to be aware of the opportunity that was now presented to influence the future trends in industrial first aid. The Act doe s not alter substantially the provisions of earlier first aid legislation but it does provide for increased and even additional penalties for contravention of those laws , and it brings an estimated 8 million employees, such as those in education and health service establishments , within the scope of the new health and safety legislation.

Expansion

Although no specific requirements for first aid provisions were created by the Act, it is reasonable to assume that the introduction or expansion of first aid facilities will naturall y follow in those premises in which the newly - affected employees work.

The voluntary aid societies have already made recommendations, designed to remove some of the ambiguity of earlier legislation, for consideration by those with statutory responsibility for drawing up regulations concerning first aid at work. The recommendations refer to first -aid box requirements, numbers of first -aiders in relation to employees, standards of training

It is also considered that the current practice of courses aid, first aid and auxdlary nursIng beIng professionally supervised and examinations being carried out by medical practitioners or state-registered nurses should be continued, and indeed made mandatory

The role of lay instructors, methods of selecting recruits and the desirability of some form of reward for first -aid qualifications were also referred to in the recommendations made by the societies to the Health and Safety at Work Commission, who would be the final arbiters on any decisions to be taken.

Dr. Rame said that the keynote of the recommendations was flexibility , but sight should never be lost of the need to maintain the highest standards and preserve the essentially voluntary nature of the firstaider's involvement.

In a lively question and comment session which followed, delegates took the opportunity to express their views on many aspects of first aid at work.

The fear that legislation will inevitably destroy the voluntary movement was evident in the comments of some , whilst others looked upon it as the dawn of a new era of expansion. All were agreed that standards must be maintained , and that the involvement of medical practitioners in examinations was essential to set the seal of credibility on the First Aid Certificate. No one doubted that the future offered a challenge , and as Sir Maurice Dorman had forecast , the contributions of the delegates gave a clear indication that the industrial centres have much to offer in way of ideas expertise and enthusiasm,

And so to lunch,

Almostthe whole of the afternoon session was devoted to a report on and discussion about a unique social experiment in first aid. The report was introduced by Mr. R. G. Bellamy, Deputy Director -General of St. John and former Chairman of the Electricity Supply Ambulance Centre.

Mr. Bellamy explained that in 1969 the St. John Ambulance Ontario Council and the Workmen's Compensation Board of Ontario jointly sponsored a three-year programme of research, the aim of which was to study any relation there might be between first -a id training , accident rates and attitudes to safety in industry and in a community.

Research

A sub - committee of the St. John Occupational Health Committee studied the

re su lts o f the Canadian exercise, and they were so impressed that it was considered worthwhile conducting similar research in this country. Due regard was paid to the different socia l conditions over here , and hence it was decided to examine the correlation of the teaching and practice of first aid and attitudes to accidents in industry in the home , in schools and elsewhere, in a 'closed' community

Leek in Staffordshire was the chosen location for the research, mainly because of its comparative isolation , the variety of industry in the town and the stability of its working population The University of Aston agreed to undertake the research , and St. John Ambulance provided the money. Thus was born in 1973 , Fact (U.K.), or to give it its full name First Aid Community Training (U nited Kingdom).

The story was then taken up by Ian Glendon, Research Fello w (Safety and Hygiene) of Aston University, and Steve McKenna, who worked as Research Student on the Fact factory studies until 1976 when he was appointed Research Officer, Between them they unfolded a fascinating tale

Between 1973 and 1976 the team monitored emergency aid training based on the Digest course in three factories. They interviewed volunteers for training, and nonvolunteers, observed training sessions and collected information from accident records and at the end of it all established a positive link between such training and increased sa fety awareness by those who were trained.

Evidence suggested that people trained in first aid changed their behaviour so as to prevent injury to themselves and had significantly fewer accident injuries following their training. A study of the factory accident records showed that before the research began volunteers for training had had worse injury accident records than had non -vo lunteers , and the interview data suggested that volunteers were already more aware of danger and risk before commencing training - as a result of their accidents , no doubt.

Decisions

The research team weighed all the evidence and indications , and pronounced that first - aid training combined with the right type of propaganda such as eye-catching posters could influence people to be more safety conscious.

The Community study at Leek was preceded by a pilot study at a smaller town, Cheadle, becuase it was necessary to evolve different research techniques frO'm those used in the factories project. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of residents and from the 30 per cent completed and returned , much information on accident and injury involvement, first - aid training and , awareness was obtained

It was also evident that there were important differences between feelings of safety in the home in the street and at work. Some of the residents received training on the fQur - hour course, but because of the' difficulty in checking accident records it was not possible to establish in this case a positive link between first -a id training and a reduction in accident injuries. However , valuable experience was accumulated and will be important to the success of the Leek project which is now under way.

New Techniques

An interesting new technique being used is the 'Diary Study' , which involves volunteers logging on a 'Hazard and Accident Card' all hazards and accidents seen each day during a four - week period. From a study of the results it is hoped to obtain patterns of hazard spotting by people trained and untrained in first aid. , The Leek project will not be completed for about two years, but already there seems to be strong evidence that first-aid training can play an important part in reducing the accident toll.

During the question period that followed some doubts were expressed about the value of the results obtained so far, because the majority of the research had been based on minor non-reportable accidents but the consensus of opinion was that 'Fact (U.K.)' was an exciting project well worth the time and money being spent on it.

Captain F. A. Bland, Deputy Secretary of the Association, drew the delegates attention to the Cleaner Food Campaign being conducted by St. John Ambulance Association. He said that over 11,000 cases of food poisoning had been reported in 1975. a 50 per cent increase over the 1974 figures. and with the spread of take - away food shops and deep freeze storage the situation was getting worse To help combat the menace. St. John in conjunction with the Environmental Health Officers' Association had devised a six-hour certificate course on Hygienic Food Handling details of which are contained in the St. John and E.H.O.A , pamphlet Cleaner Food'.

Summary

In summing up the ' day's events, Professor Stewart said that this first meeting of delegates from the Special Centres had undoubtedly been a successful occasion, and had provided an opportunity for an exchange of views which could only be beneficial to all who had participated.

Mr. Philip Crouch moved a vote of thanks to the organisers for the excellent arrangements made for the seminar, and expressed appreciation of the help which was always readily available to the Special Centres from St. John. He also voiced the hope that the seminar would become an an nual event. and we all said' Amen' to that.

ORDER INVESTITURE

london, February 23

by the Bailiff of Egle, the lord Grey of Naunton

Greater Manchester 's North West Area

Dr James Smith 41 years with St. John. is invested as a Commander by the BailiH of Eg

Also invested as Commander is Depu ty Commissioner for Kent Leslie William Ashman. With 40 years' SJ service Mr Ashman is a founder member of Hythe Ambulan ce Division. and together with Mrs Ashman and their three sons and daughter the family has over 100 years of service between them

Commander (Brother)

Lieut -General Sir Richard Bradshaw KBE, QHP, NRCS LRCP , FRC Path , MFCM, DTM & H (Ministry of Defence).

Peter John Hames Wren VRD, MD, JP (Gtr. Manchester).

George Lawrie Smith (Surrey).

James Alexander Smith, MB, ChB (Lancs.).

Thomas Hurley (W. Midlands).

Leslie William Ashman (Ke nt ).

Norman George Crossley (Lanes.).

John Henr y Kenn y MBE (StatTs.).

Esmond Colin Dawson. MB. BS (Kent).

Commander (Sister)

Irene Mrs. Haigh (Lanes.).

Eva Rosemar y. Miss Bailey, SRN, SCM, MTD, R TD (London).

Joyce Marion , Miss Ho we (Cambs.).

Rita, Mrs. Vere -Ken ned y, SRN, SCM. RMN (Lines.)

Eileen. Miss McGill. SRN SCM (Cumbria).

Officer (Brother)

Captain Guy Harford Powell , MC (Yorks.).

Derek William Rudge (Middlesex).

Harold Mason (Gtr. Manchester).

James Henry Mumby (Humberside).

Harry Tolliday (L incs.)

ClitTord John Harding (Avon).

Alfred Charles Higgs (London).

George Eltome ( Hereford)

Joseph Charles Griffin (Lincs.).

Gordon Ivan Squire (Hants).

John Henr y Horrocks (Bolton).

Walter Alfred Hoadley, BEM (London).

Anthony Leonard a 'Court Robinson (Bristol)

Tom Ellis (Hull).

Thomas Victor Morris (Co. Durham).

Reg nald Crewe (Lines.).

Albert Smith (Cheshire).

Percy William Jenner (Kent).

David Edward Jenkins (Chesterfield).

George William Moody (Lincoln).

Rt. Re v. Anthony George Weaver Hunter (Northum berland).

Major The Hon, Robert Pomeroy (Somerset).

Henry Colum Crighton-Stuart (Essex).

Lieut-Commander Peter Davis Thomas. RN (Essex).

Associate Officer (Brother)

Manny Cussins (Leeds).

Sam Seagal (Leeds).

Officer (Sister)

Loui sa Mary, Miss Cartwright, SEN, HV (Salop).

Doroth y Violet. Miss Dudman (London).

Alma Ethel, Mrs. Bateman (Br istol).

Nancy Elizabeth. Miss Powell (Hants).

Gladys, Mrs. Edinborough (Lines.).

Joyce May Alice. Mrs. Beckwith (Surrey).

Margaret. Mrs. Cordle (Kidderminster).

Marguerite Mary. Miss Hardinge (London).

Ursula Miss Thomas (Berks )

Lilian Ma y, Miss Cooper, SRN (Black pool)

Edith Mary Mrs. Barnard (Norwich).

Edith, Mr s. Thompson (Middlesbrough).

Eva May, Mrs Hewitt (L ine s.).

Phyllis May, Mrs. Martyn (Devon).

Pamela Mrs. Appelbee (Here ford).

Dorothy, Miss Clarke (Enfield).

Mr. P. Woodward (Luton) received the insignia of Officer (Sister) on behalf of his late mother.

Serving Brother Harvey (Blackpool).

Bna.n Frederick Rockell (S lou g h).

Chnstopher David Lund MB BS, MRCS, LRCP (Herts.). " Short (Devon).

Wright Selby (Nr. Crewe).

Wilfred Wintert on (Humberside).

fLeft) Also invested as Asso ciate Officer is Sam Seagal of Leeds who is cha irman of Leeds & Northern C othing Manufacturers' Association as well as a director of a number of companies

Peter Garmon -Jones (Lanes.).

Cyril James Cobb (Herts. )

Francis Redmond (Preston).

Clarence Aldrovand Maynard (Cornwall).

Samuel Pascoe Dare ( De von).

Thomas Henr y Geldard (Nr. Morecambe).

Colin Leonard George Parkin (Malvern).

Noel George Rubie. MB, MS. MRCGP (Essex).

Kenneth Meadows (Stockport).

Anthony John Fouracre. MRCS. LRCP, MRCGP (Humberside).

Leonard Fray (Herts.).

Harry Edward David Smith (Basingstoke).

William Gray (Cleveland).

Sidney Pearson Torr (Cheshire).

Stanley Jones Ashlyn (Preston).

Frederick John Brown (Devon).

Kenneth Percy Hook (Glos .).

Owen William Driver (Cambs.).

Edward Walker (Leics.).

Anthony William Parker (Kidderminster).

Arthur Keith Turtle (Dorset).

Wilfred Donaldson (Morecambe).

Frederick William Peacock (Cleve land).

John George Gooch Pearson ( Co. Durham )

Anthony Lee (Basingstoke).

J ames A rthur Brownfield (Essex)

Ellisha 'Fhomas Taylor, BEM (Notts).

Ian Ross Ru ssell, MB, ChB. D,Obst RCOG. MRCGP (Herts.).

Major Joseph Albert Stanislaus Adolph. MC. TD. (Cornwa ll)

Serving Sister

Winifred May. Mrs. Moyle (Cornwall).

Mavis. Miss Hetherington (London).

Florence Edith. Mrs. Wilson, SRN (Essex).

Florrie, Mrs. Wood (Leics.).

Olive, Miss Creasey, SEN (Lincs.).

Ro se. Miss Dickson, SRN (Essex).

Peggy. Miss Dowling (Londo n).

Frances Mary, Mrs. Seaton (Leicester).

Lucy Joan, Mrs. Scott (Surrey).

Ellen Clara. Mrs. Hall (Essex).

Constance Marie. Mrs Hinks (Leics.).

Gladys Lillian Mary. Mrs. Weatherhead. (Milton Keynes).

Margaret Doris, Miss Collins (Middx.).

Daphne. Mrs. Weller (Essex).

Morag, The Lady StatTord (StatTs.).

Heather. Miss Bowman (Essex).

Elizabeth Maxwell, Mrs. Robertson (M o recam be).

Annie Sarah. Miss Biddle (Hereford).

Denise. Mis Chennell (London).

Lillian Irene. Miss Whitbread (Kent).

Jo yce. Mrs. Sykes (Lincs.). Bessi e Priscilla, Mrs. Marshall (Essex).

Miss E. K

Millicent. Elma.

Edith.

Marjorie Olivia,

Gertrude Lydia. Mrs. Smith (No rfolk ). May Joyce. Mrs. Chadburn (Middx.). Olive. Mrs. Crosskill (Nr. Hull).

Deputy Director of Supplies at S1.

John s Gate Brian Rockell becomes a Serving Brother He is SJA East Berkshire s Area Superintendent

Mrs Winifred Moyle who is Divisional Officer of Helston (Cornwall) Nursing D ivision and is

Hipkins (London).

Miss Smith (Leicester).

Miss Lucas (Hants.).

Mrs. Davis ( London ).

A GREAT SERVICE INDEED

from Wing Commander

H. H. Drummond

All members of the St. John Air Wing, whether pilots or flight controllers, are encouraged by the references to our service which appear from time to time in the Review. It was, therefore, heartening to see, in the February issue, a notice of our very busy time in December and, in particular, the period between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. May I ask for space to make the picture a little clearer than might be suggested by the simple statement that 'the Wing handled roughly one flight a day' in that week? It would be more accurate to report that every mission in that hectic time was flown at night.

Over the seven nights, 'mission commenced' times varied between 6.41 pm and 3.34am. 'Mission completed' times between 11.49pm and 4.35am the following morning. In that week alone Air Wing pilots flew 3,910 miles over the United Kingdom and Europe, all at night and in bad weather, with icing conditions and Force 9 gales very much in evidence. These flights were undertaken by twelve of our pilots who serve on a completely voluntary basis, provide their own aircraft and receive in return only a partial contribution towards the cost of fuel and oi!.. The missions called for 16 night take-offs, 12 night landings three dawn landings and only one landing in daylight. 16 airfields at home and overseas, sQme opening specially to receive and despatch our aircraft, gave the excellent co-operation which has characterised the relationships between the Wing and the airfield authorities, both civil and military, at home and abroad, in our six years of operation.

This spirit of co-operation is also manifest between the pilots and their colleagues, the Air Wing flight controllers, whose invaluable work is sometimes forgotten. It is the flight controllers who first receive the call for help, select the pilot for the mission, alert the airfields, obtain Customs clearances for overseas flights, police clearances when the Prevention of Terrorism Act comes into play arrange refuelling when needed and maintain a minute-to-minute log of the mission from start to finish. All in the spirit of St. John, working throughout the night in the Epping Control Centre or from their home telephones. Despite the atrocious flying weather in that December week, every mission was accident-free, in common with our record over the 317 missions preceding Christmas Eve.

I trust that the foregoing will give Review readers a clearer understanding of all that took place behind the bland statement that 'the Wing handled roughly one flight a day'. Come to think of it, I cannot recall that we have ever handled a flight roughly! Everyone has been expertly flown, efficiently controlled and meticulously recorded, so much so that the Wing is now recognised by aviation authorities at home and on the Continent as a highly organised and eminently dependable flying organisation, deserving their full support. We now operate with over 160 pilots, 100 aircraft and 14 flight controllers - all Pro Fide and Pro Utilitate Hominum Epping H. H. Drummond, Senior Flight Controller

Editor: Sorry about that 'roughly', gentlemen - I know just how gentle you are, having been on one of your flights. Suggest you roughme-up-a-bit next time.

AMBULANCES AND EQUIPMENT

from the Surgeon-in-Chief

It is impossible in a short note to deal with the wide ranging issues raised by Mr. Moring's letter in the October Review and taken up by others in subsequent editions. The points made only serve to remind us of the differing needs we have for vehicles in the Brigade. There is no such thing as a multi-purpose vehicle although some compromises must be made.

I must, first, agree with Roy Parker (Dec, Review) that it would be very foolish to consider taking on work which at present is the responsibility of the Area Health Authority Ambulance Service. Apart from arousing antagonism amongst the members of the professional service we must recognise the limits of what can be achieved by

READERS VIEWS

Readers' views and opinions, which should be ser.lt to the Editor, although published are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Order of SI. John and its Foundation. Although r e aders may s ign published letters with a pen - name. writers must supply their name a nd address to the editor.

Brigade members when compared with professionals. Even if we devised a training comparable with that based on the Millar Certificate, and even if members were free to devote man y hours, over many weeks, to follow such a course achieving a comparable certificate, it is the subsequent experience and continuous practice of the skills acquired which determine the continuing competence of the ambulance or nursing member. Our members do not get 40 or 50 hours a week of this pract ice. We are essentially spare time first -a ider s or 'weeke nd sailors'.

Despite this fact, certain Divisions are carrying out specia li sed work needing special vehicles with special equipment. For exampleconveying seriously ill or injured patients repatriated by Aeromedical Services from airports to ho sp itals in the U.K. These patients need the quality of care provided on the homeward fl ig h t almost exclusively by doctors and profes s ional nurses. There are Divi sio n s undertaking duties associated with major disasters, vio lent demonstrations, rescue operations and motorway patrol work. These members also need similar high competence which, I agree, needs better training and better standards.

Apart from the ambulances the provision. equipping an d manning of mobile units, static p osts and first aid rooms and even temporary posts like first aid tents is all part of the same problem. The report of the Working Party on Ambulances convened by the Chief Commander was published in 1971. Since t hat time we have seen a major reorganisation of the National Health Service and the taking over of Local Authority Ambulance Services by the Area Health Authority. In 1972 we had a new First Aid Manual to which minor amendments were made in 1975. Changes in medical practice ha ve also ensued. The 1971 report certainly needs re -examining and this is currently in progress at Headquarters.

My Equipment Committee , which is constituted under the Medical Board and to which critical reference is made in the correspondence, has just completed a major review of the standards of provision for first aid packs - ranging from the Pocket Pack to the Personal Dut y (or Uniform Pack) to the Divisional Kit (for 20 members). This , it is hoped will be published shortly in Brigade Orders.

The question of publishing the results of appraisals on new items of equipment and materials has been carefully considered both by the Equipment Committee and the Medical Board. There are great difficulties. Criticism of equipment, albeit fair criticism, is often resented by manufacturers who have submitted samples to the Committee. Even a recommendation of one item can give rise to difficulties with other suppliers of similar but less suitable or effective items. Such criticism , if published, can have legal implications. For this reason it was decided that publication of the findings of the Equipment Committee would not be made in The Review. Reference , however , is made to items when appropriate, in the bulletins issued by the Supplies Department.

The Surgeon -in - Chiefs Bulletin, which occasionally contains comment on equipment, is not a secret document. It goes out to all Surgeons and Nursing Officers in the Brigade and I would have thought that the proper place for any Division to get advice on equipment and materials should be their professional adviser; namely

the Surgeon or Divisional Nursing Officer A record is kept at Headquarters of all equipment approved by the Committee and endorsed by the Board. Any Division wishing to purchase an item can easily write to me at Headquarters and di scove r whether it has been approved.

To return to the Committee; the Committee is now directing their attention to ambulances and· other vehicles; what equipment should be carried and what training is needed to man such vehicles. The review will include m obi le units, stat ic post s, etc, as mentioned above.

Parallel with this I have had discu ssions with the Chief Nursing Officer , Miss Bailey, and the Chief Medical Officer of the Association , Dr. Rame who has commissioned the writing of what we will probably call a 'Pu blic Duty Handbook'.

This book is designed to meet the many needs arising over these varied duti es described by your correspondents. Hopefully this will lead to a syllabus and a course of training with a certificate at the end of it and even more hopefully the requirement of the possession of such a certificate by a minimum number in the Division to be a prerequisite to mannin g s u ch vehicles and posts o n public duties.

Finally , this whole subject is to be a major topic at my forthcoming County Surgeons' Conference at the end of February and will, I hope, also be discussed at the Brigade Surgeons and Brigade Nursing Officers Seminar s at the Foundation Medical Conference at Nottingham in April.

Major st udi es of this kind, the production of a new publication and the implications of its introduction will take time. In the meantime ma y I urge those anxious to spend more money on new equipment and new vehicles of one kind or another to make full use of their professional advisers and to r emind themselves of the continuing need for higher standards of competence in the teaching laid down in our current manuals which is not always evident even at the level of Brigade Finals competition work, as stated in my notes on the 1977 co mpetition s.

No amount of sophisticated hardware is a substitute for simple and competent first aid and nursing skills.

Headquart ers J. C. Graham

DON'T BURN IT -LEARN HOW TO USE IT!

from F Roberts, ACP, DipEd. Area Commissioner

Lest any divisions shou ld become laden with feelings of guilt if they still pos sess blackboards for their instruction I would reassure them by co mmentin g upon the letter with the startling heading 'Burn That Blackboard (Feb. Review ) in which Mr. Simmons makes a plea for the use of various mechanical types of visual aid equipment as against the traditional one.

Many education tutors today indicate to their students that th is new 'hardware' is absolutely vital to good teaching. This is nonsense - these items are all merely 'ai ds' and depend entirely upon the quality of the teacher in knowing how to choose, and when to use, them

As a primary school headmaster I believe in and use slides, filmstrips, 16mm films, television but ONLY when these provide me with the best means of. communicating my lesson material to pupils. When I qualified, student teachers were expected to master the 'art of blackboard usage as an aid to efficient teaching; if this is done it becomes invaluable in lesson presentation. My most used vis ual aid equipment after thirty years of teaching, is still a blackboard. It is amazing how easily, with a few.well practised strokes, an illustration or diagram can be displayed or some well planned wording produced for headings , summaries, etc. Conversely , I have seen some disastrous lessons from people using the sophisticated equipment that Mr. Simmons implies divisions MUST have if they are to teach well.

As commercially produced slides, filmstrips and films are for a wide viewing audience they are rarely completely suitable for a particular individual's lesson requirements. It is necessary therefore, to view these items before using them in a lesson; in doing this I have

Top trainee chef Cadet Corporal Michael Butcher with Grand Pr or'S Badge (Photo Blackpool Gazette & Herald)

BLACKPOOL CADET TRIO

BLACK POOL Ambulance Cadet Division scored a hat-trick during February when three of its members made local news. Top trainee chef at the local 4-star Imperial Hotel Cpl Michael Butcher gained his Grand Prior's Badge. 15 - year-old Cpl Philip Harvey, who's been in SJ A since he was 8, put down his cadet band drum - major ' s mace to play the lead role in children's pantomime for a week at the Winter Gardens. And Cadet Karl Benis on, 13 is training hard for an attempt on the Cross-Channel swim on July 28; if successful, he'll be the youngest "Channel swimmer.

(R ght) Lead drummer o the Cadet Band for 3 years Cadet

Corporal Philip Harvey takes 10 the stage (Below Cadet Karl Benison training at the swimm ing pool for his Cross-Channel swim this summe r.

(Photos: Blackpool Gazette & Herald )

frequently discovered that I can do the job much better with onl y a blackboard and chalk (or the modern variants - whiteboard and spirit markers). In addition, the blackboard is always at hand for that sudden unforeseen , need that arises in a lesson - a quick sketch, perhaps, to amplify some point that is imperfectl y grasped. It is , of course, all a question of the abiiity of the teacher - does he / she plan adequately so as to decide just what is the best equipment and then , if necessary , rehears e before the lesson?

A dangerous aspect of any kind of screen ' presentation is th at nowadays society is conditioned to watch passively and so to use the aids Mr. Simmons suggests without sufficient thought and prepa ra tion may , far from being the panacea: he has in mind be just another passive half ho ur or so - completel y non -productive in learning.

A tutor was once demonstrating the types of visual aid equipment that Mr. Simmons enumerates ; after showing the delights of these machines he turned to a corner of the room that was curtained off and said to his audience And finally I want to introduce what can be yo ur most useful piece of teaching equipment' - he withdrew the curtain to .' display -a blackboard! Because a blackboard is a cheap a id it is neither outdated nor worthless

To urge divisions to plan 'y our own programmes using modern techniques' does not mean that traditional equipment of proven value should be excluded. Moder'n teaching techniques include very much the blackboard - any teacher worth his salt wo uld work to be a master of it.

To divisions I would say D o NOT burn yo u r blackboard - if your 'instructors do hot know already, ask a good teacher in your locality to show you how best to use it.'

South Northamptonshire F. Rob erts

from Rqbert Mann, Deputy Director, Association May I concur with the remarks made by th e Commissioner , Staffordshire, in to the use of modern visual aids ana add a few words of caution. Marker board s, flip charts a nd overhea d pr ojectors, etc , are all excellent aids to instruction a nd Ph il Adams , of Headquarters , and his team do an excellent job in keeping u s up -todate with the availability of such items but there are other conditions to be considered: their efficiency is controlled by the efficiency of the operator ; their effectiveness depends on the qij-ality of the material t hat is placed on or in them ; and their presentation requires a certain amount of expertise

Before you 'burn that blackboard ', keep it a va ilable un til suc h time thai you have become proficient in t he use of its replacemen t. A session sp'ecifically for this purpose is allocated in a ll lay in st ru ctors' courses in Essex.

South East Essex Bob Mann

CONFUSING BELL

,

from E. J. B. Ref. Borne ' Sick -Room Bell by G Hillman (Jan. R ev iew), fa sci n ated by the technical explanation of what looks like a rather difficul t - and possibly risky - modification of mains·energised equipm ent I r ead on.

To avoid the poor harrassed mum in t he kitchen not knowin g whether to go to front or back door or up sta ir s (if that 's where the invalid is - ,or next -door if the wiring has been so extended, which I imagine would offend against some regulation or bye law) , I suggest it would be cheaper and less confusing to buy a handbell.

I imagine G . Hillmal1 is a youngster anxious to help 'a sick or aged person to' call their neighbour (or attendant) so his / her ingenuity is commendab.le but ARE cheap battery -operated bell s with distinctive tones The 'long piece of wire (not bell -w ir e) with a bell -pu s h at. one end anc;l two pin plug at the other could con s titute a hazard if the two-pin' plug can be inserted into ', any point of house (main s) installation. (Many pre -w ar houses 's till have obsolete 2-pin sockets in lSA, SA and 3 Amp sizes instead of the modern 3 pin (flat-pin) fittings).

CllI'ted "''''' "ff t, E.fforJ."

UNIFORM -A YOUNG MEMBER'S VIEWS

from C J Balague Divisonal Transport Officer

O ve r the past few months I have read with dismay the va riou s lett ers criticising o ur uniform. Being so di s heart ened with tn e way ome mem bers feel about this subject, I would lik e (0 make the following comments.

The tunic and trousers. As far as I know. we have always had in various styles a uniform consisting of a tunic (jacket) and trouser. etc.

The Armed Forces, Police. Ambulance and Fire Services all ha ve these, so why shou ld we be different? Most of the arguments against working in a tunic wou ld be solved by good tailorin g , which of course will cost more a nd more eac h year. as does everything else. I nstead of the Supplies Department reducing standa rd s and quality. why not raise extra funds at divisional level to cover this extra cost?

T he white haversack. When at any function, the only thing th at makes us stand out is our white haversack and strap . I feel very proud when I hear the answe r given by parents to their young inquiring c hildr en He's a St. John Ambula nceman'. Take away the hav ersack o r strap and yo u lose that recog ni tion and probably the res pect that ha s taken yea rs to gain.

The safety helmet. A re latively new accesso ry to our uniform and that, in my opinipn is what it s hould be, an accessory. After hel mets I can im agine dark g lasses and chewing gum, not a very good imp ression for a first aid orga ni sation. Of course they are necessary in certain conditions, indeed we ca rr y them at a ll times on our ambulances, but not amongst hosti le c rowds. In that case ou r safety is bes t sec ured b y r ecog nition as St. J o hn membe rs.

Rank markings and rank. It is obvious to many people that th ese co uld be si mplifi ed or eve n changed 'completely , but to wh at purp ose?

Th e ext ra cost and work wo uld not be ju st ified, especia ll y as most members r a re ly meet an officer ra nkin g higher than a supe rint ende nt.

C uttin g down the numb er of ranks wou ld reduce the chance of promotion , wh ic h could reduc e the willin gness to

After these com ments, I wo uld lik e t o o utlin e, with my Superintendent's permission, our policy regard in g uniform.

On a ll publi c duties , office rs and memb ers wear full uniform at all time s (including Haver sac k) with t he exceptions as s tat ed below.

Ambulance drivers a nd attendants do not wear ha versacks at a ny time.

Wh en on special duty , ie motor racing cyc le scra mbl es, etc,

rIO: rs and member s on trackside duty wear spec ial duty uniform. a lice I ) This co ns ists of a white boiler su it (according to dre ss regu atlons shir l, tie, etc, wh it e haver sac k, cap, hot weather belt and fluorescent k t (Dr ive rs a n d at te nd ants do not wear the ha versack). Personnel Jac e. in the first aid station, at a s peCial duty do not wear speCial duty uniform

Th is policy doe s of course bend the re g ul at ions, however I think we make the most o f our existi ng uniform and we are one of the smartest di vis ion s in our a re a. We ha ve ne ver yet failed to be recognized as St. Joh n members.

Finally I wou ld li ke to say that I am proud to be long to and wear th e unifo rm of the Brigade and before r am accused of being an old co dge r I wi ll g ive m y age.

Thames C. J. B alague, (aged 26 years)

TALENTS

from Mrs A She eha m Divisional Superintendent

I refer to a letter (Dec. Review ) from Press Officer N. Ratcl iffe regarding the Belle Vue talent competition: As Supt. of Herne Bay cadets, from where the winning act came, I fee l I have to make a few co rr ections.

Fir st, the two cadets who won were certainly not juniors. Mr. Ratcliffe has somehow guessed that the youngsters were 8 year olds.

Th ey wer e both II year old cadets from this Division. It ' is also suppo sed by Mr. Ratcliffe that we sent lots of supporters to help 'clap' the chi ld ren to win. The only supporters with them we re the two mums of the children. 'What chance had St. Audries Dance Group.' says Mr. Ratcliffe, who came from hundreds of miles away We too came from hun dreds of miles away - so what c hanc e had we of collecting a large audience of supporters?

As to the comp laint that all other competitors were hostage to se ntiment a lit y because of c hildren being in the final, I can only say that these tw o children fought their way through three rounds prior to the final and on each occasion they were not chosen as outright winners.

The y were runner - up on two occasions and joint winners at the London final.

Tho se who witnessed their performance (and, indeed, the performanc es of a ll tlie other competito rs in this national talent final) ought to feel proud that we in St. John are well talented in other fields besides first aid! Well done to all!

Herne Bay

CROSS DETERS VANDALS

from S J Judge

From tim e to time I have had my car aerial forcibly remo ved by vandals. Having become a little frustrated , I have replaced it with a coat hanger fa shion ed in the form of the St. John Cross.

Thi s has never been tampered with and is now a means of recognition, as well as a ve r y efficient aeria l.

Perhap s ot her readers may benefit from this ex peri ence.

Cleveland

THAT MOUNTED DIVISION

from Mrs M H. Stokes. Secretary

Anne Sheehan

Cadets at S & W Yorks conference for first time

AT the South and West Yorkshire's bi-annual conference, held la st October , the Deput y C-in-C Major-Gen P. Leuchars presented Grand Prior 's Badges to nineteen nursing cadets and 7 ambulance cadets from the whole of Yorkshire and Humberside. This was the first time that cadets had attended the conference. A for cadets was held on

and handicrafts.

S.J.Judge

We thank Review readers for their interest in our Division and are pl ease d to report that all goes well with us and we hope to go from st ren gt h to strength. We are sorry that due to a misunderstanding we were r eported to be the first of its kind in SJA. We had. of cour e, he ard of o ur famous Fiji counterparts.

Central Derbyshir e Moun{ed Dil'isiol1 M. H. Stokes

THAT WORD AMBULANCE

from W. R Dunwoody, Divisional Officer

I wa s asked a question by a friend which I am afraid I was unable to

Three of the Grand Priors Badge winners with their Div Supt L Craven of SI. Mary s Laiste rdyke AlC Div ision (S & W Yorks) ( L to R) Anthony Feather now i r) the Navy Simon Branson ; and Cadet Sgt. Robert Wardman

essay writing hobbies

The Grand Prior s Badge winners with the Deput y Cin - C

Gen. Leuchars w ith ( L to R) Cadet Simon Branson and Nursing Cadet M. Read joint second in the competition and third place (unnamed)

answer - 'What is the origin of the word ambulance?'

The dictionary states moving hospital following an army , conveyance for sick and wounded persons'.

I would be grateful if anyone could supply the answer to what is the origin of the word.

Kenley W. R. Dun woody

Editor: The word ambulance is derived from the Latin word ambulare, meaning to move from place to place ', and was presumably adopted as the word to describe a moveable place for attending, and in due course transporting , the wounded rather than a static dressing station or tent on the battlefield. When or where it was originally used , which I assume the question to be, must be lost in the mists of history, I would have thought. However , that 's my contribution to the subject. Over to you.

COSTUMES WANTED

from S. Wastall. Divisional Superintendent

1978 marks the golden jubilee of Feltham D ivis ion , o f which I have the honour to be the Superintendent and we ha ve started a campaign to raise funds to build a new headquarters to re place our pres e nt timber / asbestos hut.

We are holding a Mayfayre on Saturda y, Ma y 13, and also hope to enter two local carnival processions in June and Jul y. But we are s hort of time and dressmakers , so could an y division , or divisions, loan u s costumes, etc, with which we can present a tableau of St. John through the Ages?

We would be most grateful for any offers and would undertake to reimburse all expenses plus a reasonable hire fee. If anyone can help , please contact me.

9, Burleigh Gardens , Ashford, Middx. S Wastall

Tel: (H) Ashford 4121 7 ( B) 01 8903600 ext 339.

PUZZLED

by E. J. Baker. Ambulance Member

Ref. Award Scheme Changes by Bob Mann (J an. Review) , I am very puzzled by the explanation of certain amendments in Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme'. As Class Secretary for many years (until a younger and far-prettier member supplanted me last year!), I have had contact with scores of youngsters trying for one or other of the three awards, and with full knowledge of what the D of E booklet used to call for (I no longer have my copy by me a grandson has borrowed it), I have explained to them that, since the Second Edition of First Aid Manual was superceded (in 1972) by Third Edition, Class Regulations

National First Aid Competition

Held London, Feb. 23

Men's event This competiton was inaugurated in 1928 for teams of Police Forces in England and Wales for the trophy presented by Dr. F. de B. Pim a knight of Grace of the Order and Assistant Commissioner St. John Ambulance Brigade Lancashire

The runners -up receive a trophy presented by the 'Police Review and the team gaining third place a cup presented by the widow of the City of London Police Chief Inspector William Whyte, a first -aider of long standing who met WIth a fatal accident in 1966.

This competition has been held annually, with the exception of the war years. In 1951 the Royal Ulster Cons tab ulary were admitted. In 1952 the Sco ttish Police Forces were admitted.

Women's event: This competItIon has been held annually since 1961 for a championship Rose Bowl presented by the City of London and teams competing are the winners of the Northern, Midland and Southern area eliminating competitions During 1969 , Sussex Constabulary donated a Silver Rose Bowl as a runners -up trophy for the Policewomen's Competition.

have dropped references to higher and advanced co ur ses. In any case. it was never feasible, back in the 60s to arrange for close adherence to D of E rules since one had all one could do to satisfy, at autumn and spring courses, the general public's ne ed for adult first aid certificates which, moreover, have to be obtained by Silver and Gold aspirants as a pre - requisite. Teenagers do not have s par e time for suc h an exc lu s ive absorption in first aid instruction , and it is inconceivable that what meets Factory Acts for adults and Brigade memb e r s hip requirements is too elementary to serve for what is only one of a la rge number of welfare services in D of E Scheme.

Can someone at Grosvenor Crescent so rt this out and t ake a ll necessary steps to see that such important people (i n this matter) as Class Secretaries have unequivocal instruction in relation s with D of E Scheme customers? I am sorry, Bob, but your explanation is just not such a clarification.

P.S. Page 5 of the Manual may need Bath E.1. Baker

INFO WANTED

Research into the work of the Order and Brigade is bein g continued but this time the subject is the Great War, 1914 - 1918. Lieutenant Colonel Cole -Ma ckintosh , who is conducting the research would welcome assistance in identifying some of the Brigade members who joined up and were decorated for gallantry or meritorious service during the war. Although searches hav e been mad e of the London Gazettes, the names and initials shown below occur frequently and it has not been possible to identify the exact person. Any help which readers can give will be most welcome. Indeed any reminiscences, personal details or photograph s which could help to show the work of St. John men and women in t he First World War would be gratefully received. Information should be sent care of the Curator at St. John's Gate, C1erkenwell, London, EC I M 4DA.

Name Home Corps/Division Name Home Corps/Division

BELL H Blaydon -on -Tyne MOORE] Newcastle HQ

CHAPMAN T Houghton -Ie -Spring MOORE]G Consctt CHAPMAN T H I1k eston PRICE]

DIXON A Dean & Chapter ROBERTS N FOX F Dover (Roval Marine s?) HALL] D Newcastle SMITH? Wardley

KING A H Slough SMITH?

NEWS from SCOTLAND

Priory

A

his duties on February 15. Dunbartonshire On February 7 the Dunbartonshire

nUICKIE X-WORD (4)

Across: I. Term used to describe a breach in the structure of bones produced by violence (8). 5. Its function is to pump blood (5). 8. Everyone needs a balanced one to stay health y (4). 10 The inner bone of th e for earm (4). I I. name fo r nettle rash (9). 13 Another name for malaria (4). 15. See 9 Down 16 Dilated portion of the alimentary canal into which mostly undigested food passes ( 7). 19 One of the st ru ctu res of which th e skeleton' is comprised (4). 22. Blood vessel which leaves the heart carrying oxygenated blood (5). 23 Word. made up of the nitial letters of fo ur recognised ypes of wounds (4). 24. Muscular structur e of th e eye which regulate s th e amount of li ght which enters by alteration of the size of the pup il (4). 26 First part of the large intestine (5). 27. Lower part of the smal l intestine (5). 29. A feeling that vomiting is about to take place (6). 3 I. Top part of the foot above the arch, known as the in (4). 32. The type of wound in which the skin is torn irregul ar y (9).

Down:

2. The outer of the two bones of the forearm (6). 3. A fissure of the roof of the mouth is known as a palate (5). 4 Disease, named after a Paris physician who wrote a th esis on the subjec t in 1862. It is characterised by the sudden obst ruction of the circulation in outlying 'pa rt s of the body (8). 6. People who are very sensitive and produce se ri ous reactions to certain substances are said to be (8). 7. Another name for the windpipe (7). 9 and 15 Across. Formed

branch of the St. John Association held its first Annual General Meeting at Cameron House, Hardgate. There was a good turn-out in spite of the ext remel y unpleasant weather. The meeting was addressed by Mr. W. A. P. Jack , Chairman of the Council of St. ] ohn Associations , and by the Chancellor who referred to six properties in th e county which the Order had owned in the Middle Ages. One of these, Tambowie, had been excavated by the Milngavie and Bearsden Historical Association and the remains of farm buildings had been discovered.

in the liver, this substance is found in very small quantities in urine (4.4). 12. Term applied to the inability to retain evacuations from the bowel or bladder (12). 14 Name of the structure comprising of th e maxilla and the mandible (3). 17. ame given to th e two a lmond sha ped glands situated. one each si de. where the mouth joins theJt hroat ( 7). 18. This is found growing in the skin allover the body (4). 19. Small areas of inflammation start ing in the roOlS of the hair due to growt h of a micro-organism ( 5) 20 First two le tter s of the word a l. meaning , pertaining to t he mouth (2) 2 I The external part of this organ may be calle d the auricle or pinna (3) 25 cava the name of either of the tw o blood vessels opening into the right atrium of the heart (4). 26. One of the microscopic particles which builds up the tissues (4 ). 28. Cavity in which food is first received (5) 30. Normal peopl e have one on each side of the face situated in an orbit (3).

Solution to Quickie X-word (3) Across:

4 Sport. 7. Vertebra 8. Enoch 9. Incision. 10 Brave:13 Gym 15 & 17. Safety pin. 16. A carry 19. A task. 23. Ejecting. 24. Train 25 Arrested. 26 Large

Down:

I Brace. 2 Feast. 3. Broody 5. Pancreas. 6. Recovery 7. Vein 11. Bac eria. 12. Beesting. 13. Gyp. 14' Man. 18 Injury. 20 Acted. 21. Birth. 22. Aged.

Mrs. F Broughton

FAMILY'S 217 YEARS OF SERVI

CE 1 1 .,

MRS. FLORENCE Broughton of Northampton, whose married daughter and family are playing an active role in the newly constituted Towcester Combined Di visions, asks if her family s 217 years service to St. John is a record ? Here are the facts:

'My father Mr, F. T . Whiting joined the Northampton HQ Division in 1905 so that he could treat his four children in the event of any emergencies. He was a member of the division 's competition team which twice won the Dewar Shield and started two divisions - Northampton HQ Ambulance Cadets and later Kingsthorpe Ambulance Division , being superintendent of both divisions. A Serving Brother of the Order, he retired aged 80 after 45 years' service

'My mother. Mrs. M Whiting, joined Northampton HQ Nursing Divis ion in 1912. staying with the division for 39 years. She too did much competition work , once being in the finals for the Perrott Cup. She became a Serving Sister in 1949.

-M y brother, H. E. Whiting, was in the Brigade at Northampton and Dagenham for 30 years: and his wife was a nursing member for 25 years.

'I joined Northampton HQ Nursing Divison in 1924 and retired at the end of 1975 after 51 years service as S.uperintendent of Northampton Gaumont Nursing Cadet Di vision. I'm an Officer Sister.

'My son. W. F. Broughton. was with the HQ ambulance cadets for 7 years until he joined the RAF.

'My daughter, Mrs. F. Gudgeon, joined the cadets when she was 11 and later remained in the nursing division until she was married in 1957. When Towcester Division was reformed two years ago she took the lectures and examination again, joined the Division and now has 12 years' service. Her husband, daughter, and three sons (youngest 11) have also joined Towcester Division.

'Total - 217 years' service, and three members of the Order. Of that we are very proud. Incidentally. in 1930 our family also held the national record for service in the Brigade. Can Mlyone beat us in 1978? '

Compiled by N M Mane Deakin of Blylhe Brodge Quad D,v,s,on

News from Divisions/Centres

, GARDEN FETES , SPORTS EVENTS etc. Send for o ur catalogue FUND RAIS E RS , BALLOON RACES , PONTOON TICKETS, TOMBOLA TICKETS & EQUIPMENT FANCY GOODS , TROPHY C U PS , M E DA L S & STATUETTES , CARNIVAL HATS , TOYS, NOVELTI E S , BALLOONS etc ALSO AVAILABLE LOUNGE , DINING & BEDROOM SUITES & CARPETS. ALL AT WHOLESALE TRADE PRICES ; SAVE £.£.£'s FROM TH E LARGEST SUPPLIERS IN THE COUNTRY SWINNERTONS LTD ., DEPT. S. J. R. UNION STREET WALSALL WSI 2HJ.

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.4 (78)

Across:

1. Yellow colouration due to excess of bile pigments in the blood. (8). 5. Sudden sharp pain to close a wound. (6). 10. Support for a period of inactivity the doctor may order. (3-4). 11. Listlessness or a lung disorder. (7). 12. Tender skin lesion. (4). 13. Return sound. (4). 14. What the fieldsman does to acquire an infection. (5). 16 Fine part of meal. (5). 17. Rash due to allergy. (9). 2 I. Surgical procedure begun by a form of 27 Down. (9). 24. Like a small bed for a race meeting (5). 25. A strange dream makes one ready for battle. (5). 28. Unruptured amnion enveloping head at birth. (4). 29. Parched from break up of raid. (4). 3 I. Achieved by having one's illness featured frequently in the medical journals? (3-4). 32. Harshly govern out-patient media. (7). 34. Showing no pathological changes. (6). 35. Card with it is an inflammatory condition of the structure of the heart. (8).

Down:

I. Intramuscular injection to a layman? (3). 2. Subdued colour of flabby muscles? (9). 3. Impregnated with colouring-matter. (4). 4. Each cut has an astringent extract. (7). 6. Invigorating medicine contained in spirit on ice. (5). 7. Tutor for a fish. (5) . 8. Pitiless due to myocardial calcification? (4-7). 9. Call to strike when the innings is completed. (3.3). 12. An uninspiring way to die? (11) 15 Main nitrogenous constituent of urine. (4). 18. Unending riot in South American city. (3). 19 Skin fissure for a man (4). 20 Haemorrhage fever, and bandage. (9). 22. Had urge to scratch. (6). 23. Our name for a nerve tumour. (7). 26. Flush of pulmonary tuberculosis. (5). 27. Doctor and a mother in a theatrical art. (5). 30. Potato used by the ophthalmic surgeon. (4). 33 Distress call. (I. I.l).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.3 (78)

Across:

I. Appetite; 5. At.ten.d; 9. Pressure; 10. Radius: 12. Sore ; 13. Us.es; 14. Steer: 16. Rash: 17. Ossicle: 21. Ear; 22. Seventh; 23. Bulb ; 26. E.a.r.ly; 28. Arch; 29. Halo; 31. Thorax; 32. Scorched; 33. Sheath; 34. Adenitis.

Down: I. Appose: 2. Pleura: 3. Test: 4. Turns the head: 6. Tears; 7. Eminence: 8. Disorder; II. Ascorbic acid: IS. Yawn: 18. Salt ; 19. Asbestos: 20. Overdose: 24. Cachet: 25. So.rde.s: 27. Yeast: 30 Iran.

FIRST AID FILMSTRIPS

Each fi lm strip comes complete with a typescript commentary for £3.50 The commentary is also availab le on cassette tape, with verbal cues for ad vancing frames: total cost £6.00. A 211 x 211

ST. JOHN REVIEW

B

w is

ist o f re

nt s u bjec s. Pl ease

r

p r ogrammes of interest to you , wit h 0 or without 0 th e Package D ea p r efer s lides 0 or filmstrips 0

Lif e S av ng Fi rst Aid 1 - 3 0

What Wo u l d You D o

At Random , by Watkin W. Will iams p.97

Our 50th Birthd ay p.98

Stretch ering our service , by Dr. Bri an Lewis p l 03

Mounta in rescue, by Neil Tucker p.l04

Around and Ab out. by the Editor p.l06

St. John in Action photo competition - prize winning entries p l 10

Visual Aid s p.113

Reader s Vi ews p.114

First Asso ciation Regional Seminar p.116

SJA tour of S. E Asia , by Maj - Gen Peter R Leuchars p.118

N ews from Scotland - El ectricity Supply national competion p.l 21

News from Divisions/ Centres p.122

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Edi ted and produced for the Order of St. John by Dri scoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Sutley , Nr. Woodbridge Suffolk IP12 3QF Phon e: Orford (Std 039 45) 548. Editor: Frank Driscoll

AdvertiSing display and classified, rates on request from Driscol Productions.

Pr ice 30p monthly £4.30 per annum , including postage from Re v iew Sales, St. John Ambulance

1 Grosven o r Crescent, London SW1X 7EF COVER H er M ajesty

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W. Willi a ms

BORN MAY 1928 and still going strong , the St. John Review has for half a century tried to serve the Order and its two Foundations as a means of exchanging information and inspiration. How far it has succeeded in doing this I can't presume to judge, but as the present c h airman of its Board of Management I can at least tell you, our rea d ers and contributors , what we're try ing to do, in the hope that with your help we shall be able to do it a little better every year. First, though most of our subscribers are Brigade members in the UK , we never lose sight of the fact that we aren t just the Brigade Review , nor even the St. John Ambulance Review, nor yet the Review of St. John in the United Kingdom. As the monthly journal of the Most Venerable Order , our aims are wider than any of these, for we seek to maintain and improve communication on all matters of mutual interest between the Order and its two Foundations , the Hospital in Jerusalem and St. John Ambulance; between St. John in the UK and the St. John Priories , Commanderies , Councils , Centres and Divisions in about 50 countries and territories throughout the world; between the Association (training) branch and the Briga d e (operational) branch of St. John Ambulance; between those of us who owe our allegiance to the Most Venerable Order and our confreres in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Alliance Orders. Ambitious , you will say! Yes, definitely ambitious, yet Ah , but a man ' s reach should exceed his grasp , Or what's a heaven for?'

One thing should be perfectly clear: we ' re not out to make money! On the contrary , we ' re trying to provide the best possible service within the limits of our financial resources and without positively losing money. From the point of view of communications, we're always glad to know that the relatively small number of our subscribers is but a fraction of our regular readers , since (in many Brigade divisions , for example) one copy of the Review is passed ro u nd and shared between quite a large number of

The cover of th e first issue of Chivalry (as the St. John Review was then title d) included a draw ng of St John s Gate and the badges of the Order the Association and the Brigade (Above) A

Our 50th Birthday

looking back to the early days of our magazine

_ which was first published 50 years ago in May 1928

THIS month the St. J o hn Review is 50 yea rs old. The first issue of our m agazine was publi s hed in May 1928 under the title 'CH IVALR Y', with the s ub - heading 'The Journ a l of th e Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. J o hn of J e ru sa lem '. Ed ited by the famous detective writer, Peter Cheyney - who was to be at the helm of the magazine until 1941, by wh ich time he was a world -famous author - the policy of Chivalry was stated in the first issue to be: 'Es pecially to cater for the needs of the Brigade and Association: and a practical link between St. J ohn in Great Britain and St. John Overseas.' At least two medical artic les by experts would be found in each monthly iss ue And a Cadet Page, edited by a Mrs. Tweedle, of Rochdale, Lanes, to whom all cadet material was to be sent , was to be a feature in Chivalry. The first issue contained 30 pages, four of them advertising. and in cluded four photographs and a cartoon. It cost 3 pence a copy, 3/ 6d per annum postage paid.

So the course of the journal of St. J ohn was set for th e next 50 years.

By September 1928 this very professionally produced and li vely magazine was publishing Brigade and District Orders, a column by N . Corbet Fletcher on First Aid and Competition Queries. the first reader's lette r on the subject of Thomas's Splint, and contributions were being called for by the editor. In the September issue there was also a report on the coverage of Blackpool Air Pageant, July 6 and 7: 30 members from Bl ackpoo l and St. Annes Nursing Division staffed the four main ambulance stations, which eac h h ad six beds and surgical equipment for minor operat ions; 60 ambulance me m bers manned 12 stretc her patrols; and four motor a m bu lances we re emp lo yed. 104 cases were treated during the two days.

In the October 192 8 issue was a macabre (strains of Peter Cheyney?) headline to a story:

Well Tried, Sir!

A ve rdict of "Acci dent a l death" was returned at the inquest at Ru g b y on Captain H arry Spencer (52), head of the firm of Spencer Brothers, ballooni sts, of London.

He was killed at the co nc lu sio n of a four day s' ho s pital tete. Mr. Percival Spencer, hi s son, ascended in a balloon which fell on to the roof of the boarding house of th e R ev. J M Hardwick, of Rugby School.

Mr. Spencer climbed safely to the ground, but hi s father, who got on to th e roof to remove the balloon, lost hi s foothold and fell 50 feet to death

A witness sa id the gas from the balloon might have overcome Captain Sp encer.

Di stric t Offi cer William J a mes Verrier, SJ.A.B. said he saw Captain Sp e ncer rolling down the roof.

Th e Coroner: You e nd eavou red to catch him ? - He just bal a nced on my arm before his head struck the ground. You were taking a prett y good risk yourse lf? - One do es those things in sti nctive ly. If I had had time to think I don 't su pp ose I s ho uld have attempted it. One doe s not do those t hing s deliberately.

Th e Coroner: I think the jury would like to congratulate you for the very gallant attempt you did make

In the Decem ber 1928 issue it was announced under a he a dlin e OUR N E W UNIFOR M that from Janu a ry 192 9 th e magazine was to change its name to 'T he St. John Ambulanc e Gazette' The rea so n for this new title wa s give n as ' which links us eve n more closely with the activities of the John organisation' Th e newly - named ISsue contained 26 pages, two of which carried advertisements, with a total of four photograph

An article in Apr il 1929 entit led Road Service Schem e ex tolled the value of roadside fir st , aid posts manned b y th e Brigade, which had been in existence for

many years. The article was obviously aimed at encouraging unit s to se t up similar sche me s throughout the country. Here was the Gazette fulfilling it s originally expressed intentions - act ing as a link, p ass ing on ideas.

An interesting article in the Jul y 1929 issue was:

The Oldest Ambulance Competition in the World

The Inter - Railwa y Ambulance Competition for the railwa ys of England and Wales was instituted by the St. John Ambulance Association in 1897 and has si nc e been held except during the yea rs 19]5 to 1919 inclusive, when, owi ng to the ab se nce of a large number of railwa y men on act.ive service during the Great War, it was considered advisable that it should not be held. It is the oldest ambulance competition in the world.

The four great groups. viz., the Great Western Railwa y, the London Midland a nd Scottish Railway, the London and North -Eastern Railwa y and the So uthern Railw ay, each se lect two teams by their own elimin ating competitions to r epresent t hem in the final of the Inter -Railway Ambulance Competition. a nd a preliminar y competition for ungrouped railwa y is held by the St. John Ambulance Association, the team taking the first place in that competition also having the right to compete in the final.

In th e preliminary competition in April, 1929, a t St. J o hn 's Gate the London

OUR 50th

BIRTHDAY

Mid land and Scottish and Great Western Joint Railways gained the top place and therefore competed in the Anal.

By September 1929 the St. John Ambulance Gazette had decided to take stock (ed itorially speaking) of its position by pub lishing the fol lowing letter. Circulation, as a lways with a speciali s ed publication, was the problem.

"Why do I Like the Gazette?"

(A bove) Prices again - this time in J une 1928. Super (that word has

For several reasons! First of all I like its convenient size, the clean type, the good paper, the way the headings, photographs and general "layout" are arranged, and its prompt appearance with a new sheet on the ca lendar! come back again) ambulances from £35 0 comple e! - Sha ll we have half -a-dozen?

( Lef t) The July 1931 issue co mmemorated the centenary of he re-establishing of the Order in England in 1831 with this rather ethereal drawing titled 'Continuity'

I take the paper because I feel I ought to, and if there were a dozen other journals devoted to the work of St. John I should still take this one as the official paper, For a magazine still in its infancy we are indeed well served. Looking back I And many papers of unusual interes t by notable contributors, There have been some very helpful contributions, too, o n such subjects as modern ambulance car s, the work of various officers, public du t y, competitions, transport , etc, District and overseas news r always read. In this we can beneAr by each other' s experiences, as we also can in the newer feature headed " Interesting Ca s e Reports." The "Queries ' column is, of course, valuable, and I should like to see it necessary for the Editor to have to allow double space for this. I hope this page, and the publication of competition tests with marks will always be well maintained.

In these days of " certiAed net sales," I often wonder what the Agure for circulation is. With a Bngade strength at home of over 50,000 it ought to be very considerable since every issue contains something of interest for every member irrespective of rank.

The more subscribers the bigger and better the magazine must be. I think that every Superintendent should be urged to repeated ly more subscribers wlthil1 hiS Corps or Without wishing to appear patroniSing r feel sure everyone will see a steady fllilrked improvement since the Arst number was issued. May this happy state be continued, as, indeed, it will be if Brigade member s do their part.

R. I. GARDNER ] Divisional Secretary , Cheltenham Town Division.

The leading article of the March 1930 issue referred to Brigade members going afloat with the Whitby lifeboat:

The Brigade at Sea

The age of romance is not yet passed, and the maritime exploits of St. John were not concluded when th e last galle y manned by Knight s of the Order, returned to port at Malta.

Member s of the Whitby Division are amongst those who " go down to the sea in ships" when occ a sion demands, and we think that a report of their last exploit deserves a mention on this page.

On February 6 the S.S Brandon wirelessed the information that there wa s an acute case of appendicitis on board and asked urgently fo r a d octor.

The situation wa s made more difficult by the fact that a heav y sea was running , but delay was impossible under the circumstances and the Whitby put to sea, carrying, in addition to her

(Left) This 1930s photograph was captioned : 'A St. John Family at Slough in Bucks. Father, Mother Son and Daughter.' Their names? - Ambulance Officer Mrs. Hall Sergeant Ha l, Nursing Sister M. Hall, and Cpl. H a ll Cadet. Are the chi dren still with St. John, we wonder?

'Postiton of Cane when carried by Officers.' This diagram was published with a letter from Col. C, I Ellis Surgeon - inChief saying that this was h e instruct on given to a ll off cers attending the Royal Review Hyde Park , in June1931

A raeey photograph of the 30s. Caption is Inspection Sou h East Lanes Corps and Di visions No 4 District at Has ingden. Aerop ane made at Haslingden, supposed to have r un into crowd Of cadets, thus In)urrng.a cons derable n um be r (Wonder whe e injured cadets are? - Everyone s h ere but t hem Sham e)

Here is Priory Day in Ca r diff early 1930s , with the Lady Mayoress of Cardiff, Mrs, William Charles , and Sir Herbert Lewis 'purchasing emblems at the Priory Hous e s a l'

usual crew , Dr. Gillan , Ambulance Offlcer Hood , and Private Wheatley.

The doctor and ambulance offlcer were eventually able to get aboard the S.S. Brandon and prepared the patient - the chief engineer - for removal , but the business of getti ng the loaded stretcher into the lifeboat was anything but easy owing to the fact that the heavy seas were causing a Afteen feet rise and fall of the lifeboat.

This business was, however , effected without jolt or jar to the patient and the stretcher was recei ved into the lifeboat by Private Wheatley under the supervision of Coastguard Knowles. Within a reasonabl y short period from the time of call the patient was safel y in the Whitby War Memorial Hosp ital.

This is the second occasion in 1930 on which the Whitby lifeboat has been out with St. John men on board: but whilst members of the Division probably regard it as part of their normal routine, we should like to congratulate them on a dirAcult job erAciently

By April 1930 a new column called AMUSING INCIDENTS was pub lished and readers were invited to send in stories connected with Associat ion and Brigade work, Our ST JOHN STORIES is, of course. the successor of this column. Here

are some of the amusing incidents of St. John in 1930:

The Shock Resister

During an Association class the doctor asked: " How can shock occur?" Various answers were given, such as shock after accident , electric shock, sudden immersion in icy water. etc., etc.

The doctor. noticing that a dreamylooking student was no t paying attention, asked him: ' What else could give you a shock?" The student made no reply. and the doctor, after a pause, asked: "Supposing you were at your work and you saw a man caught fast in some machiner y . He is whirled round and round , and hi s blood and flesh and bones are bein g flung all o ver the place Wouldn't that give you a shock?"

The student considered for a moment; then he replied: "Aye , .. it might! " MEDALLlON 318,194

In (Attache) Case of Need

The Instructor. at a class held here. was dealing with the question of splint s and was emphasising the fact that when the above appliances are not available. the upper limb. if fractured. may be tied to the trunk.

A member of the class was somewhat puzzled over the trunk business, for. on

An "Erring" Cadet

" Bones of the Human Bod y" He asked

lad if he had

idea a s to the number of bones in the bod y Back came the repl y : " I onl y know I' v e g o t one m o re th a n u s ua l. We had red herrin g for tea! " MEDA L LION 304 ,4 65

In June 1931 the first cro ss word appe are d in the Gazette and the foll ow ing April a photo gr aph a pp e ared on the front co ve r of the magazine for the fir st time. But edit o r Peter Che y ne y wa s ob vi ou sly concern e d about getting good pictur es for that n ew cover. He wrote: Needles s t o s ay we mu st be sent good prints. And our enthu s ia st ic friend in the Midlands who send s u s th e tiniest s nap s hot s with unfailing regular ity (in spite of our ju st -a s -r egular protests) w ill h a ve to get a larger c amer a, if he wants t o s c o r e on the front c ov e r !'

And so the Gazette w ent on being publish e d e ver y month , impr ov in g wi t h e ac h issue. A fir s a id problem s competition of 150 words (fir s t prize , one guinea) beg a n in 1932. An action ph o tograph - of member s at a football match at Highbury - appe a red in 1934. By February 1937 the magazin e cont a ined 32 page s a nd wa s no w probably in it s mo s influential years under its fi rs editor ; it had taken n ine year s to reall y

A mobile dressing station, Guildford Corps of 1936, Towed by t h e Corps am bu l ance (bottom p hoto). the caravan h ad a very homely stab e-type s de door (middle photol, The cost: about £ 1 50 But n o copying , pleasea patent had been applied for,

es t a bli s h th e jo u rna l. B ut t h en came the rumbl in gs o f Wo r ld Wa r Two, which the G azette re fl ec t ed in its articles on Civil D e fence a nd o th e r e m e r ge n cy preparations, S oo n aft er t he war ha d begun , the shortage o f p a p er red u ced h e Gazette to 24 page s. And th en i n Octo

fo r many years the privately pu b li s hed ma gaz in e F ir st Aid, which was s ar ted in 189 4 Th e G azette's price was st il l

3d a cop y ,

published 13 years earli e r' During the war y ears the Gaz

wa pub lished in pocket size,

shortage

issue.

In 1950 it reverted t o its ori g inal siz e it s title was changed to s impl y The Review, and it now c o st 4d a copy. After a s erie s of editors, in 1966 it becam e the St. John Review. As it still is of cour se, now that it is celebrating its 50th birthday. The pre se nt editor has b een at the helm since 1970.

A ai lpi ece from 19 32 , (iI) 'Iii

Dr. Brian Lewis, FFARCS, Assistant County Surgeon for Kent writes about the changing role of SJA

STRETCHERING

OUR SERVICE

MY OWN active involvement with the St. J o hn Ambu lance Brigade covers only the last decade, but for some years before that J would occasionally lecture or examine classes of first - aiders wherever I happened to be working in the local hospital. The wandering life of the junior hospital doctor allied to the long hours of duty made continuity of service almost an impossibility.

Apart from the routine teaching , examin ing and judging of competition s like hundreds of other doctors I occasionally spend my spare time covering events fi'or the Br igade. Last year these included a variety of Ju bil ee public occasions the Trooping of t he Colour, Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph, and the Notting Hill Carnival.

Medical officers from the home counties are often called in on these occasions to assist their London colleagues when vast numbers of sightseers are expected In common with most people I have a love/ hate relatio nship with this sort of duty , in that it usually comes up when you would like to be watching something yourself or just putting your feet up. On the other hand, they are fascinating as you see the various public services at their best and also large numbers of happy people. The latter is not often seen in my normal working life.

M ob violence

However, the pattern of these duties a pp ears to be changing , and mob violence rea r s i s ugly head all too often. Notting Hill last year was caught in the floodlight of the med a, and contained all the components lik ely to spark otT trouble - large numbers, yo un g people , and a target for political a gita t o r s of both right and left. It presented a n inc redi bl e contrast, almost like a morfi lity pla y highlighting good and bad: the fun and good humour of a magnificent carnival well o rg an ised and well presented, perfect weath er , steel bands, and what appeared to be exem plary race relations.

Th e Police were understood to be main taining a low profile. Certainly very few were to be seen on the streets, and these were kept bu sy directing visitors. Stewards and POlic e were on friendly terms, and coope ration appeared to be first class. Con t rar y to some press reports, the majority

of the locals tUlrned out and seemed to be enjoying the day as much as the visitors

But as dusk fell just after eight o'clock all hell was let loose. In the next couple of hours we saw some of the worst street fighting I have ever encounteredrobberies , knifings , broken bottles, spinning slates and bricks hurled at anyone who showed themselves. I have seen violence before with rival gangs at football matches having a go at each other , but senseless violence launched against innocent people who minutes before had been enjo y ing a wonderful Bank Holida y is almo s beyond belief I cannot praise too highly the Police , the carnival stewards , the London Ambulance Service and the St. John personnel who were on duty they worked together efficientl y and cheerfully with a spirit that must have reminded many Londoners of the blitz

Risk

Plans to transport the injured to accident centres proved impossible partly because of the mass of people blocking the streets , and , much more importantly because of the risk to crews and vehicles. Consequently we had to carry out more advanced medical treatment than is normally undertaken at first aid posts.

What can we learn from such a day?

First , I suppose that viciousness and violence are only just below the surface in our society, and secondly, that a small number of people can spark it otT to catalyse others into behaviour that they would never normally condone.

The etTects of mob violence are most clearly seen in their injuries to individuals : yet they atTect t he freedom of us all. T he cost of providing Police and public services from the rates and raising money for the vo luntary services is going to be impossible if this trend continues. Yet it would be tragic if h e enjoyment of the majority has to be curtailed because of the psychopathic beh.aviour of a few.

Recent years have also seen a marked change in the organisation of St. John activities and of the 'hardware' employed. Armed with a first aid kit, I can remember attending dqnkey derbies organised by

groups of

sting, or an occasional graze.

Today, fully equipped caravans and motorised first aid units contain everything from suture materials to Entonox and cardiac defibrillators. Ambuiances and fi rst aid units are equipped with radio and even the foot personnel are directed by walkietalkies.

Yet one thing has not changed: St. J ohn is still a disciplined force. It has a r ange of ranks each unhesitatingly doing what they are told by those above. There is not a hint of consensus management in sight. No management teams are developed. There is a minimum of paper and everyone is unpaid. What is so fascinating is that many of the members of the Brigade are drawn from the health service - consultants, GPs administrators ambulance drivers - you name it , they are there. Yet the cooperation and morale exhibited by these off-duty workers would astonish those who know them in their everyday lives, so often busily defending their roles and their rights. Why do they work for St. John voluntarily and cheerfully when so many of them resent doing it for tne - NHS? Perhaps because they are treated as, individuals and with courtesy. Please and thank you are words in common use; senior officers make every attempt to ensure that meals are provided in congenial surroundings, good food and served hot; other supp lies are delivered in adequate quantities to the un ts on si te. Considera ble etTort is ma d e to ensure that those without transport get a lift home, and within days of the event everyone receives an acknowledgement of their etTorts. No m atter h ow sho rt h e health service may be of money I cannot help thinking that the DHSS would do well to organise a management course for its statT and bosses to d iscover why St. John can succeed where they have failed. They could set up a research department and a computer programme to discover what the secret is, and some day they would find that what they really need to do is genuinely care a b out the individual and say thank you. (Reprinted from (he Genera! Practitioner).

Dr Brian Lew s

sweating rotarians, where the major cala m it ies were a lost chi d, a bee

Keith Fothergill and Neil Tucker hail from Guernsey's St. John Ambulance and Rescue Service. Both are members of the St. John Guernsey Cliff Rescue team, and recently spent a week at a National Mountain Rescue S eminar at Plas y Brenin, in the hear' of Sno wdonia. T we lve mountain rescue team leaders from all over Britain and Northern Ireland took part in the seminar , which was held to provide an opportunity for the exchange of ideas and the testing of advanced rescue techniques. Neil Tucker describes their winter week in Wal es.

ANY HOPES we had of spending a pleasant week's hol iday in the beautiful scener y of North Wales were soon dashed. We had arrived at Plas y Brenin only a few hour s earlier Qn the first evening, and were introducing ourselves to the other member s of the seminar , when the duty instructor hurried into the room. We were to go to immediate standby. for a climber who had fallen on &nowdon and his companion who was reported injured. He asked us to equip ourselves with ice-axes and crampon s, a s there w.as heavy snow in the area and the mountain rescue team on the scene would call us out if they needed ass istance.

Two hours later we were told we could stand down as the injured climber had been found. The fallen climber had been killed , bu t his recovery was being left until da y break as conditions were too bad to risk e v acuation that night.

Those few hours spent by a radio , preparing to go out into totally strange surroundings , in unfamiliar condition s at night , were an introduction to a week which was to prove far from leisurely!

Sunday

On Sunday, we were air-lifted by a Wessex helicopter from RAF Valley , 22 Squadron , to a 2600ft peak some mi les from the Centre. Ouring the flight winds of up to 80 knots were recorded by the aircrafts instruments. A casualty had been placed on a ledge about 200 feet below the summit, and our brief was to evacuate him to safetywithout the use of the helicopter!

A Thomas stretcher was lowered to the casualty, then pendulumed across the rock face to a steep gulley Belays were used all the way down this gulley, as the surface sloped by up to 50 degrees and consisted of loose,. crumbling rock, which at times was ice-covered. After a descent of perhaps 1000 feet, a partly frozen, sloping boulder field was crossed to a waiting Landrover.

Monday

On Monday, with muscles feeling very stiff from the previous day's exercise, we travelled by vah to a large crag in Ogwen

While many of us were laid up with 'flu during the winter, NEil TUCKER went to Snowdonia to exchange ideas on

Mountain rescue

V a lle y Here , a 200 fe et ro c k face wa s u s ed to ex periment w ith va riou s ide a s Eve r y on e tried equipment and method s w hich th ey had not used before then we a ll joined forc es to test two pre vio u sly untried method s of removing c a sualties o ne a stretcher ca s e a nd the other uninjured fr om a clifT face. Thi s proved a ver y useful a nd informativ e da y, but it was surpri s ing ho w a n ov elt y s uch as s now and sleet (we d o com e from Gu ernsey, after all!) could wear ofT s o quickl y !

Tuesday

The merely aching mu s cle s of M o nda y had b y now turned t o ex tremel y pa inful limbs. Our br iefing was to e va cuate a casualt y who had b een injured 400 feet underground in a di s- use d s a te min e Th e e ntranc e to the min e in v olv ed a climb of 200 feet down a quarr y, an d once in th e min e w e found the ca s ualt y aft e r c r o ssi n g fi ve underground lakes E ach lake w a s n a l a r ge cavern connected by a narro w tun n el to th e next. We split into three group s for th e e v acuation and had t wo inflatable din g hi es w ith which to cro s s th e lake s. Whil st K e it h was ferrying equipment bet ween the s eco nd and third lakes, I was helping to se t up belays to bring the stretcher up a s lipper y 4 5 degree slope to the mine entrance

Many of the methods u s ed were famili a r to Keith and my s elf a s we u s e s imil a r technique s when re s cuing anim a 1.s and people from quarries in Guernse y Afte r a total of four hours underground we emer ged into the light with the casualty , and s topped to extract some cru s hed sandwiche s and tepid coffee from our rucksacks. With mi s t , sleet , and darkne s s falling , it was decided to abandon the extraction of the casualt y from the 200 feet quarry. In fact , the 'casu alty ' to carr y some of the gear during the climb out of the quarry and the mile and a half trek along a hill path to the Landrover.

Wednesday

By this time , our complaining limb s had resigned themselves to a week of hard work and were beginning to show signs of life once more. Today we were driven across Anglesey to the coast at Holyhead At las t with the smell of salt air and the sound of the sea, we

Thursday

Ou r ast d ay consisted of a jo int exe r cise with the RA F, RNLI a n d H M Coastguar d On the co ast nea r Lla ndu d n o we we nt t o a cliff about h a lf a mi le fr om t he nearest road. Initiall y we descended about 100 feet to a verti ca section of rock, abse il ed down t h is 50 feet face, and then descended further along th e clifT to a ledge about 200 feet a bov e sea level. Here, we set up belays for a ho r izo nt al lift of a Bell mou n tain stretcher from th e b ase o f th e clifT. We th en climbed ba ck up t o o b serve a Coastg u ard rescue just a round th e h ea dl and.

id e of th

gu ll ey By the im e t h is was com pl et ed, we we r e soaked t h ro u g h , a nd a lm os t n u mb with the co ld" but o ur ns tru c t o r dec ided we s h o ul d r epeat the exe r c ise u s ing a d iffe ren t p ull ey sys t e m O ur in str u c t o r 's p o pul arity decl in ed steadi ly thro u g h o u the week ! T his second exercise was completed just as light was failing, and o n t h e long drive back to the centre. which t ook u s t hr ough L1a n fairpwllgwyngyllgo · ge r yc h wy rnd ro b w lili a n di s ili ogogogoch (J think !), most of us took t he c h ance to catch a few minut es' s leep in pre p arat io n for the n igh t exercise w h ich lay a h ead.

Night ex erci s e

B y t he time we had de - br iefed on the g ull ey r escue, we h ad j u st over ha lf an hour to dr y o u t and ea t so m e din ner before the ni g ht exer c ise. Fo r thi s, t h e se m n ar was s pl it int o two gr o up s I was in a grou p of fi ve w hi c h h a d to find a n uninju re d but fr g h te ne d cas u a ty s o mew he r e a b ove a 20 0 feet high c r ag. He wo uld n eed to b e esco rt ed down to th e to p of th e cra g, th e n lo we r e d in a trag s it z h a rn ess o n a bac k d ow n th e fa c e o f th e cr ag. Ke i th w as in th e seco nd group which h a d a n injur e d p a ti en to re s cue lowering him in a stre t cher d ow n the other side of the crag

A s lope of 50 d egrees o f ver y lo o se, slipp e ry scre e , wet from melting sno w, w as climbed for a height of a bou t 500 fee t o reach the top o f th e cr ag Both e xer cises wer e undertaken in darkne ss, w ith headlamps being us ed , and two s e a r c hli g ht s ill uminating th e stretcher de s cen t from below. We managed to complete bo t h exerci ses just before midnight , on e contributory factor to th e speed of th e operation be ing a rrangement s from th e Centre 's b a r to be o pe ne d on o ur return!

Th e C oastguard rescue was simi lar to the r es cu es we p e r form in Guernsey (where we pro vid e t he services norma ll y covered by the Coas t g u ards in the UK). A Paraguard s tre tc her was lowered down t he clifT, the c as ualty sec ur ed, and t h e n lowered further to a wa it ing R NLI in shore lifeboat. W hen a h e licopter from RAF Va ll ey a r r i ve d , ou r instructor dec ided to try so meth ing new. The he licopter would try to li ft a p atient in a Neil Robertson stretcher fr om a Bel stretcher hanging vertically on th e cl iff face. The helicopter crew agreed to tr y thi s, r ese r ving the right to abandon the a ttem pt if it proved too dangerous. This mea nt we had to a lter all the belays we had set up - going around the headland, down th e 100 feet slope, abseiling the 50 feet section and climbing round to the ledge in orde r to do so! Our instructor s popularity reached an all-time low at this stage! The exe r cise took some hours to complete, the heli copter making several attempts before s uc ceed n g When the casualty had finally bee n rescued, de - rigging took place in the alltoo fami liar driving sleet and gathering d ark ness.

Con c lusio n

Aft e r t he first exhaus{ing day our initia l react ion h ad been tho u g h ts of stea ling ' quietl y away and hid in g somewhere until we could ge b ack to G u ernsey. On reflection, however we both lea rn ed a great deal. Each d ay 's exerc se was fo ll owed by an evening di s cus s i on o n resc u e techniques or equipm e n t or first aid a nd so on, and the instructor s were at pains to emp h as se that this was n ot a co u rse; it was a seminar for rescue te a m leaders o exc h a nge ideas a n d test ad van ced techniques As s u c h , it was a g r eat s u ccess It was p h ysically very exhau stin g a n d m enta ll y highly stimulating.

Althou g h we do not have a n y mountains in Guern sey, h e exercises on crags, quar r ies, cliffs and sheer faces invo lved techniques which a r e easily adap ed for u se by Guern se y's St. John cl iff resc u e t eam Now we have r ecovered from th e b ru ises and enlarged hearts, we' ll be spending t h e next few month s p a,ss ing on all that we earned to the rest o f o ur tea m

ON WA LLS OF ROCK

On the Wednesday - preparations for raising the stretche r up the gulley , with two men (in background) on the other side of the 250ft wide gulley The author is in the foreground with Keith Fothergill behind him

Photos Neil Tucker Monday - two members demonstrating one way of accompanying a Thoma s stretcher up a cliff face

THE FURLEYCUP

The Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief Gerald Easton writes:

Here at Headquarters we have been given a most generous gift - a cup - in honour of the memory of Sir John Furley.

A Knight of the Order of St. John, Sir John Furley was founder of the St. John Ambulance Association and the first Commissioner of the British Red Cross Society. As a. result of his efforts an Ambulance Service was formed at Burslem in the Potteries in 1872 which was said to be? the forerunner of what we now know as the Brigade. The object behind thiS' gift is for a competition that will encourage Divisions to undertake really enterprising projects and by doing so improve their service to mankind.

We have had discussions at Headquarters about the form that stJch a competition should take but would like proposals from you in the Counties before proceeding.

Perhaps we should award the cup in the first year to the member who comes up with the proposal that finally becomes the subject of the competition.

Please forward any suggestions that you may have to me at Headquarters, I Grosvenor Crescent, London, SWIX 7EF.

AWARD

We are delighted to hear that Ambulance Member Ernest Beasley, of No 342 Hackney Combined Division, has been awarded a Testimonial on Parchment ' by the Royal Humane Society for his rescue from the Regent Canal on July 22 last year.

TO CANADA

A party of 10 ambulance and 10 nursing members has now been selected to join the Brigade in Canada in carrying out first aid duties at the Commonwealth Games which will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, from August 3 to 12 The group will be led by Alan McKay, Staff Officer to the C-in-C at

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S G.OING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST . JOHN

BY THE EDITOR

MIND BENDERS

FOR QUEEN MOTHER

When the Queen Mother who has been SJA's Commandant -in-C hief (Nursing) since May 1928 - 50 years ago this month - visited the Ideal Homes Exhibition at Olympia during March, she was presented with an SOS Talisman by % Linda Dominguez of Pimlico Combined Cadet Divis ion. (Photo: Keystone Press Agency)

Brigade Headquarters , and is drawn from Engli::tnd, Wales Northern Ireland Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

They will leave London, Heathrow , on Monday July 31 and whilst in Edmonton will be staying with their opposite numbers the Brigade there. At the conclusion of the Games they have been invited to visit Calgary and Southern Alberta for a week's holiday again staying in the homes of Brigade members It is hoped to see something of the Rocky Mountains and such well-known resorts as Banff Springs. They will leave for the return to England on August 31.

GEORGE WOODHILL, MBE

Mr. George Woodhill, who joined the stafT at Headquarters some 20 years ago as Brigade Secretary , resigned from his present appointment of Director Aeromedical Services at the end of April.

At the merge r of the Association and Brigade just over 10 years ago, George had the unenviable task of organising the present Registry to service the many and diverse problems common to both branches. In his 9 years as Registrar his human qualities and his infinite concern over the problems of others earned him a la sting place in th e

2.

3.

4

Answers: Upside

- are at

of page 10 8. No cheating.

development are well known to readers of the Review.

His many friends in the Order, in the Association and in the Brigade be pleased to know that in moving to the commercial side of aviation medicine he will remain as a voluntary Staff Officer to the Commissioner-in-C hief.

The new Director of Aeromedical Services is Wing Commander H. G. Currell, MVO, DFC , AFC, who left the RAF early this year after 36 years service. Welcome to St. John.

ROYAL TOURNAMENT

The Royal Tournament takes place at Earl's Court London from July 12 - 29 (excluding Sundays and Monday afternoons) and the Committee has again agreed to allot St. John Ambulance a special performance at which HRH The Grand Prior will take the salute and one of our Cadet Bands will parade in the arena.

This performance will begin at 7.30 pm on Monday, July 24. A leaflet, giving details of the Tournament and booking arrangements, is enclosed with this issue of the Review. There is a 10 % reduction in price for bookings of ten seats or more.

The Commissioner -in - Chief hopes that many Adult and Cadet members will take the opportunity to attend this performance and give our display the ovation it deserves.

(Above) The C-i n-C Major Gen Desmond Gordon and the Chief Commander S ir Maurice Dorman (right), with Chelsea Pens ioners at the Royal Hospi tal Chelsea , during March when two new fully-equipped ambulances were dedicated and handed over to the Brigade The vehicles each costing about [22 000 were a gift from Mrs. Marcel Wallace of Paris , who unfortuna t ely could not be at the ceremony. One ambulance will be used by London s S E Area , to cover aeromedical services at Gatwick the other by Berkshire s Slough area to cover Londo n Airport The C-in-C later gave a personal gift to the Pens ioners, one of whom wore the SJA Long Service Medal. The Gove nor of the Royal Hospital from 1943-49 was G eneral S Clive Liddell who was Ch i ef Commissioner of the Brigade from 1943 to 47 Old inks re-established NEWHQ

SJA Derbyshire s new headquarters at 45 Dale Road , Matlock was opened by the County Commander , Col. P Hilton, last December 21. The premises which have been leased by the St. John Council for Derbyshire , include an office each for the Association and the Brigade.

BANK HOLIDAY EVENT

Warwickshire North Area , I hear, is organising a second Annual Open First Aid Competition on Bank Holiday Monday, May 29. The event was first staged last year as part of the Area's centenary gala and attracted over 26 teams from all parts of the

NEW UNIT

BRISTOL and AVON: A/Pres. Mrs. Marina Dolman presents D!Supt. George Andrews (now county pool) with his 45 years certi ficate at a match at Bristol City Football Ground, where George has attended some 4,000 casualties during 30 years of duty. (Photo: Bristol Evening Post)

first aid competition and the bowls tournament can be obtained from Div. Supt. N. Lloyd, 75, Cumberland Drive Lindley Park, Nuneaton.

TOGETHERNESS

By coincidence, I hear that Colonel Robert Ollerenshaw Commander SJ Greater Manchester , was at Buckingham Palace recently when the Queen was pricking his name on the Lites with a bodkin - in other words, Col. Ollerenshaw will be the next High Sheriff of Greater Manchester.

65-year-old Bob Ollerenshaw , who is a former honorary surgeon to the Queen , was in fact accompanying his wife Dame Kathleen to the Palace this time, where she was to be made an honorary Fellow of the City and Guilds Institute by Prince Philip. Dame Kathleen is of course chairman of the Council of the Order in Greater Manchester. I'm informed by Greater Manchester PRO Ron Pipes that the ceremony of the Lites (probably Norman French for Lists) involves the Queen being presented with parchments on which are written the names of candic;lates for the office of High Sheriff, the oldest non-ecclesiastical office in the country and probably dating back to Saxon days. She chooses the candidate by pricking his name with a bodkin (a blunt needle), a custom that goes back to the days of Elizabeth 1 and which, according to wags, saved monarchs the agony of putting pen to paper.

Bob is expected to take office during April.

60VEARS

COMPETITION HAZARD

I hear from West Midlands that after last year's County Nursing Care Competitions , held at their Birmingham headquarters, one of their divisional superintendents received a telephone call late that night from a male admirer asking for the address or phone

(Right) Mr. John Dane presi dent of Shirley Nursing Cadets Croydon cutt ng the cake at a divisional party last year to celeb rate his 60th year with t he Brig ade. With h im is his wife, Eleanor Mr Dane 78 , was a member of No 51 (Croydon) Division and formed C4 Cadet Div is ion (Photo: The Advertiser , S Croydon) ,numbet of one of the young ladies who had taken part in the competition. It is not recorded what the superintendent replied, having been got out of bed by the caller, but I understand the subject is now closed.

HANDING OVER

The Assistant C-in-C Gerald Easton writes on what we all have to face - and face gracefully, we hope - handing over to a younger person:

I would like to place on record my appreciation of the way in which our - and

'readers ; but that does not a la s, bring in the subscriptions that would enable us to improve and expand the service that we would like to offer. And besides more 'subscribers, we would also welcome more contributors, since the Editor can only publish the material that he receives and if he 's to maintain and improve the quality of the publicati on he must recei ve a good deal more material than he has room for, so that he can be selective and publish only the very best , and so that he can have a bank' of worth-while contributions on less immediatel y topical subjects to draw from when red hot news is in short supply.

AT RANDOM

(Contd. from p.97)

Was this a dream?

The Assistant Cin-C , Gerald Easton

I feel I am starting to be able to say ourmuch revered Watkin Williams spent his last few months in the Brigade.

I am sure you are all aware of his meticulous attention to detail, regard for form and his deep interest in the Brigade. You can be certain, therefore, that although he would have loved to continue as Deputy C-in-C he passed on his appointment only after doing his utmost to train me in the limited time that was available.

In this he performed what was probably one of the most important tasks of his long career and I sincerely hope that I managed to learn enough in that time to follow successfully in his footsteps.

It would be well if his example was fully appreciated by all of us. When the time for retirement approaches, one's most important task is to train a successor.

MIND BENDERS (answers) 'J;) 41 0J 8 llu!JlJ;)S '17 'J;)pJO ;)41 JO s14 11!U)l £ 'P;)l!Mo'JQ 'Z ';)u;)!ll'AH 'r

I only hope that when I reach the mandatory age for retirement, r can as cheerfully hand over to a younger man; and be able to pass on some of the lore of St. John before I go, which is so essential to ensure the continuance of the standards of St. John.

TO SUSTAIN LIFE

The Visual Aid Secretary, Philip Adams at Headquarters, tells me that 16mm prints of the Centenary film To Sustain Life have at long last arrived at Headquarters. Copies of the film are on sale at £80 each but preview loan copies are also available at £5 a booking. "(he film has been shown to one or two St. John Ambulance audiences and has been exceptionally well received.

RNSBR

Our article about the Royal Naval Sick Berth Reserve in the March issue was of course, compiled from many contributions from readers in response to a request last year. One contributor was Supt. L. S. Walker, of Shirley , Croydon, who kindly supplied the copy of the History of the Royal Naval Sick Berth Staff as published. Two members of Mr. Walker's Division , Mr. Keyse and Mr. Mathers, lost their lives as RNSB staff during World War 11.

NURSES COURSES

The Nurses Christian Fellowship weekly courses for those interested in nursing as a career are open to 15 to 19 year olds at four centres in Somerset, Hants, Sussex and Liverpool during August. Fees are from £35 to £45. Full details from: The Summer Schools Registrar, Nurses Christian Fellowship, 277 A Ewell Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 7 AX.

CATALOGUES

Three new Audio Visual Aid catalogues dealing with science, humanities and geography in slides, filmstrips overhead projector and cassettes , are available free, from Audio Visual Productions, 15 Temple Sheen Road, London SW14 7PY.

I was interested to note that in the early years of our magazine we regularly published Brigade Orders. Why this practice was discontinued I have no idea ; but I hope I may without impropriety express my belief that if at some future time it should be resumed it could not only save the Order and the Foundation the considerable cost of the separate publication and distribution of Brigade Orders , but would also result in both Brigade Orders and the Review being, more widely read than either of them is at present! Be that as it may , my own pipe -dream for the not too distant future is that with your help we shal l be ab le to increase the number of our contributors, our subscribers and consequently our advertisers , to an extent which will enable us to provide you with a bigger and better Review with no increase in cover price except what may alas be dictated by inflation.

No pipe-dream this A few weeks ago I happened to attend a meeting and dinner at which, though the event had no official connection with St. John most of those present had some St. John affiliation in many different parts of the country. A totat:tranger came up and told me that in his neighbourhood they were using the Review as an essential part of their training of cadets, since there was nothing like it for giving cadets a wide vision of the world of St. John and making them feel proud of belonging to , and being actively involved in , something infinitely bigger than their local unit. A minutes later another stranger came up and said I've been puzzling all the evening where it was I've seen you before, and I've just realised that of course it was in the Review.' And he added modestly : 'I'm only an ordinary Ambulance Member, but I've never been able to :understand why, although we have a large and flourishin g combined division , we only take in ten copies of the Review each month.'

I couldn't help thinking that if all cadet divisions used the Review as part of their training material, and if all 'large and flourishing combined divisions' took in as many as 10 copies a montQ , my pipe -dream would be well on the way to coming true!

A large gathering of pilots and flight controllers of the St. John Air Wing, many acco mpanied by their wife or husband, spent a delightful evening on' March 10 at a reception held in the Council Chamber at St. John's Gate followed by a buffet supper in the Chapter Hall , to marlcthe Air Wing 's 6th birthday. The 135 guests were received on arrival by Major-Gen. Desmond Gordon (Cin-C), Squadron - Leader H. G. (,Pat') Pattison (Senior Pilot & Air Operations Coordinator) and Wing-Commander Harry Drummond (Senior Flight Controlle'r).

Specially invited guests inc luded Dr. G. H. Tovey (Director) and Mr. P. M. Brooman (Senior Administrator) of the U.K. Transplant Service Mr. Norman Payne (Chairman) and Mr. C. 1. Burnle y (Financial Director) of the British Airports Authority, Mr. P. A. Robinson (Commercial Manager of the Civil Aviation Authority) and Mr. Ray Tennick representing NECKTA (North-East Counties Kidney Transplant Association, all of whose members are former transplant patients who show their gratitude by raising funds for kidney research).

After supper the C-in-C introduced two speakers who had asked to be given a chance to pay tribute to the Air Wing: Dr. Tovey, who spoke in glowing terms of the efficiency and reliability with which the Air Wing had made a very large number of kidney (and, more recently, liver) transplant operations possible at times when other transport was unavailable (usually at night and sometimes under very difficult weather conditions); and Mr. Tennick , whose evidently robust health gave no hint that he had received a successful kidney transplant 7 years ago and who paid a moving tribute, flecked with light-hearted touches of humour , on behalf of the large number of those for whom the Air Wing now makes possible the extended lease of life that he had the good fortune to receive shortly before the Air Wing came into being. We were then shown an excellent short film of a simulated Air Wing 'kidneyrun' mission made by Thames TV for its Magpie programme in May 1977.

The S1. John Air Wing , conceived from a project undertaken by the Epping Combined Division in 1971, was brought to birth at an historic meeting held at Alexander Fleming House on February 16 1972' under the chairmanship of an Assistant Secretary at the DHSS; and five of the ten persons who attended that meeting were present at its

recent birthday party - Dr. Tovey, Mr Brooman , Sq - Ldr. Pattison, Inspector Bob Peedle of the Metropolitan Police (who in 1972 was Supt. of the Epping St. John Division) and myself.

The DHSS had understandable misgivings about whether a 'loluntary organisation such as S1. John was capable of providing emergency transport for kidneys at any hour of any day or night having in mind the very short time-limit within which a kidney can 'survive' for transplant. But by the end of the meeting the chairman had cautiously agreed that the Air Wing would be called out on any rare occasions when transport was impossible by other normal means , adding the warning that this might be no more than twice a year. To his eternal credit , Pat Pattison instantly replied 'If it only saves one life a year, it'll be worth it!'

In the event, the first call came within a week of that meeting, and during 1972 the Air Wing transported 8.2% of the total number of kidneys used in transplant operations; in 1973 the figure rose to 15.9%; in the next 3 years it dropped slightly, but never below 12%; while in 1977 (partly owing to the recent development of liver transplants, fo r which the whole surgical team has to be transported to the donor, then on to the recipient and finally back to their base) it soared to a record 25%.

Granted that only a very tiny proportion of the total number of St. John members are involved in the activities of the Air Wing, they represent a development in our Service to Mankind of which we can alJ be justly proud. For all the volunteers involved in this life-saving service , whether pilots or flight controllers receive no material return but their out-of-pocket expenses; they , and inevitably their families, are roused from sleep at any hour of the night and have to remain on duty till the mission is accomplished - sometimes only just in time (if that) to start their next day's

if any further

were

GROUP A

and

PRIZE WINNING ENTRIES

Photographic Competition

Black

White

left) WINNER : NM Malcolm S Hick ing , of CheSler

GROUP 0

Colour, under 16 years old

(With so few entries in Group E, black and white, under 16 years old, the prize for this Group was withdrawn)

VISUAL AIDS

HAZCHEM 16mm film, 18 mins. Free loan.

Distributed by: B.P. Film Library, 15 Beaconsfield Road, London NWIO 2LE.

Content: This instructional film shows the new vehicle coding relating to the transport of hazardous chemicals .

Appraisal: This is an excellent film that is well produced succinct , upto-date convincing and spectacular. It gives a very fair assessment of the value of the new HAZCHEM Code , the laboratory illustrations are noteworthy and although of primary importance to the Industry and Police and Rescue Ser vice it could be screened un iversally. Strongly recommended

The film is produced for a specific audience in Canada and a s such is in t eresting and informative. The mise-en -scene is different to that in the U.K _ but there is no reason why the film should not be used as general interest within a first aid situation providing an instructor explains difference in procedure.

MOUNTAIN RESCUE. 16mm film, 14 mins. Hire: £4.75 plus VAT.

Distributed by: National Audio-Visual Aids Library 2 Paxton Place, Gipsy Road, London S.E. 27.

Content: Shot in the mountain s o f Briti s h Columbia, th is film demon s trate s three b as ic t y pe s of mountain res cue. A climber s uffering from a minor injur y is carried out on the back o f a fellow climber ; a victim of a broken bone is eased down the mountain face ; an unconscious climber is carried out by a helicopter for proper medical attention.

Appraisal: Thi s film addressed to school s mainl y but also to an audience universal , s tresses the necessity of acquiring sufficient knowledge and skill to meet any emergenc y It is quite well made , interesting in its scenic background and fulfils it s s tated purpose ; is not a film about first aid

Audience: Mountain rescue t eams, climbers hiker s. U s eful for general interest purpos e

ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION. 16mm film, 8 mins. Hire: £3.00 plus VAT.

Distributed by: National Audio-VJsuai Aids Library.

Content: Two methods of artificial respiration are shown. The mouthto-mouth method is demonstrated in a variety of situations The Sylvester method of manual artificial respiration is then shown and its advantages pointed out

Appraisal: This film has a Water Safety context and is designed to prevent drowning and to demonstrate two methods of emergency resuscitation.

This well -made little film does not follow strlctly first aid procedures as taught in the U.K.; nonetheless , it is very useful whilst the rescuer is still in the water. If u sed as a discussion film with a n appropriate instructor present it could have value.

BUSH FIRST AID (Pt. 1) 16mm film, 9 mins. Hire: £3.00 plus V AT.

Distributed by: National Audio-Visual Aids Library

Content: The film shows how to assemble a practical first aid kit from items that are readily available from a chemist or other sources. The fi rst aid kit is shown in use in a variety of situations.

Appraisal: This Canadian film is designed for use within that territory and emphasises preparation before going to an area where medical aid is not near. The first aid kit comprises many items that are not contained wi t hi n U K. kits , i.e. bar of soap pain ki ller diarrhoea pills , needle and thread for sewing up wounds , nau sea tablets.

ADOLESCENCE (Parts 1 & 2) Tape/slide presentation.

Price (Each of 3 Sets) Slide set in box - £6.95; Cassetted tape£3.95; Printed Commentary - 50p.

Distributed by: Camera Talks Ltd., 31 North Row, London WIR 2EN

Content: These s ets entitled Adolescence have been produced to use with group s of children / young people entering adolescent stage of their development.

Introduction: Adolescence is the period of time between sexual maturi ty and sexual activit y Human beings are the only members of the animal kingdom to experience adole scence. It s a time when boys grow into men and girls into women Pubert y indicates the of adolescence

Set 1 - PUBERTY 25 transparencies

This programme is clear concise , factual and '1aluable. It is not mealymouthed nor co y but strikes a good instructional balance. The majority of the transparencies are d agrammatic. Recommended.

Audience: Adolescents and y oung parents.

Set 2 - MENSTRUATION 36 transparencies

This is a good preselltation - factual well-balanced, unemotional yet sympathetic' it will be of great value to young mothers guiding their girls in respect of the subject. The presentation does not offer any' ad v ice against the use of tampons and the endocrinology might appear c omplicated to children.

Recommended

Audience: Adolescents and their parents.

THE HEALTH VISITOR Tape/slide presentation 47 trat'sp. Price Slides: £6.95; Cassette: £3.95; Teaching notes: 50p Produced in conjunction with Coventry Area Health Authority. Distributed by: Camera Talks Ltd., 31 North Row, London WIR 2EN.

Content: This presentation deals with the functions of Health Visitors and tells of qualifications and training.

AppraisaJ- Inasmuch as the presentation is by the Health Visitors Association it must be assumed that the objective of the programme is for career advice and/ or public relations. It is none the worse for that and comes across as an informatory and interesting expose of the multifari o us tasks of a Health Visitor.There are a sufficiency of slides to prev ent the presentation being too dull , on the other hand , all slides a re of people - all photographic - and coupled with a commentary lacking in sparkle a certain monotony does result.

A somewhat biased programme this that does not clearly show the G. P. as Leader of a Team .'

Audience: This presentation would have value for Careers Advice to school Ie avers , a t Nurses Training School , Social Workers and for discussion.

Recommended

COMPETITIONS

from R. A. Davis, Borough liaison Officer

As a member of the Brigade for 35 yea r s and an o fficer in the Ambulance Service, I feel it 's t ime we took a serious look at first aid competitions and asked ourselves if the y are achieving their main objective, which is to improve the standard of fir st aid? I feel th at in their present form they do not conform to realit y and therefore do not achieve this objective. I dread to think of the treatment a real patient might receive at the hands of some competition trained firs t-ai ders. Here are some of the reasons for my thoughts:

1. Is it necessary for team members to have to give a running commentary, parrot-fashion of the patient s signs and symptom s for the judge? The result is that team members are often worked up into such a nervous state that they forget to rea ss ure the patient and handle him roughly. With the advances in casualty make - up I wo uld hav e thought that this is completely unnecessary. The important thin g, surely, is correct diagnosis and treatment.

2. I feel all team members should be trained as leaders The occasions, in reality, when four members of a team are together are rare. Would it not be more realistic for one member of the team to come across an emergency situation than four? His skill and leadership in organising the bystanders would be a far greater test. If members of the team are near at hand they could be summoned later.

3. Is it necessary to have a time limit in its present form? I have seen excellent teams lose a competition because they have not loaded the patient onto the stretcher and so lost the extra points. On the other hand, I have seen very poor teams in treatment and handling , win a competition because they completed the test. I realise there must be some form of time limit, otherwise the competition would never end. But would it not be better to have penalty points (to be deducted) for teams who take too long? If a team went on for a ridiculously long time the judges should have the right to stop the test.

4. Marks are still awarded for loading the patients into the ambulance and for instructing the professional ambulanceman on how he should drive his ambulance to hospital. This is completely unreal and causes bad feeling with the Ambulance Service. It is far more important to hand the patient over correctly , ie , by mentioning such things as blood loss, stages of unconsciousness , etc If the test is so designed that an ambulance arrives in a short while, I would question the need for placing the patient on a stretcher.

In conclusion , I would like to stress that I feel competition work is an excellent form of training, but it should be made more realist ic and to meet everyday situations I should be interested to hear reader s comments.

C. 54 Sidcup Division , Ron Davis

S.E. A rea, London District

BRIGADE AMBULANCES

from E. J. Baker, Ambulance Member

-I'm not sure I agree unreservedly with DI S Rodney Bain (Jan Rev iew). We are, these days, in a delicate situation vis-a-vis the Health Authority crews, and a 'training course based on the Millar Certificate' could upset the unstable equilibrium

Although a brand-new ambulance, equipped with radio , oxygen Entonox, etc, appeals as the desirable ideal, each division must review its public duties, escorts, transport and other duties and decide whether or not what they have is adequate. There is no point in providing expensive apparatus we never ever use. First aid is, after all the primitive service needing little gear , and the availability of sophisticated equipment could well tempt eager members to go farther than they should. Personally, I think - and have done for many years since seeing it done so often by hospital stafT (including student and pupil nurses!) - that we could all well be taught to insert a Brook (or other type) airway, and the equipment of our ambulances and squadkits should include such a simple device to be used as a first aid measure NOT as an our first aid procedure into the hospital realm.

READERS VIEWS

Readers' views and opinions, which should be sent to the Editor , a lthough published are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Order of St John and it s Foundation Although readers may s ign published etters with a pen - name , writers must supply th eir name and add ress to the editor.

However , as regards ambulance vehicles, I th ink we must accept that the professionals h ave taken over , leaving us however a wide va riet y of welfare transport' services which they , for obvious reasons , ha ve not taken over from us We must sti ll be ready and wi lli ng to transport some poor o ld crone from one nursing home (or relative!) to another along with her wheelchair; walking frame, radio se t , budgerigar in its cage, commode , favourite armchair. suitcases and other impediments - and our vehicles should, primaril y. be adequate for this purpose

Bath E. 1. Baker, FICAP (by exam.)

JUNE 4TH - WELCOME

from Mrs. D. S. Andrews, Divisional Superintendent

Readers on holiday in the Eastbourne, Sussex area on Sunday June 4 may be interested to know that on that day there will be a review of Sussex members by the Commissioner-in - Chief to celebrate the golden jubi lee of the Eastbourne Nursing and Nursing Cadet Divisions (1928 to 1978) Full details of the programme for the day can be obtaine d from me.

1 Cavendish A venue, Doreen Andrews Eastbourne (phone 32718)

OUR UNIFORM

from the Rev M. Nelson, (while) Divisional President

Mr. Watkin William s reminds us (At Random, March) that the public relies on 's omeone wearing the S,t. John uniform to b e ab le and ready to give practical help in time of need. How right he is I was wearing uniform standing on the kerbside watching a passing procession , when I received a nudge and the information: 'I've got so m e thin g in m y eye.'

[ turned and said 'I' ll get one of o ur member s to attend to it .' But the man said: 'Y ou do it .' So I did it; fortunately being ab le to see the foreign body easily.

In or out of uniform , a president need s to be ready. Coming out of of a Manchester theatre, a woman fell and broke open a varicose vein.

A voice said: Rector - your first aid is needed .' With the help of the staff, I stopped the bleeding and secured a su itable pad and bandage.

My parting words to the patient (who would not eave th e coac h load of people for an ambulance or hospital) were: 'The sooner yo u see a doctor the better. In any case, sit with your leg up in the coach. And keep it like that as much as you can un til yo u do see a doctor.'

In or out of uniform , shou ld we Presidents n ot know our first aid?

Middleton M. Nelson

NEW UNIFORM

from D L. Sheward, Ambulance Member

I would like to say how untidy the new uniforms look in the Review (Dec. 77). Why c hange the uniforms anyway? Every time the un iform is altered it costs divisions pounds and pounds, because when we have to buy new trousers we find they don't match the jacket , so we have to bu y a complete uniform

Hats: 'T here 's one in every crowd,' that's what the SJ A po ster says; you see a man wearing the black and white hat , etc. How smart and tidy the ambulance member's cap looks compared with the new bere t. J hope HQ doe s not adopt the beret for AIMs becau se if they do I can see a few resignation s.

Supplies: When I went to the uniform shop in Birmingham to buy some hats and other stores I was told they had 'r un out' and didn 't know when the next batch would arrive. Come on Supplies, six months is too lon g to wait for stores.

Worcester D. L. Sheward

Director of Supplies John Webb writes: J don 't see how Mr. Sheward can blame the Supplies Department in London if he goes to a uniform shop in Birmingham to buy some hats and other stores and was told by the Birmingham shop - and I emphasise Birmingham shop - that they had run out. We, ourselves, do not have a shop in Birmingham and I can only presume that whoever runs the Birmingham shop had not been in touch with us.

regulation. Rather than supply something which will be out of in a short time, we ask that the goods be delayed so that we can su pply the' up - to -date material.

LAY INSTRUCTORS' BADGE

from John Tyuer, Sergeant With reference to Supt. J. Lilley 's letter (J an Review) on the subject of lay instructors badges being worn on uniform. I have been a lay instructor for some years now and have always felt , especially when teaching on public courses, that some badge should be worn and the present 'mufti' badge is almost unreadable except at very close range. Why can't we have the ,words 'Lay Instructor' or just 'Instructor', produced in a simi lar style to the county shoulder flash, worn under the county flash or over the right breast pocket?

At the same time why not do the same for DOCTOR and 'S.R.N.'? This would save the cost of special uniforms for surgeons and give them something to wear that people outside the Brigade can I would agree with Mr. Sheward that s ix months is a rather lon g time to wait for stores and the on ly occasion when we keep our people waiting is when a deci sion is awaited concerning a change of understand.

Views from a St. John beach hut

by

Every day they come in thousands, Buckets , spades and pushchairs tooMums and Dads and Grans and Grandads , Michael , John and Sister Sue.

Short ones, tall ones, fat ones, lean ones

TWO BRAVE MEN OF DUNGANNON

Eaglesham was delivering Her Majesty's mail round the countryside outside Dungannon when, without any warning, he came under rifle fire directed by terrorists at his van. He was shot dead without a chance to defend himself

On December 3 1976 , Ambulance Member Joseph Scott was on duty in Dungannon as a traffic warden. He was standing in the middle of the road controlling traffic, to allow a party of school chi ldr en to cross, When he was murdered by a terrorist who shot him in the back. He died moments lat er in the arms of his Area Commissioner whose surgery was close by.

Just over a year later , on February 7 1978, Ambylance Member John B. (Jock)

Both these men were faithful members of the Dungannon Division. Their service to the community, in the case of ' Jock Eaglesham, as a part-time member of the Ulster Defence Regiment , in the case of Joseph Scott the Royal Ulster Constabulary Reserve singled them out as targets for I.R.A. terrorists

These two members are sadly missed i n their Division. They will be remembered as good as always doing their fair share of public duty , and as members of successful competition teams which wo n at District and then went on to compete with credit at the Brigade Finals. They died doing their job of work

Getting ready for a dip; At the first bright gleam of sunshine All into the water trip.

Soon we're busy at the beach hut. Here comes our first casual-tee! Little Jimmy 's cut his finger , Mary's fallen on her knee.

Sun-bathers get red and redder

Knowing not how sore they 'll feel! Granny's feeling rather poorly , For a weaver's stung her heel.

'Hello Dearie are you busy?

If you aren up to the eyes Can I sit inside a minute

Just to do my exercise?'

Frantic Mother s searching wildly, Looking for a tiny tot'Only left her for a moment

But I love her such a lot.'

N ow we think , as day is over 'And we wend our homeward way , We shall meet lots more nice people On our next beach -duty day!

Ambu lance Member John B. (Jock) Eagles ham - murdered

Guildford

John Tyzzer

Ambul ance Member Joseph Scottmurdered

Cpl. JEAN JOHNSON, Meyrick N/ C Div, Dorset

SINGAPORE is host to:

First Association Regional Seminar

SUBJECT: First Aid in Industry

A MOST successful regional seminar was held at the Hotel Equatorial , Singapore , by the St. John Ambulance Association between March 1 and 3 1978. It was chaired by the Director -General of the St. John Ambulance Association in the U.K., Professor Harold Stewart , with Dr. Chew Pin Kee (a member of the Singapore Association and medical adviser to the Minister for Labour) as Vice-Chairman.

This was the first seminar of its kind in over 100 years' history of the St. John Ambulance Association and delegates assembled from as wide a field as Australia (including the Commandery of Western A ustralia) Fiji, Hong Kong, India , Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua , New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. It was made possible by a generous grant from the Commonwealth Foundation , which covered the air fares and subsistence of most of the delegates.

The thanks of all the delegates are also due to the St. John Council, Republic of Singapore, without whose generosity , over such matters as administration and the subsidising of the many social occasions and excursions the seminar could not have taken place in the way it did. Here, mention must be made of Tan Sri Runme Shaw (A) KStJ (Chairman of Council) and the Secretary to Council (Dr. Ee Peng Liang, OStJ) whose genius in chairing the Organising Committee was most marked. The Committee seemed to think of everything to ensure the efficient running of the seminar and the comfort of the delegates , who all stayed in the Hotel Equatorial where the seminar took place. A novel method of running the seminar had been devised; no set papers were read and, apart from a broad agenda and a background statistical paper prepared beforehand, which was designed to set the scene and avoid unnecessary discussion on comparative figures, the atmosphere was ' very much one of 'open forum' where delegates could feel free to discuss any relevant subject.

(d) Where not already done, countries might consider (as part of training courses) visits to hospital casualty departments (or even training within them) to add realism to first aid appreciation.

(e) In any consideration of ratios (e.g. I first -aider to 50 wo rk ers) first -a iders must be capable of immediate response , i.e. they must be available at all times of and also be capable of covering shift-working systems This postulated that they be employed as such on a full -time basis In considering numbers at a work-place at any one time , cognizance should be taken of visitors e.g. customers at a supermarket.

The original theme of the seminar had been First Aid in Industry, but we quickly 'found that we could not cover this important subject adequately without widening it to embrace Occupational First Aid and all this entailed in oonsidering basic first aid and training in an occupational environment.

The seminar was hon oured by the pr ese nce initially , of the Minister for Labour , the Honourable Mr. Ong Pang Boon , who officially opened the proceedings. He pointed to the need for all countries to consider how best the number of industrial accidents could be reduced by sound first aid organisation and practices. There was a real need for St. John Ambulance, as the premier first aid training organisation, to consider how best we could contr'ibute further to saving life reducing pain and suffering, and promoting speedier healing. Taking Singapore as his example, if the desired ratio of 1 first-aider to 25 workers was to be achieved in the Republic , a crash programme of training 2,000 first-aiders was needed, despite 1,500 having already been trained in the industrial sector over the last 2 years.

The next three days of the seminar were devoted to many weighty problems too numerous to mention here but the following highlights of the many conclusions may be of interest:

(a) Occupational first aid courses were needed as an additional qualification to the basic adult course for all qualified first-aider s at work: to be achieved probably with the help of Government legislqtion.

(b) Furthermore, such first-aiders should be capable of treating minor illnesses to offset the very heavy demands on the overloaded medical profession ; and they should be trained to diagnose the difference between what could , and what could not, be treated by them.

(c) Any occupational first aid training should cover preventive first aid, i.e. an element of safety training should be included.

form of regional organisation to co -o rdinate views on broad policy and important training matters.

F. A. Bland , Deputy Secretary, Association

Private Eye in Singapore by Pseud

(f) First aid in schools (which should be considered _ as 'work-places') should be encouraged by every means pos sible to ease the eventual requirement of trainin g occupational first a id ers; the same applied to teachers training colleges and medical schoo ls (doctors and nurses).

(g) St. John Ambulance Associations were right to insist on the highe st standards of qualification for lay lecturers / instructors/ examiners.

(h) All countries should consider how relations could be improved wi th government, employers, trades unions and other training bodies , notably the Red Cross.

U) Whilst incentive schemes might be necessary, we should not lose sight of the voluntary aspects of our movement, in the hope that workers would come to regard first -aid as a calling, not as a job.

(k) Fees for intensive day release courses should be charged wherever possible, at 'commercial rates to offset the man y demands on St. John Ambulance for public duty, which cannot always be covered by voluntary subscription.

(I) We should continue to maintain our highest tr a ditions of first aid training and, to help in this countries should re-examine their visua l aid equipment (slides were particularly popular) ; they should also consider further the publicity angle through TV, radio and the press.

(m) We should also strive for further standardisation in training particularly over examinations; where not already introduced , the M.C.Q.-type examination was a distinct possi bili ty.

(n) The value of cross-training was emphasised, e.g. Australia and New Zealand helping out Fiji.

(0) The oft-repeated ai m of 'a First -Aider in Every Home' should continue to apply to St. John Ambulance Associations and , in particular, to everyone at work -places.

In summing up,' the Director of Overseas Relations (Sir Leslie Monson) expressed the hope of all that this seminar might create the precedent for organising similar seminars in other regions of the world in the future. But much would depend on funding, as a lso would the desire of all present to create some

I BELIEVE one way of avoiding a case for libel is to use a pseudonym - by this mean s only the Review itself can be sued (and the editor - Editor) - so despite the man y unfortun ate experiences of Private Eye itself, here goes

The prospect of going all the way to Singapore, so far from home , to help organise a seminar was a daunting one. But , as readers can see from the main article on this subject, I could have departed without a care in the world: Daddy ', in the fatherly . shape of Dr. Ee Peng Liang, took complete charge of me.

Jumbo Jets are not my favourite mode of air travel. With 349 other souls on board , not necessarily imbued with our motto 'In the Service of Mankind' - conversion by norm al method s of mas s baptism was not, in the event, pos si ble - fighting for space can become top priority. Imagine, too , my dismay on arrival at Heathrow, and looking rather like a travelling salesman, to be told sweetly by the British Airways' representative: ' You can't board with that lot.' Little did she realise what a precious 'lo t ' was in my possession , including the presentation plate of Spode China (for the St. John Council, Singapore) and vital seminar papers. This is where wives are so helpful in rising to domestic crises : while I was keeping the official eye off the ball, my ever - lovin g was smartly decanting everything into my brief-case. Thus I passed muster.

A much appreciated Brigade touch was experienced en route. Delivered to me by the Chief Steward was a message from our new Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief, Gerald Easton (ex-Chief Pilot of British Airways), inviting us to visit the Captain at the controls, which was eagerly accepted. To my recollection, this message was received over Bombay and was a marvellous moralebooster from Headquarters.

Arrival at the Hotel Equatorial was even more dramati c. There em blazoned across the portico for the passing world to see, was a banner of welcome to Participants from Regions of South East Asia and Oceania to the Seminar Eagerly, and with swelling pride, I read on: ' on ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY'. Bless my Soul, was I in the right country, at the right

OUT -AND-ABOUT FOR THE DAY

place? Resounding in my ears was the awful tale of Miss Maria Wong (o ur Malaysian representative in the London HQ Association office) of one of her chums visi ting Singapore who had parked his belongings in his hotel, had hurtled back to the airport to collect something forgotten, and then couldn't rem em ber which of the many hotels in Singapore he was supposed to be staying in. Like him, I eventually recovered my equilibrium after hours of investigation and deep research.

M y beaming and afore - mentioned ' Daddy arrived, after a tactful and discreet intervaj for overcoming jet-lag, and I was immediately At Home He even gave me eight sheets of airmail stationery so that I could write to my ever-loving every day of my stay. In Singapore people think of everything for your comfort. everything. We of the UK delegation were able to detect only one possible fly in the ointment - that was when Sir Leslie Monson was woken from his slumbers in the wee sma' hours to receive a telegram of greetings from Sri Lanka HQ. But after all , the hotel operator must have reasoned , why should the vibrant life of Singapore induce any sleep?

Are the British becoming decadent? The comparision with the Singapore life-s tyle is interesting. When I had suggested to ' Daddy that We might have two hours for lunch. he replied , 'In Singapore, we take one hour : the Americans insist on half-an-hour ; but if the British want two hours, it's OK by me!

Another interesting comparision was a discreet invitation card by the Molly Lily Health Service (future visitors. please note) handed me by a demure employee in the hotel lift, to 'try our scientific body massage for guaranteed satisfactory result. We have skilful ma'Sseuses at your place

What of the seminar itself? Students of the abstruse subject of occupational first aid should read the other article in this Review to absorb the many lessons learned. But there were lighter moments to the discussion. such as when one country suggested her problems " ould be halved if the British workmen could be deported. Another sign of British decadence? This was the one moment of the seminar when the UK was forced to assert its traditional imperial role: had the country concerned not heard of the British ' brain drain and the need for these beleaguered islands to export?

Another country reported a curious difficult y during a discussion on financial incentives. a subject foreign to all good St. John hearts: apparently a first aid course had received a Government promise of a cash bonus for passing the course, but this promise was eventually withheld - so the students , after the most successful completion of the course. refused to take the examination as a retaliatory measure!

Another interesting sociological observation was that the smaller the country represented. the larger the delegate in physical appearance (Fiji. Papua, New Guinea and Sri Lanka, please note). This was not to suggest that Australia produced some pygmies, far from it: indeed Queensland reported majestically that if we were to interest management in first aid. we must go for the Big Men At The Top: bitter experience had proved this when they had persuaded some winsome wench 'She was a REAL BEAUT, Mate to do their management trouble -shooting, only to find she had been put tactically in baulk by starting 'from the Bottom up'. As has been said on another occasion: 'a mild titter ran through the court'.

Delegates visiting Sentosa Island (L to R) Sem nar Sec Capt. F. A. Bland (UK); Mr Wee Kim Seng (Singapore ); Miss L RoperCaldbeck UK), Assist Sec: Mr R F Herman (Fiji) ; Miss B elinda

Singapore Secretariat); Shri S Sarthy (India)

E. Le Bre ton (W. Aust.)

(NZ)

Monson (UK)

What can I say about the many glittering social occasions? It doesn 't come to many of us to relax at the Rooftop of the Singapore Hilton and to 'lap up' a Chinese mealactually we didn't find the chopsticks too difficult in the end. Here we also enjoyed some exquisite Malayan cabaret, when yet another flexible St. John Commander was revealed to us in all his glory: the diminutive Dr. Oswin Fernando , from Sri Lanka, displayed some perfect dancing poise and expertise. Not surprising really, when we / learned he was crowned the King of the Waltz in Colombo! In white tie and tails he would 'walk it' in our TV Come Dancing; so impressive was he that Sir Leslie Monson unhesitatingly appointed himself Chief of the Fernando Fan Club, as he gathered in a host of willing supporters of Liverpool Football Club proportions.

The social round ended with a magnificent Chinese banquet for over 200 Friends of St. John which concluded with a hearty rendering of 'Auld Lang Syne' in bilinguality. For the convenience of Chinese

AULD-LANG SYNE

Should au ld acquaintance be forgot

And nev e r brought to mind

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

And of auld lang syne. For au ld lang syne, my dear For auld lang syne

We'll take a cup of k in dness

The Auld Lang Sy ne song sheet at the Chinese ba n quet made sure everyone could jo i n in

Deputy C-in-C Major Gen. Peter R. Leuchars tells us about his recent

readers, a translation of tris ancient song of the Picts is give n with this article.

But Singapore St. John hostmanship didn't end there. We were taken on excursions round the town, and over to Sentosa Island by a 300 ft. high cable car; here, the final surre nd er of the Japs to the British and Commonwealth forces in August 1945 is depicted in life -fo rm for posterity (those in the know immediately spotted the waxwork figure of the President of St. John Ambulance in Devon handing the surrender document to Earl Mountbatten - plu s 9a change plus c 'e st la meme chose).

Many eulogies ha"e been made about the Singapore arrangements for our seminar, but a final word is due to the Hotel Equatorial for their unfailing Service to Mankind in our true tradition. Mr. Da vid Fu, the Banqueting manager happily co-ordinated all the complicated conference arrangements and so perhaps I should dedicat e the final quote to him: What I always like about the British is your little eccentricities!' It was that sort of seminar.

SJA tour of South-East Asia

I LANDED at Delhi Airport at 4.30am on February 2, and was met by the DeputyCommissioner-in-Chief and the Chief Public Relations Officer for India. Behind that statement lies something which was to make my whole tour not just memorable but unforgettable: the thoughtfulness,' hospitality, and friendship which greeted me everywhere and which a part of the make-up of members of our great organisation. Because at 4.30am in Delhi in February it is not many degrees above freezing, the airport runs to no central heating system and as my 'plane was two and a half hours late, these two officers had been waiting there for a long time. And if they were cold and miserable and I have no doubt they were, this was not allowed to show in the warmth of the welcome I received, or the efficiency with which my immigration formalities were dealt with. Two hours later, as the sun started to rise, I climbed into bed to sleep until lunch time: they left me to start a day 's work. That type of care for my welfare followed me throughout my tour.

In a short article I cannot do more than summarise a few impressions of the tremendous amount I saw and learned of the activities of St. Ambulance in the four countries I visited. For instance I shall have to omit any description of the work of the

Association and simply say that from all I saw of it, and I saw much, its importance is now realised in every country and its work is expanding rapidly. More and more industries, factories, and governments are coming to realise the benefits of having as many people as possible trained in first aid, and to help them achieve that aim invariably they look to St. John Ambulance. There is no doubt that in South-East Asia the Association is doing splendid work, it is ably organised and directed by some very dedicated officers and instructors.

Although I generalise about the work of the Association, for obvious reasons I cannot do so about the of the Brigade which, like its members, is different in every country and often, in a country like India, different in every State. I spent two weeks in India, VISltlDg four States: Delhi; Maharashtra, where my whole time was spent in Bombay; Tamil Nadu, where my whole time was spent in Madras; and Karnataka, where most of my time was spent in Bangalore. The reason my VISit was confined to the large towns was because at present the Brigade in India hardly operates outside them. Indeed it is a very small force, numbering less than 16,000 members spread over the whole sub-continent. I shall carry three lasting memories of the

Brigade in India. The first is poverty. something which is part of life in India but. so far as the Brigade is concerned, means virtua ll y no ambulances and little up-to -date equipment. Although a uniform costs only some £8, it means subsidising these, since members cannot afford to buy them for themselves. And to make matters more difficult , in all the states I visited fund raising by flag days or collections was forbidden by law. But, and this will be my second lasting memory , the pride amongst members of being part of the Brigade is nevertheless very apparent. I took the salute at two large reviews in Bombay and Madras , where not only was the standard of drill very high but in conversation with officers and members it was made very clear to me how proud they were to wear the uniform and do the work of the Brigade. And if any further proof is needed, let me add that everyone pays an annual subscription to become a member of the Brigade and the cost of their travel to and from duty. In a country where spare time must normally be devoted to earning money, this is surely a wonderful example of what is meant by 'voluntary service', and is in the true spirit and traditions of St. John Ambulance.

My third lasting memory will be one of enthusiasm. I witnessed several

demonstrations of first aid in India all of which were characterised by the enthusiastic way in which all members displayed their prowess. The se varied from the re scue' of a casualty from the third floor of a building by using only some improvised rope and a door as a stretcher (the rope really was improvised, as it broke during tests!), t o dealing with a man who. with the aid of a little (I thought rather too much) petrol. set himself on fire to add realism! I thought of our Casualties Union at home , and what their comments might be!

But all too quickly my two weeks were up and I had to lea ve India for Sri Lanka. I was sad to go, not just because I was leaving so many new friends , but because I was leaving an organisation full of devoted men and women who badly need help and encouragement. I do hope they will get both: they certainly deserve to.

I arrived in Colombo together with a Russi an 'package tour', the members of which had been given a trip to India and Sri Lanka as a reward for exceeding their 'norm'. By their expressions, as the heat and humidity first hit them, and the hard - bitten female in charge of them I believed many of them would have preferred to settle for a weekend in the Urals! For me, howeve r things were very different. Having told the Immigration Officer that I was visiting his country on St. John Ambulance business which appeared to be some sort of password I was escorted outside ahead of everyone else, including those perspiring Ru ss ians , where I saw the Commander and Commi ssioner who had come to meet me.

So started a very busy but wonderful week in a delightful country that I had never visited before.

The main strength of the Brigade in Sri Lanka is in the Police Force, where every regular policeman is proud to be a member of one of the many c losed divisions within the Force. Outside the Police the Brigade is SOme six thousand strong, many of whom are cadets. There is an acute shortage of

(Above) Soon aher his arrival in India the Deputy C-in-C inspecting ambu ance members of the Northern Railway District. Delhi

The guard of honour of nursing members - at JaHna airport. Sri La nka restored the Deput y C-in-C's morale aher a very early morning (4.30) start to the day

nurses in the country, and in two hospitals I visited in Colombo members of the Brigade were giving invaluable assistance. In one hospital the y were working in the wards; in the other a mixed team of ambulance and nursing members were on dut y in the Accident Reception Department cleaning up casualties before they were seen by the doc;tor

I sha ll remember Sri Lanka for man y reasons, but the highlight of my time there must belong to Jaffna, an attractive old town on the North-Western tip of the island, which I visited for one very crowded day I am never at my best at 7am. especially after having got up at 4.30, but an immaculate Guard of Honour at the airport where we landed did much to restore my morale. And, when talking to one of its very attractive nursing members, I wa asked if I was an eligible bachelor, it was not on ly restored but rocketed sky-high! And there it stayed for a memorable day , in which among other engage ments I witnessed a lovely

At a special dinner that evening I tried to express m y gratitude. and later wrote a letter of thanks to Dr. Rasiah, their energetic Commissioner. From him in return I had one of the nicest and most genuine letters of appreciation I have ever received. and I keep it now in a very safe and special place. But once again m y time was up and the day after leaving Jaffna I flew to Malaysia. leaving behind in the capable hands of its Commander and his Commissioners a young. flqurishing organisation set very much on course for the future.

I arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 7.30pm on the evening before a national holiday. This time my 'p lane was only one and a half hours late, but once again I wa met by a di tinguished deputation of officer, who whisked me off to my hotel and ran through the programme they had arranged for me for

(Ab ove) Meeting Dr. Narayana Rao Secretary of the Associat on , Banga lore demonstration of Tamil dancing. visited the largest cement factory on the is land and took the salute at a large review of some 700 members of the Northern District.

the next day With no thought for themselves, all of them and several others had given up their holiday in order to look after me. And so I was able to spend the morning watching their members in action at the huge rally in the Merdeka Stadium and subsequently on the processional route

Later in the afternoon I was treated to a demonstration of drill and first aid given by members of a division from Kelang. As a soldier with some experience of these matters, I can say that the standard of drill would have disgraced no regu lar Army unit in this country, and most would have been proud to equal it. The first aid seemed, to my less practised eye, to be equally good too , and I left the Peninsula the next morning feeling that here was a first rate force

I had intended that the bulk of my time in Malaysia should be spent in the Eastern part of the country, or what used to be known as Borneo I knew this wild and lovely country well some twelve years ago, and was keen to see what if any, had been made since my departure. My first visit was to Sabah, where I found the whole country and its people engaged in a prosperous and exciting 'boom', as money, largely made from timber , is being poured into new developments round the capital. Outside in the country , the huge machines of Japanese contractors are carving their way through the jungle over some of the most difficult terrain in the world , building roads to open up the interior. And St. John Ambulance is in the vanguard with divisions in all the towns of any size, and training school teachers and school leavers in the hope that they themselves will form divisions in the smaller towns and villages from which they come Their main worry at present is a shortage of instructors and well trained divisional superintendents, and I offered to try to find some suitable officer from Britain to go out for a few weeks to run courses for them. It will be hard but rewarding work teaching real enthusiasts in an exciting part of the world, and I imagine there will be no shortage of volunteers. Apart from the thrill of seeing this spectacular change in the country, I shall retain two other memories of Sabah. The first was a night spent just under Mt. Kinabalu, the excuse for which was to see the National Park Rangers being examined in first aid. Apart from the Himalayas, this mountain is the highest in South-East Asia, ,over 13,000 feet, and to see it at dawn, towering above as the sun's rays illuminate its peak, is a sight I shall never forget. The second and quite different thing I shall remember is the memorial to the late Countess Edwina Mountbatten which has been placed in the Council Chamber of the St. John Ambulance Headquarters in the capital. Throughout my travels her name was continually mentioned, often as the last

person from England who had visited them, and in Sabah, where she died during a St. John Ambulance visit, the memmy of her still shines brightly. It is a simple plaque , which is probably why it impresses so much.

St. John Ambulance in Sabah ha s been operating for a number of years, but I had no idea what I should find in its sister state Sarawak. Again I knew the country well: a huge area of dense, primary jungle, the only access to the interior being by river or, in very few places, by air. And it was very much the sa me as wheh I left it. St. John Ambulance there is only some seven years old and, while it is established in the capital, K uching, it is only just starting to form divisions outside. I had the privilege, in fact. of officiating at the formation of a new division in a vi llage or 'kampong" just outside t he capital, the parade for which was later televised. This is part of the Brigade which needs as much help and advice as it can get. Ably commanded by an energetic and charming Chinese businessman, Ang Lai Soon, it is facing a really tough challenge of getting itself known and established.

WALES

AT Gwent County comps, girls of Gwent Area Health Aut h. Hospitals Div and Griffithstown tea ms 'practise' for the camera: (L to R) Audrey Greene Linda Campbell Dawn Hamer Carey Hudson. Carolyn Baldwin Linda Rubbick and

Having now seen it and met its senior officers, I know it will certainly not be through lack of determination if it fails to expand throughout the State.

Although r was to spe nd nearl y another week in Singapore at an Association semina r during which was able to spend a most pleasant afternoon with the Brigade there, my departure from Sarawak really marked the end of my tour. It had been a wonderful experience, and this short article does not even b egin to describe it adequately. But if one day in the distant future some of the events and details become blurred in my memory there will be one impression which wi ll always remain clear. Since r started this article by describing it, it is only appropriate that J should e nd in the same way. My lasting impression will be of tho se many many men and women in all the countries 1 visited who are devoting their live, often in frustrating and difficult circumstances, to the work of St. John Ambulance. They gave me their hospitality, their confidence, and their friendship: [ hope one day I shall be able to repa y them in a practical way.

still in good heart, and were very gratefu l for the kindn ess received. Our only regret was that owing to the fact that the British High Commissioner was pre-occupied with the forthcoming Rhodesia Conference, we never saw Fort St. Angelo , the remaining British Naval base. The Admiral is a very devoted member of the Order.

Priory

There has been a good response to the Hospitaller's appeal for support for the Ophthalmi c Hospital in Jerusalem. The Priory of Scotland is now in the position to buy an industrial laundry unit for the hospital

Central Region

The Central Region St. John Association confirmed its reputation for vigorous activity by running a 'Ceilidh' (Gaelic for a social gathering dominated by song and dance) in the Dobbie Hall, Larbert on February 22. Some well - known personalities of the Scottish world of entertainment gave their

QUICKIE X-WORD No.5

Kenneth F Townsend

by

Compiled

Across: I. Keep your head above water, or you may (5). 4 Man y who are, like to be caught! (6). 9. Gives flexibilit y to the ribs. (7). Q. Beli eves in the stifT upper lip (5). II. St. John members keep in it. (4). 12. Fell in love by the sound of it! {7). 13 The colour in your cheeks! (3). 14. Commissioner who plays his part' , in the County. (.4), 16. Lends a helping hand, it could be said. (4). 18 If you are we wish you well! (3). 20. Casualty should be, 'to promote recovery'. (7). 2 I. Paddington is one (Look after him!). (4). 24 'Per. ad astra' (RAF). (5). 25. Few headaches with this around! (7). 26. Appetising , when tender and juicy! (6). 27. Keep in good condition for a safe and steady run. (5).

NEWS from SCOTLAND

The Marchioness of Aberdeen writes: In January Mrs. Nevile Davidson, Mrs. Tony Bruce and I went to Malta for two weeks. We had asked to see as much of the history of the Order as we could and because of our late husbands' standing in the Order, we were given VIP treatment by the Maltese government.

We were met and provided with transport and two wonderful guides, Francis Mallia, who is Director of the Museum Department, and Michael Elliul, who is a lecturer in the Antiquities Department. They took us around most mornings and we saw Fort St. Elmo (the only fort to fall in the Great Siege), Vittorioso, all the wonderful fortifications, Castel Verdala, built by a Grand Master and formerly the Governor General's residence - it is now used for VJP

visits - the Manuel Theatre, the President's Palace where parliament used to meet , the new Parliament Chamber, and particul ar ly the Hospital, near Fort St. Elmo, which is being restored and where the Order waited on the sick poor using silver plate One lov e ly morning was spent in the National Library where Sir Hannibal Scicluna 's successor, Dr. Vincent Pasquales, who speaks ten languages, showed us such fascinating records of the Order as a charter granted by King Baldwin of Jerusalem in the twelfth century, the diary kept during the Great Siege and a beautiful illuminated manuscript of the li fe of St. Anthony. For two weeks we were steeped in history and we quite fell in lov e with de Vallette, the Grand Master at the time of the Siege. We had lunch with Sir Hannibal Scicluna,

Down: I. Brief SL John publication. (6). 2. Vegetable oil (shaken up on VE Day?) (5). 3. What one makes of the pulse rate (4). 5. There 's a p lace for

National First Aid Competition

Electricity Supply

The Chancellor (left) at the Galloway inaugural meeting in De cember (Photo: F H. McCarlie, Stranraer)

services free and provided a happy and often hilarious evening. Larry Marshall, mature and versatile in stage-craft, soon had the audience relaxed and receptive; Ivor Britton , champion Scottish accordionist, demonstrated his mastery of his instrument; and Alasdair Gillies sang many well - loved Scottish songs, as well as arranging the evening with Mr. Archibald Russell. The Denny and Dunipace Boys Brigade Pipe Band , four pretty gi rls from the Clan Dancers and the Blue Diamond's Band all

efficient nursing care! (8). 6. One will be with serious fluid loss. (7). 7 DO yo u get the message? (6). 8. 'The Prince of .' (Isa. 9). (5). 13. Footballer only semi·recovered? (8). 15 All that is left! (7). 17 She hopes that hers come true! (6). 18. Artery superior to the femoral (5). 19 Refreshments usuall y denied the casualty. (6). 22. Not Gospel truth, (5). 23. Put on this and you'll need to be 'Resourceful'! (4).

Solution to Quickie X-Word (4)

Across: I. Fracture. 5, Heart. 8. Diet. 10 Ulua. II. Urticaria 13 Ague. 16. Stomach. 19 Bone 22. Aorta, 23. Clip. 24. Iris. 26. Colon. 27. [leum. 29 Nausea. 3 I. Step 32. Lacerated.

Down: 2. Radius. 3. Cleft. 4. Raynauds. 6. Allergic. 7. Trachea 9. & 15 A c ross Uric acid. 12. Incontinence. 14. Jaw. 17 Ton sils. 18. Hair. 19. Boils. 20. Or 21. Ear. 25. Vena. 26. CeiL 28. Mouth. 30. Eye

S Eastern ( Dungene ss)

S. & W. Wales (Car mar then)

Midlands (

News from Divisions/Centres

(Left) CHELTENHAM CENTRE Ass Cty. Director Mr. G. B ax presents first aid certificates to staff of Trust H ouse Forte Hotel Group. Course instructor was D/Supt. D. L. Francis (2nd from left). ( Photo: Che ten h am Newspapers). (Below) LANCASTER Eight employee" of the local Fine Fare store who have just completed the 6-hour cleaner food course organised by the Association Centre

(Above) SURREY Happy faces at a Thanks party for Reigate and South Pa rk cadets (D Supt. John A derson, 4th from right 2nd row) for their help during centenary year (P hoto: Peter Basden Reigate)

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.5 (78) Compiled by W A Potter

A prize of 2 pa ck of S I. Jo hn playing ca rds ,,'ill be a>, a rded 10 he sende o Ih e fir s co rreC ( co mple ed C ross h'o d

Across:

1. Facing the world proudly in the anatomical pO SItIOn. (4.5) 6 Distorted clasp covering the cranium. (5). 9. Initiall y broad arm s lin g is a fundamental principle. (5). 10. Examination of the bod y b y t ouch. (9). 11. After a small excision, friend becomes a devil. (5 ). 12 T ug a n American. (4). 13. A poisonous metal in th e fir st plac e ( 4 ). 15 Breathe. (7) 17. Inflammation of the pigmented layer of the e ye. (7). 18 Spoil a dislocation of 30 Down. (3) 19 Re s s tance to c h a n ge b y first person with re-constructed retina. (7 ) 21. P ai n is at c e n re o f strange art in air-passage (7) 23 Close to vi s ion of m yo pic pati e nt. (4). 24. Dusting powder from purest alcoho l. (4 ). 26. Amne s ia w ith flight from reality in a musical composition (5). 28 Muscle o f hip -j oi nt closes an anatomical opening. (9). 29. Ju st o ne of the cr o wd in sex transmutation. (5). 31. Graceful ves s el. (5) 32 Principal mu s cl e of inspiration. (9).

Down:

1. The part of the fireside for a goblin. (3). 2. Re s ult of s uppur atio n requiring surgical attention. (7 ) 3. Relieved pai n. (5). 4 Pre s enc e of air in the subcutaneous tissues. (9). 5. Claw in a lo ck. (5). 6. W o und incrustation is a disease of sheep (4). 7 Food from mal e nit. ( 7 ) 8. Colourful febrile illness of young childr e n . (4.7 ). 11. E x tr aneo u s matter , most commonly in the e y e , (7.4 ) . 14. Therap e u t ic bl oo d preparations hidden by false rash. (4 ). 16 . I re t urn t o a ve r y sm a ll quantity. (4). 17. Allergic reaction of the s kin (9). 20. C on nect ive tissue containing a mixture of s alt and ice. (7 ) 22. I s th e meat ser ve d at this evening meal beginning to putrefy? (4 3 ). 25. Before food a bo y took part in a drama. (5). 26. The soft t is sues (5). 27. Be in a sta te of anxious agitation (4).30. Give weapon s t o a limb (3)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.4 (78)

Across: 1. Jaundice; 5. Sti ch ; 10. Bed -re s t 11. Langour ; 12. S o r e; 13. Echo ; 14, Catch ; 16. Flour ; 17. Urticaria ; 21. Opera tion ; 24 A s. c o t ; 25 Armed; 28. Caul ; 29. Arid ; 31. Ill -fa m e; 32 Op.pre ss; 34 . Normal; 35. Card.it.is.

Down: 1. Jab; 2. Undertone 3. Dyed ; 4. Catechu; 6 T.on ic ; 7 Trout 8. Hard - hearted ; 9. All out; 12, Suffocation; 15. Urea; 18. Rio ; 19 Chap ; 20. Recurrent ; 22. Itched ; 23. Neuroma ; 26. Malar ; 27. Dr.a.ma; 30 Spud ; 33. S.O.S.

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This 68 pag e ca talogu e includ e s sections on :

o Physiology

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Whil

REV IEW

Injury . in Sport

by John Williams

M.A., M.B. , FRCS. Ed., D. Phys. Med.

This new Bayer publication has been written by one of Britain s leading s ports medicine specialists specif i cally for co a che s , trainers , physiotherapists and remedial gymnasts

The book aims to develop the reader s knowledge of the causes , the prev e ntion and the identification of most s porting injurie s; it is also an extremely useful guide to th e in tial treatment of some of the more common of these injuries

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by Watkin W. Williams

A

Au d io Vi sua l A id s, by Ph i lip Ada m s p 13 6

Re ad e rs V ews · p 1 38

To Malta wi t h Lo v e, by Th e ma M Park e r p 141

Private Ey e at the Medi cal Conference p 142

Sir Stewart Duk e- Eld e r p 14 3

News fro m Divisi o ns C entr e s p 1 44

EDITO RIAL and ADVERT ISEM EN TS

Edited and produced for the Order o f S t. Jo h n by Dr sco l Productions Wood Co tt age H igh Co rn er, Bu ley Nr. W oodbr dge Suffolk IP12 3QF

Ph on

THE ANNUAL St. John Medical Conference was held at Nottingham University on April 14 - 16 with an attendance of about 250 , mos t of whom were members of the medical or nursing professions. On Friday evening they had a cho ice of attending one of three concurrent seminars (for members of the Association branch , for Brigade Surgeons and for Brigade Nursing Officers ) to discuss matters r elated to their own main sphere of act ivi t y within St. John On e s ali en t poin t which emerged from all t hese discussions w a s the vital importance of increasing the quantit y and impro ving the quality of our training in both first aid and nursing skills. When first aid is required , it is infi nit el y mor e important that the first -ai der s hould be able to appl y hi s b a sic skills (in both diagnosis and treatment) p ro mp tly, correctl y, compassionately and in a manner w hich insp ir es confidence, than t hat he should depend on item s o f soph ist icated equipment w hich at the time and place of an acc iden t are mere lu xuries and should ne ver c ome to ' be regarded as essentials or , still less , treated as status s y mbols. Similarl y, in nursing , it is the basics that matter most ; and although our · members will find in hospi t al s equipment w hich is n ot a vai lable in a pat ient's home , it is in hospi t als t h at t he y can be st learn the basic s kills tha t the y will need t o adapt for home use. These are all matters in which our surgeons and nursing officers can do so much t o help us by their expert train ing , guidance and influence, and which both they and our lay lecturers can develop b y t he high quality of their teach i ng. On Sa t urda y morning Mr. Philip Newman ( Chairman, St. John Ambu la nce Medical Board) , in formall y opening th e conference , paid t r ibute t o the life and work of Sir Ste w a r t Duke-Elder , GCVO , MD , FRCS , Bailiff Grand Cros s and formerly Hospi t alle r of the Order of St. John , who died o n March 2 7 at the age of 79. Then , after welcoming t he speakers and delega t es , he introduced the central theme of t h e c onfer e n ce which was Injuries in Sport , a subje c t o f continued ollerleaJ

AT RAN 0 0 M (cont.)

great importance to first-aiders. He said that when he was a student there were four main types of accident, (1) industrial, (2) road, (3) home and (4) sport, but the last two were not to be taken seriously! Today, however, with the steadily increasing participation of youngand some not so young - people in many kinds of sport, the situation is very different.

The morning seminar was on 'Sports Medicine and First Aid', and Dr. W. G. Liggett (Co unty Surgeon, Shropshire), who was the day's chairman, intro duced Dr. J. G. P. Williams of Farnham Park Rehabilitation Centre to speak on 'Clinical Problems of Injury in Sport '. After stating that 22.5% of all injuries in sport occur to people under the age of 20 and a further 52% to those in the 20-30 age group, Dr. Williams stressed that there are no such things as 'sports injuries': injury is caused by a mechanism, and anyone who talks about 'football injuries' becomes suspect about his understanding of injuries or indeed of the sport itself. Functional recovery from an injury sustained in sport often occurs long before anatomical healing; surgery (eg, to the knee or the Achilles tendon) can enable an ath lete to continue his sport - often after an short interval despite an injury which would otherwise have been crippling, and anyone whose sole advice to an injured sportsman is to 'rest' either doesn t know or doesn ' t care.

Dr. J. R. Owen (Hon. Medical Adviser to the Brit is h Olympic Association) began his talk on 'Medical care of an Olympic team ' with some fascinating details of the Ol ympic games in ancient Greece. He then turned to the modern Olympics founded in Athens in 1896 with 285 competitors from 13 countries, which grew so rapidly that in 1976 there were 9,000 competitors from 105 countries.

Dr. Owen said that the medical care of the athletes fell into two categories, (1) during the 4-year interval or 'olympiad' between two sets of games, and (2) during the games themselves when by far the commonest injuries and ailments were sunburn , gastro-enteritis and stubbed toes! In the Olympic village a medical officer's hardest battles are to persuade the athletes to wear sun hats, to avoid ice -c reams of unknown source and not to wear toeless sandals!

Dr. Owen concluded his talk by quoting the words spoken at the first modern Olympics by their founder Baron de Coubertin: 'The important thing in the Olympic Game s is not to win, but to take part. The important thing in life is not the triumph , but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well. To spread these precepts is to build up a stronger and a more valiant and, above all, a more scrupulous and more generous humanity.'

Dr. C. T. M. Davies, of the Environmental Physiology Unit, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, speaking on The Relationship of Exercise to Health', said that degenerative diseglse s today represent collecti vely an epidemic of major proportions, but statistics show that those whose work involves steady and continuous exercise (such as bus conductors and postmen) are less subject to heart disease than more sedentary workers (such as bus drivers and post office clerks) He emphasised that sedentary workers must choose a form of exercise which they personally find relaxing and enjoyable; it's no good taking up a form of exercise, or of diet, which you hate. And he concluded: 'We don 't only want to have grandc hildren , but we want to be able to play with them when we get them.'

The enthusiasts

At the afternoon seminar, most suitably entitled 'The Enthusiasts', all four speakers were patently expert and dedicated participants in their chosen form of sport. Dr. G. M. Yuill entert ained his audience by explaining in detail how to kill yourself at Hang Gliding if you really wanted to , though it wasn't conspicuously easy - one had to undergo an average of 38 flights before sustaining so much as a single fracture. But despite his immense enthusiasm and delightful slide s, some humorous, others breath-taking, I doubt if he made many converts!

Dr. 1. D. Adams (Consultant at the Accident and Emergency Dept. , St. James's University Hospital, Leeds), in a most impressive talk on 'Soccer and Rugby Football', said that 70% of all sports acciden ts occur in some form of football, and that although two -thirds of these occur in soccer, fugger accounts for twice as many head injuries as soccer and 50% more fractures. He gave the following adv ice whic h could be immensely useful to first-aiders on duty at matches:

I. Remove mouth -guards and look out for chewing gum which may obstruct the airway; if a player has been knocked out, watch hi s tongue and if possible put him in the recovery position after quickly checking the cervical spine.

2 Know how to improvise a cervical collar.

3. Any player who is still unconscious when the fir s t-aider ha s got onto the pitch is not/it to return to pLay

4. If you see signs of delayed amnesia in a player who has returned to play tell the coach he must come off; if the coach ign o re s your advice he does so on his own responsibility.

5. When in doubt have the player off the pitch and g iv e yourself tim e to decide on his fitness to return.

6. Never try to reduce dislocations; a dislocated elbow is a medical emergency and shou4d be referred straight to hospital.

Dr. Peter Glanvill, speaking about 'Pot-holing' (or 'caving', as he preferred to call it) , said that most cavers gave up after about 3 years. but that he himself had been caving for nearly 12 years and in that time had never come ac ross an accident. He described the thrill of caving as the challenge to self-reliance in an alien environment, and showed some fascinating slides to prove his point.

Dr. M Harries , Medical Adviser to the Surf Life Saving Association, speaking on ' Water Sport s', sa id that 1,500 people were drowned in the UK in 1977 and that drowning is the thi rd commonest cause of death among our children, though 'ma le s, adolescent and drunks get themselves oftenest into trouble in water'. He was most positive in stressing the s upreme value of expired air resuscitation a the sole method that should ever be used for drowned persons, and described how to overcome some of the difficulties in applying it. Two vital points, he said, when breathing is resumed, are (a) ahm.l's to turn the victi m into the rec overy position, and (b) to go on keeping a close watch on his pulse and airway till you have hand ed him over to the hospi ta l, or all your efforts ma y be wasted.

Mr. Philip Newman rou nded off an absorbingly interesting day' s listening an d viewing by showing what he called 'An Athlete 's Clinic' - pictures of unusual cases of injury sustained in sport, drawn from his very extensive personal experience as an orthopaedic surgeon.

Dinner/dance

The social highlight of the weekend was of course the dinner -dance on Saturday evening, particularly memorable for the presence 'Of the Lord Prior who in previous years had been visiting one of the Priories overseas at the time of the conference. Lord Caccia s after-dinner speeches are al ways a joy to hear. After expressing regret at the Chief Commander s absence owing to an attack of flu caused by his having ignored statistical evidence of the muzzle-velocity and range of a sneeze, and congratulating the conference on so convincingly disproving the truth of the adage that ' those who can, do; those who cannot do, teach; those who can neither do nor teach, attend conferences', he put the question: 'Are we (in St. John) in fact doing what is now needed and are we in the circumstances doing it well?'

He cited the increasing demands of industry for more intensive and more safety-orientated courses in first aid , as required by the Health and Safety Act , and the pressing demands for help from the Third World where St. John already operates in varying degrees. He expressed our indebtedness to the Commonwea lth Foundation for making possible the recent seminar in Singapore and for promising help for a similar event in the Caribbean, and he paid tribute to Mr. Peter von Braun for producing his film 'How to Save a Life', which he described as 'giving us a lift into our second century'.

A busy Sunday

Sunday morning began with an interdenomination a l act of worship conducted, with an address, by Father John Guest, Assistant RC Chaplain to the University. If I were to describe the rest of Sunday 's programme as a rag -bag, no one who knows what priceless treasures can be found in rag -bags could possibly regard it as a slight.

Under the chairmanship of Miss Phyllis Lawton, SRN (County Supt., Staffordshire) , we first heard a talk by Mr. A. S. Bodger , FRCVS, on 'First Aid for Animals', and we knew we were in for a good time from the moment he uttered his first remark: 'He who lies down with an elephant should beware when it turns over'. I hope that the doctor s and nurses present gained some useful tips about how to respond to a neighbourly SOS at times when no vet is available, but the delegate who confessed to having used a tractor to assist in the delivery of a calf was told that that was the least serious of the mistakes that he had made. No doubt Mr. Bodger is a brilliant vet, but even so I feel that he missed his true vocation , for Ernie Wise had nothing on him.

Weak from laughter but revived by a coffee break, we returned to hear Mr. T. Snee , SRN , of the Department of Health, speak on The EEC Directive and the General Nurse'. Mr. Snee said that the main purpose of the Directive (which required that mutual recognition of nursing qualifications and the co-ordination of training of student nurses should be implemented in 1979) was to aid free movement of nurses between EEC countries; and he stressed that only when the Department knows what the problems are, can they take steps to exert pressure in Brussels to so lve them.

Mr. Peter von Braun , speaking on First Aid and Safety Training in the Developin g World' said that this applied to the vast majority of the 50 countries in which St. John operates and in most of which it has a high reputation. He set before St. John a chailenge to reach, within

the next 5 years, the goals of (1) training 4 million people a year in basic first aid. (2) bringing the global strength of the Brigade up to 300,000. (3) developing new systems of training, (4) becoming established as the world's primary Health Service training organisation , and (5) becoming accepted as a major channel for development aid. Finally he showed some short extracts from his film.

The concluding talk, on ' The Sovereign and Military Order of Malta', was most appropriately given by Viscount Monckton of Brenchley , who is both President of the British Association of the SMOM and a Representative Knight on Chapter-General of the Most Venerable Order. After referring brief1y to the Religious , Sovereign. Military and Hospitaller aspects of the Order , he said that it had been the first Christian Order to encourage the study of anatomy - and the first to use mosquito nets! He gave some account of the work of its 10,000 Knights dispersed thro ughout many countries. and commended the fact that the youth sections of the Malteser and the Johanniter Order s work together as a single unit in Holland. He also referred to the help given by our own Order and St. John Ambulance in the SMOM 's two annual pilgrimages to Lourdes, where they provide the parents of handicapped children with the only rest they ever get. And his final words made a fitting end to the conference: We do not have pity, but we do have compassion'.

It now only remained for Major-General Desmond Gordon (C-inC) to perform the most important task of thanking the conference committee (under the chairmanship of Dr. Con Molloy and with Mr. Philip Adams as secretary), the speakers, the university authorities and staff (including all the back room boys and girls') - and the audience - for making the conference such a great success; and he appealed to the audience to show its appreciation by passing on what had been 0 splendidly put over during the weekend.

Lord Caccia the Lord Prior speaking at the dinner. Beside him is Mr. Philip Newman. Chairman SJA Medical Board. who opened the conference

Miss Phy li s Lawton County Supt. Staffs was chairman on the Sunday

Dr W. G. Liggett County Surgeon , Shropshire was chairman on the Saturday

(Right) The mood at he Saturday

Dr. J R. Owen spoke on medical care of an Olympic team

Dr. I. D. Adams , of Leeds spoke on injuries in soccer and rugby football

Photos : E H. Rushton, Cannock

THE St. John Ambulance Brigade has , for many years , provided the basic ground medical cover for the sort of public occasions that are so frequent in London. At such events as the Trooping of the Colour , State Opening of Parliament , Remembrance Day , pop festivals , football matches and all kinds of public demonstrations , the v alue of the service provided by St. John units cannot be overestimated. Their capacit y to receive and treat casualties is in v aluable in preventing an overload of slightly injured patients on the statutor y ambulance service and , in turn on the local accident and emergency hospitals

Our tactics on these o c casions are to eav e the on-site medical activities to St. John but , as situation reports are recei v ed at Central Ambulance Control , move ambulance resources into strategic positions around the affected areas. All communications are provided by the London Ambulance Service, together with a liaison team who wo r k alongside the St. John personnel , so that an y upsurge of casualties can be speedil y dealt with by moving in LAS ambulances. This transformation from a monitoring role to assuming overall charge at any particular incident is , therefore , pre -determined and planned and has always work ed supremel y well.

A good example of the value of this cooperation is the annu al New Year s Eve celebration in Trafalgar Square where the situation is normally wholly contained b y St. .John mobile medical units whi c h include doctors and nursing officers with supporting St. John ambulances with interlinked radio communication , leaving LAS resources free to deal with the accelerating demand brought about by the night ' s festivities throughout the greater London area Left to cope alone, the LAS would be subjected to o ver a hundred accident calls from the Trafalgar Square area alone between 2300 and 0100 hrs - as well as some 259 calls per hour from elsewhere in London Recently, however an entirel y new state of affairs has arisen: that of the anticipated major accident. Potentially violent situations are arising nowadays which create a t otall y different set of problems. They are s ituations in which we meet, for the first time the problem of contingency planning for an event, duration unknown , which is likely, but not certain, to provide casualties of major accident proportions The DHSS has already issued guidelines for procedures in the event of a sudden disaster, but no provision was made -;- nor indeed thought necessary a that time - to advise on advance planning for an incident in which it was possible to forecast that the numbers of casualties would assume major accident proportions. Yet in the space of a little over 4 weeks last year the London Ambulance Service was confronted with three such events the

WORKING TO GETHER

How St. John Ambulance and The Londo n Ambu lance Ser vic e have worked out a highly successful plan for collabora t io n in cases of 'anticipated major accidents '

by JOHN MOSS Assistant Chief Officer,

m o n Au g u s t 13 a nd t he Not t n g Hill C a rni va o n Au g u st 28/29, which toge t her produced no le ss t h a n 5 3 2 casualties. Each of the se eve nts was we ll publici s ed in ad v a nc e. There w a s, ther e fo r e, ample time to plan an efficient re s pon se to the demand lik el y t o b e c aused by t h e expected ca s ualties In e a c h c ase, fo r wa rd planning and clo se c oll a boration betw een th e L ondon Ambulan c e S e rvic e and St. J o hn Ambulance paid off in increa s ed e ffi c e n cy at the scene. In conjun c tion wit h the L ondon Commissi o ner , we oo k very closel y a t th e St. John commitmen t in term s of t he number of mob ile medical un its and foot patr o ls allocated. A decision is then taken a s to whether the LAS s hould play a more immediate role

The Grunwick factor y troubles presented more than a s traightforward c as u a lty

Service

p rob lem and it was decided that LAS stall s h ou ld be use d excl usively o n this occasion

It was diffi c ul t enoug h fo r ou r c r ews to mov e t hr o u g h the fig h ting factions a nd appear i m part ia - for a vo lu ntary service it wo uld have b ee n even more diffic ul t. Even the LAS b lu e s hir ts and epa u lettes - so s imilar to t hose wo rn b y t h e po lice - cou ld h ave given r ise to a n tago ni sm, so in o rder to be seen to b e i mp ar ti a l, a ll LAS p ersonnel were pr ov id ed wit h flu o r esce nt jerki n s p lai nl y e mbla zo n ed wit h th e word AMBULANCE.

O ur pl anning fo r he Lewisham Nationa l F ron t m a r c h was in t h e closest possi bl e ia is on wit h o u r St. Jo hn co ll eagues, and we

d ec id ed o n a d e p a r t ur e fr o m t h e basic s trateg y of m ed ical reso urce d ep loyme nt. A t a c ical pl a n was d evelo p ed pr ovidi n g for mobil e m e dic a l u nits, o p er ating as cas u a lt y cl ea ring st a tio n s, in areas ex p ected to ge n er a te th e grea est num ber of casua lt ies. Atta c h ed to e ac h unit woul d be a vary in g

1978 New Year's Eve. London Ab ove) LAS and SJ A member s working toget her in Trafalgar Square (Leh) The C-in-C Major - Gen. Desmond Go rdon and (right) London s Commissioner Der ek Fenton a LA S s Central Ambulance Control , Wat erloo. (Photos: B A. McEwen Central Am bulance Control)

num ber of ambu lances to remove patients to ho spi ta l when circumstances allowed. The pl a n worked well enough , b u t fr o m the da y's incid e nts we learned a va lu a b le lesson: the nee d to establish tota l command over all a mbu lance deployment. At Lewisham , des p i e the presence, wit h me at the scene , of a po lice liaison officer a n d another po li ce offic er in Centra l Ambu lance Cont r ol, we we r e r espond in g to duplicated ca ll s As t h e stre et b att les raged , St. Jo hn am bu lances wer e de pl oyed via o ur forward - based mob il e control ve hicl e At t h e same ti m e , LAS a mbul ances were r espondi n g to '999 ca Us via C e n tra l Contro l. We were over -organised and needed to simp lify he system so t h at on e con tr o l ce n tre dea lt, in a more restrained wa y, with a ll amb u lance res p onse. Armed with th is va lu a bl e ex p erie n ce, we p r epa r ed for th e No t t ing H ill Carniva l 'festiv iti es'

Thi s tim e it was d ec id e d tha all runnin g call s' s h ou ld be trans mi tte d t o t h e LAS Central Amb ul ance Co ntro l b efo r e St. Jo h n vehicl es were despatc hed, an d o u r forward -

based emergency control team were directed accordingly. Whilst this procedure would cause some slight delay in a few instances it would result overall in less duplication and abortive attendances. Another new departure was the establishment of location points for mobi le medical units o u tside convenient bui ldings, s u ch as chur't h halls , schools etc. In this way, eac h uni t had h e means to treat and ho ld 50 or more casua lties in adjoining accommodation. A catchment area was defined for each of these centres and a number of St. John ambu lances al located. A LAS officer was seconded to each unit to act as the liaison li nk, together with an advanced trained am bul anceman to assist the S t. Jo h n foot pat r o ls, go i ng to cas u a lt ies, t rea ing and r etu rnin g t h em to the cleari ng / holding stat io n I n consu ltation with Brigade doctors eac h unit was in structed to hold casualties , unl ess of a"life -or-death nature, u nti l local conditions eased sufficient y to allow a throug h passage of am b ulance tr a ffi c. Po lice o u tr id ers were on hand to es c or t ve hicles if r eq ui red At t he last meeting prior to he eve n t, o u r comp leted a r rangements we r e exp lai n ed to t h e carnival organisers and accepted. The

addresses of the various stati-c casualty collection centres were given and partic ipants encouraged to take casualties to those centres rather tha n call an ambulance. A communicqtions overlay was established which took in ambulance liaison officers at nominated hospitals and with each casualty unit , the forward-based mobile control vehicle, Central Ambulance Control and seconded pol ice officers (one at the scene with m y self as incident officer, the other at Central Control, working with the officer -incharge). This provided a full radio-telephone communications circuit which worked with barel y a hitch.

From these and other i ncidents one fact comes out most clearly : that the London Ambulance Service needs to have ve r y close and disciplined arrangements with a prope r y organised voluntary body such as the St. John. On site medical resources for routine public gatherings at which some casualties can be expected are normally pro vided very satisfactorily by the St. John. but the statutory service must make a contribut ion. even at local level , sufficient to form the basis of a communications s ys tem which can be built upon rapidl y should an incident of unusual proportions develop

June 24 is St. John's Day - the one day in the year when our ·organisation pauses to reaffirm its role in the world

Becoming members of the St. John Family

TODA Y you are doing something far , far greater and more important than just joining a local youth organisation that meets on a Tuesday evening - or whatever night you happen to meet. You are becoming , for good and all , members of a family of people of all ages and of almost every race and colour , which exists in about fifty countries spread over the five continents of the ·world

In common

And the one thing that we members of the St. John Family have in common is that we believe in God and we solemnly undertake, in God's name, to be true to that faith and to give ourselves in the service of mankind wherever men and women or boys and girls are sick or injured or suffering and in need of help Not all the members of the St. John family have the same understanding about God as those of us who are Christians have; but we all share in common a life of service which is founded on the teaching and example of Jesus Christ and those who through the ages have followed him - right back to the crusading Knights of St. John who founded the Order nearly nine hundred years ago.

The St. John Ambulance Foundation is not, of course as old as that; in fact, as you know it's just a hundred years old and has been celebrating its centenary this year. And our aim is to go on carrying out, in the rapidly changing world of the next hundred years , the same work for the service of mankind that St. John Ambulance has so splendidly carried out during the first century of its family life. And that depends on you.

Welfare

Last June I was visiting St. John welfare projects in parts of England, and one of these was in a Devonshire village called South Molton, which has 3,000 inhabitants. A couple of years previously its St. John Division had only 5 adult members and about the. same number of cadets. then

This talk was given by Watkin W. Williams, then Depu ty C-in-C, at the enrolment of 40 cadets at a service at Greyfriars Church, Reading, last November.

suddenly realised that there was a job to be done to enrich the life of their local community by caring for the elderly, the housebound , the lonely and the infirm.

Increased When I met them in June their numbers had increased to 25 adults, men and women, 17 cadets, 15 probationers and 16 juniorstotalling over 70 in that populat ion of 3,000.

I visited an old lad y who hadn't been outside her house for 4 years because she can't even walk across the room without help. Now, she is visited dail y and sometimes twice daily; she's taken by wheelchair and ambulance to parties and concert s, and was even taken for a holiday to stay with her daughter. She is typical of many whose lives are being enriched i n this way. None of these acts of caring kindness could be provided by the Welfare State, and all of them are being done freely and for the love of Christ, and with joy.

I could give you lots of other examples of ways in which members of the St. John family are bringing happines s into lives that : were formerly sad, by going out like the Knights of old and facing challenges. And they re not doing it instead of their normal first aid duties at football matches and old banger races and other public occasions; on the contrary, they're doing many more norJl1al public duties than ever before.

Overseas

I've been lucky, too, to see some of the work done by Sf.. John members in 7 countries in Africa and 3 in Asia; and though the details vary with the needs of the country where they live, the spirit of loving,

caring service that st imul ates them is the sa me.

Just over a year ago some of our young St. John members from the British Isles went out to help St. John members in Canada to build a chain of survival cairns across the Arctic, and two of these cairns have already been used by stranded travellers in the frozen north and have saved their lives.

Centenary year

And in this centenary year we've sent two parties of older cadets and young adults to international camps in Australia and New Zealand, where they've met and made lasting friendships with members of the St. John family 'down under, as well as holding in our own country the 3rd International St. John Convention, at which members from 14 different countries were present.

These are some of the people whose world-wide family you are joining today, and I hope that most of you will be able to continue as active members throughout your lives - like your own Commissioner who started his St. John life as a cadet and is now a Krught of the Order.

But even if some of you have to give up active membership, at least for a time, because of the greater claims of your homes and children, your work or your career, r hope you'll always remember this day whe n you first joined the St. John family, and that some day you'll return to active membership of it. Fo r whether or not our family survives for the next hund red years depends on you, on your faith in God and your service to mankind

When F lorenc e Nightingale, who was a Dame of the Order of St. John, was nursing in a military hospital in the Crimean wa r one of the wounded so ldi ers looked up at her and sai d 'Miss, you a r e Jesus Christ to me.'

May God grant that whether we wear the white cross or the red we may so walk th is earth as fo llow ers of Christ and mem bers of His Body that we reflect something of Him to those whom we meet.

J. Newcombe BEM Association Chief Officer Training

Jimmy Newcombe, who joined HQ in 1972 as Deputy Chief Training Officer, is

re s pon sibl e for organisi n g three 4-day industrial fir st aid courses (averaging 28 people eac h) and two refresher courses (averaging 15 people each) at HQ every month; and occasional special courses, when asked for, outside London. Born and bred and still living in Rotherhithe with his wife, Jimmy used to work in the London docks, where he saw hundreds of 'te rribl e accidents' when most cargoes were manhandled to and from ships. A Brigade member for 22 years, at the time he was in 211 National Dock Labour Board Division. During the wa r Jimmy spent 7 years in the Army (lst Btln The Buffs), and was with the 8th Army. Outside his HQ work, he 'helps out' on first aid courses for youth organisations. When Jimmy, who's obviously been through the blood and sweat of first aid, was awarded the BEM for services to first aid in 1977, the citation listed the casualties he had attended - 3.078 of them!

HEADQUARTERS

Photos : by Jeannette Taylor

John Lockett - The Order's Public Relations Officer

John Lockett, who came to Headquarters in 1973. when the Public Relations Department of the Order was expanded under its new Director: Sqd Ldr Geoffrey Meek, is responsible for PR for the Order and its Foundation s with the Press. TV and radio: he is also general information omcer and co-ordinates much of the work of the County PROs. John has been feature writer and reporter on The Guardian. with the Navy (at sea and in the Dept. of Naval Inform ation) during the war, and. with leading companies in industrial PR both in the UK and Europe. John lives in Cobham, Surrey. and spends much of his free time in co un try pursuits, particularly studying wild bird life; his other weakness is to get away to the sun with his wife whenever possible.

Peter Garland - Public Relations

Peter Garland is a National Westminster Bank Ltd employee who, because of ill ne ss, was seconded to Headquarters four years ago and works a 5-day week in the PR Dept. Having no pr ev ious connections wit h St. John, h e's now very i nter este d in developing youth interest in all of the Order's activ iti es. At hi s Surre y home, with his wife and two young daughters, he spends most of hi s free time gardening, walking and sketching.

Col P. A. Adams - Chief Officer Brigade Training and Cadets

Pat Adams, who joined HQ in 1971, is responsible for Brigade leadership training (he's been referred to as the present 'go d -fat her

of 'Notting ham ') and all matters concerning Cadets. A qualified e ngineer with a Cambridge degree, he left the Army in 1960 as Chief Engineer, Home Counties, having se r ved in India (N.W. Frontier), Nigeria, Sudan and the Iraqi Army. After the Army he joined an engineering company and later became Director General of a business training organisation. Pat , who is a bachelor, li ves in Putney, makes a good curry, and loves home-made marmalade and ri ce pud The latter, however, has never affected his sporting activities: polo, swimming, rowing (he was 1960 Ol ym pi c coach and an official at the Br itish and World R owing Championships until 1976), and golf (once handicap 1 now 8). He's also chairman of Bridge at Roehampton Club. He paints - and is iFlvolved with some five ot h er voluntary organisations. Pat's obviously always busy.

Denise Stracey - Association, clerk

This is pert, 16-year-old Deni se's first job (she came to HQ in June ] 977), having learned typing at school ('I've learned m uch more here though.). She lives with her parents in nearby Pimlico, and has a sister and brother. She has a regular boyfriend. Her favourite music is 'Reggae' - which is a heavy-beat West Indian style she informs us. After contributing to the family income, she spends most of her spare cash on clothes. Her dream? - To help the needy in Africa (she mentions, a little unsu r ely. t he word missionary). Denise is not shy.

Miss W. R. Grinsted Association

Miss Winifred R Grinsted has been personal assistant to five Director Generals during the 10 years she's been at- HQ. Living in a South London nat with her mother, Miss Grinsted's working background makes her ideal for this job - ATS secretarial work during the war, and then 20 years as m edical and admin istr at ive secretary at various L ondon hospitals. She b ecame a Serving Sister in 1977. Her dream for leisure? - Cruising. Mind yeJU, she's already been on cruises to the Med. New York and this year goes to Canada. No dreaming here.

FLYING COMPETITORS

The Bolsover Colliery Division first aid team, which is regularly in the news as competition winners, has been having some adventures as a result. reports ASO G. E. Poultpr.

Last September, while on their way to Vienna to compete in the European competition, which they won, they found themselves in difficulties behind the Iron Curtain. Their London to Prague plane missed the late afternoon connecting flight to Vienna, which meant an over-night stay for the next flight. With no visas to enter Czechoslovakia, the team was told that they'd have to stay the night at the bleak, cold airport. It was 'Niet' to going to an hotel in Prague.

Our members from north Derbyshire didn't like that suggestion at all. They complained to the British Airways Czech representative and she found them beds at an hotel in the city. Four beds between five. but that's better than no beds. But then they had to get visas. It took two or three attempts with Czech officials - and a bit of shouting on both sides, apparently - but at last they got their over-night visas in exchange for their passports. So eventually, with their toilet gear (they weren't allowed to take their luggage) and meal vouchers, they went by taxi (paying with English money) to the hotel. After a comfortable night the team was thankful to fly out of Prague the next morning.

In March, the team took to the air again in pursuit of trophies - but this time across England. They had been placed in a quandary when they qualified for both the National Coal Board finals, in Blackpool, and the SJ A County finals, in Derby, Both finals were on the same day! Swearing - in as

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

ATTHE TJ-IEATRE

Cadet Sgt. Katherine Grix of Lee Valley Cadet Division , presents a posy of flowers to Princ ess Helena Montafian the special guest at the performance o Arthur Miller's The Crucib e by the Stock Exchanye Dr ama and Operatic Society at the Barbican 's Golden Lane Thea t re during April. The performance was in aid of London District's Centenary Appeal which has a target of £ 100 000 Among Princess Helena's guests was comedian Ernie Wise : with her in the photo s Commander of London District Col. Hexell

BY THE EDITOR

: Clive Cooksey , Manchester Evening News)

Mr. G. C. Sheppard, a member of the National Coal Board who was flying in a private plane from Blackpool to London on the day , came to their rescue. The team competed in B1ackpool , where they didn 't win. They were then flown to Derby in time to compete in the SJA competition - which they did win.

Can't win 'em all!

SPECIAL CADET BADG E St. John Cadets from the Gwent Area Health Authority Hospitals Division , who des ig ned a special badge to commem orate the Brigade's Diamond Jubilee in Wales this year, were presented with their badges at a special ceremony at their Headquarters during March.

The Division's Officer-in -Charge, Keith Dunn, told the gathering that' All the Cadets

were very pleased that the St. John Ambulance Brigade Committee had approved the design of the. badge, which would be worn by all St John Cadets in Wales.'

THANKS GEORGE

The Commissioner-in-Chief gave a luncheon party at the St. John House Club during April for Mr. & Mr s. George Woodhill, on the occasion of his retiremen t from Headquarter s, and made a presentation to him of an engraved glass bowl , which was subscribed to by his friend s and colleagues at He a dquarter s and in the Aeromedical Services.

General Gordon s poke warmly of George's very long service in the Brigade, dating back to the early days of the war, and the subsequent period of some 20 yea rs

which he spent on the staff at Headquarter s, initially as Brigade Secretar y, then as Registr ar and ultimately as Directo r of the Aeromedical Services. He had launched the Aeromedical Services most s uccessfully , with the result that it is now an established part of Brigade activities and the vol ume of work grows steadily.

Among those present at the lunch were the Superintendent -i n -Chief, Lady Moyra Browne, the Chief Accountant, Mr. Gordon Monro, the Chief Staff Officer , Wing Commander Fazan, and Derek Clarke, who was one of the pioneers of the Aerom edic a l Service a nd has made a worthy contribution, giving advice on technical matters.

MAJORETTES

Diy Supt. M rs. J Kin gdo n writes: Barn staple Nursing Cadet Div is ion decided last year that the y would atte mpt somet hin g a little d ifferent to advertise the work of St. John during Centenary Year so they formed a t roupe of majorettes.

The Parents Association, under the chai rm anship of Divisional Vice-President Mrs. V Barnard -Rance , offered to finan ce and clothe the majorettes in return for their help in fund raising.

After man y hours of 'sq uare bashing ' the girls went out to their first event at a loca l carnival and thoroughly enjoyed themselves . Several appearances were made throughout the year in North Devon, and many enquiries were received regarding the Cadet Division

At the end of the summer it was decided that the majorettes shou ld carryon and be available to appear at functions in 1978, and so the needl es, sc issors a nd cotton appeared Olilce again

The troup e are marching majorettes, and this year there are 20 of them, about one third the strength of the Division. All hold a

SHOW A · LEG'

First Aid cert ificate and are enrolled members of the Division, with the exception of t heir ma scot, 5 -y ear -old Samantha Kingdon

A white fur Hus sa r t y pe hat , with black cord a nd ta sse ls , tops their outfit of white s kating -sty le dress , trimmed with white braid, black half cape, white socks and shoes. Their outfits are completed with a bl ack and white bat on

The training of the team is by VaJerie Barnard - Rance a nn the Div is ional Superintendent, together with the Nursing and Di visional Officers. Out side help, which has been of great assistance, has come from the Torrington Corps of Drums , whose members ha ve taught the majorettes differing routines to enable them to vary their performances.

It ma y be said that thi s is not St. John: but it mu st be emph as ised that we in St. John are competing aga inst a great many other

Mr and Mrs. George Woodhil l receiving an engraved glass bowl (below) from the C-in-C MajorGen. Desmond Gordon on George s retirement from Headquarters. See story THAN KS GEORGE

attractions for our younger members, and for this Division in particular it has proved that interest can be stimulated by presenting St. John in a different light. It is a stipulation within the Barnstaple Di vision that first aid, nursing and proficiency subjects are the priorities , and anyone who does not attend the Division 's instructional nights regularly is not allowed to continue as a majorette. But this has never been necessary. Rehearsals and practice are held on nights other than Divisional meeting nights so majorette activity does not interfere with their St. John work: in fact many of the cadets give up as many as four evenings a week for their varying St. John activities. The close working of the Parents Association with the Di vision has been of great assistance in this venture - for it has left the officers of the Division ample time to maintain and improve the St. John curriculum of subjects

Council for Greater Manchester

(Photo

SJA majorettes - with (l eft ) % Mrs.

Ba rbara Stacey , (centre ) Vice - Pres Mrs Barnard-Rance (right D Sup t. Mrs. J. Kingdon See Story MAJORETIES

We as a Division look for w ard to the summer of 1978, for we have recei ved several requests for appearances and hope to spread the work of St. John - whether it is by a sh ow of legs or with the uniform hat we all so proudly wear. While our majorettes march, we serve at these events , and so we hope to find at the year ' s end that we have added to our Divisional strength and can sti ll maintain what we consider to be a good standard of St. John work. My thanks to all those concerned.

THANKS

Mr. Ray Britton , a member of the Brislington Ambulance Division , Bristol, has for the last 10 years covered the duty for the Galena two-day cycle race held on the roads around the Chew Valley Lakes on the outskirts of Bristol.

Following the recent presentation of awards to the cyclists , a special shield wa s

Lands End , Jul y 1 7 to 31 T he ri d e r Christopher Dale s, w ho is a m e mb e r of th e Alford (Linc s) Wh eele r s, wo r ks for th e sa m e engineering firm as th e Di vi sio n 's s uperintenden K Nee dham Th e m ai n check point s of the r ide - divi s io n s alo n g the r ou t e sh o uld see if Christ o ph e r need s any help - are Br id g n o rth , K id dermi nster, Worcester , Glou c es t e r , B ris tol T a unt on, Ex e t er Bodm i n and P e n za n ce M r. Needham s addre ss i s 5 5 Br iar Way, Skegness,

560 BEDS MADE Hamp s hire s Bi s h o p s W a ltham

Qu ad ri late r al Division held a sponsored bedm aking event at Southampton General Hos pit al on April Foo l's day to raise money fo r t h eir ambu lance and to ensure that t heir m embers became expert at bed-mak i ng.

Eig ht Cadets a nd six adu lt s took part maki n g forty beds per pair, a tota l of 560 beds made correct ly. This raised £300 - if a ll sponsors pay up.

The Guiness Book of Records were in teres t ed and took details,

TO T HE E N D

W h e n Mr. Richard B anks die d at the age of 88 dur i n g Februa r y seven pound n otes were fo u nd in his wallet wit h a note asking that the mo ney s h ou ld be fo r warded to Mr. John P ark, the R egiona l Am b ulance Secretary, B rit ish R ai lways , for payment into St. John fun ds.

Mr. B anks joined the London & North Weste rn R ai lway. Co's first aid class in Wiga n n 19 14 - to remain a mem b er of t he R a il way Centre for nearly 60 years, during (L eft) A mascot Lion helps at the handing over of an ambulance by the Chipping Sodbury Lion Club , Bristol to the Yate and Chipping Sodbury Combined D ivision. ( P hoto: Bristol United Press) (Below) A new ambulance s ation is opened for London 's Twickenham and Wh i tton Combined Division in t h e car pa r k of t h e Winning Post pub ic house. (Photo: Time Photographic Se rv ce , Richmond)

At Strabane, Co. Tyrone - Miss Mary Gallagher ASO (Cadets ), and flanked by cadets o Sion Mills Cad et Division of which she was formerly Superintendent, joins hands for life with Dennis Mc Kinney Superintendent (Area Pool) Best wishes for your future (Photo: T S McCarte r)

wh ich he taught first a id to hund r eds of peop le in the Wigan, Sout h port and Liverpool railway areas.

D ick Banks, whom many people will re m embe r was made a Serving Brother of the O rder in 1943.

DUC H E SS OF YORK

Ou r apologies for the caption on page 99 May R eview, wh ch referred to the Q u een

M ot her as the Duchess of Ke n in 1928. This sho uld, of course, have read Duchess of York

ON TO RESERVE

Mr s. Margaret Swinnerton North East Area Commissioner, Greater Manchester, who in 1975 was appointed one of on ly two women area commissioners in Britai n , is to retire d ue to ill health

M rs. Swinnerton , who has been in the Brigade for 41 years, is going on to the Reserve.

M I ND BENDERS (answers)

uilld j;> S;)! - - JOlJd £ 'S J:lPUlllS" 8 '1: '''poq ujil;)JO,:l '1

(Right) Ashton and Lea Quadrilateral Division Preston: Corps Supt (R) R. T. Butterworth (ieh) presents Grand Pri or Certificates to brother and sister, AIM David and N M Susan Livesey Their father (behind) is Corps Staff Officer Norman Livesey and younger brother (right) is Cadet Sgt. P. Livesey, A family affair indeed

(Right) HANTS : Among a class who recently obtained their first aid certificates at Gosport s Alverstoke Combined Division are Mr, & Mrs. Anthony Elbourn (sitting right) - both are blind. ( Photo Portsmoutn and Southampton Newspapers)

(Photo

(Ri ght) Isle of Man: Miss Nora Dobson. of Douglas No , 2 Nursing Divis ion who instructs for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme first aid, was i nvited to accompany three of the can d idates to Buckingham Palace to rec eive their Gold Awards from Prince Phil ip During February th e Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Brigadie, Sir Douglas Cr

Built to h e des gn suggested by Mr, Pimblett, t he HQ consists of e n trance foyer

: St Helens Reporter)

I HAD BEEN conned, hi-jacked, cajoled, persuaded or flattered - take your pick!into saying I was willing to be nominated as Divisional Superintendent. Circumstances in the Division dictated that I should take over at once, after only 18 months as a member.

My knowledge of forms and running a Division was just about nil and the Area Superintendent who had done most of the persuading had said 'I'll give you all the help I can to get you off to a good start. And I suggest that I come to see you as soon as possible. Then I can introduce you to various books and forms , give you information and guidance, and queries that you probably have. I don't aim to give you a blue-print for success , but I can emphasise the approach and methods which from personal experience I know to be effective. Now , when's a convenient date and time and where can we meet?'

That surprised me! I had thought that Corps , Area and County officers went around with l.(arious embellishments on their hats and uniforms , just did inspections had something to do with competitions , training and social events , sat on platforms , spoke on the telephone and generally got other people to do the work!

But now, here in my home, was one of 'them' in mufti , who had driven 25 miles after a day's work to help me keep a Division going, to spend the evening giving me a personal teach-in and who obviously thought it all worth while

Fascinated

I was fascinated - and a bit scared - by the ramifications of it all. But as I listened asked questions and made notes, I began to understand that although there were rules and requirements, I could use my initiative and what I made of the appointment would be largely up to me. The Brigade gave me an umbrella of protection and because of that there would be opportunities for helping others in ways that as an individual I should never have. I would have a position and the right to exercise authority . These are thoughts which are apt to go to one's head! I think my Area Superintendent had known similar thoughts chasing through other 'learners' minds, for I heard 'The standards that the local community associates with your Division will be their idea of the Brigade as a whole: If a Division wears uniform smartly; if their equipment is well -kept and up -to -date; if their service to the community is relevant to present day needs; if their weekly meetings are wellplanned, interesting and have a happy atmosphere; if records and paper work are given proper attention; then the Division will be successful, attract recruits, will be well supported and will project a first-class image of the Brigade. 'Slack appearance; out-of-date, shabby

Teach-in for a new DIV. SUPERINTENDENT

What exactly does the .job involve?

by HIM/HER!

equipment ; poor training ; unimaginative , dilatory approach to opportunities , service , records and paper work ; une as y relationships - all spell stagnation or regression for the Division disillu sionment for members , limited support f rom the general public and project a sh o ckingl y p o or image of the Brigade. ·

Which of these two descriptions ' , he went on , 'or a description somewhere between the two , is true of a Division depends to a very large extent on the superintendent and his or her endeavours to ensure that everyone in the Division is encouraged to exercise to th e full their will to serve .'

Even with my limited experience I could recognise the fundamental tru t h of tho se statements. It s quite something I've taken on , isn't it? I said. 'I'm willing to hav e a go - but what books are there that I can refer to besides the F A. & N manuals?

General Regulation s was produced -a book of reference to have always at hand. I learnt that few of the regulations contain the word MUST and that the s e few MUST indeed by OBSERVED and ADHERED TO others are there for guidance and information. I was advised to look through Gen. Regs. page by page sometime, note the headings and to read what took m y eye s o as to get a general idea what it is all about: to learn and understand the regulations which are MUSTS : and to a s similate the last sentence of the Introduction which reads It is impossible to prescribe by regulation for special cases or other contingencies that may arise: therefore Officers and Members should interpret the Regulations wisely and reasonably in the best interests of the Brigade, abiding always by the general principles laid down'

Wisely - reasonably - best interests of the Brigade. 'Keep a sense of balance, don't think only of one person's interest or only of one's own Division are what that conveys to me,' I thought.

Another part of the book to assimilate , the

My Pr esid e nt h a d p rom ised m e s upp o r t, offer ed to c o ntinu e as c h a irman of th e F undRaisin g C o mmi t ee

d e r in m a kin g an esti m atio n . T h e Ar ea Superi nte nd ent 's r e p ly was: 'a ) Ho w mu c h in han d b) H ow mu c h nee d e d fo r :

Acc omm od a t io n

In s ur a nc e

N e w e quipm ent

New un ifo rm s

Ta ki n g pa r t in Co r ps , A r ea , County Regional Nationa l events

Tr a n s p o rt to and fr om duties a nd in te r - Di visio n a l a ct iv it ies.

whole of Chapt er VI. A nd som e of t he Foreword f a irl y le a p t o ff th e pa ge ! - W hen members join , th ey bind th e m se lves o work t o gether n a s pirit o f Ch ival r y The foster i ng of p e tt y j ea lo u s es and the nouri s hment of g r ieva n ces a nd rese ntme nt are therefore for eig n to th e a i m s of m embers a nd the y must re s o lutel y c om bat a ny temptation to indu ge in th ese di s tr actions from their duty s o t h at th e h a ppin ess a nd w ell - be ing of th e Bri ga d e s hall not be endan g ered . I said I s h all ha v e to ma ke meeting s so full and in t eresting an d to fi nd opportuniti es fo r se r v ic e so th a t everyone is too happil y o ccupied to eve n t h n k of " these di stra c tion s" ! Th a t 's it, exact ly , sa id the Area Superintendent. ' But hum an frailty c reate s difficult ie s from t im e t o t im e. If you see or sense di s gruntl e m e nt find o u t the cause and deal wi t h it p ro mp t ly It 's b etter f or se lfishl y m o tiv a t e d o r d isg run tled members to e x p erience m o m e ntari y pai nfu l trea t ment than for t he sit uat io n to d eve lop.'

Change offocus

Dress Re g ulat ions pro v id ed a ch a n ge of fo cus 1 w as told al w a ys to ha ve a co p y to refe r to and to keep it up -to -date b y st icki ng in a mendment s s sued ; t o kn ow w h a t is wor n w hen , and , ho w it is worn ; th at gl oves, ties stockings/ socks s ho es / boot s, s hirt s , s p ec ial duty s lacks trouser s a nd jumpe r s a r e all item s which member s choose for them s el ves but to ensure that ever y one ha s a c le ar understanding of wh a Dress Regs. decre e as suitable.

' The appointments o f Secretar y and Treasurer are vacant ,' s aid the Area Superintendent. You ll need help o v er t he se two important parts of administration You may have nom nee s in mind , but don t for get that it would be quite in order to nominat e non -members with suitable ability. Th e re is no age limit for either appointment and t hey could be Auxiliaries .' We discussed th at for a bit - pro tem an experienced member was keepin g the Duty Book entered up I was

P e tt y cas h t e le ph o ne , stat io n e r y , postage.

I f fun d - ra isi ng was fo r the be ne fi t of two or mo r e cadet a n d / or ad u lt d iv sio n s, to have an ag ree d p e r centage a ll ot m en t for each di v sion according to it s needs .'

He con t i nu ed T hr ee p lans advocated fo r a D iv isio n a re:

1) A p rog r a mm e for a yea r

2) A p r ogra mm e to cove r the period of a co u rse of lectures or s p ecial t r a inin g.

3) A p r ogramme for each D ivisiona l mee ti ng

T o p an a programme for a y ear , ca ll a meet in g in th e ear ly a u tu mn to pl an a pr og r a mm e cove r in g eve r y week of th e fo ll owi ng yea r. Aim to have i p ri nt ed and rea d y to d istri bu te to every member (ad ul ts), or on th e notice boa r d (cadets) by the first mee t ing of th e New Year. A certain flex ib il ity is invari abl y nece s sa r y bu t t he subjects a nd dates for co ur ses of lect ur es. s peci al tr a i n in g and ind ivid u a l week y mee tin gs; esse nti a l d a tes ie , a nnu al r eexa m in at o n a nd a nnu a l ins p ec t io n ; dates of flag d ay, fund -r a is i ng a nd socia l events; da tes of Div is iona l b r ea ks, ie , 2 or 3 weeks at C hri st mas a nd 2 3 o r 4 weeks of t h e m a in ho lid ay p erio d are a rr a n ge d On e of th e Dece mb er m eeti ngs of eac h year shou ld be devoted o t he co m p let ion a nd ini tial ling of BF4 s Be fore d ec idin g on lec tu res co ns u lt nearb y divi s io ns, ca d e t a nd a dul t, as t o th eir ne ed s. I t m ay be poss ib le for two o r more divi sio n s t o co m b in e fo r a co ur se t h us

ma k in g b ette r u se o f the lec tu rer's t ime And don 't fo r get t h at if a r ec r uit is to b e a bl e to count hi s fir st yea r for se r vice he q ua lifyi n g certi fi c a t e mu st be gain ed a nd he mu st j o in befo r e S e pt e mb er 3 0 R e m emb er h a t w h e n arr a n gin g a c o u rse a nd t he d a te of th e exam in a tion .'

Th at s t he dea ,' h e r e p lied a nd if yo u r un h e cou r se d o n t f org et to a d verti se , a n d t hin k of n ew ways a n d pl aces to do so. To pl a n t h e programme for a course of lecture s :

D eci d e on t h e su bject

D ec ide who to ask to lecture

D ec ide where the lec t u re s wi ll take p ace

D ec de nu mber of week s the cou r se w ill ta ke

D ec id e s t arting date and t im e

D eci d e exa m ina ion date (annou n ce at fi rst lecture)

Ensu r e that t here is full supply of good equ i pment and tex t books

Ensure that r oo m is adeq u ate ly furn\s h ed , lighte d and heated.

L astly but im pe r ative , in fo r m t h e Cent r e

Sec r e t ary o f the forma ti o n of the cl ass well b efore the s ta r ting d a t e o f th e course , so that he can send the Class R egister and application fo r exami n ati o n form.

Here is yo u r copy of Clas s R eg u lations ,' he said , han d ing me the book. A r range a social even ing for p r ese ntatio n of ce rt ifi cates and invite

Pr es id ents, fa m i l i es, f r ien d s

C o rp s/ Area / Co un ty O ffice rs.

W h a t a b o ut this programme for each meeting ,' I aske d ' Tha t's v ery m u ch m y r e sponsi bi lity. isn t it? ' Yes it is an d your aim is that e ve r y one leaves a meeting h aving t h o r oug hl y learn t so m ething and fee li ng t h at t heir time has been e njo y a b y well - s pent.

And re m ember that yo u h a ve t o cater fo r m e m be r s w i th yea r s of ser v ice, co m parativel y new mem b e rs and rec r uits, all of va r iou s a g e groups. Get to kn o w and apprec iate the capabi li ties of eac h member

Gi ve your S urgeon a nd Nursing O fficer the o p portu n t y to g i ve a ll the h e lp t h at onl y the y can. T hink about each meeting beforehan d in volve othe rs in t he pl an n ing and uition. an d know exact ly how t h e 1 Y2 to 2 hours wi ll c ,I

W e h ave 3 r e cruit s w h o need a firs t aid Cours e 1 said, " so I' ll h ave a w ord wit h n earby d ivisio n s t o see if t he y h av e peo p e n eedin g F.A. ce r t ifi cates a nd wh et her t h ey a r e pl an n in g t o ru n a co u rse.'

b e s p ent. Allow 15 minutes o r s o at the e nd of each m eeting to:

I. Call an d m a r k t h e regi s ter -t hi s e n a bl es everyone to see and kn o w that co rr ect reco r d is kept of their attendances.

2. A rr ange cove r age of duties

3 . R eco r d du t ie s done in D ivi s ional D uty Book (keep a r u n ning total going for ea c h member a nd each type of dut y)

4 Re a d out any Cor p s/ A rea / Count y co mmun icatio n.

5. R ead out (don ' t just pu on th e Notice B oa r d!) Bri gade C irculars and O rders whjch are iss ued every

s

n t to

iga d

O r d er s and C ir cula rs. I t m ay be th a t in fo r ma ion can r eliably be de li v ere d by hand to your Pr esi d ents, S urg e ons an d Nu r sing Office r s, bu t if not post it! Wha t these membe r s cont r ib u te to the well- be ing of your d ivision fa r o utweighs th e cost of fi r st-class postage.'

Of course.' 1 no dded. 'Now. we ' ll just h ave

q u ic k loo k at the for m s you' ll h a nd le. B ut

r d e taile d understa n di n g of the m we'r e hol d in g a t r aining afternoon on a S a ur d ay in a month s time a nd s h all be dealing excl u sively with for m s. Will y ou be a b le to come?' Yes, I think 1 can'. 1 said , I shall have to rearrange t h n gs a bit , b ut o b vio u sl y 1 mu st k now abo ut for m s My fami ly an d wo r k have fi rst c lai m o n

I

AT A RECENT meeting at Headquarters a question relating to the future production of training films was put to some of our senior instructors; what emerged from their answers was that, excellent though they may be, we have all seen 'Don't Let Him Die ', 'Give Him Air' and 'Handle Him With Care' umpteen times; fr'om the view-point of something new, therefore, I am happy to say that Wm. Orr of Edward Patterson Associates Ltd is offering to hire three films to members of St. John Ambulance at reduced rates. The fUms are: 'First Aid Quiz, Saving a Life', 'First Aid Quiz, Treatment of Injuries' and 'CPR Basic Life Support', These three films are about 20 minutes each and are available for hire at £5.50 per film. All three are well made American films quite exciting from a cinematographic viewpoin.!, involving a question and answer technique; alas, they do not accord 100% with the Joint Manual but providing an instructor is present to analyse differences in pro.cedures they could be used.

New colour film

From the same source Headquarters has acquired a new 15 minute colour film , 'CPR Trainer'; it is available from the Visual Aids Section at £5.00 inclusive as preview loan. To buy a print would cost roughly £160.

I am heartened by the number of enquiries

I receive in respect of overhead projectors and their material. Messrs. Elite Optics, 354 , Caerphilly Road, Cardiff, offer a low voltage 'Viewrite' O.H.P. at £ 110 less 33'/3% discount to SJA, thus totalling inclusive of V AT about £80. The portable model is slightly expensive as is the Viewrite , 91 -.2017 A4 size - they are both about £88 to £90.

Elite Optics also offer a discount of 25% on pens and pencils, etc. They also produce a Direct-copy set of O.H.P. transparencies which can be prepared by ball point pen or typewriter and do not need thermal or photocopying. 100 sets plain cost £9.00; the mirror printograph 100 sets £12.00 However, I recommend the Starter Kit at £3.75.

PHILIP ADAMS keeps us in touch with

AUDIO VISUAL AIDS

Another type of projec;tor is the George Elliot at £ 1] 0 from Gordon Audio VisIJals at 28/30 Market Place, Oxford Circus, London, W.l.

I do from time to time get hold of secondhand machines - if anyone is interested in acquisition I shall be glad to hear.

FORDIGRAPH O.H. Projectors

70, Basic machine Gold Colour. -£ 110 80, plus high / low lamp and 10" x 10" platen. Red (terracotta) colour. -£ 1] 5.

90 , A4 size platen II" xII ". Red (terracotta) colour. -£ 126.

These models may be o btained at the 'educational' prices as given above from: Fordigraph Ltd, Offrex House , Steven Street , London , W 1. Roll attachments are extra at £7.00 each.

These three models are low voltage which means bulb costs are reduced

I still have

I still have the odd bundle of 40 transparencies on Anatomy and Physiology to be given away at the bargain price of £7.50, plus £1 for postage

At the last meeting of the SJ A Visual Aids Committee held at Headquarters a very welcome visitor was John Chittock, FBKS, FRPS, a leading film and video journalist who has a column in the Financial Times.

NEW VISUAL AIDS

YOUR SLEEP AND REST 16mm fi1m, 10 mins. Hire Fee: £7.00 plus postage & VAT.

Distributed by: Fergus Davidson Associates, 376 London Road, West •

Content: This is one of seven films of the series 'Your Health'; originally of U.S.A. origin they have been re-edited with commentary by Richard Baker

YOUR PROTECTION AGAINST DISEASE 16mm film, 10 mins. Hire: as above.

John firmly believes that revolution (in the audio-vis u a l sense) is around the corner and that this country will short ly follow the pattern of the USA, where video cassette recorders are a major consumer item.

In the long run this means of course that a hitherto untapped segment of the public could become part of a vast distributional network. Test marketing of video disc takes place in the USA this year - one of their many advantages could be cheapness of duplication.

Act as catalyst

John Chittock said that as far as our Foundation was concerned he felt one role would be to act as catalyst in the creation of suitable programme material.

Manifestly, the whole field of video must occupy the attention of the committee in the future; however, bearing in mind the confusion that is all too apparent in the industry in toto, specifically in regard to noncompatible systems, the time is not yet opportune to make any recommendations in respect of equipment.

One of the most popular cassetted tapes from Medical Conferences of past years was that of Dr. Tudor Powell Jones, who spoke so brilliantly a couple of years back on 'Education'; I have had this cassette rerecorded and a few are still avai labl e for purchase at £2.00 each.

The SJA Multi -Media Appraisal Panel, which comprises doctors, nurses.jirstaiders and visual aid experts, is one oj the oj]icial/y appointed panels oj the Sritish Medical Association lis reviews are also published in the SMA '{njormation

Distributed by: Fergus Davidson Associates.

Appraisal: These two films are clear, concise and refreshing. They tell in simple language and in a family setting s imple concepts of good health habits. They will be extremely useful for training of youngsters in Health Education. Recommended.

The following three programmes are distributed by: Nursing Audio Visual Training, 32-28 Leman Street, London E I 8EL, and cost £45.00 each programme for cassetted tape and slides.

BEDMAKING

This is such a practical subject that any audio visual aids are bound to be second -best ; however , in St. John Ambulance there are, regrettably, situations where instruction is given without all essential equipmentin these circum sta nces the programme could well have value. The situation is strictly in a hospital setting.

Within it s limits a clear well-made visual aid.

PERSONAL HYGIENE FOR THE PATIENT

Again a practical subject within a hospital situation. This presentation is more useful than 'Bedmaking' and would be of great value in St. John situation where adequate equipment is not available. Minor si n s of omission are use of bed pan and oral hygiene. Again , a clear well-made presentation.

RESUSCITATION

This presentation is directed at nurses in hospitals and is a useful programme. It difTers slightly from St. John teaching notably in timing and advocates the use of the Brook Airway The programme does not quite convey the sense of urgency - the nurse concerned should have yelled for assistance immediately, for example, and minor technique could be criticised. However, on the whole it's well made and competent.

Appraisal: These presentation s are aimed at nurse s and student nurses in a ho spital learning situation and fundamentally are created for Caramate projector s or similar automatic equipment. Each of the three deals with situation s that fundamentally call for practical work or inasmuch as moving techniques are concerned for filmic material; however , bearing in mind these parameters the three presentations are very good.

The fir st two would be of value to St. J oho training but the Resuscitation presentation bein g strictly hospital orientated and bearing in mind excellent alternative material is of doubtful value.

At a price of £45 these programmes appear expensive in relation to Graves Medical Library, Camera Talks and the N.C.B. programmes.

HYGIENE IS A HABIT 16mm colour film. Free loan.

Distributed by: Guild Sound & Vision Ltd, Woodston House, Oundle Road, Peterborough PE2 9PZ.

Content: This film, produced by Messrs. Diversa y, s hows how hygiene in kitchens could be improved.

Appraisal: This is a simple, clear, uncomplicated film that deals with its subject in a practical way. It shows clear basic hygiene rules in the kitchen and underlines rea sons for those rules. Advertising is definitely muted.

Recommended.

Audience: Although primarily addressed to workers in large kitchens (eg, the food industry) its message can be addressed to all handling food in any way.

SAFETY ORIENTED FIRST AID 4 units of film containing 14 segments with a total running time of 94 minutes.

Importer: Stewart Film Distributors Ltd, 107/1 J 5 Long Acre, London WC2E9NU.

Content: This is the cinematographic material from the SJA Canada Multi-Media Course; the whole p a ckage includes workbooks, practice session, teacher 's notes , check lists , etc. The course, complete is the 8 hour version.

Appraisal: In general terms the audio-visual material itself is excellently produced - the teaching practice appears to be very good - the recapitulation is clear and from the visual aid view-point the sole criticism is that the situations portrayed are on the glossy s,ide and

that casualty simulation and make -up is not perfect.

Regrettably, from the view-point of doctrine there are so man y variations in technique between that laid down in the U.K. Joint Manual of First Aid and that taught by St. John Ambulance in Canada , as to render the film material of doubtful use. Manifestl y, it could be screened but it would entail an instructor making reference to all items of disagreement - some major , many minor.

ADOLESCENCE (Part 3) CONTRACEPTION Tape/Slide

Presentation (33 trans.)

Price (of 3 Sets)

Slide Serin Box: £6.95

Cassetted Tape: £3.95

Printed Commentary: 50p

Distributed by: Camera Talks Ltd, 31 North Row, London W lR 2EN.

Content: These sets entitled' Adolescence ' have been produced to use with groups of children /y oung people entering adolescent stage of their development.

Appraisal: This presentation is clear , straight-forward and well balanced. It presents the facts in a manner to which no one could take objection. It shows safe methods of contraception and , good point, eg1phasises those thought by medical authority to be unsafe. Perhaps greater import might have been given to sterilisation and continence although perhaps an old-fashioned concept might too have received mention. Nonetheless this is overall a very good programme. The tape recording was of poor quality.

Audience: Although addressed to youngsters this programme could be screened universally.

NATIONAL COAL BOARD FILMSTRIPS: FIRST AID Price: £7.00 each programme when on slide format

Distributed by: National Coal Board, The Film Librarian, Room 34A, Hobart House, Grosvenor Place, London SWIX 7AE. ASPHYXIA AND BREATHING

Content: These are the two latest programmes in the NCB 'First Aid' series on format filmstrip/slide and cassetted tape. This presentation maintains the high quality of this series. It is excellent material , clear , concise and of adequate length; some of the anatomical drawings are first-rate.

Recommended

RESUSCITATION

Although this is a concise clear programme there are minor differences of procedure in respect of that screened and that laid down in the Joint Manual of First Aid C.f. 5 compression to 1 inflation and 10 compres sion to 2 inflation. In one transparency extension of the neck is insufficiently portrayed ; also the pulse rate, in the transparency is taken before a quick insumation.

It is understood , of course, that a competent instructor could put these points across but fundamentally Resuscitation needs a moving rather than a static audio visual aid.

SAFETY IN THE HOME 16mm film, 12 mins. Hire Fee: £7.00 plus VAT. Purchase Price: £120.

Distributed by: Fergus Davidson Associates Ltd, 376 London Road. W. Croydon, Surrey.

Content: This USA origin film demonstrates the importance of commonsense decisions in respect of safety in the home and how to prevent common household mishaps.

Appraisal: This is an excellent film. It sets out its objective of showing common home safety situations and clearly shows how to prevent household accidents' it is short but very sweet. Strongly recommended.

FOUND - ONE KNIGHT

from E. R. Cooke. Divisional Superintendent

The BBC are to be congratulated for their excellent Chronical production- of The Knights of Malta, BBC 2 , during April. Mem bers of the Brigade and Order should feel proud of our historical heritage.

The programme reminded me, however, of an occasion in 1943 while serving in the RAMC. Training in the Cedars of Lebanon and Syria, we camped in an old churchyard and the Lebanese verger told me he had an English knight and invited me to see him. Sliding the stone slab off a raised tomb, we saw a skeleton within, complete with armour and chain mail and a quantity of what may have been rotted underclothing around the bones. The breast plate was engraved with the St. John Cross. What struck me was the rust -free condition of the breast plate perhaps a metallurgist could say if this was due to the climate or the type of iron used at the time.

I cannot identify the Church, but the tomb was just inside the side entrance on the left. Perhaps some Order records can say where this may have been or an ex-service Brigade member who was in the area may have some idea. I would be most interested to know.

Leamington Spa E. R. Cooke

DUKE OF EDINBURGH'S AWARD SCHEME

from the Chief Officer for Cadets

Referring to 'Puzzled' by Ambulance Member E. J. Baker (April Review) let me first of all confirm that the amendments in the D of E Award Scheme are as stated by Bob Mann (January Review). I would, however, like to clarify a point which often puzzles those operating the A ward Scheme.

For the Gold Award candidates may take either the Higher Certificate of the St. Andrew Ambulance, the Proficiency Certificate of the British Red Cross Society or the Advanced Certificate of the St. John Ambulance.

True there are no longer Advanced courses in first aid within the St. John Association/Brigade, but an Advanced certificate still exists. For this an Adult Certificate is required plus a pass in two other Association subjects.

The descrepancy which exists in the standards required between the St. John Ambulance certificate and those of the other two volun tary organisations has recently been represented to the D of E Award office. This is at present under review and it is likely that an amendment will be made to accept the St. John Ambulance Higher certificate (ie the Adult Certificate plus one extra Association subject) for the Gold Award. I must point out , however , that this amendment has not yet been promulgated.

London P. A. Adams

RE-EXAMINATIONS

from N.

R. Tucker. Bailiwick Staff Officer

I was interested and pleased to read (At Random, March) that senior officers at HQ are very p.articular about maintaining valid first aid certificates.

In a recent article in the St. John Guernsey Quarterly Bulletin I pointed out the variations in examination requirements for those who wear our uniform. Divisional members and all officers up to Grade III inclusive are required to pass a re-examination annually; Commanders, Commissioners and all officers of Grade II or above are exhorted to maintain a valid first aid certificate (ie, to pass a reexamination at least once in three years), but the word 'should' in the regulation is not mandatory; while Surgeons, Nurses and Presidents are among those of whom no qualifying examination in first aid is required.

We often hear how highly the members of the public respect our uriiform and rely on its wearers to provide a high standard of first aid; and they will surely expect at least as high a standard of treatment

READERS VIEWS

Readers' views and opinions. which should be sent to the Editor. although published are not necessarily e ndorsed by the Editor or the Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although readers mClY sign published letters with a pen - name. writers must s upp ly their name and address to the editor.

from officers as from members of the rank and file. Yet many o f these officers may not have taken a re -exa m for years, the y are unlikel y to have had much opportunity for revision on divisional training nights , and they may have had little chance of keeping up their skills duri ng the performance of public duties

Presidents are at an even greater disadvantage , for many of them have no medical , first aid or nursing experience at all , yet they are entitled to wear our uniform , and if when so doing they come across an incident where first aid is required, the public will rightly look to them for good treatment.

While drawing attention to this I should at the same time wish to be among the first to pay tribute to the magnificent work done for the Brigade by our senior officers and our Pres iden ts Much o f this work which is of the greatest importance to the well - being of the Brigad e. is either done behind the scenes or in spheres of which the ordinary member has little or no experience, with the result that it is sometimes sadly little appreciated by those whom it benefits most.

I am well aware that some senior officers and Presidents voluntarily take an annual re -exa m , while many others regularly maintain a valid certificate , and set a splendid example by so doing. But the public, whom we serve , expects everyone who wears our un form to be able to do a good job of first aid at any time.

In Guernsey , the only Presidents who wear uniform are tho se with valid first aid certificates. But if the others do equally good jobs as Presidents , are we being unfair? I should be interested to hear other readers views on this subject.

Guernsey N. R. Tucker

BRIGADE AMBULANCES

from W l. Nimmo. Divisional Superintendent

The Surgeon-in - Chiefs letter on ambulances and equipment ( April Review) gives welcome assurance that consideration is being given to the desirabtlity of updating standards.

However , I do feel that Dr. Graham presents the issue in a somewhat complicated light when he refers to specialist requirements Surely everyone of our ambulances attending a public duty is potentially an emergency vehicle , and as such should be equipped and manned to a standard enabling us to fulfil that function properly? If this premise is accepted, then the necessary level for virtually all other types of work has been attained. After all, relatively few specialist vehicles are as yet provided by Area Health Authorities for the multitude of tasks which they undertake.

It is of course true that we cannot compete with professional ambulance personnel in terms of duty hours, but can this be a valid argument for failing to provide the opportunities for theoretical training to an equal standard? It matters not th at the course may bave to be based on an extended period , as we attend training sessions of some sort regularly throughout the year, and it is not suggested that it should be compulsory for all members. Nevertheless I for one would

welcome the challenge, and venture to suggest that if the attainment of a standard in the present basic examination above the level of an ordinary pass were a prerequisite it could have the effect of raising standards all round. It is , after all, the inevitably humdrum routine of continually repeating the same elementary course that tends to dull enthusiasm

There is surely no conflict with the professional services. Our attendance at public dutie s fills a need that the Area Health Authorities cannot undertake without serious disruption of their ve ry full schedules, and our use on these occasions is, at least tacitly , accepted by the great majori ty.

1

In conclusion, Dr. Graham compares us with 'week-end sa ilor s', in many ways an accurate simile, but one often (but not I am sure, in thi s case) used in a derogatory sense. Like St. John members amateur sailors have only limited sea experience, and so me are indeed of limit ed competence Nevertheless there are also many who s pare no effort to acquire considerable knowledge of the arts of seamansh ip , navigation and other allied skills , in so me cases achieving a standa rd equal to the best profe ssio nals. Our ' hobby could be equally absorbing and rewarding , given the will and incentive. My claim to authority for s uch aims is as a Master Mariner of many years standing, with considerable experience in the education of both profes sio nal and a mateur seafarers. I also retain po ssess ion of the first St. John certificate issued to me thirty years ago when se rving as a young officer in the Merchant Navy.

Godstone W. L. Nimmo

from Kathlyn D Wilson. SEN. SRN. Divisional Officer

I support M. V. Moring ( October Review) and E Jemmet (November) on mo st of the opinions expressed in the i r letter s o n the training of Brigade ambulance crews.

In par tic u lar I feel a course in Ambulance Ajd should be created. whether it be called that or an Ambulance Attendants course (though the former could include drivers).

It ma y be of interest to readers to know that in Workington some of the officers were ve ry concerned about the standards of our ambulance attendants and realised they needed more specialised training and knowledge than the basic First Aid/Nursing courses. About 15 months ago, with help from the Divisional Surgeon and Nursing Officer. I arranged suc h a course. It may have been a little advanced for a few member s (all were encouraged to attend as they were b ound to learn something) but I know our standards were better at the end of the course. One jus felt that it was a pity there was no official course with an examination.

I was fortunate in obtaining the services of some good lectu rers and one of our County Staff Officers who is a profession al ambulanceman, gave the Ambulance Aid lecture. Many guidelines were take n from the M iller certificate co urse with the pt'rmission of the Yorkshire Training Centre.

The course comprised:

Lecture I - Ambulance Aid, Code of Conduct.

Lecture 2 - R evis io n of Anatomy (by 0 / 0 S.R.N.). Splints, Entonox.

Lecture 3 - R evision of Physiology (l) (by a doctor) The Respiratory System.

Asphyxia , Disease a nd conditions afTecting respiration. Use of aids to respiration eg o Ambu bag, Airways O 2 and Suction.

Lecture 4 - R evision of Physiology (2) (by a doctor)

I. Digestive System. Conditions lik e y to occur in this sys tem in an emergency 2. Circulatory System. Conditions as above.

Lecture 5 - Revision of Physiology (3) (by a doctor)

The Nervous System, Unconciousness, Spinal Injuries, Head Injuries, Facial Injurie s Shock , Burn s.

Lecture 6 - Emergency Childbirth (by a midwife) illustr a ted with some slides.

Lecture 7 - Major In c ident s

Lecture 8 - R evis ion of use of all equipment (our vehicle carries all that has been ment ione d so far), Observations, Conditions, One o r two sim ulated inciden ts tak en out in ambulance

Lecture 9 - Psychiatric Emergencies (by a R M N .).

Lecture 10 - General re visio n of whole course with some slides and tapes on various subjects.

The Division that nearly died

ADLINGTON Di vision of Ribble Area Lancs , had just 6 members in 1975 and its future was very much in doubt. And then along came Mrs. Eileen Ashworth, who rejoined the Brigade in 1971 to take over as Divisional Superintendent. Mrs. Ashworth dug her heels in and got to work. Today Adlington is a thriving div ision with 18 adults , 32 cadets and 25 juniorsand what a good time they all seem to be ha ving. As well as the usual activities , Adlington includes boating, cookery and swimming. Three members have received their Grand Prior s Badge s. H e lping Mrs. Ashworth are Mrs. Ena Pride. % and Wilf Di llon, lay instructor of Westhoughton. Gooe luck. Adlington! ( Right ) Girls of SJA Adlington who hav e now become nurses ( L to R) Carole Ann Lee 19 Ju l ie Nightingale 19 and Ann Hardy (Below) Ena Pride and (right) Ei een Ashworth Div Supt wi t h some of the lads of he D ivis i on (Photos Chorle y Guard ian Lanes .)

Or

I agree with Mr. Jemmet that the driver should have three years' driving experience and the attendant hold a nursing certificate and preferably have been a member for three years, but these conditions should apply to male and female (and why not a female driver?)

There is an Air Attendants course and certificate, so why not an Ambulance Attendants course, when, as Mr. Moring says, so man y divisions now own ambulances: '

Yes we should be ready and ABLE to supplement the professional i.n certain routine jobs and in an emergency but that means better training to meet the standards of equipment and efficiency the public have a right to expect.

The only other point is - do the professionalS want us? As Mr. Jemmet says SOME of them look down on us and seem to think we are doing them out of overtime when we attend the various sports meetings.

Negotiations should be made nationall y as well as having local liaison whfn possible.

Workington Karhlyn D . W ilson

THAT SCOOP STRETCHER

from R. J Crow. []ivisional Superintendent

I must comment on two points I have noted in recent Reviews. The first refers to the letter (March) from Irene Lappage on the use of the scoop stretcher. This piece of equipment is not de s igned specifically to be side-lifted. It is capable of being lifted from the ends as well as the sides. As a full-time Ambulanceman using a scoo p stretcher over the past four years I have never yet seen one buckle in the middle.

This unfortunately points the writer straight back to her letter ' s last paragraph re: instruction and knowledge of equipment. The information I have given above is correct as laid down by Fern oWashington, one of the major manufacturers of this equlpment.

My second point is to the letter (April) from C. ] Balague on uniforms. Terrific. I am 25 and agree our uniform is very smart an d serviceable; we are instantly recognised As a regular ambulanceman I am often mistaken for a policemen , but as soon as I put on my white St. John haversack it is like a public address system saying who I a m and where I am. Come on you young, supposedly enthusiastic members: Let's have more support for not onl y a tradition but a wa y of life. Remain recognisable.

Braintree, Essex

ROME REUNION

from Mrs. J G. Winkle. County Secretary

R.J .Crow

How many SJA Rome teams meet and have r e unions ? Our t e am , w h o went to Rome in August 1975 met recently at my home for the s ixt h reunion It is amazing that this group , who had ne ver met be fo re until the Rome duty, should after all this time remain s uch firm friend s Perhaps this is what we mean when we talk a bout the wonderful camaraderie of the St. John'

A number of us were wearing the miniature of the Rome Me dal, some on a chain around the neck , others had it pinned to their c loth es All of us were in civvies so we didn't break the rule s!

We invited the County Commissioner to the reunion , and he took everyone onto County Headquarters and opened the bar to enabl e th e local brew to be sampled.

Many good contacts have been made through the meeting of the se twelve people. The latest is an invitation for me to attend a tr a ining day at the Eastern Area of the London (Prince of Wales') District. Through further contacts made on this day , one of our young adults has been invited to take part in a visit to Dusseldorf organised by Mr Eric Stitcher , President of the Eastern Area, London District. Another two will be attending a camp organised by Mr. Stitcher at A viemore , Scotland, in July. We, in turn are offering to accommodate some of the Eastern Areas young adults at camps to be held by Stafford County. Yes, all this and much more, from just fourteen people b e ing selected to do first aid duty in Rome!

We often think how wonderful it would be to h ave a return visit to Rome. Do you think Mr. McKay or" Headquarters co uld wave hj s magic wand and offer us the chance, at th e same price?

Stafford J oyce Winkle

THAT WORD AMBULANCE

from E. J. Baker Ambulance Member

Ref the derivation of th e word AMBULANCE, I t h in k the editor's repl y to W R Dunwoody is co rr ec in that in a ll languages stemmi ng from Latin the word is id e nti cal or unmi stakab ly simi lar. But 'w hen or where it was ori gi nall y u se d is n ot os t in the mi sts o f hi s t o r y'.

I believe the credit is due to Napoleon Bonaparte. It seems that durin g the Napoleonic Wars 179 6/ 18[5 , this milit ary genius set up procedures whereby the of hi s army cou ld be collected a nd , if po ssi bl e, r es t ored to further military action. His motives were not , by a n y means, pure ly humanitarian (a lthough he had a g r ea affection for his vete r ans). He also considered the fo llowin g facto rs:

I) H e was ever - mind ful of the need to maintain the numbers and stren g th of hi s armies s in ce he was at war w ith practically a ll other European countries.

2) He was awa re of th e demoralizing circumstances that , as he a rmie s lo c ked in combat surged over the hill , the peasant natives over whose fields th ey were fighting crept back to salvage what they cou ld o f their ruined cro p s and to cut the throats and stri p the accoutrements o fT the wounded of both sides left on the battlefield

3) Be cause of t he fat e awaiting their comrades (and because it gave the m a n opport unit y to save the ir own liv es) there was a tendency for g r o up s of so ldiers to sto p fighting in favour of succouring a wounded co ll eag ue Thi s was very bad for militar y di scip line.

So N apo leon instructed that a proportion of le ss ab le men (possibly la m e or ill or recovering from previous wounds) were to be assigned to the s pecific ta sk of collecting the wounded and assisting them to be 'a mb u la nt.

Wellington quickly appreciated the same pressing need (read The Diar y of Pr ivate Murphy) and so the word crept into the English la nguage, so that our grandparents took ou r parents out for an airing in th e park - per ambula t ors.

Bath Jack Baker

OLD MATES

from W, Stockwood. Divisional Superintendent

On ope nin g he March Review at the middle page, I received a most pl easa nt s urp rise - for staring at me from a photograph were four men I h a dn 't seen s in ce 1940 The photo accompan ied Northern Area Commissioner E. A. Millwa rd 's contribut ion to the article on the Roy a Na va l Auxiliary Sick Berth Reserve. I was with Mr. Millw ard a nd also M. J Jackson at the 64t h Genera l Ho spita l Alexandria ( 1940 to 45). Th e ph o o of Mr. Millward with the men in gowns was tak en a t De al. On Mr. Millward 's right is A . Capron (from Felixstowe), on his ex tr eme le ft is Dixie Dean (from Clitheroe, Lancs ), and CPO M e lhui s h , a recalled regular Navy man. Inciden ta ll y, the nickn ame for u s r ese r vis s used b y the regular s ick berth ratin gs was bazooker s'. Cleelhorpes W. SlOcklVood

' HOW would you like to go to Ma ta?' was my hu sba nd 's greeting when he ret urn ed hom e from an Area Staff meeting late one cold Novemb e r night.

At t h at m ome n t, s hi ve rin g in bed a nd clutchi ng two hot water bottles, the t h oug h t of th at s un - baked island was particularly inviting.

And so the plans were made for our first holiday without our children for eighteen years.

Our Area Commissioner, Mr. Harri s, and hi s wife , with the exper ie nce of seve ral holi days in Malta behind them , organised the tr ip for members of the Southern Area of Essex.

When the day ar riv ed we were all picked up at our homes by coach to catch the plane at Gatw ick. Mr. Harris had organised it so well that only British Airways went on st rike th is 1977 Easter! Gatwick airport and Laker Tours in particular were not affected. We were off.

We arrived in Malta to brilliant sunshine and a temperature of 78. Our hotel, the Capua Court, was excellent and well situated in Sliema.

We h ad lun ch and explored a little before meetin g aga in to go in a party to visit St. Joh n HQ in Valletta. Here we were welcomed by the Commissioner Mr. Edwin Borg and his wife, and gifts were exchanged. It was decided that we would give a party at the HQ for ou r Maltese friends the following Monday evening before our return to England.

I suppose that visiting Malta for a member of St. John is li ke a pilgrim visiting Rome. Th e History of the Order studied by so many cadets comes at last to life.

Here in realit y is the wa lled city of Vallett a, like a giant fortress standing guard over the harbour.

The co-cathedral church of St. ] ohn, with its r ic hl y ornamented chapels, each dedicated to the various countries which the Knights represent ed. The priceless Caravaggio painting of the beheading of St. Joh n the Baptist which, now restored, still hangs in the chapel that was always used by the K nights when choosing their new commander.

The caves of the Hypergeum dating back to B.C. where t h e inhabitants of Malta hid when marauding · bands of pirates attacked their vi ll ages.

The o ld temples where they worshipped and sacrificed to their gods before St. Paul .cam e brin gi ng Christianity.

To Malta, with Love

staring at me were four men hadn t seen s ince 1940 ,' Th e photo th at a pp eared n March Rev ew

And today, of course, the many beautiful churches , their hug e domes dominating the la nd scape. Eac h village surpassing its nei g hb our in the magnificance of its church . Malta has an atmosphere which grows upon the visitor, its people warm and friendl y.

On Good Friday we had the privilege of

witnessing the Mosta Festa. Here the pas sion of Christ is enacted , when tableaux depicting the events of Holy Week are carried through the streets It takes eight men to carry the heavy statues , the supporting poles resting on their shoulders. An arduous task which they consider themselves privileged to undertake.

The sma ll children. the men dressed as centurions and other characters all play their parts to perfection.

Most impressive though were the men, their faces covered with hoods for anonymity, w h o walk, some barefooted, dragging behind them long lengths of chain fixed a r ound their ankles. Each one has made a vow. He walks in thanksgiving for an answered prayer or in supplication.

We toured the island, visiting M'dina and Rabat , and the Blue Pool, although unfortunately it was too windy to actually go into the grotto We also spent a most enjoyable day at Gozo.

Of course, we had Our funny incidents, such as the night we visi ted what turned out to be a rather seedy discotheque. Young men lounged against the bar and sat around the tables in the dimly lit hall. Two policemen stood at one end of the bar. showing a restraining presence.

After a while the disc jockey asked if anyone had a request. 'Yes,' said my husband , and calmly went up and asked for a waltz and a quick-step. To our amazement he played them and we all got up and danced and for good measure did the 'S losh ' to the next pop tune. We sat down finally to a burst of applause from the onlookers.

We also visited a casino and a night club, a typically tourist even ing arranged by the courier. Here we were promised an exotic drink and a cabaret of Eastern bell y dancers. What we actually got was a large

attractively coloured glassful of mostly ice and fruit and one of the winners of the television programme New Face s. He sang George Formby numbers and p layed the ukulele and the bagpipes.

We came out to find torrential rain, the first they had had in Malta for months, and had to run for the coach parked abo u t fifty yeards away.

We sa nk thankfully into our sf'ats, only to find that the coach leaked. On e of our party spent the journey vainly rushing up and down trying to stem the flood with tissues, as more and more leaks became apparent. The rest of us , crammed four in a seat, sat helpless with laughter. One could not give an account of our holiday without a b ig thank you to a wonderful old man Mr. Saliba. Spry and nimble , belying his 86 years, he arranged and escorted us on our tour of the island. explaining everything to us in great detail. He came with us to Mosta and also acted as our guide on our tour of the St. John Cathedral. His great knowledge of archeology and his love of the history of the Order brought eve r ything to life. Our thanks also to Franco who spent a day of his holiday showing us around.

Our party was indeed an extremel y happ y one and our sincere thanks are due to Mr. and Mrs. Harris , who put so much thought into the trip. They went to endless trouble to make sure that we saw everything and enjoyed our holiday to the full. I know they had already visited many of the places of interest before but nevertheless the y cheerfull y went round them all again.

To show our appreciation a party was held in our bedroom one evening and they were presented with a pair of si lver goblets. I hope these will always serve as a reminder of the happy times we shared on a truly memorable holida y.

Thelma M. Parker on a visit to the island of St. John

PRIVATE EYE at the MEDICAL CONFERENCE

by PSEUD

IT SEEMED a far cry from sultry Singapore but another a b s en ce from my Grosvenor Crescent hideawa y was long o verdue What b et ter sport, I was advised than to hear eminent doctors disagreein g with each other? This y ear s St. John Medical Conference at N o ttingh a m did not disappoint. In fact , talking of sport ,

that: First Aid in Sport.

of

home Oswin , all is for g iven!

There were more startling pronouncement

bowls

why: it ' s the stress factor. Again the onl y

e prot e ction

ing accident is to emulate our forebear s of th e Milit a r y Ord e r in th e full rig of a knight in a rmour. Other inte res ti ng t h eor ies we r e revea led : Americans now have two fa vourite pas t ime s -j oggi n g a n d t a lking to flo wers ; all r u gb y pa v ilion s in the Wel s h Va ll eys a r e paved w ith carborundum for footwear sharpen ing ; a nd mo s t sw imm e r s w ho become victim s o f immersion are adolescent drunk and mal eAmbulance Cadets take note?

Here are a coup le of top s ecret tip s for th e un s u s pe c tin g p atie n ts, picked out at random from the Doctor s Se con d Aid Ma nua l:

1) When you complain of in s omnia , beware o f presc rip tions in multiples of 4 - these are quart e red indi ges tion ta b lets.

2) After suffering some grie vous s porting inju ry, d o n 't b e pu t off b y the doctor who advises ' rest '. Th e chanc es a r e t h at he d oes n 't know the cure or doe sn t care.

Organising the Olympic Games seems to ha ve it s m o m e nt s. Th er e are many theories about the marathon bein g a mysterio u s 385 yards longer than 26 m iles The most cred ib e is t h a t H .M. Q ueen Victoria was 'not amused ' when it became her tur n to s t art this e p ic from the Castle Gates of Windsor ; i w a s pouring with rain a t t he tim e, so s he decreed that the race be started from the Cast le C on se r vat or y The distance from the Windsor Castle Conser va t ory to its Gate s is 385 yards ; I'm prepared to swallow that one , but if you are di s po sed o doubt it , then you know what to do next Open Da y. Pursuing this Ol y mpian dialogue there were man y bi z arre incid ents in pre-C hristian days I hate to di s appoint t h e ladies but t he n aked males performed before Men Onl y a udi e nce s; an d wh en it was di s covered that a raine r of o ne of the athl ete s was h is mo t h er, th e trainers also had to lose their dress - strip -tea se had n o t y et been invented. And do geometric ians realise that the great P y tha go r a s was an Olympic boxing champion in BC 558? Perhap s of ne cessi y - to defend the precious square on his h y poteneu se Doubt le ss m a n y struggling kids today would like to have a ba s h in th e ring w it h him

A little irrelevant possibly , bu no such confe renc e w oul d ha ve bee n complete without a talk on F irst Aid for Ani m al s. And why n ot? Afte r all the RSPCA has a higher st atus for m os th an the NSPCC , in t h e true Brit ish tradition guaranteed to confound a n y fo reigner. T h e lecturer was a vet of whom , he assured u s, there were t wo s pecie s: Th e Quick and The Dead. As might be expected of the form e r , he g ave a racy' account of his / our problems in treating e very conceivabl e t y pe of animal. Lion s were admittedly difficult and his stor y of the Chri s tian thro"'/O to the lion s erved as a solemn warning. This worthy gentleman knelt down to pray and to his eviden t relief, the lion pr aye d too 'Ah! said the shaggy ion 'but there is

He w h o li es down wit h t he ele ph ant sho u ld take care when he e lep h a n t t urn s over.

I co u ld go on about animals, but will content myself with ju s t a quick tip for a ll feline - lovers as well as students of useless information t he n atural tem perature of a pussy cat is 101 - I t h ink h e said Fahrenhe it. Oh! And beware those vigilant sheep -dog s who are rapid ly ea rnin g to p TV ratings - they a re the only known ani m al to creep a r o un d yo u wit h m a lice afo r et h oug h t to d eliver a rear attack

No t s u rp r isi n g ly at such a co n fere nce, t h ere was t h e i n evitab le r e fere n ce to we we r e ve r y stron l y a d vised, in g u aranteei ng lo n gevity , to choose wise ly our parents -e ven mo r e so , o ur g r andparents.

To end on a more enco u raging note, my fri ends , you can forget all about dieting to reduce waistlines ; the plain fact remain s that obesity is not ca u sed by ove r-eating. Whilst athletic suspender belt s and the like h ave b een known to h ave t hei r cosmetic p r operties, we a r e now e njoi n ed to m ai ntain the ri ght b al a n ce b y burning up our calories in exercise - wha t our comme r cial friends might term Hig h Ene rgy Turn -Over T h is should be achieved by Doing Our Own Thing , eg , for heaven's sake don t jog if you loath it. This thesis was p r opounded by a young scientist but , d isappo i nt ingly, there was no ' aggro among the medics. S o get guzzl in g and then just burn it up - preferably not in fr o n t o f t h at nice cosy fire.

Heart ened th u s , by the s ure prospects of a good Life, was it coincide n ce t h at at D ivine Serv ice on th e conc lu ding morning we sang t he imm o rt a wo rd s 'Terrors now ca n no m o r e, 0 deat h, appa l us ' wit h bravura a nd extra gusto?

FIRST AID TAPE/SLIDE SETS

AN IDEAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUR PRACTICAL SESSIONS

P repared specia ll y by Dr. K LEE S E and the Greate r M ancheste r Co u nty B gade

Sir STEWART DUKE-ELDER,

M O, FRCS.

Sir Stewart Du ke - E lder who was Life Pr esid ent an d Emerit u s D ir ector of R esea r ch of t he Instit u te of Op ht h a lmo logy (London Uni vers i ty) and a so Consu l ting Opht halm o logist at St. Georges Hospital and at Moo rfi elds Hospita , d ied o n Marc h 27 a th e age o f 79

He w as Hos p i t al le r of t he Order of St. John fr om 1954 to 1969. W hen he t o ok over h is du ties, t h e work of the S t. J ohn Oph thalmic Hosp ital in Jerusa lem , fo llowing th e d isturbances of 1947-48 , wa s bei ng co nd ucted in two small houses in th e centre of th e O ld City becau se the armistice- line h ad p ut t he hos p ita l on the Israeli side and thu s it was no longer ava il a bl e fo r i le bul k of p ati e nt s wit h eye tr ou b le, namely t h e Arab po pu lat ion

Si r Stewart, determined to provide a better se r vice , st a rted a campaign to co llect mone y for a new building He aroused the interest of m a n y influent ia people , including rulers of

t he Arab st ates in the Mid dl e East directors of b ig oi l com p anies and othe r industrialists Contributions g r adua ll y accumu lated and t h e p lans fo r a n ew eye hospita l were finalise d. T h e new a nd a t t r act ive b u ildi n g was o pened in 1960 , wit h a capacity for 80 in - p at ient s a nd as m a n y o ut - p atien ts as neede d to attend . Bu t seve r a l yea r s be fore the hospita build in g was completed S ir Stewart had e s tabl ished a labo r atory in the hospital grounds where the early research was carried out to study the cause of the dreaded ey e disea se trachoma, how to treat it effecti v ely and how to prevent it. Most of thi s work is now prov iding a sat isfactory s olution

The hos p ital was on e of Sir S tewart's greate s t interests an d when he was H ospitaller he never fai led to make a v isit t

J eru s alem accompanied by his wife eve ry year , when he ca r ried out an ins p ection of the entire building , discussed plans and

Cad ets in the Lakes

16 Ca d ets a nd 3 officers from Preston Ambulance Cadet D ivjs ion (Su pt C. C. Lou g hran) and Gregson Lane Combined Cadet D iv ision, plu s 3 ad u lt h e pers and a todd ler , drove to Isthmus Cottage, Lake

D er we n twa t e r fo r an adve n t ur e week at the beginning of Ap r il.

T he stay inc luded study of safe t y in th e m ou ntai n s (i ncl u ding str et che r wo r k over r o u g h terrai n), 3 t o 6 h o ur walks, a m id nig h t

y of fun cooking and loo kin g after thei r li ving acco m modation

A great t ime se e ms to been h a d b y all.

Quick ie X-W or d N o .5 - So lution

Ac ro ss: I. Down ; 4 Ch a sed 9 Gristle ; 10 Stoi c; I I S te p ; 12 Cli c ked; 13. Hue ; 14 Ar e a 16. Aid s; 18. [II ; 2 0 Re s tfu ; 2 1. Be a r 24 Ardua;

p ro b lems with the Warden and

la r ge number of patients who needed his ex p e rt opinion. H e was promoted B ailjtT G r and Cro ss of the Or de r in 1960.

First Aid Competitjon StreIcher work o r P reston cadets

News from Divisions/Centres

of food poisoning, plague, typhus fever and Weil's disease. (3). 12. Infectious disease resulting from

AMBU always ready to save a life

Further information on the full range of Ambu products which includes resuscitators, suction pumps, emergency cases, anaesthetic valves and a wide range of training aids available from:

Ambu International (UK) Ltd 10 Station Road West Canterbury CT28AN telephone Canterbury (0227) 54787

pharmacist joining Mother 's Union. (S). 13. They a re the responsibili ty of the geriatrician. (4).14. Line twisted in the spleen. (4).16. Cause of brucellosis , tetanus , typhoid fever , and whooping cough. (7). 18

Re sult of infe ction by pyogenic organisms. (7). 20. Writing imp lement take n from cannibal. (3). 21. Presenting symptom of otitis media . (7).

23. Forcibly take away pie sold wrongly. (7). 2S. Cheeks of hea lt h (4). 26. Dose of spirits from the doctor the morning followin g. (4). 28. Change temperature in a real disorder (S). 30. Hostelry in north. (3).

31. In favour of a bowel ac tion for advancement? (9). 32. Act unu sually before it is implied. (5).33. Acid of aspirin (1S).

Down:

1. Will alway s be wi ld with neat album upset. (9). 2. Having an act ive , purposeful personality (7). 3 Brings up the hind pa rts. (S). 4. upset be fore noon in east gives s ubstance produced by injury. (9) . 5. International medical body wi t h the French is sound and in goo d health (S). 6. Before food a part of the personality turns litmu s red. (4) 7. Small hous e with a little spirit on ice is a r efuge for travellers. (7) 8. Secretion of conifers br eaks reins (S). IS E mplo ys rituals. (4). 17

Para s ites transmit ting typhus fever (4). 18. Surger y commencing with laparotomy. (9) ] 9. Tough outer coat of the eyeball. (9). 22 Bring back to hea lth by rest and mineral. (7). 24. Concerned with vision in coal p it. (7). 2S. Syphilitic ulc er up in turbulent air. (S). 27. Helps from t he right in foray s. (S). 28. It can produce a strange fantastic figure. (S) 29. H as cha ra cteristics of the ske eton. (4)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.5 (78)

Across: I. Head erect; 6. Scalp; 9. Bas.is ; 10. Palpation ; 11. Fiend; 12. Yank ; 13 Lead ; IS. Respire; 17. Uveitis; 18. Mar ; 19 1.nertia ; 2 1. Tr.ache .a; 23. Near ; 24. T.alc; 26. Fugue ; 28. Obturator ; 29. Ex.tra; 31. Yacht; 32. Diaphragm.

Down: 1 Hob; 2. Abscess; 3. Eased; 4. Emphysema; S. Talon; 6 Scab; 7 Aliment; 8. Pink disease ; II. Fo rei gn body ; 14. Se.r a; 16. 1.ot.a; 17. Urticaria; 20. Elastic; 22. High tea; 2S. Ac.ted; 26. F lesh; 27. Fret; 30. Arm.

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2. Eac h s ubmis s ion must be made on th e form provided in the R eview, yped

Pr

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W. Williams

IN THIS DIAMOND JUBILEE year of the foundation of the Prior y for Wales , the annual Visitation of the Order of St. John , held on May 13, most appropriately took place in the Cathedral Church of Llandaff. The great service of Thanksgivi ng and Re -dedication followed the traditional pattern , but wit h the addition of a prayer for the Priory for Wales and , immediately following the customary Act of Re-ded icat ion , the unforgettable moment when the choir and co n gregation of more than 750 sang. as only the Welsh can sing! - their deeply moving anthem ' Hen Wlad F y Nhadau ' (' Land of my Fathers ). The preacher was the Archbishop of Wales (the Most Revd. Gwilym Owen Williams ), who in a most inspiring address referred t o the t r aining , example and enthusiasm of our cadets as givi ng the clear message of our Order to a world that seeks a way out o f ruin (see Back Cover). His text , and his Archiepiscopal Blessi ng at the end of the service , were delivered in both Welsh and English.

Cerem o nially , too , there were additions befitting the occasion: as w ell as the Great Banner of the Order which, a c cordin g to custom , preceded the representative Knights an d Dames of Chapter-General , the Prioral Banner for W al e s w as carried in process ion , followed by about 30 members of the Prioral Chapter ; while the Prior for Wales ( Lord Aberdare) , being in his own domain , took his place in the process ion with the Great Officers of the Order and w as then seated on the right of the Lord Prior. The impr e ssi ve dignity of the ceremonial , the majestic setting of the cathed r al of which the post-war reconstruction was completed less than 20 years ago , the beautiful music of the organ an d the choir , and the all-pervading atmosphere o f worship , thanksgiving and resolve , combined to make the occasion one which will long be treasured in the memories of those who had the good fortune to be present.

C o nt inued o l'erle aj

L1andaff Cathedral

'The story of Llandaff Cathedral,' writes the Right Revd. E. S. Thomas (former Bishop of LlandatT and a Sub-Prelate of the Order) in his pictorial guide, is neither so clear nor so splendid as the story of richer cathedrals But it is a story even more venerable that theirs ; it reaches back further than that of any English cathedral, and it shows us, in many forms and in many ages an attempt, hampered often by poverty sometimes gallant , sometimes all too halfhearted , to maintain the 'work of God '. The ministers of LlandatT Cathedral must be one of the oldest fraternities on British soil. Their church begins fourteen centuries ago , in the Welsh country of the British people , during the days when heathen Saxons were overrunning England; it ends as the mother of a great diocese containing well over a third of the population of Wales.'

The present cathedral, built on the site of an earlier Celtic church dates from 1120 , and during the next seven centuries it suffered a series of exceptionally heav y misfortunes - from spoliation by the commissioners of Edward VI , from desecration and looting by the troops of Oliver Cromwell , from violent storms which weakened or wrecked parts of the fabric , and from periods of acute poverty resulting in still further structural decay. But it was restored in the mid-18th century and again in the mid-19th, only to be wrecked once again by a German landmine in 19'41 with greater damage than was suffered during the blitz by any other cathedral in the British Isles except Coventry. The courageously imaginative and beautiful 20th - century restoration was completed in 1960'courageously' because (to quote Bishop Thomas again) 'the Church, true to her traditional role through the centuries, must never be shy of using the materials and technique of the age in which she happens to be adding to or enriching an. old building'. So, instead of replacing the choir screen which blocked the view from the nave to the high altar, a parabolic arch of reinforced concrete was built to make a break between the nave and the choir and yet to leave an uninterrupted vista from west to east.

Surmounting the arch , at a height of 25 feet is a cylindrical organ-case , and in front of it crowning the whole structure, is Sir Jacob Epstein's statue of Christ, cast in unpolished aluminium. Such things have to be seen before one can even begin to appreciate their symbolism and their beauty. To me personally, LlandatT Cathedral is one of the most beautiful examples of church restoration that I have ever seen, but I'm acutely conscious of the inadequacy of any attempt to describe it in a few brief words. Grand Prior's Badge

The old Latin maxim 'Bis dat qui cito dat', literally translated 'He who gives quickly

AT RANDOM

(Cont. from p.147)

gives twice over', can , when applied to the presentation of awards , be freely paraphrased 'When once you've earned a n award , it s worth twice as much if you get it quickly

With this in mind I've just checked through the photographs in th e ' New s from Divisions Centres pages of the Re view during the past 12 month s, and find that out of 20 pictures of cadets and ex -cadets bein g presented with their Grand Pr ior's Badge certificates , or proudly displa ying the certificates after presenta t ion , 16 (or 80%) showed that the badge and the certificate had been presented simultaneously , while o nl y 4 (or 20%) showed the recipients already wearing the badg e when they receiv ed their certificate. This practice apparently on the increase , of presenting both the bad ge and the certificate together , destroy s the whole purpose for which the GP Badg e certificate was instituted in 1972 , and I'll try to explain Why.

It's perfect ly natural , right and proper that when a cadet has gained the Grand Pr ior's Badge ever yo ne s hould want to give the event as ' much publicity a s po ssi bl e by choosing a really important occa sion for a presentation; but it's even more natural that when cadets have worked very hard for at least 3 years to quali fy for the highe st proficiency award in the whole o f their trainipg programme , they should want to be able to receive it and wear it in uniform at the earliest possible moment after qualification. Yet many cadets were bein g kept waiting for several months before the y could wear their badge simply because they happened to qualify , say, in March and the next suitable 'big occasion for a presentati o n was not till the following October ; and anyone who knows the first thing about human psychology - let alone teenage psychology - must be well aware that nothing is so dispiriting as being kept waiting for ages before one is allowed to po ssess, wear or display the visible token of a successful achievement that has already taken a long time and much hard work to attain.

So it was decided that as from] an u ary 19 72, all w ho gai n ed the Grand Prior's Badge should wea r it as soon as th e application had been approved, a nd t h at a GP Badge ce rtific ate s h o uld be inaugurated, which could be presented by a VIP on so me importan t public occasion on a later date This would h ave t h e adva nt age of giving cadets a nd ex-cadets the satisfaction of wearing as soon as possible the badge that the y had earned , without depriving the m their divisions a nd the ir parent s of the honour an d the publicity of a formal present a ti on of the certificate at so me impo r tan t publi c occasion later on, when th ey wo uld already be wearing the badg e to whic h the certificate referred. The Commissioner - in -C hief therefore publi s hed in July 1972 the following an n ouncement in p ara, 6 of Brigade General Circular No, 4 /72:

'Wit h effect from 1st Janu a ry 1972, all those who qua lify for the Grand Prior's Badge will be awarded a Grand Prior 's Badg e Certificate. In future, those who gain the Grand Prior's Badge will recei ve and wear their badge as SOOI1 as possible after the application has been returned as approved by (he Registrar at Headquarters.'

The first pre sentation of certificates was made by Prince ss Anne at the Cadet Golden ] ubilee Review in Hyde Park on July 23 1972 to a representative party of equal numbers of Ambulance and Nursing Cadets cho sen from among those who had been the first to qualify for the Grand Prior s Badge since the beginning of that year; and they were all, of course, wearing the badge.

It is perhaps unfortunate that it was not thought necessary for the order which appeared in Brigade General Circu lar to be incorporated in BGR Appendix L, with the result that officers appo i nted s ince Ju ly 1972 may be forgiven for being totally unaw a re that the order was ever made. I hope that they , in turn, wi ll forgive me for draw ng attention to it , so that the original purpose of the ce rtifi cate may again be fulfilled and holders of the GP badge w ill not be kept wait in g - sometimes for several monthsb e fore they a re allowed to wear the badge tha t they ha ve so s pl e ndidl y earned.

Worth adding

P.S. It may be worth adding that the same prin ci pl e applies to a ll badges and in s ignia to which Brigade members have become ent itl ed Those whose o ut standing etTorts in hard work, le adership a nd selfless serv ice to mankind h ave earne d them a ny form of prom ot ion , commendation or awa rd can feel ju st as frustrated by delays in receiving the relevant badge or insignia when they are 60 as they can when they're 16.

AT LLAN DAF F (See At Random)

Of the Priory for Wales (L to R) Sir Michael Duff BailiH of St David Mr D, J, McDougall , Pri ncipal Secretary and Col. R, Myddleton , T he Hospitaller

In procession : Members of Chapter , Priory for Wales

Members of Chapter, Prio ry for Wales (right), and some ladies of Chapter General (left)

( Above) The singing of the anthem by the choir, Forefront ( L to R): Lord Aberdare, Prior for Wales Lord Caccia Lord Pr ior; and Lord Grey of Naunton Ba li H of Egle

Princess Anne accepts an SOS Talisman for herself and Capta in Mark Phillips from Major G eneral Desmond Gordon. Commissioner-in -Chief watched by Group Captain Peter- H ecto , off cer commanding RAF Locking

A TOTAL o f 26 Gr a nd Pri o r awar d s we r e p resented by Her Roya l Highn ess The Pri n c ess A nn e a t a fou r co un ty r ally of 1,200 cadets at RAF Lockin g, W e sto n -s uper -Ma re , on Sun d ay, May 28.

T h e Prince ss, w h o ha s b ee n Comma n dant-i n-Chief Ambulance and Nur s in g C adets s nce 197 0 a rr ived by a Wessex he licopter of the Qu ee n 's Fl ight a nd in b ri ll ia nt s unsh in e was greeted by the Lord

Li e utenant o f Av on Sir J ohn Wi ll s, a nd Lady Wi ll s, Co u nty President, A von St. J o h n A m b u la n ce. F ollo w in g lun c h , P rin cess A nn e, a cc o mp anie d by Mr. Anthony

Written by : Photos by: MYRA MEREDITH, Avon PRO BOB WARDELL

Comma nd ant -in- Chi ef at West Country

4-County

Cadet Rally

Following the presentations the Princess inspected the flag party and guard of honour made up of a contingent representing the county of A von Afterwards there was a musical interlude provided by the Banbury Cadet Band directed by Bandmaster Mr. D. Claridge.

Then it was the turn of scores of young St. John cadets manning 30 disp lays to see and meet the Royal visitor.

Princess Anne saw examples of voluntary service provided at hospitals and children's and elderly people's homes ; care of animals, featuring rabbits and a pony; camping and oUldoor cooking a nd handyman subjects. A special highlight was a tableau by 20 members of the St. George Nursing Cadet Divi sion, Gloucestershire, depicting uniforms of the Order through the ages.

The Princess devoted much of her time on her tour to the cadets a nd their clisplays before taking a close look at the new £9,000 Bristol a nd Nort h Avon ambulance, making its first important public appearance.

Mr. Ken Pearce , Bristo and North Avon Area transport officer, outlined the comprehensive equipment in the vehicle, includin g the upto-date radio link and latest casualty aids, and explained how the Ford-based vehicle was bought with the help of a sponsor -a-parl scheme publicised throughout the local community.

The Royal walkabout was round.e d off when the Princess me t officers who had arranged the rally and helped to organise fund-raising the new ambulance. She also talked to other holders of the Grand Prior award.

During tea with invited guests, including Group Captain Peter Hector, officer commanding RAF Locking, who had kindly made the facilities available for the rally the Princess was presented with two SOS Talismans , inside which personal and medical detail s can be entered to assist emergency service:; in case of illness or accident. They were presented by Major General Desmond Gordon on beh alf of the St. John Ambulance

At the end of her busy four - hour engagement at the rally , Princes s Anne and her Lady in Waiting left by helicoptor al 4.20pm.

Grand Prio r A wards Prin cess Anne presented Grand Pri or certificates to the following ambulance and nur sing cadets and young ambulance and nursing members:

Avon: Nursing Member Sylvia B arnett (Bristol Centra Nursing): Cadet Leader

Jud ith Satherley (Nailsea Quadrilateral): Nursing Cadet Tracey Veale (Bristol No. Nursing Cadet): Cadet Leader D av d Walliker (Shirehampton Ambulance Cadet): and Ambulance Member M artyn Yorke (ShirehamplOn Ambulance Division).

Glouccstershire: Ambulance Cadet David Scarrott (Cheltenham Spa Ambulance Cadet): Sergeant Jacque line Smart. Corporal Nicola Wharric. Cadet L eader Paul Chambers Corporal Nigel Bu ssel and Corporal Bryon Wherritt (all of North Leach Quadrilateral Divi s on)

Oxfordshire: Ambulance Cadet Malcolm Field (Wantage Ambulance Cadet): Ambulance Cadet Douglas Hughe s and Ambulance Cadet Pet er Gulley (both Abingdon Ambulance Cadet): Nur sing Cadel Di ane Booker and Nursing Cade Wendy Ba y lie s (both B anbury Nursing Cadet).

W il tshire: Di v sio n al Officer Andrew Plumm er (Melks ham Combined Cadet): Ambul ance M ember M art in Ennis (Drove, Swindon. Ambulance and Nursing):

Nursin g Member E lizab eth Ennis (Stratton St. Mar gare t Ambulance and Nur si ng)

The following letter has since been received from Her Royal Highness" Private Secretary

'Princess Anne has asked me to write and say ho w 1 ery much she enjoyed the Cadet Rally at RAF Locking. Her Royal Highness was most impressed with everything she saw during the afternoon and was delighted to have had an opportunity to meet so many members oj St. John.

'The Princess particularly noticed the relaxed and Jriendly atmosphere which marked the displays and demonstrations and thought the enthusiasm and skills oj the participants particularly encouraging. Her Royal Highness has asked me to convey her congratulations to the Guard oj Honour who proved so resilient in the stifling heat and to the Banbury Cadet B andJor a superb perJormance.

'The Princess also wishes me to thank you Jor the SOS talisman which you so kindly gave to Captain Phillips and herself Her Royal Highness thought they were a most marvellous idea quite apart Jrom being extremely attractive.

or ce rt ificates to r ecipients

R o b in s on Avo n C o un ty C o mm iss ioner , M aj. Ge n Desmond Gordon, Co mmi s s ioner-i n -C h ief a nd T h e La d y Moyra Browne, Sup e r in

Nursing Cadet Helen Pen ny (Wilton Nursing Ca det); Cadet Leader Alison He arn (Stratton St. Margaret Nur sing Cadet): Nursing Cadet Ro semary W ee k s (Salisbury Combined Cadet); Sergeant Andrew Vellcnder (Rodbourne Ambulance Ca det) Ambulance Member Trevor Neale (Drove. Swindon, Ambulance and Nur sin g); Nursing Member Zen a Par so ns ( Stratton S1. Mar garet Ambul

'Princess Anne greatly enjoyed her visit and has asked that her thanks be passed to all those responsible Jor a most successJul and memorable aJternoon.'

(Left) Mr. Ken Pear ce, Area Transport Officer for Bristol and North Avon, shows the new £ 9 ,000 ambulance to Princess Anne

(Above) Ambulance and nursing cadets from Weston-Super-Mare Avon demonstrate the use of a hoist for he ping the disabled and handicapped Div Supt P C. Willans accompanied Princess Anne around the display

(Above) Ba nbury Nursing Cadet Band playing on the parade ground at RAF Locking for the visit of H RH The Princess Anne

( Below) Sa lisbury Winterslow combined divisions (Wilt shire) demonstrated their skills in caring for animals. Both divisions have recently taken

Award

The Earl St. Aldwyn, PC, KBE , TD, DL was installed as Chancellor oj the Order. oJSt. John at an investiture held at the Grand Priory Church, Clerkenwe ll on May 25, in succession to Sir Gilbert Inglefield, GBE, TD, who was installed in 1969. The Earl St. Aldwyn was previously ViceChancellor.

(L to R) Lord Grey of Nuneaton, The BalifJ oj Eg le; The Earl St. Aldwyn; and Lord Caccia, The Lord Prior.

Major-General P. R. Leuchars CBE - Commissionerin-Chief

Major-General P ete r Leuchars, who was a ppointed C-in-C la st m onth

in success ion to

Major - General Desmond Gordon, was Deputy C-in-C for th e last 18 months, during wh ich he made a tour of SJA in S.E. Asia, visited the St. John HQ Kenya (while on holiday in the area) and ravelled a great deal around the UK on SJA visits. Lo ndon born and bred, G ene r a Leuchars is married, ha s one son, and li ves in Chelsea. A keen golfer (hand ic ap 8 and 1975 ca pt ain of Sunningdale), he a lso shoots and is an avid phot ographer. His army career began in 1941 in the W e sh Guards, subseq uentl y serving in Europe, P a esti n e , Egypt and the Far East. He was GOC W ales 1974 to '76, and h as been Colonel Royal Welch Fusiliers since 1974. As C-in-C of the Brigade, he spends three days a week at HQ, and also, of cou r se, tr avel s the country a great deal o n SJA visits.

HEADQUARTERS

Col. W. L. R. Benyon - Secretary for Overseas Relations

Col. W. L. R. (Winkie) Benyon is HQ's full-time Secretary for Overseas Relations, working under the Director , Sir Leslie Monson, and keepi n g in close touch with SJ A acti vities in 48 coun tries and terriltories overseas. After 30 years in the R oyal W elc h Fusiliers (in France, Sudan, Egypt, Malaysia and Ger.many). Winkie came to HQ as Controller (Overseas) in 1960. w hil e also wo rkin g w ith the Briti sh Counc il. He joined lhe full - time staff as fund - ra se r in 1966, and returned to Overs e as in 1971. Winkie (as his mother first called him because s he felt his Christian name Wyndham was too 'posh') lives in St. James's, a mile from where he was born in Sloane St, and loves London s pending much of his free time walking its streets an d parks, and watching cricket (he's a MCC member) Before the wa r he shared a n old sailing boat with lhree fe ll ow o ffic ers 'We had a lot of fun with it. he recalls, eyes twink lin g ' On ce we wrappe d it aro und the bow o f a n enormous steam yac ht at anchor in the Solent - t h e owner o f w hi ch turned out to be chairma n of o ur insurance company. It to ok u s weeks to repair the damage.' Colonel of Winkie's old regiment is our new C - in -C Major - Gen Peter LelJchars

Jessie Lissenburg - Registry

22 - yea r-old Jessie, who has bee n at HQ for 5 years, the firs two in the PR D e pt , is secretary to R eg is t rar Laurie Hawes. A bright talker with a m ass of flowing raven-black hair - she likes to chang e the style every day - Jessie is the seco nd youngest of thirteen children who liv e in the family house in Croy don. On Saturdays she tak es a class of 20 fi ve to seven - year -olds at religious instruction. Weekday evenings she like s t o go dancing, or to eat out, a t places the current boy -friend can afford She ha s no 'steady' Mum 's comment: ' Time s running out, J ess ie.' But Jessie feels there's plenty of time ye t. She wants to travel m o re fir st. So far she's been to N ew York, Toronto , Rome, Paris and Tunisia. She's a su n - worshipper.

Laurie HawesRegistrar 46 -year-old Laurie Hawes has been registrar at Headquarters since 1976 The Registry , which includes the Records Dept processes facts and figures of SJA at home and overseas , issues Association certificates (about Y4 million a year), forwards applications for the Service Medal of the Order, and records appointments , promotions and resignations of UK Brigade officers. Laurie also gives talks on administration at County courses

Laurie , who laughs easily , joined the Brigade in 1944 and met his wife Maureen (now an ASO Kent) w hen they were both cadets. They now live in Gillingham Kent and have a son (22) and a daughter (18), both of whom were Grand Prior Badge cadets. What spare time Laurie has - which isn ' t much'is spent in the garden and doing-it-himself around the house.

Mrs. S. K. Sabel - Secretary, Overseas Relations Dept.

Mrs. S y bil K. Sabel the 3-days-aweek secretary to the Overseas Relati ons department , lives in Ealing with her solicitor husband and their two daughters , aged 11 and 15. The Sabel family have a home help, w ho 's been with them for y ear s A se cretary before she married S y bil prefers to work from shorthand not a dictaphone; hence she 'w ould never work for her husband who always dictates into a machine. During the winter you'll often find Sybil at the ballet or a concert , and in summer the fam ily spends as much spare time as pos sible a float in their motor cruiser on the Thames.

Sidney Fordham - Review Sales

Sidne y Fordham , who is at Headquarters on Mondays and Wednesda y s , is in charge of Review Sales, which looks after o ur magazine ' s income.

A Brigade member of London District since 1931 , Sidney has been divisional secretary and treasurer on District staff and retired in 1975 with the 6th bar to his Service Medal. An Officer of the Order, he came to Headquarters in 1973 soon after retiring from fulltime employment.

Sidney and his wife Joan who have a married daughter and live in S.E London, are keen on modern sequence dancing. which they teach to the blind at an evening institute. Joan s dancing partner brings his guide dog to the lessons; Sid partners a widow whom he collects and returns home by car. Otherwise , much of their spare-time is spent gardening, maintaining the house and car , and of course there's often a weekend's homework when Review accounts are being sent out. for Sid keeps an eagle eye on our income

GRAND

PRIOR ON 999 CAll

Wearing a white coat, I hear The Grand Prior The Duke of Gloucester went out with the crew of a London Ambulance during April in answer to an emergency call. He was visiting the Waterloo headquarters of the London Ambulance to see at first hand the work of the service, and had expressed a wish to an ambulance crew on a 999 call.

The Duke was also most interested in hearing of the ways in which efficient working relationships have built up with St. John Ambulance , and how the LAS and the Brigade plan and work together to provide accident cover for large public gatherings and demonstrations. Whilst he was at HQ he visited the Central Ambulance Control, which receives 999 calls from all over Greater London , where he listened in to an emergency call. He also saw the training division where ambulance men and women are trained in their life saving work.

The Duke's visit culminated in the emergency call to New Bond Street where building worker David Burgin had sustained an injury to his back. H.R.H. accompanied the ambulance to the Middlesex Hospital, returning to the mess room at the HQ ambulance station to chat with other ambulance crews before ending his visit.

SHIP AHOY

From the Coventry Area News: On April 1 (when else), a party of cadets and their officers from Jaguar Daimler Division set out on a training week which was , to say the least , different. Most of the party had never been afloat before although all members could swim Gust in case) We set off for the boatyard at Beccles on the Nor-folk Broads , on a dismal , wet Saturday morning but the enthusiasm of the party soon rubbed off onto the weather man as Sunday was warm and sunny.

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN SIX MAYORS AT PARADE

All jobs including cooking , shopping, cleaning checking the boat and equipment and driving' the boat were done by all on board No-one had a set job, it was just a case of mucking -in and all hands on The peace and tranquility of the Norfolk countryside has to be experienced to be believed. To move at a top speed of 7 mph after the hust le and bustle of city life to see wild fowl and pass them at very close quarters, giving everyone a chance to get a good look is an experience we don't often get. We laughed ourselves silly, had a birthda y party (complete with cake and candles), told

jo ke s half the night and were mistaken by a local 'gentleman' as a big happy family (literally).

We would definitely do it again. It was a wonderful experience and to all members and friends of Coventry Area who helped us in any way, our heartfelt thanks.

HEISMy

A the end of Decem ber 1977, a reader writes, a very remarkable man retired from the Bournemouth Ambulance Service. Mr. David Symes, who first became involved in ambulance work in 1927, when hejoined St. John Ambulance as an attendant and later

BROTHERS and SISTERS

Meet the Smiths (Ieh) and the Cliffes (right) of Ch eshi re Eastern Area - two couples who are probably unique in St. John. All four (as you can see) are in the Brigade. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Cliffe are sisters. (L to R) Area Supt. Albert Smith , Officer Brother, 26 years service. His wife Deputy County Supt. Mrs. Barbara Smith. Officer Sister, 32 years service. D!Supt. Mrs. Murie Cliffe, Serving Sister, 25 years service. Her husband , D!Supt. Gordon Cliffe, awarded the BEM in the 1978 N ew Year's Honour s List for

BY THE EDITOR

Find

1.

direction (3,5 )

2. Postscript about you and it matters (3).

3. Get patient to tail shop? (8).

4. Definitely not leeks! (8).

Answers: Upside down - are at the bottom of page 156.

u.s. AWARD FOR

(Above) Stephen Bradshaw 17 -year-old Burnley cadet receiving the American 8th Army Air Force Trophy for Gallantry for rescuing two boys from a canal , from the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire Simon Towneley JP. The trophy first

when he became a driver he drove one of Bournemouth ' s first ambulances. With a br eak during the Second World War, during which he served in the RAMC reaching the r ank of acting major, he has given much of his spare time to St. John Ambulance and through them the public. It could be thought that after such a long period of service Mr. Symes, now an Officer of the Order and Area Superintendent (County Pool) for St. John in Bournemouth, would wish to relax; but no , he is now working as a hospital car driver. At a recent ceremony held in Poole Hospital, Mr. Symes was presented with an executive briefcase by Mr. J. Wilby. Dorset Chief Ambulance Officer, who described Mr. Symes as a very remarkable man. To me he is much more than that: he is my father, has been my superior officer. and is my friend.

A DAY ATTHE RACES

SJAARROWS

Six mayors of the London Boroughs of Haringay Hackney Islington , Enfield Barnet and Camden - here w i th District

Jane - with her Canadia n friends. See story CANADA WELCOMES JANE

VALUABLE WALK

I hear that Steven du Kamp 14 of Bristol and Filton Quadrilateral Division, raised a record £100.20p out of a total of £300 on a sponsored walk to produce funds for a vehicle for his own division.

CANADA WELCOMES JANE

Jane Garvey , 13, a cadet with Bury Corps recently visited Canada and spent four weeks with friends at Orangeville, a 50 minute drive from Toronto.

While there she contacted the Orangeville SJ Division, a recently-formed group of 14 adult members who are active six nights a week at local events including the ice skating rink and ice hockey matches

Although the Division has no cadets the y invited Jane to their meeting and then to do a public duty with them at the ice rink , where the only injury was to the referee of an ice

finger while picking up th e puck

Mr. Bloxhopper , the D iv i s ion a l Superintendent, and his wife, Di v/Offi ce r (shown with Jane in photo a bo ve) showed such friend ship that the who le fa mil y whe re Jane was sta ying felt the warm t h of St. J o hn as an international o rgan is ation

MAYOR TERRY

I hear that East De von Ar ea Commi ssione r Dr. T Glanvi ll, w hose wife Catherin e is a divi sio nal surgeon , has bee n elec ted Mayo r of Honiton.

La st year Dr. Glan vill a nd hi s wife visit ed St. John unit s in Hon g Kong and K ow loon, and in January thi s year he vi sited SJ uni ts in Bermud a.

We ' re s ure Terr y w ill be t he be st ma yo r Honi t on has ev er had !

CRUISING UNDE R SA I L

The firs t party of Brigade members taking par t in his yea r's Sail Traini ng Cruises in th e sc hooner Ma lco lm Mi ll er left Weymouth o n Su nd ay, May 28 fo r two weeks of t ra ining which included visits to two ports on t he Brita nny coast, sailing around Ireland a nd finishi ng in Bi r kenhead on June 9, Th jrtee n young men up to the age of 24 rep resented the Brigade out of the crew of 39 t ra inees.

They were entertained at a disco/dance the night before sailing by members of the

M I N D BENDERS (answers)

Weymouth Division , who put the m up in t heir homes for the nig

th e next day in glorious weather aboard the Malco lm Miller by a party wh ch incl uded t he Secretary General of the Order Mr. McClintock , Brigadier Body the Chief S ecretary at Headquarters , the Commissioner for ' Dorset. Mr. J ohn Bonham -Carter, and Mrs I Bevan , who is th e County Staff Officer for Nursing Cadets.

The second Brigade party, consisti ng of 14 nursing members in the same age group, sai led in the following cruise in the Malcolm Miller from Merseyside on Sunday , June 11, with Southampton as their destination. They were welcomed at Liverpool by the Brigade in Mer seys ide and had the opportunity to attend the St. John Carnival at Southport o n Jun e 10,

After attend ing the ca rn ival dance as guests of the Southpo rt Corps, th ey were p ut up by Brigade members for t he rught , and given a farewell lunch in Live rpool before boarding the schooner at Bir kenhead.

A mong those seeing them off were Lady Moyra Browne, the Superi ntendent -in -Chief Mr s Dewhurst , County Su pe rin tende n t a nd D r. Cutliffe, Area Commissioner.

G ARDENING

friends

Faulkner. Photo: B eason News Pix)

S1. John Ambulance

ONE HAS to listen , quite often, to explanations of first aid matters which are interpretations on the it -stands-to-reason plane', quite unsupported by medical textbooks. I am afraid all lay-instructors are likely to fall into such traps since we like to be able to answer any question shot at us by a member of the current first aid course. and we tend to make deductions from our own experience or acquired knowledge

The manual ties up many aspects so well that there are, usually, no dangers if we stick close to the script, but there are some subjects where the text allows us to wander from the truth: resuscitation aspects are, I think, the worst case. Way back in ARP days I heard a self-approved instructor aver that our lungs are like balloons; when we breathe in they expand to fill the chest space and when we breathe out they shrink so as to fill only a small part of it!' And I know a lay instructor who has invented a drill for mouth-to-mouth exchange, Breathe once for yourself, then once for the patient since you are breathing for two.' He cannot be convinced that this is not only unneccessary but could invite overbreathing which could make the operator dizzy and faint because the balance of acidity alkalinity of the blood has been upset and the respiratory centre of the brain lacks the necessary stimulus provided by the normal amoun of carbon dioxide in venous blood. Prompted by such declarations which I know to be untrue I have done a lot of research and I think I've got it right if not, discussion will help all of us.

Firstly. some of the words used: ASPHYXIATION. This word has a modern acceptance with which I will not meddle (except to say I think that SUFFOCATION is the better generic term; by etymological derivation , asphyxiation originally meant 'without a pulse - not quite what we mean nowadays!).

ANOXIA is a somewhat old-fashioned word for 'lack of oxygen supply to the tissues.' Nowadays the word HYPOXIA is favoured as more-accurately describing 'deficiency, lack, sho rtage , level below standard', etc

DYSPNOEA means laboured , difficult painful breathing.

APNOEA cessation of respiration.

HYPERPNOEA overbreathing.

(Cheyne-Stoke Breathing is a form of rhythmic , irregular breathing with alternating periods of Apnoea and Hyperpnoea; it is caused by too much dissolved carbon dioxide - carbonic acid - in the plasma).

RESPIRATION is the whole process whereby the tissues of the body take up oxygen and give up carbon dioxide. It requires:-

(a) Adequate supply of oxygen to the alveoli of the lungs.

(b) The 'excha nge of gases' in the lungs, ie, the acceptance by the blood of oxygen in place of carbon dioxide.

(c) The process, at the distal end of the circulation by which the exchange of gases in the lungs is reversed, ie, the supply of oxygen to, and the removal of carbon dioxide from, the tissue cells.

(a) requires: - (i) Reasonable atmosphere

(ii) Patent (=open) airway (iii) The mech anical processes of inhalation and exhalation.

(b) requires:- (i) Healthy lun g substance Oi) Healthy blood w ith an adequacy of red corpuscles since it is their HAEMOGLOBI N which has the pr operty of entering into a loose chemical combination with oxygen in the lungs (becoming OXYHAEMOGLOBIN) and exchanging this for an equally loose combination with carbon dioxide at the tissue cells.

(c) requires:- (i) Continuous circulation of the blood with adequate differential between arterial and venous blo od. (ii) The ability (which some poisons reduce or inh ib it altogether) of tissue cells to accept oxygen and rel ease carbon dioxide (which is the product of cell activity).

As first-aiders we must learn to recognise any degeneration of thi s complicated process , and the signs and symptoms of the many ways in which h y poxia can occur. When this is sudden and sever:e loss of consciousness can occur with very litt le warning; if it develops gradually the senses and intellect become dulled and confusing symptoms can resemble those of overdose of alcohol, viz, a headache and vision, depression, apathy and drowsiness or alternatively, excitement and lack of selfcontrol. The centres of sense-activity in the

pulmonary oedema (effusion of fluid) as in bronchitis

(d) Failure of the control by the respir ato ry centre in he brain or in the carotid sinus (where the arterial supp ly to, and the venous return from, the brain are continuously monitored for the respiratory centre to be informed) This could be due to poisoning by barbiturates, morphine etc.

2. STAGNANT. Decrease or cessation of blood flow, which can be due to:

(a) Reduction of blood in c ir culation, from apparent or concea led haemorrhage

(b) Local cutting- off, by severed artery, or blocking by thrombosis or crushing, of blood s upply to a part.

(c) Cardiac fai lur e causing reduction of pumping effort.

(d) Stagnation in capillary beds due to dilation of capillaries, arteries and veins in loss of vasomotor tone. This is SHOCK.

3. ANAEMIC. A reduction in the amount of haemoglobin , or it s ability to combine with oxygen in the lung s or carbon dioxide at the tissue cells (The latter occurs in carbon monoxide poi so ning si nce haemoglobin has

With SJA's Air Ambulance

brain are affected, one by one. the highest (s uperior) first. so that the eyes lo se their a bility to focus or adjust for amount of light (accommodation) b y closing t he iris diaphragm. hearing u sua ll y per s ists longe st of the senses but the ower (inferiof.), ego vaso-motor controls continue for so m e time.

Muscular weakness. nausea. thirst and dryness of the mouth and throat Occur and, as the cardiac centre of the brain is increasingly affected, there is at first an increase in heart output and rate, then bloodflow to the inte st ine s and the skin reduces as the body strives to keep up supp ly to th e brain and heart. Later. h eart action weakens and accelera tes

As the differential between arterial and venous blood is reduced, mucous membranes and parts which are usually rosy in health. the lips, cheeks, lobes of the ears, show the leaden -grey aspect of cyanosis. Given sufficient time to adjust to the circumstances the body can make various compensations; red bone marrow is stimulated by h y poxia and produces increased numbers of red corpuscles so that red cell count and haemoglobin concentration rise in an effort to increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood

The medical profession recognises four types of hypoxia:

1. ANOXIC. Insufficient oxygenation of the blood as it p asses through t he lun gs, due to one or more of t h e fo ll ow in g factors:

(a) Bad a ir or obstructed airway.

(b) Ineffectual action of the thorax, due to damage to c h est - wall crus h syndrome, 'flail chest' or pneumothorax (air in the pleural space will expand it at the expe n se of lun g capacity or motility).

(c) Reduction of the gaseous exchange in the a lveoli, suc h as by 'waterlogging' of the lung s as in some forms of drowning or by

'Down Under'

The difference between their Air Service and ours is immediately obvious

TO HEAR oneself ' paged' at an airport gives a pleasurable feeling to know thaI among the milling crowds you are to be recognised. particularly in a strange country and such was my feeling on arriving in Australia recently. In this instance it was to be my first contact with S1. John down under '.

I had travelled out for a holida y, but as a member of the SJ A UK Aeromedical Services I was invited to spe nd some days with the St. John Air Ambulance Service both in Adelaide and Whyalla. There followed a period of hospi tality and interest that r s h a ll never forget.

My first weekend was spent in and around Adelaide as the guest of Mr. Philip Ferrier, General Manager of the St. John Counci l for S. Austra li a, and of Mr Glen Woods, Secretary, being shown round the St. John Centres both in the city and at some of the many beaches that are staffed by their members.

I then travelled to Whyalla, where I stayed with a St. John family who went out of their way to make me feel at home. And what a ga rd en they had! - apricots, grapefruit , satsumas, figs and grapes, just for the picking.

The difference in the St. John work in their

an affinity for CO and enters into a firm combination, becoming carboxyhaemoglobin, which prevents the taking - up of oxygen in the lungs or carbon dioxide at the tissue cells.

4. HISTOTOXIC where the tissues are poisoned and the cells cannot use the oxygen supplied to them. Thi s occurs, for example, in poisoning by cyanides which inhibit cell enzymes , (ferments normally produced by healthy cells which promote chemical change).

Miss Margaret Weller Vice-President East Berks Area relaxing during her recent visit to Australia

and our particular sphere was immediately obvious Whereas the U.K. Air Attendant may spend several hours on duty in the care of one seriously ill patient. and travel many miles in so doing. the Australian service acts as an ambulance service, ferrying patients to and from ho spitals or their home. and doing much shorter trips.

Durin g the time I was with the Australian service our patients were many and various: A 'station hand'. who. when asked how many sheep he shared responsibility for, murmured nonchalantly about 15 ,000'; a child going home from hospital following treatment for a spinal condition. with the whole family waiting on the doorstep to greet her: and I am still wondering at the thoughts of the two ambulancemen at Port Lincoln who were handed premature twins, and another baby of one-month-old, and told that their feeds were due at the precise moment that we flew off again on our next mission

Ceduna, Port Lincoln, Broken Hill, Iron Baron - names that mean little to us in England, but which have their roots in the traditions of Australia. And Woomerawhere our plane was met on landing by a Security Guard who had to satisfy himself that I was who I said I was and not there to

take photographs of the surrounding area. My last two days in Whyalla were spent 'on the ground'. being taken by my hostess around some of the interesting countryside that in the previous days I had seen only from the air.

My thanks are due to the St. John pilot s who accepted me as one of the team, and whenever possible pointed out places of interest such as lakes and mountains , etc as we flew many miles across South Australia. No airport terminals with recognised runways for them , but often an airstrip in a field , which need a sharp lookout for the stray kangaroo or sheep.

The return from Whyalla to Adelaide was made by car. again arranged especially for my interest. It turned out to be one of the hottest days with a temperature over lOO°F at 4pm, and radio stations were giving warning at frequent intervals of the possibility of dust storms and bU's h fires. We are all conscious of the work of St. John in our own areas in England. but my t rip down under' brought home to me even more, so the St. John spirit which flourishes among its members throughout the world

M. F. Weller (Mi Vice President East Berks Area

ORDER INVESTITURE

May 25

by the lord Prior, lord Caccia

(Above) I nvested as ari Officer is Raphael Djanogly , JP , of London's Thames Div!sion

(Left) Superintendent with the N Yorks Coastal Area No. 2 Region, and 44 years

SJ service Alfred C ark of Scarborough becomes an Officer

Commander (Brother)

Harold Frederick Diamond, SRN, QN. , (Torquay) .

Rear -Admiral John Douglas Trythall, CB. OBE., (Somerset).

Air Commodore John Frank Hobson , MB, ChB , MFCM, DPH, DIB , MBIM, (Berks).

Philip Harker Newman, CBE, DSO, MC , FRCS, (Suffolk)

Officer (Brother)

Cyril Leslie Edward Aldred (Norfolk).

Peter Norman Foskett (Hereford Worcs.).

Raphael Djanogly JP , (London).

Roy Asquith Kitchener Trinder (Oxon).

Alfred Denn is Clark (North Yorks).

Sidney Michael Pruss, MRCS, LRCP. (Essex).

Cecil John Ransom (Notts).

Will am John Hayden , DL (Norfolk).

Major Duncan Ritchie Beat, ARCM (Middlesex)

Richard Thompson Pickersgill, JP, (C leveland).

Herbert Stanley Foulstone (Notts).

Michael William Rapinet (Berks).

Sqdn. Ldr. David John Rainford, MB, BS, MRCS LRCP, (Bucks).

John David Morley (North Yorks).

J ames Montgomery Archiba ld (London).

Robert Christopher Brewer (Surrey).

Allan John Burnage (Sussex).

Charles Victor Robinson (Oxon).

Rear-Admiral Sir Ronald Forrest, KCVO (Devon).

John Alan Forbes McKay, MA, (Surrey).

Frederick William Legg (Glos).

Lt. Col. Anthony Berry (London).

O fficer (Sister)

Miss Freda Eunice Maude, Newton, SRN , SCM (Tyne and Wear).

J oan Emma, Miss Smith (Sussex).

Phyllis May , Mrs. Martyn (Devon).

Sylvia Joy , Mrs Jones SRN (Worcs).

Dorothy Violet Miss Dudman (London).

Betty Sutton, Miss Drown (Hants).

A udrey Margaret, Mrs. Pagett (Warks).

Winifred Joyce, Mrs. Parslow (Norfolk).

Hannah Mary, Mrs. Taylor, SRN (Co. Durham).

Norah , Miss Outhet (North Yorks).

Cynthia , Mrs. Rosewarn (Somerset)

Edith May , Mrs. Woodhall (West Midlands).

Eil een Mary Miss Asquith (Yorkshire).

K itty , Mrs. Mi ll s (London).

Se rving Brother

George Leslie John Garnham , BEM (Surrey)

Frederick Charles Johnstone, MA, BM, BCH, (Sussex).

D o u g las George Palmer (Wi ltshire).

T h omas Large (Tyne and Wear).

J ack Atherley (N otts).

De r ek Ernest Bengeyfield (Kent).

Dav id John Nobbs, SRMN, Quilty , (Wilts).

Keith Sandiford, JP, (Surrey).

Joseph Elliott Taylor (Northumberland).

Samuel George Matthews (Middlesex).

Edward Parker (Warks).

Leslie Po rter (Tyne and Wear).

John Barry Gaff (Surrey).

Sidney PearsoI1 Torr (Cheshire).

The Rev. Pred Dewi Lewis Morgan (London).

John Francis Boyle (Tyne and Wear).

Herbert Sidney Cottingham (N orthants).

Talfryn Kenneth Keast (Cornwall)

Leslie Robert W illocks (Kent).

Donald J ohn Anderson (Essex)

Lawrence Thomas George Coleman (Northants).

David Patrick Bell (London).

James John Callingham (Surrey).

Alexander Milne Wilson Coburn MB. ChB, (Devon).

Thomas Richard Walters (London).

Andrew Leopold Beed (Merseyside).

Peter James Little (Wilts).

Wilford Henry Gibson QPM, (Surrey).

Kenneth Leonard Eatwell (Norfolk).

Leonard John Travis (Humberside).

Reginald Varley (Notts).

Lawrence John Daft (London).

Frank Alan Holmes (Bucks).

Matthew Jackson Laidlaw (Tyne and Wear)

Ernest J ames Small , (Somerset).

Frank Arthur Reginald Ingham (London).

Sgn. Cdr. A lexander Craig, MB, CHB , (Surrey).

David Thomas Hopkins (Warks).

Wi ll iam Charles Howell (London)

Herbert Langdon Dowsett OBE, JP, (Essex).

Thomas Henry Wass (Notts)

Do ug las Arthur Nightingale (Surrey)

Frederick Wi ll iam Lobley (Humberside).

Frank Titmus (West Midlands).

Henry George Cording (London).

Raymond Victor Coatesworth (Northumberland)

Se rvin g Si

Marian Mrs Ashforth ( G reater Manchester)

Mary Annie Mrs. Norman (B ucks).

Sheila Maureen Mrs. Steele (Devon).

Isla Carolyn, Lady Abinger (Suffolk).

Joan Alice Beatrice, Mrs. Walters (London) Eileen, Miss Bingham, SRN, SCM , (Derbys).

Nora Grace , Mrs. Ford (Bristol).

Constance Gillean Lady Troughton (Oxon).

Doreen Margery Ann. Mrs. Wickens (Staffs).

Pamela Maude, Mrs. Keast (Cornwall).

Sylvia Betty Mrs. Diamond SRN (Devon) Winifred, Mrs. Jackson (Greater Manchester).

Elsie Guild, Miss Bain (Kent).

Shirley Dinah Mrs. Manning (Essex). Beryl , Mrs. Phair, SRN , (Derbys).

June Miss Higgs (Greater Manchester).

Hazel Patricia Kathleen, Mrs. Hinde, (Dorset).

Rosemary Frances , Dr. Leslie (Devon).

Freda Mrs Bath (Bucks).

Beatrice Rosemary, Mrs. Herterich (London)

Brenda fane, Mrs. Clements (Bristol).

Grace Jeannette, Mrs Taylor (Essex).

Amy. Mrs. Harriso,!, SRN, SCM. (Lanes).

Mavis Cather1ne, Miss Bird , SRN, (Glos).

Charlotte Luise, Mrs. Mertens, SR , (Devon).

Elizabeth Mrs. Stebbings (Derbys).

Florence Mrs. Hyde (Greater Manchester).

Patricia Margaret , Mrs Sanderson (Essex).

Helen Mary, Mrs. Keys (South Devon).

Elizabeth Ann, Mrs Rose (Berks).

Marcia , Mrs. Cooney (Dorset).

The Rev. Dewi Lewis Morgan, who is Rector of SI. Bride 's Church Fleet Street London , is invested as Serving Brother

NEARLY nine years have passed since we left Jerusalem , where my husband was Warden of the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital' for thirteen years, and although I longed to revisit the Holy Land, and meet again the many friends we had there, I feared that time would have brought changes to people and places, and that disillusionment could well replace my treaslired memories.

However family encouragement and my own very great desire to return overcame my reluctance, so Tuesday, April 11 1978, found me on my way to Tel Aviv as part of a package tour. In some ways I would have preferred to travel independently, but few of us can afford that luxury nowadays, and the Inter-Church organisation offers many advantages in the way of accommodation, internal transport and general expertise.

For the first three days we were based at Tiberias, by the Lake of Galilee, and every morning we set off by coach to visit the sites and shrines in the neighbourhood. This area was out of bounds for me during the first eleven years we were at the Ophthalmic Hospital, but when the barriers came down after the Six Day War, I came here twice, and loved the gentle beauty of the countryside which can have altered little since the time of Christ. Many pilgrims will,

RETURN TO THE HOLY LAND

And the uncertainties after a nine years' absence

by A. M. BOASE

I am sure, share my view that there is a much greater sense of His Presence by that beautiful lake shore than in any of the 'official' shrines, where so much has been superimposed throughout the centuriesby friend and foe alike - that it is virtually impossible to picture them in their natural state.

Greatly though I enjoyed this Galilean interlude, my own personal pilgrimage was to Jerusalem and as we Tiberias for the drive along the Jordan Valley and up

glimpse of Jerusalem was a distressing one, 1 had at least been prepared to some extent for the un sight ly appearance of those grim block s of flats whi ch now stretch in serried roWS on either side of the French Hill and alon g Mount Scopus. They now form the sky -lin e which dominates the Old City from the north, and it is hard to understand how t he Israelis, with their great sense of artistic and cultural values, could have perpetrated something so much at variance with the landscape.

My heart rose again a::; J saw the familiar flag flying over the Hospital, and as more and more familiar landmarks came into view, I knew again that sense of homecoming, which is Jerusalem's special gift to the returning traveller.

It was indeed a homecoming, with friends and flowers awaiting me at our hotel , and the most heartwarming kindness surrounding me during the four days I spent in Jerusalem. Our successors at the Hospital, Keith and Pat Batten, were particularly kind and welcoming; I know from experience that they share a very busy assignment, but they gave me the great pleasure of dining with them in our old house, to which Pat has given her own very charming imprint.

Perhaps the highlight of my visit was a coffee -party at the Hospital. where 1 was delighted to meet Matron, Mrs. Parks, and to find several members of the Arab staff who had been there in our day; most notable among them wa s Abu Ahmed, coming up to fifty years of service with the Order, and still a Rock of Ages in the clinic. We had a most happy time exchanging family news , and there were great enquiries for my husband - still 'Abu Eyoon', the Father of Eyes!

After the coffee - party, Keith Batten found time to take me around the Hospital; it was looking as spick and span as ever, and greatly streamlined with the installation of the central sterilization unit and other modern amenities. The wards and clinic were as busy as ever, and it is good to know that the Mustashfa Eyoon continues to provide such a vital s ervice.

through the Judean hills, my feeling of almost fearful anticipation increased with every mile. T knew there had been a good deal of builJing around Jerusalem since we left, and wondered if t!-le place I had known and loved would have changed beyond recognition. As for my friends, after so many years would we be ab le to pick up the threads? Perhaps I would indeed have been wiser not to come at a ll.

None the less my excitement mounted the nearer we drew, and althoug h my first

Later I was taken around the gardens by Nazar Banayan. whose pride and joy they rightly are. It seems he took an American correspondence course in horticulture, and the results are truly amazing; never have I seen such a magnificent display of roses, sweet - peas and flowers of every description, while t rees , hedges and lawns have been cleverly combined to produce attractive lands caping effects.

Also in Nazar's care is the little memorial garden which commemorates the Order's lon g association with Jerusalem. It is in a part of the Old City called the Muristanthe name means hospital or ho spicewhere the Knights Hospitaller carried out their charitab le work for the sick and needy in the 12th century.

Those few days were very full, for the pilgrim's round was by no means neglected. I was thankful for my many previous opportunit ies to visit the holy places, when I got to know them well and could reach back in history to the basic truths they enshrine; it cannot be easy for modern pilgrims to do this - their sheer number is edifying in the extreme, but it is hard to feel recollected

when queuing to go into the Sepulchre or the Grotw at Bethlehem... How fortunate I have beenl

The days flashed by, but they sufficed to show that my fears had been groundle s: friendships had withstood the strains of time and distance, while Jerusalem itself was as fascinating as ever. and still held me -a willing captive - in its toils

Photos by Jeanneue Taylor

THANK YOU, SUPPLIES DEPT

from Mrs. S Furneaux, Divisional Superintendent

It was with interest that I read AIM D. L. Sheward 's letter regarding New Uniform (May Review).

Two thirds of his letter , particularly hi s point on cost , man y certainly would agree with. His complaint about supplies, ho weve r brought to mind a similar experience of mine with the nearest stockist.

In this case the ordering of an officer's costum e.

After waiting months , I also was told that the d elay was w ith the Supplies Department. On writing to the Director of Supp lies asking th e reason for the delay , it was quite a surprise to learn that no order ha d been received. Re-checking with the local stockist, one excuse after another was given. Cancelling the order on advice the costume was reordered from Supplies Dept. Six was given as he time before delivery and sure enough the goods arri ved within that time.

Needless to say all my orders are now sent to the Supplies Dept. and to date I have experienced excellent service. One very large order marked urgent was in fact delivered by return of post.

Thank you, Supplies Dept , perhaps AIM Sh ewa rd will obtain a better service if he orders directly from you.

Torquay S Furnecux

FIRST AID IN SCHOOLS

from B J. Williams, Divisional Officer

Employed as a technician in a large school in Ipswich for the last five years, I find myself appalled at the standa r d of first aid given in schools.

For instance, one boy with a nose bleed was, in an attempt to stop the bleeding, put on his back across a desk with hi s head hanging over the edge. He was left in this position while the m aste r re tu rn ed to attend to his class. On another occasion when an adult recei ve d a la r ge burn on the forearm , the first aid given was to cover the burn with honey.

Parents are obliged to place their children in the care of s chool s, so I feel teachers should be required, as the police and fire se r vices, to hold a current first aid certificate as part of th e ir qualifica tio n to teac h.

Could the Order of St. John please help to press for s uch a requirement?

Ipswich

DO NOT CHANGE OUR STYLE

from George Bee

B. J. Williams

Having read the opinions on existing ranks , uniform s, and customs of St. John Ambulance expressed in Reader s Vi ews, I was most concerned at some of the suggestions.

I consider that any change in our military-sty le parades, dress, discipline and ranks should be avoided at all costs. St. John Ambulance has a history of which it is very proud , and any change to suit present day trends would be detrimental to the organisation.

I have always found that members take particula r pride in their dress and behaviour when on parade or during public duty. Their military appearance also gives an air of authority and efficiency, and is much appreciated by the public , whether at sports events or accidents.

And what better sight is there than members of the Order in their mantles and regalia?

Instead of any slackening off of dress and bearing I would suggest a tightening up. Efficiency in dress and bearing must also mean efficiency in first aid work.

Napier, New Zealand

FINE COMPETITION

from F. J Phillips

READERS VIEWS

Readers' views and opinions, which should be sent to the Editor, a thoug h published are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although readers may sign published letters with a pen - name, writers must supply their name and address to the editor

Althougb one of the losing teams, all our members remarked on the spirit of the competition and said that it was a pleasure to have taken part in it. Our thanks also to the County Commissioner for Devon , who judged the uniform part of the compelition in a rather unusual yet, we thought , most sensible way, and although runners-up we fell his comments both truthful and at times amusing.

For once praise p lease, for a well thought out, well planned and efficiently run competition! And as usual the make-up and acting were of the standard we have come to expect from Casualties Unionvery good.

A mesbury, Wilts F. J. Phi/tips

COMPETITIONS

from W. E. Street, Divisional Officer

Ref the letter from Mr. R. A. Davis (May ReVIew), I agree it is not necessary for a parrot -fashion commentary on signs and symptoms in competitions, but the judge must get a complete diagnosis from the team at the end of the test or often he could not be sure how much they knowexactly.

In a really good team, I think any member ,would be capable of leading. I also think we must continue the time limit but should possibly drop the stretcher work in our competitions, because our job, now there is a professional ambulance service, is to do first aid and hand the patient over to the professionals when they arrive.

I don't agree with deducting marks already earned - the judge can express his opinion in the general efficiency remarks. I agree, however, that it is stupid telling a professional man how to do his job. It is much more sensible to give him the facts you know of prior to his arrival, ie hi story, state of breathing and bleeding, and stages of unconsciousness , if any - all of which will be an advantage to know at the hospital.

Improvisation, too, should play a larger part in St. John competitions and not as is often the case, when the team has their first aid kit, or it can be obtained nearby. In most accidents requiring first aid a full kit is the last thing you have and despite the fact that there is quite a lot written in our training manual on this subject, in nearly 43 years with St. John and attending competitions as a competitor, judge and late ly a spectator I can't remember improvisation playing much of a part.

Ron Davis of Sidcup Division (May Review) is worrying unnecessarily about the benefits of competitions.

Of course competitions improve first aid standards. To win major competitions the competitor must have a thorough knowledge of the First Aid Manual and devote hours to training, and developing competition techniques. In reality it is often this 'competition technique' which gives rise to criticism of competitions in general.

In the unlikely event of a first aid team coming across a 'real' patient, I am convinced that the patient could not but benefit from the team experience and expertise, bearing in mind that they would not be trying to beat the clock.

Regarding the specific misgivings of Mr. Davis:

1) A running commentary is not good competition practice, and marks can be deducted for such; however it is important to seek out and comment on the casualty's signs and symptoms, to demonstrate that the diagnosis, particulars of conditions, has been correctly made and it is not just a lucky guess. As far as the effect this may have on the nerves of the competitor, I have found that it is often the nervous team that wins It also helps not to think of it as nervousness, but rather as being 'tuned to competition pitch'.

2) Competitions are so constructed to test the efficiency of the individual members and their ability to act as a team, as would be expected on public duties , etc. I would suggest, however, that a two pairs test in place of the team test may have some merit.

3) I disagree that excellent teams can lose a competition for not loading the patient. Firstly, an excellent team, of which there are few, would not run out of time. And secondly, few competition sheets today give many marks for loading, etc, for the very reasons given by Mr. Davis in paragraph 4 of his letter.

In conclusion, I agree entirely that competitions could be improved, but then nothing is perfect in this world. There are many areas of the Brigade that could stand improvements in this modern era and I applaud Mr. Davis for having the interest to contemplate one of them.

Croydon Roger Phillipson

CRASH COURSES

from J. F. E. Bent, Area Commissioner (Reserve)

Having been privileged to receive training from very experienced members of the Brigade, and after hearing the views of several doctors who have proudly given their services to St. John Ambulance in the past, I wonder are we being fair to the public or our members in issuing a valid first aid certificate to people who have received only five days of intense training and no practical experience?

In my early days of 1933 it was always said that after a six week Course - which often extended into twelve weeks - a person had put

a foot on the first rung of a very long ladder and not until three years later when they had obtained a medallion could they be considered to be efficient first-aiders.

Thinking back over the years, when I have been able to render ski lled first aid to the public both in war and in peace, I am quite sure the doctrine was right. After all the public have great faith in the St. John movement and depend on the members to give that little bit more. I am all for the training of more and more people , and if it were possible would see that all children received training while still at school. Our cadet movement, of which I am justly proud, does provide good citizens and ultimately good first-aiders for the future, having had a long and thorough training as opposed to people ha ving academic training but no practical experience.

In order to keep up the high standards of the Brigade and the value of their certificates, would it not be better to issue probationary certificates after crash courses, with first aid certificates being issued after the would - be first-aiders have taken a more searching and practical examination at a later date?

I would like to know the views of other readers.

Dudley

MILITARY HOSPITAL RESERVE

from Charles W. Tozer

With reference to my article on the Military Hospitals Reserve (Review, June 1977) , I am now indebted to County Staff Officer J O. Williams, BEM, OStJ , of the County of Anglesey for the following additional information:

Details of the brooch-bar and how to qualify fo r and claim it were issued by the Chief Commissioner in a Special Br igade Order (B. O.632) dated 1 February 1933. Besides the information already published this Order directs (Para. 4) that on completion of the qualifying period of efficient service application will be made on Form MHR and forwarded by the Superintendent to the Chief Commissioner who will , after satasfying himself that all conditions have been fulfilled, forward it to the Army Council. The Army Council issued the brooch-bars to the Chief Commissioner and they were passed on for issue, a receipt being required for each and this was returned to the Secretary of the Army Council by the Chief Commissioner.

Thus I believe, we now have a complete record of this interesting award. If anyone happens to have a copy of this form MHR I would appreciate a photostat copy to complete my file.

Toll Cottage, Lake Lane, Barnham, Bognar Regis

C W. Tozer

George B ee

May I as a member of the men 's ambulance team rep rese ntin g Wiltshire in the recent Regional First Aid Competition held at Newquay, Cornwall, thank the organisers for the efficient yet friendly atmosphere in which the competition was held?

Of course, stretcher work and blanketing stretche rs properly must sti ll be taught to our members for use when moving private patients on journeys and to first aid posts at public duties, but in the latter , if a patient has to go to hospital, the ambulance service shou ld be called, or we wi ll find we are stepping on somebody's toes.

Exmouth W. E. Street

from Roger Phillipson, Divisional Officer

As a SJA member with considerable first aid competition experience, including winning national competitions, and still competing, I feel that

The crowds turned out in Ipswich to welcome home their F.A Cup winning team. (Right) When crowds threatened

J. F. E. Bent

June 1977 - fire damage at Nottingham City Area HQ

ON ST. JOHN ' S DAY 1977 two ambulances were destroyed and the building badly damaged when a fire caused by vandals swept through the ambulance bay and part of the SJ A Nottingham City Area 's Headquarters early in the evening

The Area 's ambulance fleet was reduced from four to two vehicles, which immediately disrupted our work with the ph ysi caUy and mentally handicapped of Nottingham and the county

The blaze which spread from the two ambulances to the lean-to bay and the offices, causing smoke damage to the rest of the building , was spotted by two passer s- b y, who raised the alarm and pushed the other two ambulances off the forecourt to safety.

It took firemen , some wearing brea th ing apparatus , an hou r o extinguish the blaze b y using a jet and two hose reel s

The summer programme was in full swing , with the usual round of shows , gymkhanas, sports meetings as well as our disabled work so this fire could not have come at a worse time.

An appeal fund was immediatel y launched

b y the Area PRO , the Area Treasurer and The Lord Mayor of Nottingham Councillor

B. Bateman , who said The citizens of Nottingham will I know , like myself, be

appalled at the fire at the St. John Ambulance Headquarters in Mansfield

Ro a d , which d estroyed a mbu lances and property belon g in g to the Bri gade. I feel t h a it might be the wis h of the people of Nottin g ham to co ntribut e tow ards a n appea l w h ch I have launch ed towards replacin g the ambulances an d to the rebuilding of the h ea dqu a r te r s

T h e ap peal was a huge success, with peo ple f rom all walks of life d onating mo n ey to the B r iga de or o the Lord Mayor's appeal at th e Counc il Hou se.

The Area had already a fund in opera ti on for the replacement of their ambu l ance coach. which was now nearly twenty years o ld This was hovering in the region of £2,00 0 and funds were slow in accumulating.

Great effort

As a re s ult of th e a ppe a l and the coach fund nearl y £ 13 000 was r a is ed - a great effort.

The Nottinghamshire Area Health Authority offered to withdraw two ve h icles from se r vice and these were purc h ased by the Bri ga de. Some work had to be carried out on the se vehicles , to put th em into Brigade liver y, but this was not unduly costly.

SJA Nottingham

rises a.galn

Three vehicles replace the two of its fleet destroyed by fire

A rep lacement ambulance coach was so ught and eventually a su itabl e vehicle was found. This vehicle required a considerab le a m ount of work to install a wheelchair li ft, s tretcher cot, e lectrica l work. repaintin g. etc but is now a ve hicl e which is a credit to th e Bri ga d e. Thi s ambulance coach w ill be used to convey di sab led people to all parts of the cou ntr y.

The vehicles were recently dedicated a a service held in the Council House, Nottingham and conducted b y the Lord Ma yo r' s Chap lain. the R eve r e n d K. E. N Garrard. The Lord Mayor read the lesson and the service wa introduced by Area Staff Officer W. F. Shaw. The band of Chilwell Comprehensive School provided the music. The day before the service. the ke ys and log books were handed to the Area Comm issioner. Dr. A. J. Mascari , by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham.

The L a dy Mayoress, The Sh eriff of Nottingham, Cllr. R ex R o llin g, and hi s lady, were present at both these ceremonies.

Al l three vehicles. wh ich are inscribed ' A gift from the citizens of the City and County of Nottingham - 1977' were placed on show in the Old Market Square for public viewing for a day'.

W. F. Sh aw, ASO Publi c ity

shopping for old folk - equipped with shopping trolleys bought with a grant from the Queen s Jubilee Appeal Fund. (Photo: South Wales Echo)

WALES

Newport Guides with their preliminary first aid certificates pr ese nted by Sup!. Kei th Dunn with Cadet Sg1. Andrew McCarthy, of Gwent Area Health Authority Hospita ls Division. (Photo : South Wales Argus)

LAUGH with NAN

1978 - the three neW vehicles fro m the p eople of N otti ng h am (Photo: Paul A. Bloomer)

Find the ---

HIDDEN BONES

Here s a new -s t y le puzzle from the Review Crossword compiler W. A. POTTER which should prove a teaser over the summer holiday period.

S en d your list of bones found to St. J ohn R eviell '. (Bones Pu zz le). Wood COl/age, High Corner, Bulley, Woodbridge, SLifjolk. T he sender of the highest , correct total opened on Sept. 1 will receive afree year's Re l' iew subscription.

THE MATRIX of letters co n cea s th e names of a number of bone s. How ma y can you find ? The names may read horizontally , vertically, or diagonally and may be eft to right or right to left, u pwards or downwards. Not every letter in the matrix is u sed, wh il e o th e r s are used mor e than o nc e Anatomical n a m es are used. No bon e a ppe ars twice with different names.

of Preston, Lanes

These three young cadets from Fairwa er Card ff , are all set for

News from Divisions/Centres

e, (4) , 29, Pr ese r ve a ca ll osity. (4), 30, Re -mod e ll ed statue is s hr ewd (6) , 32, H a b it u a ll y g ive b a b y"a n excessive amount of milk (8). 34 , A s o ne did for a growt h of glandu la r tiss ue in the naso-pharynx. (8) , 3 5, Str a ig hte ned a limb (8),

Down:

I P osi ti o n of th e cere b rum is kn own wi th o ut refere nce to notes, (2.4.4 ),2 , On st ri ke in so ut h, (3) 3, Th e d ep rived req uir in g he lp , (7), 4, A pla ye r befor e foo d o n a hill. (5), 5, P ar t o f the eye in Fa ir l s le. (4), 6, Pitt a nc e is used fo r subs t a n ce pr eve nti ng g rowt h o f (1 0 ) 7 O ccas o n of light - hea rt ed fun an d ga iety. (6) 10, T he sort of vis ion co ntr as tin g with 12 Across. (4). 14, W ill th e doc t or be amused when he p at ie nt d escr ib es his sy mpt o ms so? (5,5), 15, Ha lf a house?

(4) 16 , U nsen ti men ta l bu s in ess m an is th ick -s k ull ed? (4 6), 18, Grown o ld. (4), 19 . C hewe d by rumin a nts, (3). 24, Ang u is h res ul ing fro m mo r e c han g e in expl os ive , ( 7). 26 , T o be in o ne's a bod e is a strange de s ir e, (6 ). 28 Eac h m a nipul ati o n pr o du ces p a in (4 ). 29. Repa ir th e wound by a ppo sition of t he s kin edge s . (5) . 31, L ive in a wic ked way. (4),33, Appli a nc e for co o lin g t he bod y (3),

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.6 (78)

Across: 1. U nder th e weather; 9 , T.in. ea; 10 Sco lios is; 11. R at ; 12, Mu.mp s; 13. A ge d ; 14 . Lien ; 16. Bac illi ; 18 A bscess; 20, N ib ; 2 1, Earache ; 23 . Despoil ; 25. R o sy ; 2 6 Dr. a m ; 2 8, Al.t. e r ; 30 , In,n ; 31.

Pro.motion ; 32. Tac.it ; 33. Acetyl s alicyl ic

Down: 1 Untam a ble ; 2, Dynamic ; 3, Re ar s; 4 Hi s t. a m,in ,e; 5, Who.le; 6, AC id ; 7 HO ,s p,ic e; 8 . R es in ; ] 5, Uses; 17 , Lic e: 18, Abdominal ; 19 Scl e r o tic: 22. R estore; 24 , Opti ca l; 25. R u p. ia; 27, R.aid s ; 28 , Antic ; 29. Bon y.

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DENNIS FD4 Straight 6 Jaguar en gined ambulance for sale , £3000 or vno Fir st regi ster ed 1971 , 34 ,000 miles on clock , new automatic gearbox 1977 , current MOT , servic ed regularly , piped oxygen , twotone ho rn s, bell. A s pic t ured in St. John Review Feb. and Aug , 1975, Has co mplet ed ROUND BRITAIN MILK RACE for last 2 y ear s without trouble , Al so appear s in SWEENY TV series. Last of 3 veh icles by Denni s Bro s, Guildford , to Min istry specifications . Reason for Division s elling is to standardise fleet. Further information and to view: D / Supt. M Newbold or T / Sgt. H F, Langrish , 374 Division , St. John Ambulance , Ambulance Station, Fairfield North Kingston upon Thame s, Surr ey, Phon e 0] -546-0218 (answering service)

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(Photo: Lynton

The Archbishop of Wales' address at Llandaff

Y gair am y groes,flolineb yw i'r rhai sydd ar lwy br colledigaeth. The doctrine oj the cross is sheer jolly to those on their way to ruin. (J CoriQthians 1.18).

Two experiences coalesce in my mind now.

There is this solemn religious service in which members of the movement, from all over our country, have come together in worship. We are here to thank God for all the good work He has enabled over so long a period, and especially now to keep the Jubilee of the Priory for Wales and to remember with gratitude the service of Saint John Ambulance over 100 years. Many though we are, we are only a small part of the company which we represent. This is a great and rare occasion, when to be present is a privilege to be treasured and long remembered. The Order of Saint John is seen here in its splendour, paying tribute to the glory of God from whom all that it stands for is derived and to whose service it offers itself in humility. To this experience, add another which most of us have shared. This is of gccasions throughout the length and breadth of the land , wherever the work of the Order is established, when in halls and institutes, in town and country, cadets assemble for their training. I recall especially a recent experience when certificates in First Aid and Home Nursing were presented to fifty boys and girls in one of our most sparsely populat@d areas. I am sure that I have never met a more impressive body of young people, so lively, so proud of their skill and uniform, so naturally at ease and confident. The relationship between them and their instructors would be the best of models for the whole range of education. Many of them travel long distances to attend their weekly class. There is nothing in it for them except what matters most , the satisfaction of being trusted with responsibility , of learning to undertake it properly, and of companionship with contemporaries and seniors bound together by a shared ideal. So I think of them now and of those like them in other districts , and of the men and women who year after year make this good work possible by their dedicat ed service. Saint John docts indeed produce people trained to serve the injured and the ill, and that is something for which to thank God: but in doing this it does something more important still. It helps to elicit in those who come under its influence the recognition that only througJ1 caring for other people can we attain personal happiness. In many areas the clearest witness to the truth of the good news of God in Jesu s is given by the practical demonstration afforded by the work of the Order.

So let us attend to our text. Put a full stop half way through it and it reads: 'The doctrine of the cross is sheer folly'. I like the translation given in the Good News Bible: 'The message about Christ 's death on the cross is nonsense'. Look closeJy at the message , and ask yourself whether in terms of plain everyday living what Jesus taught and did is to be accepted as true Of dismissed as fanciful rubbish. Can I accept it as the basis on which to build my life, or can I content to repeat the words unthinkingly without accepting the cost of acting upon them?

Jesus said (Mark 8.34 following) 'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind; he must take up his cross , and come with me. Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; bwt if a man will let himself be lost for my sake and for the Gospel, that man is safe. What does a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self? What can he give to buy that self back?'

Jesus said we should love God with all our might and main, and Our neighbours as ourselves; and when a awyer asked for a precise definition of what was meant by ' neighbour he told the story of th e Samaritan who demonstrated his love not by clever words but by compassionate behaviour.

Jesus upset all notion s of rank and differentials by rejectin g the way of the world (Mark 10.42 following): 'You know that in the world the recognized rulers lord it over their subjects, and their great men make them feel the weight of authority. That is not the way with you; among you, whoever wants to be great must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a willing slave of all. For eve n the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give up hi s life as a ransom for many',

Jesus refused to measure any man 's worth by his pay packet and property. He warned (Luke 12.15 ) Be on your guard against greed of every kind for even when a man ha s more than enough (and how many can really say they want no more? ) his wea lth does not give him life '.

So much for the words of Je s u s. Words are easy things to use, as preachers know to their cost. What gives authority to his words is that they are a kin d of commentary on what He did. It is what He did even more than what He said that makes u s pa y attention and either dismiss it as nonsense or affirm it as the only way of hope set before the human race. What He did was to la y down his life as a pledge that God is true.

We spend a great deal of our time demonstrating that we believe the message of the cross is nonsense. What, pay no attention to differentials? What inducement will there then be for people to acquire special skills and accept burdens and responsibilities? Eradicate the desire to acquire more and more possessions? What will happen then to trade and industry? See all people as equally our neighbours, whatever their income, their race, their colour or their nationality? How then shall the English remain English and the Welsh Welsh? Come off it , we must be practical! We must safeguard ourselves! This is sheer folly!

It is time now to remove the full stop that I arbitrar il y inserted just now and finish the sentence: 'T he doctrine of the cross is sheer folly to those on their way to ruin',

I would have thought that the plight of the mod ern world, to which no economist or politician has th e beginnings of an answer demonstrated that it is indeed the supposedly wise pe op le of the world who are the foolish ones and that God's foUy in Jesus is indeed wiser than men. If we want life in abundance hi s is the only way to ha ve it.

There is a clear message in the work of the Order of Saint John to a world that seeks a way out of ruin. The cadets trained in t hi s have been given a true glimpse of what life is meant to be like. Can we, their seniors, u se our opportunities, whatever our sphere of influence to see that the values they are being taught regulate the life of society in general? Replace the profit motive by th e desir e to serve, substitute for the itch to add to possessions yearning to enjoy the satisfaction of abundant life lived for the sake of others, and we have an alternative to capitalism and socialism as we have known them.

It is a society on its way to ruin that sees in the mes sage of the cross nothing but nonsense. Our Act of Re -Dedication today affirms that for us sacrificial service is the road to life.

Having a good time ... with ST JOHN

hin - on merit alo ne. We p r ovide a free uni form, pens on scheme and generous s ck ness pay

Y o u sho uld be a goo d drive r wit h a ull current lice nce, p h ys cally fit and w th a mi nimu m he ght of Sf t. 3ins.

If yo u wa n t more t ha n j ust a job, p hone Bob GrifRt h on 0 1928 0 333 to d ay, or write to him at th e London A m bu an ce Se r vice HQ , D ep t. P/ LAS / YB, Wa t erl oo Road, London SE 1. London Ambulance Service

REVIEW

Contents AT RANDOM

At Random , by Watkin W. Williams p.17l

Annual Service at St. Paul's p 174

Foundation Conference p.l 75

Welfare Competition 1978 - judges report p.176

Around and About , by the Editor p.178

Retired : C- in - C and D irector- Genera p.183

Cardiac Resusci tation part 1 , by D. Little p.184

Long term planning for a division s needs p.187

Readers Views p.l 88

News from Scotland - Overseas p.190

Ministry of Defenc e competition results p.191

News from Divis ions/Ce ntres p 192

ED ITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Edite d and p rod uced for the Order of St John by Dri sco ll Pro duc tio ns. Wood Cotlage. High Corner, Butley Nr Woodbridge. Suffolk IP1 2 3QF.

Ph o n e: Orford (Std 039 45) 548 Editor : Frank Driscoll.

Advertisi ng. and c assified, rates on request from Driscoll Productions.

Price 30p monthly. £4.30 per annum. including postage. from Review Sales SI. John Ambulance 1 Grosvenor Cres cen t. London SW1 X 7 EF

Hilvinll good limll with ST JOHN COVER: 14-yea r-ol d Tra cey Murray of South N otts. says 'I've won 1_ I 've won! - as she is c hos en Miss Camp frolT' 100 nursi ng cadets at the Midl ands (NCB) Skegn ess camp. While at th e h elm of the SJA schooner M a lco lm Miller young

by Watkin W. Williams

ONE OF THE greatest pleasures of writing this column is the twice-yearly task of congratulating , on behalf of all our readers, those whom Her Majesty has been pleased to honour in recognition of their outstanding service as members of the Order of St. John and its Foundations, and in doing so I will try to tell you a little about the six members of our 'family' whose names appeared in The Queen ' s recent Birthday Honours List.

An OBE has been awarded to Mr. E. W. M. Williams, MD, MCh, BSc, FReS, Chancellor of the P r iory for Wales, in recognition of his dedicated service to St. John which has extended over 46 years, during the past 13 of which he has been successively Almoner, Vice-Chancellor and Chancellor of the Priory. As a youth he was inspired to help sufferers from spinal injury when his father. a collier, fractured his spine. He has for many years been consultant orthopaedic surgeon to the Prince of Wales's Hospital. Rhydlafar, and an orthopaedic plate used in the treatment of spinal fractures has been named after him. He has also translated the Joint First Aid Manual into Welsh. He was admitted to the Order in the grade of Commander in 1965 and was promoted to Knight of Grace in 1970 Mrs. Violet A. Winter , County Staff Officer for Cadets (A & N), Kent, has been awarded an MBE in recognition of the inspired lea d ership and service that she has given to St. John Cadets since she first joined the Brigade as a Nursing Member 39 years ago. One of her earliest tasks was to help establish a Nursing Cadet Division in Tunbridge Wells, of which she was appointed Divisional Officer in 1943 and promoted to Superintendent in 1952 for three years before becoming Area Staff Officer for Cadets in 1955. She was a pioneer of 'combined" training for Ambu lance and Nursing Cadets and successfully estab lished in Kent the combined cadet training camps which have now become an annual event in most C Ollfil1 l1ed ol'e

counties. Since her appointment as County Staff Officer for Cadets in 1971 she has continued to maintain and still further improve their standards of training and has been a great source of inspiration both to the cadets and to their officers. Besides all this, she has for many years worked actively as a member of the Samaritans. She was admitted to the Order as a Serving Sister in 1959 and promoted to Officer in 1967.

Four awards of the BEM have been made to Miss Millicent Crosdale (Corps Superintendent, Bromley Corps , London (Prince of Wales's) District), Mr. David S. Evans (Divisional Superintendent, Tylorstown Division, Priory for Wales), Miss Mabel Hall, SEN (Divisional Superintendent (R), Slough Town Nursing Division, Berks) and Mr. Henry C. Parsons (Divisional Superintendent on the London (Prince of Wales's) District Pool).

Miss CrosdaIe joined the Brigade as a Nursing Member in the Barclays Bank Nursing Division in 1948 and was at once appointed Divisional Secretary and Treasurer and promoted to Corporal in the following year. She became an Area Staff Officer in 1964 and Corps Superintendent in 1974. During her membership of the Barclays Bank Division she became actively involved in first aid training in the Bank and in the work of the NHSR , particularly in Beckenham Hospital. In the course of the past 30 years she has introduced hundreds of Brigade members, men as well as women, to the joys of working in hospital wards casualty departments and old people's homes, and to domiciliary nursing under the guidance of District Nurses.' Before the rundown of the NHSR she was also responsible for organising NHSR competition work in the South-Eastern Area of London District 'in close co-operation with the BRCS with whom she maintained a strong and happy relationship. She was admitted to the Order as a'Serving Sister in 1967 and promoted to Officer in 1976.

Mr. Evans joined the Tylorstown Division, Rhondda, in 1931, was promoted to Sergeant in 1952, to Divisional Officer in 1969 and to Superintendent in 1970. Throughout his 47 years' membership he has been the backbone of the Brigade in the Tylorstown locality where he is widely known and respected for his outstanding service to the local community. He was admitted to the Order as a Serving Brother in 1970 and promoted to Officer in February of this year.

Miss HaUjoined the Brigade as a 'Nursing Sister' in the Slough Town Nursing Division about 52 years ago. She was promoted to Divisional Superintendent in 1945 and continued in that capacity until she transferred to the Brigade Reserve at the end of 1971. In the pre-1939 years she was a voluntary first-aider to various firms where

AT RANDOM

(Cont. from previous page)

she was employed , and helped at weekends in the men's surgical ward at Windsor Hospital. During the early months of the war she was on daily duty with a mobile unit in Slough from 6am to IOpm and subsequently did many hundreds of hours voluntary Brigade duty as an ambulance attendant both before and after the setting up of the statutory ambulance service. In addition to her Brigade duties she worked for 6 months at Stoke Mandeville Hospital at the time of its opening in 1949 , then for 10 years at Upton Hospital and , after some months of serious illness, returned to work as an Industrial Nurse in Slough for nearly 20 years until her retirement in 1971. As a member of the Brigade Reserve she is still very active in voluntary Brigade duties , particularly domiciliary nursing and in help to pensioners and the blind. She was admitted to the Order as a Serving Sister in 1954 and promoted to Officer in 1972.

Mr. Parsons joined the Harrow Ambulance Division in about 1937 and served in the RAMC from 1939 to 1945. On demobilisation he returned to active membership of the Harrow Division as Divisional Officer from 1947 to 1967 and then as Superintendent until he transferred to the District Pool in 1976. Despite having undergone major heart surgery in 1971 he still continues to be very active in the Brigade service that he has carried on for more than 40 years among the Harrow community , more especially iri work for senior citizens and in teaching first aid to Scouts, Guides and members of the Boys' Brigade and other youth groups. His lifelong ambition was to raise enough money to build a new HQ for the Harrow divisions, an ambition which was happily realised with the opening of the present £37,000 HQ in 1974; and he is now raising more funds to build an extension which will enable training in first aid and nursing to be more widely developed. He was admitted to the Order as a Serving Brother in 1961 and promoted to Officer in 1974.

tale of the incautious youth who lost, at one fell swoop or plunge, His aunt, his honour and his sponge.' Without pressing the analogy too closely, that absurdly intriguing picture haunts my mind at the thought that we are suffering a seemingly irreparable loss by the simultaneous retirement of Professor Harold Stewart , General Desmond Gordon and Colonel Winkie Benyon. Tributes to the two former appear elsewhere in this issue (p. 183), but I cannot let them go without adding a brief personal word.

It has been my great pleasure and good fortune to sit on several committees with Harold Stewart during the past few years, and I have grateful memories of all that we have owed to hi s wise counsel, shrewd knowledge and long experience of St. John affairs, more especially on one committee of which I was chairman and of which he let me persuade him to continue as a member after h e became Director -Ge neral and might well have been allowed to resign! And his flashes of humour, often expressed as a brilliantly relevant pun, could be relied on to enliven dreary discussions and keep everyone on their toes.

Of Desmond Gordon I can only say t ha t it was a tremendous inspiration and c hall enge to have been his Deputy for all but t he last 6 months of his 5 years as C -in-C

There were times when it was rather like being harnessed to a whirlwind, yet he was never too busy or in too much of a rush to give infinite time, patience and sympathy to help one to solve difficult problems when the need arose. And he would allow no problem to defeat him; indeed, I share the Chief StafT Officer's view that the word 'im possible was not in his vocabulary!

I have know Winkie Benyon for perhaps more years than either of us care to count, for he was a couple of years my junior in the same boarding -ho use at school. You can read more about him in the Who 's Who in St. John' feature on p.153 of the July Review I can only add that one of my special joys in working at Grosvenor Crescent has been to renew frequent contact with so staunch a friend and so delightful a companion. On my now far less frequent visits to HQ I shall mis s the protection of his folded umbrella raised like a sword in the 'e ngage' position to restrain motorists from running us down as we cross the road on the way back from lunch at St. John House Club But I shall miss him for far more than that!

G a year ago, shortly after retiring as Chairman of the East Midlands Electricity Board and a member of the Electricity Council. He started hi s professional career in the Sudan in 1936, and during the war served as a Major in the Roy a Artillery and was twice Mentioned in Despatches. I know that I can speak for all at HQ in say ing that during the past year we have watched with admiration, and sometimes even amazement, the skill with which he has gone straight to the heart of every problem confronting St. John Ambulance, and the remarkable combination of energy and tact with which he ha s set himself to find the right solutions. There s no doubt that under his le adership the Association branch can look forward to a period of healthy g rowth and expansion.

Already well known

Major - General Peter Leuchars, CBE, our new Commissioner-in - Chief, is already wel l known to many of our readers, for he has made extensive visits to the Brigade throughout the United Kingdom during the past couple of years, and you will have read of his recent Asian tour in the May issue of the Re view (for further information, again

July 1

We shall miss I've been unable to run to earth the source (but it must surely be Hilaire Belloc) of the

But what good new men

But the show goes on, and there are consolations in knowing what good men there are to succeed those with whom we part in sadness.

Our new Director-General, P. A. (Tony) Lingard, CBE, joined HQ staff as Deputy D-

see 'Who's Who', July issue , p.153). I count myself very lucky to have had the happiness of working in double harness with him as a Deputy C-in -C for rather more than a yea r before my ow n retirement from that appointment, and I am utterly certain that under his leadership the Br igade will continue to go from strength to strength.

Group Captain John Slessor is at present understudying, and gradually taking over from, Winkie Benyon as Secretary for

_ Overseas Relations. When I was introduced 'to him at the opening of the new museum at St. John ' s Gate in June, he took the wind out of my sails by telling me that I had taught him (at least, that was the phrase he was kind enough to use) when he was a small boy. and that I had written in his report that he was the only boy I had ever known who had come top in Latin and bottom in Divinity. Be that as it may, he's undoubtedly a good number.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The new C- in-CMajor - General Peter Leu c hars CBE

The new DirectorGeneral - Mr.

SERVICE AT ST. PAUL'S

Welfare Competition 1978

Report

by

the judges: J. C. GRAHAM, Surgeon -in -Chief ROSEMARY BAILEY, Chief Nursing Officer WATKIN W. WILLIAMS, Deputy C-in-C (Retd)

THE THREE short-listed welfare projects

th a we visited this y ear showed a n encouraging development and extension o f the welfare ro le which St. J o hn Ambula nce

c a n usefull y perform , in collaboration with other vo luntar y organ isations and in close

lia iso n wi t h th e relev a nt statutor y bod ies, as mem bers of the 'carin g team in a lo cal communit y Each of the thr ee local communities was ver y differen t from th e other two yet each of the t hree project s contributed in it s own indiv dual wa y, to w ard s impro ving the qualit y of life in tha t comm u nit y b y undertaking a variet y of ta s ks which wou ld no t ot her wise h av e been performed and for which there wa s no statutor y pro vision. Each , too , ga ve us a unique opportunit y of stud ying three a s pect s of the St. John welfare role which we had not met while judging in pre vious years.

In announc ing t he resul ts, we feel t ha t it ma y De some help and perhaps inspiration t o o thers if we not me rel y s ummarise - a lb eit inadquatel y - the scope of each proj ect bu t identify the a s pect of each which we found t o be unique in our experi e nce so fa r:

Winners

The South Molton Combined Adult & Cadet Divisions (Devon), t o who m we award the K e it h Jo seph Cup for the winne rs, su bm itted a de velopment a nd extension of the pr ojec t for which they were awarded the Thwai tes Cup a s runner s- up in 1977.

In a small country town on the southern edge of Exmoor the y have built up a well de serv ed reputation as the people to whom an yo ne and ever yone turns for help in any speci a l need or emergency connected with the welfare of the communit y Their original proje c t , mainly concerned with the care of the elderl y, the infirm and the hou se -bound ha s increased during the past year by 59 % (from 149 to 237) in the number of people visited and helped , and by 286 % (from 23 8 to 919) in the number of occasions when

t hey ha ve pro vid e d tr a nsp o rt fo r eld erl y and ho use- bound pe opl e (w het he r in d ivi du ally or in g ro up s, a nd in c ludin g the t rans po rt of the same pe rs o ns on severa l different occasions) fo r a wid e var iet y o f p urposes which have und o ubt edl y br o ug ht fresh joy into their lo nely a nd se c lud ed li ves. T hey have also wid ened th e sco pe of t heir we lfare work by givin g help t o o ne-p are nt families and to fa mili es in w hic h th e re are p h ysica ll y or me nta lly han d ica pp ed chi ld ren And in all t his t hey have received st r o ng background suppo r t, he lp and adv ice from their Di visio nal S urgeo n a nd a Social Worker, for merl y a pr ofess iona l nu rse, who is a lso a On e Sta r Nur se in th e Di vision and have wo r ke d in close a nd fri end ly collaboration with loc al uni ts o f th e British Red Cross Society a nd th e R oya l Br itis h Legion.

We have no do ub t th a t wi th this record of ac hi evemen t So uth Molton wou ld have been adjudg ed the winners of t h e Welfare

Com pet iti o n fo r th e current year even if the g reat bl izzar d o f F eb ru a r y 18 had not im po se d a to a ll y unforesee n a nd ve ry seve re t es t o n th e ir re so ur ces, th eir pr epa redness, th eir expe rti se and ind ee d t heir courage Yet it was ju s t t his th at gave us the un ique op por tu ni ty o f seein g how, when p resented wit h a rea l li fe' emerge ncy of major p ro po r tio n s in the mid d le of thei r project, t hey s uccee ded in ex pl oiting to the fu ll their reso ur ces a nd th eir ex per ti es in app lying th eir we lfa re ro le to meet t hi s except iona l chall e nge

Runners -up

The Beaconsfield Nu rs ing D ivi sio n (Bucks), to whom we a wa rd th e Th wa ite s C up for the runn e rs- up di scov e red j ust ove r a yea r ago th at the Bea con sfield a r ea (pop ul at ion 30 ,000) la y in a ge o gr a phica l ga p betwee n neighbour ing psychiatric hos pital c at c hm en t a re a s So , after con s ult a tion with th e relevan t statutory bodie s an d with heir full cooperation and s upport , t hey fo rm ed in J une

We lf are p r ojec t s hav e inc r eased r ec ruitment and im proved th e transfer of cadets t o adult divisions - resulting in MORE, not fewer, Brigade duti e s

1977, at the ir div isionl HQ in Meadow Lane, Beaconsfie ld, what they called the 'Meadow Club' (which sounds much more friendly and homely than a 'psychogeriatric SupportCare Unit', especially when those attending are called 'members' and not 'patients').

The club meets for one whole day each week, staffed by those members of the division who a re available during the daytime and by other volunteers, notabl y from the Women's section of the Royal British Legion. They have also received generous support, both financially and in personal help, from Rotarian s, the Round Table, the Rotaract Club, the Beacon Club, the WR VS and other local voluntary and charitable organisations, with the result that a more recent development has been a 'gra nn ysitting service' which has enabled the families of the club members to have an occasional evening out together as well as the one -daya-week break from the care of their elderly mentally disturbed relatives who require round -the -clock attention at home

So outstanding has been the success of the c lub that it now receives the strongest professional support from all quarters, and within a year of its formation local Health Visitors and Social Workers are sending students in training to visit the club for a morning or ever. for a whole day if it can be fitted into their training schedule.

The unique opportunity which this project offered to us was that of seeing at first hand the full integration of the vo luntary welfare service of a St. John division with all the available professional services of the Local A ut hor ity and the National Hea lth Service , and the high degree of professionalism attained by the St. John members involved.

Commendation

T he Skelmersdale Combined (A, N, A I C & N / C) Division (Lanes), who we fee l deserve h igh commendation for havi n g fu ll y ma inta in ed a nd in some respects extended

their excellent project for the care of the eld e rl y, house -bound and lonely members of t he ir local community which gained for them th e award of t he Keith Joseph Cup in 1977. Despite cripp li ng d ifficulties which many less enterprising and dedicated people would consider insuperable (living in an area which has about the highest percentage of unemployment to be found anywhere in the country , they are critically short of funds , have no divisional HQ of their own and no adequate storage facilities, and possess no fo r m of transport other than the Superintendent's ageing and much overworked car), they have during the past year increased the geographical area of their visits and the total number of elderly people visited. They have also extended the scope of their activities, notably by taking pensioners' orders for fruit and vegetables, which they go to Liverpool very early one morning each week to buy in the wholesale market and resell to the pensioner s at cost price; and it was the quick-wittedness of youth (for the majority of the division are cadets) in exploiting commercially a part of their project for the financial benefit of the pensioners whom they are serving in so many other ways, that prov ided for us the unique experience in this particular case.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we believe that what we said of the Welfare Competition in our report

after judging t he first yea r 's sho r t- listed proj ects in 19 75 sti ll rema ins true - that its strength lies in t he exte nt to which the projects u nde r taken h ave not mere ly improved the qua lity of life in the commu ni ty but in so doing have invo lved and integrated St. John Ambu lance members and supporters as full partners in the community 'caring team'.

Speaking at this year's St. J ohn Medica l Conference , the Lord Prio r put the question: 'Are we in fact doing what is now needed, and a re we in the circu m stances d oing it well?' Our experience i n judgi n g this competition d uring its first fo ur years has led us to believe that in the fi eld of welfa re the answer to that question is - though to an extent as yet far too li mited - undoubtedly 'Yes'; but we have strong evi dence to indicate that, pa r tly as a result o f the incentive p rovided b y t he co mp etition, t he increasing extent to which St. J o hn mem bers are becoming involved in welfare is considerably in excess of t h e small number of projects actually submitted to us for consideration.

We believe, however, that there are far wider opportu nities for our members to become involved in community welfare (with great benefit both to the community an d to themselves, and in kee ping with the highest traditions of the O rder an d t he A mb ulance Foundation) than may of them have as yet perceived or are prepared to recognise: and

that in the rapidly changing social conditions of the age in which we are living, t here is a real need to give them far stronger encouragement to seek the expert p rofessional advice that is available to them in this matter and to examine in greater depth the opportunities that lie at hand.

T o those who maintain that in accepting this involvement they would be trespassing on the traditional role of the Red Cross we would reply that the need is so great that there is room for all, and that in no projects u nde rtaken by our membe rs have we found any evidence of such trespass, but, rather, that in those in which that danger might have seemed to be present they have received strong support and co -operation from local R ed Cross units.

And to those who maintain that invo lvement in welfare would make it impossible for them to fulfil their existing commitments in our own more traditional role of first aid and nursing duties we would reply that, while that may in some cases be a valid objection, we have found convincing evidence that divisions which have undertaken worth-while welfare projects have in consequence both increased their r ecruitment and foun d that a larger p ro portion of their cadets have accepted p ro mo tion to adu lt divisions, with the result that they have been able to undertake more and not fewer. conventional Brigade duties than before.

THE FARM

OVERLAND

The two ambulances donated to the SJ A Aeromedical Services earlier this year by Mrs. Marcel Wallace, of Paris, are fully operational, one with S-E London, covering Gatwick Airport, and the other with Berkshire, covering London Airport.

But here are reports of two recent trips undertaken by the ambulances when the patients could not travel by air, so the ambulances went to them.

S-E London: On May 28 with a crew of three drivers and a nursing member the ambulance drove to Benidorm in northern Spain where it picked up a 61-year-old patient too ill to travel by air. On May 30 it began the homeward journey, delivering the patient to Blackpool early May 31. Total distance 3, 100 miles , 36 hours of driving each way. Averaged 60 mph on motorways

The Bedford ambulance behaved beautifull y. Berkshire: On May 28 ambulance left for Abbeville northern France , where the crew stayed overnight. Th e next morning they picked up a 21-year-old girl st udent teacher whose spinal injuries from a road accident were too serious for the handling involved in air transport. Delivered patient to Norwich that afternoon.

PASSED

I was delighted to hear that Mr. Philip Newman , Cha ir man of St. John Ambulance Medical Board: and his charming wife Anne (who was in the QAs before her marriage), have attended a course on first aid at Headquarters and both ha ve passe d and received their certificates - congratulations to both.

FIND A FRIEND WEEK

The magazine Women's Realm intends to run a project called Find a Friend Week from September 23 to 30 1978. The magazine receives a large number of letters from readers who are lonely: young people living in bed-sitters, young wives who have moved a long way from home , elderly or

AROUND and ABOUT

WHA T'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST . JOHN

BY TH E EDITOR

with the

Aldwyn arriving at St. Joh n' s Gate early June to open li e new museum room disabled men and women who a re housebound and a lone

The problems Editor decided to help by publishing details of Voluntary Or ganisations able to offer help, friendship and where relevant new interests to the various correspondents. The fir st such project was run in 1977 and proved a great success. The Red Cross was asked to take part and obtained a number of recruits as

DR. M. M. SCOTT, CBE, MRCS, LRCP. Surgeon -in-Chief, 1965 - 1970

Dr. Marcu s Scott. after a lifetime of most dedicated sen ice to mankind. died suddenly on June 21 1978 at the age of 77. while o n holiday in Teneriffe. A n obituary will appear in our next issue

well as reque sts for escorts and other help. In 1978 Wom en's R ea lm ha s invited St. John Ambulance and many other orga ni sa ti ons to join those who originally participated in the scheme.

All Divi ions are a ked to note the date of t he week, and to be ready to welcome enquiries. Some may need a visit, othe rs e ncour agement to join a first aid or other Association class: some ma y prefer initially to become Auxiliary member to help Sl. J ohn in some other way. Details will be published in the Women's Realm issue for September 16 price II p. IT IS IMPORTANT to check that the upto-date D ivis ional add re ss and telephone number are known to the local Citizens Advice Bure au. Post Office and Public Library.

GOING UP

The London South Western Area Commissioner reports in the Area's fine newsletter SWAN that during 1977 their a mbulance members increased by 33 (total 277) and nursing members by 3 (tota l 383).

MIND BENDERS

Find the fi r st aid word or words in the clue. The number of letters in the answer s given.

I. A girl to catch the eye. (4).

2. Point towards power. (6.5).

3. Lo oking back. have you seen Kay? (5).

4. Not for the leg. (4.3)

Answers: Upside down - are at the bo tt om of page 18 2.

19 of the e were promoted from the cadets. The Area 's cadet st rength. however. showed a small decrease: 6 ambulance cadets (total 338) and one nursing cadet (total 814). Thi s puts S-W Area at the top of the increase -i n -adu lt membership league in Lond on Distr ict.

DOC ON TELLY

I hear that Cleveland County Surgeon Tom Taylor has been in front of TV cameras as the family doctor of one of the naval ratings in the BBC 1 documentary programme Sailo r.

DEGREES FOR .

Congratulations to Nursing Member Nilofer Law yer on being awarded 1st place among the first classes in the Intermediate Examination for a degree in Commerce at Karachi University. and to Nursing Member Ava Daroga on gaining 3rd place among the first classes in the same examination. Both Nilofer and A va were among the party of

(Right) At the launching of the new SJA book First Aid in the Home, its editor Dr Bernard LucZls Assistant Chief Medical OHicer, with Miss Lesley Judd of BBe's Blue Peter programme, who wrote the foreword The book from Supplies Dept, is 85p a copy

(Below) Merseyside 's new Liverpool HQ is opened by Lord Grey of Naunton the Bailiff of Egle with (L to R) Mr. K Clifford Cook. Chairman. and Brig Sir Douglas Crawford President. SJ Council, and Lord Lieutenant and Capt. H T Duffy Cty Comm.

(Photo: Re g J Murphy)

cadets from Pakistan who attended the International Convention at Canterbury in 1975.

THANKS

The following letter has been received at Headquarters: I have just arrived home after seeing the

(Below) A delighted Chief Commander Sir Maurice Dorman, at Kent's County Cadet Rev iew during June

(Photo: South Eastern Newspapers)

Trooping the Colour ceremony where the sun proved too much for me. I was taken to a St. John Ambu lance mobile unit, where I very gratefully received instant help and kindness from members of St. John Ambulance. The mobile unit was at the junction of Horse Guards Parade and the Mall near Nash House. The London SJ A

Two parties of young SJA members went cruising on the STAs schooner Malcolm Miller during June. (Leh) The girls being seen off at

The Duchess of Gloucester (centre) was at the fashion show organised by Cambridgeshire SJ Council under its chairman Lord Fairhaven (left of H RH) during May in aid of SJA. Designer Gordon L Clarke kindly allowed his collection to be shown for the first time outside London and Paris. (Photo Cambridge Evening News)

man who was standing in the road in front of me was marvellous . He had a pocket full of sweets and was so kind to the children, including my son.

I am enclosing a small cheque wi th my sincere gratitude and appreciation for all that you do. - M. Mercer (Mrs).

THE HALL CHILDREN

In Our 50th Birthday article (May Review) we published a photograph of the Hall est. John family of the 1930s (above) and wondered if either of the two Hall children then an ambulance and a nursing cadet, were still with St. John. A diligent reader has sent me the follow ing information about those two cadets of the 1930s

Nursing Sister Mabel Pauline Hall (above) joined the Brigade in about 1927 , was awarded the Service Medal in 1942 and subsequently six Bars ; in due course s he trained a nd qualified as SEN She was appo int ed Superintendent of the Sl oug h Town Nursing Division in 1945 and he ld th at appointment fo r 26 1 2 yea rs until transferring to the Brigade Reserv e in Dec. 1971. She was admitted to the Order as a Serving Sister in 1954 and pr omo ted to Officer (Sister) in 1972. She is still very active in the performance of a ll kinds of Brigade duties and in the Queen 's rec e nt Birthday Honou rs List she was awarded th e British Empire Medal 'fo r ser vice s to th e co mmunit y in Sl ough' . D EVO N: Area Commissioner Dr. Terry Glanvill who is the new Mayor of Honiton presenting Ar ea awards recently - Supt. (Cadets)

D. Layzell receiving the cup. Th e Commissioner for D evon. R/ Admiral Sir Ronald Forest is centre of group

Ambulance Cadet Corporal Albert Leonard Hall, se veral years younger than hi s sister, was promoted from th e cad et s to become a member of the Slough Town Ambulance Division, and was appointed Divi sional Officer in 1938 at the age of 24. He beca me Corps Tr ans port Offic er of th e (then) Slough Buck s Corps in 194 1, an d when th e Corps wa ph ased out a nd replaced by the Bucks So uth ern Area he co ntinued as Area St aff Offi cer CTra n port) until his res ignation from act ive Bri gade m em ber s hip in 1965, by which time he he ld t he Service Medal wit h 3 Bars a nd had bee n ad mitted to t he Order as a Serving Br o ther.

FIRE RESCUE

Ambulance Member Co in Keen (photo right). of R amsgate Division, wa recently awarded the certificate of the Societ y for the Protection of Li fe from Fire for rescuing a pensioner and a woman fr o m a blazing h o use la year. With him was a ne ig h bour. Mr. Tw y ma n, who also recei ved th e certificate. Con g ratulation

PRIORY

CHURCH ORGAN

Director of Supplies J ohn Webb writes:

Those of us who can remember the Priory Churc h of St. John in Clerkenwell prior La the wa r wi ll recall the beautiful sta in ed glass wi nd ows a nd its interior built in ve r y much the sa me way as that of All Souls Langham Place, and indeed many of the famous churc hes of the City of London. The bombings and the destruction by fire removed a historic landmark, but in its place, w ith the g r eat help of the late Lord Mottistone, the new Pri ory Church has arisen.

Those many people who hav e bee n to investitures will be delighted to lea rn th at to the charm and simp li c it y of t he Order serv ice is now added the tone of a beautiful organ, which ha s been installed to the right as one faces the altar.

It has been the fervent hope of many members of the Order over countless yea rs that the beautiful accoust ic quali ties of the new church would be use d to en hance the dignified ceremony co nducted by the Lord Prior when he invests me mbers There have A n ew fe at u re of he Midl a nd s (NCB) SJA nursing cadet Camp at Skegness (w th over 1100 cadets n camp) s a Mi ss Camp competit o n - and h e re's th e 1978 winner, 14-yea r- o d Tracey Murray of Py e Hill (New Se ston) Division So uth

Arthur Leng at the new organ n the Priory Church Clerkenwell. See story been othe r occasions when, for exa mple t he choir of Eto n Co ll ege sa ng the choral service and, on a late r occas ion , when th e great choir o f Kin gs Co ll ege Chape l Cambridge, a lso took part in the Christmas service. On t hose occasions a n organ was hired, and it really was from this beginning that it became the fervent wish that sooner or later the Order would have its own organ and a skilled organist.

The new organ is a two -manual c horal custom-built instrument m ade by Lingstone Church Or gan Co of St. Albans, and under the guidance of the t hen Chancellor Sir Gilbert Inglefield and the expert assistance of Mr. Arthur Leng, who is a church organist, the great day came when for the first time the notes and fanfares sounded throughout the chu rch. When the new Chancellor of the Ord er, the Ear St. Aldwyn, was recently installed, he was greeted in process ion by a st irrin g fanfare from the t rump et section of the organ, played on this occasion by Andrew P earmain, who is I believe organist at St. Paul's Cathedral.

So the dreams of the late General Kirkman, formerly C -in-C of the Bri gade, have been r ea li sed. And the great ceremonials o r ganised in the church by our Dir ecto r of Ceremonies, Colonel Catt, will be eve n more impr essive.

TULIP TIME

Th e organising and preparation of first aid facilities for the ann ual Tulip Festival ha s now become a major event for Lincolnshire Division s. Thi s year som e four months o f hard work resulted in the setting up of 17 first aid posts along the 412 mile route of the parade , ea ch with a sectio n of the r oute to look after, whilst the eighteenth was responsible for it s own enclo sed area.

Very lar ge crowds were present on the Saturday the biggest day o f the Festival, necessitating assistance from 11 other divisions within the county as we ll as help from neighbouring counties, including Cam bridges hire , N ortha mpton s hi re, Humber side a nd Leicestershire. (Abov e) The

A total of 206 members were on duty at the first aid posts , while a further 21 members crewed the 7 St. John ambulances which were present. Ni.nety-three cases of various types, from headaches to chronic he art problems, were dealt with at the first aid posts, and some 24 patients were referred to ho spital on this one day. There were other casualties on the following d ays - all of which were handled by local Spalding D ivisions.

his example of inter-county liaiso n turned out to be a very successful exercise, and most towns contributed both ambulan ce and nursing members as well as cadets and Boston supplied its mobile first aid unit. Much help was rece ived from local sources. such as sites for ten ts , use of pri va te premises as first aid posts and citizens near the posts also gave every assistance. Leicestershire and Northamptonshire loaned radios for the occasion. ( Ph oto above).

NORTH NOTTS Former Area Commissioner Bob Scott presents sh ields to Olive Doyen and David Ba r ker divis ona superintendents of Thoresby Coll ery Cadet Divisions See story DOUBLE

The picture of the H all S t. John family in the 1930s as published n May Revi ew and Miss Mabe H all today

See THE HALL CHILDREN story

LEICS: County President Lady Kemsley (right) presents a piece of spec ially eng raved Swedish glassware to Mrs Clarice Ri ddington , of Oa dby , wh o retired in Jun e as Leicester Area Pres ident after 26 years with the Brigade The gift was from fellow members of the Presidents committee. (Photo : Pe ter Jackson )

DOUBLE

It was an efficiency 'double' for North Notts Thoresby Colliery Cadet Divisions recentl y , when they won both the J. T Rice Memorial Shields for the most efficient divisions in the Area.

Former Assistant Are a Commissioner Bob Scott, who was recently honoured in the Queen's Birthday awards , presented the shields to Div. Supts Olive Doyen and David Barker at the Area review. (See photo previous page).

Over 800 SJA personnel were inspected by the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire and County St. John President, Comdr. P. Francklin.

During the review the local Sherwood Forest Rotary Club presented the Area with a tent. Not only was it in use at the review but also at a motor show at Thoresby Hall the same afternoon.

WATCH HIM!

I hear that 13-year-old Ambulance Cadet Darryl Naz, of Bury, beat 43 adults to gain second place in the recent Durham Cup competition

RETIRED

A cadet for only 18 months , Darryl came first in the cadet section of the competition.

D OF EAWARDS

It has been agreed I hear , that the Higher Certificate of St. John Ambulance is now accepted as a qualification for the service section of the Gold Award in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Award bodies will be informed of this change in the next Award News and it came into efTect on May 31 1978

SOMETHING STIRRED

Heard at the Medical Conference: In a report a doctor dict at ed to a c o unty secretary, lumbar region came out as ' forest area

ON TAPE

COURSE

ti o n 's SpeciaJ.. C e n t re ho ld s it s n a ti o n a l t r a in ing wee k Sept 9 t o 16 a t St. M a r ga re t' Bay, Kent. The c o ur se s wh ic h includ e fir s ai d as we ll a s fi re fi g htin g, a re o pe n to anyone Detail s from th e G e nera l Sec re t a ry, Bri t is h Fir e Servic es A sso c . 8 6 Lond o n Rd Leic ester. MIND BENDERS (answers)

I hear that five cassetted tapes of the excellent 1978 St. John Ambulance Medical Conference are available from the Medical Secretary at Headquarters at the very low price of £2.50 each. LONDON : SJA"s Southw ar k Cor ps of Dru ms has a new Band President -

(Left) CORNWALL : All set to go! Wadebridge cadets Dav id Bray and David Ril lsto ne kitted out for an ab se iling s essio n at Butlins School Venture Week Minehead Good climbing , lads! ARE YO U WIT H

(Right) DORSET: Twice a year SJA Weymouth have the use of the Woolwich Buil ding Society's window for a display. This year the Society wanted to see St John in action. SJA's Han. Sec. P. Cotton knew that a brother of one of the cadets , 16 -yearold Jeremy Banks , was an artist , so he briefed him on a for the display of action photos. Here's the result. If anyone wants to borrow the pos er send postag'e please to Mr P Cotton. 19 Franchise St. Weymouth ST JOH N A MBU L A NCE?

Left: Major - General DESMOND GORDON , CB , CBE , DSO Commissioner- in - Chief , 1973 - 1978

Right : Professor HAROLD C. STEWART, CBE DL , MD FR CP, FRSE Dire ct or-General 1976 - 1978

MAJOR-GENERAL Desmond Gordon joined the Brigade as a Deputy Commissioner-in-Chief i.11 March 1972 and became Commissioner - in - Chief in October 1973 when Lieutenant -General Sir William Pike , who had for some ye a r s been both Chief Commander and Commissioner - in - Chief, relinquished the latter appointment.

During h is five years in office General Gordon has done much to improve the qualit y of leadership in the Brigade , both at home and overseas. In particular he has introduced a variety of adventurous projects which have fired the enthusiasm of our older cadets and younger adult members by giving them opportunities for training in leadership which have opened up new horizons in the concept of Brigade service. Notable among these have been an expedition to the North -West Territories in Canada; visit s to both Australia and New Zealand ; cruises with the Sail Training Association ; adventurous training actIVItIes with the Outward Bound Trust ; three International Brigade Training Conventions in the United Kingdom ; and the establishment of a number of waterborne rescue units on coasts , rivers and inland waterways.

All these activities ha ve significantly improved the quality of our cadets and young adults as both actual leaders at the present time and potential leaders in the future , and those who have had the good fortune to take part in them have passed on the inspiration to countless others

Throughout his time with St. John, General Gordon has demonstrated the highest standards of personal leadership. He has shown prodigious energy and keenness, devot i ng every moment of available time to visiting the Brigade at home and overseas , as well as maintaining a high standard of efficiency as a first - aider and taking an active part in many Brigade public duties. His personal example and forceful personality have been an inspiration to our members at al1levels.

PROFESSOR Harold Stewart has served both the Association and the Brigade for over 35 years , having first joined St. John as a Divisional Surgeon in London District in 1942. As a Brigade Surgeon he held progressively senior appointments which culminated in that of District Surgeon , London , from 1951 to 1962 when Sir Philip Southwell invited him to join the Headquarters Staff of the Association as Principa l (later renamed Chief) Medical Officer. In 1975 he became Deput y Director-General and in 1976 s ucceeded Mr. Ne ville Mar s h as D irector-General.

Professor Stewart was Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee of St. John Ambulance , the St. Andrew s Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross Society which revised the Second Edition of the Joint Authorised First Aid Manual and , in 1972 , he introduced the highly popular Third Edition of which over 1 300,000 copies have now been sold. In addi60n , he was himself the author of (The Essentials of First Aid - one of the most successful publications of all time, particularly overseas , where it is used as a grounding for Adult Certificates.

No one has done more to remove the barriers which formerly existed between the three Voluntary Aid Societies which jointly sponsor our training manuals. His academic background , sense of duty and ease of manner have helped to facilitate agreement even when fundamental differences of opinion have existed; he has been frequently consulted on first aid by countries throughout the Commonwealth and in Europe, and his views have helped to gain for Great Britain the reputation of being foremost in the field of first aid training both for the general public and in industr y. His most recent achievement was to act as Chairman of the Singapore Seminar on Occupational First Aid in March of this year, where his tact, charm and professional competence contributed enormously to the outstanding success of that ten-nation gathering

6

CARDIAC RESUSCITATION

There has been a requirement for immediate succour (first aid) to the injured throughout the course of history : PART ON E

by D. LITTLE, Ambulance Member

T H E HISTOR Y of m an's a tt emp ts at pr oviding succo ur in d ist ress has its orig ins

in t he eo ns befo re ma n h a d d eve lo ped

writin g a nd beg un reco rdin g th e mund a ne

as pect s o f th e life he led a nd th e events that we r e oc cur r in g in th e wo rld aro und him

I n th e prim eva l stages o f m a n's evolution he ha d to co mp et e wit h ot he r for m s of life

fo r s ur viv al in h e hos t ile en vi ro nm ent in w hich he e ked o ut hi s existence an d t he refo re hi s reactio ns to hi s own s pecies we re s imi lar

to the animal life that surrounded him. ie 'survival of the fittest' which meant that injured members of t he spec ies would be left to fend fo r t hemse lves. Chimpanzees in their wild sta e will ignore a wounded member of t heir own species.

H owever. as the social instinct of man deve loped and he banded together first in family groups and then in tribes, a commun ity responsibility was established wh ich, one imagine. is similar to the inherent concern that causes chimpanzees in captivity to practise first aid on each other when the necessity arises. Naturalists, such as Dr Walter Miles of F lorida. Dr. William McGrew and Caro line Tutin of the Delta R egional P rimate Centre in Louisiana, have observed this phenomenon to the extent that t he c him ps p r actise dentistry on each other W. Koeh ler provided a much more personal example whe n he had a splinter in his hand he proffered it to a c himp wh o im mediate ly recogn ise d the prob lem and p r o m p t ly re moved th e offending s liver of mater ial.

Ea rl y r esu sc ta tion te c hn iqu es The mind of ea rl y man probably conside r ed accidental death as a form of deep s leep from which the casua lty could be aro used by t he infliction of pa in. This conce pt gave rise to what are known as the

Fig 3 Resuscitation of the King of Aleppo c irca 1300 BC. This is an enlarged detail of an illustration of the Battl e of Qadesh (from page 156 , vol. 7 of Chambers Encyclopaedia)

barbaric method of resu sc itation in which hot coal or ember were placed on the casual ty's chest, as depicted in Fig. I, or they were flagellated with sticks or stinging nett les as illustrated in Fig. 2.

One of the earliest recorded method s of re piratory resuscitation is contained in an inscription. dated 1300 Be. on a tomb wall in Egypt which describes the battle of Qade sh in Northern Syria. Tn thi battle the Heltite allies are routed by the Egyptian forces and in the en ueing melee the Kin g of Aleppo s rescued in a se mi -drowned condition by his retainers and revived by 11/

7

(a) (b)

Fig 9 Egyptian hieroglyphs of the heart

8

(a) Expiration

(c) (d)

inver s ion as hown in Fig. 3. The inversion techniqu e remained a popular remedy for reviving casualties who had drowned until 1774, when the institution for afTording immediate relief to per sons apparently dead from drowning (later to become the Royal Humane Soci ety in 1787) con idered it un safe and banned it s use

The method of resuscitation that is most often quoted from ancient times ha its origins about 800 BC and is recorded in th e Bible in II King, Chapter IV. vv 3 I to 36, and is depicted in Fi g. 4. Thi is often attributed to be the first application of expired air resuscitation. However. when one reads the account carefully it is not evident which one of the three techniques used by Eli ha. in combination with each other, is actually responsible for reviving the child

The e individual techniques have themselves, at times, been attributed with success in reviving the apparently dead and has accorded the status of methods in their own right and they are as follows:

Technique 1 The repeated placing on and removal of Elisha' body weight on the su pine body of the boy producing expiration and inspiration respectively.

This method incidentally was revived by the USA F in 1952 for resuscitation of a casua lty being transported by helicopter on an external transport litter.

Technique 2 Mouth to mou th resuscitation, albeit from a difficult position. This form of resuscitation wa officia ll y adopted by the Royal Life Saving Society in 1961 as its front line met hod.

method, uti lising a feather to create an irritation, was used into the eighteenth ce ntury.

Another early method of respiratory resuscitation was attributed to Oribas ius who wa s born at Pergamon in the year 325 AD. He studied at A lexandria and became an eminent phy sic ian and was later appointed personal physician to Julian the Apostate who subsequently installed him in the office of quaestor of Constantinople.

In the method of Oribasius , depicted in Fig. 5 , the asphyxiated casualty was pJaced on a spread blanket or similar item and the four peopl e required for this method each took a firm hold of a corner of the blanket. The casualty was then lifted ofT the ground to approximately the height of the lifters hips and then tossed upwards so that the body arched to cause inspiration by hyperextending the back. When the casualty's body landed back into the blanket it flexed inwards , thus creating expiration by the compressed viscera denecting the diaphragm upwards and thereby reducing the volume of the thoracic cavity.

An account describing the development of respirator y re suscita tion from the time of Oribasiu s to the present day is given in an excellent two part article entitled 'Re s usc itati on' by Profess or J. P. Pa yne which appeared in the St J ohn Re l'iell' for June and July of 1973.

The understanding of circulation

The beginnings of cardiac resuscitation are of more recent origin. as man did not fully understand the circulation of the blood within his own body until 1628 when William Harvey published hi s definitive work entitled 'The Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals' in Frankfurt.

The Sumerians were a race of people who had an organised system of society in the land s between the Tigris and Euphrates river s known as Mesopotamia. Within this community existed a group of people called the ASU (physicians) whose profession was that of healing.

The ASU being mainly concerned with cause and effect as opposed to systematic research never really inc reased his store of anatomical knowledge except that which he learned from the slaughtering of animals.

(b) Insp ration

Fig 4 The Biblical method, circa 800 Be

Fig. 5 The method o Oribasius circa 325 to 403 AD

Technique 3 The irritation of Elisha's beard on the boy 's face stimu lating a sneezing spasm. A variation of this

The most important contribution of the Sumerians occurred about the year 3] 00 BC when they developed the earliest form of writing. ie pictograms. Their depiction of the heart in this fo rm is shown in Fig. 6. As the complexity of their society increased a more permanent record of events was required. Reed were u ed to make in clay tab lets that were baked hard and kept in libraries. From the use of the reed cuniform writing developed and the symbol for the heart became that shown in Fig. 7.

Circa 2600 BC the area was conquered by the Alkadians who although they spoke a difTerent language to the defeated indigenous population. had no writing syste m of their own and therefore adopted the cuniform writing of the Sumerians. The ymbol for the heart depicted in Fig. 8 is from these later Assyrian and Babylonian times.

The Egyptian physicians were called SWNW and they lived in a culture that \\'a clustered along the banks of the River ile and surrounded by inhospitable deserts. This climate must have nurtured the development of the art of healing a Herodoti later stated that 'physicians are all over the place'.

The earliest trace of writing in Egypt occur circa 2900 BC in the form of

Fig.

Sumerian

Fig.

Sumerian cuniform symbol for the heart pictogram of h eart

Fig.

The Assyrian and Babylonian symbol for the heart

Fig. 10 The circulation as proposed by the Egyptians circa 1700 BC (after G:Jido Majno in The Healing Hand)

hieroglyphs. The early hieroglyphs used to depict the heart are shown in Fig. 9a, band c. These are different from the pictograms of the Sumerian ASU in an important detail as they show the major blood vessels connected to the heart. However, as the writing system developed and the hieroglyphs became stylised detail was lost and thus the final hieroglyph produced to represent the heart is shown in Fig. 9d.

We know from the Eber's Papyrus of 1700 BC that the SWNW had correctly deduced that the pulse felt at the pressure points at the wrists and in the legs was an indicator to the condition of the heart as

BRISTOL Royal Infirmary receptionist

Mrs. Pat Davies and her family are the proud owners of her grandfather 's first aid certificate which dates to April 1907

The St. John Ambulance Association certificate was awarded to Mr. Thomas Jones of Abersychan Branch, South Wales.

Mr. Jones was a member of the first aid team which coped with disasters in the

these limbs contain blood vessels th at emanate directly from the heart. While the Egyptians did not appreciate the possibility of b ood circulation due to the fact that they believed that the arteries contained air which enters the heart via the respiratory syste m. a fact that was confirmed by opening arteries after death and finding they contained air. they did however have a precise idea of what they considered to be the body's utilisation of the blood, see Fig 10. The anus is considered to have pla yed an impor tant part in the system because of the importan ce the Egyptians placed in the proce sS of putrefaction (WHDW).

When people in early civilisations felt emotions such as agressiveness. anger. fright. etc. they noticed several change in fheir bodie s. ie their heart s be at more rapidly. their faces became flushed and they felt t he blood vessels in their necks dilate. Thu s hey associated blood with thought and emotion. and ther e fore because the heart had a large accumu lati on of blood it was considered to be the seat of intelligence. Many ancient writers and philosophers held this view. even Aristotle (384 - 322 BC). who developed a system for classifying life on earth. see Fig. I. and who is also regarded as being the founder of modern science. This belief is also evident in the Bible where 't he thoughts of man's heart' are referred to in Genesi s 6:5.

T he Greeks believed that the blood was only one of four elements. called humours. in the body that were required to be maintained within finely balanced limits in order to

pro ide good health. ee Fig. 12. If the balance of element was upset. then illness resulted and the physicians (called Iatro s) were called in (0 restore the equilibrium of the elements and consequen tl y restore good health. Thi s philosophy. which is contained in the Hippocratic Collection with it origins circa 450 LO 350 Be. was employed into the renai sance period. when Europe was awakening from it dark agc. a the ba is for the widespread practice of blood letting by vene ection (Phlebotomy) which continued up until the lalter part of the nineteenth ccntury. However it was still considered of ufficient standing to be di cu ed by a meeting of experts on electrical accidents and related matter held under the auspices of the International Labour Organisation in October 196 I a( Genev a. Continued next month

LONG TERM PLANNING FOR A DIVISION'S NEEDS

AS A MEANS of marking St. John Ambulance Centenary 1977 with something both permanent and useful, 384 East Ham Combined Division, London District. decided to embark on what we call our Special Project. Although the principle was decided at the AGM in January 1977, the details were not settled until early this year partly because of a feeling on the part of some members that the original idea. the acquisition of a ve hicle would prove impractical on it s own, but a lso because. as a major lo cal charitable appea l it was felt that th e Special Project would clash with JiM Th e Queen's Jubilee Appeal.

So it was decided early this year that the Special Project. now quite ambitious. would be carried out over several years in phases:

Phase I - to obtain two tents for use as fi rst aid posts.

Newham Council School ) is under consideration as a long term objective.

The idea behind the way in which the Special Project has been drawn up is that, although the Division is located in a highly built up area of London. with little apparent open space, we are often requested to cover duties in public parks. etc, with no proper facilities: by using tents and their associated equipment, we will be able to cover these duties more efficiently.

Furthermore, the radio equipment will come in very useful at our regular duty (where we do have a permanent first aid post) at the Wahstead Flats Pla ying Fields. which has more than thirty football pitches in an area of several square miles.

associated Cadet Di vi sions. Mr. Andrew 'Dan' Kay , are G. K. Packaway' tents, whose principal advantage lies in the fact that, as the cover material is permanently attached to the lightweight aluminium frame (which folds away quite easily). the tents can literally be erected in a matter of seconds. Thus a post can. in emergency, be set up inside 5 minutes, and if necessary moved elsewhere just as quickly.

mining industry. He is pictured second left (above) wearing the Siebie Gorman respiration equipment used by most teams at the turn of the century. The cage of canaries (centre) was taken underground as

Phase 2 - equipment to enable the two tents to be used as independent units, complete with special equipment for use by the Divisional Surgeon and Nursing Officer s Pha se 3 radio communications equipment.

Phase 4 - a vehicle (not nec essa ril y an ambulance as such).

A fifth phase, the acquisition of our own headquarter s building (at present we meet in

The equipment obtained through the Special Project should also enable us to make a positive contribution to the emergency service support in the event of major disasters, of which a nood of the Thames seems at present most likely.

Phase 1, obtaining the tents, is now complete, thanks to the generosity of the East Ham Round Table , who ·have donated the wherewithal to buy one tent. the other being purchased from Divisional Special Project funds already collected.

The tents. purchased at the suggestion of the prospective Vice-President of one of our

Each tent measures 13ft by 7ft. and 6ft 3ins at its highest point. Doors , windows and ventilation are built in. together with ground sheet. canopy and inner partitioning. Divisions interested in obtaining further details of the tent (manufactured by Raybrook S / M Works Ltd, of Shoebur y ness. Essex) are invited to write to me at 49 Charlotte Gardens, Colliers Row. Romford. Essex.

Our Division is now well set on Phase 2 of the Special Project. but in the meantime the two tents are 'operational', using our existing equipment.

There remains one other use for the tents which I have yet to mention. We hope. eventually. to use them to enable our Cadets and younger adult members to go camping. So you can see, we will use them both for St. John work and play! A bonus indeed. Jan Buckmaster , Divisional Officer

\VEIGHT LIFTING CADETS

from R. C. Dillingham

It must surely now be the time for us to review our cadet competition s and put them back into context with:

1) What is common sense.

2) What is 'in the book'.

On Saturday May 13 I attended the Cadet Regional Competitions at Felixstowe for the No. 4 Region (Beds , Cambs , Essex, Herts , Norfolk and Suffolk).

The nursing team test involved a male adult pat ie nt whom I estimated weighed over ten stones. The girl cadets were expected to load this casualty onto a stretcher and lift and carry him off the set. Some of the children participating weighed about six stones or so and were aged in the eleven to sixteen group. One ambulance memb e r brought the stretcher onto the set and presumably could assist.

It was painfully obvious that none of the cadets had any training in kinetic handling. After the first test I asked the Senior Steward if ambluance members were available to do the lifting and was told 'No'.

I would point out that lifting of any description is a proc ess requiring training. It has been stated authoritativel y that back injuries cost this country £300 million per year. In industry, so me thirteen million working days are lost annually through the same cause. The basis of all lifting is a correct stance - a straight back. etc. The British Safety Council and R.O.S.P.A. both supply training media on application.

It is being recommended that for males 110 Ibs. and for females 55 Ibs. are the reasonable weights that could be lifted.

As a practising safety manager in industry I was surprised that a doctor should be party to thi s test. I feel sure that any doctor in practice must see a succession of people daily who are s uffering from the strains of incorrect lifting or handling injuries. The injuries are unfortunately not regarded seriously enough, probably because back ache, strain, slipped disc, hernias, and so forth do not produce in stant death. In fact they produce painful injuries that seem to be accepted. After all, doesn't everyone get back ache?'

In industry we take the training in kinetic handling very seriously and it does not help in our cause if organisations such as the St. J o hn Ambulance Brigade do not recognise the dangers of incorrect lifting and in fact set an example.

In these same competitions I was informed that in the 'i ndividual s' an adult was required to be lifted up and down a bed (wit h assistance from an adult) and that in the boys competition an adult was expected to be stretchered away.

On reflection maybe I went to the wrong venue. Was it t he Regional Competitions I saw or the St. John Ambulance Brigad e Weight Lifting Championships? Luton, Beds. R. C. Dillingham

HAT TRICK

from It. Col. E. Claude Dupon!

It is observed that some male members of the Brigade wear their hats perched on the backs of their heads. They may be excellent fellow s, but I doubt if they are yet fully entitled to haloes!

Herne Bay, Kent E. C. Dupont

THAT WORD AMBULANCE

from E. M. Goodman, Area Superintendent

With regard to 'when or where the word ambulance was originally used' (April Review) , Dr. M. L. Burr, writing in The Medical Officer in April 1969, says:

'At the surrender of Malaga in 1487, a field hospital, in 400 'ambulances', was provided by Isobella of Castile. This "Queen's Hospital" appeared again at the siege of Granada in 1489.'

The first specific provision for the wounded in Britain was probably

READERS VIEWS

R e aders' views and opinions wh i c h shou ld be sent to the Edit o r , although publ i shed are not necessari ly endorsed by the Editor or the Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although readers may sign publish ed letters with a pen - name , writers must supply their name and address to the editor.

of 200 to 400 to ride behind the fighting line and pick up the injured. They were prov ided with bandages and water bottles and received a piece of gold for every life they saved. According to Tacitus. the defeated Britons dragged their wounded away at night after the battle of Mons Grampius.

It seems that, notwithstanding these two examples. a system advocated for England as late as 15 90 went unheeded and even in the Civil War there was sti ll no proper ambulance service.

Exeter Edward M. Goodman

THE MAN'S THE GOLD ,. from E J Baker, Ambulance Member

Scanning through the January Review at home the other day, I laid it aside when a young actor on TV purporting to be Robert Burn s. declaimed excerpts from his immortal poems. With his words -' Th e rank is but the gu ine a stamp The man's the gold, for all that' - sti ll in my ears I turned back to the Review and found my attention held by that firmly -expressed ette r by Martin M. Ennis. He gave such a roasting to an earlier correspondent that I turned out October 1977's Re view to re-read the letter which called forth such opposition. J recalled that when I had read it I was in general agreement with Cpl. A. H. Beckett , at least in his expressed desire to get away from the military pattern and drop out-of-date terms like Sergeant an d Corporal. I did not agree with him that a boiler -suit and beret (or 'bump guard' helmet) would be better as one's sole 'uniform'. I couldn't see us going to church on Remembrance Sunday in such garb - and I think we should go to Church on that occasion.

However , poor Cpl. Beckett didn't deserve so much stick. There is always the ri sk, when anyone suggests departure from the military se tup that a critic will bring in the red herring about discipline in the assumption that , without an hierarchy closely -patterned on the Service s (or what many civilians think is the Services pattern!) there would be no discipline. Young Martin Ennis fails to realise that, when the Brigade was organised in 1887 , it was modelled on the current military pattern - what other pattern was there? -a nd not on a continuance of the medieval pattern of the Hospitallers who were , of course, Religiosos , monks in fact. After all, the most likely activity anticipated by the originators of the Brigade was the succo ur of wounded in war.

We must not idealise our forbears by asSuming that they had all the current-day virtues, outlook, dedication, etc. After all, in t he 19th century, life in England was very different to our pre se nt Welfare State and, in 1887 slavery still existed in many countries (and, de sp ite the fact that Germany signed the Anti-Slavery Treaty in Brussels 1890, was re -instituted by Nazi Germany).

If one visits Malta the guide shows the creek under the bastions of Fort St. Angelo which was the harbour for the war-galleys of the

Kni g ht s and the caves leading off froll) it where the ga ll ey SLAVES liv ed. But thi s does not diminish our pride in conti nuing ' the oldest Christian Order'. The Knights of Malta , Rhodes, Cyprus, Acre, J e ru sa lem mu st be judged by the morals of their respe ct iv e times , in which - despite the undoubted fact that Crusader s, Kni ght s Templ a rs, Hospitallers, etc., were , in the main , fiercely warlike , ambitious, quarrelsome, etc - man y showed compassion and kindly shrewdness pl ac ing them centuries in advance of their coevals.

So, Martin lad, the preservation of 'all present ranks' is not essential to the continuance of our 1300 years heritage of Christian action'. It is what we do , not how we dress that makes us so very much part of the present Welfare State set- up.

J must confess that , as an indi vidua l, I lik e a little bit of pageantry. Although it is no longer the fashionable thing it was when the Br iga de was formed when Freemasons, Rechabites , Oddfellows, Salvation Army, Good Templars, etc., all had fancy trappings , ranks and elaborate ceremonies.

The foreword to my copy of Sir Arthur Bryant's Age of Chivalry' (a wonderful book , Martin!) reads 'The greatest theme of history still is, and perhaps always wi ll be , the unending story of men 's efforts to reconcile order and liberty, the two essential ingredients of a truly great c il vilisation'.

So I hope both Martin Ennis and Cpl. Beckett. and all the others who have written - and will continue to write. on this theme. will remember that we are a BROTHERHOOD seeking to serve 'our lord s the Sick' (as one of our inspired forebears itl). At my age I can be forgiven for pointing out that amongst brothers only terms like 'older' and 'younger' have any meaning - and elders do not have to be empowered to ' pull rank ' on willing youngsters.

Borh E.1. Bak er

AMBULANCE WANTED

from W H Hosking Divisional Superintendent

We (Camborne Division) have a 23 -ye ar -old ex-ambulance which is used as a mobile first ai d unit. Now the Local Ro und Table has undertaken to raise £ 1,500 for us this year to replace it ',vith a newer and more versatile vehicle and our Social Committ ee is raising funds to equip it. But we are having difficulty in finding a replacemen t vehicle, as th e traditional source, the Area Health Authorities. seems to hav e dried up as they are now running vehicles into t he ground instead of replacing them after a specific period.

So would any divi ions replacing their ambulance and wishing to dispose of one that might suit us get in touch wit h me? My home phone number is Cam borne (Cornwall) 71256l. office Truro 4301 Cedar Lodge, Treslolhan Rd, W. H. Hoskillg TroOI1, Camborne, Cornwall.

SLACKS AT THE TRACK

from A. l. Thompson, Association Member

A photograph in a recent Review showed a nursing member 'i n action' at Brands Hatch. Would it not be better if nursing members wore slacks on such occasions?

As an Association member I am nOl acquainted with dress regulation s, but looking at this question from the practical point of vie w I would have tho ught slacks far more suitable. West Ealing A. L. Thompson

PEN PALS

from J Gibson, Member -in-Charge

Cadets of our Division, C70 Chadwell Heath, wo uld like to write to cadets at home and ove rseas. Would interested divisions please write to me first.

41 Hyland Way, J. Gibson (MI) Horl1church, Essex.

4,700 youngsters take 2-hour emergency aid

72 SJA instructors (including some from Wales) gave 2-hour emergency aid sessions to 4,700 school children and 207 teachers at Butlin 's School Venture Weeks held recently at Barry Island. Minehead and Bognor Regis, reports Association Training Manager Bill Oliver. The candidates came from 376 schools in 27 counties. 20.000 youngsters attended the camps - so one fifth took the course and were given details of the SJ cadet organisation. The courses will be repeated next year.

0 0 retd.) Sill Crocker of SI. Siazey Cornwall instructing at the Minehead camp

Minehead camp. (Left)

Crocker and (below)

Session with the young

OVERSEAS

The ceremony took place at the St. John Headquarters at Camp

, Kingston on Wednesday , April 19,1978. Mrs. Henriques pointed out that almost

of Jamaica s population was now under the

of 21 years. The one -for-one balance between adults and young people implied b y this statistic is further exaggerated by the estimated

adult unemployment in the country. Now with a growing population, limited

and declining productivity, the government is unable to expand hospital

age this practice.

Mr. Edward Gr oves, Director of the Association , who introduced Mr s H e nriqu es, ex pl a in ed how t h e three p a rts of th e St. John or g ani sa ti o n in Jama ica interacted the Council of the Order

control s th e A ss ociation which pr o vide s training for th e Brigade of e m e rgency volunteer s He r e vealed that s inc e Indep e ndence th e ocal A s sociation had trained over 25 000 p e ople f rom all walk s of life in Fir s t Aid and Home Nursing

To e mpha s ise th e import a nce of S t. John trainin g Mr. Gro ves referred to a r ecent s urve y in th e United Kin g dom w hich examin ed 15, 000 accid e nt a l d ea th s in the

WALES

It s a smiles at the presentation o f an ambulance by m e m bers of 8ridgend Lions C lu b to SI. John Amb u lance The ambu ance was bought w ith monies raised at a 24 hour sponsored swim e arly in the year organised by th e loca Lions

Ou r photog r aph includes he Mayo of Ogwr (Coun. Myrddin Davies!. Mr. Bob Gosling (vi ce- president. Bridgend L ions

Ministry

Divisions/Centres

REVIEW CROSSWORD , No.8 (78)

A prize 0/2 packs of Sr John playing ca rds will be Q\\'arded 10 the sender of lhefirsr correcrZr Crossh'ord No 8 (78) opened on S ept, S end 10: SI. J ohn R el'ieh', Wood COllage, High Corner, Bllt/er Woodbndge. SlIjJO/J. IPI] JQF.

Across:

1. Immaculate and certainly not suffering from chicken pox. (8). 8. Premature senility. (8). 9. A mad note fo r parasitic worms. (8). 11. Anatomist has his triangle on the inner side of t he thigh. (6). 12. Haemorroid mound. (4). 13. Grave to doctor. (4). 15. Calmed by using hot dose. (7). 17. Back of the neck. (4). 20. Part of skeleton with pin from end to end. (5). 21. Permit to rent a hindrance. (3). 22. Legally impede established operation. (5). 23. A thousand plus a half is a

(Above left) East Ham Combi ned Cadet Division s float. organised by member i/c Mrs. Pam Grant , in Newham Carnival. (Left) And Framlingham (Suffolk) Nu rs ing Cadet Division s float. the theme of which was Cadet D iv isions are W or ld-wide

SOMERSET: Meet Taunton Nursing Cadet Div isio n's janice Edn ey, who was recently presented with her Grand Prior's Badge the Special Service shield and the Lad y Wilton Cup (highest public duty hours Janice wa s also promoted to Cadet Leader and rec eived various ce tificates and her nursing certificate. Ph ew quantity of matter. (4) 25. Contagiou s in fes tation of the skin. (7). 27, Remain la st out. (4). 29. Story ha s late alteration. (4). 30. Cerebrovasc ular occurrence playing an important part in t he Boat Rac e , (6), 32. Become infected and fail to heal from late cure, (8). 34. Synovial sac inflammation. (8) 35 Connecti o n allowing nerve impul e to pass from cell to cell. (8).

Down:

l. Cross union complication of fracture of radius and uln a, (10), 2. Mildly stimulat ing drink obtained from s teak, (3), 3. Bre akdown a nd destruction of tissue begun by sore back. (7), 4. Lean and slende r physique additional to requirements. (5). 5. Chief bony protuberance, (4).6. Secondary cancerou s growths. (10),7. Mentall y retarded but no trouble at all. (6). 10. A large number with intention to injure. (4). 14 , Removal of tissue from skeleton for dia gnost ic tests. (4.6). 15 , Manipulates a fracture in complete groups. (4). 16 Contracture of palmar fa scia causing flex io n deformity of fin ge rs, ( 10 ). 18. Aluminium manuscript provides charitab le gifts. (4). 19 In appearance, a leguminous plant. (3). 24. Abundant element can be in coils. (7). 26. Omit to remove surgically. (3.3). 28. Web- lik e tiss ue from 29 Across (4) 29. Support for a he rnia. (5). 31. Consumes strange teas (4).33. Epitaph for a scamp. (3).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.7 (78)

Across:

1. 8. Coronary; 9. Ointment; 11. Still s; 12. A.far ; 13, Serf ; 15, Stretch; 17, Lace; 20. Ether; 2 1. Gum; 22. Steer; 23. Edit; 25, Dressed; 27. C.ash; 29. Corn ; 30. A s tute; 32 34. Adenoid s; 35. Extended

Down:

I. In one's head ; 2. Out ; 3. Needful; 4 Ac.tor; 5. Ir.is; 6. Antiseptic ; 7. Frolic; 10. Near ; 14. Feels funny ; 15. Semi; 16. Hard - headed ; 18, Aged; 19. Cub; 24. T.orme.nt; 26. Resid e; 28. Ache; 29. Close ; 31. Evil; 33. Fan,

Crossword No.6 (78): the prize winner was Miss Dorothy Bailey, 7 Armorial Road, Coventry. This space is for YO U to advertise - or to include items in the UNDER £ 10 Bring-and-Buy (free)

UNDER £10 Bring-and-Buy

A Rev ie\V se rvice whi ch we feel might be of value to reader s and divi<;ions is a co lumn for the sa le or exchange of it ems or equipment. 1IIli ro rJl1 <;. hooks etc

• DNO 's su it , 40ins hips , 38ins bust, hardl y worn. £ 10. Miss Pamm

Cut thi s rorm out and sen d it to St. John R ev iew Wood Cottage, High C o rner , Butl ey, Woodbridge, Suffolk IF 12 3QF. BLOCK LETTERS please.

Kend all- the hospital products division of Colgate Palmol ive now offers you its comp reh ensive ra nge of hypo-allergenic tapes and wrapping products to make your surgery life easier. All these Pr oducts are backed by the research facilities of a multi-national company, but brought to you when and where you require them by Kendalls U.K. occupational hea lth distributors - P hilip Harris (Medical) of Birm ingham. Go on stick one on him now by getting some samples - just drop us a line.

ASSOCIATION BRANCH.

Priorities for the next two years

by the Director-General, P. A. LINGARD

THE ASSOCIATION has now more th a n 350 es tablish ed C e ntres throughout the country concerned with the organisation and teach ng of fir st aid and allied to the general publ c, industry clubs , scho o ls, etc.

Primary task

While we want to continue to increase the number o f c onventional one-night-a -week courses for the general public , the primary ta s k of th e Association in the immediate future is to increase substan ti aliy the a vailability of 4-day Intensive Courses

The pres ent form of First Aid Certificate is likely to stand , but the cont e nt may be modified; and particular industries will be encouraged a nd ma y indeed be required to supplement the syllabus to emphasise the ha z ard s a nd injuries peculiar to those ndustries

The Voluntary Aid Societies will continue to be r egarded a s importan t bodies in aid training , examining and certification , but sub s tantial encouragement is likely to be given by the Health & Safety E xecutiv e to m an y other bodies and industries to set up to give traiDing to co nduct examinations , and to grant certificates. Thus St. John will ha ve many m o re competitors , includ ing possibly more Further Education Auth oritie s.

The Health & Safet y Executive by regulation and b y supe rv is io n particularly of the very large n u mber of s mall e r ftrms is likely to in c r ease substantially the total number of ftrst -aiders needing to be trained Thu s our potential opportunities will be greater indeed significantly greate r but competition from other organisations will be much more intense.

If we are to maintain the primacy of St. John in first aid training , a primacy which is a main objective of the Order and is important fmanc ally to t h e Foundation, the Association will have to expand its organisation to offer mor e frequent courses ; and we cannot then afford to sit back passi v ely and wait for people to come to us; we must go out activ e ly with intensified publicity t o promote St. John as the natural organisation to be entru sted with fir s ai d training.

Standards of training and examination

I have already said that the Voluntary Aid Societies will continue to be regarded as important bodies in first aid. Their competence will however, a s will the competence of all other bodies be subject to monitoring by the Health & Safety Executive We must therefore make certain that we live up to the highest standards of training if are to maintain our repu t a ion for competence in all OU I' fields of training. Anything tending to weaken or undermine our standards of training or exami nation is of the greatest disservice to the long term fulfilment of the Order ' s ideals

The threat of competition will also stimulate all of us to ensure that we offer the best instruction - better than our competito rs. We must monitor our own efforts to make certain that we really good instructors , the best trainin g aids , a proper ratio of instructors to pupils and that without relaxing our standards we are thoroughly flexible in meeting the needs of those we s ee k o serve.

Substantial progress had been made in recent years. Indeed the 4 -da y Intensive Courses resulted in some 16,000 certificates being awarded in 1977 an increase of more than 26 % over 1976. This is very· creditable but according to early indications, it could be that in the next 2 years we have go t to survey our opportunities and duties in each County and double or more than double our capacity for courses

Frrst aid in the home

Thanks to Dr. Bernard Lucas an Assistant Chief Medical Officer of the Associ ation there is now a St. John textbook on First Aid in the Home in the form

REVIEW

their level of activi y in t his field

Young people Clearl y St. l o hn mu st in ve s in youn g p eo

Work Act.

Considerable

sc h oo children. So me quite outstand in g res

Counties

Contents

A ssociation B ranch , b y t h e D r ector-Genera P A. Linga rd nside fr o n t c over

A t Random, by Watkin W W ll iams p. 19 5

T he Queen Mother visits S t. J ohn s G ate p.1 96

New role for Duchess? p .1 97

Br igade Fi n als - r esu lts p 19 8

Ar ou n d and A bout, b y h e Editor p 20 2

Order I nvestitu r e, July 27 - Pr io ry f or Wales J u y 22 p 206

Cardiac Resuscitation , part 2 by D Little p. 2 0 8

Readers Views p.21 0

Marcus Mau ri ce Scott p.2 1 3

A udio Vis u al A ids, b y Philip A dams p.2 13

N ews from W ales p.2 1 4

O v erseas p.21 5

N ews from D ivi s o n s/ Ce nt re s p 2 16

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Ed ted and p oduced for the Order o S t. John by Dr scoll Productions Wood Cottage High Co rn e Su tley

Nr. Woodbri d ge , Suffolk IP 12 3QF

Phone : Orford (Std 039 45) 548. Editor Frank D riscoll.

Advertisi n g disp lay and classifie d rates on re q uest from Dr isco ll Product ons.

Pr ice 30p

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W Willi a m s

THE MI C HAEL S O BELL Sports Cent r e at Islington was an unfamiliar venue for the national fm a ls o f the Bri gade First Aid and Nursing competitions on July 15. The move from Fairfield Halls , which is with o ut prej u d ice t o arr a ngements in future y ears , became necessary when we were obliged to postpone the the competitions u n til a week later than usual ; C ro y don was una b le to accommo d ate us on the re v ised date , a nd Islington m o st o b ligi n gly c am e to the rescue.

I gained the impression th a t , o n the wh ol e , the competitors found t h e conditions under which they ha d to work more favoura b le , and the gen e ral a tmosphere mo re relaxed , at the So b ell Sports Centre than at Fairfield Halls . For the s pectators (who matter far less th a n the competitors!) it was infini t el y ea si er to take an intellig en t interest in the ind iv id ual tests at Sobell , b u t much h arde r t o see w h a t wa s g oing on in the team test s Considerat ions of securit y made it impo ss ibl e t o hold the uniform competition s, nor co u ld the informal quiz competition ( o r an y other form of ex hibition or displa y) be laid on to entertain the waitin g multitudes during the inevitabl y long tea inte rv al when the auditors are performing their mammoth t a s k o f adding up marks an d pro du cing an d c r oss -checking the final results . B y way of com p ensation , we had the fa s cinating experience of w a tc h ing t h e y ou ng people of Islington spending their Saturday afternoon on the ic e- rink - so happ y, so well be h aved , so remarka b ly well integrated , a nd so adroit! The acoustics in the main hall m a de speeche s during the presentation cerem o ny difficu lt to hear , but Mr. Gerald Easton (Assistant C-in -C) , with a lifetime ' s experience of transmitting figures from his Cap t ain ' s cabin on aircraft , ensured that every name an d ever y di git in his announcement of the res u lts was clearly a u dible for u s to enter on our programmes

C ontin ue d on p 205

MA X BYGRA YES APPEAL FOR ST. JOHN

There will be an appeal b y Ma x Bygraves on TV (BBC 1) at 6 35 p.m. on Sunday October 1 for the Order and its two fo undations , the Ophthalmic Hospital and St. John Ambulance.

The Queen Mother visits

St.

John's Gate

HER MAJESTY Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Commandant-in-Chief (Nursing) St. John Ambulance, attended a luncheon at the Headquarters of The Order of St. John, St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, on Tuesday July' 4.

The occasion of her visit was a meeting of the Grand Prior's Advisory Council of the Order, the Grand Prior being His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester.

The Advisory Council generally meets only once in every five years to undertake a broad review of the affairs of the Order throughout the world and to set a course for the years ahead.

Her Majesty who arrived at St. John's Gate at 1 pm, was met by Lord Caccia, the Lord Prior; Lord St. Aldwyn, the Chancellor; Mr. N. C. McClintock, Secretary General; and Colonel p, H. Catt, Director of Ceremonies.

Also attending the luncheon and the conference were the Pr elate of the Order, The Most Rev. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Donald Coggan, Archbishop of Canterbury; ot h er members of the Grand Priory; and senior officers of the Order and of St. John Ambulance from many Commonwealth countries.

(Left) Her Majesty with the Lord Prior enters the Chapter Hall (Below) A group photograph taken in the Chapter Hall of those who attended the lunch with Her Majesty and the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Donald Coggan who is seated on her right

The Duchess of Gloucester - doesn't the hat suit her?presenting Grand Prior certificates to three nursing cadets from the Newport (Dyfed) Division

Priory for Wales

Diamond Jubilee

NEW ROLE FOR DUCHESS?

LARGE crowds gathered outside St. John's Church , Cardiff, on Saturday, July 22, to see the arrival of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester for the special Diamond Jubilee Commemoration Service of the Priory for Wales.

Just after the arrival of the robed procession of Chapter members and local councillors, the Duchess arrived to the delight of everyone and passed through the Guard of Honour formed by Brigade members.

After the service, conducted by Canon W. E. C. Thomas, Chaplain of the Order, the Duchess spoke to various people outside the church before leaving for Cardiff Castle.

In the afternoon Her Royal Highness invested Brigade nursing members and presented Grand Prior Awards to 16 cadets at the Sophia Gardens Pavilion, where there were more than 2,000 SJ A members from all parts of Wales.

Ambulance members received their awards from the Prior, Lord Aberdare, w ho in his address spoke of the need to encourage young people to join the Brigade. 'They are t he essentia l feature of any voluntary orga ni sation,' he sa id 'and our best assurance of success in the future.' He also

The Duchess receiving the mobile first aid centre from Sir Julian Hodge. On the left is The Wales Herald Extraordinary

said that officially the Duchess of Gloucester is the Commandant-in-Chief of the Nursing Divisions in Wales 'but we would like her, with her consent, to accept the title Commandant-in-Chief of the St. John Ambulance Brigade in Wales .'

After the investiture, Her Royal Highness officially received a mobile first aid centre from Sir Julian Hodge. The purpose-built £4,500 mobile centre was presented by the

to Dr.

In the evening more than 400 people attended a Royal Ball held in Cardiff City Hall, arranged by the Hospitallers' Club of Wales to commemorate the D iamond Jubilee of the Priory for Wales and at which the Duchess was the guest of honour. See page 207 Jor Investiture.

Duchess

George Mitchell, Commissioner for South Glamorgan, after the dedication service.

AMBULANCE

One of the individual contestants at work against the realist ic pictorial background of a mot orway p ile up

THE Brigade Finals, staged as usual by HQ's competition secretary D avid Hallard (recently awarded the MBE) , were held this year at the Michael Sobell Spo rts Centre , Islington, on July 15. The trophies were presented by Surgeon Vice -Admiral Sir John Rawlins , KBE , QHP , MRCP , FFCM FRAeS, the Medical Director -General (Naval)

The main trophy of the day the Dewar Shield - won for the last three years by Derbysh re 's Bolsover Colliery team (which finished third this year) - again went to a colliery division , Durham 's Dawdon Colliery, with a 9 - mark lead in the ambulance results.

Rohais (Guernsey) Nursing Cadet team , who last year scored the highest total of the day (325 marks) , again produced the highest total- this time 340!

Incidentally Headquarters has since hea rd from the manager of the Sobell Centre who said he had never seen the Centre so clean and tidy in every respect after such a la rge gathering had used it, and he wanted to express his appreciation to everyone who was at the Finals. Thanks, everyone invo lved in the organising and clearing up afterwards.

Second

Left) Ci y o f Coventry - 2nd. placewinner of the Symons Eccles Cup

RESULTS

AMBULANCE

1st: Dawdon Colliery (Durham)

D ewa r Shield, Hin gsLOn R ose Bowl Ellis Cup

2nd: City of Coventry (West Midlands)

S y m o ns Eccle s C up

3rd: Bolsover Colliery (Derbys.)

Hon g Kong Shield'

Machynlleth Combined (Wales) and City of Coventry - (joint), T r imbl e Shield

NURSING

1st: St Marychurch (Devon)

P e rr o tt Shi eld, Moun tba tten Tr o phy

2nd: (Joint) No.1 Combined (Jersey) and Scarborough (N. Yorks) Corbet Fletcher Cup

3rd: Stockton and Thornaby (C leveland) Stewart Cup

Glynneath (Wales), Chalmers Shield, Ellis Cup. M ountgar ret Cup Leicester SI. Albans (Leics.) , Golding Trophy

AMBULANCE CADET

st: Exmouth (Devon) Whit e Kn ox Cup. Jarvi s Cup. B arne Cup

2nd: Branksome Combined (Dorset) Schooling Cup

3rd: Guernsey Northern Pownal Cup Crewe (Cheshire), New Zealand Cup

NURSING CADET

1st : Rohais (Guernsey) Dunbar Nasmith Cup. White Kn ox Indiv Cup, Emdon Cup, Bedm aki ng Cup

2nd: Hirwaun (Wa les) Mountbatten Cup, Tweedale Cup

3rd: Stratton SI. Margaret (Wilts.) Pownall Cup

Second

Third

(Above) Dawdon Colliery (Durham) took first

H ingston Rose Bowl and the Ellis Cup

AMBULANCE

OTHER TROPHY WINNERS

THEYWERE READY

I hear that 18 ambulance and nursing members responded in a matter of minutes to an early morning emergency call-out at the Taunton rail disaster when fire gutted the train's sleeping compartments.

SJ A Somerset's Commander and Commissioner Rear Admiral J. D. Trythall was phoned by the local hospital appealing for help at 4.15 am. Taunton Divisions emergency call-out system, which had recently been revised and exercised , went into operation. The 18 members had reported to the hospital by 4.50 am - 35 minutes after the call for help.

Admiral Trythall is using this incident , and the magnificent response , to emphasise to the whole county how essential it is to comply with County Emergency Orders and keep those call-out lists really up to date. Well done, Taunton members!

RECORD BREAKERS

I hear that a new record of 72 hours of continuous mouth-to -mouth resuscitation with a Resusci-Anne has been set by a SJA Essex team. The previous record was 60 hours.

The team, which did shifts of 30 minutes on, two hours off during the day, and one hour on and four off at night is Cadet Cpl. Anthony Hyndman, 13 (of Hornchurch) Cadet Ldr. Ian Norris, 15 (Collier Row) AIM David Poulton, 19 (Romford), Mark Kibblewhite, 13, and Paul Smith 18 (both of Dagenham).

CADETS TO R ESCU E

On July 2, Cleveland County held its third Cadet Rescue Competition in the grounds of Barforth Hall, the home of Major J. Reeves, the CQunty Vice-President.

The four tests were set in wooded areas and involved the use of many modes of

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

became th e youngest person ever to swim the English Channel during July. His record-breaki ng marathon took 12 12 hours.

transport. Actual first aid was kept to a minimum and the emphasis was stro ngl y on the rescue aspect of the cases.

The first involved the use of a rescue stretcher which had to be lowered down a rather st eep hill by a block and tackle. In order to ensure the safety of the competitors and patient an experienced adult assisted in guiding the stretcher down the hill. The system was tested before the competition with County Staff Officers as patient and rescuers. If they could do it safely, then anyone could. This test proved to be the most adventurous and the 'most popular.

The second involved removing a casualty from under a fallen tree and carrying an

ordinary stretcher over a fence. This test became a li ttle frightening in the afternoon when a herd of bullocks decided to view the activit ies.

The third required the improvisation of a stretcher by using an old door; and the fourth involved a long carry of a casualty in a carrying sheet.

The teams thoroughly enjoyed dealing with casualties in real conditions

Unfortunately , at lunch time, there was a genuine injury when one of the judges slipped and broke his leg. Needless to say, he was expertly treated. In fact, there were so many rescuers that lots had to be drawn to decide who would tie which bandage.

Eight teams took part and all participated fully in both the rescue competition and the treasure hunt organised for the teams when they were not 'rescuing' Football and badminton were also arranged in farm outbuildings. Everyone was kept fully occupied for the entire day, at the end of which the Commissioner for Cleveland County , Major D. Bowron presented the winners, Marton and Nunthorpe Combined Cadet Division, with the Restorick-Seaman Trophy.

Prince Ph i lip on a visit to Portsmouth during June to see work of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, watches cadets at a casualty evacuation display which featured Portsmouth Ambulance Division's n ew ambulance. Hampshire Eastern Area which two years ago entered the Award Scheme after Milton (Southsea) Cade Division participated a year ear lier , has n ow obtained 30 Bronze Awards 8 Silver and they hope soon to have their first Gold Award hol ders. The Area and Milton'S Award Scheme activities are run by D O Alan Sharkey of Milton (Photo: Portsmo uth Newspapers Ltd)

BY THE EDITOR

MIND BENDERS

Find the fir s aid word or words in the clue. The number of etters in the answer is given.

I Put you r foot down. (5.4).

2. Familiar to Mr. Dixon. (5).

3. Cut reel to instruct. (7).

4. Signals. (5).

Answers Upside down - are at the bottom of page 204.

OPEN UNIVERSITY COURSE

The application period for the 1979 courses is open until October 1978, and two of the 50 courses are of particular interest to voluntary as well as professional workers. They are 'The Handicapped Person in the Community' and 'An Ageing Population ' . Each course invo lves 10 months of part -time study at the rate of 10 or 12 hours work per fortnight, and correspondence material is backed by closely integrated television and radio programmes.

Students will be encouraged to form selfhelp groups for study and project work.

For the prospectus and application form for 1979 home -based Associate Student courses , se nd to: The Associate Student Central Office, The Open University P.O. Box 76, Milton Keynes , MK7 6AN, giving your name and address in block capitals.

CLEVELAND: Cadets loading a casualty , watched by D S (R) C Stephenson who was judging. See story CADETS TO RESCUE

DORSET The new chairman of the county's St. John Council, Lt Col. J. T. A Wilson (2n d left) receives a cheque for £2,500 from the Chief Constable of Dorset Mr. Arthur Hambledon , the retired chairman now County Commander who is also now a Knight of the Order. The money was raised by the Wessex Charity Committee, whose Vice-Cha rman is Southern lTV s Mrs. Pat Sloman (also present). Left is County Surgeon Mr. A W. Tucker who received his Service Medal and Bar during July

(Above) N YORKS: A new ambulance for SJA Richmond was dedicated recent ly by the Rev. Harrison in the grounds of Ric hmond Castle. Present were the County President The Marchioness of Zetland, Ric hmond's Mayor and Chairman of the District Council.

(Photo : R. P Ellw ood, Catterick) Right ) Yes - we re all moaning about the weather this summer but Cadets Ju ie Clifton (left) and Susan Curtis of Fakenham D vision make light of the mud while on duty at the recent Royal Norfolk Show attended by a record 98 ,000 people. Show weather was the worst for 20 years. Roll on 1979. (Photo: Eas tern Daily Press)

Congratu lations to Cadet Karl Benn iston, of Blackpool , who at th e age of 13

(Photo: Bla ckpool Gazette & Herald)

IN GERMANY

During Apr il a party of

District members led by ASO Harry Lake made a lO-day visit to Johanniter Unfall Hilfe in Dusseldorf, West Germany. Their itinerary included taking part in an emergency ca ll -out exercise a visit to a steel works, a sight seeing tour, attending the equivalent of a divisional meeting, and being shown all aspects of the organjsation's services and equipment.

SKATEBOARDING

Skateboard ing - whic h is obviously here to stay (some may say I hope not) - should provide our members with much practice in fractures, bruises and the like , but surprising ly we had had no news of divisions covering t h is new sport, pastime or whatever you care to call it, until Cleveland County Commissioner James Catterall wrote me that Hartlepool Division had recently received a cheque for £100 from the loca l Ro u nd Tablers in appreciation of their

BUCKS: Members of Bletchley Ambulance Division assisted by others from Tring , in action when Derek Harrison, of the

work at the recent Skateboard Championships in Hartlepool. So our lads in Cleveland are standing by the skateboard slopes. Is a nyone anywhere else? MIND BENDERS (answers)

Our most sincere thanks are due to all concerned with the Sobell Sports Centre for all that they did to make us welcome and to meet o ur needs. They were our only hope at a moment of emergency, and they turned up trumps!

With such a splendid concourse of 240 national finalists (including reserves) competing in 48 teams for a total of 27 trophies in the 4 different sections of the competitions , it may seem invidious to single out any for special commendation among the winners. But I'm sure that on th is occasion none would begrudge such commendation to the teams from Devon and from Guernsey.

Devon produced two regional winners (N and A/C), each of which became the national winner in its section. St. Marychurch won the Perrott Shield for the highest aggregate marks in the Nursing section and the Mountbatten Cup for the highest marks in the team test; Exmouth won the White Knox Cup for the highest aggregate in the Ambulance Cadet section, with a lead of 37 marks over the runner s- up , the Jarvis Cup for the highest marks in indi vi dual tests and the Barne Cup for the highest marks in the team test. And , for good mea s ure, the South Molton Divisions were presented with the Keith Joseph Cup w hich they had already been awarded for the Welfare competition, and at the conclusion they also received from our ne w Commissioner - in - chief (Gen. Peter Leuchars) the very special award of a collective Meritorious Serv ice Certificate for their outstanding service during the blizzard of February 18 / 19

Guernsey produced three regional winners (A A I C and N / C) of which the Rohai s N I C Division becam e national winners, being awarded the Dunbar -Nas mith Cup for the highest aggregate in the Nursing Cadet section, with a lead of 41 marks over the runner s-up , the White Knox Individual Cup for the highest marks in individual te sts and the Emdon Cup for the highest marks in the team test : while the Guernsey Northern A I C Division received the Pownall Cup for gaining 3rd place, on aggregate, in t he Ambulance Cadet section.

The guest of honour , Surgeon ViceAdm i ral Sir John Rawlins (Medical Director -General of the Royal Navy) , who pre se nted the trophies , gave very high praise to the first -a iders' standard of diagnosis and treatment of their casualties ', a standard which he modestly sa id was the envy of many members of the medical profession when sudden ly faced with first aid emergencies. Tall , erect, handsome in his nava l uniform, and withal a man of great personal charm , he was the cynosure of all (not merely female) eyes, and well did the

AT RANDOM

Continued from p.195

Superintendent -in-Chief in her speech of thank s quote' All the nice girls love a sailor'!

In conclusion , the Commissioner-in-Chief made an eloquent appeal to all Brigade members to improve the overall quality of our first aid and nursing s kills by making our training more interesting , more challenging. One of the best ways of doing thi s is for as man y divisions as possible to enter the first round of the competitions at Area level, and that mean s getting going NOW, or as soo n as the summer holidays are over. No one, he said , would leave that hall without feeling more firm in their competence in fir st aid and nursing, and he appealed to all competitors not only to enter again for next year s competitions but to persuade many , many more div isio ns to meet them in the first round.

Any takers?

And, talking of getting down to it NOW , the same applies to the Welfare competition of which you will ha ve read this year's judges report in the August Re vie w There are unfor tu nately still some St. John memb e rs who say - and seem to believe what they say! - that welfare' is none of our busine ss because it is n't either first aid or nursing. But apart from the fact that (a) the overlap between welfare and home nursing is often quite considerable, and (b) community welfare occasionally involves first aid and much more often averts the need for it by reducin g the risk of accidents , especially in the home , can we possibly dare to say that the compassionate care that our training enables us to give to the elderl y, the infirm and the handicapped members of our local community , and the joy that we can bring into their lives , is none of our business ? Surel y not.

If you still have any doubts oli that score , please read that report again, then read the conditions for the coming year s Welfare competition in the July issue of Brigade General Circular and then consider whether there isn t after all some way in which yOtl can usefully become involved. It 's still not too late to make a start. And if your only reason for holding back is lack of time for

involvement in welfare as well as all the other dutie s and activities to whkh your s mall (o r even your large) division is already committed , I can assure you that welfare provides one of those interesting challenges which can not only improve the quality of our training but can also provide a tremendous stimulus to recruitment , so that your small division becomes large, or your large one larger , with more people available to carry out all your exjsting commitments Of course we know that far more welfa re is in fact be ing done than the Welfare competition judges ever see (or indeed than is recorded in annual returns, though divisions are now getting better at doing that) ; but it would be an added stimulus and encouragement to the Brigade as a whole if more of these small local projects , however modest they may seem to the participants, were recorded and entered for the Welfare competition wi thin counties. So there 's a challenge for you! Any takers?

How right she is!

A correspondent who is a State Enrolled Nurse has written to express her amazement and horror when she noticed a St. John Ambulance member on dut y at a sporting event 'examjning a young girl's eye with a Lighted cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth' , and she felt that apart from the obvious danger to the patient this sort of behaviour reflects badly upon other St. John members

How absolutely right she is! I'm quite certain that such incidents are mercifully very rare; but one member can in this way do more harm to the good name of St. John and to public confidence in our reliabilit y as first-aiders than the good that is done b y countless hours of dedicated and efficient service by many members who act in accordance with regulations - and with common sense.

BGR 88 states : Brigade personnel ma y not smoke while rendering First Aid or carrying out Nursing and anc il lary duties. At all other times, discretion should be used as to when smoking is justified in uniform .' And both discretion and common sense should make it perfectly clear (a) that the first sentence of this regulation applies equally whether we are in or out of uniform (b) that smoking is not appropriate while we are publicly engaged in first aid duties even when not actually rendering first aid. and (c) that it is equall y inappropriate while we are practising fir st aid or nnrsing - first because we don t want to turn our practice patients into genuine casualti es, and secondly bec a use if we are slopp y in pr acti ce we are far less likel y to be efficient in performance.

The

ORDER INVESTITURE

london, July 27

by the Chancellor, The Earl St. Aldwyn

Chaplain

The Rt. Rev. Faik Ibrahim Haddad (Jerusalem).

Commandtr (Brother)

Captain Thomas Noel Carlow, CBE, RN (La nc s).

Sir David Blacks tock McNee, QPM (London).

Leslie Arthur Webber (Br istol).

John Henr y Chambers, MB, CNB DIH (Kent).

P ercival Arthur Stacey (London).

Officer (Brother)

Professor Sir Arthur Armitage, MA, LLB , LLD (M anchester).

Frederick Drayton Porter, OBE, QPM (Cambs).

William Nicol , MB, ChB , DPH, MFCM (Birmingham).

Major General Robert Noel Evans, QHP, MB ChB, FFARCS , DTM & H (Surrey).

Captain R obert Norman Heard R N Hants).

Sidney William Findell (London).

Donald Joseph Kelly (Staffs).

Sidney Ernest Alben Lake (Devon).

Major Michael Norman Ferguson, TD. MRCS, LRCP (London).

Wilfrid Ronald Morris (Lancs).

Colonel Colin Vincent H eap, LOS (Hants).

Prem Nath Ramp al (London).

Richar d Stanley Barratt QPM (Sheffield).

Col. Thomas Campbell D ow. TO , QHP MB ChB , Min of Def. ( Redditch ).

Kenneth Green (Staffs)

Lieut. Col. Alexander Johnstone Merry ERD. MB, BS. FFARCS (Kent).

Eric Reginald Crough. JP ( Bucks).

Robert Escott Milton Scoyne (Devon).

James Forrester (Cheshire).

Cyril James Anderton, QPM (Gtr. Manchester).

Brig. Harold Stewart Moore , MBE, MB. BS FRCP, DTM & H (BAOR).

Gilbert J ames Bat es (Surrey).

Leslie F. Knight Ontario)

Officer (Sister)

Iris Christina, Mrs Lochhead (Hereford / Worcs).

J oan Kenyon Lady Armitage (Manchester).

Lisa, Mrs. Edelshain (London).

Mary, Mrs. Statham (Hereford / Worcs).

J ean. Miss Reid SRN SCM ( Lancs).

Serving Brother

Roger William Jacob (Devon).

Jack Mi ne s Wood (York).

Harold William Lees, MRCS LRCP (Lancs).

Anthony Letbridge Wells, BA, MB BCh , DRCOG , DLO (Suffolk)

Denni s Wil iam Ginger Derby).

Richard Thwaytes (C umbria).

Anthony William Ralph Beagle (Kent).

Denni s Bernard Dande Bri stol).

Richard Lowde (Lancs).

Morley Wills, SRN (Cornwall).

George Alderman (Bucks).

Rex Albert William Ha yward (Beds).

Frank Durh am (Goo le).

Wa lter Allen Edwards ( Wo rcester).

Norman Albert Harri s (Avon)

Donald Gilbert (Cornwa ll ).

Philip Harry Chandler (Berks).

Alfred Maddox (Rotherham).

David Hill (Cumbria).

Robert Jame s Lake, SRN, QN (Avon).

John J a me s English (Essex).

Patrick Buckle y, MB, ChB (Cheshire).

Reginald Edward Griggs (Beds).

J oseph R ona ld Elliott (C lev eland).

Clarence William Loveridge (Devon).

Norman Victor Holley (Berks).

Flight Sergeant J ohn Kevin Price ( RAF Luqa).

Frank Ernest Hampton (Hereford Worcs).

Alan Samuel Batema n Bri stol).

Peter J ames Hammond (York).

Benjamin Cowan. C.Eng., FIME (Cumbria).

Edward John Crossland (Hants).

Peter Ri chard George Eckersley (Somerset).

Wilfred Slatter (Cleve land)

Arthur H erbert Welbourne Humber side)

William Glyn J ones (London).

Ernest William Freeman (Worcester).

Charles Ernest White (Bath).

Richard Edward Rumsby (Bucks).

James Leslie Hammond (Cambs).

Serving Sister

Winifred Trene, Mrs. Scott ( Northumberland).

Jun e Mary, Mrs. Hobbs ( Bat h).

Mary Doris , Mrs. Woollacott (Dev on).

Eva May. Mrs. Davies London).

Winifred Holland, Mrs. Dunbar Lanc s).

Beryl Catherine, Mrs. Willers Portsmo uth).

Winifred Joyce, Mrs. Ware (Londo n)

Edna, Mrs Bennett. SRN OHNC (Notts).

Susan Patrici a, Miss Parker (London).

Alice Mary. Mrs. Saunders (Lancs).

Gertrude, Miss Lowther (Cheshi re ).

Agnes, Mrs. Turner (London).

Annie, Mr s. Hutchin son (Tyne / Wear).

Je anette Mar y Miss Gotch (Lancs).

Frances Lilian, Miss Brown (Humberside)

I vy. Mrs. Smith (London).

Jean Emily, Mrs. Siocombe (Nth. Devon).

Marj o rie Agnes. Mr Crofts ( Norfolk).

Ella, Mrs. Jo nes (London).

Nora, Miss Killen. SRN. SCM (Tyne Wear)

Irene Do ris Louvain, Mrs. Biddle (Jersey)

Ro sam und Mary, Mrs. Arthur (Hants).

Hilda Mis s Hamp (Leicester).

Winifred Elizabeth, Dr. Hunter (Essex)

Beatrice Lillian Mrs. Ginger (Derby).

Marjorie, Miss Holden SR N SCM (Wirral).

Jane Pamela, Mrs. Dutton (Middlesbrough).

Sadie, Mrs. R etzback (London).

Ethel Dorothea, Mrs. Sim s (Herts).

Alice Beatrice Mrs R yder (Newport).

Doris Rose , Mrs. Dalb y, SRN OHNC (Notts).

Gwendoline Jo an, M rs. Mullens (Hants).

Nancy , Mrs Turner (Cornwall).

Sonia Barbar a, Mrs Play ne (Lincs ).

Florence Emma, Mrs. Sharp (London).

Jane, Mrs. Gaskin (Northumberland).

Esquire Air Commodore the Hon Sir Peter Vanneck presented

his personal Esquire, Bernard Joseph Brown to the Chancellor.

PRIORY FOR WALES

INVESTITURE

Cardiff, July 22 by HRH The Duchess of Gloucester and the Prior, lord Aberdare

Knights and Dames promoted from the Grade of Commander

Eric Charles Brown (Gwent).

John Cory, JP , DL (Headquarters).

J o hn Ha ydn Jones (Mid Glamorgan).

Lt. Col. Da vid Lewellin Rhys OBE, MC, DL (H eadquarters).

Mrs. Mar y Suvla Davies (Headquarters).

Mrs. Kathleen Elizabeth Silver (Powys).

Commander (Brotber) from Officer (Brother)

Samuel Butler (Clwyd).

Thoma s J ohn Long (Mid Glamorgan).

William Percy Pryce (Powys).

Frederick Griffith Williams (Mid Glamorgan).

David Watson Williamson. MB. ChB DObst , DRCOG, MRCGP (Headquarters).

Councillor Victor Paul Zonzie West Glamorgan).

Commander (Brother) (A) from Officer (Brother) (A) Wilfred Sherman ( Headquarters).

Commander (Sister) from Officer (Sister)

Mrs. Bridget Le wis, SRN (Head quarters ).

Mrs. Margaret Valerie Wilmot, SRN (Gwent).

Officer (Brother) from Serving Brother

Aubrey Clifford Allford (Powys ).

Thoma s Lincoln Benson, LMSSA (La nd) (Powys).

William Henr y Davies (Gwent).

Da vid Samuel E va ns (Mid Glamorgan).

Cyril William Foster (Gwynedd).

John Vincent Hackett, SRN. RMN , RNMS. FRSH (South Glamorgan).

William Eurwyn Jenkins (West Glamorgan ).

Clifford Roderick Jone s (South Glamorgan)

Douglas Eric I vor Legge (Gwent)

Gareth Meyrick (Mid Glamorgan).

Samuel Morgan (Gwent)

Kenvyn Samuel Pur s low (Mid Glamorgan).

Evan Arwyn Ree s (Dyfed).

Alber Edwin Savage (South Glamorgan).

Jeffrey H amlet Silcock, JP FIDP, AIWM (Mid Glamorgan).

Oswald Thomas (Mid Glamorgan).

Ernest Williams (Gwynedd).

R ichard John Wiliams (South Glamorgan).

H erbert Seymolur Yelland. SEN (Mid Glamorgan).

Officer (Brother)

Frederick Howard Michael Craig-Cooper (Headquarter ).

Edward Morri s ( Headquarters ).

Officer (Sister) from Serving Sister

Miss Elizabeth Megan Abel (Powys).

Mr s. Joan K athleen Hardy MB, ChB (Gwent).

Mrs. Rita G M. Hawkins. SRN (South Glamorgan).

Mrs. Denise Jeanne H o ll oway (Dyfed).

Mrs. Brenda May James (Dyfed).

Miss Jessie Joy (Clwyd).

Mrs Ann Elizabeth Leigh (Mid Glamorgan)

Miss Elizabeth Nancy Morgan, SRN. SCM (South Glamorgan)

Mrs. L1 0yda Parker (Mid Glamorgan).

Serving Brother Rev Earnest Harry Brown, (Ass\. Chaplain) (Dyfed)

Re v. Arthur Leslie Frayne Norman (Asst. Chaplain) ( We st Glamorgan).

Ra y m o nd Berry (Mid GJamorgan).

Ronald Ivor Th omas Be van (Mid Glamorgan)

Albert W illiam Je sse Britton (Gwent).

John Capper (Mid Glamorgan)

Alfred Andrew Cresci (West Glamorgan).

David Thomas Daniel JP (West Glamorgan ).

Gareth Evans Davies, BSc MB, BCh (Wales) (South Glamorgan ).

Thoma s Henry Davie s ( Gwent).

Godfre y Wynne Edwards (Clwyd).

John W illiam Evans (West Glamorgan).

Idri s Lloyd Foulkes (West Glamorgan).

Alun Islwyn Giles, JP SRN RNT AMBIM (Gwent)

Arthur George Goss

(Mid Glamorgan).

(Gwent).

Maurice Williams (Clwyd). Herbert Williams (Gwynedd). Alfred Perc y Williams (Gwent). William Alfred Williams (Powl's). Serving Brother (A)

Cohen (South Glamorgan).

Sister

Beatrice Maud Baker (South Glamorgan).

Mrs. Syl via Doreen Bryant (South Glamorgan).

Miss Hannah Mary Da vies (West Glamorgan).

Mrs. Margaret Alma Davies SRN (Clwyd).

Miss Margaret Elizabeth Ann Galvin (D yfed).

Mrs. Audrey

(Gwent).

(Gwent).

(South Glamorgan).

amorgan).

(Clwyd).

(Gwent).

THE ANCIENT scholastic city of Alexandria in Egypt founded by Alexander the Great of Macedona had powerful faculties of medicine, physics and mathematics. The medical faculty was able , with the aid of dissection, to eliminate the chaos of thought on man's anatomy and physiology inherited from previous civilisations.

It was however the faculty of physics that produced the key to the understanding of the circulatory system, ie the pump. This mechanism, used to raise water (see Fig. 13), was invented circa 270BC by Ktesibios. Civilisations prior to this time did not have the pump and therefore no word to describe the pumping principle and thus could not think of the heart as a pumping mechanism.

Ktesibios' invention of the valved pump was noted by a physician in the faculty of medicine named Erasistratos, and from this device he conceived the idea that the heart was actually a pump. Erasistratos also discovered that the two vertical chambers of the heart, that were already known, were subdivided by a horizontal member into a thin-walled upper chamber (atrium) and a thick-walled lower chamber (ventricle) and that each of these chambers was sealed from the other by valves comprised of flaps that were tethered to the main wall of the heart by cords (chordae tendinae), as shown in Fig. 14. When these valves were removed from the heart and laid out they reminded Erasistratos of cuspid s (spear points) (Fig. 15) and he called them the bicuspid and t ricuspid valves. Thus applying the analogy

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CARDIAC RESUSCITATION

Part 2 by D. Little

that the heart was a valved pump he was able to deduce that the heart received blood from the veins and pumped it out via the arteries, but as the interconnecting vessels (capillaries) could not be found he believed that the arterial and venous systems were independent and that the ends terminated in the body tissue as illustrated in Fig. 16.

Scientists and medical men were able to theorise about bleeding, in fact it had been one of their favourite topics in philosophy for hundreds of years, without understanding that the circulatory system existed. One Scribonius Largos finds it unthinkable that a tourniquet be used to control bleeding because he believed that it would increase the flow of blood from the wound. He gives a practical demonstration (Fig. 17) in the year lAD where an animal skin is sealed at all openings except one and filled with fluid to represent a blood vessel as it was believed to be. A tourniquet was then tied around the skin and tightened. The effect of this was to make fluid flow out of the skin (blood vessel).

Claudius Galen (I30-200AD) was born in Pergamon, on what is now the Turkish coast, which he left for Alexandria to study medicine. When he returned to his birthplace he built up a reputation as a skilled physician by attending to the injuries that the gladiators inflicted on each other in the arena. He later travelled to Rome and set up a practice which became so renowned that he was eventually appointed to the position of personal physician to the Emperor Marcus Aurellius.

Galen adopted the premise of separate systems from Erasistratos and modified it to confirm his own theories, which were to influence the world's medical thinking for 1500 years after his death.

In Padua an Englishman named William Harvey (1578-1657) assisted Girolamo Fabrizzi (1537-1619) in his researches on developing chicken embr'yos. One of the findings which held the attention of both men was the valves they found within the veins they dissected The puzzle was to determine their precise function. Once having done this Harve y could follow this to its conclusion and produce a theory for circulation

'The Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals expounds Harvey s theory of circulation in such a concise and reasoned manner that it was impossible to sustain any contradictory hypothesis concerning circulation. His approach was to observe the structure and function of the components within the blood circuit and provide a plausible theoretical model to explain hi s obser v ations. He then completed a series of regulated experiment s to test his theoretical models and then produced definitive conclusions based on the re s ult s o f h is experiments

Using the observation that the pulse , ie dilation of the arter ies is coincident with the ventricles of the he a rt contracting ( as seen b y Realdus Colombo) he produced a theoretical model in which he postulated t hat either blood is forced into the arterie s by the contraction of the heart ' s ventricles or t h a t blood is drawn out of the heart by the suction of the expanding arteries When he observed that the hypothet ical suc t ion created b y the exp a n s o n o f an art ery was not eliminated when it wa s punctured it followed that th e fir s t h y poth es is was correct. Thu s H a r v ey determined th a t the

Fig 17 T h e impr act c abi li ty of a to urn q ue t as de m o ns trated b y Scribon us La gos

hear t wa s in f act a mu scular pump that cre a e d th e pr ess ure t o circul a t e th e bl o od throu g h it s tr a n s po rtin g ve s se ls. When the major organs and ve ss el s of a mammal s blood s uppl y were considered a s complementar y components o f a s ys tem (Fig. 18) a sequenced pattern of e vents could be dedu c ed. The heart is d ivided into two separa t e pumping chamber s A (right side) and E (l e ft s ide ) by the septum which is made of non -porous ti s sue. The two side s of t he heart are connec t ed via C (the lungs) b y tw o blood vessels B (pulmonary artery) and D (pulmonary vein) The blood is then pumped from Chamber E into the main artery F (Aort a) which distribut e s arterial blood to a ll area s of the bod y . Blood from th e vei n s is taken up b y a a rge blood ve ss el G (The venae cavae s ) and is emptied in t o Chamber

A

Because of Harve y' s earlier work on the non -return valves in the veins and knowing from Colombo' s discovery that the pulmonary circulation was in the direction ABCDE it was obvious that the overall circulation was in the direction GABCDEF. This however , left the conundrum of the origin of the blood in vessel G and the destination of the blood in vessel F. Harvey decided to answer this by means of quantitative analysis. First he determined the differential in volume between the contracted and distended heart and therefore the stroke volume of the heart. Thus knowing the pulse rate / minute he could then calculate the volume of blood that flowed from G to F in tw e nt y -four hours. This

volume wa s so large that it could not be explained away by any anatomical or physiological reason other than that there were vessels not yet discovered that linked vessel F to ve ss el G thus allowing a s maller volume of blood to be pumped around the circuit continuously Although Ha r vey Uke Erasistrato s befo re him was unable to demonstrate the ph ys ical exi s tence of the se vessels by di ssection , he did however provide a practical demon s tration that proved h is suppOSitIOn. This experiment was very simple and showed that when the blood flow of an artery was stopped it became enlarged on the heart side and void on the side furthe s t from the heart and that the con verse w a s tru e fo r th e ve ins , thu s indicating a unidirectional flow

On ce the concept of blood circu la t ion had been demonstrated the wa y was clear for the steady ad v ance in knowledge by the application of sc i entific methods of in vestigation. Harve y had theori sed on the existence of blood ves sels linking the veins and a rter ie s thu s s timulating a search for them. L a ter in the 17th-century, actuall y 1661 the y were d isco vered b y Marcello Malphigi (1 6 28 - 1694 ) us ing one of the great inventions of the centur y, the microscope , The ear ly work of Boyle and Lower into the ability of the blood to take up s ome

Fig 18 Harvey's sy s e m of the circulat on of th

component ga s from the atmo s phere demon s trated b y the change in colour of venou s blood , wa s given it s vindication b y Antoine Lavoi s ier (1743 - 1794) ",' h o demonstrated beyond all doubt that the blood was the transport medium o f ox y gen within the body , as shown in Fig. 19, From thi s concept it was soon realised and pro v en by Francoi s Magendie (I 783 - 1855) that the nutriments that the body manufacture s during digestion are distributed throughout its entiret y b y the blood in the circulator y sy stem

Thus by the end of the 17th -century the circulation of the blood around the body w ith the heart as its prime mover had been established be y ond doubt. The function of the blood wa s now recogn ised to be a transporting medium that co n ve y ed nutriments and oxygen to and waste products from the body ' s cells in order to sustain life , Thi s wa s a great step from the earl ier idea s when the heart was considered the seat of intelligence and the function of the b lood wa s to transmit emotions eminat ing from the heart.

The stud y of the cardio v asc u lar s y stem has rapidly expanded in it s depth and complexity since Har v ey' s definiti v e demonstrati o n of t he circulation. This acceleration has led to specialisation within what w as alre a d y a specialist field and the exploration of space b y man is producing new cardiovascular phenomenon such as shrinking hearts and red ce ll ma ss loss ' that require re s earch into de t ail that the first investigators into circulation cou ld ne ver have contemplated. F

Fig 14 The heart as described by Erasistratos

ompared t

c uspid spear point)

Fig 16. The terminal endings of various systems in the t i ssue as e n visaged by Erasistratos

UNIFORM

from Wg. Cdr. T. W. C. Falan, Chief Staff Officer

Uniforms - particularly of Ambulance Members - have been the subject of discussion at top level for the past two or three years. One or two modifications have been tried out at Divisional level and , as a result, certain decisions were reached at the Commissioners' Conference last March. In short it was decided that there would be no change to the existing style of uniform In addition it was decided to adopt both black and white boiler suits for Special Duty purposes. It is thought that a boiler suit, either in black or white, is a more practical garment, being easily cleaned, than a woollen jersey. However, there is no reason why a Division should not wear woollen jerseys , providing all members of the Division wear the same pattern and they are clearly distinguishable as being members of the Brigade and finally that they have the approval of their Commissioners. Headquarters Tom Fazan

REALISTIC COMPETITIONS

from Mrs. C. A. Everard, Executive Officer

In the Review of March 1978, I was very interested to read Mr. Watkin William's remarks in At Random about the setting of first aid competitions.

After holding the finals of our Kenya Adult First Aid Competitions for several years on a stage , or in the middle of a hall , in 1977 we went 'on the streets' and actually arranged to have a main street in Nairobi closed by the Police for the afternoon , with two wrecked mini buses as 'props'. It was very realistic. In this setting we found that the response from the teams was much improved and the final percentage of marks much higher.

The spectators , including the Chairman of Council and Mrs. Slade The Mayor of Nairobi , the Commander for Kenya and other senior officers, enjoyed the afternoon sitting on a row of chairs on the pavement. We are again planning to bold our competitions 'on the spot ' this year.

I would always recommend, whenever possible , to hold competitions in a place similar to details given in the test. The final results are well worth the extra effort of transporting equipment, personnel etc Nairobi

CHEERIO, COLONEL BENYON

from P. Omo Ekunwe, District Deputy Commissioner C. A. Everard

As one of your overseas visitors to London HQ I would like to put on record the magnificent work performed by Colonel W. L. R. Benyon Secretary Overseas Relations, since my arrival here last June to attend the St. John Gonference and the Festival of the Order. All official arrangements made for me to study the Brigade's systems here have been fantastic, and it is obvious that I have acquired much valuable information that will help me to improve my Districtthe Nigerian Ports Authority - when I get back to Nigeria. I am, however, sorry to learn of the impending retirement of Col. Benyon and I take this opportunity to congratulate him on a job well done. I must also mention Group Captain John Slessor, who has assisted Col. Benyon in co-ordinating my programmes , and I am happy to know that he will succeed Col. Benyon as the next Secretary Overseas Relations.

To all other officials at HQ , please accept my profound gratitude for your kindness and co-operation during my stay here. London, SW5 P. Omo Ekunwe

NON-PROFESSIONAL REVIEW

from Nigel Wilkins, Ambulance Member

I write with reference to the many letters and articles in the Review which suggest that the Brigade should adopt a more professional attitude towards its work, with which I fully agree.

I often take my copy of the Review to the hospital where I work and am pleased to see other members of the nursing and medical staff take

READERS VIEWS

Read e rs' views and OpiniOns , which shou ld be sent to the Editor , although published are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Order of St John and its Foundation. Although readers may sign published letters with a pen - name , writers must supply the ir name and address to the editor

an interest in the Review and our organisation.

Imagine my dismay when I opened the June Review to see a picture of an owl wearing an ambulance member's uniform hat. While the picture is amusing and draws attention to itself, I fail to see how it promotes a professional image to the public

The Bible makes mention of the wrong in taking a splinter out of another eye when there is a large plank in your own' , so let's have a professional publication for a professional organisation.

Worthing Nigel Wilkins

The Chairman of the Review Management Board writes:

We have to cater for a wide range of tastes and cannot hope to please all our readers all the time I am sorry that A I M Wilkins disapproved of our June cover picture of Oberon the Owl from Indian Queens, and I wonder if he read the caption at the foot of the title page. But I feel bound to point out that the Brigade is not a 'professional' organisation, nor is the Review a 'p rofessional' journal. The Brigade is a compassionately dedicated body of volunteers who do their utmost to bring their first aid and nurs ing service to mankind up to the highest possible standards of efficiency. Occasional light - hearted items published in the Review can surely help us to maintain our sense of proportion - and our humour.

FIRST AID IN SCHOOLS

from James D. J. Creech, Area Commissioner

As a deputy headteacher by profession, I should like to endorse the comments of Divisional Officer B. J. Williams on the subject of first aid treatment in schools (July Review)

Often it is the school secretary who has to do her best to cope with a sick or injured child. In some large secondary sc hools a qualified nurse is employed to attend to emergencies but as we all know , there can be many examples of injury that require immediate attention and, in such situations, the time taken to summon the nurse - and for her to reach the casualty - could well result in a serious deterioration of the patient's condition. In Berkshire many teachers have, in recent years, gained first aid certificates in their own time and have (perhaps unfortunately) had the opportunites to put their knowledge into practice. Obviously , no one school is burdened with a dail y catalogue of serious accidents but, from time to time, pupils do suffer injuries which demand quick and expert attention.

from R. N. Jones. Ambulanca Member

I was interested in the letter (July Review) referring to the standard of first aid in our schools. As a teacher in a large comprehensive school I would s ugg est to B J. Williams that teachers are no worse in this respect than the policeman or fireman quoted as shining examples to us all. Certainly in this area very few policemen and firemen have current first aid certificates. Of course there is a need for more and better first -a iders in schools, but this requirement is also true of policemen firemen , council roadmen and many other public servants.

I know that both the police and the fire service have some excellent fir s t aid competition team s and because of this it is assumed that this high standard is pre se nt t hroughout those services. Unfortunately this is not true. If you question policemen and firemen about first aid they invariably state that they have had no training since they joined their forces and this can be anything up to 30 years ago.

Bodmin,

Cornwall

from John Sprinller. Divisional Superintendent (A)

R. N. Jones

As a qualified teacher with Brigade service since 1940 and a campaigner on the subject of Mr. B. J Williams' letter (July Review ) since 1972 , may I comment?

No first aid provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Acts apply to pupils at sc hool.

I feel that Mr. Williams is wrong to suggest that teachers should hold first aid qualifications for the following reasons: a) A teacher is professionally committed to a class of pupils (I quote He was left in this position while the master returned to his class );

b) Where police and fire services requ ire their personnel to hold first aid qualifications there is an additional payment made and all training is paid for. Teachers are unlikely to receive anything like this;

c) A first aid is of no professional value to a teacher.

JUMPING FOR

He is not allowed to use his professional expertise to teach first aid. He has to listen to doctors with no first aid knowledge or qualifications in teaching.

All school ancillary staff could well be required to hold a relevant qualification as they may more easily leave the task they are on.

Huddersfield John Springer

SELF-LOCKING AMBULANCES

from E. J. Baker

Some ye ars ago , when a local policeman leaped out of his patrol-car to chase a wrong-doer on foot the miscreant doubled back and took possession of the police car! I wrote to the local paper and proposed that such service cars , fire, police, ambulance, etc, (where, in their service, drivers and attendants need to alight without delay) should have doors which lock themselves on being slammed; the slight inconvenience of having to use a key to re-occupy would be negligible against the increased security. My letter was not published but on reading recently of a similar occurrence, where brainless idiots hijacked an ambulance whilst the crew dealt with an accident victim, I am prompted to try once more.

Bath E. 1. Baker

PRESIDENTS

from D lee, Divisional Officer

In reply to N. R. Tucker's letter (June Review) - of course our Presidents and Vice Presidents do a wonderful job and sometimes the y don't get the praise they rightfully earn.

As to Presidents and Vice Presidents holding awards and wearing uniforms, I think it should be left to the individual concerned. For instance our Divi sional Vice P resident holds a first aid certificate but

It has for many years amazed me that while, quite rightly there have been strict regulations regarding first aid provision in factories, schools have been under no obligation to employ first-aiders. From a professional point of view, I feel that there are other matters of importance in teacher training which should be receiving priority consideration, but certainly a campaign for the inclusion of official first aid courses in the curricula of Colleges of Education is something to which the Order could well give some attention as soon as possible. Mid Berks Area

James D. J. Creech

doesn want to wear uniform but he still does a fair share of dutie s. The Area President holds both first aid and nursing certificates and wears a uniform and still does the same amount of work, if not more, than the Divisional Vice President. Therefore I repeat it should be left to the individual.

The uniform and the awards do not make all that much differenc e, but if either are prepared to s pend time tak ing fir st aid a nd nur s ing then it shows their interest in the Brigade goes further than just bein g a figurehead wearing a nice badge. Or perh a ps it's a case of ho w they are involved in the work of the Division /A rea. Some thri ve on it , while others are content to be just a Vice President or President. But overall I think all our Presidents and Vice Pre s ident s are the unsung heroes of the Brigade , working behind the scenes but not getting the praise which we and countless others o we hem. West Yorks Da vid Lee

CRASH COURSES

from G. J. Joyce. Sergeant i/c

I quite agree with J. F. E. Bent s views (July Review) a bout crash courses and his suggestion of probationar y certificates. As a la y instructor , I find that part icularly wit h adults there is a definite limit of retention in a given time. If the 'c rash course test we r e held a week or two later , instead of immediately, I feel results wo uld b e salutary. Meanwhile industr y demands - an d gets - t hese courses as convenient w a y of compl yi ng with the letter of the law , not necessarily the spirit of first aid.

Cheshire G. J. J oyce

AMBULANCE DRIVING

from D. Solly. MN IAI. Divisional Officer (Training). Essex Ambulance Service

Whilst as a member of the St. John Ambulance Association I app laud the purchasing of ambulances b y Brig a d e Di visions and t hu s extending their mobility in serving the communit y, I am aware, fo llo wi n g an extensive course of driver instruction at the Hendon Police D riving School and having served on the ad vi sor y team to the DHSS on the training of staff employed as ambulance dri ve rs by Health Authorities , that the problems attending the transportation of casualt ies are no t so readily appreciated.

It is a proven fact that skilled first aid is instrumental in the sav in g of life and assists in the ultimate prognos i s What a dv ant age such fir st aid will be , or how effective the treatment will be in achieving the objectives stated in the First Aid Manual will in no sma ll mea s u re be

Training on Mersea Island

Mersea Island lies eight miles south of Colchester , Essex, and has a small community of j ust over 5,000. At West Mersea, t he Brigade ha s its own first-class headquarters , and membersh p of the nurs ing cadets alone totals over 60 girls who because of numbers and pr ess ure on the officers , meet on two different nights.

On May 13, in conjunction with the Ambulance Cadet Di vision, a special training afternoon w as held in the form of divisional competitions No less than 48 nursing cadets and ambu lance cadets entered wholeheartedl y into the spirit of the eve nt. The principal judges , Dr. Withnall (Colchester), Mrs. Y. Hunt SRN and Mrs J Jones SRN (Dedham Division) , set a relaxed atmosphere for the competitions and gave friendly advice to the competitors after their test.

At the end of the afternoon each cadet was presented with an appropriate certificate and everyone concerned agreed that the 212

depend ent upon the subseq uent ambulance journey. Erratic journeys can seriously aggravate a casualty 's inj uries and even cause irreparable har m.

The dangers arise from the initial lo ading of the casualty into the ve hicle . All too frequently this consists of loading the casualty int o th e rear of the vehicle in the he ad first near side' position irrespective of inj urie s or other requirements. It is not until one considers th e tra umatic effects that the momentum of braking has upon the a bdom inal contents and subsequent outcome on certain conditions i.e: cardiac embarrassment, etc, that we begin to under sta nd the vital s uppor tive role t h at loading a nd driving has to first aid treatment.

Under n o rm a conditions there exists very little difference between the drivi n g of amb ulan ces and a n y other vehicle. When engaged on an emergency journey , however differences become enormous as the driver contends with making safe and progressive headwa y in adverse road a nd traffic condit ions with the emotional stresses of reali sing that the outcome of the casualty's condition now rests on the driver's expertise.

The makers of legislation recogn ise that for an ambulance to function effectively it is neces sa ry under prescribed conditions to grant certain exemptions from the rules and regulations governing motorists.

In so doing I am sure that they anticipated that such exemptions would be used with the utmost discretion and only when circumstances could reasonab ly justify them. It would be wise, therefore, if officers responsible for the allocation of driving duties that might result in an emergency journey being undertaken , were to familiarise themselves with those rules and regulations appertaining to the driving of ambulances

Might I suggest that in the absence of any organisational manual co mp arab le with the First Aid Manual, that the following objectives might well serve as a starting point for developing our awareness of the requirements of ambulance driving.

1. That the vehicle shall, at all times, be driven in a manner and at a speed compatible with safety, having regard to: (a) The existing road, weather and traffic conditions and (b) The casualty's injuries or condition.

2 That the vehicle shall, at all times, be driven in a manner which will reflect credit upon this organisation.

In conclu s ion r would draw readers attention to the fact that the Ambulance Services of the Health Authorities are taking steps towards implementing driver training courses in spite of financial constraints. Wickford, Essex D. Solly

MARCUS MAURICE SCOTT

CSE, KStJ, SSe. MRCS, LRCP, MRCGP

obj ect ive of practi ca l training had b een achieved. The adu lt division acted as patients , steward s, etc, a nd it is hoped that the divisional cadet competitions will become a regu lar feature of the West Mersea calendar.

SCOTT died while on holiday on June 21 1978 after being in indifferent health for several years. He was born on August 3 1900, so he was just a Victorian by a few months, which suited his temperament and make-up much better than if he had been born an Edwardian.

From an early age he wanted to be a la wyer or doctor rather than take up any form of business. He entered the Welsh National School of Medicine, Cardiff, in 1922, passed his 2nd M.B. examination and collected a B.Sc. before going to London to complete his clinical training at University College Hospital which he entered in 1924. He qualified M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P. in 1927 and wanted to be a surgeon, but times were difficult as depression was beginning to affect the country, so rather than wait the many years it takes to get a foot on the surgical ladder, he did a few locums and then settled in practice in Southwark, within a stone's throw of Guy's, where he remained for over forty yea r s.

He was always interested in the industrial side of medicine and was a member of the Society of Occupational Medicine, Association of Certifying Factory Surgeons and of the British Medical Association. He was Medical Adviser to Associated Biscuits, Metal Box Company, Southward Office of the International Paint Corporation and was an appointed Factory Doctor for Southwark. At the request of the Industrial Welfare Society he did research on 'Double Jobbing' (moonlighting) which report was published in Occupational Health in 1965, and which has frequently been quoted since, as at the time it was the only paper on this subject. In addition he was Local Treas ur y and Civil Service Medical Officer for over 20 years, Adviser to the Chief Medical Officer of the Post Office on First Aid Matters, Police Surgeon to M Division of the Metropolitan Police, 1946-67, Senior Lecturer Metropolitan Police Training School (Peel House) 1938-68.

Marcus was fond of music particularly opera and ball et, and was quite expe rt at playin g the piano, and havin g a very r etentive memory, was a great raconteur. H is other great interest was in First Aid, and

becoming ultimately Surgeon-in-Chief to the S1. John Ambulance Brigade seemed to make up to some extent for the fact that he had been unable to follow surgery as a specia lty. In 1931 he joined the St. lohn Ambulance Brigade as Divisional Surgeon to the Newington S1. Andrews Div ision, and transferred in 1933 to 58/5 Western D istrict Post Office and S1. Marylebone Divis ion, becoming District Surgeon for London in 1947. For three years he had been deputising for Dr. Corbet Fletcher, the Surgeon-inChief, who was a sick man. In 1951 he became Deput y Surgeon-in-Chief, and Surgeon-in-Chief in 1966, retiring in 1970 , when he was presented with a beautiful silver rose bowl by his Brigade Surgeons. He was a very busy first aid lecturer and competition judge, was a Life Member of St. John Ambulance Association, a member of the Revision Committee for the 39th and 40th Editions of the First Aid Manual, and also for the first and second Editions of the Joint First Aid Manual with St. Andrew's Ambulance Association, and the British Red Cross Society. He wrote the 3rd Edition of the Brigade Surgeon' and was a member of the small team that wrote 'The Essentials of First Aid'. He was admitted as an Officer of the Most Venerable Order of S1. John of Jerusalem in 1943, promoted Commander in 1951 and Knight of Grace in 1958. He was a Member of Council from 1942-48 until it was re-organised, subsequently being a

Member of Chapter General. He repre sented the Order of St. John during the last war in talks with the Home Office , on First Aid matters and on the u se of our manuals. He was also a member of the War Disabled Help Department of the Joint Committee of the Red Cross and St. John. Marcus was rejected for active service in the war on medical grounds, so instead he became Medical Officer i/c of the Mobile Hospital First Aid Unit in the Borough of Southwark, one of the most heavily blitzed areas in the country. He was out on duty with them every night and undoubtedl y due to hi s skill and perseverance saved many lives and relieved much suffering. It is difficult to believe that any active medical job in the Armed Forces during the war could have been more exacting or more dangerous than this. In addition, in 1944 , he became Medical Officer to the Borough Polytechnic Division of the Air Training Corps.

For his work in the Civil Defence and for St. John, Marcus was deservedly awarded the C.B.E in the 1971 Birthda y Honours List, which gave great pleasure to his many friends. He rece ive d as well, the Defence Medal, King George VI Coronat ion Medal, and the Con spicuo us Service Medal of the Order of St. John with four bars Marcus was essentially a quiet retiring person, a typical 'back -room boy', but he was also very friendly and approachable. He had many good ideas, but often allowed others to carry them out and take the credit. He will be much missed by his many friends in all walks of life, and our sincere sympathy goes out to his widow Eva , his Doctor son, Malcolm, his Medical student daughter Eleanor, and to his sister, Elizabeth. H.C.S.

AUDIO VISUAL AIDS

EVER Y JOB has its perks and one of mine happened the other day - to talk to 30 enchanting nurses on the use of audio visual aids and to dine with them the night before!

This took place at Newcastle for the National Coal Board; what emerged was that an ounce of demonstration is worth a ton of articles like this.

At the Appraisal Panel recently we were reviewing a new series of O.H.P. vu-foils on First Aid - not a bad selection but a bit pricey for what they were; professional members of the Panel asked me if it were possible for SJA to produce an authoritative series on First Aid as we teach it. The same point of view had been expressed by the Co un ty Surgeons' Conference held at this Headquarte r s last February - if anyone has views on this I shall be g lad to hear them

I live in Hove which, pre - Hollywood days ,

by Philip Adams

was a centre for British film making ; the First World War was the time that America rapidly assumed leadership in the commercial world of ftlm making, but what has been surprising over the last decades is that the general standard of British training, documentary and industrial films has been so much higher than that from Americaperhaps the spirit of Walter Grierson lives on. However , the other day we saw a first class U.S.A. training film - it's called Burn Emergency', and I ha ve acquired a print for the HQ library in case anyone wants to see it (preview loan fee of a fiver!); it doesn't accord precisely with 100% \accu racy with what we teach but it's filled with lovely commonsense.

Also from America we have bought copies of the revised ve rsion of those (Over!eqf)

One of the first aid teams being briefed by M rs. Jon es of Dedham Division. (Photo: Essex County Newspapers Ltd)

MARCUS

splendid films, 'Pulse of Life' and 'Breath of Life'. These two new films are called, 'New Breath of Life' and 'New Pulse of Life', and are available on loan from the Visual Aids Section at £5 each.

Brigade members sometimes ask me , ' Why do we have to pay for the hire of films?' The answer is, of course, that they are expensive to buy and only by recouping part of the original outlay by hire fee can we continue to buy new prints for you to see I was delighted to hear from Alan McKay that the cassetted tapes of the St. John March are selling so well; the reason these are so cheap is that the British Life Assurance Trust for Health & Medical Education (BLAT for short) are very kind to us and reproduce at cost.

I recently have had revised a couple of schedules of films. The first is of films about the Order of St. John and St. John Ambulance, and the second is an up-to-date schedule of films relevant to First Aid. Both are obtainable free from your County HQ. Incidentally, I have a couple of used prints of the 16mm film, 'The ' Order of St. John', at the special price of £50 each; that marvellous film about the St. John Ambulance, 'To Sustain Life' can also be bought for only £80. At today's prices it's a snip.

The C. W. Engineering Company has

recently produced some moving transparencies; one of these is 'The Thermometer'; the vu-foil itself costs about £8 but if anyone wants to borrow it I will cheerfully send it off for £ 1, to cover postage and packaging , etc.

It 's a truism to say that in the long run sometimes the best is cheapest. Some years ago Messrs. Kodak were gracious enough to present this Headquarters with a Kodak Carousel S.A.V. slide projector - an old war horse of a machine, it goes on for ever and ever - and when members ask about slide projectors , if they can afford it I recommend this as a good buy ,

I think fundamentally in our Foundation we all want the same thing in audio visual equipment , something that is portable , foolproof and lasts for ever; that 's w h y I recommend the ELF range of 16mm cinematographic equipment. I have one in the cinema at Headquarters and it has given good service over the years.

You know, as a Secretar y I count myself blessed in that my Chairmen - The Voluntary Officers - are a wonderful bunch. The Chairman of the Visual Aids Committee I sometimes think is the Renaissance Man de nos jo urs - he turns his hand to everythin g with efficiency and st y le. Not least with t h e new book he has

edited, 'Fi r st Aid In The Home - it's a littl e gem.

Swan -Stabilo the well known manufacture r of pens for overhead projector u se, has been far -s ighted eno ugh to offer works hop s on t he OHP at minimal cost. They offer three types of workshop: (a) Basic : Practical workshop covering techniques; time up to 3 hrs ; (b) Advanced: Communicatio n by OHP ; time about 3 1 2 hrs; and (c) Specialist: Time abo ut 3 hr s.

Swan-Stabilo provide an instructor and material at a minimal price of £15 - £25 dependant upon location. Normally they request customers to provide half the cost of travel expenses but for our Foundation they will waive their travel charge.

If a n yone is running a seminar for instructors and would such a workshop, contact: Mel Moncur, Swan-Stabilo Ltd., 71 Parkway, London NWI 7QJ. (Tel: 01-267 3512).

We did have such a workshop at Headquarters some time back and found it of great value.

I sometimes think the world is divided into two - those who hav e used the OHP and swear by it and those who unaware of it s potentialities are inclined to scoff!

CANADA

FOR THE first time in Commonwea lth hi sto ry a woma n has been appointed a Chief Commissioner in St. John Ambulance. She is Yvette Loise ll e of Montrea l who became Chief Commissio n er of the St. John Ambulance Bri gade in Canada on June 24 for a three year term M iss Loise ll e is pe rsonnel manager at the Celanese Canada head office in Montrea l, h avi n g been with the co mpany for 25 years.

As Chief Comm iss ioner Mi ss Lo ise ll e assumes t h e sen ior position of this organisat ion, which has some 12,500 members who last year gave almost ].7 million hours of public dut y, in every province and the Northwest Territories. Her dutie s include an overall responsibility at the national level for the organisation, administration and efficiency of all Brigade membe r s across the country.

Miss Loiselle , wh') succeeds Dr. Al Harrop of Winnipeg, joined the Brigade in 1944 as a nursing member and advanced through the ranks to become Provincial Sup erintendent (Nursing) for Quebec in

OVERSEAS

] 959. She was appointed Chief Superintendent for Canada in 1972 and three years later was promoted to Depu ty Chief Commissione r also a first for a woman.

In 1969 she was made a Dame of Grace in the Order of St. John. In addition to many awards and honour s from St. John Ambulance Miss Loiselle was the recipient of the Centennial Medal and the Queen's Jubilee Medal, both in recognition of her devotion to humanitarian service.

She is a member of the Board of Management for 'Recreation for the Handicapped in Montreal, and a member of the Soroptimi st Club.

To her new appointment as Chief Commissioner, Miss Loiselle brings an outstanding background in bu si ness combined with strong personal conviction

towards the value of voluntary

GIBRALTAR

conducted by

Col. R Myddelton (ri ght) hands over the new Clwyd Brigade Colour to Dr. H J Bradley the ne w Commissioner for 'Clwyd, after a dedication service at Wrexham recently

Miss Yvette Loiselle - Canada s new Chief Commissioner

The St. John s Day reception at the Ophthalmic Hospital. The Ethiop ian Archbishop is welcomed by the Warden Dr

atten Mrs. Batten and the acting matron

News from Divisions/Centres

ambu lance f u nd hand a cheque for £ 120 to 0 0 Mrs. J Pic kess Thanks fellow s

LONDO N - On the day th at th e Jun e Hon ou r s Li st was publi shed, n which D / Supt H C. Parsons or No, 28 Harrow Ambulance Division was awar ded the BEM (A t R and o m August), 30 members or both H arrow and H am me mith Di visio ns, following their duty at th e Tr oopi ng of th e Colour, arrived at Mr. Parsons' home - complete with champagne - to extend their congratulations on hi award. of which they had been ad vi ed by the Commissioner, London Districl. Amon g th e m any other congratulations that M r. Parsons received were etters from the C hi er Commander Sir M aurice Dorman: th e th en C-IIl -C, Major- Gen De smond Gordon: and London Di stri ct Commissioner Derek Fenton.

Th e Manche ster Uni t y ndepe n den Ord er or Oddfellow s have always been known fo r their work on beha lf or deserving causes and th e late s to benefit rrom th ei r fund raising errorts is the Hornsey Division.

On J ul 13 Mi s Ph ylli Wo od, president of th e London and H ome Counties Group Conrerence or th e Order. handed over an Entenox unit ror use in the H o rn sey Di vision's ambulance. Mi ss W oods, who was accompanied by other members of the Order or Oddfell ows. wa welcomed b y Di visio n al Superintendent Mr s. A. Wilmer. A vote of t hanks was given b) Area Supl. W. Packe on behalf of the Are a Commissioner. The gue ts were afterward given a demonstration or first aid including th e use of the new equipment.

NO TTS - Two rounder members or the Newark Nursing Di\'i sion have become. in this the Division 's 25th year. the first ladies of the Brigade III Newark to be admitted t o the Order of St. Jo hn Di v. SUpl. Mrs W Parkinson Newark Nursing Di vis i on. and D iv. SUpl. Mrs. I. M. H Ollin gworth. N ewa rk Nursing Cadet Division. joined the new Division in 1953 In 1954 the y formed the Nursing Cadet Division. o f which Mrs. Hollingw orth became the Di v Supt.

At a corree evening given by the Ambulance Cadet Di vision recentl y. Mrs. H ollingworth received a bouquet rrom Di v. SUPl. P. E. Smith , or the Ambulan ce Divi s on, on behalf of members of the Newark Divi s ons: the bo uquet ror Mr s Parkinson. who was unable to atte n d, wa s ake n to her home by m em ber s. Ear li er in the evening Area Su p t. (A) G. Pepperday. who had been giving a talk on the Brigade to members and ramilies p esented an H onorary Member 's Badge to Mr. E. H ar ri s, the first membe r to be h onoured by the Ambulance Divi sion in 66 years. M I. A. D. Mar shal became the second honorary member of the Nursing Cade Di vis o n A M S. Gree nsmit h. rece ntly pro mo ted to the Ambulance Divi s o n f ou nd th e t ab es turn ed thi s even in g w hen he had th e honour of presenting Div '/ Su p t. (AC) p Hud so n, w ho now li ves in Nottingham and because of the travelling has transferred o County Pool. with a tankard on behalf or members as a oken of his se r vices in N ewark. Earlier in the yea A M Greensmith had

OBITUARY

Dr. J. R. Sharp, ro rm er County Surgeon, Northam p

shir

Di ed Jun e 16 1978. Dr. J. L. A. Webster, 76, Corps Surgeon Sefton Ar ea, M er seys id e. Serving Bro ther Jo in ed St. Jo hn in 19 52. Died Jun e 1978,

MERSEYSIDE : Wallasey Combined Cadet Division's presentation of awards. The Group Stat ue tte

Across:

1. Prize that staff nurse got on promotion to sister. (5). 4. How a hip pore can produce persistent watering of the eye. (8) 11. P rop het essential to religion. (3) 12. Given for X -ray examination of the colon. (6.5). 13. Was tedious and vexing. (S). 14. Credit for a disease'transmitting parasite. (4). IS . Spleen in a different line . (4) . 17 Dangerous dilatat io n of an artery. (8). 20. Pre se rve that dramatic topograp hical feature (6). 21. Sel fishl y hold o n to a pig. (3). 23. Intercept to amputate. (3.3) 2S. Relaxing treatment for in so mnia and nervous tension. (4.4). 28. Part o f lun g, nerve, and tooth. (4). 29. Ve r ruca. (4) . 30. Large fish on sy nt hetic fibre. ( S) 32. Le g is in unit used to produce pituitary hormone acting on uterus. (J J) 33. Reflex curve? (3). 34. Co n dition like ly to necessitate a vis it to the theatre. (8). 3S. Skin colouration associated with envy and seasickness. (5).

Down:

2. Idea indicating that one is growing old. (7). 3. The bite of a n animal in this condition can be fatal. (S). S. Punch around a part of the abdomen. (6). 6. Look surreptitously up and down. (4). 7. condition due primaril y to excessive calorie intake. (7). 8. Cervical discomfort produced by the office bore ? (1. 4.2 .3.4). 9. Wh ere t he doct o r does his round s? (7.7) 10. Nationality of this rib. (7). 16. So ot hing application from lamb. (4) 18. Abundant in fir e. (4) 19. A wry face to cut the grass. (3). 22. Juice beginning dige stion of protein. (7). 24. Sheep 's foot for a horse (7). 26. Ferment of pancreatic juice. (7). 27. Secretion containing ferment ptya lin. (6). 30. D r ess or a seve re s hivering att ack. (S). 31. Small prefix for a car. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.8 (78) A c ross:

1. Spot less; 8. Progeria; 9. Nematoda; 11. Scarpa ; 12. Pile ; 13 To mb; IS. Soothed; 17. Nape; 20. S pin .e; 21. Let; 22. Est.op; 23. M.a.ss; 2S Scabies; 27. Stay ; 29 Ta le; 30. Stroke ; 32. Ulcerate ; 34 Bursitis; 3S Synaps is .

Down:

1. Sy nostosis; 2. Tea; 3. Eros.ion; 4 Spare; 5. Boss; 6 Metastases; 7 Simp le; 10. M.aim 14. Bone biopsy; IS. Sets ; 16. Dupu yt rens ; 18. A l. ms; 19 Pea; 24 S il icon; 26 Cut -out; 28. Tela; 29. Truss ; 31. Eats; 33 Rip.

Cros sword N o. 7 78 ) : the prize winner was Geoffrey Hunter, 34 Barb e St Macclesfield , Cheshire.

Wiltshire Area Health Authority

SALISBURY

HEALTH DISTRICT

Vacancies exist for STAFF NURSES and S.E.N.'s at the Old Manor Hospital , Salisbury . RMN / SEN(M ) preferred , but consideration will be given to other nursing qualifications.

Enquiries and applications through Mrs. K. Marshall , Central Nursing Office , Old Manor Hospital. Telephone Salisbury 3216 , Ext. 133.

UNDER £10 Bring-and-Buy

Anatomical models

REVIEW

New

How to save a life programme , by Peter von Braun p.223

To

Around

Cardiac

Who's

That

Read ers

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W, Williams

OCTOBER, and the autumn training programmes of our Association Centres and Brigade Divisions are well under way. The rush of public duties that kept many divisions working at full capacity during the summer months have long passed their peak, summer holidays and camps have become a happy memory, sun tan is fading, there's a nip in the morning air and a cold dew on the grass, the evenings are closing in , and for those lucky ones who don't have to watch their weight buttered crumpets are in season.

For many centres and divisions the new season's programme will have started some time last month with courses for the public in either first aid or nursing , but those responsible for organising these courses will, if they are wise, have been busy making their plans for several weeks or even months before that. Are the courses well attended? Are they fulfilling the aims th at we should always keep before us when we embark on running a course of training for the public? Are the candidates attending regularly , or are some of them falling off?

Let me quote the priority of our aims as given in the Class Secretaries' Handbook - a Supplies Dept. publication which I unashamedly commend to all involved in running courses; it's fully worth its price of 45p for the cartoon illustrations alone, but when you ' ve stopped laughing at these you'll find a lot of very useful advice and information in between! These aims are given as:

1. First and foremost , to teach good first aid to as many people as possible.

2. To awaken in them a genuine interest in giving practical help to individual sufferers.

3. To make them aware of the wide scope of first aid beyond the limits of a basic course.

4. To introduce them to the objects of the Brigade and to some of the people who belong to it in such a way that by the end of the course they regard these people as friends whose ranks they would like to join.

CHIEF COMMANDER becomes BAILIFF GRAND CROSS

ALL MEMBERS of St John Ambulance will be delighted to hear that Her Majesty The Queen has been pleased to approve the promotion of Sir Maurice Dorman, GCMG GCVO , Chief Commander St John Ambulance, to the grade ofB a iliff Grand Cross (GCStJ) in th e Orde r This is thefirst occasion on which any member of the Foundation has been s o hon ou red while still in executive office as holder of a Grand Prior's Appointment Sir Mawice has been a Knight of the Order for 21 years, having been s o appo inte d while he was Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sierra Leone in 1957. Follo wing this appoin tme nt he became Governor and Commander-in-ChiefMaltafrom 1962 to 1964 and whe n Ma lta a tt ained indePfndence he was its first Governor -General/rom 1964 to 1971. He became A lmo ner of t he Order and an ex officio member of Chapter -General in 1,972 , and ha s been C hief Commander since 1975.

He thus becomes a member of the highest grade in the Most Venerable Order of St J oh n, a grade of which membership is restricted to not more than t welve Bailiffs Grand Cr oss an d seven Dames Grand Cross in addition to members of the Royal Family and th e fiv e G rea t Offic e rs of the Order, present and past (the Grand Prior, th e Lord Prior , th e Prelat e, t he Ch a nce llor a nd the Bailiff of Egle). All Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cros s a re ex offici o life m emb ers of Chapte rGeneral.

T HE GU E RNS EY St. John A mbul a nce an d R escu e Ser vi ce's c lifT resc ue tea m was ca ll ed into action on A ug ust 15 - not fo r t he fir st time in 19 78 - w hen t hey r aced to J e rb o ur g Po int o n t he I sla nd 's so uth coas t to the ai d o f two boys r ap ped o n a dange ro us clifT face

A t abou t 11.1 5a m t hat mo rn ing, t wo St. J ohn a mbul a nce me n we re unde rgoing a tr a ining sess io n in th e R a d a r U nit , whic h th ey ha d take n to a clifT top site, whe n two boys knoc ked at t he d oo r to say that there was 'so me o ne o n th e rocks be low.'

TIM Kenne th Breha u t imme d iate ly hurr ied down t he cl ifT pat h whi le his co ll eag ue TIM J ohn S ull ivan radioed the cont ro l room at Am bul ance Headquarters.

I t was d iscove red t hat two G uernsey boys, bot h age 11 had atte m pted to c limb t he c li fT only to find that when they were a bo ut 60ft up they cou ld go no higher and we re too frightened to come down again.

T he firs t 60ft of the 280ft high clifTs are solid rock, t hen loose and crumbly stone for a further 20ft. From there to the top the clifT is overgrow n with gorse, blackthorn and br acken, in places 7 to 8 feet dee p, and vir tu a ll y im penetra bl e.

TIM Br e haut q uickly realised that the boys were in a very precarious position, for o ne's o nl y hold was loose tufts of grass. SO

TIM Br ehaut climbed the clifT to where he was able to speak to the t r apped youngsters, and t here he stayed to co mfort and reassure t hem. Soon he was joined and a ided by a me mber of the public.

T he rescue team, under De p uty Chief Office r M. De ne, arrived on the scene at 1 1.30. After a quick assessment , anchor points fo r t he rescue ropes were set u p at the clifT to p a nd radio co mm unicatio n was esta bli sh ed wi t h the beac h

D o nn i ng a res cu e h a rn ess, T IM Neil

T ucker st a rted hi s d escent fro m th e clifT top, t he o nl y way to a ppr oac h for a rescue. Wit h prog ress imp ede d b y the und erg rowt h, t hr o ugh whi c h he ha d to fig ht a nd hack his way, a t t im es he di sappea red fro m view as t he vege t atio n gave und e r h is weight.

A lt h o u g h he was weari n g p rotective c lo th ing, his wri sts a nd fo rear ms we re torn by t ho rn s

It took TI M T ucke r nea rl y a n ho ur to get

c lose to t he hi ghest boy, who had to be ap p roached wit h ex tr eme ca ution so as not to dis lodge rocks As soo n as he reac hed the cas ualty, who had been cry ing th rough fear fo r some 15 minu tes, TIM T ucker had to im mediate ly su pport him because of the boy's extre mely insecure ho ld. I n fact, some of t he peo pl e who had gat hered below were

CLIFF RESCUE

by SJA GUERNSEY

so concerned that they we re ho lding out a blanket to break his fall shou ld he lose his grip.

Having secured the youngster in a rescue harness which he then belayed to himself, TIM Tucker climbed down to the beach. Having brought one to safety, TIM Tucker the n recli m bed about 50ft of the clifT to the second boy and s uccessfully broug ht him down in t he sa me way. Alt ho ug h t he clifT is 280ft hig h TIM T ucke r needed a full 450ft rope to reach t he bottom.

T I M K. B rehaut a nd the mem ber of the public, who had been 011 the clifT face throughout t he resc ue reassuring the two lads , then came dow n to the beach by rope. The two boys, shaken but no doubt wiser after their frightening experience, were taken home by the police. The rescue team gathered their equipment together, dusted themselves down, and returned to their station. Another job successfully completed.

R. J. Herve

(Right) The first boy (arrowed) trapped 60ft above the beach. The second boy is out of sight, lower and to his left A blanket is held out on the beach while the rescue team make preparations on the cliff-top 200ft above the boy (Below) Neil Tucker approaches the irst boy. This photo, taken with te lep hoto lens from a nearby cliff, has flat1ened out' the steepness of the descent. ( Photo : Guernsey Press)

New appointment for primary health care in developing countries

DR PETER C. M. S. VON BRAUN DFC , DPhil, has been appointed Assistant Director, Overseas Relations (International Programme Development) with the rank of Honorary Commissioner in the Brigade. In this role he will be the chief co-ordinator of S1. John's training systems in the primary health care field in developing countries. He first became involved with the Order of St. John through his work with the Priory of Canada in the mid 1970's when a primary health care scheme for the medically isolated along the coast of Labrador was being developed and implemented. This sparsely populated area, which is virtually without roads, is larger than the United Kingdom and during much of the year is foggy and wracked by storms and blizzards.

Training many people

At the invitation of Dr. Winthrop

Brainerd Peter von Braun visited Labrador to see what might be done to stimulate the provision of health care for the population. It was at once clear that any effort would have to focus on training many people in emergency first aid, patient care i n the home and kindred subjects because traditional approaches such as building hospitals and clinics were · far beyond the financial resources available.

The St. John Council for Newfoundland and Labrador agreed to allow the training programme to operate under its ausp ices provided outside funding and personnel could carry out the work. Peter von Braun inaugurated the Battle Harbour in the United States through which the funds were raised to start the project.

The work of S1. John has grown rapidl y in Newfoundland as a result of the stimulation

D r. Pe er c M. s. von B aun is chie co-o rd ina t or o f the n ew overseas traini n g system

derived from the Labr a dor pr oject , w h ic h has now been extended to mo s t part s o f th e Prov ince In July 1978 Her M aje s t y T h e Queen ga ve recognition to hi s out s t a nd n g effort in Newfoundland b y agr eeing to o p e n a new S1. John tr ai ning centre at Deer L ake Fittingly , during th e ceremon y, P ete r vo n Braun had the honour of being pre s ented to Her Majesty.

The basic approach to primar y h ealt h care in Labrador and t he succes s ful u se t h e re of the Prior y of Ca nada 's fil m- ba se d programmed learning sys t e m s amon g p eo p le with relati vely little formal educat ion le d to the conclusio n that s imilar effort s migh t b e s uccessful in other de veloping count ri e s. T o this end last year Peter von Braun de sign e d such a project for u s e b y S1. J o hn C o u n cil s in Africa and the Ca rr ibean A generou s g rant w a s provided b y h e Pre siding Bi s hop 's Fu n d for World R elie f of the E piscopal Chu rc h (t h e U ni ted St ates branch of the A n glic a n C o mmuni o n ) and th e programme w a s announc e d at the S1. J ohn Ov e r s eas C o nfere nc e in Jun e 1977

Film production

The S1. John Co unc i for B a rb ados volunteered to h e lp in t h e p r odu ctio n of the film po rt ion o f h e n ew t r a inin g system, which has bec om e we ll -k now n as t h e 'How to Save a Life system.

Implementing the HOW TO SAVE A LIFE programme

by PETER VON BRAUN

THE NEW St. John programmed learning system for mass training in safety-orie n ted first aid has been distributed to over 30 countries throughout Africa and the Caribbean during the past few months. The initial reactions have been enthusiastic and several of the early responses show the extent of the implementation which is being planned.

TO SAVE A LIFE system has been introd u ced in many places in Kenya, including the Kenya Teachers Technical College, Kenyatta University Physical Teachers College, the Medical Training Centre and Faculties at the M.T.C., The Kenya Police College, The General Service Unit, the Administrative Police Training School and a number of S1. John Divisions.

to co-ordinate the activities of the prog r amme, and in this connection a meeting has been hel d under h e chai r manship of His Excellency t h e Governor.' As a fo llow-up, the P ermanent Sec r eta r y of the Ministry w r ote to say that the C ounci l has already met and previewed these films. It is felt that the film would make a great impact, particularly in our rural communitiesonce it has been properly im p lemented.'

HE Sir Probyn Inniss, MBE, Governor of S1. Christopher Nevis Anguilla, writes: 'I am sure that t h e system w ill prove most usefu l in our efforts to extend r aining in fi rst aid in our schools and to the wider community. During the last six weeks or so we have been training about 48 of our teachers in first aid (two from each of our schools in St. Kitts) using the traditional methods. The lecturers assure me that with this new system it will be possible to extend ou r training activities significantly.'

U .S Ar m y

Pete r von B r aun is an American, born, a ppr op ri ately, on St. Jo hn 's Day in G r eenw ic h Co n nectic u t, whe r e he still lives.

A gra du a t e of Yale Unive r s it y he gained h is Do ctor a te fr o m t h e U n ive rsity o f Co log n e, Ger m a n y in 1964. Pr ior to that, dur ing th e 195 0 's and ea r ly 60's, he se r ved with th e U.S. Army for several yea rs in E u rope and Asia on assignments with a n umber of all ied · arm ies in cl u ding th e Turkis h Cava lr y.

I n 1966 he jo i ned McK i nsey and Co m pa n y, the I n terna ti o n a l Ma n agement

Co n s u lti n g fir m, but resigne d in 1977 in order to wo r k full ti m e as a vo lu nteer for St. John. He is a President of S1. John Amb ul a n ce; and as an active ch u rchwarden, he s its on the Vestry of Trinity Church (Wall St), New York; on t h e board of the Presiding Bishop's F u nd for World Re ief; and is the Episcopal C h urch representative to Church

Wo rl d Serv ce. A m an of great ene r gy, Pete r still m anages to find time to sai l the coast of New E n g land in his 42 foot ocean racing yacht. Welcome, Pete.

During th e de s ign a nd pr odu c tion ph ase of t he project Peter von Br a un co n sul ted w ith St. John Coun c il s n E uro pe Afri ca, South A m e ric a, t h e Ca rrib ea n a nd As ia as as t he Grand Prio r y in London. The system has now been distrib u ted to more t h a n 30 co u nt r ies and h as led to a revital iza io n of S1. John first aid training in many of them. The cou rse has been made a co mpul so ry part of t he tra ining in many sc h ools, p o li ce fo rces, arm ies and other p ubli c in stit ut io n s a nd it h as stim u a ed m ajo r a d vances in many rura l areas.

For example, from Barbados Mrs. H. E. Gooding. the Honorary Secretary of the St. John Council, reports that the system is being used by the Association and Brigade, the Barbados Regiment. the Regional Police Training Centre, Fire Service and the Labour College. A special programme has been set up to introduce the system into the schools in co -operation with the Ministry of Education. The first step in this effort has been to train selected teachers, and the programme has already reached many children in a number of schools. It is hoped that the teachers participating in the programme will form their own Division.

From the Priory for South Africa, L. M Manson , the Priory Secretary, reports that the system has been we ll received. 'W its Centre (Johannesburg) have had a large audience showing of HOW TO SAVE A LIFE - most favou r ably commended by everyone but especially by Mr. John De Kok, the Commissioner of Wits Centre, and Mrs. Walker, the Superintendent-in-Ch ef Nurs ing, of the Brigade for South Africa.' 'Africans in St. John who were p r esent were a lso most favo u rab ly impressed wit h t he fi lm and its su itabil ity as a medium of instruction for those wit h o ut a strong formal education. Fi l ms and manuals are be in g sent to our Centres at Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town Port Elizabeth, East London, Kimber ley, B l oemfontei n , Pretoria, Johannes b urg and to the S. A. Railway Command for distribution to its own r ailway distr i cts. and i n Sout h West Afr icaiN amibia.'

Dr. L. R. Whittaker, OBE, Principa l Surgeon for Kenya, writes that t h e HOW

From the British Virgin Islands, HE W. W Wallace, the Governor, reports that the system will be implemented in co-operation with the Red Cross. The President of the Red Cross feels 'that the film is just what is required for training Red Cross personnel, especially the Junior Red Cross.'

Colonel S. A. Anderson , Chairman of the S1. John Council for St. Vincent, reports 'that Cabinet recently agreed that the sc h eme should be introduced in St. Vincent and that the Ministry for Health and Community Development will be responsible

From Bermuda HE The Hon. Sir Peter Ramsbotham, GCMG, GCVO. the Governor, writes 'our Commissioner tells me that it (the HOW TO SAVE A LIFE system) goes down very well and proves a considerable help for our first-aiders with their instruction programmes We shall certainly make good use of the system ourselves for St. John training and we will share the sets with our police and our local Regiment for their training programmes.'

The HOW TO SAVE A LIFE system is especially tailored for use in African and Caribbean countries and consists of a film cove r ing a complete emergency first aid course and a programme system of teaching which is covered in detail in the companion instructor s manual.

'Th a nk s g irl s , go t him

From the book entitled When s the last time you cleaned your navel?' of 92 medi cal canoons by James Simpkins price E 1 recently published by Cressrelles Publishing Co Ltd

Kestrels House , Stoke Row Road Peppard Commo n. H enley-onThames Oxon

"L".ae'-CW""UI SERV5CES

EARLIER this year I was fortunate to be selected to join a group of St. John officers visiting the Royal Jordanian Medical Services. The visit had beel) arranged by Area Training Officer Mr. A. R. Jones, with the objective of giving the officers an opportunity of broadening their leadership experience and gaining greater insight into the support role which the para-medical service plays. The daily diary of events clearly indicates the scope of this training exercise.

May 9

On arrival at Heathrow Airport, the representative of Royal Jordanian Airways telexed Military Headquarters, Amman, of our departure. Our training experience commenced on the flight to Amman, when members of the group were permitted to visit the flight deck of the Boeing 707 in which we were travelling.

On arival at Amman Airport, we were greeted by Major Hasan Diab , who is second in command, para·medical training centre, Amman. Major Hasan was appointed liaison officer to the St. John group during its stay in Jordan. Two staff cars were placed at disposal and were driven by Sgt. Major Ali Sulyman and Sgt. Amin Mahmoud.

The group were driven to the Jordan Intercontinental Hotel, where accommodation was reserved for the party as guests of the Royal Medical Services. Later that evening we were entertained to dinner by Major Hasan.

May 10

The day started with a meeting with the Director of the Royal Medical Services, Major General Dr. Daoud Hanania, who told us of the great help he had received from Sir Maurice Dorman, the Chief Commander, during the planning of the Martyrs' Monument.

the Para-Medical Training Centre

Our next visit was to the Civil Defence Headquarters, Amman where we met the Officer Commanding, Major General Khalid Trawneh, and his deputy, Colonel Mohammed Khasawneh, together with the medical advisor, Dr. Anwar Bilheisi With the General and hi s deputy, the S1. John party had an opportunity of examining the ambulances and equipme nt in use at the Civil Defence Centre.

TO JORDAN

Three SJA officers visit the Royal Jordanian Medical Services by W. BOWMAN, supt. Bromborough, Eastham & Port Sunlight Div.

The meeting was followed by a discussion in the board room of the King Hussein Medical Centre with Brig. Gen. Dr. Mahmoud Fayyad, and his staff and concluded with a complete tour of the Centre and its departments.

After lunch with the General and his staff, we paid a visit to the Roman amphitheatre in Amman and the Museum of National Costumes

May 11

The delegation was escorted to Petra, Jordan's most exciting and adventurous travel experience. This rose-red city, half as old as time, was carved from the rock over 2,000 years ago by the Nabataeans. After touring the city, we had lunch with the local police chief and Mr. Colin Brooker , an English architect on a UNESCO contract connected with the restoration of the old city. We learned from Mr. Brooker about some of the difficulties which he encountered when his stonemasons were injured, due to a lack of first aid and ambulance facilities

After lunch we left for the port of Aqaba, where a visit to the Princess Aya El-Hussein Military Hospital was arranged. The route taken provided the party with an opportunity of seeing something of the desert territory which witnessed much of the activity of Colonel Lawrence during the first world war. Having travelled some 450 kilometers, we arrived at Aqaba, where accommodation had been reserved for us at the Holiday Inn.

May 12

The day was taken up by a visit to the New Port installation and an inspection of

the frontier between Aqaba and Eilal, and between Aqaba and Saudi Arabia. Later that day we visited the Military Hospital and were greeted by the Officer Commanding, Col. Adnan Goussous, who showed us over the ho spital and gave us details of future developments. The hospital, in addition to catering for military personnel , also looks after the needs of the civilian population including the New Port Authority work force. The Matron of this hospital is an English lady, commissioned into the Royal Jordanian Medical Service.

May 13

On the return journey to Amman, we saw · something of the Bedouin Desert Patrol and a Turkish fort on the line of the AqabaDamascus railway. Even today, despite a metalled road, the journey across the desert is not without its hazards and it was necessary for us to carry our own water supply. We were fortunate also in seeing the construction of the new highway , which it is hoped will reduce the travelling time to the port.

May 14

General Hanania had included in our programme a meeting with the Minister of Health, His Excellency A R. Rawabdeh. Also present were the Under -Secretary, H. E. Dr. Rizk Rashdan and the Director of Planning and Foreign Relations, Dr. Aram Yaghlian.

It was a pleasure to learn during this interview that Dr. Yaghlian's wife was at one time a Serving Sister at the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem.

luncheon with the officers of the hospital. On the return journey to Amman, we went via Ajloun, where we saw Rabbad Castle of Crusader times ; d ated 1184AD , and part of the Dibbin National Park.

May 17

Our next call was the Red Crescent Hospital in the Municipality of Amman. A mee t ing was arranged with the Director of the hospit a l, the lady Vice-President of the Red Crescent Organisation of Jordan and the lady President of the Amman branch of the Red Crescent. We had an opportunity of touring the hospital, learning of their staffing difficulties , but in sp ite of this they were currently constructing two additional small wings. The Director told u s that they had r eceived several va luable gifts from abroad, ie a Mass X - ray unit and a cardiac resuscitation ambulance

The day finished with a visit to Jerash, the Pompeii of the Middle East, which is a most beautifully preserved Graeco - Roman city.

May 15

Our first visit was to the Univers it y of J ardan, where we were greeted by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. This was followed by a tour of the faculty, accompanied by the Professor of Pathology. The Professor of the Department of anatomy was an Egyptian, who had worked with our own Professor Harrison of Liverpool University on the Tutankhamen programme. The Professor's daughter is employed by the Merseyside Regional Health Authority. We discussed with the Dean the need for a first aid training programme in Jordan.

The St. John party then paid a visit to the University Hospital and were shown over the building by the English Nursing Director, Miss Lillington. The visit was concluded with luncheon at the Halls of Residence.

During the afternoon we visited the Dead Sea , via the Jerusalem road, passing the Allenby Bridge. T his inland sea is 1,300 ft. below sea level in the beautiful Jerusalem valley, and from the rest- house we were able to look across to the occupied West Bank.

May 16

During the morning we paid a visit to the first field hospital at Irbid, and after being greeted by the Lt. Col. in charge and the acting matron we toured the hospital premises. The hospital also undertakes work in the public sector and handles between 750 and 1,250 patients a day. The Colonel told us of his experience in the field of obstetrics and how difficult it had been to wean pregnant mothers away from local tradition on to responsible gynaecological care.

The Colonel gave LIS a short tour of the town of Irbid, which was followed by

This was an important day in our calendar , with a visit to the Army ParaMedical Training Centre. After being received by the Colonel in charge of the schoo l we haq an opportunity of seeing first aid instructors at work with a group of st udent s. We were able to discuss with the instructor and class the merits of the different uses of the triangular bandage. We moved on to a nursing class and watched the students being instructed in nursing care. The centre was well equipped with training and visual aids, of which they made very full use. The visit was completed with the usual Arab ho spitality.

As a group we then proceeded to the Martyrs' Monument, where we were royally greeted and, much to our surprise, military headquarters had sent a special contingent to receive us , and we were informed that this privilege was only extended to very special guests. After the guard of honour ceremony, we were greeted by the Director General , a retired army colonel.

Inside the Monument , and to the tune of martial mu sic, we were shown a short film history of the Jordanian armed services This was continued by a most interesting tour of a museum, historicall y depicting the rise of the Arab nation from the time of the Arab revolt and Colonel Lawrence's exploits in the desert, right up to the present time. As a finale to this very moving visit, we were invited to water the sacred olive tree situated on top of the monument, and this tribute to the dead being completed, we were then privileged to sign the visito rs' book.

Close to this monument is the King Hussein Sports and Youth Centre , of which we made a tour, after being greeted by the Director

At 1.30pm a luncheon was given in ollr honour by Major General D Hanania Director of the Royal Medical Services, attended by some 20 senior army officers ranking from full colonel upwards May 18

Our visit to Jordan closed with a conference with Major General Hanania , which dealt in depth with all aspects of our visit. The conference was followed by an inspection of the GeneraJ's f1eet of cardiac mobile units. After making our official farewells, we were later entertained at home by the wife of Major Hasan D iab. May 19

On the day of departure , the party was escorted to the airport by the lia iso n officer. Prior to leaving the hotel , one of our party ASO F. C. E. Rooke , was fortunate to meet the head of the American team which is in the process of establishing an eye bank in Amman.

At the airport, an official who had received treatment at the St. John Ophth almic Hospital recognised our uniforms , announced our presence, and in a matter of minutes we were surrounded by grateful people.

On the flight home, we met the Reverend Henning Nielsen, Hammel Praestegaard, 8450 Hammel , Denmark, who had worked for St. J ohn at Sorenmollers- Vej Randers 8600, Denmark.

Our visit to Jordan was a wonderful experience and cerainly gave us an insight into the benefits to be obtained from good leadership. The kindness and hospitality shown to us by the Jordanian people will be a lasting memory.

In Camp

FAREWELL SAM

The last day of July was also t he last day of Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Elworthy's connection w ith the Brigade in London.

He has been the President of London 's St. John Council and as such has been actively concerned with the Centenary appeal for £ 100,000 launched at the end of last year. Now , having relinquished his appointments at Windsor Castle and many other places , he is returning to his native land - New Zealand.

At a recent party attended by the Chairman of Council , Group Capt. G. H. Pirie, and District Commissioner Derek Fenton, those who know Lord Elworthywho is also happy with the name Samgave him their farewell wishes

In reply he said one of the greatest things he had found in SJA was the quality of friendship. 'Although I am going back to New Zealand ,' he said ' I shall watch the progress of St. John in this country very closely. I wish it all success in t he future and hope that when I come back on a visitabout every other year -I shall find it not only continuing with its humanitarian work but gaining strength all the time.'

'DOCTOR' AT SEA

A 16-year-old St. John Ambulance Cadet Ian Kemp, of Littlehampton was rushed out to a salvage ship working seven miles ofT the coast to help a crewman in pain from a dislocated shoulder during August , reports the West Sussex Gazette.

The salvage ship, Metric Venture , was salvaging a cargo from the first world war vessel Shirala off Littlehampton when Adrian Warren dislocated his shoulder.

The ship radioed coastguards for help , and they alerted Littlehampton R N.L.r. station secretary Mr. Peter Cheney.

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

Befo re putt ing to sea in the inshore lifeboat , Blue Peter I, he tried in vain to find a doctor who cou ld tr eat the man before bringing him ashore.

In desperation he tried the home of Littlehampton St. John Divisional

Superintendent Bill Kemp, but he was out.

His w ife suggested their son Ian could help Ian who is due to move into the St. John Adult division soon, set ofT on his bike to the lifeboat station w here he was kitted out with yello w waterproof clothing.

The boat took to sea at high speed and de livered Ian to the ship.

On board Ian splinted he injured man's arm and he was taken ashore and on to Worthing Hospital.

'I think Ian did a tremendous job,' said Mr. Cheney . He did very well to cope - the injured man was in terrific pain. I felt quite happy that he could do it.

Ian, who has just begun wo rk at an engineering company in Rustington , said he was in the St. John Cadets first aid team. 'I have just been used to cuts and bruises before this,' he said. Well done , Ian!

LONG RIDE

BY THE EDITOR

CHANNELITIS

I hear that Blackpool Ambulance Cadet Karl Beniston, who at 13 became the you n gest cross - Cha nn el swimmer this summer, wants to have a crack at the twoway Channel swim in a few years time.

Meanwhile his father Jack Beniston has suggested forming a cadet relay team for swimming the Channel.

ROVALTOURNAMENT

On July 24 the SJ A Southwark Corps of Drums gave a display at the Royal Tournament in the presence of the Duke of Gloucester.

The band gave a faultless performance under the watchfu eye of their bandmaster, Sgt. Major David Minney, and their newly appointed President, Major Duncan Beat, Director of Music Scots Guards.

During the announcement the arena was in complete darkness and following our cue 'Ladies and Gentlemen, The Southwark Corps of Drums, St. John Ambulance,' the spotlights focused on six fanfare trumpeters who were situated in front of the main are n a doors. Immediately following the fanfare, the

Bodmin and Wadebridge (Cornwall) Divisions were helped recently when members of a local social club decided to ho d a sponsored tandem rid e from John O'Groats to Lands End. The cyclists (left) spent a week on the road and passed through Bodmin to a great welcome , on their way to finish the ride. Club chairman Bill Richards (centre) and SJA members greeted them. (Below) A!M Jack Cogan and Area Commissioner Ron Bray try out the bike and wonder if they could finish the last leg.

MIND BENDERS

Find the first aid word or words in the clue Th e number of letters in the answer s given

US port, difficult to get through to. (6).

2. Bed Nigel. This could be serious. (8).

3. A dig? No, Sis. Then what is it? (9).

4. Bathing round a sapper is first prior ty. (9).

Answers: Upside down - are at the bottom of page 228

door s opened and the main band e nt e red t h e arena to a tremendous reception by the large a udi ence. During their performance the band played the BBC Television 's 'Nationw ide' theme Grandfather 's Clock and the British Grenadiers.

Following the weeks of hard work it seemed to be all over too quickly, but if they asked any of the band members whet h er it was all worth it, their answer would be a definite 'Yes'.

I wo ul d like to express my thanks to those five members and the Bandmaster David Tyle r of the Surrey St. John Ambu lance Drum & Trumpet Band who joined with us on this very memorable occasion.

The C -in-C's comments were: 'A short note to tell you h ow much I and all members of Brigade Headquarters who were pre se nt enjoyed the splendid performance you gave at the Royal Tournament on Monday evening. NO,t on ly did your new u n iforms

(A bove) The St. John Ophthalmic Hospital stand at the recent Middle East Expo held in London. Lord Westbury talks to Mrs Mary Manarious a nursing sister at the hospital who came to London especially to be on the stand to answer queries

(Right) Exmouth cadet team which won the recent Devon cadet five - a-side football tournament in which nine teams entered Nursing Off cer E. O. Benne y , of Torquay Ambulance Division who is a county football refer ee organised and refereed the tournament

(Right) Meet the Ferguson famil yMum Dad four daughters and one son - all of Belfast's Forth River Div sion. (L to R) Front row Mrs B Ferguson, Supt. Nursing Div . Mum) Cadet Allistair ; Mrs Audrey Weir Nursing Officer George Ferguson President A!NC Div. ( Dad). Back row N/ M Cheryl Ferguson Mrs Ba xter Supt. A!NC Div and N/ M Mrs Wilson Beat that!

(Right) Capable duty cooks prepare turkey at Humberside s annual cadet camp at F amborough for 130 cadets and adults Be low) Chief Officer of Cadets Co l. Pat Adams brought ASO Rahim Ali. from Malaysia, to visit the · camp and were met by CSO R. A. Sull van and ASO R. J. Marshall. (Photos: courtesy Hull Daily Mail)

improve considerabl y the whole " look " of the band , but the standard of drill and turnout was a great credit to you all. Finally I would like to add that this year was not the first time that the Royal Tournament had broken with tradition , as wrongfully stated on BBC TV 's Blue Peter programme ; in fact the Southwark Corps of Drums gave a performance at last year's tournament and thus gained the honour of being the first non-militar y British Youth Band to give a display

K. A. Horsman , Di v PRO

AN IDEA FOR XMAS?

Snow White and the Se ve n Sterile Swab s, a pantomime performed last Christmas b y t he Exmouth Ambulance & Nursing Cadet s Parents Association , played for one night only to a capacity audience. Although few of its small cast had any previous experience in pantomime their zest and confidence soon communicated itself to an enthusiastic audience, which included the children whose parents made up the cast -a little bemused perhaps at the antics of their usually soberco DURHAM : At the annual training day at Dryb urn Hospital Area Commissioner T. Hope demonstrates a recording

Written b y Chrystal Nicholson , the w ife of our Ambulance Di vision s up erintendent, w ho we we r e informed started to write the script at the beginning of December , moved house at Christmas and lost her notes so had to start a ll over again with only three weeks to opening night! She ski lfull y wove the story of Sno w White into a fantasy of fun, frolic a nd verse with plenty of the u s u a l obligatory references to local affairs (local in this case being the fo ur loca l divisions).

Superbly compered by George Coates as the Mirror, we were treated to an example of audience p articipation when he invited children from the a udi ence to come forward and do their thing '. A tiny girl of no more t han six or seven sa ng the catchy number

The Sun has got his Hat On with the flair of a yo ung Lena Zavaroni and those who followed with songs and ve r ses were delightful.

Impossible , unfortunately , to mention all the cast of this happ y romp. The three bumbling , fumbling Ambulance Dwarfs who

arrived to teach the seven dwarfs first aid, by some sleight of hand managed to turn their patient into a 3keleton, which by a further misfortune landed in the lap of a VIP (our County Staff Officer) in the front row!

Doreen Richard s made a prett y tuneful Snow White whi le Freda Bradford drew vociferous disapproval from the audience as the wicked Queen.

And finally no ordinary every day kiss was needed to revive Snow White, the Prince Shelia Steels - our Nursing Cadet Superintendent - arrived complete with resuscitator to effect the final happy ending. With very small resources at their disposal each cast member was responsible for producing their own colourful and original costume. Music was provided by Derek Dawkins who certainly created an admirable background to the action.

Proceeds were to benefit St. John Cadet activities.

MIND BENDERS (answers)

lluI 41":lJH 'v 's!soullll!G .£ 'llu!P:ldIH '7: 'Jodms '1

Some of you may be surprised to find that recruitment to the Brigade is put last in the order of priority of these four aims. That does NOT mean that recruitment is unimportant. but long experience has shown that if our chief aim in running a course is recruitment then we're almost certain to be disappointed because we've got o ur priorities the wrong way round.

People are most likely to want to join our ranks if we succeed in our first three aims and if, during the course , they get to know us as friends and see what kind of people we are, so that by the time they take their exam some of our enthusiasm has rubbed off onto at least a few of them. On the other hand , if during the course they never meet any recognisable (ie, uniformed) Brigade members and are told nothing about what the Brigade is or does, then we're missing out on a golden opportunity of getting at least a few much needed enthusiasts to join our ranks.

During the many years that I've been involved in helping with Association courses , I can think of many candidates who, when they enrolled, did so from all sorts of motives which had nothing whatever to do with joining the Brigade - some because they'd been detailed by their employers, others so as to be better qualified as Scouters Guiders, school teachers or housewives , others as a step towards their Duke of Edinburgh 's Award, and yet others from the material motive of improving their job-qualification or increasing their pay packet by the possession of a valid first aid certificate. Yet many of these had, by the end of the course, surprised themselves by deciding to join the ranks of the Brigade, and in course of time proved to be among our very best members So much depends on how the course is run right from the very start. If on the first evening the programme starts later than the advertised time, if there's no one whose specia l job it is to make he candidates feel we come, jf t he y spend half their time sitting around while someone takes details of their names and addresses and collects their course fees (all of which has to be done, but it s hould be streamlined) , and if the only in str uction they get that night is a lecture on the structure and functions of the body, then it 's our fault if so me of them fade away and the rema in der complete the course without much enthusiasm.

But if we send them home that night feeling that they've achieved something - if it 's only putting someone in the recovery position, learning the names of the different parts of a triangular bandage, applying an arm sling correctly, and folding the bandage in the proper manner before putting it away - then there's real hope that they ll look forward keenly to next week's meeting and perhaps even bring a friend to join the course before it's too late to enrol.

AT RANDOM

continued from p.219

Notice the emphasis on DOING in the examples that I've just given. Our programme of training not only during an Association course but in all our weekly divisional training evenings throughout the year, should consist of a minimum of mere lecturing, a modicum of instructional demonstration (including a controlled use of slides, film -s trips and films) and a maximum of practical work carried out in small groups under individual supervision - or, to put it another way, a litt e listening, a bit more watching, and as much time as possible DOING.

We live in an age in which training courses on almost every subject under the sun are run on very professional and highly sophisticated lines and we must hold our own in competition with others in this respect. Moreover if (as I sincerely hope) we are charging our candidates a realistic course fee then we simply must ensure that they get their full money's worth and that we provide them with nothing short of the very best.

We are not without rivals in the field of first aid training, and there's no reason why that rivalry shouldn't be a very friendly and good - natured one , for there's room for all. But the winners in popular esteem will be those who best 'deliver the goods', and it 's up to us to see that we are the ones who win!

Involve everyone

What about the divisional training programme apart from running a first aid or nursing cou rse for the public ? Anyway, some divisions hold these courses at other times of year; but even if you do run an autumn course it isn't likely to involve all your members every week unless the division is very small, and those who aren't actively occupied mustn't be left 'out in the cold' or they'll soon drift away through sheer boredom. The same applies to training for competitions, for NOW is the time when you should be selecting and trai nin g your team for the first (area or county) round of the na tio nal first aid and nursing competitions , and perhaps getting started on a project for the competition as well.

But whatever the main item in your autumn programme may be, do make sure that all your members are III some way involved and not eft hanging around feeling that they aren't wanted. This needs very careful planning , especially as 11 may mean

arranging two or three different activities at the same time (if possible in different rooms and sometimes out of doors) on the same evening. Very spec ial attention should be pa id to new members of an adult division , including recently promoted cadets. They will be simply fizzing with enthusiasm to get going on really imaginative training projects; and jf all they're allowed to do is to watch others performing, or to act as patients , or to help make the tea, they'll sure enough fade away.

From all this you will perhap s gather that it's my convinced opinion that the reason why we don't recruit more adult members and , in particular, fail to hold so many excadets is that (often quite unknowingly) we don't make good use of the opportunites that we've already got. Those of you who belong to really 'live' divisions might find it hard to believe how often I've heard cadets say they won't be promoted to the adults, or ha ve dropped out after promotion , for one or more of the following reasons: (a) they don't know any of the adult members, (b) the programmes are dull, (c) they're only used as patients, (d) they aren't allowed to go on any public duties until they 'v e been adult members for a certain length of time, (e) no one seems inte rested in helping them finish qualifying for t heir Grand Prior 's badge, (D the members spend half their time drinking tea and telling stories of what they did in the blitz. And the sad fact is that although some of these reasons are mere excuses, and others are exaggerated, there 's a substratum of truth in all of them. And I'm sure many of you will agree with me , from your own experience, that if we encourage trainees on Association courses to join the Brigade after the y've got to know us and encourage cadets to feel welcome in adult divisions , and give them an active and imaginative training programme that they can really 'get their teeth into', then the problem of recruitment ceases to be a problem. For 'PROBLEM' is only one side of the coin: turn the coin over , and the other side is OPPORTUNITY '. So the remedy lies in our own hands!

REMOVE FURTHER DANGJRS

L eft) The Southwark Co rp s of Drums take the salute at the Royal Tournament. See story

(Right) Panto m ime fun at SJA Exmouth last Ch r istmas See story AN IDEA FOR XMAS?

DERBYS This disco unit was built (under the guidance of D Supt S Foster) by its young DJ - Cadet Sgt. Vince Pow ell, of Stanton Ambulance Cadet Divisi o n - and has so far

'John! You 'II jus ( hGle (0 get a haircut'.

CARDIAC RESUSCITATION PART 3

by D. UTILE, Ambulance Member

THE MOST convenient point in time to begin the account of cardiac resuscitation is with the accidental discovery during the year 1746 at Leyden in Holland by Musschenbrock, and his pupil Cunaeus , that electricity was capable of being conveniently stored in what later became known after the discourses of N ollet (1700-1770) as Leyden

Jars

This phenomenon of containerised electricity lifted electricity from the status of being a thing to amuse the family on wet afternoons to that of being a useful medium for medical purposes. Unfortunately this new medium was taken up with such euphoric enthusiasm and applied to the treatment of almost every ailment that its real usefulness was nearly completely overlooked. The Reverend John Wesley (1703-1791) was an ardent advocate of its use for angina, palpitations and particular conditions of pulse irregularities. Its use as an aid to resuscitation of the apparently dead was to be recorded twenty-eight years later in 1774 by Mr. Squires, an inhabitant of London's Soho district.

In Long Calderwo(')d Lanarkshire , (')n February 13 1728 was born John Hunter who was to have little formal schooling due to his predilection for sports. He assisted his brother-in-law, who was a cabinet maker fmm the age of seventeen until his elder brother William, who was becoming an an'atomist of some note, asked John to become his assistant at the dissections he performed for classes of medical students. His natural flair for this work was such that he finally oversaw the pupils' dissections. After two periods of studying surgery , firstly as a pupil of Cheselden and then under Percival Pott he then moved on to St. George's H(')spital in 1754 to become a surgeon pupil under his brother and assisted him with his lectures and dissections. In 1768 he was appointed Surgeon to St. George 's and he now had pupils of his own who were required to undergo five years' tuition with him.

to the common fireside bellows as they were twin chambered and, by practical use of valves, double acting, ie one chamber expelled air into the lungs while the other extracted the air from the lungs.

When the induced respiration, begun above, was discontinued and the actions of the heart monitored it was found to get progressivel y weaker and irregular in its contractions until it ceased to contract altogether. When resuscitation was recommenced the hear was observed to beat again, in the first instance in a very feeble manner but as the induced respiration was continued it grew in strength until it was as strong as that noted at the beginning of the experiment.

During this early period at St. George's he was developing principles of surgery wh ich were so unorthodox, due to the confused concepts of anatomy that prevailed, that his contemporary colleagues did not fully comprehend their significance. So 1772 saw the inauguration of his lectures on surgery covering the twin aspects of theory and practice. In a short time the course had expanded so much that it took eighty -six lectures to complete. Hunter s election as a Fellow of the Royal Society came in 1767 and in 1776 he was appointed Surgeon Extraordinary to George III. Hunter's first scientific investigation of resuscitation came in 1755 while he was an assistant to his brother William when he carried out a subjective enquiry into the effect respiratory arrest has on the action of the heart. A number of dogs had their thoraxes laid open by surgery and their sternums extracted. Respiration was then induced in the dogs artificially by use of a bellows, which as we hav e seen was a popular method of resuscitating the apparently dead. However, Hunter's bellows, which he constructed himself, were different

a,b

c,d

e

f,f

g,g

Hunter repeated this experiment on an individual dog ten times stopping the breathing action for varying times - the greatest interval of cessation was ten minutes. On taking samples of blood from each side of the heart he foun d that instead of the samp le from the left hand si de being bright red it was as dark as the sample from the right hand side, which Hunter believed was what actually occurred in cases of drowning. The degree of colour similarity was of course a function of the elapsed time from the cessation of breathing Hunter's conclu s ion from these experiments was that the heart was not stimulated into action by the fresh supply of oxygenated blood but by a reflex act ion that accompanied the expansion of the lung s when they were filled with air.

The Royal Humane Society, formed in April 1774, provided incenti ve for research into resuscitation techniques b y awarding prizes. Dr. Kite was the recipient of the 1788 prize for his thesis on The Recovery of the Apparently Dead '. This work describes the component parts and details the use of a direct current defibrillator (Fig. 20) for the purpose of resuscitation. The apparatus was designed by Kite himself and it appeared

that h e was well aware that electricity could be a dangerous medium for the operators to employ as can be seen from the following passage of his work: 'When I have electrified the body, all other operations have been suspended, lest the assistants shou ld receive the s hock , instead of the patient which may readily happen as the living body is a much better conductor of the electric fluid than the dead:

He then goes on to describe how the electrodes may be shielded with a nonconducting material as follows: a very simple contrivance will prevent the occurrence of this circumstance and will at the same time allow us to make use of the shock while the person is in a warm bath , or surrounded with hot grains; which we otherwise could not do on account of the conducting property of water. It is merely two pieces of brass wire each two feet long , inclosed in g lass tubes , or wooden cases well varnished, with knobs at one end, and rings at the other:'

Detail s for the application of the defibrillator are then given, 't he knobs are to be applied like common directors , to those parts b etween which we intend the fluid to pass; and one ring connected with a chain or metallic string, coming from the electrometer and the other with a chain joined to the outside of the vial, which will be more convenient if suspended on the prime conductor. In this manner shoc ks ma y be sent t hrough any part of the body: and their direction constantly varied, without a probability of t he assistants receiving any inc o n venience. '

Despite Kite 's progressiveness in adopting the use of electricity for the resuscitation of the apparently dead he was very reticent to dispense with the practice of venesection and also reluctant to accept the efficacy of oxygen. Of the former he considers that if venesection is carried out at the correct moment then its effect is beneficial , thus he states 'bleeding ought, in my opinion , by no means be omitted' and of the latter he comments 'It appears to me as of little consequence, whether the lungs are inflated with dephlog istic ated air (oxygen) or atmospheric air , or whether the air be blown in from the lungs of a healthy person ; it is their expansion and contraction we are endeavouring to support.'

The physical size of Kite 's electrical apparatus alone rendered it unsuitable for convenient carriage by individuals, such as doctors, to be instantly available for use in any emergency situation. It was therefore necessary to transport the casualty to the place where the apparatus was kept or bring the apparatus to the scene of the incident. Either procedure involved an injur io us time delay.

Ten years after the experiments of 1811 that had overturned the extablished thinking

on the efficacy of resuscitation by fumigation per rectum Sir Benjamin Brodie gave the trio of Hunterian Lectures on the subject of Asphyxia. The material for these lectures was drawn from the experiments he carried out while he held the post of lecturer at the School of Medicine, founded by John Hunter , at Windmill Street in London.

In these lectures, reports Arthur Keith, Brodie states dogmatically 't hat there were few cases of .flrowning in which artificial respiration would prove of any service'. He postulated that there was a period of time three minutes at most from the cessation of breathing, when the heart of an asphyxiated casualty wo uld cease to function and it was in this short interval of time that resuscitation had to be applied if it was to be effective, for once the heart had stopped beating 'artificial respiration was powerless to restart it. It was not until the 20th century that a technique for restarting the heart beat that was capable of being widely taught and required no specialised equipment, was developed

The beginn ings of cardiac resuscitation are described by Sandor Husveti and Harold Ellis in an historical note entitled 'Janos Balassa , Pioneer of Cardiac Massage' appearing in 'Anaesthes ia' January 1969. The co-authors relate the circumstances in

which Janos Balassa carried out his closed chest cardiac massage as follows: 'In 1858 Balassa reported in the pages of OR VOSI HETILA T (The Hungarian medical weekly) a case of successful resuscitation by external cardiac pressure. The patient was an 18 years old girl sufferi ng from tuberculous laryngitis and who was experiencing severe attacks of asphyxia due to laryngea l oedema. Balassa was called to her home and arrived just as her condition deteriorated rapidly. During examination she ceased to breath and her pulse disappeared. Laryngotomy was immediate ly carried out, and while holding the tube in place with one hand he compressed the central part of the anterior chest wall with the other hand, carrying out rhythmic compressions for a period of six minutes. Following this the patient began to breathe continuously, showed a normal cardiac action and gradually regained consciousness. She recovered completely within a fortnight.'

A series of experiments devised and performed by Benjamin Ward Richardson in 1865 produced two pertinent anatomical criterion which were critical in attempts at resuscitating an apparently dead casualty.

O verleaf

Charming

certainly got the undivided attention of Nursing Members Deborah Wilson Karen Keith and Ann Knibb of Peterlee Combined Division when h e stopped for a chat. (P hoto ; Peterlee Chronicle)

Fig 20 Dr Kite s Direct Current Defibrillator

The factors of such import were:

(1) That provided the heart was still functioning and thus maintaining the pulmonary circulation then resuscitation of the casualty by the application of artificial respiration was a practical proposition.

(2) That between the time of the h eart ceasing to function, ie causing stoppage of the circulation and the coagulation of the blood within the vessels of the circulatory system it is possible to restart the action of the heart by fo r cing blood via the pulmonary circulation to enter the coronary arteries.

The former result confirms the ' earlier findings of Brodie and Erichsen. Richardson demonstrated that if the casualty was inverted then this caused a surfeit of blood in the vessels around the lungs , which was favourable for its ox y genation , but when the heart was not functioning the pressure of the blood alone was not adequate to keep it circulating.

The latter finding was a step forward in the treatment of a casualty suffering from coronary arrest because in this instance the objective was the restoration of the h ea rt function. We have no t ed that pre vious methods may have achieved this aim it was not evident to either the originator of the method or the operator.

Richardson found that warm air rich in oxygen was more efficacious in reviving an asphyxiated casualty than air of normal composition and ambient temperature. Therefore in order to restart the circulation he believed that if an oxygen rich liquid were injected into a vein (the jugular in fact) close to the heart at such a pressure that it would travel through the blood vessels to the heart, it with the aid of 'stroking' stimulate the heart back into action. When he tried this on animals he found that the pressure required was so great that it burst the capillaries of the pulmonary system. He t hen infused the liquid into the stronger blood vessels, ie the arteries and was able to demonstrate t o some degree that his technique was successful. Dr. Arthur Keith reports on one of Richardson's as follows 'he was able to resuscitate the heart of a child which had been 18 hours dead by injecting its arteries with a fluid saturated with oxygen.'

In the light of modern knowledge regardiAg the degree of brain damage being directly proportional to the time it is without oxygen, one must treat the diagnosis of death eighteen hours before recovery with scepticism.

Forty-one years after the conclusions reached by Ward Richardson from his experiments in 1865, the research team of Crile and Dolley unaware of Richardson's work produced data from a group of experiments in 1906 that demonstrated that the heart could be resuscitated back into

action ten minutes after the cessation of fluid flow in the ci!;culatory vesse ls

The means Crile and Dolley us ed to rees ta blish the heart rhythm bore a clo se resemblance to those of Richardson insomuch as a prepared chemical solution was introduced into an artery. F ive minutes after t he blood flow had ceased in the circulatory vessels of subject dogs an adrenalin based salinic solution was injected int o t he d og s femoral artery and artific ial respiration performed o n them. The results were encouraging as a large percentage of the dogs in the apparently dead condition were resuscitated into a state of animation. However Crile and Dolley fo u nd when circulatory action was suspended for an elapsed time of ten minutes that although the respiratory and circulatory functions could be restored to a satisfactory level by this means the subject dog remained in a comatosed state.

Thus Crile and Dolley concluded that the initial part of the body to be affected and subsequently die due to the discontinued flow of oxygenated blood is the brain This conclusion broadly agrees with the current modern day concept that after approximately four minutes from the cessation of the s uppl y of oxygen ated blood to the brain cumulative and irreparable damage is occurring due to the extinction of brain cells.

March the first , third and fifth saw the deliver y of the Three Hunterian Lectures of the year 1909 in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England by Arthur Keith MD(Aberd) , FRCS(Eng), and the subsequent printing of t h e lect ur es in the 'Lancet' of the same year. The lectures were entitled The mechanism underlying the va r ious methods of artificial respiration practi sed since the foundation of the Royal

H umane Society in 1774 '.

The lectures are well researche d very comprehensive and provide a perspective impression of the progress in the practice of artificial respi r ation despite the many deviations away from the road to its goa l of determining the best technique and its widest possible dissemination amongst the populace

In detailing hi s conclusions Dr. Keith make s an interesting statement, the first part shows his open -mindedness which is a necessary qualit y for r esearch wo rk e r s and t he seco nd part shows t h e lack of detailed understanding in 1909 of the physiology of coronary re suscitation in emergency situations.

The first part of the statement indi cates Dr. Keith's n otions on expired air resuscitation as follows: 'My mind is also open to the conviction that the ancient method of mouth to mouth insumation with expiratory compression of the chest may not prove more effective than either" (the Schafer or Howard method) 'at least if it should happen that I may be found in an apparently drowned condition I sincerel y hope that my re scuer will apply this prompt method to me as first aid. It is air that my lung s and blood then will stand urgently in need of, not pre ss ure ,' while the second part of the statement continues 'for if the pulmonary circulation has ceased such pressure is, upon the evidence at present at our disposal more lik ely to weaken than to strenghten the heart.'

Prior to 1947, indeed as early as the Hunterian period, it was known that the arrest of the casualty's heart function was an injurious condition that required immediate efforts to restart the heart beating so that the supply of oxygenated blood to the body's cells could be restablished. (To be continued)

Sqd. Ldr. Geoffrey Meek -

Director

of Public Affairs

Geoff Meek who came to St. John in 1972 , is responsible for public relations and appeals for the Order and its Foundations. With a staff of five, his department has to ensure that the national media - TV radio and press - are constantly informed about what our organisation is doing and planning. On appeals , it has to raise the funds to finance the Order, Headquarters and the Ophthalmic Hospital. In Centenary Year 1977, which was launched with a royal gala at The Talk of The Town with seats up to £500 each the highest ever figure of £1/2- m illion was raised for St. John

An ex -wartime fighter pilot who returned to RAF flying from ]95] to '63 (a nd he flew privately up to 2 years ago) Geoff now relaxes at golf and fishinghaving given up shooting when he became Director of the World Wild Life Fund prior to joining St. John. An Officer of the Order, he commutes to his home in Wiltshire at weekends. He is married, has three so ns and three daughters and one gra nd son.

Chris Cocks - Public Relations and Appeals

Chris, an ex-BBC TV production assistant who joined St. John early 1977 , is the PR and Appeals Dept 's events organiser, which includes being inte rv iewed about St. John on radio. Born and bred in Birmingham , Chris came to London because of her husband 's work ( he 's ex-ATV, now general manager of a recording company). They live in a Victorian cottage in Mo rtlake, where she gardens (patio-style) and looks after Huggy Bear , their 2-year-old Blue Persian cat. Theatre, cinema TV and eating (out and at home) are Chris's ways of relaxing.

William Arthur Oliver - Association Training Manager

Bill Oliver, who is the Association Branch s national training officer, joined HQ in 1970 as development officer for No.4 Region after 24 years with the Port of London Police. He joined the Brigade in 1936 with the Southern Railway Division, Norwood.

A Police sw imming champion, Bill also won 158 trophies in first aid competitions between 1955 and 1970 While at the Port of London he dealt with 3,985 casualties, gaining 5 recommendations for saving life. Bill and his wife Joan live in Croydon, where they have a large garden which Joan looks after. Bill - who is no gardener, 'I hate it ' - spends his spare time painting land scapes and fishing. He was very ill for six months in 1977 and had to have a coronary bypass operation, and he'd lik e to thank everyone who sent him get-well cards. They were wonderfu ,' he says. They kept me going.'

Gordon MunroChief Accountant Treasurer and Chief Accountant of the Order, with a staff of six, Gordon's work covers all aspects of finance of the Order and its

Foundations, including analysis and consolidation of County SJA annual returns. He saw service with the Indian Army in the Middle East and Burma 1940 to '46, and after qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1949 went into industry, with much overseas work, before joining the Order in 1974 A keen sportsman - his favourites were tennis and ski-ing , but he now settles for golf - he lives in Reigate with his second wife Allison (he lost his first wife in an accident), his 3 child ren and 2 step-children. Allison and Gordon do the interior decorating together, but he is 'forced' to work in their Ikacre garden, looking after the vegetables.

Sandra Charsley - Treasury

Sandra Charsley, a divorcee in her early 30s joined the full-time HQ staff in 1977 and became secretary to treasurer Gordon Munro in July 1978. After the day at the office, Sandra returns to her Kent home to cook and do the housework - for she has two daughters and a son to look after. Her relaxation is found in music, boo ks and yoga - particularly the latter , which she finds not only relaxes her physically and mentally but helps to keep her weight in check Sandra, who would love to travel, particularly likes the tempo of life in Spain - slow and relaxing.

Philip Adams - Medical Secretary Philip Adams, who confesses to be about 50 ', is Secretary of the Medical Department and the Visual Aids Committee The Medical B oard, which meets quarterly is the advisory board to the Foundation on all medical and nursing matters. Under the Visual Aids Committee, Philip is responsible for the day-to-day work of the visual aids section, which includes maintenance of HQ's cinema and all visual aid equipment. Whenever he can he likes to get out into the Counties to talk on audio-visual aids; and good talks they are too. He is also the Surgeon-in-Chiefs staff officer responsible for organising the District Surgeons' conference.

Philip, who commutes daily from Brighton ('I've always wanted to live by the sea'), was Mentioned in Despatches while serving with the Indian Army in Burma Later he worked for 12 years in the Middle East with the Ministry of Defence (RAF). before joining Headquarters in 1969.

He plays bridge at least once a week and goes to France (mainly for the food) whenever he can.

H EADQUARTE RS

Ph otos : by Jeannette Tay lor

THE THIRD week in June is always very busy for the Royal Windsor Divisions It includes the Garter Procession at Windsor Castle on the Monday, Royal Ascot over the next four days, Ascot Heath races on the Saturday, daily polo matches at Smiths Lawn, plus the usual routine evening duties. But this year the week was busier than ever.

With all these daytime duties to cover , shift workers are particularly useful members, while others try to arrange to be on holiday that week or even take time off from work so as to be on duty. By the end of April, Div. Supt A. J Glass ('Uncle Jim') of the Ambulance Division has already begun to remind members of all four divisions that it won't be long before 'Garter and Ascot ', and the Duty Officer has begun to collect offers in his little book from which he makes out the duty lists.

Special function

On the Saturday (June 17) before the big week began, our Ambulance Cadets and Juniors were actively involved in a special 'Jubilee-plus-one' function in which they gave a demonstration as well as looking after a stand to show the work and scope of St. John, while a team of Juniors took part in the 'Top Team Minisports' - but there was nothing 'mini' about their keenness, for they came equal first.

By noon on Monday June 19 all available members of the Windsor divisions, as well as others from neighbouring divisions, had arrived at the Castle to cover the procession in which Her Majesty The Queen, preceded

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS.

READERS VIEWS

Reade rs' v ie w s and op ni o ns which should b e s e nt to the Editor alth o ugh pub is h e d are not n ece ssarily e ndo rsed by the Editor or t h e Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although reade rs may sign published ett er s with a pen - name writers m u s t s upply th e ir nam e an d a ddres s to the ed it or

PUBLICITY

fr om Jeffre y J. Be nson. Co rp s Super int endent

by the Knights Companions of the Most Noble Order of the Garter walks through the Lower Ward on her wa y to St. George ' s Chapel. Three B rigad e ambulance s we r e used as first aid posts , and a fourth po st in one of the Castle buildings was served b y the Red Cross with whom we work in v er y clo s e and happy relationship. The vast crowd s watching the procession proved that our provision was not excessive , for at one point in the afternoon so many were toppling as a result of long and excited waiting in t he rather damp heat that all four po st s were working to capacit y The dut y ended at 4 pm but for most of our adult members it was a short respite for many of the men went off to do duty at an evening meeting at the Windsor racecourse , while our Nur sing Division held their u s ual weekly training evening.

Royal Ascot

On the next four days , Tuesday to Frida y, we always do our share in helping out with duty at Royal Ascot -a longer duty than at most race meetings , because of the fuller programme of races and the vast crowd s that assemble to see The Queen drive to Ascot. Each day , too the polo at Smith s Lawn was covered by two of our 'o ld stalwarts' with a rather ancient ambulanc e which we are raising fund s to repl a ce ; the y had their reward at the end of the week when there was a party at the Polo Club at whi c h they had the honour of being presented to Her Majesty. Despite the heavy week of duties , the Ambulance Division held its weekly trainin g evening on Thur sda y, with a

SJA Windsor survives an even busier third week of June

by E. L. E. HEARNEr

Di v/ S up t Roya l Wi ndso r A / e D iv is ion good a tt e nd a nce includin g m os t of th ose w ho had b e en o n dut y dur in g the d ay.

On Saturd ay h ere we r e m ore duti es at A s c o t for t h e Ascot Heat h r aces, as well as polo dutie s, w hil e a team o f o ur A a nd N

C a d e t s w ent t o L ane End in Bu c k s to repre se nt Be rk s hir e C ad ets in th e D is tr ict Final s of the National Y o uth F ir e Preve nt ion

Quiz. E ver yo ne got h o m e in t h e eve nin g in time for a qui ck ch a n ge a nd ti dy up befo re asse mbl ing at our HQ fo r a ve r y s p ecia l so cial ev e ni ng at w h ic h a surprise pr ese nt a ti o n was to be m a d e to 'Un cl e Ji m'

Gl ass.

All available members

On Sunda y Jun e 25 t h e cad e di v isio n s held their annu a l Chur ch P a r a de for St. John 's Da y, conducted b y th e R e c to r of Wind s o r who is a lso Pre sid e nt o f o ur combined p a r e nt s' asso c ia ti on. In the afternoon ther e wer e aga in po lo duti es a nd all available memb e r s (both a dult and ca d e t) turned out t o help with th e a nnual coll ect ion that we ar e kindly a llowed to m a k e durin g the interv al. Thi s year it wa s for our N ew Ambulance fund , and th an k s t o t h e generosity of those present we man a ged to raise over £200.

Ye s, that was a wee k t h a t wa s !es p ecially for a band of vo lunteer s m os t of whom are eith e r in full -time emplo y m e nt o r a t school or co ll ege. M a yb e it m a k es you fee l breathle ss even to rea d of it. But, a s a ll St. John memb e r s ag ree wh e ne ve r th ey h a ve a week like th a t , we wouldn t chan ge it fo r th e world!

Since the celebration of our Centena r y I am p leased to say that we have rece ived a number of requests to ta lk to va r ious o rganisations a b o ut the work of St. J ohn Ambulance.

O ne of t he difficulties about such ta lks is having something v isual on which to form your talk. I know we have the ver y excellent Order film and we have used it to good effect on many occasions , but there are many time s when it is not suitable as the ba sis for certain types of ta l ks.

I wonder , therefore, if any thought has been given to producing a set of 35mm colour slides about our organ isation? Perhap s a set of about 36 frame s depi c ting all aspects of S1. John would be most useful and such a set could contain slides as follows: -

Our hi s tor y - the knights , Malta the Order 's Na v y , etc , and St. John 's Gate The Order 's ceremonial - variou s ceremonies , pa rades etc The Order s fo undation s - som e slide s about the Ophthalmic Hospital, the A ss ociation and Brigade s howing development o f uniform s a nd equipment as well as the range of activities we cover , with som e slide s referring to cadet activities . Perhaps also some slides showing charts of our ' structure ' might a lso be usefu l.

I am sure that such a set of s li des with associated notes for g u idance, wou ld be comparative ly cheap to produce, and would give a fl exib le and usefu l addition to a un it s publicity armo u ry.

Has a n yone a ny furthe r ideas?

Preston Corps Jeffrey J Benson

FIRST AID IN SCHOOLS

from John Springer. Divisional Super intendent F urth er to m y le tt e r in r ep ly t o M r. B. J Will iams letter (Ju ly R eview)

if he cares t o r ead t he a u t umn iss ue of t h e R OSP A magaz in e fo r schoo ls S afety Ed u cat io n ' he wi ll find a letter b y me wh ich sets o ut facts as well as opinions on t h is s ubj ect. Hudde rsfield Jo h n Springer

LOO KIN G BACK

from M L. G

Th e Lo n g Boat R a ll y on the Grand Un ion Canal at Boxmoor last Sep te m ber was a high lig ht of St. John Ambulance's Ce ntena r y Yea r as we ll as h e Queen's Jub il ee for o u r mem b ers of Hemel He m pstead

Ca d et Division. The weather was g lorio u s and the Tr u st land made an idea l setting , as t h e Fishery Stretch is a favourite m eeting place fo r wate r way e n t hu siasts , holiday folk and local people

O u r cadets were out, p ro u d ly assist ing t h eir officers o n public du t ies, a le r t, cheerful and wi lli n g

Th e ir new ac qu isition - a m in ibu s eme rgency v ehicl e d ona t e d b y kind fr iends - w as p arke d b es id e th e F is h ery I nn w ith th e ir e quipm e nt. T h e cade s, o b v iou s y h a pp y we re e nj oyi n g t heir opp o rtunit y for serv ce we a ring th ei r p ubl ic dut y slip -o n wi th t he la r ge bad ge of the Order

CAP TRI CK from George Cla rk Whi le agreei n g with Lt.- C ol. Dup o nt's

wearing of uniform (August

During t he Garter ceremony. Windsor Castle Photo Windsor Express)

BOOKS

FIRST AID IN THE HOME

Edited by Dr. Bernard Lucas

St. John Supplies Dept, 85p plus postage

First Aid in the Home is a new soft-back book from St. John Ambulance which is aimed at the public, especially housewives, mothers , and all those concerned with the care of the family. In view of the very high incidence of home accidents this programmed learning book sets out information on simple and effective first aid that can be given by anybody.

It is different from most books on first aid in that it deals with only those serious conditions when life is in danger and when delay in waiting for skilled help to arrive may be fatal. It also differs from other first aid books in that it does not use difficult medical terms.

The need for such a book cannot be doubted when it is realised that some 6,000 people die and 100,000 are admitted to hospital each year as a result of home accidents. These startling and appalling statistics , which indicate that there are nearly as many fatal accidents and probably as many non-fatal injuries at home as there are on the roads, were revealed la st November in the first report of the new Home Accident Surveillance System set up on the Consumer Safety Unit of the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection.

It is noteworthy that 73% of all inj uries in the home needing hospital treatment consisted of cuts and bruises , dislocations and fractures , sprains , burns and scalds.

It goes without saying, therefore , that every adult member of every family should know how to cope swiftly, effectively and safely with casualties in order to relieve suffering and even to save the life of those dearest to them.

The sole aim of First Aid in the Home is to ensure just that - and there can be little doubt that very many of those who study this book will be inspired to pursue the learning of first aid further by taking a full course with St. John Ambulance.

The book has been produced under the editorship of Dr Bernard Lucas, Assistant Chief Medical Officer of St. John Ambulance.

In a foreword, Miss Lesley Judd, ofBBC 's Blue Peter programme says, 'accidents minor or severe, always seem to happen to other people. "It could never happen to me" is a well known feeling. I'd like to think I'm never going to have to put my ability to cope to the test, but if I do have to I'll be grateful that it occurs tomorrow and not yesterday because today I spent some time reading

BOOI(S

through this book , and , because of its combination of simplicity and commonsense , a lot of information has sunk inready when it's most needed .'

SJA Guernsey Bulle tin

INJURY IN SPORT by John

Williams FRCS

Free from Bayer UK Ltd, Pharmaceutical Div, Haywards Heath, Sussex RH16 UP

This is an excellent handbook from the author of one of the standard texts on sports injuries. It is designed for sportsmen and their trainers but it will be of interest and use to the first -aider w ho does regular duty at sporting events.

The first chapter explains , in clear terms how injury occurs. The next discusses some factors which affect sports injuries and the third is an important guide to prevention. Then follows a relatively long but beautifully illustrated chapter on the damage that may occur to different tissues to be followed b y one which systematically discusses the injuries which may recur starting at the head and working down to the toes.

Finally there are concise chapters on first aid and treatment services.

The layout and type are exceIlent and there are fifty six illustrations all of which are directly relevant to the text. Finally the ind ex is clear and comprehensive.

The whole book can not only be read but studied in a weekend and can be recommended without hesitation

Dr. R. McL. Archibald

DICTIONARY OF SOCIAL SERVICES by Joan Clegg

The Bedford Press. Hardback £5, paperback £2.95; by post £5.40 and £3.25 from Bookpoint Ltd, 90 Blackfriars Road, London SEI 8JT

When we first joined the Association or Brigade as active members most of us were bemused by the medical terminology in our first aid course. It comes as a shock to di s cover that in our work in the communit y we shall also have to understand he 'language' of the Social Services.

It is therefore a relief to find in 'The Dictionary of Social Services' by Joan Clegg a definition of the term 'Designated Employment,' the level of responsibility of a Neighbourhood Worker' and the technical meaning of a 'Fo rmal Admission.' This little book is invaluable both to the new volunteer and to the old hand who may be elected to represent St. John on the local Council of Social Service or other Committees. The list

BOOI(S

of 'A bbreviati ons in common use in the Social Services' on page 144 is particularly useful.

Recommended to all Brigade Officers

S.P.

CHILD ABUSE

A Reader and Sourcebook edited by Constance Lee

Open University Educational Enterprises Ltd. 1978

This is a particularly valuable book not only for those involved in social work, such as medical practItIOners, health VISItors RSPCC inspectors, police and magistrates, but possibly should be considered s uitable material to teach in senior sc hool s in order that these students in their turn may become better parents

While it is a text book designed for the serious student it is eminently suitable reading for a much wide r aud ience with interest in this often neglected su bject.

T. J. C. Warriner, MA, MD

CHILD ABUSE

A Study Text edited by Vida Carver

Open University Educational Enterprises Ltd. 1978

While the praise that was given to Constance Lee's volume on this subject equally applies to this publication Child Abuse is intended more for the serious student. It shares the same qualities of stimulating interest and clarity of presentation , and the stu dent is advised to have access to both volumes. Again a winner.

T. J C. Warriner MA MD

HIPPOCRATIC WRITINGS

Edited by G. E. R. Lloyd Blackwell 1950. With additional material by Pelican Books 1978. £1.95

This is an up -to -date revision of the best of the Hippocratic Writings and on reading this intriguing volume one cannot help being fascinated by the painstaking observations of Hippocrates. Not only was his case history meticulous but some of his treatments are sound and valid to this day

T. J. C. Warriner, MA, MD

ACT NATURALLY by Bruce Hugman 1977, Bedford Square Press. £1.95

The author, Bruce Hugman, is 32 years old , and his experiences have been as a teacher , probation officer, administrator and farm labourer (I'm not sure quite in which order).

He now li ves in Kent on a communal agricultural sma ll -holding , and is a part-time teacher and writer. Has he escaped, I wonder?

The book ha s 95 pages, mainly abo ut work and experiences as a probation officer in Sheffield. The author starts by giving his opinions of the present general atmosphere of service to the community by the professionals. The main body of the book is devoted to the project he was involved in for Sheffield Probation Service called a ' detached pro bation project,' or perhaps it co uld be described as 'doing your own thing. He describes his own feelings and frustrations his methods of working and some achievements.

The last two pages are devoted to the implications and conclusions of the work during the project. He highlights the problems that he discovered during that time.

A short, easily read book which will confirm for many working in the field of community service the discoveries they have already made for themselves.

For me it poses a question; are we really trained for what we are doing? Perhaps another project is needed to decide that. An idea for competitors for the Welfare Cup , maybe?

Barbara Farnell

CANCER REHABILITATION

By Patricia A. Downie

Faber & Faber, 1978. Paper cover £3.25; cloth £6.75

P atric ia A. Downie ha s been superintendent ph ys iotherapi st at the Ro yal Marsden and London Chest Hospitals and rehab ilitation officer, The Marie Currie Memorial Foundation. Her experience with the treatment of cancer patients inspired her to write this book.

She shows that, with the skilful use of simple, practical treatments together with sound background knowledge, patients can achieve maximum independence. This is the goal for she states ' The quality of life however short is so much more important than extended surv ival at any price.' It must be borne in mind as well, howe ve r that 'every patient is an individual and no attempt should ever be made to neatly slot him into a type .'

The book gives a general background to can'cer with diagnostic methods of medical and surgical treatments outlined. A chapter on the philosophy of rehabilitation is a reminder to treat the person as a whole, not forgetting the emotional side. Much can be achieved with so und practical advice to enable the patient to come to terms with his diseas e and so to have the confidence to regain his place in society. Overlapping of the various roles of members of a closely

knitted health care team is necessary here.

All health care workers should familiarise themselves with the various early diagnostic and backup services available.

A chapter on the role of the physiotherapist in public education concerning cancer, points out how much help can be given in this way Physiotherapy treatment in the various forms of cancer are detailed and case histories given. These demonstrate how the treatment should be adapted to the circumstances and how close teamwork is essential. Perseverance is ,also important and the continuation of treatment, even over years, may be necessary for full rehabilitation. The precautions to be taken and the place of physiotherapy in the care of the terminally ill , are also discussed.

Two additional chapters on the nutritional and psychological aspects of cancer written by experts in their field , demonstrate the completeness of this book. Much information is also given by the photographs , extensive glossary, bibliography and the lists of useful organisations, homes, and hospices including those in the U.S.A. and Canada.

Miss Downie's positive , total approach is heartening and an encouragement to all concerned with the care of cancer patient s

V. Naish, MCSP

THE HEALER'S ART

by Eric J. Cassell

Published June 29 1978. Price £1.10

If this book does nothing else it should help the reader to understand the doctor 's problems in communicating. No doubt every patient has been hurt at some time by their doctor's apparent lack of communication in w hat to them is an important prob lem.

Physician s and surgeons are only human, even though they assume god-like characters when dealing with patients and their illnesses. It is this problem that this well written booklet so ably discusses.

T. J C. Warriner, MA MD

PARAPLEGIA

by Michael A. Rogers

Faber, paperback £2.95; hardback £4.95

A book written with feeling and experience of the problems paraplegics and their families encounter.

The first half of the book is devoted to the physical needs and problems of the paraplegic , the latter half with aids and equipment, also the facilities available both from s.tatutory and voluntary sources. The author gives useful tips to adapt standard household objects a nd sound advice in the chapter on returning to community living.

Invaluable information is given regarding wheelchairs and motor transport including useful addresses. Details on suitable hobbies and their societies is also helpful.

The book is useful for anyone dealing with or likely to deal with a paraplegic, in particular the paraplegic themselves and their families.

Barbara Farnell

NEW SEX THERAPY

by Helen Singer Kaplan Penguin. Price £3.95

A 500 page book on sexology is unlikely to find its way into many first -aid satchels! That aside, Professor Kaplan has written a text-book with wide coverage in an expanding field of psychiatry. Approximately half the book ' deals with therapeutics and the first half is an introduction via physiology and standard psychiatric practice and the aetiology of sexual dysfunction.

Each section is followed by a short bibliography which often refers to other standard text - books and rarely to original papers. Clinical examples are quotedrarely all with a favourable outcome, but there is an interesting chapter on the result of sex therapy which does not entirely bear out the author 's examples. There are several line drawings illustrating various therapeutic manoeuvres , which bear a resemblance to those in Alex Comfort 's The Joy of Loving.' It represents an excellent text-book and seems sure to find a place on book-shelves of doctors practising sex therapy and includes most of the previous standard work, ie. Masters and Johnson , while adding Professor Kaplan's experience.

Highlights for a casual reader are one or two play on words which mayor ma y not be intentional, 'Until recently the therapists in the field had to work empirically in the dark.'

Well , I would suggest to Dr. Kaplanit's a good start!

Barbara Farnell

This is an absolutely first class publication. It gives clean and concise instructions for every first aid emergency.

It is not meant to compete with the authorised manual of the S1. John Ambulance which is for the instruction of the professional first -ai der as it rightly does not attempt to outline elementary anatomy and physiology

A copy of' Help' should be in every home , hotel and holiday camp where trained staff are not available.

T. J. C Warriner, MA, MD

HELPI FIRST AID FOR EVERYDAY EMERGENCIES by Norman Bezzant; A. G. R. Bone, CStJ, AE, SEN; E. C. Dawson, MB, BS, OStJ; Catherine Stretton, SRN, RCNT; with foreward by Sir Hedley Atkins William Collins, 1978, price 95p

President Kenyatta of Kenya in h is robes as Knight of Gra ce of the Order ON TUESDAY, August 22 1978, at 20 minutes to 1 pm , the radios of Kenya started playing the national anthem. A few minutes later a voice announced in quiet and feeling tones that His Excellency Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, the President of Kenya was dead. He died peacefully in his sleep, at his home in Mombasa, at 3.30 am.

FAREWELL MZEE

The

people of Kenya mourn the Father of

the Nation

THE NEWS hit the country with real force, and, as it was with me , most people just could not believe it. This great man had always been with us, and, as people do , we all expected him to be always with u s. He was a part of Kenya, and how can a part of a country die? The whole country quietened , and the people went home to sit in silence, to try and digest , and come to terms with this sad and overwhelming news Mzee was brought up to Nairobi on the Tuesday, and was la id in state at State House. Then the people came. People from all walks of life, in their thousands to pay their last respects to this tremendous old man who had done so much for his country There he lay , surrounded by his family , his Government Ministers, his friends and his people. He lay there for seven days. To stand and watch the thousands upon thousands of people , who walked in orderly, silent grief, past this wonderful man, and paused to murmer a last farewell or a small prayer, was a sight I s hall never forget. Some, overcome by grief, had to be helped out.

Here I'd like to say how wonderfully the personnel of St. John Ambulance helped these people. It needed tremendous organisation to cover the large area at State House , and St. John Ambulance, directed by Mrs. Everard, the Executive Officer ,

managed to be wherever they were needed , without disturbing the sad, quiet respectful atmosphere. The co-operation of the ambulance doctors, nur ses, cadets and drivers, was really tremendous in this time of national grief.

People came from all over Ken ya, from all over the world. Heads of State, President s, Kings and Queens and ordinary people se nt their condolences to the people of Ken ya for the lo ss of the Father of their nation On Wednesday, August 30, Mzee was taken up to his home in Gatundu , for his people there to pay their last resp ects and say farewell.

At 8.30 am on Thursday the funeral cortege left State House to wend its way slowly down to Parliament Buildings , where Mzee was to be laid to rest in a beautiful mausoleum in the gardens. The cortege was accompanied by an escort of the Kenya Army , Air Force and Navy, and Mzee's casket was placed upon a gun carriage, followed b y his family , friends and mini ste rs, all moving at a s low pace to the music of the Kenya Army Band. It was a tremendously moving sight as the procession passed s lo wly down the streets of Nairobi, which were lined with thousands upon thousands of his people who had come from all parts of Kenya.

At Parliament Buildings, all the official guests were waiting, representing n ear ly all

oNTH ESP 0 T

by AIM len long, Blackburn Division

A crowd of twenty thousand, all crushed and packed and wild, Were thronging the arena, and their curses weren't so mild. They'd come to see a real tough game; they hoped to see some blood; Why should they mind their manners? It wouldn't do no good! And dotted all around the ground, wearing their black and white, Stood menfrom St. John Ambulance, well used to such a sight; While in the roomfor treatment, with no chance to view the game,

The Nursing Members waited, and they seemed to wait in vain.

The whistle blew, the game was on! Cheers camefrom either side!

The crowd was tense, excited, as 'Go on and shootl' they cried

When up thefield a sweeper ran, the ball glued to hisfeet, Dodging the/orwards and defence, the keeper last to beat.

The goalie concentrated on that man, and in aflash

He tackled him and cleared the ball, and both came down a crash.

The game was stopped, the trainer called, and on the field he ran,

While waitingfor his summons stood the nearest A mbulanceman.

The trainer beckoned him to come, and bring a stretcher too.

'Twas quickly brought, prepared and set, with/our men for a crew.

The rowdy mob/ell silent as they bore the man away,

All hoping he'd recover and again befilLO play.

This was just one of many of the duties of St. John, Who try to help the suffering, and hope to carryon

Helping the injured on the spot, without a thought of self, And knowing that ajob well done is worth much more than pelf. (Wealth).

the nations of the world. They waited in respectful silence, as did the huge crowd of people. The funeral service was a simple one and extremely moving. Ministers from many different religions said prayers over the casket of Mzee. There were also a few heartwarming speeches in praise and honour of Mzee.

As the casket was lowered into its final resting place, there was not a sound from the thousands of mourners. A 21-gun salute was fired and the buglers sounded 'The Last Post'. The people stood in silent grief, with tears pouring down their faces. Then the many, many wreaths were laid upon Mzee s grave, and people left quietly, giving their condolences to Mzee's beautiful wife, Mama Ngina, and also to the new President of Kenya, Mr. Moi.

Solution to the REVIEW puzzle

HIDDEN BONES

During the lying-instate: SJA members helping people who were overcome by grief. During the mourning period SJA personnel treated 5 000 people

Throughout this whole ceremony there were many first-aiders giving assistance to the people who were overcome by grief. St. John Ambulance did their job quietly, efficiently and willingly, and need to be praised for their good work. Throughout the entire period St. John personnel treated about 5,000 people, mainly for faints and emotional grief, and about 2,000 man hours

There are in fact 38 names of bones in our puzzle published in the July issue. They a re as follows:

Atlas Ilium Radius

Axis Incus Rib

Calcaneum Ischium Sacrum

Clavicle Lacrimal Scaphoid

Coccyx Lunate Scapula

Cuboid Malar Sphenoid

Ethmoid Maxilla Sternum

Femur Nasal Talus

Fibula Occipital Temporal

Frontal Parietal Tibia

Hamate Patella Ulna

Humerus Phalanx Vomer

Hyoid Pubis

The first correct entry opened was from Mrs C. M. Chapman, 32 Marina Avenue, Great Sankey, Warrington, Cheshire, who receives a free year's Review subscription.

were spent on public duty. They are to be thanked for their tremendous assistance during this national mourning for the loss of their beloved leader, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. They are also grateful to have been given the opportunity to show their respect and love for the Father of the Nation. J C.

Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

(Above) DEVON: A delighted Newton Abbot Nursing Division celebrating its 65th anniversary during

DURHAM:

for employers. (5). 12. Main nitrogenous constituent of urine. (4). 13. Plant giving carminative seeds (4) 15. Hormone of posterior lob e of pituitary gland used to assist labour. (8). 18, Mean in nurse (6). 20.

indicative of severe blood loss of acidosis. (3). 22. Noise made

Classified advertisements

Fre nch lessons on tape w ith b ooks, new £60. Want £35 ONO. Phone 01 235 - 523 1 ext. 16, 12.30 -4.30. Mrs. Jardine.

Mrs. M. ambulance wh ch ( Ph oto: is to be used as a Eve nin g mobile unit

b y the Charge Nurse before going ofT duty. (6). 24. Painful straining to empty the bladder or bo wels (8). 27. Authorising document for examination success. (4). 28. Abscess of eye lid in first year. (4) 29. Question to be resolved for one's progeny. (5). 31. British leap for opht halmic conditio n. (11). 32. Animal from 27 Across. (3). 33. An injured person will not shrink from being transported by this means. (9). 34. Peri o d ending in 1603. (5).

Down:

1. State of mind engendered by patter of a sick comedian? (3·6). 2. State frequently encountered in psychiatric medicine. (7). 3. After temperature requests items of work. (5). 4. Increased urinary output indica ti ve of diabetes. (8). 5. Animals weights. (6). 6. House in the hop fields. (4). 7. See in the mind s eye. (7). 8. Packs for control of epistaxis. (5). 14 May be locked by a torn meniscus. (4). 16. Part of course belonging to us. (4). 17. Egg of louse. (3). 19. He mixes up the prescriptions (9). 21. Sensory nerve terminal. (8) 23. He was the first to prove that diseases are ca u sed by Evin g organ isms. (7). 25. Condiment used as emetic and counter-i rr itant. (7). 26. Main dietary carbohydrate. (6). 27. Front part of innominate bone (5). 29. Ins ertio n by the t rendy people. (5). 30 Injection to an addict. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.9 (78)

Across: 1. A.ward; 4. E piphora ; 11. E li ; 12. Barium ene ma ; 13. Irked; 14. Tick ; 15 Lien; 17. Aneurysm; 20. Can.yon ; 21. Hog ; 23. Cut -ofT; 25. Warm bath ; 28. Root; 29. Wart; 30. Ray.on; 32. Luteinising; 33. Arc; 34. Surgical ; 33. Green.

Down: 2. Wrinkle; 3. Rabid; 5. P.a.unch; 6. Peep ; 7. Obesity; 8 A pain in t h e neck; 9. Medical c ircles ; 10. British; 16. Balm ; 18. R ife; 19. Mow 22. Gastric; 24. Trotter; 26. Amylase; 27. Saliva ; 30. Rig.or; 31. M ini

Crossword No. 8 (78): the winner (for the second month running) was Geoffrey Hunter, 34 Barber St. Macclesfield, Cheshire.

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News from Scotland p 263

News from Divi sio ns/ Centres p 264 EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Ed ited and produced for the Order of St John by Dris coll Pro du ctions. Wood Cottage. H igh Corner Butley Nr Woodbr dge SuHolk IP 12 3QF Phone Orford (Std 039 45) 548. Editor Frank Driscoll Advertis ng

AT RANDOM

Nottingham 1978

by Watkin W Wi lli a

ms

'NOTTINGHAM 1978' had a record attendance of 450 delegates plus another 30 persons comprising conference staff, HQ officers , speakers and other specially invited guests Among the latter we were particularly glad to welcome Herr Wulf Peltz of the J ohanniter Unfall Hilfe (West Germany), Div. Supts. Teresa Ward and G erard Shortall from SJA Eire and Div. Supt. J oyce Whyman from SJA New Zealand (see also p. 250). A really encouraging sign was that this year ' s numbers were swelled by a large number of delegates who had never been to Nottingham before but who , to judge by their enthusiasm , will certainly come again. B ut I wo ul d advise those who wish to come next year to apply as soon as possible after the list of applications is opened, for there were more than 30 disappointed applicants this year whose forms were received after the course was full and who were not lucky enough to pick up a casual vacancy later. As each year passes, a steadily increasing ingredient of the happy 'Nottingham spi rit' is the reunion that t h e conference provides for delegates from all over the co u ntry who first met on STA cruises or various overseas expeditions and to these may now be added those who first met on Outward Bound courses

After Col. Pat Adams's opening r emarks on the Saturday morning, the theme for syndicate disc u ssions was the contribution that St. John can make towards filling the gap between what th e State can provide for the community and what the comm unity needs to improve the q u ality of life for its elderly , handicapped or otherwise less fortunate members . Each of the 22 syndicates was given 100 minutes in which to consider the problems involved in a locality of their own choosing , and to plan in detail a project whereby St. John members (where possible including both adults and cadets) could make an effective contribution to the community caring team'. After coffee break there was a plenary session

at which the lead er s of t wo sy ndic a te s described their project s in de t ail and oth er sy ndicate leaders joined in the gener al discussion . M y personal impression w a s t h a t most of the p r oj ect s s h ow ed a r ea l understanding of th e ne ed and o f the w ays in which St. John can contr ibute to war d s satisfying it , and that the y wer e we ll thought out , enterprising imag ina tive practical and - from the St. John point of viewpract icable One speaker made t he import a nt point that we should not go it a lone but should act as catal yst s to in vo lve memb e rs of other organisations , clubs an d sch oo ls in working wi t h us as par t of the loc a l caring team Only t wo of th e 22 sy nd ica tes s ho we d sign s of having dug their to es in a nd dec id ed that welfare isn t for us, w e mus t stick t o conventional first aid and nur sing '. H ow the y manage to reconcile this poin t of view with our commitment to wo rk 'i n t he serv ice of mankind I find hard t o under stand ; bu t perhaps some of them beg a n dr agging t heir toe s o ut (a nd per h a p s e ven wi pin g so me egg ofT t heir face s) after hea r ing M iss I sa belle Granger s talk on Su n d ay m o rning -but o f that more anon!

Saturda y afternoon 's pro g r amme st art ed with the quite ex cellent 25- minut e film ' Outward Bound ', sho win g boys an d girls taking part in the ve ry t oug h ad vent ur ous cou rses a t Es kd al e, an d giving some of t heir reactions to that im men se ly cha lleng ing experience. I'm told that an eve n better film called ' Whither Bound ?' al so exist s, bu t t hat it was not chosen on this occ a sion be ca use it s hows no girls among t he trainees! Either o f these two film s can be o bt ained for local showing on applic a tion to M rs . P Chandl e r, A von House , 360 Oxford Street , Lo nd o n WIN 9HA , and I s trongl y re com m end you to try to get one of them next time you ar e having a divisional film sho w, or for evenin g

relaxatio n at yo ur next advent ur o us training cou rse in le ade r s hip. Co l. Adams an no u nced th a t he is in p rocess of booking o ne Out ward

Bo und co ur se in 1979 e ntir ely fo r St. Jo hn

ca d et s age d 14 to 16, and a no he r for St. J o hn mem bers in th e 16 to 19 age-group. Bu t if yo u r e a lrea d y 20 or over, don't despair!

T he re a re othe r O utward Bou nd courses arrange d s pecia ll y fo r you, t ho ug h not spec ia ll y for St. Jo h n; detai ls can be o btained from yo ur lo c a l Outward Bound Assoc ati on , bu t if yo u ca n 't run it t o eart h a nd th in k yo u have n' t got o ne, Co l. Adams a t St. J o hn A mbul ance HQ in London wi ll be a bl e to pu t you in to uch.

The d evastation a nd loss of life caused by heavy ta n kers overt u rning on the roads and s pillin g their leth al loads of exp losive, i n flam m a bl e, poisonous or corrosive

c he m ica ls has bee n a ll too tragically in the news th is year. O ur next sess ion was a talk on th is su bj ect b y Station Officer J. Smith and Asst. C hi ef O fficer M. Doherty of the Lo ndon Fire Brigade, illustrated by a film and s li des. The BP Chemicals film 'HAZCHEM' demonstrates and explains the use of t he 'Hazchem Sca le which, together w i t h the words 'WARNING HA Z CHEM' a p pears against an orangeye ll ow background on a large plate fixed to the rear o f tankers carrying dangerous li q uids and o n the doors of sheds where they are stored. All firemen carry in their pocket a small card wh ich gives them the clue to any combination of figures and letters shown on the Hazche m Sca le (see illustration). Thus, if t he Hazc he m pl ate on the back of a tanker is mar ke d '2XE', a fireman, by conSU lting h s ca rd , can inte r pret this to mean: 'Contro l wit h fog eq uipm ent or, failing that, a fine s pr ay; wea r full body -protective clothing i ncludi n g breathing apparatus; prevent s pillage from entering drains or water cou rses; i n case of do u bt evacuate imm edi ate vi ci nity as a first pri or ity.'

Notes for G.uidance FOG

The fina l session of the day, on a less gr uesome subject, was a very interesting and entertaining ta lk entit led 'Is Leadersh ip a Respectab le Occupation?' by Peter J. Prior, Chairman of H. P. Bulmer Ltd. Mr. Prior , h aving confessed that he didn't know the Hazchem symbol for said that a leader's first two tasks were to build up his team and to clarify his objectives, and he summed up , as the six most important q ua ities of a leader, that he (1) must be ident ifiab e, (2) must be able to communicate and to reassure , (3) must remember to dispense praise whenever possib le, (4) must be prepa red to reform and reject any traditions that are outworn, (5) must not be too 'earnes t ', and (6) must achieve what he set out to do.

Some of the delegates expressed, in the course of conversation , their puzzlem ent about what some of the s peaker s and subjects in the conference programme had to do with St. John. My own answer to thi s is that if you listen to an acknowledged le ader talking about his own field of leadership, you receive a fir st- hand demonstration of some of the qualities that made him a le ade r and of how he uses them; this object-lesson is in itse lf both interesting and instructiv e, and, with luck , some of those qualities may rub off onto those who experience it. Ther e were three such talks in this year's progr amme, of which I thought Mr. Prior 's the most outstanding; but what impre ssed me most was the way in which all three speakers handled, and in at least one case disarmed, their questioners with a rare combination of courtesy, tact and conviction.

We left the conference room to have dinner and enjoy the Saturd ay night dance which is always a highlight of the weekend.

Amazing vitality

On Sunday morning, following an interde nominational service, with address, cond ucted by the Revd. Leslie Morley (C of E C hap lain to the University), we were treated to an experience the like of which I don't think I've ever encountered anywhere. It was a ta lk entitled 'Life on the Fringe' by Miss Isabelle Granger, w ho in the course of a brilliant career in education becamebecause she is essentially a person who cares -t he friend, counse ll or and gui de of tho usands of confu sed, c ri mi n a l and d owntrodden o u tcasts from society, and has now for many years worke d vo luntari ly to he lp prisoners wives, unmarried mothers and backward chi ldren in South London, particu lar ly Peckham.

I wish I could reproduce her talk, and yet I'm g lad I ca n't, for to reduce it to co ld print wou d be li ke s howing he score of a sym ph o n y to someone who wanted to hear it played by a bri ll iant orc h estra conducted by a maestro Her vital ity was amazing, for she

is of an age not to mind one's referring to the fact that s he is elderly, and she had only recently recovered from a nearly fatal illness. For almost an hour she kept us alternately plitting our sides with laughter till it hurt and sitting in total sile nce while she spoke with the most deeply moving pathos. Just one of her 'asides' may perhaps bring back memories to so me of our readers - Have yo u ever see n a pig wearing a panama hat ?' But what came through most of all was that s he was essentially a person who cared, and I know we were all inspired to emulate her cari ng concern fo r those' on the fringe'; for wherever we may live, there's always a fringe somewhere near at hand, even if we are alas too blind to see it.

It was certainly the first time for many years, perhaps the first time ever, that a speaker at Nottingham was accorded a standing ovation, and it could not have been better deserved. O,!e of those present remarked to me 'She made Joyce Grenfell sound like an amateur'; even more important, she made us feel that there's a big job wait ing for us to perfor m - on the fr inge.

Any speaker who fo ll owed Miss Granger had an impossib le task, and I felt sorry for Sir Kenneth Newman , Chief Consta bl e of t he RUC, who spoke on ' Policing a Violent State', for he was undoubtedly a good speaker, and apart from the factual interest of his talk, he was anot her of t hose w hose ev ide nt capacity as a leade r seemed to me to ' rub orr and it's hearte ning to know that t he RUC are maki ng steady progress in getting a ll sections and in terests among the

AT NOTTINGHAM

community working together constructively, also that they are now running 170 Blue Lamp Discos' which some 17,000 young people from all sections of the community are regularly attending.

In the afternoon Mr. Jim Hogan a Council Member of the Outward Bound Trust , gave us some background to the film that we had seen the day before. Outward Bound was the pre -wa r d ream-child of Kurt Hahn, Headmaster of Gordonstoun, and started as a 4-week intensive pre -service training in survival at Aberdo vey. But the by-products proved far greater than the original object for those taking part showed quite amazing development in their powers of confidence, co-operation and leadership, and it was for this reason that the courses were later adapted for young people in a peacetime community. More recently, a new range of 'Ci ty Challenge' courses have been started, in which really constructive work with people 'on the fringe' has been added as a further ingredient of the programme.

O u r last guest speaker was Lt. -Gen, Sir Antho n y Fa rrar-Hock ley, a sold ier wit h a wide experience of leade r ship in many fie lds, in peace as well as in war. The s ubject of his talk was 'Which Way is t he Wi nd Blowing?

Eac h generation, he sa id, takes a short-term view of life, and we all turn into ourselves too much. 'The State wi ll organise,' we say, 'so w h y bother , ch u m? Th ere's a good programme on t he te ll y to night, a nd I s h a ll mow the law n to morrow.' Bu t th at line of t hought res ul ts in stagnation , and if we want to live fruitful and rewar d ing lives we must

somehow contrive to turn away from ourselves and accept the challenge. The wind is blowing in our faces.

In summing up. General Peter Leuchars warned us that in an organization so richly steeped in history and tradition we must guard against resistance to making changes suited to the times in which we live, and he gave as an example the need for involvement in community welfare. We must try not to say This is new, therefore it is bad,' but. rather 'Even if the suggestion comes from London HQ. there may be something it it!' He said that as our new Commissioner-inChief there were three things on which he wished to concentrate: (1) A better standard of first aid and nursing making our training more interesting, more exciting. with better instruction and more incentive to advance. And he urged delegates to study this matter during the winter and forward their views to H Q through counties. (2) More efficient fund raising. The public is pretty willing and able to give us money if we ask in the right way . but we are very bad at asking. For example. n 1977 we raised a pa ltry £7.000 through the facilities generously given to us for co ll ecting in Odeon cinemas, while another organisation given p r ecisely simila r facilities raised £50.000. (3) For each division to have a home of its own, with all necessary means fo r technical training, but at the same time comfortable, with a happy atmosphere, and plenty of scope for social activities. And fi n ally, speaki ng in admi r ation of the Notti ng ham spi r it', he said: Take that spirit home with you, plant it, water it. and make it grow, for it's a er:l' good spirit.'

(Above) Mr Gerald Easton (Ass!. C-in-C), Gen Peter Leuchars (Cin-C) , Col pat Adam s (Co nference Chairman), Dr Tudor Powell Jones

(Above) Mr. Derek Fenton (Commissioner, London) Mr. Bryan Molloy (Commissioner, Humberside ), Group-Capt. John Siessor (Sec. Overseas Relations)

Photos by Herr Peltz. of Johanniter Untall Hilfe

(Left) Miss Helen Gribble (Assr. Chief Nursing Offr .), Mrs. Iris Fento n (Div. President ), Lady Moyra Browne (Supt.in-C) ( Right ) Miss Frances Smyth (Cty. Staff Officer Cadets Notts), Wing-Cdr. Tom Fazan (Chief Staff Officer)

ON July 31 the third overseas trip for younger Brigade members - following the very successful expeditions to Western Australia New Zealand and Hong Kongtook off for Canada to spend 3 weeks in Alberta as guests of the Brigade in that province, and to spend the first two weeks assisting our Canadian colleagues with fir s t aid duties at the Commonwealth Games in Edmonton.

I was fortunate enough to be asked by the C-in-C to lead the party , which consisted of 20 Brigade members , 10 young men and 10 young ladies. Each represented a different county and none had previously met each other. It had been a difficult task selecting the party from the large number of names put forward by the County Commissioners recommendation, but as it turned out we were fortunate in not only picking a group who got on well together but also made the most of the many opportunities for both carrying out first aid duties and taking some part in the organisation o f the Commonwealth Games - as well as having a lot of fun! The age range was from 18 to 25 years.

Describing long air journeys is as boring as making them , but our party left London Airport in torrents of rain after many delay s and eventually reached Edmonton after midnight, local t ime , but a s they are 7 hour s behind London it was 9 o'clock in the morning, London time We had had a br ea k in Toronto en route where we were gleefull y informed that all the bre wer ies in Alberta were on strike. But this unwelcomed news caused only a slight s etback to the high spirits of the party.

from the sites at all hours, expert briefing before each duty, and whenever necessary, canteen facilitie s were provided. The Operations Centre controlled all these activ it ies.

You may have see n o n TV t h e exce ll ent faci li ties that had been built for the Games, and it was sp lendid to see a very friendly family contest held in suc h surroundings. Every faci lity was provided for the different spo rt s, and we were filled with admiration for the work which had gone into the Games and the successfu l outcome of the efforts.

The Games Authorities insisted that a standard jacket be worn by all first-aiders, so we did not wear Brigade uniform but a smart wh it e nylon jacket with a black collar, which prominently displayed both the Commonwealth Games insignia and the badge of the Order.

To Edmonton

to help cover Games

We had expected on arrival to b e billeted in the homes of Brigade members in Edmonton, but were fortunate to ha ve b een found accommodation in the residence of the Oblate Mi ss ionary Fathers w ho train mis s ionary bro t hers for work n t he backwood s with Indians and Es kimo s in Canada and in some of the r emote r par ts of South America. We were made very welcome by the se fine people, give n the most comfo rt able accommodation in the rooms occu pied by t he students during the winter months , and ge n e r a ll y made to feel very much at home. This ar r angement had t h e advan tage of keeping our party together so that we we re abl e to get to know eac h other very quickly, and it m a d e it much eas ier to arrange transport to the Games and so on.

Our quarters included comfo rt ab le sitting r oo m s, a tel evisio n room and library, and meals were provided. We really h ad a wo nd e rfu l time in these surroundings, perfect fo r o ur purpose, a nd we sha ll always be more than gra teful to Father Bernard and Brothers Glen and Ho b y w h o did so much fo r us.

The first aid duties at the Commonwealth Games we sha red with our Canadian colleagues, and each member of our party was accredited to three of the eleven different venues where the athletic events took place. Teams were posted daily for each venuesome of the duties requiring u s to report by 6 in the mornin g and others going on until midnight. It had all been superb ly organised by the Brigade, including transpo r t to an d

s ucces s by winning the rame prize at the Commonwea lth Dance , which consisted of a 'Texas Mickey ', or one and half gallons of Johnny Walker w hisky, which required a taxi to ca rr y it home to the Oblate Fathers!

After a farewell picnic by the lake at Fort Scot, where 'we were so kind ly entertained yet once more , we all left for Calgary for a few days as guests of Brigade members there for week, before returning to England on August 21. We enjoyed a number of socia l occasions and the highlight was a full da y spent visit in g the Rocky Mountains, Banff and Lake Loui se, whe r e the stagge ring scenery takes one's breath away.

hosts to go to the Obser vation Tower in the city, which is some 700 feet high with a restaurant at the top from which there is a marvellous view for miles around.

We had to catch the bus back to Edmonton at noon on the Sunday the first of seve ral sad farewells to our hosts who had lavished so much hospitality on us. They are wonderful people

The British party completed nearly 1000 hours of first aid duty without any outstanding occurrences, although there were a number of causalties in the stadium on the first day, which was very hot. sunny and windless. This was the day when Her Majesty the Queen declared the Games open amidst very great excitement, and there were a number of cases of fainting. The Queen had a wonderful reception from the crowds, not only at the Games but in the city. and those of us on duty during her 'walk-about' in the down - town area were able to see how warmly she was received and how lovely she looked.

Other highlights of the two weeks spent in Edmonton included a tour of the Legislative Assembly buildings and a reception by the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, who as a matter of interest is a full - blooded Cree Indian Chief - he very kindly posed for pictures for all our party's cameras! We also visited the Lieutenant - Governor's mansion. Fort Edmonton, which is a reconstruction of the original Hudson's Bay trading post and fort at Edmonton; and the Athletes' Village, where all contestants were housed under very s trict security arrangements. We were entertained by the Provincial Commissioner, Dr. Stewart Smith, and his wife at their home, and in return entertained some of the Brigade members in Alberta both to a sp lendid lunch, prepared by the ladies of our party, and to an evening party by courtesy of the Oblate Fathers at their residence. We were hono ured during our stay in Edmonton to have with us for most of the Games the Chief Commissioner in Canada, Miss Yvette Loiselle, who is the first lady to reach this top rank in the Brigade. She took the trouble to get to know all the members of our party, and also took u s on a most interesting industrial visit to some of the big plants of h er company in Edmonton.

While there were no first aid competitions organised to provide us with a challenge, Donald Beck, from Kent, achieved a notab le

Another interesting day was spen t at the Heritage park in Calgary, where a number of o ld buildings have been re-erected to form an old Western town. There is the added attraction of a Canadian Pacific Railway s te am train in full working order which takes one around the park.

There were a number of other celebrations with our kind hosts, and towards the end of the week the Brigade in Calgary gave a dance for our party at their splendid new Headquarters building (which includes two sq uash courts !).

Calgary is a very prosperous, modern city. and the s hop s provided plenty of opportunities for buying presents and souvenirs to take home. Cowboy boots were popular and the number of cowboy hats in the party also increased as the week went by!

On our last evening in Calgary, it was agreed that we should have a farewell dinner on our own and this was arranged in a restaurant called The Red Carpet', where we all enjoyed for the last time more of those delicious Western Canadian steaks It was a very pleasant wind-up to a most enjoyable week, after which most of the party went to a disco while some of us joined our Canadian

LUCKY DIP

Prince Charles picks the winning tom bola ticket at the 'After the Races' party held at Winkfield in aid of the St. John Council for Berkshire.

Combined Division s Supt

Mrs. T. J. Bristow opened the tambola drum.

(Photo: Maidenhead Advertiser)

The take-off from Edmonton Airport on Monday morning was at an early hour, but in s pite of that a large number of our good friends had come out to see u s off, as well as the redoubtable Brothers Hoby and Glen from the Oblate Fathers. It was a sad party on the aircraft for the first part of the flight to Toronto, where we had a wait of several hours. But we were flattered to get a visit from two senior members of the Brigade in Ontario , who came out and had tea with us. Befo re we took off that evening for England, the Toronto evening paper announced that the brewery strike in Alberta had been settled and the workers had returned that day. Just our luck!

We were delivered safe and sound and on time at Heathrow early on the morning of August 22, having had the experience of a lifetime. Our party had not only worked hard and played hard, getting every ounce out of all they did. but they proved their stamina with a minimum of sleep for three weeks! Everyone made new and lasting friendships, and the opportunity of seeing something of the wonderful Canadian West, the prosperity and the high standard of living, and the kindliness and warmth of the people will undoubtedly draw some members of the party back to Canada, and perhaps some of them to settle there. We can only thank all our friends in Alberta for allowing us to come and lend them a hand.

Alan McKay SO to C -m- C

Staff Officer Alan McKay , who led the UK party , p resents a Brigade plaque to the Lt. Governor of Alberta.

ON SATURDAY Jul y 22 w e t ravelled to camp b y bus. The journe y took 7 hour s because we had so m a ny pick up points in Derbyshire and proved rather tiring as we all tended to keep to ourselves , not knowing each other at this stage. On arrival at camp we had a huge meal , erected our sleeping tents and were introduced to the camp stafT and the rest of the camper s (or should I sa y Adventurers) before being briefed on w hat to expect during the next se v en days Afterwards there was just enough time for a look round Lythe and Sandsend before bed at 11 pm.

Most of liS slept quite well and were adequately refreshed for Mr. Collington's talk on adventure activities within Derbyshire. After coffee it was Mr. Alvis turn to talk to us on emergency procedures and rescue operation s, with a practical session on various types of stretcher ie the Furley , Neil Robertson , Orthopaedic Scoop , and pole and canvas stretchers etc. We found this most enjo y able and extremel y interesting. After a picnic-t y pe lunch durin g which there was an emergency fire drill w hen we were told that the next t i me the fire alar m sounded it would be serious and not merel y a practice ( we should have taken this as a hi nt of what was going to happen that night) , we were free to spend the afternoon in Whitby E veryone enjoyed exploring the narro w streets of Old Whitby and see in g the r uin s of the Abbey with its 199 steps up to it. We went back to camp and a delicious traditional Sunday dinner.

After dinner an obstacle course h a d b ee n prepared from tables and benche s We w ere split into two groups and then had to carr y a stretcher , complete with pati en t (Whom we had to lash on) under t he benches over the tables and finally we had to de v s e a method of getting the stretcher o ver an 8 foot high wall. The army , who were camping near b y, joined in with their own teams a nd later were invited to our marquee for a drink and a game of charades until about 10.30. The rest of the evening was spent socialising. Bed time at 11 pm came all too soon. But most of us talked for another hour or so in our sleeping bags , to regret it later when at about 1 am the fire alarm sounded. We all reported in variou s states of undress , to the Fire Assembly Point for a roll call. We were then ushered into the marquee in our pyjamas with the exception of Keith Underwood, a Scarborough lad, who sported only a pair of blue and red underpants. We were-told that six people were lost on the moors and we had to mount a search and rescue operation. We were gi ven five minutes to get dressed and draw s tores from the equipment officer but it was not until just before we were leaving the camp site that we were told we would receive no help from the staff. It was then that we realised that this was an exercise. The moors were combed

Derbys hire Youth Adventu re Camp

'Having run cadet camps for many years : writes David Tr av is, Derbys hire's CSO (Ambulance Cadets), 'this year I decided to ho ld a youth camp for 16year-olds plus. Here's a report I received from one of th e girl s in camp. Oth er counties may be interested in running a similar camp .'

The camp, held at lythe, Whitby, North Yorkshire, during the last week of J uly , comprised 15 young 'adventu rers' and seven staff . and six y oung m e n we r e g iv en e m e r ge n cy aid before being c a rri ed , lowe r e d o r ra ise d , and returned to a c o lle ctio n po in that we had set up Th e ir injuri es v ar ied fr om a s prained ankle to a fra ct ur ed s pin e A th e 3 a m de - briefin g, over a cup o f h o t so up , ev e ryone agr eed th a t thi s had bee n a new and enjo y able experienc e an d that w e re a ll y had learned a lot fr o m it. And so t o be d a t 3 30 am.

After the next day's 'Little stroU' (to quote Mr. Maughan) of about 14 miles along the Cleveland Way, most of us were ready for bed rather than going to Scarborough that evening to the Ken Dodd Show. After we had dragged ourselves up the theatre stairs to the 'gods ', we were too drowsy to complain about the heat and the smallness of the seats, but from the moment that Daddy bounded onto the stage with his goofy teeth and endless jokes everyone came alive. As well a Ken Dodd and his lovely little diddymen from Scarborough, there were dancers, a singer. an impressionist, and a coup le with a Chinese 'B lack Theatre ' who kept us enthralled with their magic carpet and s nake charming.

A ix-hour fishing trip had been arranged for Wednesday morning but, because of bad weather, it was impossible to get to the quay on time But those who should have gone fishing were g lad of the extra time to prepare for the evening hike. Wednesday afternoon and evening were compulsory rest periods.

At 9 pm we left camp in the coach for Sheepwash carpark at Osmotherley, from where we started our 42 mile hike so h at we co uld become Lyke Wake Walk 'Dirgers'. Nineteen of us and two dogs (Sheba and Beau) began the walk, but three and the two dogs dropped out at the first five - mi le stop.

T h e n ext m o rn i n g, after dr agging o u rselves o u t o f bed, we had p r ayers, break fast and in u nifor m we r e taken to M ulg r ave Cast le to meet Warra n t Officer Pete r Yo un g, from RAF Fy lingda e, who gave u s a seve r e m o rnin g of 'sq u are b as hin g' Wh e n it was o ve r h e t o ld u s w h ere a nd h o w we co uld im pr ove o u r dr ill and a lth o u g h he was ce r tainly not ve r y n ice w hil s t h e was dr illin g u s, he was q ui te p leasant to c h at to afte r wa rds. Afte r lunc h the afte rn oo n was given to o ri e n tee rin g t heo r y wit h M r Ma u g h an. We we r e s h ow n h ow o u se a g ri d map a nd a s il va compass a nd a ll the equipm e n t nee d ed for a f u ll day's wa lk. A so h ow to m a ke a route card, which we produced for our own Lyke Wake Wa k. This work went towards the proficiency award in Advanced Map Readi n g and Orienteering , which only th ree of our 'Adventu r ers' rece ived. After dinner, at about 9.30 pm we were taken up to S le ig h ts Moor where , eq u ip ped with silva compass and map w ith s x points marked , togethe r with a clip card, we had to find ou r way ove r the moor and clip our cards at the various marked points. Keith Underwood. Kieth O'Brien and Pau l Jackson were the only three to complete the whole course and find a ll the clips. The rest of us found about fou r points a nd t hen made our way back to the check point as it was getting late. A thoroughly good evening and bed time came at about 2 am.

A lthough some said they would have to drop out at the next stop, no one did. I think this was because of the love ly hot ch icken soup provided for us by the wonderful backup leam. At the next stop, a further ten miles, breakfast was p r ovided. Co ld baked potatoes , cheese, hard boi led eggs and baco n were wo lfed down by the wa lkers. Fo ur people d r opped out h ere a nd we r e taken back to camp by the Quartermaster's son w h o was running a re lay service between the

Nursing Cadet Al son Braidley. of Cha ddesden Nursing Cadet Divis ion - who wrote this article - after finishing the 42-m ile Lyke Wake Walk

back - up team and the camp site. The next twelve miles we r e very boring. A heavy mist came down an d the scenery changed very little We then had three stops at four-mile intervals, where there was plenty of tea , orange juice, chocolate biscuits, fruit and cake. One boy dropped out because of cramp (not of the stomach!) T he last ten miles proved the most difficult for the eleven walkers left. The television mast at R avenscar , the end of the walk, seemed to get further away the nearer we got to it. B li sters and aching muscles did their best to slow us down , but the slowest time turned out to be 18 Y2 hou r s. Not bad ,' said Mr. Maughan.

After signing the 'Dirgers Book' at a local tea shop, everyone fell asleep in the cars that took us back to camp, where there we r e congratulations from the Commandant and then lovely hot showers (home-made variety). On

photo should

CADET TO RESCUE

Nursing cadet Linda Williams , 15 , was certainly true to our motto - for the service of mankind - when she came across a mother and child in a ctistressed state in a Bristol park.

Linda, who has recently transferred to Avon from Cheshire established that the small boy was suffering from a severe asthmatic attack and the mother was too distressed to cope with the neces sary injection to relieve his suffering.

Linda, who is diabetic, so conversant with administrating her own insulin, confidently injected the small boy, calmed the mother , gave her tea from her flask and stayed with her until the crisis was over.

A letter was later received from the mother expressing her congratulations on the excellent training cadets are given, and what a credit Linda is to our organisation.

When Linda was asked about the incident she said "I only gave the injection and calmed the mother down - it was as simple as that".

Linda hopes to follow in her father's footsteps and become a doctor.

Avon - we all - congratulate you, Linda.

ACTION PACKED

Demonstrations in casualty make - up bedmaking and the formation of the St. John Cross by use of bandages, together with displays of training aids , hand-made models, community welfare activity photographs and Renishaw Park Colliery ambulance cadet band, were I hear included in the action packed VISit to Derbyshire by the Commissioner-in-Chief, Major General Peter Leuchars.

During his visit, the first to Derbyshire since his appointment , Major-Gen. Leuchars met County, Area and Divisional officers and members and saw the demonstrations and displays arranged by Corps officers and members.

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN

After meeting County Presidents , members of St. John Council and County staff at the Matlock County Headquarters, the C-in-C visited Shirebrook Colliery headquarters where he presented a 45 years service certificate to retired Shirebrook divisional officer Sidney Drabble.

He also took the opportunity to see Nursing Cadet Supt Mrs Marylyn Smith simulate an open frac t ure on l2- year old Shirebrook cadet David Wilkinson and watched a nursing cadet quiz team in action.

At Arkwright Town headquarters he was shown a film of ' B' Corps activities before visiting other St. John centres in the County. He was accompanied on his comprehensive tour by County Commissioner David Jenkins.

FROM DOWN UNDER

All who attended Nottingham will have spotted a very smart light grey uniform jacket and skirt, and many will ha ve had the pleasure of meeting its wearer Mrs Joyce Whyman, Divisional Superintendent of the Dunedin Nursing Division , Otago District New Zealand.

Joyce Edwards joined the Br igade in 1949 as a nursing cadet in the Addiscombe N ! C Division (East Croydon) and in 1956 she was promoted to the Addiscombe Nursing Division where her superintendent was Miss M. A. Neville-Kaye, who recently became District Superintendent , London District in

(Left) The C-inC presented ret ired Sh irebrook D O Sidney Drabble with h is 45 years serv ice ce rtific ate on a recent Visit to SJA

Der bys hire

Se e sto ry ACT ON PACKED

BY THE EDITOR

success ion to Mrs. Hoadly - and what a wonderful reunion they had at Nottingham!

In 1960 Jo yce married Derek Whyman a young scient i st who h ad ju s t been awarded a d octora te in chemistry and Mrs Joyce Why man. from New Zealand appointed to a 2 -yea r research post in Vancouv er. So the newly - weds set off for British Columbia, w h ere J oyce joined a very li ve' nur s ing division in Vancouver. On their re t urn in 1962 s he continued h er Bri gade se rvice (so far as the arrival o f two infants permitted) , fir s t by a short s pe ll wi th the Teddin gton N ! D and then a longer spell with t h e Addlestone N ! D, until Derek accepted a post as se ni or lecturer at Otago University. So they again mi grated to the ot her s id e of the wo rld (but in a difTerent direction) this time acco mp a ni e d b y R o bin a n d Gillian, both of whom are now cadets, and J oyce joined the Dun e din Nursing Di vision o f

(Below) The new Commander of Buckingham shire Col. R Payn e, who was formerly London District s Deputy Commissioner, getting to know 12 Grand Prior 's Badge ho lders of High Wycombe Nursing Cadet Div is ion at their recent AGM The Division has one m ore badge to be awarded - making a total of 15 GP 's badges in a year. Is this a record] (Photo: Geoff Gomme, Ay les bury )

MIND BENDERS

Find the Ilrst flld word or \Iords in the cluc. Thc numher nrlctlCr\ In the an<;lI'cr is givcn.

I. Pri,on accommodalioll (5) Alben with bone s it secms. (6.5)

:1 3 dircctlon, around a Ievcl'. (4)

4. LOllie's pig (in a nap). (10)

Answers: down - are at the bOllom or page 252.

wh ich she was a pp ointed s uperint endent in 1971. They are now back hom e on a yea r 's sabbatica leave, during whic h Derek is working at Bri sto l Unive rs it y, and Jo yce h as become attached to the Bishop s ton Combined Divi sion and is also helping with the Bri s tol (South) N C Division of which Gillian is a memb e r On a recent family visit to St. John s Gate the y e merged from the Supplie s D e p a rtm en t in torrential rain and J oy ce pro tec ted her head with a St. John scarf that she had just bought , whereupon Rob in exclaimed ' Now you really have got St John on the brain, Mum - just like we 've always said!'

The Dun edin Ambulance Divis ion was the very fir st Brigade division to be registered (December 1892 ) outside the British Isle s; it s re gis trati on marked the foundation of what came to be known as the Brigade Ov erse as ', and it now ha s an unbroken record of 86 years' service. Its formation was soon foll owe d by that of the Dunedin Nursing

JERSEY

Di v ision, re giste r ed in April 1895, as the second ove r seas nur s ing unit of the Brigade , and today it is the senior sur v iving overseas

Nur s ing Division in the world with an unbroken record of 83 years' service, and it is of this divis io n that Joyce has been s uperintendent for the past 7 years

Speaking of her experience of the Brigade in D une din , Joyce remarked: 'We tr y to work as a big happy family , and to th is end we have a Combined Cadet Division under joint care and a very large number of c ade ts Both adult divisions have increased their number s in the past few years and I hope we are a good go-ahead unit in which p eo ple enjoy working.

RECORD SEMINAR

More than 140 people from all parts of the country recently took part in a record seminar of lay instructors held at Whitelands College in S.W. London Assembling on Frida y Sept 15 - under the auspices of London district's Association of La y Instructors - this fifth seminar covered an ambitious which began at 10 15 on Saturda y morning. Undoubtedly of great interest and use to all instructors. two of the five sessions on that da y captured everyone's attentionEmergency Childbirth by Miss Daphne Cooper SRN. SCM, of Pembury Hospital in Kent, and Facts about Fits by Mrs Rita Udall , the national organiser of the Epilepsy Association.

After dinner the opportunity was provided by a cheese and wine party for everyone

When the time comes for her to return down under ', we hope she will take with her our congratulations and good wishes to all our fellow members of the St. John family in Dunedin , and tell them that we are proud of their achievement and are tr y ing back home to maintain our standards and extend our se rvice in a way that will make them proud of ours.

(Above) CEO (Training) Stan Aylott opening the national conference for lay instructors held in London during September. (Right) The record number of dele gates, who came from all pa rts of the country. See story RECORD SEM IN AR (Photos: Norman Coomer)

The Grand P or. the Duke of Gloucester. was the revieWing officer a; SJA Jersey's Golden Jubilee parade. and here pronounces Capt Alec McFadyen a Knight of Grace of the Order. Capt McFadyen retired as Commander, Jersey, last June after 48 years service. Mrs McFadyen was conferred Dame of Grace of the Order. (Photo: Reg C. Queree)

(Left) Officer reunion at No 3 Corps. N. Notts. inspect on with Assistant Area Commissioner O. T. Storrs and flag party. See story MERRY-GOROUND

from ninete e n counti es t o ge t toge the r a nd sw ap ya rns a nd e xperi e nc es of m u u a l inter es t ; th e Cou ntie s cove r ed t he countr y fr o m Cle vel a nd in t he no rt h to K ent in th e

S E and C o rnw a ll in t he S.W. T rul y a representati ve gather ing of t he co untr y's lay inst r uctors. (I wonder w hy there wa s no one from Su ssex ?)

Sunda y' s pr og ramm e st ar ted with a n excellen and comprehen siv e lecture b y Dr. Roy Arc hibald , who is not only Depu ty Chie f Medical Office r o f the C oa l Bo ard bu t also Deput y Sur g eon -in- Chi ef o f th e Brigade With the aid of a graphic film , he outlined the importance of fir st aid in the difficult circumstances of the min es, wher e first - aider s may be the onl y medical assistance av a ilable when an accident happens at the coal face which could be four miles out under t he bed of the sea. Such is the need for first -aiders that ever y " Deput y" in the mines must hold a c u rrent F.A. Certificate. There are some 20 ,000 qual ifi ed first -aiders in the British mining industr y Other subjec t s covered were the haz a rd s to be encount e red by hang-gliding , parachu t ing and the as yet little kno wn parascending by mean s o f to wed 'chutes ' . Then facts were given about diabetes b y R o bin Allard of the Briti s h Diabetic A ss ociat ion followed by Dr. G. Brow n talking on shock His sl ides and diagrams were not o nly calculated to stimulate intere st but o underline the fact that shock ca n be fat a!'

BEDS Vau xh all A re a h e lico

The Assistant Commiss io ner of Po li ce for th e Metro po li s, J o h n Ger r a rd -who is also th e Pres id ent of SJ A in SW Lo ndonsum med up t he th anks of those privi leged to atte nd th is sem ina r, adding 'Fi rst-aiders in w hateve r fi e ld they o perate, as Br igade memb e rs, publ ic serv ices o r eme rgency se r vices work a t th e "coal face of society", are o fte n take n for granted, often un p raised a nd often even only to lerated - until they a re needed! They need encouragement to cont in ue wi t h firs t aid - whic h after all they give fr ee ly and whic h ta kes all their spare leisure tim e. S1. J o hn has ach ieved its cr ed a bilit y as an exa min i ng bo d y over the 100 yea r s of it s ex ist ence beca use of it s high pr ofess io n a l sta ndar d s and I a m s u re you have reached t h e objective of the Associa tion her e t hi s weekend "To raise the st a nd a rd o f T ea chin g Fi rst A id a nd allied s ubjects".'

A t rul y g reat se mina r, thanks to the o r ga ni se r s, Dr J o hn C ha mb e rs, Mrs J ean Hig gs SRN Sta n Ay lo tt P et er Whit e and A.

A rre l!.

SKATEBOARDING

W.A.H .

I was pl ease d to hear from SJ A Boot e that t h ey too a r e in vo l ved i n cover i ng s k a t e bo a rding , h av ing m e nti o n ed i n Sep te mber th at H ar tl e poo l give loca l cover fo r thi s ne w spo rt.

Bo o t ie and Lit herl a nd me mbe r s have put in over 200 ho ur s a nd treate d 24 cases r a ngin g from min o r c uts a nd brui ses to

BERKS: Lord Rootes (right).

25 years - she became Dame of the Order last year - is her husband who is Commissioner Berkshire (Photo : Read ng Chronicle)

concussion at their local club It was a week and two broken arms after the club had opened that Bootie Division was asked by The Rank Organisation if they would cover the events. The company's staff have been very he lpful to members on the duty.

MERRY - GO-ROUND

When first-aiders join N. Notts. Sutton Colliery Division they stay or move when promoted - at least that's the divisional claim as they celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Oldest se r ving member is Div. Supt Ralph Woodfie ld, who was first officer of cadets in 1958.

One of his original cadets Michael Taylor, is now Cadet Div. Supt, and another cadet, Michael Gent, is Cadet Div. Officer. Div. Supt of the nursing cadets is one of the original nursing cadets. She is Ruth

(Below) The Chief Constable of Cheshire Mr G E. Fenn (left). presenting the Meretorious First Aid Certificate to Works Security Officer Peter Warburton of Warrington who rendered immediate first aid to a young motor cyclist in collision with a lorry Excessive bleeding was stopped and amputation and possible loss of life was averted

O'Shea, a nd her fathe r , Joe Hocking, a Su tton Co ll ie ry Divis io n me mber for 25 yea r s, is a No. 3 Corps staff officer. His father, E rn est, was another founder mem ber o f t he D ivision.

F ir st Superi ntende nt of t he nurs ing cadets, whic h s he helped to form, is Pat Bailey, now Area Staff Officer (Nursing Cadets) and excadet Alan Weightman is D i vis iona Secretary.

It was quite an officer reunion at the No.3 Corps inspect ion with Assista n t A r ea Commissioner O. T. Sto r rs as in specting officer. He is seen in my picture (above) talking to past and present Sutton Colliery Division officers with the present flag party Beverley Denby, Jennifer Hannant and Rosalind Roberts.

NEW COUNTY PRO

Mr Peter M. Green has been appointed County Public Relations Officer to the S1. John Ambulance, Derbyshire.

A member of the Institute of Public Relations, Mr Green has been an Honorary Member of St. John since 1966 and will continue to act as PRO to Nottinghamshire SJA Northern Area, a post he has held since 1967

Pubiic relations and advertising executive with Coalite and Chemical Products Ltd at Bolsover. Mr Green lives at 3] Fairfield Drive, Mansfield, phone Mansfield 22863.

MAJOR INCIDENT

Reporl from A rea Commissioner Southern (Vauxhall) A rea Dr. K. N. J. Pocock:

A major exercise arranged by Bedfordsh ire's Vauxhall Area during May. A helicopter, on its approach to Luton Ai r port, had to attempt an emergency landing near an athletics meeting on a sports ground. It lost control and on hitting the ground exploded, killing and injuring a group of spectators and scatter ing them over a wide area (over 100 x 50 yards). The fire brigade quickly arrived and was laying a blanket of foam around the wreckage and two clouds of smoke were bil lowing skywards. This was the scene that met two crews of the Vauxhall Area SJA when they were called.

The object of the exercise: to test the reaction and skill of the members in first aid at a major incident with large numbers of casua lties, and to improve Area training in all aspects in case of t he real thing As we ll as first aid, it invo lved searc hing for and finding scattered casua lties, assessment of prioritie, evacuation, transport and emergency hospitalisation of the injured at Vauxhall Area HQ, the main local hospital being over loaded by the effects of a major accident on the motorway.

T he casualties were made up in a realistic manner to simu late those which were li kely to result from this type of disaster. No extra equ ipment was issued apart from overa ll s.

NO MOCK INJURY

Two doctors , a local police inspector and security duty officer acted as umpires at the scene, together with the Area Nursing Officer at the emergency hospital. Their comments and observations were given at a review of the incident held a week later. A model of the area was made, and with drawings and overhead projector facilities, the review was very beneficial, especially when combined with the fact that the incident was filmed by 3 members of the Harpenden Cine Club. After editing, this film was shown at a later feedback and demonstrated where action was first class and where perhaps improvements could be made. This was the purpose of the exercise, and it is hoped that the realistic experience will be of considerable help to members who took part.

UP D AT E D

I hear that the br oadsheet publis hed by Brigade Headquarters under the title of 'The Use of Projected Material to Assist Learning

MIND BENDERS (answe r s) Sl llOl111d3 t 'dso T Sduoq IRdJ RJ 'SlIdJ'1

in First Aid' has been updated. Copies of this excellent publication may be obtained through the Visual-Aid Section. I have read this mini -pamphlet with the greatest interest and feel that it is something which should be in the possession of all training officers in St. John Ambulance.

C O UR SES

Castle Priory College the staff training centre of The Spastics Society , offers short courses and seminars on widely different aspects of handicap to professionals working in this field. The autumn '78 and spring '79 programme is available from the College, Thames St. Wallingford. Oxon

WEST MIDLANDS : This cup was presented by Mrs. Betty Cash in memory of her husband Bob Cash who died last year after a sad and tragic illness when he was only 39 years of age He joined the Ansells Ambulance Divis on in 1972 and in the Area First Aid Competition in 1975 gained ful marks which is a feat rarely achi!,!ved He was a very popular member of the Division and also very well liked in the company being connected with many so c ial activities. When his illness came to light his colleagues at Ansells made a collection so that he co uld go for an exIra holiday The company ho ds an annual competition for its first -a iders and the winner will be presented with the cup The winner hen goes forward to the Allied Breweries Competitions. Bob Cash was the kind of man who is missed by his company and his Division (Photo: James Caldwell)

Commander (Brother)

Bernard Thompson (W. Midlands).

Perci val H itc hin s (Berks).

John Edward Simons (Hull).

Derick Gordon Lund (La nes ).

Brigadier David Charles Ba rbour , OBE , DL (Reading)

Ronald Graeme Macbeth DM , FRCS (Oxford).

William Edward Peter Louis Drummond M u rray (Sussex).

Commander (Sister)

Irene M argare t Mrs. Dewhurst (Liverpool).

Gr ace Eleanor , Miss Kno wle s (La nc s).

Officer (Brother)

The Rev. Ernest Edward Turner (Kent).

Leonard Ernest Goodrum (Essex).

Sydney Nicholson (Devon).

Anthon y Rodger MB , BS MRCS, LRCP (Herts).

Cecil George Waite (Derb ys)

Thomas Robert Walton (London SEl)

I ALWAYS feel I must pay tribute to all competitors who get as far as Brigade Finals; obviously , they must have trained for a long period and indeed even to reach the Finals is a great achievement. It must , too be a nerve -racking affair to be a competitor.

Having said that I would be failing in m y duty as Surgeon -in - Chief (and indeed the maintenance of standards of competence in first aid is one of my duties) were I to be entirely satisfied with standards reached at the Sobell Centre this year.

The competition plainly showed me and my medical and nursing team of judges that our training is not all that it should be. Year after year the same points are made the casualty must be treated gently , the standard of resuscitation training is not high and even the standard of bandaging could be improved The majority of nursing competitors established good rapport with their patients and helpers - the latter being well used and suitably instructed. However in respect of practical procedures not all equipment was correctly used and the handling of patients left something to be desired. On the other hand, some teams were excellent and some individual members obviously are exceptionally keen and competent.

ORDER INVESTITURE

The Lord Prior, Lard Caccia invests ASO (Public Duties)

John Simons, of Hull , a founder m e mber of the now B P Chemicals Combined D ivision and a Brigade member for 40 years, as Commander of the Order

CLifford D onald Pard y (Avon).

Vernon Amy Tomes (J ersey).

Ernest William Bri ght (Kent).

Albert J ames G lass (Be rk s).

G eo r ge Edward Hosking (Devo n).

Frank A rnold Elbourne Craggs (Su ssex)

Tom Ingham McNish (W. Yorks).

Lt. -Col. R o bert Hugh Mackeith, LMSSA, MB, BS , DTM & H (Hants).

Ian T emple Holloway LMSSA (Suffolk).

Frederick John Hewin (Kent).

R eginald Maslin (Stockton on Tees).

Denis William Cheetham (S u rrey).

Frank Samue l Preston, VRD , MB, ChB DA , FRAeS (Bucks).

Pet e r Geoffrey Annesley Irvine DSC MB , BChi r (De vo n)

R eginald J o hn Ri c h a rd Arundell (Dorset).

Officer (Sister)

Ir is May, Mrs. Fenton (Middlesex).

Clarice Bett y, Mrs Wright (Sutton Co ldfi eld).

Ph y lli s Rub y, Mrs. Penford (Berks).

BRIGADE FINALS 1978

london, Sept. 28

Co nstance Doris, Mrs. Whitnall (Kent).

Dorothea Edna, Mrs. Bird (Merseyside).

Gwendolen Rebecca , Mrs. Topping , SRN (La ncs).

Gladys Gertrude, Mrs. Mathews (Devon).

Doris Margaret Mary , Miss Bushnell (Surrey).

Jessie, Mrs. Mylam (Bucks).

Evelyn, Mrs. Clarke, SRN (Merseyside).

Serving Brother

Robin Kenneth Adkinson, MB, BS. MRCS

LRCP, DA , RCOG (Leics).

James Bowmaker (Co. Durham).

George Henry Hellyar (Hants).

Bernard Gordon Gretton Watson , MA, MB

BChir, MRCS, LRCP, DPH BL (Cheshire).

Leslie Frederick John Walker (Kent). '

Godfrey Bernard Stephenson (Berks).

Alfred Davies (Manchester).

Walter Edgar Frost (Derbys).

Desmond Finbar Fitzgerald, MB, BCh, BAO (Kent).

R obert Pickup (Lancaster).

Leonard William Aldwinkle (Herts).

Anthony Bilsborough (Preston).

Norman Swift (Gtr. Manchester).

Albert Lewis Reed (Hants).

John James Holliday (Co. Durham).

Surgeon-in-Chief's comments

Here are the impre ss ion s of m y judges and staff:

TEAM COMPETITIONS

Dewar Shield - Ambulance: All teams got their prioritie s right but some mishandled patient s - in su fficient extem porisation and a tendency not to ake or ignore pulse readings.

Perrot Shield - Nursing: There was a ack of team work here - an unconsciou s patient being treated for 12 minutes needs a ll four members to work together otherwise diagnosi s and treatment is difficult. The by st ander was not used sufficie ntl y well, specifically so in giving det ails of the accident.

White Knox Cup - Ambulance Cadet: Here the management of the team was rather

the

of the patient a little heavy h anded.

Dunbar-Nasmith - Nursing Cadet: Most teams established priorities but not all continued to give effective treatment. The standard of bandaging was not good.

INDIVIDUAL TESTS

Dewar Shield - Leader: Insufficient speed in dealing with bleeding was one main fault and few competitors handled the patient with s uffi c ient care. Loss of heat from the head is greater than competitors had knowledge of.

No.2: Not enough competitors placed the casualty in a recovery position and the patient was roughly handled.

No.3: The alcoho li c h istory of this patient was not considered by all competitors ; the casualty treated as he lay whereas had

Samuel Popple (Kent).

Victor Jabez Kirby (Herts).

Albert Jewkes (Manchester).

Geoffrey Newall Brown, MB , ChB MRCS, LRCP, DPH (Preston).

John Frederick Hall (Derbys).

Jack Thomas Nicol Roe (Middlesex).

John Thomas Gates (Essex).

Robert Charles Byram (Herts).

Gerard Humphreys (Wigan).

David Harold Davies (Kent).

Hector Gwyn Tutton (Isle of Wight).

Ronald Meade Grant (Bournemouth).

Gordon Rothwell (Lancs).

Joseph William Craig. MRCP (Leics).

Ralph Jame s Marshall , JP (Humberside)

Edward Fletcher (Co Durham).

Walter Ernest Gunn (Kent)

Laurence Albert Thomason (Chesterfield).

he been moved diagnosis would be easier and the other injuries located. Some competitors over -treated simp e wounds.

No.4: Not all competitors made a search for a treatment card or of an identity bracelet; this often may be valuable in diagnosis.

White Knox - Leader: Competitors varied greatly in the essential procedure of resu scitat ion - some were good and some le ss good.

No.2: The standard of re suscitation treatment displayed was poorish; this is a grave fault.

No.3: Some competitors were inclined to over - u se a bucket of non-sterile water! Bandaging was not too good.

No.4: Surprisingly, few competitors treated a nos e bleed competently. The care and handling of the patient needed improvement.

NURSING TESTS

Dunbar Nasmith Cup: In the bedmaking tests the competitors s howed consideration for the comfort of the patient and established a good rapport with both patient and helper' on the whole the latter was given clear instructions and used well. The weak points in these tests were the lack of attention to

Harry Mayoh (Gtr. Manchester).

Betrum Arthur Toon (Essex).

Edward Cecil Scammell (Dorset).

Arthur William Ticehurst (Kent).

David William Oates (Avon).

Samuel Lloyd George Izard (Herts).

George David Riley (Cheshire).

Charles Arthur Girard (Hants).

John Frederick White (Hereford / Worcs).

William Edward Peach (Isle of Wight).

Walter Johnson (Humberside).

Serving Sister

Gladys Mary, Mrs. Hands (W Midlands).

Daisy Jeanette Mrs. Down (London SEW).

Kate Kathleen, Mrs. Payne (Somerset).

Nellie May, Mrs. Barker (Surrey).

Dorothy Mavis Miss Blower (Coventry).

Patricia Anne. Mrs. Harris (Worcester).

detail, particularly in respect of making the bottom of) he bed and attending to the torn sheet, creases and crumbs in the bed. More practise was needed in the handling and use of the equipme nt provided.

The test (No.3) involving treatment of pressure areas produced a high standard from the competitors but in Test No. 4 (inhalation) several competitors were unsafe in that the spout on the Nelson inh2. 1e r was directed towards the patient.

All judges agreed that on the whole the competitors demonstrated a fair standard of manual dexterity, but were disappointed in the overall performance for Brigade Finals.

Perrott Shield: The competitors made a good initial assessment of the situation and established a friendly rapport with the patient, although they found this was difficult with the mentall y handicapped da u ghter. All competitors were slow in both bedmaking tests and no one finished in the time available, Although additional equipment was provided for extra comfort for the patient this was ignored In Test 4 (kaolin poultice) the kaolin was not heated correctly or spread evenly and the bandaging on the pOUltice was poor. In Test 3 (w'as hing of hands a nd face and

Sheila,

Alice

Kathleen

Joan

Mrs.

Lilian

Jennifer,

Florence

Joan

Marie

Joan

).

Iris Marguerite Mrs. D ye r (Solihu ll).

Margaret, Mrs. Lennon (T yne & Wear).

Mary Marjorie , Mrs. Rosenburg (Sussex).

Emily Maud. Mrs. Carlin (Surrey)

Evangeline Henllys Nesta Miss Bough (Hereford).

preparatign for doctor 's visit) the standard shown was good. All judges commented on the kindness shown to the patients but also on a lack of practical ability which comes from repeated practice. This led one judge to comment that the overall standard was low for Brigade Finals.

GENERAL COMMENTS

From an administ r ative point of view the following points should be no ted.

I) The late hour on t he Friday at which the sets for the nursing tests were ready.

2) The inability to observe all the equipment, hence several items were stolen

3) The inability of the two people responsible for the individual nursing and first aid tests to see each other and therefore synchronise the entrance of the teams and the start of each competition. This was not adequately directed by the timekeeper in the gallery.

4) Poor toilet facilities, judges delayed the start of competitions.

5) Insufficient seating accommodation at lunch - judges having stood all morning sat on a window ledge with their plate perched on their knee to eat their meal.

6) Constant interruption from the public address system.

The wife of London Commissioner Derek Fenton Mrs Iris Fe n ton a Brigade member for 30 years and now President of Southall Nursing Cadet Division becomes an Officer of the Order

Also invested as an Officer, CSO Mrs C B. Wright of Sutton Coldfie d w h

Jo yce Elizabeth, Mrs. Holbourn (Devon). Ida, Mrs. Driffield (York).

Miss Hollick (Bir mingham).

Mary Mrs. Saunders (Morecambe).

Annie, Mrs. Nicholson (S. Yorks).

Betty Dr. Hinchcliffe (Che shi re ).

G. Grimmett (Wolve rhampton ).

Margaret, Miss Ward (London W4).

Mrs. Christie, SRN (Westbury).

Lily, Mrs. Wragg (Somerset).

Edna, Miss Lee (Nuneaton)

Martha, Mrs Haslam, JP (Middlesex).

Mary, Mrs Knott (Suffolk

MANY EARLY workers in the field of artificial respiration believed that the manipulation of the limbs andlor lung movement relative to the heart due to the induced volumetric changes in the lung had, on occasion , the direct effect of stimulating the cardiac muscle back into action. The results of successful resuscitation by this very indirect form of cardiac stimulation were so randomly scattered among the total number of cardiac arrest cases upon which artificial respiration was applied that it was obvious that research had to be carried out in order to develop a more successful technique for re -es tablishment of suspended cardiac function.

Thus the closed chest technique based on cardiac massage by rhythmically pounding on the casualty 's chest above the heart with a clenched fist, was produced by KbnigMaas. 'This thumping,' reports Karpovich in 1953, has been credited with restarting the heart action.'

A further technique of this type was experimented with by R. Boehm in 1878 who found that by squeezing the thorax of cats at the greatest diameter he was able to provide an induced circulation from the animal's heart whose action had been suspended Eve's apparatus

E M Killick and F. C. Eve took blood pressure measurements from a subject who had been placed on Eve's resuscitation apparatus (see Fig . 21) and rocked consecutively about the horizontal datum between the 60° head down and 60° feet down attitudes instead of the normal 60° feet down and 30° head down. It was found and reported in the Lancet of September 1930 that the blood pressure at the atrium altered from thirty -eight to seventy-six milligrams of mercury.

The restoration of suspended cardiac function was successfully achieved by Albert Hyman with a device erroneously called a pacemaker during 1932. He used a device initially utilised by W. Kimer in 1828, who incidentally borrowed the idea from the electroacupuncture techniques of J B. Sarlandiere.

The instrument consisted of a long needle capable of being inserted through the chest wall and into the heart. The needle was then electrified so that the heart would be stimulated into action. The success rate achieved by Hyman with this method was 43.75%, a revival of 14 patients out of 32.

In a similar manner to Boehm , the coworkers A. Tournade, L. Rocchisani and G. Mely in 1934 found that suddenly applied pressures to the ribcage of a dog whose heart action had been suspended was capable of producing blood pressures of sixty to one hundred millimetres of mercury in the circulatory system.

OF CARDIAC RESUSCITATION

Part 4

From his work with Killick, Eve postulat e d in th e August 1947 issue of the British Medical Journal that the inc rease in blood pr ess ure induced by his method of artificial re s pir at ion would provide an artificial circulation of blood around the casualty's body. The cha n ge of colour of the casualty's face from cya notic to pink after thirty minutes of rocking. that he produ ces as evidence, s hows that some degree of artificial circulation is established. However the t ime required to produce this circulation indicates that it will not provide the casualty any s uccour.

The invest igation of the problem of resuscitatin g a casualty in a state of cardiac arrest diverged in 1947 and took three distinct directions:

(a ) closed chest mas sage;

( b) heart massage via open chest surgery;

(c) e1ectroresuscitation.

The use of surgery to provide access to the heart in order that it could be massaged and thus provide a circulation had been used prior to 1947. The techniq ue was to provide surgical access imm e diatel y below the diaphragm and it was throu g h t hi s membrane tha t the he a rt was grasped and massaged though, as Karpovich comments, 'this type of heart massage presents problems somewhat similar to those met by one tr y ing to catch a greased pig, and for this r easo n it has been abandoned'.

More direct method

Thus , C. S. Beck with hi s co-workers W. H. Pritchard and H. S. Feil provided a more direct open chest method which t he y described in the Journal of the American Medical Association of 1947. Karpovich detail s the method as foll ows in his book, 'A transverse incision is made through the fourth intercostal space of the chest, costal cartilages are severed, and the hear t is reached directly and squeezed rhythmically between the fingers and thumb. In this

or in transferring the casualty to an operating theatre for thoracotomy and direct cardiac massage. However, because of the lack of confidence in the closed chest technique the process of open chest c a rdiac ma ss age h e ld pride of place until 1960 when Kouwenhoven Jude and Knickerbocker produced a definitive work on the closed chest t e chnique that demon s trated the effectivene s s of thi s technique.

Leg flexing technique

by D. LITTLE, Ambulance Member

manner the circulation of the blood s restored. This artificia l blood circulation is continued unti l the he a rt resum e s spontaneous contractions .' Karpo v ic h' s con s idered opinion , which he s tates in hi s book published in 1953 , is that the onl y reliable method of restarting the heart action is the direct ma ss age introduced into m e di ca practice by Beck.'

After the pioneering work by Dr. C. Kite in the utilisation of electricity for resuscitation purposes and th e publication of his thesis in 1788 concerned w ith 'The Recovery of the Apparently Drown e d in which he describes his direct curr e n defibrillator (part 3, Oct. Review) two So v iet researchers, H. L. Gurvich and G. S Yuni e v, published in 1947 an account of their wo rk entitled Restoration of Heart Rhythm During Fibriliation by Condenser Discharge

A state of ventricular fibrillation wa s created in experimental dogs by Gurvich and Yuniev who subsequently attempted to correct this condition by discharging a capacitor via contact electrodes through the dog s tho r ax. They found that the fibrillated cond iti on could be returned to the normal cardiac rhythm provided the discharge was applied within a 90 second time period from the commencement of fibrillation.

One interesting fact discovered wa s th a the maximum elapsed time before defibrillation action was applied could be extended to eight minutes if the dog's chest was m anua ll y compres s ed in a simi lar manner to Boehm's cats in 1878. When the e lapsed time was exte nd ed to fifteen minutes h owever, the surviva l r ate dropped to a figure of 15.77%.

The most suitable of the three methods of cardiac resuscitation, under investigation in 1947, for application in emergency situation s was of course, h e closed chest tec hn ique as no elaborate equipment was needed to perform it ot h er than the operator's hands and therefore no va lu able time was lost in s etting up defibrillation apparatu s at the site

the as s ociated penalty of time lost in the initial s tage s of the method's implementation

Two years after the 1958 investigation of re s uscitation techniques that demonstrated the superiorit y of expired air re s uscitation, a breakthrough in cardiac re s uscitation

1957 saw the reporting from two countries of successful cardiac resuscitation using the same leg flexing technique without resorting to thoracotomy. The technique required the casualty to be supported in a s upine position with his head ten degree s down in relation to the horizontal datum. Th e le gs are then flexed towards th e chest as s hown in Fig. 22 so t hat the thighs compre s s the ca s ualty 's chest , and con sequently the heart , and thereby provide an artifically induced circulation.

The fir s t r e port w as by H. A. Stout in the Journal o f the Ok ahoma Medical A ss ociation for March 1957. Stout reported the revival of an adult casualty b y this method in an e s say entitled 'Cardiac Arre s t: M as sage Without Incision

An article h ea ded Re s piratory and C a rdiac Arrest During Anaesthesia in Children by E. H. R a iner and J Bullough appe a red in the Briti s h Medical Journal of November 1957 and contained the second report of the success of the leg flexing method. The co -authors stated that they had succes s fully resuscitated eight patients who h a d s uffe re d cardiac arrest and whose ages vari e d from eight we e k s to thirteen years

The le g nexin g method of cardiac res u s citati o n had the disadvantage that the ca s u a lt y r e quired s uppor t during the m a noeuvre s and while thi s w as acceptable in the case of small children it would become an unacceptable burden w h en the casualty was an adult. If a bench wa s used to s upport the ca s ualty this added to the method the disadvantage of it requiring equipment with

o ccurred at John Hopkin s Ho s pital due to th e thorou g h, painstaking research and experimentation on animals by the team of W. B. Kouwenhoven, J. R. Jude and G. G Knickerbocker which resulted in the publication of an article entitled 'ClosedChest Cardiac Massage in the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical A ss ociation for 1960.

The article is so well documented with the re s ult s of experiments on animals andhi s torie s of hospital patient s who suffered cardiac arrest that the case for external cardiac massage is unquestionable and therefore from thi s time onwards both profe ss ional and voluntary bodies concerned with emergency aid recognised the necessity for adoption of the closed chest technique of card iac resu s citation

Dogs used

Dog s of varying weight were used in experiment s to determine the practicability of the technique and it was found that a dog in which ventricular fibrillation had been induced could, when placed in the supine position, ha v e an adequate artificial circulation of blood generated by rhy thmically depressing the sternum towards the s pinal column. Indeed , one dog had this artificial circulation maintained for thirty minutes and was then resuscitated by application of a shock from an alternating current defibrillator.

This substantiated earlier work in 1957 by Kouwenhoven Milnov, Knickerbocker and Che s tnut which indicated that if more than thre e minute had elapsed since the onset of ca rdiac arrest it was unlikely that the A I C defibrillator would restore the heart rhythm without the assistance of cardiac massage.

In the period between September 1959 and June 1960 the closed chest method of cardiac mas sag e was used to maintain the

circulation of twenty patient s who had suffered cardiac arre s t by John Hopkin s Hospital and whose age s varied between two month s and eighty year s All twenty patients were resuscitated succe ss fully and the period over which the circulation wa s maintain e d by the cardiac massage ranged from a maximum of sixty - five minute s t o a minimum of le s s than one minute a fter which the normal heart rhythm was re -es tablished by the application of a shock from the A I C defibrillator.

Supine position

It is recommended that the casualty is placed in the supine position on a firm surface. The operator places one hand on the sternum with the ball approximately on the lower third of the bone (stated in the text as ' on the sternum just cephalad to the xiphoid ) and the other hand is then placed over it. Pressure is then administered firmly downwards and then released in the space of one second, thus producing an application rate of sixty per minute. The downwards pressure induces a pumping action in the heart by reducing the volume of its chambers while releasing the pressure stimulates an ingress of blood into the heart's chambers. The position of the ope r ator is shown in Fig. 23.

In the first paragraph of the article the authors spell out the critical nature of the casualty s condition 'When the cardiac arrest occurs, either as standstill or ventricular fibrillation the need for urgent action is paramount in o rder 'that the circulation be restored promptly: otherwise a n oxia will result in irreversible damage .' Thus with this urgency in mind it can be seen that closed chest cardiac massage has several advantages to recommend its application. One is its compatability with the expired air technique of artificial respiration and the remaining advantages are succinctl y summed up in a synopsis of the article as follows:

'Anyone, anywhere, can now initiate cardiac resuscitative procedures. All that is needed are two hands.' Fig 23

The c lo sed ch est c

19 6 0

( Al St a rlin g posi ion

Fig. 22 Th e le g flexing m e thod of c ardiac resu scitati o n from 195 7 (8 l Leg Oexion

Dimens ion "X" .) of ternum ength

A HAPPY ENDING

from J . Fletcher, Sergeant

During a first aid course Supt. G. Goodall and myself (both lay instructors) paid special attention to the kiss - of-life , emphasising t he importance of when a nd how this should be done

One of our students, Mrs. Margaret Rogers , later while on h oliday at Felixstowe had to put this into practice on a 6 -yea r -ol d boy who h ad been electrocuted by a gambling machine at the fun fair. Margaret successfully revived the boy and when she ar rived home she wrote thanking us for t he instruction Meanwhile the bo y's p a'r ents, Mr. a nd Mrs. Linda Sheppard , sent a donation to our division It was then decided to use the donation for a cup to be awarded annually to the best nursing cadet. Recently Margaret Rogers and the b oy's moth er, Linda Sheppard , were invited to our annual dinner to present the Sheppard and Rogers Trophy to Cadet Nicola Cox. Stanton Iron Works, Ilkes ton 1. Fletcher

IDEAS FOR THE REVIEW

from K P. H.

I was recently talking to a group of cadets and a dult s about the Review and asked what they would like to see in our mon t hly magazine They thought it could be used as an 'I deas Market', with members putting forward ideas that their divisions had triedprogramme ideas , tra i ning days , exercises , visits, etc.

Other suggestions incl uded:

A cadet page , with a section for juniors pos s ib ly including competitions with SJ A tee-shirts as prizes.

A look at how divisions face special problem s. Special problem s are encountered in , say, London District , rural areas, holiday reso r t s, etc. This could later be extended to overseas division s Items on the Duke of Edinburgh Award sc heme the background to

St. John is NOT all blood and bandages

During the many visits the C-in -C , Major Gen P ete r Leuchars, makes to Divisions throughout the country he always takes the opportunity of emphasising the importance h e attaches to the life of a Division outside their first aid and nursing activities, particularl y on the social side.

The following extracts from a letter from Mrs. G R Martin , Supt. of Gravesend Nursing Cadet Division illustrate j ust what the C-in-C is trying to encourage in all divisions adult and cadet: 'I thought you might be interested to know just how much the social activities have helped in building our Nursing Cadet Di v s ion at Gravesend to such numbers in so short a time

'In order to try and provide some social life for the cadets within the Division, we started running disco ' s once a month on a Friday evening. It started first of aU with a Chri stmas disco about two yea r s ago which was so popular that we decided to hold one once a m o nth These are run by the officers of the Ambul a n ce Cadet a nd Nursing Cadet Divisions and the s mall nominal char ge we make as entry fee has enabled us to build up a reasonable record co ll ection and also our own disco equipment. Before we were u s ing our ow n personal audio equipment. The di s co equipment was buil t by the Ambulance Cadet Divisional Officer Derek Par so n s, who begged borr owed or whatever from local firms the nece ssa ry piece s of building m ateria ls and electrical equipment an d ha s s ucce ss fully built up or adapted equipment until we now have a very rea so nable di sco unit of our own. Once the disco's at Gr avese nd were established, we lent our equipment to Dartford Division in order to assist them to run t h eir own disco's. Now , Dartford Di visio n have bought a pr ofessional disco of their own and also run di sco's at least once a month (and also during the summer).

W e al so run outings for t h e cadets. The most popu lar is the Ice

READERS VIEWS

Readers' views and opinions, which should be sent to the Editor, alt h ough published are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the Order of St. John and its Foundation. Although readers may sign published letters with a pen - name, writers must supply their name and address to the editor.

Brigade Orders; and pos sibly Brigade Orders could be issued through the Review pages.

How to o rg anise a carnival float; ideas on brightening up an open ni ght; P residents - how to pick one and get the best out of him; famous people who were in St. John; the problems of running a St. John band ; how major London duties are arranged; camps - how to plan them and t h eir programmes ; behind the scenes at National Finals; setting up a parents' association; fund raising ideas; item s on the new badge subjects; the Nottingham programme could be issued as a t wo-page report after each year's weekend.

Here are some ideas (they're neither new o r ours in the first place) for the Ideas Market:

Invite a group of cadets from another division to join one of your meetings -a nd don't forget a return visit.

there's plenty of fun tOO! (or there should be)

Skating Trip to the Silver Blades Rink at Streatham which takes plac e t wice a year. There is never a seat left on the coach and th ere a re cons t a nt reminders when another trip is about due. Parents and friends are also invited so that we get to know some of the parents of the cadets , and many join us on these occasions.

'We also h ave, o n ce a year if possible , a visit to the museum at Gu y's Hospital. Of course t hi s is on y for the o lder cadets but it is also a very popular event. Once a month on a Wednesday evening, a visiting lecturer gives a ta lk on a subject of general interest (not n ecessar il y to do with first aid, etc) and these are proving very successful.

'A n ot her scheme we ho pe to try to organise in the near future is a monthly newsletter , both for the benefit of cadets and parents in order to inform them of the eve nt s taking place within the Division. Dut ies, divisional events and also the result s of any courses taken wi ll be included in the news etter. At the moment , this monthly newsletter is only 'in the pipeline' but we hope to get things organised in order to start printing in January 1979.

'We started the social side for the Cadet Divisions for recruiting purposes and to s how prospective cadets and friends that St. John is not all 'b lood and bandages'. It has proved so successful that after the summer break we are constantly reminded by cadets that 'another ice skating trip is due' or 'when do the the disco's start again?' I think that these reminders speak for themselves. I must endorse your remarks that a social side of the Division certainly holds the member s and also encourages recruiting

'All these activities are of course open to the Adult Divisions who are invited to come along. We find this helps the cadets to get to know the adult personnel in a socia atmosphere as well as on duty or official occasions.'

Try first aid in the dark; and in a lift, with the first-aider outside who ha s to find out by question and answer what's wrong with the casualty and then explain how he is to be treated. Get your members to make ic e- bags. V sit the local police station, and the bakery.

Pub li c ity for your find - rai si ng events: tell your local radio station, get the local bingo hall to announce it, and ask local firms to display posters in their works.

London K. P. H.

Ed itor: Cou ldn't agree more. Many of these suggest ion s are covered in reports we publish , others are not. But if the s ugge stion is to have ideas crystallised in s hort paragraphs and publi s hed under one headingfin e. Let's have the ideas in that form and we'll start an ideas market page from now. The rest of the ideas supplied by K. P H. would all make exce llent material for the R eview, but someone must write them. Just send them to me.

FIRST AID IN SCHOOLS

.fr om Watkin W Williams

Whi le stro ngly supporting the views expressed by my name sake (but no connection!) Mr. B. J Williams (July Review ) and convincingly endor ed by Mr. J. D. J. Creech (Sept.), I am appalled by those ex pres ed by Mr. J. Springer (Sept.) in opposition to the suggestion that teachers should be qualified in first aid. and I am ashamed to discover that a fellow member both of St. John Ambulance and of the profession in which I served for 37 years should adopt what seems to me so selfishly materialistic an attitude to the subject. And I find even more di tasteful his gratuitously ofTensive slur on the first aid knowledge and teaching abilit ie of the many doctors to whom we owe an immense debt of gratitude for the time they devote to helping us with our training - quite a number of whom (perhaps more than he is aware of) also waive or refund their lecturer s or examiner's fees for the benefit of the local S1. John unit.

To deal as briefly as possible with Mr. Springer's three main points:

(A) Of cour e it is true that a 'a teacher is professionally committed to a class of pupils'. But does not that commitment include a prime responsibility for the well-being and safety of each individual pupil entrusted to his care? There can be times when correct first aid in tantly applied by a teacher can quite literally save a pupil's life. or maybe one of his limbs, or reduce the risk of greater injury or of lifelong iii effects of an accident. when it would be loa lale to do any of these things if he had to summo n a member of the 'schoo l anci ll ary starr to give first aid. Such (mercifu lly rare) emergencies are more

likely to occur in science laboratorie s, metalwork and woodwork classes, gymnasia and playing fields than in 'ordinary' classroom s, but there is no place where they are impossible.

(B) As a professional teacher and a first-aider I find it quite beyond contempt to suggest that a teacher should not learn first aid because the school is unlikely to pay his course fee and the qualification will not increase his salary. One of the best ways of helping to ensure that our educationa autho ri ties do eventually pay the course fees of at least a proportion of teachers, and perhaps even give a small salary bonus for maintaining a valid ce rtificate, would be the way in which industrial first -aiders gained official recognition many yea r s ago - by convincing them of the proven value, when occasional accidents unfortunately occur, of the teacher on Ihe spOI being a qualified and capable first-aider. Meanwhile , one wonde r s what can be Mr. Springer's personal interpletation of the first motto of the Order.

(C) To say that' a ftrst aid qualification is of no professional value to a teacher' (if I rightly unde r stand the phrase 'professional value' to mean, in its context, 'authority to teach first aid') is rubbish. A qualified teacher with a valid FA certificate is authorised by the Association's Class Regulations to act as Instructor/Assistant (ie, to h elp the Medical Lecturer by taking charge of the practical training) on all FA courses except Occupational FA, and to be a member of the Assessment Panel for a FA Lay Instructor 's course. Furthermore. if he becomes the holder of a valid La y Instructor 's certificate, he is authorised to act as Lecturer and Examiner for EF A courses and if no Medical Lecturer is available he may be granted special permission to act as Lecturer at all adult FA courses except Intensive Da y-Release courses and Occupational FA and even, if suitably experienced. at a F A Lay Instructor's course.

Epping Watkin W. Williams from C Freeman

Various views have been expressed about teachers being required to qualify in first aid. From what I have read some of the autho r s of these views do not know or are not conversant with the matters about which they speak! After having served in the RAMC. completed one year as a student nurse served 25 years in the police force, after which I attended a full-time three year teacher-training course and am now a teacher, I feel that I understand many aspects of this matter. Whilst some occupations do offer remuneration for their qualified first aid staff. there are other jobs - including the police - which state that a first aid qualification is a condition of service. In the force that I served I instructed first aid and took part in numerous competitions including the P im Trophy in which we reached the final

in London on six occasions. The members of the force were obliged to have a refresher course every four years, not necessarily with an examination When comparing the duties of a teacher with other jobs, again to take the police as an example, one must look at the thing in it s proper perspective. I remember , when a young bobby and on a rural beat - alone - having to deal with road accidents. I had a trunk road crossing , an A ' class road, where I had to deal with many accidents. Obviously the injured were always my priority, as it is with all policemen. But at the same time I had such things as 'if it's a fatal, what will H.M. Coroner require'; 'if there's a prosecution, what shall I want for evidence '; 'is the road in good repair and the road signs intact and visible' and many more to collate mentally , sometimes in freezing weather or in the dark!

As for schools , most accidents occur during the breaks when some members of staff are supposed to be on 'playground duty'. Whilst a t college like all students, it was a part of the training called Teachin g Practice when several weeks were spent each year at a school. In all my three TPs I had occasion to render first aid. On one occasion I was horrified to see a youngster fall from a climbing frame to the hard ground. The headmaster ran - as the competition marking sheet ma y say Make a rapid approach' - without speaking to the lad to see if he was conscious, picked him up in his arms and brought the poor kid into school. No examination until under cover , when it may have been too late had there been any spinal injury.

At another school, while on TP , when the headmaster knew of my first aid interest he invited me to check the school's first aid boxes. I saw certain articles which were contained according to legislation. In consequence of this I wrote to the Health & Safety Executive and received a favourable reply to my recommendations. The headmaster also asked if I would take a class of school-leavers when he kn ew I was a Lay Instructor.

I am about to take a Further Education class 'F irst Aid For Teachers and Officer Workers , etc'. This may be without any examination when the important item can be stressed. I find much of first aid is 'What Not To Do' eg , unconsciousness burns and sca lds and many more by not giving drinks , but bursting blisters , etc.

I agree with Mr. Springer (Sept. Review) regarding doctor s. I have known instances when the doctor has given his lecture and le ft, and the students have asked the lay instructor to explain such things as subarachnoid haemorrhage (when lecturing on apoplexy or head injur y); or erythrocytes and Jeucocytes (with lectures on blood and the circulation). However I must disagree with Mr. Springer about the functions of the teacher. We are told that the teacher has the role of locum parentis , which I believe means the welfare of the children as

well as educating them. We are, therefore obliged to be able to act in cases of accident and sudden illness. I h ave a lwa ys considered that first aid instruction should be included in the course for all t eachers as a condition, like the police , and without payment!

Barnsley

C. Freeman

from G. Spencer. Area Commissioner (Rl

Re letters on subject of teachers , police and first aid - I wa s a P o lice Inspector with thirty years se rvic e, and later a lecturer at a college of technology for eight years. Perhaps I may Ambulance Member R. N. Jones cannot logica ll y compare the first aid actually carried out from day t o day by the police and firemen with that which may be carried out in a teaching situation. Also he can not be aware that all Chief Constables under whom I served required personnel to hold a valid F.A. Certificate throughout their service. I trained hundreds of police to satisfy this instruction. Many Local Authorities arrange F.A. courses, or se nd their employees to Association courses in this area and they include road workers, libr ary staff, baths staff, gardeners, etc. Many teacher s and ancillary staff also take s uch courses, and there would be many more teachers if Local Authorities would g ive them facilitie s and pay the tuition fe es. There have been advisory directives from Government allowing thi s to be done.

Mr. Springer and I share the view that it is very frustrating for a teacher to be called from class to treat what is a minor injury, and ancillary staff would be most useful , as long as there is someo ne who does know F.A. There is, however. one aspect which i$ often overlooked. I mean that not all the school time is spent in the classroom. Often children are taken, and even driven in the school bus by a teacher , to outside educational visits, such as the theatre. baths, sporting events , field studies, to other parts of the country and even abroad during holidays. They can be miles from help. as for examp le on a moorland walk and the only adult is the teacher. Every teacher does of course, do the utmost to help a child or young person ill or injured. But my worry is should an honest but mistaken judgement be made as to potential danger of what appears to the untrained as a minor injury. Readers do not require me to spell out these conditions.

Agreed it is not a professional qualification yet, but when teaching I was told by two students who had been accepted for teacher training that they wished to join a class I was running as the teacher training college principal had written them to obtain F.A. qualification, or otherwise do so when in residence at the colleg e. This was in 1975 Mr. Stringer is wrong in saying that police are paid extra for ha vi ng F.A.

qualifications. It is part of th eir training. If he is correct, then I am owed a con s iderable sum. I am sure that our Regulation s provide for a person, with Mr. Stringer 's qualifications and fir s t-a id knowledge , to teach first aid, a nd even give the medical lect ures under t he conditions as stated in Class Regulations.

Finally, I think that a ll per so n s who are in charge of children professionally understand that it is becau se of the common law of th is country that they are given the right to act for the parent in taking care of the child. Teachers of course by this also have the right to pun is h , etc. I think that there is a growing awareness of being 'i n loco parentis', and this is why first aid is included in many sy llabu ses of training in Higher Education where the s tudents wil l eventually ha ve care and charge of children.

Long may first aid continue to advance on ALL fronts. Greater Manchester G. Spencer

SELF LOCKING AMBULANCES

from Brian Rockel!. Area Superintendent

Jack Baker suggests (Sept. Review ) that ambulances should be self locking. I think we must put this into perspective for although emergency vehicles have been stolen these occurrences have been ve ry rare If doors were se lf- locking , then it is inevitable that keys would be locked inside the vehicle at some time. With a serio u s ly injured patient the crew could then be stranded beside a locked ambulance.

There are occasions (a dmittedly only a few) where a few moments delay is vita l to a patient and the delay of unlockirig the saloon or cab doors cou ld be detrimental to a patient's condition. There could also be delay in answering radio messages or collecting equipment which might be needed at the scene of an incident. The law recognises that ambulances are required for immediate availability and exempts them from the requirement to switc h off the engine when the ve hicle is left unattended.

The question of locking ambulances does however raise an issue on insurance. It is likely that many of the individual policies iss ued to St. John Ambulance Divisions are based on a polic y issued to cars. These policie s generally require the vehicle to be locked when unattended and it would be wise for Divisions to check their policies and, if nece ssary, adv se their insurers that it is not always possible to lock an ambulance when it is unattended. Valuable equipment can be lo st and it is important to ensure that adequate insurance covers the equipment against' All Ri sks.

East Berkshire A rea Brian Rockell

from E. L. E Hearne. Divisional Superintendent

Having just read Jack Baker's letter ref. locking of emergency vehicles (Sept. Review) I must agree that on the surface it sounds a good idea - but think again, Jack!

Every vehicle has an ignition key which, if the driver wishes, can be removed to prevent the vehicle being used by anyone else (including another duty person).

Ambulances and fire appliances carry radios in their cabs which at most incidents are in u se for information and assistance. and it is not a lw ays the crew who uses the radio Keys get mislaid and in the case of fire appliances the crew can be as many as six; and it is often necessary to move or use vehicles other than the one you arrive in.

The number of cases of sto len emergency vehicles is very rare compared with the total of emergency journeys made. And even locked vehicles are often stolen.

Windsor E. L. E. Hearne

GOOD COURSE BUT from Miss D. Chennell. Area Staff Officer

I was interested to see that you published details of the open university course 'The Handicapped person in the Community' in the September Review.

I successfu ll y comp leted both course and examination in this subject in 1977. However I must point out that the figure of 10 to 12 hours home study per fortnight can be misleading. This represents the time

given to study the course unit material supplied by the uni ve r sity and does not include time for preparation of essays , project work, or evening tutorials There are also TV and radio broadcasts to fit in. So th s takes quite an amount of time, especially when one is trying to fit in Brigade commitments. However, I would recommend the course as being ve r y enjoyable and particularly relevant to the Brigade role as part of the voluntary caring community. But there were very few voluntary workers taking the course.

London NWlO

Denise Chennell ON

CAMERA

from K P H.

Now that the football season is with us again, could we aI/look to our uniforms and remember how they should be worn?

Over the summer months I have noticed on TV members not wearing hats or ties, wearing brown shoes, blue zip jacket over a uniform jacket, two NCOs smoking and officers up to staff level not wearing haversacks.

Plea s e , can we all make a big effort - if only when the cameras are present?

London K. P. H.

ANY COMMENTS?

from R. J. Brown. Divisional PRO

I attach a copy of our pamphlet, produced for recruiting purposes, for readers comments, hoping for improvements on the theme.

Cranleigh Combined Di vision R. J. BrolVn

Cranleigh Combined Division s puttingeveryone-i n-thepicture recruiting pamphlet. Can you improve on it

ST. JOHN HOUSE CLUB from

PEN PALS

I

ANY ORGANISATION doing worthwhile work needs to have its activities publicised.

A full page feature article in a national newspaper or even a small news item in a local paper can be a tremendous moral booster to members

Some people get very excited when they get a 'plug' on radio or television , but when it comes to getting the message across to the public there is nothing to beat the printed word as the record is there for keeps.

Often somebody is appointed just to deal with press inquiries. At local level this is normally someone who likes writing and has spare time on their hands. The fact that some press officers of large organisations earn large salaries proves that the position is regarded with the utmost respect.

Getting the newspapers to take notice of you is part skill and part luck. As a reporter with Britain s biggest news agency, am often surprised at the news selection of the national and local press Sometimes something I have worked on for a long time is just thrown into the waste bin , while something I have written in a few minute s gets into every single national newspaper.

The first point for St. John members to remember when dealing with the press is that if its big and important news reporters will come to you. If you think your news item is important and needs reporting the boot is on the other foot.

It is then a matter of selling your news to the paper. First impressions account for an awful lot, so make sure that the news item or letter giving advance warning of an event is clearly presented.

Sometimes local papers to save time put letters and press releases straight into the hands of the printers via the sub editor. The sub editor is the person most reporters write for The news editor selects which items should be reported and the sub editor is really the window dresser, presenting the finished article to the printer in 8, way that will catch the reader's eye.

News editors and sub editors work quite independently. So if you want a reporter to cover a St. John event or you want to tell a paper about something newsworthy then the news editor, or on some small weekly newspapers the chief reporter , is the person you want. Always be brief and to the point and don't pester. If something you think should have gone into the paper is passed over, don't complain immediately; sometimes papers print items two or three weeks after they have happened

Only complain if a paper has broken a promise about covering an event or you feel you've had a raw deal. For example, there is l'\othing in the paper about St. John, but a full page feature of the local Lions carnival of which you know the editor is an active member

HINTS ON DEALING WITH THE MEDIA

by ROWAN DORE of the Press Association

When writing a press release you want to go straight into the paper, do as most reporters do and write for the sub editor. Use double line spacing when typing so the sub editor can write above each line if necessary and split your release into as many paragraphs as possible. Most sentences become paragraphs in papers nowadays. Always put your name and telephone number, work and home, at the top of the first page. Don't try to be too clever. If a press release needs jazzing up, that's the job of the su b editor or reporter.

Gone are the days when loc al and national newspapers used initials , so always use Christian names. Keep your press releases short and to the point and always include the most important thing in the first paragraph or two. Newspapermen are busy people and they can't waste time ' reading through something which rambles on and on.

Always make sure your news items reach the papers in time. If you usually get your local paper delivered on Thursday, then it's no use send in g something in on Wednesd ay because by that time the paper is complete and only something really important w ill get in. For a weekly paper that comes out on Thursday or Friday, Monday is the best day for sending contributions.

Newspapers love human interest stories so keep your eye out for these. Often stories about how a St. John member bravely saved someone's life acts as a bigger advertisement for the work of St. John that a story about a parade with the top brass attending.

The above advice is basically for the local pr ess officers who want to see publicit y for St. John in their local papers. When it comes to getting articles into the national press that' s a different matter a nd is tne job of the full time pres s officer at St. John headquarters who likes to keep in touch with the grass roots as much as possible.

There is no point in getting through to the news desk of a national paper unless you ha ve something worthwhile to say. But don t be put off too easily. Sometimes something you think is trivial may capture the imagination of a news desk, e pecially if it is a human interest item.

With more and more local ra di o stations opening this is an excellent way of promoting the St. John activities. Oft en the stations are s hort of new s items and will use anything you send. Sometime s they will follow up an item with an interview. The advice to anyone being interviewed is to keep calm and relaxed. If yo u don't know t he answer to a question , say so.

Audio Visual Aids

by PHILIP ADAMS

I MUST be a Father Christmas manque for I love to give things away! This month's free offer includes 8mm cassetted loops and a broadsheet entitled 'The Use of Projected Material to Assist Learning in First Aid'.

A contributor of audiovisual aids has kindly offered these 8mm loops free and I'm happy to pas s them on to anyone who wants them - they need a silent loop projector for correct exhibition.

The broadsheet is a review of equipment both hard and soft-wa r e relevant to training in first aid. I will be delighted to forward a

aids. I love to give my party piece, mainly because it gives me the opportunity of meeting people and hearing their problems; even in the minor role as audiovisual officer it's no u se sitting in an ivory tower at HQ. The Multi - Media Appraisal Panel is now beginning their autumnal/winter season. The Chairman, Dr. Lucas, has asked me, through Mr. Fenton, to get hold of some young memb e rs who will assist us. The Panel need s a cross section of views and it is always desirable to have a 'target audience', in other wo rd s one of those at whom t he programme s aimed. I'm glad to say that the cata logue A Guide to Films and other Audio -vis ual Materials on First Aid, Nursing and Allied Subjects' is selling well. It costs £ plus P & p and its supplies number is PO 2400; incidentally , a supplement to that catalogue will be issued over the next few months but it won't make the cata lo gue obsolescent - they are complementary.

I was amused to read the letter from Nigel Wilkins in the September Review about a ' professional' organisation. It s extraordinary how the usage of words change over the years. To me amateur does not mean dilettante but one who does so mething ror love. Alas the word professional' nowadays means a highly paid sportsman on TV who is about to kick his opponent rather than be beaten!

The Medical Conference is held each year at Nottingham in the spring; guest lecturers are always gracious enough to allow us to record their talks and to distribute them to our members as a cassetted tape. I have sent to your S1. John Ambulance County Secretary a schedule of the five tapes involved. I strongly recommend the purchase of Tape No.4 , which includes Mr. Alasdair Steele - Bodger on First Aid For Animals -

copy to anyone, although I h ave sent six or so to each District and County Secretary and said more are available if required.

I've also sent to County Secretaries a schedule of current film libraries and d etai ls of some B.A S F. equipment, ie , cassette recorders and players which are on special offer to our members and certainly worth considering. I 've had one of their radio/cassette recorders for a year or so and it's a marvellous piece of equipment.

During November I sha ll come out to one or two Counties to talk about audiovisual

UK Visitors

In London s Hyde Park , during a v isi t to England this summer. are Kowloon, Hong Kong members Frederick Lin and Alice Lee. Nice to have seen you here

about this tape I quote Lord Caccia who writes 'it was a tour de force'. Copies of the tape may be obtained from the Visual Aid Section at HQ for £2.50 each, inclusive of postage and packing.

Stewart Film Distributors are the chaps who circulate those splendid films Don 't Let Him Die' and 'Give Him Air'; in cooperation with the Road Transport Industry they have now produced a series of four films (with tutor notes) on instructional technique ; they are: INTRODUCTION (13 mins), designed to prepare the audience for the remaining films on specific techniques; PLANNING (9 mins), this film helps to define strategy to use according to subject, learner and objective: PREPARATION (9 mins), how to make a lesson plan; PRESENTATION (IO mins), points of style and technique.

The St. John Ambulance Appraisal Panel recommends these films to all; they can be obtained from HQ at a special concessional rate of £250 for the series. I also have a set available on preview loan to prospective buyers at £ 10 for exhibition - first come, first served.

News from Scotland

Priory

MRS. R. C. MORRISON, who assisted the Priory-Secretary for over four years, retired at the end of June. Chapter presented her with a clock in appreciation of her devoted service. A special word about her ought to be said to readers of this column. For years it was she who gathered together the news from Scotland and transmitted it to me. Always kind and unfailingly helpful she helped to make priory headquarters the warm and friendly place it is. The Chairman of all Scottish Associations are meeting during October to review the work of the various local groups in Scotland.

Centra] Region

The Andrew Murray Home is now nearing completion. On August 2 a new Committee 'The Friends of Andrew Murray House' was set up at a meeting in the village hall at Strath yre. The local minister , the Re v. D. R. Fraser, was elected chairman. Eighteen villagers volunteered to serve on the committee and this ensures good local backing when the home opens. Reade rs will remember that the purpose of the home is to provide holiday accommodation for the blind. It is hoped to provide it with copies of the Bible in braille. Carpets and kitchen equipment are being supplied by local firms and two Scottish banks have made generous contributions. The region continues to be active in fund-raising. A 'Farm Fayre' at Stirling recently raised £1,545.

Edinburgh

Mr. and Mrs. Crewe have replaced Mr. and Mrs. SuIter as wardens of the St. John Hospice, Carberry. Mr. SuIter unfortunately had to retire because of illhealth.

J. R -S

j

News from

Divisions/Centres

MERSEYSIDE: Service i'vledals for (left] St Helens Div. Supt (C] T, Tither and Supt. E. ewcombe. of the Combined Adult Division with the Area Comm, N, Pimbletl. (Photo: S, Lancs Newspaper Picture Service]

STAFFS: Northern Area President Lady Stafford shows Roger Mack 11 year old from Blythe how to use a radio at the Area Cadet training day. (Photo: Staffs Sentinal]

LO 00 1 - The annual in pection of the London Transport Corps was held at Chiswick Work on Sunday, September 3. with about 100 ambulance and nur ing officer and other rank from the 21 Di\! ions of the Corps on parade.

The inspecting officer. 1ajor -General Sir John ounger. Deput) Commi ioner, London District. was 3ccompal11cd by 01 tnct Supenntendent ( ) Mi s I. e\dle Kay and Distnct Staff Officer F. W. \Vllch, FolloH ing the in pection. the Corp marched past the aluting ba e \\ here the alute \\'as taken b) the Deputy Di trict Commi sioner. after which tea was ened 111 Chi wick canteen to about 300 members and fnends, The Corp President. j\ 1r. Ralph Bennett. who welcomed the Deput) Distnct Commissioner and the many visitOr. thanked everyone \\ ho had contnbuted to the organising of the excellent parade. The Deputy District Commi ioner said he \\'3 I ery plea ed with the manness of the turnout. \\ hlch was of a high standard, He thanked the Corps Pre idem and the London Transport Execuu\e for the help gil en to the Corps and for the facillues prO\lded for the inspection,

(Left) N. YORKS: Enrolment at Filey Combined Cadet Division which % John Ward has built up over two

(Left) Gloucester City Corps recent review. (L to Rl N/M Miss Leslie Watts. the City She r iff. A/Comm, G, T. Cla k, Mayor J. Robbins an d D!Supt Mrs S. Wade, (Photo: Glouceste r Citizen)

Bury Corps inspection by Cty Supt Lady Armitage With Corps Supt Mrs. Hyde and Area Comm, H, D. Adams

(Above] CUMBRIA, No 1 Area Comm, J, R Fyanes presents the 5 year bar totalling 25 years service to 0 0 Miss K D. Wilson, of Working ton, Warrants of appointment were

A cheque for £60 is presented to Comb i ned division fo covering events of the Tongharn Motor Club

(Above) BUCKS: Beaconsfield nursing members. runners-up in thiS year s SJA Welfare competition, celebrating with their project members of the Meadow Club, a psychogeriatric club. (Photo: Buckinghamshire Advertiser)

Th e y succeeded

tract. (4). 19 Natura heat source. (3) 21. Carrier of hereditary c h a r acteristics. (4) 22. Smooth ribs produce clotting of blood in a vessel. (10). 25. Co nci se and Gaelic to a letter. (5). 26. Beverage from waste a lc ohol. (3). 27. Expunge a point after a long period (5). 28. Injectio n g iven to maintain and increase immunity. (7) 29.

Ex tr ater r est ri a being found in a tram in disguise. (7). 31. Frequent wa t e r y di sc h a r ge f r om the b owe l s. (9). 32. Measure for apothecary a nd mu sician. (5).

Dow n :

1 Ca lml y p e r siste n t perso n undergoing medica l treatment. (7). 2.

N e ur os is in w h ic h p a ti e n t takes li ttle food and becomes genera ll y e m aciate d (8 7). 3 R ecede like t h e ide. (3). 4. Sea food often causing food p o so nin g a n d allergy. (9) 5. Attach to an added syllable (5). 6. U nd e rl ying r eason for a course of action. (6). 7. Whe re casualties are s ui ta bl y att ir ed? (8.7). 8. After a laceration, girl m akes a weapon. (7). 12. S ec ur ed a c h a n ge of diet. (4). 16. Run back for only German tr anspo r t worke r s orga n isation in Britain. (3). 17. Lack of oxygen in t h e b loo d stream (9) 20. Me n tally competent and physically fit. (4 ) 21. R eti r e on docto r 's orders? (2.2.3). 23. Bird in total bone (7). 24.S up pu r ate (6). 26 Roots for dismembered body. (5). 30. Str a n ge spi ri t. (5).

SOLUT I ON T O CROSS W OR D No 10 (78 )

Ac r o ss: I. I n a p t; 4. P r o .m o t io n ; 9. Lax; 10. Sa lin e soaks; 1 1. Users; 12. Urea; 13. Dill ; 15. Oxytoci n ; 18. I n .tend; 20. Ai r 22. R e p o r t; 24. Te n esmus; 2 7 Pass; 28. St.ye; 29. Iss u e; 31. B le ph ar itis; 32. Ass; 33. Stretc h er; 34 Tud or.

Down : I. Ill - hum o ur ; 2. A n x iety; 3. T.as k s; 4. Po ly uri a; 5. O un c e s; 6 Oast; 7 Ima gin e; 8. Nasa l ; 14 . K n ee; 16. Ou rs; 17 . N t; 19. D ispenser; 2 1. R ec e p to r 23. P as e ur ; 25. M u sta rd 26 Sta r ch; 27. Pub is; 29. In set; 3 0. Sh ot.

Crossword No 9 (78) T he only correc s ol utio n re c e ived and h e winne for the hird mon th runni n g s G e o ff rey H u nter, 3 4 Barber St Macclesfield, Cheshi r e

35mm COLO U R SLID E S E TS b y D r K L ees e (GMC Bri ga d e o f SJA): Intr o du c ti o n

O ON TI C K E TS etc. Al so s uppli e r s o f TROPH IE S TOMBOLA BOOKS F U RNIT U R E CARPETS & B E DDING ALL AT WHOL ESALE PRIC E S. Send fo r 64

phon e number 2. Eac h s ubmiss o n mu t b e made o n the fo rm provid ed in the Re view typed or in bl oc k ca pit a ls. Onl y o n e a dv e rti se m e nt to ea c h fo rm. 3. The TOTAL PRICE of goo d s o ffe red not t o excee d TEN PO UN DS 4 Th e Bring and Bu y is s pecificall y nt e nd e d o u se d o s ec o ndhand it e m s, and no good s or serv ces b y wa y of trade o r co mm e rc e can be o ffe red. 5 Goo d s fo r ex chang e can be of an y value. 6. S ubmi ss io n s a r e

keeping up with current d e velopments and you can be assured that ou r products represent the latest and best available . We offer prompt delivery of ethical proprietaries , drugs , dressings and instruments Also essential i nd ustrial surgery furniturechairs , cabinets , dressing trolleys etc

Exercise Bovington Bang p.270

Pop concerts by Dr A. F H andley p.272

Around and About. by the Ed itor p.274

Canada

Cardiac Resuscitation. part 5 (final). by D Little p.280

Readers Views p.2

News from Scotland - Wales p.286

Books - Hidden Diagnos es puzzle p.287

News from Divisions/Centres p.288 EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

Ph one Orford (Std 039

Advertising display and classified. rates on request from Driscoll Productions Price

AT RANDOM

by Watkin W. Williams

'MY FIRST DUTY was in Clark stadium, where the athletes and dancing girls were assembling before the opening ceremony. What an international group was gathered here! Athletes from every continent and dancers of many races including Ukrainians, Indians and Africans As I walked among the intermingled masses it was tremendous to see how many spotted the John cross and recognised me as a member of a world-wi d e body of first - aiders. While treating such a cross-section it occurred to me that never had our motto 'For the Service of Mankind' meant more to me than now. Moving to the main stadium with my Canadian colleague I saw no more of the opening ceremony for I was even busier treating faints among the spectators.

'This was the day when the last- three years of preparation would be justified. The scen'e was set, the curtain was raised , and the army of 7,000 voluntary helpers - ourselves included - ' were waiting with excited anticipation. It was now up to the athletes to play their part , and from what I'd seen of them they would play it to perfection.

So runs part of the diary for August 3, 1978 , kept by David Gill of Coventry one of the 20 selected representatives, all aged between 18 and 25, from 18 St. John counties in England and from the Priory for Wa les and the Commandery of Ards , who made up the party sent qy kind invitation from St: John in Canada to help with the public duties at the Commonwealth Games at Edmonton. I was lucky to be orie of the people invited to read the essays that they wrote when they got home and to help in selecting the two prize-winning entries. It was a fascinating task, and by the time I'd finished I could almost feel that I'd been one of the party. (Turn to p.277J

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND -BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW 'YEAR TO ALL REVIEW READERS

Scene of the exercise at S windon

NORTHERN AREA SJA Wiltshire held a -major disaster exercise on October 1 which involved two cars in head-on collision on a railway level crossing and then a pas senger train , carrying many children crashing into the cars. The disaster was staged at the British Rail Engineering Ltd works at Swindon , and involved 8 casualties in the cars and 100 in the three 'wr ecked railway carriages. To increase the d ifficulties of the rescue operation , the doors on one side of the carriages were loc.ked .

coach on im provised

The following observations and lessons earne d from the exercise are from SJ A Wiltshire.

First aid

In general the Medical and Nursing umpires were very co mpliment ary a bout the overall stan dard of first aid, their main criticisms being centred on:

(A) A few instances of insecure bandaging.

(B) Internal injuries not always having been correctly di agnosed.

(C) Too hurried treatment of some casualties in the railway carriages, resulting in their being moved to the A.L.P. after insufficient attention.

(D) Inadequate grouping of cas ualties by categories to the A.L.P. These are matters for training in division s, but it would seem that more emphasis could be placed on treating casualties in confined spaces. It is also to be remembered that the noisiest casualties are not necessarily the most seriously injured.

Roof cut off overturned car and casualties being removed

DISASTER EXERCISE

To exercise Brigade units in: Emergency callout; Action to be taken in a major disaster; Co-operation with other agencies

Control and direction of SJA effort

A St. John Amb u lance control was established alongside the Ambulance Control Post with a staff officer forward at the crash site. This facilitated an efficient deployment of members and is an essential fe.ature of SJ A disaster action. In practice this control duty would probably be assumed by an officer from amongst t he first arrivals, building up as necessary with the arriva l of further officers.

Junior leadership

Brigade officers have earned a reputation for getting themselves fully involved with the actual treatment of casualties. In confused situations with many casualties, however, as was depicted in t he exercise, at least some officers must stand back a little and direct operations. This helps to ensure that first - aiders are employed where they are most wanted, and in the right numbers at any particular time.

Association members

In a disaster situation the help of qualified first-aiders to supplement Brigade members would be invaluable. This help could be enlisted by pre-planning so as to bring into emergency schemes known first-aiders in the locality of in addition, many such first - aiders finding themselves in the vicinity

Emergency treatment inside coach

of a disaster could be expected to offer their help spontaneously.

This aspect was not represented in the exercise but merits examination in detail at County headquarters, including the availability and provision of St. John armbands so that these first-aiders can be identified.

Equipment

Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting stretchers into the railway carriages

Casualty clearing station in early stages of exercise and improvisation was resorted to through the use as stretchers of doors and short ladders. The problem was to some extent eased by firemen breaking the windows, although flying glass presented some slight hazard.

The carriages used were obsolete ones and it is understood that doors are now larger than those encountered in the exercise. Even so. the PARAGUARD stretcher proved itself for work in confined spaces and Overleaf

Cramped working conditions inside a coach

consideration should be given at County HQs to these being obtained by all divisions. divisions.

It was decided not to use the casualty labels held by divisions. On reflection this seems to have been a pity. since not only was this feature not practised but" no information on preliminary diagnosis was ava ilable to the hospital to help in assessing priorities for further treatment.

Enquiry points

It can be expected that after a major accident there will be people seeking information about relatives the y fear may have been involved. This would certainly have been the case in the setting of this exercise - viz. an accident to a train carrying a large number of schoolchildren.

The Police are especially concerned but the WR VS have considerable experience of manning enquiry points and might therefore be asked to help in this way on future exercises. Suitably briefed ' relatives' could be provided by St. John Ambulance - perhaps Presidents , Vice-President s and Auxiliaries would be prepared to undertake this role.

Canteen

Participants were fortunate that British Rail Engineering Ltd had been good enough to place their excellent canteen facilities at their disposal.

Disasters do not however necessaril y occur near such facilitie s and at least a token canteen service should be represented. Again, the WR VS might be willing to assist.

Visitors

The exercise was honoured by a visit from Sir Maurice Dorman Chief Commander, St. John Ambulance and Lady Dorman (Deputy Count y President , Wiltshire). Sir Maurice is it might be added, also Chairman of the Wiltshire Health Authority.

The Press showed considerable interest in the exercise and it was therefore somewhat disappointing that so little subsequent publicity resulted.

Mr. Williams, Training Officer of the County Ambulance Service in Swindon, has however kindly offered to co-ordinate the making of a short film of the exercise for training and publicity uses.

Conclusion

The exer,cise was extremely valuable from both training. and co-operation aspects and St. John Ambulance is most grateful for all the help received.

A heart- warming feature was the large number of participants from a wide range of organisations who had gladly given up a Sunday to this training exercise so as to help St. John Ambulance fit itself to provide a more efficient service to the people 01 Wiltshire if and when the call comes.

Bovington Bang

SJA Dorset's 'terrorist attack' exercise is filmed and also appeared on TV

THE ROYAL Armoured Corps Centre

Bovington Camp , played host to St. John Ambulance Dorset for a county training day on S unday , 8 October. 'The Treatment of Severe Casualties' was the theme of the day, which was organised and directed by the County Surgeon, Mr. W. A. L. Tucker , assisted by County Staff.

About 250 members of the Brigade , including 50 cadets and a number of guests, assembled in the camp at lOam. Meanwhile the Casualties' Union had arrived in force and were preparing to be 'severely injured'. They were joined by some of the Junior Leaders' Regiment, RAC, who were s hortl y to be 'killed'.

The County Nursing Officer , Mrs. B. J. Stocks, and County Staff Officer Mrs. A. Swabey took a contingent of nursing officers and members to man (or rather to 'woman') two wards allocated in the camp hospital for the exercise. Another contingent of nursing officers and members under Divisional Surgeon R. C. Kempster and Divisional Nursing Officer Miss E. Ackerman took over a first aid post. About 200 spectators then moved near to the site at which t here

was about to be an 'i ncident ', created b y the 17th/2lst Lancers and the Royal Engineers, and which was to give rise to the 'casualties'.

Assistant Commissioner A. Hud son briefed the spectators, explaining that a terrorist attack on a vehicle fuelling point would take place At 10.50 , after a countdown , a large explosion took place ; two (lifeexpired!) vehicles at the fuelling point were blown up and set on fire , and blazing fuel was sprayed around. The Fire Brigade quickly ari-ived, and brought the fire under control. Meanwhile St. John Ambulance had been called out, and County Staff Officer John Ponting and Divisional Surgeon K M Walsh soon arrived in an ambulance with a first aid team. More ambulances and team s arrived at intervals. The spectators were able, after the explosion, to move forward in safety close to the casualties to watch (and criticise!) the work of the teams.

After preliminary treatment on site, stretcher bearers provided by the Junior Leaders' Regiment carried casualties back to an ambulance loadin g point, from which the ambulances conveyed them to the first aid

post. 10 casualties were discharged after further treatment, and 20 were evacuated to hospital, where the nursing members took over 10 persons were 'ki lled in the incident, and were conveyed to the mortuary (where fortunately they came to life again i).

During these operations Assistant Commissioner F. House had the quite difficult task of controlling the movement of groups of spectators between the site of the explosion, the first aid post, and the hospital. in such a way that all had a chance to see as much as possible. A double-decker bus in charge of County Staff Officer E. Hunt was u ed to transport spectators to and from the hospital. The 7th / 21 st Lancers had also ar ran ged an exce llent static display of armoured fighting vehicles near the scene of operations, and this was greatly appreciated by the spectators. The exercise finished at 13.00 hours, and lunch was served in a barrack dining room by the Army Catering Corps.

The afternoo n session took place in the new Carver Hall, and began with a discussion of the morning's exercise conducted by the County Surgeon, with comments from the umpires, who were Brigadier A. Crook, Hampshire

Commissioner R. W. Harris and County Surgeon J. D. Walters, County Staff Officer G. J Romanes, and Assistant County Surgeon Dr. Jill White. The general standard of the fir st aid and nursing was rated as high but a number of valuable lessons were brought out in regard to the deployment and control of personnel, the transport of casualties and their documentation.

A film produced for the Nottingham Area Health Authority and entitled 'Major Disaster - A Planned Response was then introduced by District Staff Officer Ernes t Hamley, Eme rgency Planning Officer, London District, who followed it up with a most interesting and enjoyable talk on St.

John Ambu lanc e Operations in London. Westward TV came along in the morning, and some shots of the exercise were s ho wn on TV the next day. The whole of the exercise was filmed by the Dorchester Cine Club, and the film will be circulated to Divisions.

We were ve r y pleased that Sir Joseph the Lord Lieutenant of Dors et and Pre sident of our St. John Council, Sir David Trench. Chairman of the Dorset Area Health Authority and our County President, and Mr. Arthur Hambleton, Chief Constable and our Commander SJA, were able to join us. Other distinguished guests included

Brigadier R. Montague-Jones,

the

were most welcome.

St. John Ambulance Dorset is greatly indebted to the Army for all they did for us and also. of course, to the Casualties' Union whose members were as always most convincing in their make-up and acting throughout the two hours of the exercise J. B-C

Mr. W A. L Tucker County Surgeon who organised the exercise

A casualty arrives at the camp hospital with N/ M Francis Parkinson (centre) assisted by two nursing cadets

Chairman of

Public Protection Committee of the Dorset County Council, Mr John Wilby, Chief Ambulance Officer of the Dorset Area Health Authority, Mr. G. Roberts, Chief of the Dorset Fire Brigade, and Mr G Baynes, County Emergency Planning Officer. All

KNEBWORTH - POP CONCERT. For many they must be synonymous. For the young enthusiast a chance to spend man y hours in the company of other devotees; for the middle-aged-square a seething mass of verminous and drug-filled hippies; and for the even older 'something' out of the Sunda y newspaper. The truth, if indeed there is such a thing as ultimate truth in this matter , is likely to lie somewhere in the middle. Suffice it to say that each year many thousands of the young (and some not so young) arrive in and around Steven age (Herts) to partake of a succulent bonanza of sound, plucked direct from the stark black-and-white of the Musical Express to blossom into gorgeous modern 'lasercolor' in the amphitheatre of Knebworth Park. This natural bowl on three sides hundreds of yards of eight-foothigh corrugated iron and is populated by bouncers , coppers, addicts , wierdies alcos , music-lovers , mothers , bapies , lovers and teenagers - but mostly by normal beautiful people who have come to listen to the music and to enjoy the experience.

The Rolling Stones concert (1977) attracted Y4-million people. The figures for the 1978 concerts have not been so great. When one starts to talk about first aid cover for such an event I appreciate that these attendance figures are not much more than the equivalent of four or five good football crowds The problems presented howe ver, both to the organisers and to the first-aiders are much greater because man y s pectator s come from much greater distances (eg the continent of Europe) and stay for much longer , often rough camping for several d -ays The first aid is organised by Hertfordshire St. John and British Red Cross Society.

For those who are not u s ed t o dutie s of thi s magnitude a few words regarding the overall arrangements may be of help. Since I am not one of the organisers myself and am far from being a natural apprehender of these matters , I will apologise in advanc e for an y errors.

Get involved in duties, especially BIG duties

POP CONCERTS

A. F. HAN DL EY , Depu ty Ar ea Surgeon

Ins de the arena able to see a nd he ar the li ve pop -groups , are half a dozen fir s t ai d posts. Each comp ris es a full y-s t a ffe d m o b ile unit , with personnel working in shi ft s, a nd a SJA ambul a nce w ith d riv er and c r ew. Outside the a ren a, able to hear s ome of t h e mus ic but unable to see an ythi ng o f it , is the medical -centre. This is a m in i- ho s pit al of tent s It con sis t s of a rec e p t io n a rea , a casualt y area (for th e a n d one or t w o small ward s' t o tallin g t e n to w ent y- five bed s (campbed s on t he fl oo r and with one blanket , but no s heet or pill ow).

Thi s medical -centre is s taffed by q u a lified nursing members a nd d o ctor s o f both SJ A a nd BRCS , w ith num ero u s nu rs in g members as a ncillary helper s and recepti o ni s t s.

A fl eet of ambul a nc es, und er f ull radio control , tran s ports ca s ualtie s fr om th e ar ena o th e medical -c entre and fro m t he me di ca lc e ntre to ho s pital when nec essa r y A S t. J o hn BRCS con rol , ro o m (t h e c1oc kwatcher s' ) s ign -in member s as th ey c o me on a nd go o ff du ty. The y a lso ac t as t h e r a dio co ntr o ller s, co -o rdin ato r s a n d l k e s ch oo

' dinn e r -l adi es' s uper v ise r e fre s h me n ts

Refr es hment s a re a va ilabfe

' Onl y if yo u ha ve been on d uty fo r fo ur hour s, and n o t one m inut e befo re !'

' But .' N o but s !

' But I m iss ed m y mornin g co f fee in s ur ge r y

w hil e ru s hin g ar o und t o co m e t o h el p you

(Right) SJA Staffs' Barb a ra Farne ll SRN SCM HVCen at work on a cu he ad. (B e low)

Dr Chris Lund Oiv Surgeon We wyn Garden Oiv he lped by A liso n Sl. John SEAN s utur ing a ace ration of the scalp. (Photos Dr H andley)

And I missed my lunch motoring 100 miles to a rr ive in time for t he duty'

'Sorry, Sir, (a little begrudgingl y, th is word!) 'but it is only 18.56 hours and you didn t sign o n unti l 14.59 hours.

I was very hungry not having eaten since the previous evening, but couldn't mak e any impression on this iron-maiden, so I went wit h out my salad a n d trifle. (I should explain that I n ever got another opportunity to eat until after midnight, due to the steady flow of casua ties) Anyway I missed my salad and r ifl e but was p leased about it later ; but that is another story, only to be told after the oca l m ed ica l officer of hea t h has fin is h ed nvestigating a myste r ious outbreak of sev ere d iarr h oea amo n g St. John members!

A tow n of 200,000 people is. of course , q u ite a s izea bl e pl ace a n d wou ld certain ly need a h ospita of its own That is the p rob e m of fi r st aid at a large pop -concert. T he day-to-day illnesses suddenly developing in a pop - concert audience of these d i mensio n s over t h e course of two days wo ul d put a seve re strain on the loca l hospitals, whose catc h ment area. measured in numbers of so u ls, wou ld effectively be do u bled. Most of he fans do not carry a med ica l c hest wit h t h em a nd have to ask for help even for a n 'E lastop last'. So sudden illness, even a pe rsistent headache , becomes a p r ob le m Th e c r owds and tr affic make it impossib le to get into the nearest town to

buy s imple remedies or to visit a doctor or ho s pital. Even if yo u could go s hopp ng yo u might miss your favourite group! Catering for t he crowds is difficult. Campers bring food and leave it in the sun - and get e nte r ocoli t is, or starve and get belly -ache due to hunger pains. Epileptics have fits Diabetics are in danger of being picked - up as drug addicts when t hey give themselve s their life -saving injection. Fires are li t and they burn people , and the smuts drift into eyes. Coke cans are thrown around and heads are cut.

Man y, many young people take too much alcohol with no food, try experiment s with drugs and become poi so ned and often uncon sc iou s. A fe w, seriously ill drug addicts need help A few bones are broken a couple of appendices will need removing St. John olTers to help them all.

Becau se of the traffic jams access to and from Knebworth Park in a pop-concert weekend is very difficult. Specific route s are kept open by the police In serio us cases a police motor -cycle escort is available to St. John ve hicles (i n the last t hree concerts we ha ve de s patched two cases of respirator y arrest one with asthma , the other following an un s pecified obstructive episode). In pit e of the police esco rt it is sometimes impo ssib le to get through the traffic. and drugs h ave had to be flown in to the medica lcentre b y helicopter. (O.K, so you know!It was only becau se we needed ANOTHER THOUSAND Par aceta mol tablets for patients with headaches). Perhaps in a funn y so rt of way that helps to explain the ma g nitude of the problem more than anything else.

If yo u think yo u k now what St. John s all about yo u s hou d get invol ved in duties. especially BIG duties. I feel s ure that those invo lved in first aid at the Trooping the Colour or any major disaster will agree. Red Cross hold s hands with St. John. who is help ing a Samaritan and co -ordinating with Release. and a ll are at one with the local hospital and distant genera l practitioners and even chi ld welfare c linics.

As for me we ll I'm se lfish! I do duties with and for St. Jo h n Ambulance. I have seen First Division football matches: helped at moto r-cycle s cramb les: autocross: G r and Prix motor r ac ing : pop -concerts. I ha ve heard the Ro ll n g Stones, Genesis Jefferson Star s hip and once, but once just once I saved somebody's li fe. And that was worth it.

DUAL-ROLE IN LONDON

Many members of the Brigade are also lay instructors with the Association, but a further extension of this dual-role responsibility has recently been announced in London.

The Director-General of the Association , in consultation with the Commissioner-inChief of the Brigade, has appointed four new Assistant Directors in the Greater London Branch of the Association to correspond with the Brigade Areas in London District.

They are: W. W. Packe (Northern Area and part of Western Area), L. J. Field (Soutb Eastern Area), E. B. Hamley (South Western and part of Western Area), and A. P. Merrifield (Eastern Area).

These officers have been selected because of their wide experience in both Brigade and Association matters to act in a liaison role between the two branches of the Foundation. Their aims within each London Area will be:

(a) to encourage the promotion of public and industrial courses sponsored by the Association;

(b) To ensure that an active Association Centre exists in each of the 32 London Boroughs;

(c) To review applications for renewal of individual Lay Instructors' Certificates, pending the introduction of revised assessment procedures.

Some of these officers, wearing their Brigade uniforms, were present at the recent conference in London where the above details were announced in the presence of the C-in-C and the D-G.

HE KNEW

Congratulations to 14-year-old Cadet Andrew Gardiner, of Heywood Division , Rochdale Corps who saved the life of his 89-year-old grandmother with mouth -tomouth resuscitation after she had collapsed . Andrew, who's been a cadet for 4 years, said: 'My grandma was having her tea and

AROUND and ABOUT

WHATS GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST. JOHN IN KENYA

BY THE EDITOR

Arap Moi President o Kenya. and chief patron of the Order in Kenya. with Sir Charles Markham Commander for Kenya

CLOSED OVER XMAS

The Supplies Department will be closed from the evening of Thursday December 21 and will not open until Tuesday Jan uary 2. During this period the Dept. will be stocktaking and it is regretted no orders or customers can be dealt with.

she just collapsed. I told my mum and dad to be quiet while I listened for her breathing. I cou ld not hear anything, so I gave her the kiss of life. After I did this about six times she started to breathe again.'

MBE FOR ... Congratulations to Dales (N. Yorks) Area Commissioner Ted Broughton who recently

we nt to Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE fr om the Queen for services to the wate r indu stry. Ted is a Commander of the Order and has been in the Brigade for 38 years.

LONG MERCY FLIGHT

One of the SJ A Aeromedical Service's longest flights with a patient was undertaken recently by a n Avon St. John officer.

Eastern ASO for nursing cadets Miss Jennifer Treadwell has returned from Brisbane. Australia, after accompanying a 17-year-old girl on the 12,000 mile flight.

Miss Treadwell travelled to Liverpool to collect her patient and then on to Heathrow Ai rp ort London, for t h e flight. Following th e e n gthy air journey there was a further

ambulance trip to the hospital in Brisbanethe final destination after a total of 48 hours.

For Miss Treadwell. an SRN, it was her third aeromedic flight. Her first, a few years ago, was to take a seriously ill patient to Dublin, and this was followed by being required to go to Yugoslavia to return with a motor accident victim.

MY ADMIRATION

' The courage and fortitude of the men and women of the St. John Ambulance, so often in the face of extreme violence, not only has my admiration but also the admiration of every officer in the Metropolitan Police. We have a great deal to thank you for.'

So s aid Sir David McNee , Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, a t the Priory Church of St. John in London on October 20 when he made presentations of service awards to members of London District.

As a policeman for 32 years. he was aware that 'the ability to re -act appropriately

SHROPSHIRE Shr ew sb u r y an d W e l ington m em ber s in ac tio n at a s mulat ed road acci d ent a h e an n ual Un ited Kin gdom Bus D river of th e Yea r compe titi

to crises, the ability to get in vo lved , is not easily come by; it often requires great self confidence and courage'. Sir David said he felt honoured on two counts to be making the awards, one as a police officer and the other 'as a committed Christia.n'. He felt that St. John teachings enabled its members to spread the example of Christian compassion and help to make the world a better place in which to live'. As a police offIcer he also felt that training boys and girls gave them worthwhile interests and opportu nit ies to help people which gives 'invaluable aid in the prevention of crime and disorder'.

Among the eighty people receiving their awards were five who received the seventh bar marking 50 years of St. John service, two of them A / M Ernest Axford and N / M Lillian Baron, of Northern Area are still with their Divisions ; the others being on District Pool. W.H.

MOTHER TO Hospitals, like a home, need a mothersomeone who provides those added touches of comfort and care and wa rmt h. The mother to the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem is the Ladies Guild, a committee set up 50 years ago and now with satellite committees throughout the world in the Priories. The Guild's first two presidents were Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother; the president today is Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester.

The committee was originally known as the Linen Guild (it raised funds in the UK to supply the hospital's linen), but over the last few years its scope has been widened to provide the patients and staff with all those homely touches which cannot be supplied from a strictly-regulated, charitable hospital budget. It's the hospital's Mum , in other words - making the nest more comfortable aQd cosy.

Supplied by the Guild in 1977 for instance. was a new gas cooker for the surgeon's flat, a liqu idiser for the sister ' s home, and a new washing machine and a new TV set for the women nurses' room. Durin g 1978 the Ladies committed themselves to pro vi de funds for redecorating ' and new curtaining for the staff's liv ing quarters: for doubling the Christmas party expenditure : for setting up a car hire fund to help the nursing sisters to be more mobile whi le off-duty.

Members of Weybridge Division - N M Anita Shurvell

with

LONDON DISTRICT (Above) The presentation service awards at the Grand Pr ory Church. (Right) The awards were presented by Sir Dav d McNee Comm ssioner of the Metropolitan Po ice.

The Australian Ladies Guild has pro vi ded funds for a TV set and a new sewing machine A former matron of the hospital , Miss Margaret Holloway, has provided 'funds for new garden seats.

How does the Ladies Guild raise these funds? Rarely by personal contributions these days. Events have to be organised. For instance, two concerts were held in the Grand Priory Church in London during 1977 and 1978 . One was by the Karl Duo, from Canada , and the other by the Eton College choir and orchestra Between them they put £4,500 into the Guild 's funds. Another £500 came from a Roger Whittaker concert at London 's Festival Hall.

This month there is a Guild Auction Appeal, specially a rran ge d b y Sotheb y's of Bond Street, London The auction includes many Silver Jubilee souvenirs which are now collectors' items, tapestries, drawings given by famous artists, wines, and some Coronation pieces. The Queen Mother and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester , are among the many well-wishers who have sent gifts for the auction.

And so the work of the Ladies Guild goes on. Without it the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital could still function. But - like a home without a mother - only for a time. The nest would soon become cold and dreary But we know that won't happen. The Ladies Guild and their many friends will see to that. Thanks - to all of them. The mothers of our hospital.

INTO OUR 2nd CENTURY

Coventry Area News asked these pertinent questions in their September issue: Often wondered why some of our adult divisions do not make the most of the cadet divisions, when you consider the future of the St. John Ambulance lies in the hands of strong and active cadet divisions. Why don't adult members take an active interest in cadet divisions? When did you last call on your cadets; have you asked the officers in charge of the cadets if they need any help?

BRIGHT SPARKS

that for SJ energy?

Can't be of late if you still have both arms intact!

Have you been to a cadet enrolment recently? How many cadets have been promoted to your division recently? Havin g been promoted ha ve you made them welcome? Are they sti ll int erested in what you do on drill nights? When did you last take a cadet with yo u on a duty? It does seem strange that each year we seem to have more and more cadets, but adults appear to get less and less: wonder why? There are more and more people attending first aid classes, yet we do not appear to be making much use of this active interest in first aid. Suppose there will come a time when there will not be enough trained

BE SURE YO U KNOW YOUR BANDAGES by NAN

·Yes. it is my first dayHowever did you guess?'

Meet three SI. J o hn and Red Cross We lf are Officers at the Royal Naval Hospital Has lar (L to R Chr stine W lliams from Dyfed Wales. who took her B Sc (law so c iology) at Cardiff s University Co ll ege Angela Wi lli ams BSc (maths) at London has served with the RAF in Cyprus an d the Navy in G bra lt ar and Linda Rushton who in the last six years has served in Germany Hong Kong and th e UK Thes e are some 45 Welfare Officers attach ed to service hospitals at home and abro ad personnel to teach first aid and satisfy the ever increasing demand for our services. These questions sho uld be writ large on e verv adult division notice-board. And headed FIRST A ID FOR ADULT DIVISIONS.

NEW FILM

Headquarter s' Visual Aids Section has acquired a new film for distribution to SJA members entitled: Instructional Technique, comprisIng: Introduction (13 mins) , Planning (9 min s), Preparation (9 mins), Presentation (10 mins), inc lusive of tutor notes

This film has been seen by the SJA MultiMedia Appraisal panel and it recommends thi s production as bein g excellent for all instructors to view. A print of the fi lm is availab le on reque st for preview loan at £ I 0.00 per exhibit. Prints are available for purchase at £250 inclusive of shipment, VAT, etc.

DIAGNOSIS?

I am told that a well-known Brigade surgeon came home one day to find a phone message which read: 'Diana's boiler's burst, and it's being cemented'. Fortunately he quickly jumped to the right conclusion. It shou ld have read: 'Diana's boil has burst , and it's being fomented.'

Moral: Don t take phone messages too li tera ll y.

MIND BENDERS (answers)

Perhaps the strongest impression that these accounts gave me (I say ' accounts because several of them were blow - by - blow diaries rather than essays) was that although not one of the 20 had met any of the other 19 till they assemb ed in London less than 24 hours before take -off, they at once became a happ y team of friends - so much so that the Canadians found it a lm ost impossible to be li eve that they'd never met before.

My next most striking impression was of the speed with which their first reactions to finding that they were to be housed for the fortnight of the Games in the Seminary of a Roman Catholic Missionary Brotherhood were reversed by the discovery that people who had taken the vows of a monastic order s till remained essentially human and could be the very best of hosts and the most delightful of friends! 'We entered in with awe,' wrote Eileen Chandler of Ross -on - Wye ( now Mrs. Eileen Westlake of Cardifl). We were all a bit worried about what sort of time we were going to have and what kind of things we would be expected to do wrote Leslie Peart of Oldham. Dreaded thoughts of people dressed in robes , getting up at Sam and various other notions associated with monasteries flashed into my mind ,' wrote Steve Verdon of Leytonstone Yet in no time they discovered that , as Carol Epton of Oxford described , 'they were the most friendly and understanding people you could ever wish to meet. Over and over again these fears. and the rapidity with which they vanished, came out in the accounts But I think none would challenge the words in which Christine Croziere of Belfast expressed the lasting opinion of them all: Word s cannot express the feel i ng we all have for these wonderful people. Their friendliness, hospitality and completely unselfish nature was beyond compare , and I can safely say that having known them we have all learnt a lesson in life, and that their example has made each of us a better person. Their house became like home to us, and I don't think I could pay them a better compliment.'

A fuller picture

I shan't quote from the prize -w inning essay by Donald Beck of Dover, because you can read it on p.278, nor from the winner of the second prize, Mandy Rowe of Guernsey, whose essay we hope to print next month But by adding to these a few quotations from whAt some of the others wrote I s hall hope to give you a fuller picture and pas s on so me of the thrill that I felt when reading them all.

The all - pervading atmosphere of the Games was one of friendliness. Anne McMeekin of Newcastle-upon -Tyne de scr ibes how at the closing ceremony the athletes 'were so full offriendship and fun. as

AT RAN 0 0 M (cont.)

they swapped each others' tops and flags. You cou ld see exactly why they are commonly called 'the Friendly Games'. All the dancers and the athletes danced and chanted around the stadium, the whole of which was full of colour. Then followed a mixture of happiness and sadness as the athle te s, dancers and spectators alike joined hands and together sang Auld Lang Syne.' Most of the party leapt at the chance given them by a generous invitation from Smith's Ambulance Service (a private company which runs the ambulances in Edmonton) to visit their HQ and 'not only to view their vehicles and equipment but actually to go out with them on their calls', as David Gill described And he went on: 'Apart from the obvous interest of seeing how their ambulance service compared with ours, this visit also gave us an insight into another side of life in Edmonton. On one of our calls, to a run-down house in the poor Indian section of the city the crew that I was with ran into the house with torches - not for light but for protection! It was great to see the calm professional way in which they dealt with the casualties and to be able to give them positive assistance with the treatment.'

By wa y of further comparison, many of them also visited the Municipal Ambulance Service in Calgary - 'which,' writes Jane George of Daventry, is reputed to be the best ambulance service in the world. The drivers and attendants had to do a 3-year training course as emergency para - medics before they could go out on the ambulances.

Each ambulance had radio contact with doctors at a local hospital , and if necessary the doctor could advise on emergency treatment and the procedure for dealing with a patient.' But it seems that, not having had 3 years' special training none of our party was allowed actually to go with the crew on an emergency call in Calgary!

That week's holiday with St. John families in Calgar y after the Games were over was a fitting climax to the trip. The almost incredibly generous hospitality of their hosts, the food, the cooking (especially the steaks) t he barbecues (1 never knew that word could be mis-spelt in quite so many ways!) , the day when they 'decided to brave horse -riding with a western saddle and for the remainder of the holiday went round with a John Wa yn e walk' (Jane George again), the breath-taking beauty of the Rockies a snowball fight on the top of Sulphur Mountain in mid-August But all good things must have their end, and J could tell that it wasn't only the girls whose eyes were moist when the time came to say goodbye to a ll their friend in Calgary and Edmonton.

Think again

The predominant theme at the end of all their essays was the most heartfelt gratitude - to Alberta Staff Officer Mrs. Margaret Chalmers 'who was our guardian angel for the duration of our stay' (Christine Croziere) , to the Provincial Commissioner Dr. Smith and his wife, to Staff Officer Doug Gillard , to Father Ralph Bernard and Brothers Hoby and Glenn ... And I'm not going to spare the blushes of our own HQ Staff Officer Alan McKay , who received unstinted thanks for being such a good leader of the party So too did all the gene1'OUS people whose financial sponsorship helped to make a dream come true. Nor must we forget the man to whose imaginative mind the dream first came , our former C -in -C General Desmond Gordon And if any of you are tempted to think that to raise and spend so much money on sending 20 young people all the way to Canada and back was a squandering of our resources I entreat you to think again. Spread right across the United Kingdom today, from Newcastle to Pontypridd , from Dover to Belfast, are twenty ambassadors of the world-wide spirit of St. John , passing on their memories , showing their photographs and souve nirs and infecting twenty everwidening circles of friends with some of the enthusiasm that they caught at Edmonton. Yes, they were a grand lot of ambassadors, and I hope I shall have the good luck to meet at least a few of them some day.

Final word

But there must be a final word , and I unhesitatingly give it to Ashley Dunn of Penzance: 'Being a member of the Brigade used to mean attending the adult practice on a Monday evening , instructing cadets on Thursday evening, doing public duties, transporting patients , fund-raising and alJ the many other tasks of a member. But since the trip to Canada St. John Ambulance has become more vast, and it's now not just a local organisation but something which is ;;- something which 1 already knew existed from reading books and watching films But now I look upon myself as a sort of knight whose duty is to go out into the community and teach the gospel of the St. John Ambulance Brigade hoping to show people that it's a worth-while thing to belong to. The experience will be treasured for life and carried in memory for ever. Slides and souvenirs collected en route will prove valuable rem inders of a dream which in the beginning was but a dream. a dream which became real and now turned back again into a beautiful dream.

How twenty people from different walks of life can come together and live happily and make friends is one of the m ys teries of man, a nd boil s down to Who's my brother?Who's my sister?'

individual accommodation provides patients with a more relaxing environment and therefore they would not feel embarrassed in the event of an emergency , as would be the case in an open ward situation.

When a patient occupies one of the rooms and is coupled into the monitoring equipment, the signals from all six rooms are relayed to a central monitoring desk and displayed on a single cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO) capab le of displaying all six signals separately and simultaneously. A nurse trained in interpreting these signals is always in attendance, see Fig 28, and can instantly recognise the onset of cardiac embarrassment and also which pa ti ent is involved and thus resuscitative procedures can be initiated immediately.

It was recognised when this unit was being evolved that some items of furniture, the beds in particular, would have to be designed to cater for this circumstance and that special facilities would have to be provided to aid resuscitation attempts.

The rooms have the minimum of furniture , in order to provide maxir1'lum accessibility and the six beds in this unit have been built with reinforced bases supporting the mattress so that external cardiac massage can be initiated in situ as soon as the operator arrives , thus eliminating lost time in

lifting the patient onto the floor in order to provide a firm surface for cardia c resuscitation. Oxy.gen is availab le for administration on a service p a nel immediately above the head of the bed, as can be seen i n Fig. 27.

A mobile unit design ate d as a resuscitation trolley (Fig. 29) has been designed and manufactured to meet the particular requirements of the Coronar y Care Unit. The trolley is purely, as it s nam e s ugge sts, of a re s uscit ative nature , as opposed to a life support unit , and its primar y objective is to make the life saving equipment that it carries highly mobile in order that time valuable to the patient 's revival is not lost in movin g the patient to stationary equipment that may be located some distance away.

As can be seen from Fig. 29 the trolle y has located on one end of it equipment for emergency oxygen administration. ie the black cylinders on the left hand end. The centre section of the trolley is constructed to contain drawers in which various· type s of resuscita tion related equipment is kept. One drawer co ntains airways manufactured from rubber or plastic t ubi ng that have been moulded to suit the respirator y passages in the oropharyngeal area. When entubation wi.th one of these airways ha s been achieved

Left) Fig 29 The

the possibility of the patient's tongue occ ludin g the airway is eliminated. Other drawers on t he tro lle y contain aspiratory catheters and intravenous cannu las for the adm inistration of drugs to assist cardiac recovery and also the drugs themse lves.

Because of the nature of the illness that has caused the patient's admission to the coroflary care unit the resuscitation trolley is also eq uipped with electro resuscitation facilities, see Fig. 30, to defibrillate the heart when it is in a state of arrhythmia.

The provision of the telemetry system for monitoring a patient's heart beat and the re u citation trolley in the Coronary Care

Un it indicates the great importance placed o n recognising the patient's distress and the s ub seque nt initiation of life saving measures to t he patient. The monitoring system allows the cardiac distress of a patient to be determined instantaneously and the

resu scitat io n trolley that is stat io ned on the unit allows resuscitative procedures to be commenced within seconds.

How eve r for casualties who experience a cardiac crisis whi le carrying out their daily routine of life wil l by the time they reach a facility s uch as a coronary care unit, if they have s urviv ed the period of tran spo rtation , not need it s resuscitative expe rtise but on ly it s care. With this in mind a revolutionary step was taken in Belfa st, Northern Ire land, to make the re susc itative exper ti se of such a unit not only hi g hl y mobi le within t he ho sp ital enviro nm ent, as we have seen at the Roya l Free Hosp it a , but also within t he general community. To ach ieve this a se le ct ive band of people trained in coronary care were gathered together by Professor Pantrid ge to man a motorised coronary care unit that proceeded to the scene o f th e cardiac arrest, collected the casua lt y and treated him on the way to the more estab li shed unit located o n a hospital site.

A report in the 'St. John Review' (Vol 48, No. 12 December 1975 ) describes and illustrates a highly mobile unit, simi lar in principle to that developed by P antridge in Northern Ireland, which is capable of providing immediate coronary care to a casualty at the scene of an attack. It was donated to London Di strict's No rth ern Area and is operated and staffed by trai ned members of the St. John Ambulance Bri gade.

Summary

It has been noted that the development of cardiac resuscitation has taken place over a co nsid e r ably shor ter period of time in historical terms t han the corresponding development of respiratory resuscitation.

Th e rapi dity of its development, ho wever. fits into th e pattern of medical progress. illu strated in Fig. 31. This figure depicts that as the technology used by a ci vilisation increase s in complexjty the seriousness and number of injuries mUltiplies.

the effects of the injuries incurred. Thus one can discern that there has been a requirement for immedi a te succour (tirst ajd) to the injured throughout the course of histor y. This in earlier times was pro vi ded by th e forebears of the present day St. John Ambulance known as the Knights Hospitallers Today the requirement for

About the author

skilled action at the scene of an accident to ensure the recovery of the casualty is recognised by both the St. J ohn Ambulance and the Royal Life Saving S ociety who pro vide trained personnel at public functions and also conduct programmes to educate the general public in the art of tirst aid of which one of the essentials is cardiac resuscitaiton.

on h e 're s us citation troll ey'

In earlie r civi lisa tion technological pro gress was initially put to use in warfare and the ability to infli ct greater and therefore more incapacitating injuries to the enemy was the basic aim. However, whil e this side of technology exists today the basic aim has become one of prov idin g th e individu a l with more mobility via the motor car and equipping him a t rea so nabl e cost for more dangerous sporting activ iti es in g reater numb e rs. This fact alo ne brings in it wake an in crease in t h e numbe r a nd the serio us0ess of acc ident s To cope with this ever increasin g quantity of complex in juries inflict ed in warfare, on motorwa ys or in recreationa l activities the science of medicine has h ad to acce lerate it s progr ess to match t hat of technolog y a nd expand its spectru m of act ivit y b y the utili sat ion of technology in o rder to minimise

Dan Little, Dip. RLSS, T,Eng(CEI), AMRAeS, MIED , AFBIS

The author of this series of articles on cardiac resuscitation, Dan Liltle, is an A ustra li an ambulance member who came to Britain in 1969 to widen his experience in aircraft design techniques He is noll' senior stress engine,er at The British Aerospace Dynamics Group , Hatfield H ejo ined the Brigade as a cadet in 1952 with th e Leichhardt Ambulance Division, Sydn ey, and became a Grand Prior 's A ward cadet sergeant. He was transfe rr ed to th e adult section of the Division in 1956 H e is now a member of the Hatfield

D ivision and earZv [his ye ar gained his Lay Instructor's certificate In 1973 he became chiefinstruc(or of the Platypus Swimming Club for the Disabled, Hatfield, where other Hatfield members ( including his lVife, lI'hom he met at the club) help at the sll 'imming sessionsfor the disabled.

Dan's other interest is life-salling and he based this series of articles on his thesis fo r the R oyal Life Saving Society 'S Diploma A ward The work involved 18 months of research and collection of historical data.

Fig. 27

A patient's room in the Cor o nary Care U nit of the Ro yal Free Hospital Fig 28 T he central monitoring desk of the Coronary Care Unit

(

resu scitation tro ley' of the Coronary Care Unit

(Right Fig. 30 Cardiac defibril lation equipment

Fig. 31 The interaction between technology and medicine

News from Scotland

A TWO-DAY seminar on the co-ordinating of the Order s youth work in Scotland was held at Churches House, Dunblane. The discussions were led by Lady Mar and Kellie , Dr. T. A. Ross Commander Whittington and others and a report for Chapter on cadets and volunteers was produced. Scotland's problem is that there is no Ambulance Brigade to absorb the interest and energies of the young.

Aberdeen

A panel (see photo), depicting a Knight of St. John kneeling before St. John the Baptist was dedicated on October 2 in the AnteChapel at Haddo House b y the Prelate , the Rev. Professor Robin Barbour, in the

NEARLY 700 members of the Dyfed St. John Ambulance took part in a colourful service at St. David's Cathedral on Saturday September 9 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Priory for Wales, The service began with the members of the Chapter of the Priory robed in the striking mantles of the Order, entering the Cathedral in procession.

, Pembrokeshire features strongly in the history of the Priory , with Slebech being the only Commandery Church in Wales. Its foundation was based on grants to the Order by L ords of the Flemish colony in Pembrokeshire , supplemented by other s

presence of Lady Aberdeen the Chancellor, Col. J . H. C. MacLeod, an d other members of the Order The panel has b een given by the artist, John Aub re y, to the David Gordon Memorial Fund, set up in memory of the former Prior

Central Scotland

Dr. William MacFarlane Gray, the Receiver General , spoke to members of the Central Scotland Chamber of Commerce about the nature and work of the Order at a dinner in Falkirk on September 26 He invited members of the Chamber of Commerce to join local Associations and tak e part in the Order's activities.

J. R -S

WALES

mainly in Cardiganshire and Gwent. Pembroke shire figures in the Priory regalia used at the s ervice.

The sword, which is the emblem of the Prior 's authorit y within the Priory for Wales, was unearthed on the site of the Slebech Commandery. It is a magnificent example of a 15th century sword of ceremony. It was first loaned to the Priory for a visit of the Prince of Wales in 1921 by the Baroness de Rutzen , then owner of Slebech Park, and subsequently by her s ucces sors.

On the creation of the Priory t he h istoric con nection was mainta ned w ith one of the executive officer s as Commander of Slebech - a position now held b y Lady Dun sa n y, w ho pre se nted to the Priory t he Standard of the Order used in the processions

A servi ce of thanksgiving is held each year in the ruins of the ancient Slebech Church.

The last occasion at w hich t he Order of St. John in South Wales met for such a service was in May 1966 , when an investiture was held a t St. David 's County Secondary School hall and they were joined by the Prior for Wales and members of the Chapter.

On this special day, the Prio r , Lord Aberdare, held a Special Chapter Meeting at St. David' s It was the first t ime he Chapter h a d met in the county and the Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan, Col. Si r Cennydd Traherne , was in sta lled as Sub Prior of the Order in Wales.

The Service was condl.\cted b y the Dean , t he Very Rev. Lawrence Bowen and the Bi s hop of St. David's, t he Right Rev. E. M. Roberts, assisted b y the Officiating Chaplain, the Rev. E. I. Morris and the Rev. J. C. Jones. The Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, the Hon. R Hanning Philipps and Lady Marion Philipps, were amon g the co n g regation , w hich consisted of m em ber s of

Lord Aberdare and the new Sub Prior for Wales Col. Sir Cennydd Traherne

the St. John Councils in Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire

There was a full turn out from the Brigade in the three counties, including many Ambulance and Nursing Cadets. Senior -members of the Red Cross and civic dignitaries were also present.

Fashion show

A successful fashion show was held at The Oakeley Arms Hotel on October 4 to raise fu nd s fo r the Blaenau Ffestiniog Div sion. Given by Miss Marienne Roberts, of S & D Roberts, Gwyddfor, Harlech, the show included a wide variety of winter fashion models for adults and juveniles the modelling being delightfully carried out by local ladies and children who were expertly compared by Mrs. D. Parry of Harlech.

£ I 16 was r aised, which will be used to provide a new flag training equipment and supp lie s for the Division . The even in g was organised by the Divisional President Mrs. D. L. Nash SSStJ of Maentwrog.

find the

HIDDEN DIAGNOSES

Here's another new-style puzzle, similar to the popular Hidden Bones puzzle we published last summer, and again from our crossword compiler W. A. Potter, which should prove an interesting teaser over the Christmas holiday (if you haven't eaten too much pud).

Send YOLir list of diagnoses found t o Sf. John Rel'iew, (Diagnoses Puzzle), Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley Woodbridge Suffolk, The sender of the highest correct 10101 opened

Feb 1 will receive a fre e year's subscription 10 the Review.

THE MATRIX of letter s conceals the names of a number of conditions the first -aider may meet or diagnoses. How many c'an you find?

The names may read horizontally vertically, or diagonally and may be left to right, right to left, or read upwards or downwards. Not every letter is used, while some letters are used more than once.

INTEREST in medals and insignia of all types has grown considerably in recent years and Charles Tozer's book should prove useful and helpful to collectors and more especially to members of St. John. Mr. Tozer is an Officer Brother in the Order and a member of the Orders and Medals Research Society. In this book he has brought together, for the first time, information on the history and development of the grades, insignia and robes of the Most Venerable Order since the Royal Charter of 1888, and the medals and medallions issued by the Order and the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade. Though informative the book inevitably has gaps and errors of detail which Mr. Tozer and other members of the Orders and Medals Research Society are trying hard to fill and correct. Since the publication in 1975 the book has naturally stimulated much interest in producing more research on various aspects of St. John Am bulance history and associated awards. Incidentally, a lot of helpful additional information on subjects such as the Royal Naval Sick Berth Reserve and the Military Hospitals Reserve has come from 'Review' readers' articles or letters. A list of amendments and additions to the book has been prepared and it is hoped that these will soon be published. St. John, it is often said, is about people, and for many the interest in medals lies not only in their design, value and in the fun of collecting them but also in what they represent in terms of human achievement. The number of enquiries received by the Museum on awards made to former members of St. John has risen noticeably over the last few years. Often we are not able to give precise details, since our records are far from complete. Although we have other pressing demands on our time, we try to provide a basic answering service to these and other queries. Where more detailed research is required. we can advise on the books or records to consult (which we may have at St. John's Gate in our recently established St. John Ambulance Library). We can also put members in contact with those with specialised knowledge. such as Mr. Tozer, who are willing to help.

At £2.80 this book is good value, a hardback with illustrations and photographs of examples described in the text. Any member of St. John with medals or insignia of his or her own, or who have inherited them through their families, should find this a useful guide.

Pamela Willis

The Prior for Wales. Lord Aberdare reading the lesson at the D ia mond Jubilee service For eg ro un d ) The Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Col. the Hon , R , Hanni ng Philipps , and Lad y Mar on Philipps

Priory Diamond Jubilee

News from Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

(Right) Yeovil cadets (left)

(4). 12. The sort of slig htin

Classified advertisements

35mm COLOUR SLIDE SETS by Dr . K. Leese (GMC Brig ade of SJA): Introdu c tion to Fir st Aid ; s tructure of the Bod y; Re sp iration & Asphyxia ; Circulation & Wounds -s lide se s £4.00 each, cassette tap es £2.00 eac h, plus po s t and VAT. Send for FREE catalogue of teaching aids on HOME and ROAD SAFETY. F. C. CURTIS

Down:

I. Tolerate everything before Warrant Officer returns. (5). 2. Condition expected to be prevalent during the Wimbledon fortnight? (6.5). 3. Plant for production of sound. (4). 4 Transport to th e theatre. (7). 5. Left the patient in stitc hes. (7). 6. Ghastly pale , but se nsat ional. (5). 7. Amount of whiskey for a sma ll child (3). 8. Air -bo rne so ldi er with grad ual decline of fever has loss of power a n d sensat on (9). 14

Unions claim in diabetic complication. (7.4). 15. Vi s ually examine an opinion (4) 16. Process of the ulna. (9). 18. Trees from the Spanish manu sc ript. (4). 20. Oils and fats. (7). 21. Flexure between transver se and descending parts of colon. (7). 23. Unwanted sound (5).26. Rash. (5). 27. Gyrate to produce yarn. (4). 29. Sailor has half of incrustation on neglected teeth (3)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 11 (78)

Across:

I. Plate; 4 Spas.mo.dic; 9. Trouble; 10. Fit.test; 11. E rect ; 13. Lax; 14. Vi.sta; IS. Trigem in al; 18 Anus; 19. Sun; 21. Gene; 22. Thrombosis; 25. T.erse; 26. Te.a: 27. Era.se; 28. Boo s ter; 29. Martian: 31. Diarrhoea; 32. M inim

Down:

I. Patient ; 2. Anorexia nervosa ; 3. Ebb; 4. S hellfi s h ; 5. Affix; 6.

Motive: 7. Dressing s tation ; 8. C ut. lass; 12. Tied; 16 N.U.R .; 17. Anoxaemia; 20. A bl e; 21. Go to bed; 23. S.tern.um; 24. Fester; 26. Tor so; 30. Rum.

Crossword No 1 0 (78) The first correct solution opened from Mr. & Mrs. 1<' l. Basker, 11 Windsor Ave, Grays, Essex.

when inebriated? (4). 13. III following doctor in training exercises. (5). 16 Condition requiring a dietary 'regimen. (7). 17. Lines up to treat wounds. (7) 19. Weird womble follows direction to eviscerate. (7). 21. Specimens from sa le s involving a politician. (7). 22. No war for this tree. (5). 24. Cavity at the centre of each tooth (4) 25. A short distance from dislocated chin. (4). 28. Import a nt factor controlling growth a n d general health. (9). 30. Strap -like flexor of the t high. (5). 3 1 Never changing tissue. (5). 32. Metastatic malignant growth. (9).