St John Review (1984) by Museum of the Order of St John

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AMB ULA NCES

ST JOHN REVIEW

2nd Prize: A week's accommodation and breakfast for two in Bangkok

Ticket No 101611, Mr S. Matthews, 19 The Circle , Ro ss ington, Donca ste r, S. Yorks.

3rd Prize: A week's accommodation and breakfast for two in Nairobi

Ticket No 38280, M. Lambie, 5 Gartlows Crescent, Falki r k

4th Prize: A two week holiday for two on the Isle of Wight

Ticket No 88291, P. Millican, 42 Edendale Avenue, Cowpen Estate, Blyth.

5th Prize: A two w e ek holiday for two in the Algarv e Ticket No 46990, T. Harwick, R. L. Martindale Ltd, Rose Place , St Anne's Street, Liverpool, Merseys i de.

6th Prize: A mink hat

Ticket No 14849, G. Patterson, 301 Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey.

7th Prize: A case of Johnnie Walker 'Black Label' whisky

Ticket No 73365, Mr J. N. Brock , 21 Ladyside Close, Bransholme North, Hull.

8th Prize: Six b o ttl e s of Bollinger special cuvee champagne

Ticket No 94683, Mrs M. Ward, 61 Lantern House , Alpha Grove, Millwall, London EI4.

9th Prize: A meal for two at Juli e 's Res taurant, H o lla n d Park, London

Ticket No 62139, Nicola Nightingale, 20 Bernard Street, London WeI

Grand Prior's Trophy

I VISITED South Africa from October 4-27 1983. There were three objects to my visit: firstly to represent the Grand Priory at the centenary celebrations in Cape Town, secondly to see more of the work of St John Ambulance in South Africa, and finally to pay a visit to Swaziland.

All the main celebrations concerning the Orde r took place in Cape Town on October 11 and 12. But unfortunately the Prior was taken seriously ill on October 7 and had to be moved to a clinic and later to a hospital. Although he was obviously very much missed, the Chancellor stood in admirably for him at all the events. Before I finally left Cape Town I spent over an hour with the Prior in hospital, who was then very much better , and I understood just before I left Johannesburg to fly home that he was more or less completely recovered and back at home again.

On Tuesday Oct 11, after a Council meeting, a full meeting of Chapter was held in St George's Cathedral. I attended this meeting, during which I presented the gifts both from the Grand Prior and from the Grand Priory, both of which were very much appreciated Apart from the fact that the Chapter in South Africa does not include ladies, the meeting was very much like our own, especially in the fact that no one except the principal officers spoke! This meeting was followed later in the evening by the centenary dinner held in the City and Civil Service Club. The guest of honour was the State president, who is patron of the Priory.

The other principal guest was the British Ambassador and his wife, and the dinner was attended by about 110 members of the Order and their wives.

The highlight of Wednesday, and indeed the climax of the celebrations, was a Service of Rededicat ion and an investiture held in

FIRST AIDER OF THE YEAR

St George's Cathedral. This was also attended by the State President and many distinguished citizens of Cape Town who filled the cathedral. St John Ambulance, too, was well represented. There were over 40 postulants receiving various grades of awards in the Order, and an excellent sermon was preached by the Bishop of Johannesburg. All the ceremonies connected with these celebrations were immaculately performed, thanks almost entirely to Brayley Reynolds, the Director of Ceremonies, who in spite of being un well with a high temperature, took immense trouble over every detail and controlled the events admirably. My only criticism of the ceremonies was that the installation of Knights was done in exactly the same way as the installation of Commanders. I mentioned this to Brayley Reynolds and I understand that he may be writing to our own Director of Ceremonies to obtain his views on how this might be altered.

Community Health Project

While in Cape Town I was able to pay a morning's visit to the Community Health Project in the Cape Flats. This has made great strides since my last visit. The idea, which as far as I know is unique to St John,

SEVENTY -five year old Ernest Farmer became the Band Aid St John Ambulance First-Aider of the Year at the national finals held at Bart's Hospital on November 16.

His victory was clinched in the last round, a simulated motor -cy cle accident, when hi s spritely but methodical approach took him into the lead. Ernest, the most 'mature' of the ten finalists (eldest does not seem the right word!), is retired but does part-time work at the Stratford-upon-Avon Hilton. His full-time work was being in charge of stores and purchasing for a company in the Associated Leisure Group.

I think all our hearts went out to Shirley Foey, the youngest competitor, who led all the way until the last round. Shirley, 19, is a nursing member with the Cadets in Radcliffe (it must be a nice place!) in Lancashire. She's a student nurse at Crumpsall, Manchester Regional Hospital. It was a close run compet t ion, bad luck Shirley!

TV's Esther Rantzen kindly opened the proceedings and promptly gave us a lecture on first aid! Her husband caug ht fire while trying to light

Winner, Ernest Farme r 75 with runn er-up, Shirley Fo ey, 19, and Mr Wale, of Johnson and Johnson

has been adopted as one of the four centenary projects to be expanded. The Cape Flats is the area outside Cape Town which in general houses the black and coloured community who work in industry and in the city. It is a very depressing area, consist ing of houses and blocks of flats with virt uall y no places of interest, few shops and no recreational facilities. Overcrowding is normal, with several families living in twobedroomed apartments. Unemployment is high and alcoholism among the adult men and glue sniffing among the chi ldren is rife.

St John Ambulance has built several Centres in the area where not only is first aid, nursing, hygiene and nutrition taught but children are looked after and efforts made to educate them into a more healthy way of life The elderly are also looked after, and all this work is carried out by a staff which consists of a small number of full-time paid St John Ambulance nursing officers, who have recruited a large number of voluntary unpaid helpers from the black and coloured community. I was immensely impressed with the dedication and devotion shown by all these workers. To my mind this is just the type of project we shou ld try and persuade other African countries to introduce in their urban areas, and in this connection full details of the scheme are being sent for us to study.

Annual Ambulance Conference I attended this and s poke at the opening as well as during the conference. It was run on similar lines to our last Overseas Conference in Toronto, and the subjects for discussion were the three centenary projects which concern St John Ambulance: Industrial Training, where they are following very closely our own method of instruction; (cont. at joot next page)

a bon fire with petrol , and Esther was very relieved to remember that water was the treatment for bums. Esther drenched her husband and promptly put him in a dustbin full of water!

With many of the rounds being audio-visual it is a marvellous competition for the audience to watch. One round, this year, was on the telephone. Each competitor received a call from a distressed man in the company of an injured or unwell person. The man was ignorant of first aid and within one minute the competitor had to make a diagnosis and suggest treatment. This short timespan played on the ner ves of the contestants.

One, in the heat of the moment, suggested 'elevate his body against the wall'. I don't think asking a bystander to hold a heart-attack victim up against a wall is in our First Aid Manual, but must check!

HQ's Medical Secretary John Hammond designed and co-ordinated the whole competition brilliantly. Our thanks go to Johnson & Johnson for their kind sponsors hip to Est her Rantzen, to Dickie Arbiter for compering the evening and Lady Westbury for presenting the prizes. Our commiserations go to the other e ight finalists. Lastly our congratu ations to Ernest Farmer whose energy and enthusiasm were really quite remarkable.

Richard Radcliffe

SJ • service

• In Derby

DERBYSHIRE St John Council hosted their first annual service of rededication at D erby cathedral in October. Historic Order r ega lia fro m the St John headquar te r s in Lo ndon featured in th e Lord Prior 'S Procession through the city and more than LOOO guests packed the cathedral.

On the evening prior [0 the Order serv Ice gues ts, including Sir Maurice Dorman, Lord Prior , and Col. Peter Hilton Commander of St John in Derbyshire and President of the Council, attended a unique banquet.

The ten-course m ea donated by the IIke ston Co-operative Society, was held in th eir splend id banqueting suite. All the 250 guest paid for their tickets, the funds raised going to St John.

The day of the Order service dawned cold, wet and windy, but this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the co unt y's cadets linin g the pro cessio nal route or the crowds who braved the weather to watch the parade. Following h e se rvice , Sir Maurice pre en ted Grand Prior Awards [0 ten cadets from throughout t h e county.

To mark the service the St John Council in Derby s hire commissioned a limited edition commemo rat ive dish by Royal Crown Derb y. Only 300 dishes ha ve been produced and a small number are sti ll available at £ 14 .50 (including postage) from Sl John Ambulance, County HQ, 121 Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3LU.

Chief Commander visits S. Africa (cont.)

Care of the Aged, where they propose to adopt a modified version of the Canadian system; and the Community Health Project, which I have already described. The conference was well attended and very we ll run, but from our own point of view little new came out of it. It certainly ge nerated enthusiasm for in tro ducin g these three new projects but, of course, the test will come when the Commissioners and delegates return to their own Centres

The conference included working meetings of the Commissioners from all the Centres, Secretaries, Presidents, etc, and the value of a two-day conference for all was well demonstrated. At the end Dr Van de Merve announced his retirement due to ill health.

Adult First Aid Competition Finals

The venue of this competition, which cha nge s every year, was a stadium in Cape Town. The competition only concerned adu lts since cadets have separate competitions. It was held out of doors and in my opinion was not a very impressive event for a National Competition. All the teams were entertained afterwards at a dinner/dance in the city, which was extremely well run and at which prizes were presented.

The Derbyshire County Colours and rump eters from the Royal Horse Artillery at the famous Bakewell Screen in Derby Cathedral at the start of the Order service

The Derbyshire Cadets who received their Grand Prior Awards from Sir Maurice Dorman at the conclusion of the Order service Visits to Centres

After the various events in Cape Town were over, I visited some of the St John Ambulance Centres which I did not see on my last visit to South Africa. My tour included Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown, East London, and Windhoek. Unfortunately from my point of view the programmes at each Centre were large ly confined to discussions with the senior officers, meeting local dignitaries and radio and television interviews. Except in East London and Grahamstown, I met none of the 'workers'.

There is no doubt that, without the Rai lways, St John Ambulance in South Africa would hardly exist and it is certainly not as well known in the country as it i in the other great Priories.

Port Elizabeth has built an excellent new extension to their Centre, where they propose to increase considerably their first aid tea ching, but the Brigade there is weak and relations between it and the Association are at present somewhat strained. St John Ambulance runs an excellent home for elderly people in the town, the Stella Londt Home, where in addition to a full-time staff volunteers help out in their pare time. Grahamstown is excellently led but has a very poor Centre, which is really inadequate either for teaching or training. East London was the only Centre I visited who have a strong cadet contingent, one of t he very few

in South Africa, regrettably. They have formed a band, an effort which has been copied in Cape Town. While there I met a lovely old lady, Mrs Kill em , who is 101 years old , has been in St John Ambulance for most of her life, and is perhaps the oldest exmember of the Brigade in the world.

My last visit was to Windhoek, in South West Africa , which, though under the Priory for South Africa, is somewhat out on a limb due to its remoteness and the size of the St John Ambulance organisation. South West Africa is a vast country, virtually all desert except in the far north, and ery thinly populated. I spent one complete day in Windhoek and then visited Swarkopmund, and Walvis Bay, a round trip by car in one day of some 700 miles! The St John Ambulance organisation in the country is virtually all run by the Railways, although there are some 'Open Divisions'. They have a total of five ambulances and 190 members located in three areas. The Brigade carry out normal public duties, including duty in the local hospitals, and uniquely run a blood donor ervice. They work very clo ely with the Johanniter Orden. They have very recently formed an Association Branch (as yet without a building) to teach first aid. The President is an ex U-boat Commander. with an Iron Cro Fir t Cia s, a charming person who pent two of the war year a a 'g uest of His Majesty' in England. This new

I VISITED South Africa from October 4-27

1983 There were three objects to my visit: firstly to represent the Grand Priory at the centenary celebrations in Cape Town, secondly to see more of the work of St John Ambulance in South Africa, and finally to pay a visit to Swaziland.

All the main celebrations concerning the Order took place in Cape Town on October II and 12. But unfortunately the Prior was taken seriously ill on October 7 and had to be moved to a clinic and later to a hospital. Although he was obviously very much missed, the Chancellor stood in admirably for him at all the events. Be fore I finally left Cape Town I spent over an hour with the Prior in hospital, who was then very much better, and I understood just before I left Johannesburg to fly home that he was more or less completely recovered and back at home again.

On Tuesday Oct 11, after a Council mee ting, a full meeting of Chapter was held in St George's Cathedral. I attended this meeting , during which I presented the gifts both from the Grand Prior and from the Grand Priory, both of which were very much appreciated. Apart from the fact that the Chapter in South Africa does not include ladies, the meeting was very much like our own, especially in the fact that no one except the principal officers spoke! This meeting was followed later in the evening by the centenary dinner held in the City and Civil Service Club. The guest of honour was the State president, who is patron of the Priory. The other principal guest was the British Ambassador and his wife, and the dinner was attended by about 110 members of the Order and their wives.

The highligh t of Wednesday, and indeed the climax of the celebrations, was a Service of Rededication and an investiture held in

FIRST AIDER OF THE YEAR

St George's Cathedral. This was also attended by the State President and many distinguished citizens of Cape Town who filled the cathedral. St John Ambulance, too, was well represented. There were over 40 postulants receiving various grades of awards in the Order, and an excellent sermon was preached by the Bishop of Johannesburg. All the ceremonies connected with these celebrations were immacu lately performed, thanks almost entirely to Brayley Reynolds, the Director of Ceremonies, who in spite of being unwell with a high temperature, took immense trouble over every detail and controlled the events admirably. My only criticism of the ceremonies was that the installation of Knights was done in exactly the same way as the installation of Commanders. I mentioned this to Brayley Reynolds and I understand that he may be writing to our own Director of Ceremonies to obtain his views on how this might be altered.

Community Health Project

SEVENTY -five year old Ernest Farmer became the Band Aid St John Ambula nce First -Aider of the Year at the national finals held at Bart's Hospital on November 16.

Hi s victory was clinched in the last round, a simulated motor-cycle accident, when his sprite ly but methodical approach took him into the lead. Ernest, the most 'mature' of the ten fmalists (eldest does not seem the right word!), is retired but does part-time work at the Stratford-upon-Avon Hilton. His full-time work was being in charge of stores and purchasing for a company in the Associated Leisure Group

I think all our hearts went out to Shirley Foey, t he youngest competitor, who led all the way until the last round. Shirley, 19, is a nursing member with the Cadets in Radcliffe (it must be a nice place!) in Lancashire. She's a student nurse at Crumpsall, Manchester Regional Hospital. It was a close run competition, bad luck Shirley!

TV's Esther Rantzen kindly opened the proceedings and promptly gave us a lecture on first aid! Her husband caught fire while trying to light

Winner, Ern est Farmer 75, with runner-up

Shirley Foe y, 19 and Mr Wale, of Johnson and Johnson

has been adopted as one of the four centenary projects to be expanded. The Cape Flats is the area outside Cape Town which in general houses the black and coloured community who work in industry and in t h e city. It is a very depressing area, consisting of houses and blocks of flats with virtua ll y no places of interest, few shops and no recreational facilities. Overcrowding is normal, with several families living in twobedroomed apartments. Unemployment is high and alco holi sm among the adult men and glue sniffing among the children is rife.

St John Ambulance has built several Centres in the area where not only is first aid, nursing, hygiene and nutrition taught but children are looked after and efforts made to educate them into a more healthy way of life The elderly are also looked after, and all this work is carried out by a staff which consists of a small number of full-time paid St John Ambulance nursing officers, who have recruited a large number of voluntary unpaid helpers from the black and coloured community. I was immensel y impressed with the dedication and devotion s hown by all these workers. To my mind this is just the type of project we should try and persuade other African countries to introduce in their urban areas, and in this connection full details of the scheme are being se nt fo r u s to study.

Annual Ambulance Conference I attended this and spoke at the opening as well as during the conference. It was run on simi lar lines to our last O verseas Conference in Toronto , and the subjects for discussion were the three centenary projects which concern St John Ambulance: Industrial Training, where they are following very closely our own method of instruction; (cant. at joot next page)

a bonfire with petrol, and Esther was very reJjeved to remember that water was the treatment for burns. Esther drenched her husband and promptly put him in a dustbin full of water!

With many of t he round s being audio-visual it is a marvelJou s competition for the audience to watch. One round, this year, was on the telephone. Each competitor received a call from a di s tressed man in the company of an injured or unwell person. The man was ignorant of first aid and within one minute the competitor had to make a diagnosis and suggest treat men 1. This short timespa n played on the nerv es of the contestants. One, in the heat of the moment, suggested 'elevate his body against the wall'. I don't think asking a bystander to hold a heart-attack victim up against a wall is in our First Aid Manual, but I must check!

HQ's Medical Secretary John Hammond designed and co-ordinated the whole competition brilliantly. Our tha n ks go to Johnson & Johnson for their kind sponsorship, to Esther Rantzen, to Dickie Arbiter for compering the evening and Lady Westbury for presenting the prizes

Our commiserations go to the other e ight finalists. Lastly our congratulations to Ernest Farmer whose energy and enthusiasm were really quite remarkable.

Richard Radcliffe

SJ service

• In Derby

DERBYSHIRE St John Council hosted t heir firSl annual service of re-dedication at Derby cal hedra l n O ct ober. Historic Order regalia from the Sl John headquarter s in London featured in the Lord Prior 's Pro cession through the c it y and more than 1000 guests pa cke d the cat hedr a l.

On the evening prior to the Order serv ce guests, including Sir Maurice Dorman , Lord Prior, and Col. Peter Hilton, Commander of St John in Derbyshire and Pre sid ent of the Council, attended a unique banquet.

The ten-course meal, don ate d b y the llk eston Co-operative Society, was held in their sp lend id banqueting s uite All the 250 guests paid for their tickets, the funds raised going to Sl John.

The day of the Order service dawn ed cold, wet and windy, but thi s did not dampen the enthusiasm of the county's cade ts lining the processional route or th e crowds who braved the weather to watch the parade. Following the service, Sir Maurice presented Grand Prior Awards to ten cadets from throughout the county.

To mark the service the St John Council in Derb ys hire commiss ioned a l im ited edition commemorative dish by Royal Crown Derby. Only 300 dishes have been produced and a small number are still available at £ 14 .50 (incl uding postage) from St J o hn Ambulance, County HQ. 121 Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire DE4 3LU.

Chief Commander visits S. Africa (cont.)

Care of the Aged, where they propose to adopt a modified version of the Canadian system; and the Community Health Project, w hi ch I have already described. The co nference was well attended and very well run, but from our own point of view little new came out of it. It certainly generated enthusiasm for introdu cing these three new projects but, of course, the test will come when the Commissioners and delegates return to their own Centres.

The conference included working meetings of the Commissioners from all the Centres, Secretaries, Pre s iden ts, etc, and t he value of a two-day conference for all was well demonstrated. At the end Dr Van de Merve announced his ret irement due to ill health.

Adult First Aid Competition Finals

The venue of this competition, which changes every year, was a stadium in Cape Town The competition only concerned adults since cadets have separate competitions. It was held out of doors and in my opinion was not a very impressive event for a National Competition. All the teams were entertained afterwards at a dinner / dance in the city, which was extremely well run and at which prizes were presented.

The Derbyshire County Colours and trumpeters from the Royal Horse Artillery at the famous Ba kewell Screen in Derby Cathedral at the start of the Order serv ce

The Derbyshire Cadets who received the i r Grand Prior Awards from Sir Maurice Dorman at the conclusion of the Order service

Visits to Cen tres

After the various events in Cape Town were over, I visited some of the St John Ambulance Centres which I did not see on my last visit to South Africa. My tour included Port Elizabeth, Grahamstown, East London, and Windhoek. Unfortunately from my point of view the programmes at each Centre were largely confined to discussions with the senior officers, meeting local dignitaries and radio and television interviews. Except in East London and Grahamstown, I met none of the 'workers'.

There is no doubt that, without the Railways, St John Ambulance in South Africa would hardly exist and it is certainly not as well known in the country as it is in the other great PrioriC's.

Port Elizabeth ha built an excellent new extension to their Centre, where they propose to increase considerably their fir t aid teaching, but the Brigade there is weak and relations between it and the Association are at present somewhat strained. St John Ambulance run an excellent home for elderly people in the town, the Stella Londt Home, where in addition to a full-time staff volunteers help out in their spare time. Grahamstown is excellently led but has a very poor Centre, which is really inadequate either for teaching or training. East London was the only Centre I vis ited who have a strong cadet contingent one of the very few

in South Africa, regrettably. They have formed a band, an effort which has been copied in Cape Town. While there I met a lovely old lady, Mrs Killem, who is 101 years old, has been in St John Ambulance for most of her life, and is perhaps the oldest exmember of the Brigade in the world.

My last visit was to Windhoek, in South West Africa, which, though under the Priory for South Africa, is somewhat out on a limb due to its remoteness and the size of the St John Ambulance organisation South West Africa is a vast country, virtually all desert except in the far north, and very thinly populated. I pent one complete day in Windhoek and then visited Swarkopmund, and Walvis Bay, a round trip by car in one day 0 f some 700 miles! The St John Ambulance organisation in the country is virtually all run by the Railways, although there are some 'Open Di isions'. They have a total of five ambulances and 190 members located in three areas. The Brigade carry out normal public duties, including duty in the local ho pitals, and uniquely run a blood donor service. They work very closely with the Johanniter Orden. They have very recently formed an Association Branch (as yet without a building) to teach fi rst aid. The P resident is an ex U-boat Commander, with an Iron Cro Fir t Clas , a charming person who spent two of the war years as a 'guest of His Majesty' in England. This new

Chief Commander visits S. Africa (cant.)

A ss o c ia t ion aim s to be the organis a tion to put into effect in Namibia the four cent e na ry projec t s, and will continue t o work in close co-operation w ith the Johanniter Orden They hope t h a its work will generate more recruits and mone y f or the Brigade, and also help it to expand ts organisation throughout the country.

As a re s ult of my various visits I was left with the impres s ion t hat at present St John Ambulan c e t h r ou g hou t the Republic , with the ex c eption of Cape Town, present s an image of elderl y people doing traditional work in traditional places. I belie v e the new Centenary Projects, for which t he Chan cello r is personall y helping to raise con siderable sums of money, could revitalise t he whole organisation and give them the new direc t ion and new challenges which the y bad y need

During my tour I s pen t two da ys in Swaziland and inaugurated the first Brigade Division ever to be f o r med in the countr y.

ON OCTOBER 21 over 1,500 people attended a City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra concert in the Town Hall , Birmingham in aid of St John Ambulance West Midlands The concert, preceded by a champagne reception in the Birmingham Art Galler y , was followed by a dinner in the banqueting s uite of the Council House. Earlier in the day the Rt Hon Edward Heath, who conducted Tchaikovsky's Variation on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra, lunched at St John headquarter s in Birmingham and met members of the staff. He was also interviewed on television, wh e n he commended the work of St John 6

In fact, the Bri g ade has been a nam e in Swaziland for many y ears bu t ha s n eve r h a d any members or been a ct iv e! The n e w Divi sion is ba s ed in M a n zi ni , t h e indu stria l c apital ' , and consi s ts of so me 2 5 a mbul a n ce and nursing members. The Cbm m i ss ioner is the Chief Commissioner of Poli c e T he re are w o people who have been the dri v in g f o rc e behind the f ormat on of an act i ve organisation in the country, Mr Ol iv ie r, the Chairman of Council and Dr Dou g la s, a local GP who work s at a clini c in M a n zini The former , an e x- Comm iss ioner o f P olice in the country , has formed a C oun cil , we ll constituted w ith m e mbers f r o m m a n y different pro f es sion s . D r D o u g las's wo r k largely c onsists of fir st aid te ac hi ng which at present is ge nerall y co n f ined to the P olice, t he F ire Serv ice , the Ar m y, and in a small way to ndust ry. Plans ar e in ha nd to expan d their industr i al teachin g a nd a ls o e xten d i t to the general public when h ey h a ve ra ised enough mone y to build a s ui ta bl e centre M r Oli v ier is ver y k een that hi s o rganisation s hould not become a 'tw o-m an band', a n d as soon as he is abl e t o do s o pr o p oses to delegate man y of hi s re s pon s i bi l ities, including hi s chairman s h i p o f the Counci l.

He is also keen

R DS HI RE Police First Aid

ia l Centre ran it 7th fir t aid

ctors course at Po lice Headquarters , S t afford, d uring the week October 17-28. Pr evious co ur ses run by the Special Ce nt re have i ncl u ded t h e systems a p p r oac h to teaching as their ba s ic m et h od of instruction, but this was the firs t co u rse to adopt in its entirety the new for m at a id dow n by St John National H ea dqu arters, London, in their August 1983 circ u lar. Ten officers who vo lunt ee red for the course faced an assess m e nt p a n e l consis t i n g of Dr J D. A nder son, In s pecto r F. B. Bryan, senior in s tru c tor fo r th e S p ecia l Ce n tre, a n d Mr D J Ke ll y, t he Centre Secretary. All c a n did ates passed the written test and then we n t o n to face t h e doctor in a p ract ica l t es t on t h e various aspects of

S taffs Police Centre use

n ew teaching methods

resuscitation. The panel then q uestioned each candidate for about 15 minutes in such a way as to g ive them a chance to demonstrate their ability to speak logicall y and clearly on variou subjects, so me connected with first a d, others not. The results of the assessment were very sati fying and h e panel was p eased to recommend to the Ce nt re's chairman, the Ch ief Constable of S t affordsh ire, Mr C. H. Ke lly, that all t h e te n officers shou ld be accepted for t h e course, to which he agreed.

As well as the new recommendatio ns, additional subjects we r e in c luded in the course. The le d ical Di rector Dr Anderson, discussed medical subjects which would stimulate further tho u ght and researc h t h e principal of Birmingham Ab b ey School of Publ ic Speaking d emonstrated t h e many p it fall of that subject; co mmuni ca t ion, particularly with vis u a l ai d s, was dea lt with by the Force's i n st r uctor; a nd th e

Centre Secretary spoke on administrative matters.

The candidates worked very hard and by the end of the course ever yo ne had achieved an exceptionally high standard, which qualified them as Instructor s (First Aid).

All told 66 first aid instructors ha ve been taught by the Staffordshire Police. Some \ ho ha ve since reti r ed now instruct regularly for the local St John on First Ai d a t Work courses. There are currently 46 instructors at the Special Centre, and all of them after special instruction have demonstrated their ability to teach to the cu rr ent standards laid down by St John national HQ.

We se t high fir t aid tandards in S t affor d sh ir e P olice and a r e p r oud t hat a ll o u r office r s, from the Chief Constab le to Ca d ets, including all special constables, a re r ai n e d and qualified in first aid in acco r dance w i t h t h e requalification standards lai d down by St John B. B

brief outline of th e work of St J o h n and then asked the audi e nce to welcome represen t ati v es o f S t Joh n w h o, am i d applause, f iled in t o their se at s b e hind t h e orches t ra After the con cert the gues t s wal ke d through an 'avenue' of ambulan ces , w it h crews in attendance and light s fla s hin g, t o the dinner in the Council Hou se, w h ere Cadet Sergeant Ka r e n Ha yward w h

s chosen as the Lord Lieutenant 's C ad et for 1984, met the Rt Hon Edward He at h a n d

Swaziland

GERALDINE'S HOUR

Cadet Leader Geraldine Comiskey, of Count y Down's Newcastle Nursing Cadet Division, Northern Ireland, is I hear normally a rather nervous person, but wasn't so on the evening of July 16 19 82 - when she calmly gave first aid to a stabbing casualty while surrounded by a potentially violent crowd of youths.

When a fight broke out at the end of a disco at Newcastle Leisure Centre, Geraldine helped control the crowd, sent for an ambulance, and treated the casualty who had been kicked unconscious and suffered stab wounds and multiple lacerations She stayed with him, taking his name and address when he regained consciousness, until the ambulance arrived.

Geraldine has been awarded a Certificate of Honour by the Order.

ATTENTION ARTISTS!

What does the typical 'family of St John' look like? We would like to feature in the St John Review a cartoon strip portraying the typical 'Mr and Mrs St John' with their children (who of course would be cadets!)

Can you draw a family typical of your County or District? If so, send a clear black and white sketch of the characters, with names (if they are suitable fo r printing !) to the Cadet Department, St John Ambulance HQ, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SWIX 7EF t o reach us by March 31 1984.

BEST FOOT

At 8 o'clock on a

The Supt-in-Chief,

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

AB U

BY THE EDITOR

friendly relations between divisions in the world wide family of St John.

In 1978 when Mrs Logan came to England settled with her family in Canvey Island, as ASO(NC) Essex Southern Area s he decided to set up another branch of the competition between Castle Point, Essex, and Niagara Falls, Canada. The id ea has now snowballed and last year teams f rom Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Sussex and Essex took part in these international competitions Unfortunately a team from South Africa had to withdraw.

The competition consists of a team test and an indi vidual t h eoretical test for each member. Each country in turn sets t he papers and in 1983 Canada were the winners with 249 marks. Southern Essex, with ten teams entered, came third, the winners 10calJ y being Basildon Nursing cadets.

Th e C- in - C Sir John Younger (leh ), after presenting awards at Dor set's AGM (L to R) Mr P Cotton Cou nty PRO (warrant

Joined by her 22-year-old son Anthony, the pair were supported by a back-up team of divisional members.

Although she suffers from arthriti s and at times was in great pain, Eileen was determined to complete the walk. Urged on by her son, she finished the 25 miles in just under six hours.

Sponsored by Sutton's Tesco store, where she works as a cashier, and many other people, Eileen's great effort boosted the ambulance fund b y over £400. 'Never felt better,' she said.

Well done, Eileen.

WORLD WIDE COMP

It was as a young training officer with Canada's Mohawk Division that Mrs Joan Logan (then unmarried) and the Division's Supt, Mrs Perry, conceived the idea of an overseas first aid competition. With the h elp of Mrs E. Clarke, then corps nursing officer of Wallasey, Cheshire, the idea took shape and soon the first international FA competition took place between Hamilton (Ontario, Canada), Wirral (Merseyside) , and Southwick (Sussex) in 1969.

The aim was to encourage cadets in competition work and also to promote

Much emphasis is placed on the fact that it is a friendly competition between teams that have not previously had experience at either Area or National level, and encouraging participants to think of international friendships between members of St John

In 1984 it is hoped that a division from Germany's Johann iter will compete and possibly visit Essex. Also a division from Hong Kong has expressed an interest in taking part.

A committee has been formed to help organise and raise funds for this annual eve nt and should any other division feel that they would like to start a similar project in their own part of the country, ASO Mrs Joan Logan, 1A Arcadia Rd, Canvey Island, would be only too pleased to advise them.

So come on, cadets, give it some thought. How about making friends with a division in another country and exchanging letters and ideas with your fellow cadets? Perhaps one day you might even exchange visits.

GIRLS UNITE

Some 480 nursing members from Nottinghamshire, Derbys, Leicestershire and Warwickshire spent a weekend in autumn camp (part training but more social) at the Derby Holiday Centre, Rhyl, as guests of the National Coal Board. Apparently this girls' weekend is a tradition of many years, with only wme 20 SJA men, who act as camp guards, who go with them.

Camp commander this year was Area Supt (N) Mrs C. G. Faulkner, from Leics, and the inspecting officer was Dr. M. Austin, Supt(N) Leics, who took the salute at the church parade. A Saturday evening party included 100 of the gals in fancy dress, I hear.

The camp's full-time housekeeper, Mrs Eirwen Davies, was retiring from the job after 33 years so the SJA ladies party presented her with farewell gifts. Mrs Davies was made an honorary member of St John in 1982. (See photo previous page)

BUSY AMBULANCE

John Kintu (Executive Officer, SJA Uganda) writes of the ambulance sent from UK in October 1982 (see June 1983 Review p, 141) to replace their only ambulance which was highjacked by an armed gang:

'The ambulance has continued to be serviceable and every day that passes brings us a lot of joy for that generous donation.

In recent weeks it has been used to transport a cervical spinal injured patient from Mulago Hospital to Entebbe airport en route to Nairobi's Kenyatta National Hospital for more specialised treatment. Two unconscious patients have also been transported from Kawolo Hospital (25 miles from Kampala) to Mulago Hospital, again for more specialised treatment.

'The vehicle was also on duty with a group of 20 Brigade members during Uganda's celebration of our 21st anniversary of Independence held at the old Entebbe airport, where we were seen to operate in our true colours. 100 casualties, mostly fainting cases but including a heart attack and a case of malaria, were treated. With about 15 stretchers, generously donated by the Order , we were just able to cope,

'Our training programme has also largely been made possible because of the

WATCH VEHICLES

availability of the ambulance, for which we are extremely grateful.'

FORMIDABLE

Folkestone Nursing Cadet Division, which was 50 years of age last June, has had a busy jubilee year, I hear. They held a special parade and church service in June, when the 50th Grand Prior certificate was presented to a Folkestone cadet. In March, Supt Mrs Smailes took a party of the cadets to a handbell ringers national rally at Surrey University.

Other events included the annual camp, a day's sailing instruction from Mr Smailes (who is commodore of the local saihng club), a coffee evening for parents and friends, entering a float in Hythe's Venetian Fete (on the canal), a youth hostel weekend, and taking part in Remembrance Sunday's Tribute from Youth in Folkestone.

To top all this the Division reached the Regional Finals.

The SJA girls of Folkestone are formidable, as they say across the water.

NIJMEGEN MARCHES

The 68th International Four Day Long Distance Marches are anticipated for July 1984. The marches are to encourage fitness

WITH OUR COMPLIMENTS

and international goodwill through participation in three days of har? physical effort by marching 30, 40 or 50 kilometres. Those who successfully complete their declared distance s are awarded a medallion. In 1983, St John Ambulance sent a contingent of 28, who put up a most creditable performance.

It is intended to field a further contmgent this year. While information is not yet to hand concerning details 0 exact cost, we

Middle East

Sketchbook

The Dome of the Rock. Jerusalem

Erected

The building is one of the oldest surviving examples of Moslem architecture. Although renovated many times it has essentially preserved its original form.

Nursing Cadet Velda Burgess and Ambulance Cadet Russ ell Cross, both from Padiham, Lanes, met at a divisional camp in 1975. Eight years later to the week, here they are leaving Padiham church as partners for life. Velda is now SRN and a one-star nursing officer, and Russell, a speech therapist at Preston, is an ambulance memberboth with Padiham Quad Division. With room we hear, in the cadet section

expect that each volunteer (or his District / County, etc) will not be asked to find m 0 re than £80 towards the costs. Any additional expenses will be met from the Headquarter's Training Budget Account. For information , last year's venture for 28 personnel totalled nearly £5000, when participants came from Cleveland, Dorset Shropshire, S & W Yorkshire and Staffordshire.

Those who are interested in possibly taking part in 1984 should apply through their County /District headquarters as soon as possible. The marches are open to all who are free of medical problems , and who are 12 years old and over. (The youngest and oldest in the 1983 St John contingent were

18 and 49 years old respectively.)

Much hard training and effort is required, but the determined characters have little trouble achieving their targets, and those who take part always return to declare they had a splendid week.

WINNER

A new youth project planned for early 1984 is the Dettal Youth Caring Awards, a scheme for under 21-year-olds which will be run i n conjunction with the BBC. Prizes are: winner £5000, and five runners-up of £1000 each. The scheme will be announced in the press and on TV.

by PETER GARLAND

Membership secretary of The Friends of the St John

(Left) Guest speaker at Devon officers annual conference (Nov 6) at Exeter, Chief Ambulance Officer Dick Francis.

'Keep your ambulance in peak condition,' he told the meeting (Right, front) Cty Supt Mrs M. Lavers (left); R-Adml W Hayes, Commissioner; and Capt W. G. Peek, chairman of Council

WHO wish to use youth hostels

Englan.d and Wales for outdoor pursuits, field studIes or for sport and recreation can now benefit from an inexpensive and simpleto-operate membership concession scheme.

YHA's new group membership concession enables youth groups or adult handicapped groups (and others) to be introduced to the of youth hostelling and, as only the need be a YHA member, the cost IS mImmal.

The concession is available to any number of young people between seven and 20 years old whose main leader must be over 18 and a YHA member. Handicapped groups whose members are over 21 can enjoy the same concessions.

Advance booking on official headed notepaper (although this need not be enforced for adult handicapped groups) allows a!l voluntary or LEA-run youth, commumty or adult handicapped groups to book direct with the hostel of their choice and use the wide range of facilities based in and around them.

All groups resident in England and Wales can benefit from the rich potential for educational use of both towns and countryside, and the important social and personal stimulus gained from mixing with others. For group visits overseas an International Leader Card is needed. details are available from Rob Countryside and Education OffIcer, YHA, St Stephen's Hill, St Albans Herts ALl 2DY.

6. Descendeurs (Fig. 8)

7. Helmet

3. Know how to handle, store and maintain all basic items of equipment.

4. Rope Work

1. Coiling a rope.

2. Tying on to a rope. (Fig. 8 knot and stopper knot)

3. Belaying safely - How to tie into a belay and belay another person up a one pItch climb in a safe and competent manner. (Gloves must be worn)

4 of slings and chocks for belaying pomts and protection on pitches.

5. Tie a bowline and clove hitch knot.

5. Abseiling

1. Set up a one pitch abseil with double abseil ropes and a safety rope

2. Use three different methods of abseiling (with a safety rope):

A. Classic

B. Sit sling/Karabiner method

C. Sit sling/Fig. 8 method

6 Climbing

1. On the assessment day, climb four selected routes in a competent manner (all clin:bs will be top roped, ie a safety rope WIll be used at all times).

2. Use and point out the many different

AVON POSTER

Rock Climbing

(Suggested age 15-20 years)

Here are details of the Proficiency subject syllabus:

All candidates must:

1. Know and use the correct clothing and footwear according to prevailing weather conditions.

2. Know the basic equipment required for a day's climbing. Items:

1. Rope

2. Climbing belts/harness

3. Slings

4. Karabiners

5. Chocks (different sizes)

handholds and footholds that can be used in a climbing situation.

Training and Assessment

1 Three training sessions must be attended before assessment.

2. Assessment can take place either at a crag or an indoor climbing wall. (The situation must be suitable for inexperienced candidates to move around the area safely).

3. All work for this qualification to be done on a one pitch, top rope situation

4. Students must always use a safety rope and helmets.

Instructors and Examiners

1 Persons recommended by the local education authority, outdoor pursuit centre.

2. Suitably qualified and experienced persons approved by the County Staff Officer (Cadets).

Alphabet Patient Hunt

My thanks to Mrs Davis , of Cheltenham, wh? sent me some ideas from her cadets. ThIS one, for a game, is from Rosanne Hardwick, 14. Teams of one to four cadets. Object of the

To help recruiting and encourage young people to learn first aid the cadets of A B I von s rrsto North and Fllton Division set about deSigning a poster Here IS the entry which came from 14-year-old nursing cadet Samantha

game is to find the patient. Venue anywhere. Teams are given a certain number of letter s to collect, which are all colour coded. For example, team A may be asked to find five letters which are coloured red, team B colour

When all the letters are found they must be unscrambled to make up a word or map reference. This way it could be played indoors or outdoors , the scope is wide. The word or map reference gives you t he location of the patient, whom you have to find to complete the game. The correct first aid treatment may indicate a bonus.

Rules

1. Stay in your team s.

2. Do not hide opponent's letters or mo ve them.

3. Any team found cheating is disqualified Instructions to organisers

1. Make up letters to form the venue of the patient. Note number to tell teams.

2. If nece ssary impo se time limit.

SJA MUSIC MAKERS

1000 miles on the road

... The girls of

'WASN'T it exciting? All those people watching US!' Those words, coming from a junior member of the St Audries SJA Nursing Cadet Band, probably best s um up the feelings of the 50 girls after a busy season of performances that took them more t han 1,000 miles during 1983 in four short weeks. At the end of it, while many were glad of the reprieve, others had grown so accustomed to the early mornings, long journeys, last-minute panics and packed meals - that such things had almost become a way of life

Yes, it had been a very exciting season and it was not just that the girls, nearly half of whom were between nine and eleven years of age, had performed in pu blic place s to different audiences, but that they had had the opportunity to tour parts of England which they might have otherwise missed The itinerary began with a performance on June 4 at Weymouth, followed by Cheltenham on June 11, Sampford Brett (Somerset) on June 14, St Paul's Cathedral on June 25 and Windsor Safari Park on July 2.

The band was one of two selected to take part in the parade through London to St Paul's Cathedral on June 25 for the annual service of commemoration and rededication of the Order of St John. For all the band members, this was the first time that t'1ey had taken part in such a grand occasion, and will probably remain the most impressive The

3. Hide the letters as for a treasure hunt.

4. Place patient s in po s ition during the collection of letters. If po ssib le k eep patients well away from the letter collectors. In s truction s to teams

1. Note colour of letter s to be collected.

2. Check time if there is a limit.

3. When allocated number of l ette r s have been collected, form word.

4. Go to the de s ignated post and treat the patient.

Badges

The Supplies Dept also has so me new badges to u se in promoting St John. Priced at £7 .50 for a pack of 50, they are good value. Send to the Supplies Dept for detail s or see the autumn 1983 edition of Supplies News.

Cadet Jubilee medals

Still available from the Supplies Dept, these commemorative medals are specially priced at the reduced rate of £1.95 each and make ideal prizes for cadets. Order code 113010.

Competition

I had a large number of e ntrie s to the word competition in the October edition of Cadet Chat. They all need checking and I hope to have the result s by next month.

This month I would like cadets to make as many words as possible of three letters or more from the words FIRST AID. No proper nouns, foreign words or plurals accepted.

Help

In every issue of Cadet Chat I have asked for contributions, but they have been slow to come in. I still need your ideas, but if you don't have any but would like to see cert ain subjects covered in the column, please let me know. At the moment I particularly need help in dealing with a pile of games that I have which need adapting for St John divisional use. If you can type and can spare a coup le of hours a month helping with this, please contact me. The address is 'Jim', 3 Brandreth Road, London E6 4QB.

Between June 2 and July 2 1983, the St Audries Nurs ing Cadet Band gave performances at Cheltenham, St Paul's Cathedral, London, Weymouth, Windsor Safari Park and in the village of Sempford Brett, Somerset. These impressions were written by Miss Koh Tse- Ying, an ex-pupil of St A udries School who is now a journalist on the Singapore Times and whose leave in England coincided with the band's 1983 activities.

journey from St Audries School in Somerset to London took 4 Y2 hours , with two driver s taking turns at the wheel. This meant the girls had to be up by 6am, ready to leave school by 7, to reach London by 11. 30am. All the instruments , packed lunches, drinks, fIrst aid equipment and other necessities were loaded on to the coach the nigh t before. Once on our way, all the girls and the officers were soon do zing off, but bandmaster Brenda Knight just couldn't snooze for too long She had plenty to do and was soon distributing drummers' gloves, white caps and hair grips, black ribbon and elastic bands Once in London, the girls were overwhelmed b y the s ize of Paternoster Square , our assembly point, and the crowds of people. The police horses which were to lead the parade of SJA members so fascinated many of our girls that music was temporarily forgotten.

Although London was the grandest of the five performances, each had a special appeal to individual members

The younger ones will probably remember Weymouth for the free rides on the belterskelter and the roundabout at tbe nearby fair. In fact, the final marching parade had to be delayed a little because some of the girls could not get off the roundabout unt i it stopped! Marching in the shopping precincts of Weymouth, the band was asked to move along because the music so disturbed the little monkeys ust:d as sales props by two street photographers!

At the Windsor Safari Park, the band was preparing to play when a warden came to suggest they played elsewhere, as a previous band had so terrified tbe chimpanzees that they huddled in the corners for 24 hours In Cheltenham, the performance will probably be remembered for three things. First, the excitement of seeing David Bellamy, which made the day for those girls who got his autograph. Then there was the honour of playing in Cheltenham Town Hall, soon to be followed by the London Philharmonc Orchestra. And third, that here we bought (for the first time on an outing) a new trumpet

The quiet Somerset v illage of Sampford Brett was celebrating its 21st annual arts and crafts exhibition and we were invi ted to perform on the opening day.

Four weeks of public performances - it was almost like being a professional band , with the crowds waiting for us. It was a wonderful experience.

NORTH YORKSHIRE has a reputation for fine weather for its competitions and o t h e r major outdoor events, and even our annual rescue competi t ion , normally held midOctober , boa sts a good weather reco r d So we felt confident that bringing th e eve nt forward to Sept 11, to coincide with a visit from the Lord Prior , could onl y ensure a n even finer da y But we were wron g - it rained mo st of the d a y!

About 16 years ago I was invi t ed to a competition organised b y John Morl e y at the time North Riding'S CSO CAC) but no w Coastal Area Commissioner, which wa s a series of rescue te st s in a school yard It provided me with an idea which a year la te r d eveloped into a lar ge scale competi t ion between divisions from North Riding and t he N.E Area of West Riding, which wa s to run annually as long as those counties existed.

Our first Cadet Rescue Competition wa s held at Hackfall , a hilly wooded are a which included a fairly deep ravine We staged four tests involving the rescue of ca sualt ies from nooks and crannies around the wood s It included carrying casualties across a str ea m and along woodland t rack s b y v ar ious methods Unfortunatel y it rained a nd som e cadets found it difficult to walk alon g th e muddy tracks let alone support their casualties. We had one genuine casualt y when a cadet who was watching the event slipped down a bank and broke hi s arm H e has proved to be our only ser ious casualt y of the whole ser ies

From this rather uncertain start, thank s t o the enthusiasm of the cadets the competit ion has gone from strength to strength. We ha ve moved to a new venue each year; a Civil Defence training site which took the form o f a bomb-scarred village, the remains o f a prisoner-of-war camp, a country estate where rescuers had to use a rowing boat to lo cate and recover their casualties , a rail way depot , farmland, an airfield where casual ies had t o be rescued from crashed aircraft open moorland and var ious hill and wa t ersid e situations

Some cadets have added a few pound s o f good Yorkshire muck to the ir clothes (no t their uniforms, I must add) Some mother s who haven't heard about that certain washing powder ha ve even been known t o complain to divisional superintendents about the state of their off-spring on return from a rescue competition. 'But it s 'im at county' is the standard reply. Mum's aggre ss ion melts into sympathy for the poor divisional superintendent: ' Aye I'm not suprised. Them at county hasn't sense they were born wi t h!

The 1983 competition was held at A s kham Bryan College of Agricultu r e and Horticulture. There were four te sts and we intended that each te st should be judged by a safety officer and an officer from t h e Brigade. Unfortunately, Mrs Pat Harvey, safety officer from Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, was ill and at the 11th-hour her place was taken by Miss Geraldine Conn, deputy head mistress of Mill Mount Grammar School. Other judges were :

Cadet Resc ue

Competitio n

competition area and watched each of t h e rescue operations in progress

ig hteen te am s of ca de ts t ook p art. Test 1 wa s t o r esc u e a n in j ured gi rl fr o m a d ark t u n nel. S h e wa s suffe r i n g from clau st ro ph o b ia a nd du e to h er injur ies had to b e remo ve d on a stret ch er im p ro vised b y t he te a m u si n g p o les a nd pla st ic b ags. T h e casualt y in T est 2 had to be loaded in to a Ne il Robert son str etc he r , carried a sho r di stan ce acr oss a fi eld and t hen hauled up a wa ll s id e to ro ad ev el. Th e cas ual t y in N o 3 ha d slipp ed off a r o o f in t o a p i le o f d ebri s, a nd h a d t o b e lo ade d and sec ured o n a F url ey stretcher a nd then carrie d o ver a treacherous tang le of pipes, masonry, timber and iron wo rk to t h e roadsi d e. The cas u a lty in N o .4 wa s a playfu l litt le girl who h ur t her h and und er th e in tr icate wor kin gs o f a p otato

h a rves ter a nd could n't get ou t. S he ha d to be r escued a n d carried t o a waiting car, m ade comfortabl e an d secured b y a safety b elt for t he jo urne y to h ospita l. T h e a djud icators spo ke very high ly of the p erfo rm a nces by t h e 'cas ua lti es', a ll me m b ers of Se lb y Nursing

C ade t D ivision , a n d i nd ee d of all the cadets who happ ily conti nu ed t he ir activities throu ghou t t he day, d es p ite b eing wet wi t h r a in a nd part

An added attraction was a fringe programme organised by George Clipperto n and Ted Needham, of York Youth Service, which included volley ball and unihock. The e n joyment and enthusiasm was infectio u s, with officers and cadets fielding their teams in the games.

At the end of the day we all assembled in the sports hall for the presentation of awards by the Lord Prior. The County Commissioner, Lt Col Simon MarchantSmith, was chairman. County President the Marchioness of Zetland, Deputy President M rs Pau line York and members of the North Yorks hjre St John Council were also present. Sir Maurice Dorman presented the County Winner's Trophy and the Coastal Area Trophy to Whitby Ambulance Cadet Division, the County Runners-up Trophy and the Dales Ar ea Trophy to Ripon Ambu lance & Nurs ing Cadet Division, and the Ouse Area Trophy to Acomb Ambulance Cadet Division.

We were pleased to have the help of our friends from the Special Centres of the Association. Members from British Railways were responsible for the audit of the test papers and members from British Telecom were responsible for the site communications. Under the guidance of the competition secretary, Mrs Eileen Popplewell, they kept everything running smoothly and on schedule!

John Coward

County Cadet OJ/icer, N. Yorks

A g am e o f un h

(Above ) Dringhouse nursing cadets rope their casualty on to a stretcher

Below) Coastal Area officers await the results

(Right) Scarborough cadets tend a casualty injured under a potato harvester

(Right) Clihon cadets helping a casualty into a car

(L e ft) Judges comments from Miss Geraldine Con n, deputy headmistr ess , Mill Mount Grammar school

(Right Area Staff Offi c ers Alan and Gwen Hodgson rejoice as the rain stops

ORDER

INVESTITURE

by the Lord Prior, London, Oct 6

Wade

COMMANDER

The Lady Astor of He ver, (Aberdeenshire)

John Nicholas Baleman-Champain, (Surrey)

Richard Arkill Butler, (London)

Francis Edgar Clifford, (London)

Air Vice-Marshal John Nigel Carlyle Cook. OBE, QHP, (Buck)

Annie Lydia, Miss Gadd, SRN, SCf\I, HV, (We Midlands)

Wi ll iam Henry Gilbert Gibbs. )

Maj-Gen John David Care\\ Graham. CB, CBE, (Kent)

Patricia Betty, Mr Harri, SRN, (Hereford)

Surg Capt Peter Warren Head, QHS, OBE MB, BS, DLO, FRCS, (Hant )

Trevor Jeffer y, SRN, BTA, (Sussex)

David Edward Jenkins, (Derbys)

Constance France, Mr Jew ,(Kent)

Charles H enry Kelly, QPM, DL, LLB, ( laff)

William Simon Rodolph Kenyon-Slaney, JP, FRICS, (Shropshire)

Col Cyri Ensor Knight, MBE, FBIM. ACIS, (Norfolk)

Vivian Michael Leveaux (Derby)

Bryan Molloy, QPM, (N. Humberside)

John Edward Mos MBE, (Middx.)

Maj Gen Ronald Malthew Pear on MBE, QHDS, (Londo n)

Peler Thomas Radmore, (Bucks)

Air Vice-Marshal Richard Augustin

Riseley-Prichard QHS, (Wilt )

William Geoffrey, The Lord Rooles, (Berk .)

Barbara, Mrs Smith, (Che hire)

Co William Franci Surtees, OBE. TD, DL, (North umbria)

Cdr Sir Peter Troubridge, Bt, RN, (Sussex)

OFFICER

Dennis Harry Atherley, (Notts)

Irene, Miss Atkinson, (E sex)

M argaret Emi y, Mi s Baker, (London)

Raymond Harold Barton, QPM, FBIM, (Sussex)

Major The Hon Richard Bethell, MBE, (London)

Col Ceci William Bowen, MC, (Wills)

Robert Sidney Bunyard QPM, (Essex)

Walter Jam es Butler, (Oxon)

Anthony Hubert Harry Cale, (Glos)

Ll-Col Derek John Lockhart Carson, TD, MD, BCh, BAO, (N. Ireland)

Muriel Anne, Miss Cox, (Somerset)

Glenys Mary, Mrs Duke, SRN, (Hants)

Thomas D avison Farmer, (Co Durha m

Joan C audia, Mrs Hayling, (Glos.)

Susan Anne, Lady Hudson, (Berks.)

John Peter Jenkins, (Hants)

Cyril Russell Ju lian (Cornwall)

Susan Vivian, Mrs Kill, SRN, (Devon)

Bernard Stuart Knight, (Hants)

Grp Capt Co lin Alban Bryant McLaren, MB, C hB , FFARCS, (Wi ts)

Air Cd re Nigel Holroyd Mills, MB, BS, DAvMed, (Oxford)

Chris oph er Jo hn Phi ll ips, (London)

Major Da vi d Geo ge Price, (Hants)

Peter John Prichard, (London)

Lt Col John ReSla ll MB, BS FFARCS, (Hants)

Basil Robert s, OBE, (Dorsel)

Col. John W a to n Salkeld, TD, MB, BS, (Sunder and)

(Left) Wilfr ed Dillon, of Bo)ton, with 20 years, St John service with British Rail. becomes a Se rving Bro ther

Susan Mary, Miss Taylor, (Birmingham)

Sylvia Madge, Mrs Wade (Glos.)

John Watson, MB, ChB (Lancs.)

ASSOCIATE OFFICER

Shabbir Ahmad, MB, BS, DCO , MRCGP, (Kent)

LI Col Samuel Bernstein, MB BCh, FRCP, (Surrey)

SERVI G BROTHER or SISTER

Anne Maureen, Mr Acland, (Herts)

John Ingham Bentley, MB, ChB, (Merseyside)

John William Burn, (Durham)

Nei Carey, (Buck)

John Chapman, (Cleveland)

Reginald Feank Cuss, (Wilu,)

Wi fred Dillon (Lanes)

Walter Richard Dunwoody, (Surrey)

George Howell England, (We Midland)

Joyce Elizabeth, Mrs Fountain, (London)

(Right) Miss DorIS Rumble, a Swindon nursing member with 32 years' service, becomes a Serving Sister

Peter Fowler, (Co Durham)

George Ernest Franks, ( Humb erside)

Michael Fairbairn, (Oxon)

Eric William Gudger, (Warks)

Captain Peter Hamp on, TD, (Derbys.)

Patricia, Mrs Harding, (Cheshire)

James Abraham H arrison, (Humberside)

Frank Harvey, (Lancs.)

George John Horslell, (Essex)

Ernest Hu ghes, (Yorks)

Kennelh Frederick Jon es, (West Sussex)

Ronald William Keating, (Anglesey)

Leslie Edwin Knight, (Surrey)

James Frank Lockie, (Middx.)

David James Lovett, (Durham)

Arnold Dennis Marks, (Essex)

Anthony George Morris, (Surrey)

George Arthur William Nokes, (Es ex)

SJA Coalville's team (L to R: Tracey Kelly, DIO Ted Atkins, a late replacement, Elaine Jennings. capt. and Tracey Hinds) won the

LEICS

(Left) From the cover photo of 'Caring for You and Your Lo c a Community' and (right) Roy

PLAYING TRUANT?

from Roy Bentley. Sergeant

I would like to congratulate HQ's PR Dept on their excellent booklet 'Caring for You and Your Local Community'. Its front cover picture shows a sergeant who is my image and I've been asked what I was doing in London for the marathon ! Wolverhampton Roy Bentley

FIRST AID AT WORK

from D. Gill. Divisional Superintendent

While looking through a First Aid at Work progress test, I noticed a question relating to artificial ventilation. It read:

The first four inflations in artificial ventilation should be given as rapidly as possible to:

(a) Remove any minor obstructions in the airway

(b) Trigger the respiratory centre in the brain

(d) Prevent the casualty's lungs from collapsing. '

I chose answer (c), as did most of the members of my division. The answer sheet gave (b) as the correct answer. This prompted me to consult the manuals and I found that the First Aid at Work Course Book and the Fourth Edition First Aid Manual both emphasised the need for the action but neither of them actually gave the reason. Perhaps other members may have noticed these deta ils and can comment on them.

By the way, a doctor chose answer (c).

Bath D. Gill

BUYING AN AMBULANCE

from John Springer, Divisional Superintendent

What a useful and comprehensive article appeared in the Review (Nov) on the above subject. The only points not dealt with were:

1) Why are you buying a vehicle? 2) Have you anyone capable of driving it? 3) What effect will your purchase have on units already operating an ambulance in your area?

Many units seem to buy an ambulance for prestige rather than because they have a real, demonstrable need for one. Although an ambulance can be driven on a car driver's licence, one really needs more training in vehicle handling and the effects on passengers that most of us have.

The effects of multiple ownership of ambulances in an area can be catastrophic for a unit struggling to keep their ambulance going for an existing service. Under present regulations an ambulance division which has operated an ambulance for thirty years may find the nursing division has decided to buy a vehicle; then perhaps the ambulance and the nursing cadet divisions doing the same.

No reference to the need for vehicles or their viability when purchased seems to be made.

Huddersfield John Springer

NOT YET, THANKS

from R. F. Johnston, SEN, SBStJ

One of my hobbies, especially since I retired, is to attend first aid competitions. I attended one at Weston-super-Mare early in November, and as I was arriving there the day before the competition a friend booked me into a hotel. After I gave up my railway ticket at the station I was looking round to get my bearings when a nurse approached and asked if I was Mr Johnston. I confirmed this and she said she had a car waiting. We drove along the promenade and

up hill to the residential part of the town. When we stopped I looked for the name of the hotel, but cou ld not see one. The nurse wanted to carry my case, but I was not havin g that. When we entered the lounge there were two men in wheelchairs admiring the view of the town, and there were several elderly people moving about under the care of nurses My own nurse showed me where to leave my bag and went upstairs. I thought it odd that my friend should have booked me into a nursing home instead of the hotel he had mentioned. The nurse returned with a rather regal looking lady wearing a red dress with a familiar buckle on her waist belt. She introduced herself as the matron of the home and I suddenly rea li sed that I was about to be admitted!

I told her that I was Mr John s ton who had a room booked at a local hotel so that I could attend a first aid competition the next day. Swift glances were exchanged between matron and nurse. Matron asked me if I came from Weymouth. No, I came from Surrey. Consternation!

The nurse went back to the railway station, found the right Mr Johns ton, and then took me to my hotel. On the way I sympathised with her in her embarrassment and her last words to me were: 'I shall never Eve this down'. While I was wait ing in the Nursing Home I was given a cup of tea and an apology. I had an opportunity to observe how well the staff cared for their patients, and if ever I do go into a nursing home I hope it will be one like this.

Banstead R. F. Johnston

GOOD BUY, EH?

from Ian Jane, Area Staff Officer (Training)

Knowing how much St John treasurers have to try to make fun d s stretch, I thought they might like the following information.

For sometime I have been looking for a replacement haversack for the first aid kit that I keep in my car. Having seen haversacks for just under £11 to around £30, I had almost decided to give up when by chance I discovered the ideal alternative in a nationwide discount store catalogue.

I just couldn't believe my eyes when I saw, advertised at £2.99, a green coated-canvas holdall measuring about 14ins x 11ins x 5 V2ins.

Made by 'Campari' as a fishing bag, it had three pockets with stud closures, as well as a zipped compartment. My 15A haversack container fits snugly inside it, leaving plenty of room for extras.

I purchased the haversack from a branch of the store at that price. The suggested retail price is still only £4.99. St John Supplies Dept please take note.

Plymouth

Brian Rockell, Director of Supplies, writes:

Jan Jane

Mr Jane's efforts to find a suitable first aid bag are commendable.

His suggested bag may be su itable for fishing, but is less suitab le as a first aid bag and even less so for the 15A container. The bag which Mr Jane purchased is very competitively priced, which is undoubtedly assisted by its Chinese origin.

The haversacks supplied by the Supplies Department are purpose designed. They are the recommended first aid colour, can be washed or wiped clean, and incorporate high visibility and reflective fabrics

for roadside safety. The webbing is military strength nylon webbing securely stitched to the container. The haversack for the 15A has velcro closures and quick release buckles fo r instant access to the metal lin ing and contents. The bag ha s been tested with success by a U.K. Ambulance Authority over a twelve month trial.

Mr Jane 's fishing bag has a shorter and inferior cotton strap secured with a single plated staple and poor quality stitching. The 15A container fits so snugly it can only be removed with difficulty and certainly not speedily. The cotton canvas would stain easi ly and'does not withstand washing. It does not incorporate any high visibility fabric or any labelling to indicate the nature of the content.

The first aid range introduced in 1982 by the Supplies Department offers and at £9.14 the St John haversack is very competItIvely pnced compared with other suitable first aid containers. The unique features and high specification have made the 15A and public duty haversack very popular within St John Ambulance and industry.

CADET CERTIFICATE

from Malcolm Dunham, Divisional Officer

Searching through some old papers, I came across a Cadet Certificate (right) that was obviously old and not a current item.

Curiosity prompted me to ask question s about its origin and u se, but my enquiries locally, at County level and at the St lohn's Gate museum

all drew ! "t.Uit,y vague memories from older q, members but no facts. 10

Then I received a :J: letter from the Assistant Curator at St John's G ate enclosing a 2Q UI>K..u.ublp photocopy of a page ii from the St John U JI.H4."" lJahV Gazette of April 1944 S-.""

This showed a 'J.7 -lav-U a.r-u..,- _ u. certificate identical in , (!1UNO .PI.1OJI.'S presentation to the one I had found, but with and a lesser number of subjects listed. Apparently, that was fr?m Stores Department (then in a temporary wartime place 10 Shropshire) at a cost 0 f 3d (l V4 p) each.

The 1944 Ested 21 subjects, first and second Proficiency Badges Grand Pnor Cadet My copy, estimated at about 1955, 28 subjects and G:and Pr.lOr's Badge. Missing from the original !ISt are Aeroplane ACCIdent AId and Air Raid Precaution. Additions Include Friendship, Hospital Training and Road and Home Safety, some others are slightly different in the wording. I have yet to dIscover when the Grand Prior Cadet Badge was first Issued, (dare I ask who received it?) when these certificates were started and when they were dispensed with I.would be pleased if anyone can throw any more light on the subject.

Burton-on- Trent THANKS THANKS._.

Malcolm Dunham

from Mrs J. S. Plenderleith. Divisional Superintendent like to publicly express my grateful thanks to our Area Staff flcer, County Staff OffIcer, County Officer and the Registrar who so hard to get through, in record time, a Grand Prior Award cadet Elaine Monckton. Elaine was very ill in St Thomas' ospltal.' .London, and it meant a great deal to her to see the badge and certificate.

Our County Commissioner said recently that St John was a family and at times I'k h' I' T' let IS one rea Ises what a marvellous

unbndge Wells J. S.

(from Ron Pipes)

WALES

OVERSEAS

Bel fast Telegraph) (Left) Visiting Niagara Falls during the Overseas Conference in Toronto June 1983. (L to R) Sir Randall Chancellor, New Zealand Sir John Paul, Director Overseas Relations ; Miss Yvette Loiselle , former Chief Comm Canada; Kenya and Mr Hector Rebecca Mba ika, Inspe

(Mr Competitions) HALLARD

AT THE END of 1965, David Hallard handed in hi s notice at the National Dock Labour Board, where he had worked for over 20 years, and early in 1966 sta rted work at St John Ambulance HQ as a member of the Association Branch. David learned how to run first aid co mpetition s under the g uidance of George Craft, prior to George's retir eme n t. [n those days the work consisted of writing scripts and scenario , arranging for doctors to act as judges, la y instructors, time- keepers, stewards, make-up people, and if necessary their accom moda tio n. He also had to arrange to collect, polish and display t he trophies, as well as have them mad e.

At that time, scenery was made, erected and later taken down and removed from the venue to be stored at and by courtesy of Eistree Studios. However, the studios ran into financial difficulties and the facility was withdrawn. From then on David had the entire responsibility of storing, constructing,

painting, transporting, erecting and dismantling the sc enery, as well as the other work he had been doing. First Briti s h Rail, then Port of London Authority, and now the Electricity Generating Board have offered places in which the scenery could be s tored safe ly and worked on under cover throughout the year. But David ha s a twohour drive to get to the scenery store, picking up volunteer helpers on the way, to put in a full day's work, and then a two-hour drive back again.

David puts on about 20 major competitions a year at venues as diverse as Perth , Glasgow , Edinburgh, Llandudno, Buxton, Weston-super-Mare, Margate, the Brigade Finals and of course the Grand Prior 's Trophy competitions (the current one was David's 18th) With him go these regular helpers, plus others recruited locall y.

The scenery for a competition usually consists of a large set for a team test, with four small sets for individual tests. But for

the Brigade Final s Da vid has to make four team te s t se t s and 20 individuals, w hich together weigh about five tons.

David also visits regional eliminating competitions around the country as a lay judge or as an observer. In October 1982 he was ring-master at the R oya l Albert Hall for the Cadet Spectacular, for which he and his elder daught er made nine hobby-horses for the grand finale of the 1812 Overture. Afterward s, he was pre sented to Princess Anne.

David was awarded the MBE in the Silver Jubilee Honours li st in 1977, and was at Buckingham Palace to receive it on Novem'ber 15 1977 , the day that Princess Anne's first son Peter was born. Da vi d is also a Commander of the Order of St John. [n October 1983 he was delighted to be invited together with the Lord Prior, Sir Maurice Dorm an, to be a guest of the Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire, Col P Hilton and his wife, at a banquet in honour of members of St John at I1keston. The following day they attended a service of rededication in Derby Cathedral. Headquarters staff do visit the counties when the date s suggested don't clash with other events in their diaries.

David finds his work as compet itions manager always challenging and changing. His diary is booked with competition dates at least a year ahead. (And incidentally, he does not have a service pension, or any other, to supplement his salary). He has been :narried for 26 years, and has a son and two daughters. He was away at a competition for his silver wedding anni versary

Ba sic casual ty handling

HANDLE HIM WITH CARE

Part 2 : Casualty Handling

THESE TWO photographs are taken from the Royal Naval Medical Service's new film 'Ha ndle Him with Care: Part 2 - Casualty Handling', and give an idea of the film's range of content - from basic casualty handling to sop hi sticated rescue by skilled teams in helicopters The film looks at cases where it is nece ssary to move a casualty and shows the different ways in which it can be done quickly in an emergency and more methodically when there is time to plan. The film demonstrate: man-handling by o.ne person - human crutch, pick-a-back, fireman's lift, drag-carry; man-handling by

two people - ordinary man-handling, fourhanded seat, two-handed seat and fireman's lift; stretchers - standard (NATO or Army pattern), Neil Robertson, lightweight, air portable, Bofor splint, Bell scoop and the carry seat.

The film is a worthy follow-on to Handle Him with Care, and is the most recent in the long line of excellent first aid films commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (Navy) from Stewart Film Distributors Ltd. and, in this case, produced by Richard Need Productions. Casualty Handling was made after the Falklands War and so reflects lessons taught in that conflict, not leastand this must be remembered by those used to a non-war environment - in that most scenes depict the Royal Navy and the Royal Marine Commandos under active service conditions. In addition to being a first class visual aid for the first-aid instructor , its beauti fu I photography and action-packed sequence of events, to say nothing of the moral it teaches, gives it the stimulating impact necessary to encourage people to learn first-aid.

Stewart Film Distributors Ltd have again allowed the Visual Aids Department of SJA National HQ to hire or sell copies at special discount to SJA members. Handle Him with to the more sophisticated use of skilled teams. Care Part 2 - Ca ualty Handling run for 24 minutes , li1 16mm ound. For more information apply ro Mi Diane Lyons or myself at Headquarter, 1 Gro yenor Crescent, London SWl. John Hamm ond, Sec lvfedicaf

News from Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

Across:

1. Place strange ant in organ providing fo etu s with oxygen and nutrition. (8). S. Carbon illumina t or used in intestinal surger y (S) 9. Sides of trunk between lower ribs and crest of pel v s. (S). 10. Valves of heart and cartilages of knee. (9). 11. A ssert in bra very. (4). 12. Indication of patient's condition found on examination. (4). 13. Punctuation mark for large intestine. (S) IS A caress or blow for a cerebro-vascular accident. (6). 16. Australia without aluminium is a central European country. (7). 19. A murder for an auditory structure. (7). 21. Palpebra. (6). 23. Auditory ossicle provided by Latin customer. (S). 2S. Require editor from north-east. (4).26. Rouse for event prior to Irish funeral. (4). 28 Hinge joint such as the elbow. (9). 29. Plant with edible leaves rich in Vitamin C . (S). 30. Taste of blood. (S). 31 Gave drug by a parental route. (8).

Down: 1. Support structure head of a tongue of The Order. (6). 2. Food passage from mouth to anus. (lO.S) 3. Part diseased to give relief from pain or anxiety. (4). 4. U S. vet is confused about a cough. (7). S. Severe spasmodic pain originating in involuntary muscle (S). 6 Structure binding down tendons at ankle and wrist. (7.8).7. Muscles of leg could be near pole. (8). 8. Mean to upset folds of peritoneum (6). 14. Man of action. (4). 17. Stop a vital part of the brain. (4). 18. Membranes covering the brain are part of regimen in gestation (8). 20. Least possible quantities begin with small dose of medicine (6). 21. Ferment of succus entericus completing digestion of protein. (7). 22. Tightened the muscle. (6). 24. Hor se drawn racing vehicle is morose. (S). 27. Area of last stronghold of the Crusaders in Palestine? (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No 12 (83)

Across: 1. Greave; 4 Pe s cavus; 9. Speech; 10 Pia mater; 12. R pe; 13. Tela; 14. AIl'ot; 16. Consent 17. Eyewash 20. Ou t; 21. Aerobes ; 22 Heparin; 24. Tonic; 27. Ecru; 28. Cusp; 30 Cinnamon; 31. Mugger; 32. Disorder; 33. Barren.

5t John Fellovvship

A HAPPY NEW YEAR to all present - and future - members of the Fellowship! We welcome two new branches: Amersham , Bucks. Contact: Mrs D A. MacNeill, Inglenook, Stag Lane, Chorleywood, Herts, WD3 SHP.

St John Guild, Bradford. Contact: Mr A. Wilkinson , 62 Harbour Road, Wibsey Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Annual General Meeting

Our first AGM will take place at St John's Gate, by kind permission of the Secretary General of the Order on Friday, May 18 1984, at 3pm.

Those who attended the inaugural meeting of the Fellowship on June 2S 1983 , will remember that we hoped to be able to hold the AGM in 1984 at Sudbury House, near St Paul's Cathedral, on St John's Day Un fortunately, Sudbur y Hou se will not be available and we have not been able to find anywh e re else close to St Paul's Cathedral in June Howev e r, we believe members will enjoy a visit to St John s Gate in May when there will be more time for tea and conversation than on St John's Day.

The provisional programme is as follows :

2.15 pm - Short Service in the Pr iory Church

3.00pm - Annual General Meetin g in t he Chapter Hall 4 to 6pm - Tea (a charg e I'm afraid) , with opportunities for all who wi s h to tour the museum , library and Council Chamber

All members of branches are entitled to attend the AGM and vote.

Your chairman , Major General Go r don, hopes hat as many members as possible will attend. It is your f irst chan c e t o air your views on the kind of Fellowship you want!

Items for the Agenda should reach m e by March 15 1984.

Branches are also invited to f orward nomination s for t he two vacancies for Br a nch Repre sentatives on t he Central Committee whj c h were not filled in 1983 Plea se note that under our constitu t ion , not more than one member from an y one count y ma y serve on the Central Committee

I look forward to meeting you all.

Sheila Puckle, National Se cretary , 31 Mal ve rn Court, Onslow Square, London SW7 3HY

Down: 1. Gastric 2 Eye-opener; 3. Vice; 5 Elizabeth Fry; 6. CO'm'rna; 7. Vital; .8.

II. Testo

15. Herb ; 18. E s py; 19 Air hunger; 21.

23 Nephron ; 25. Nones; 26. Chair 29. Dura.

Stretch

sterone;

AntaCId;

ST JOHN .REVIEW

ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE

MALTA 3rd - 9th September 1984

THE ST. JOHN AMBULANCE BRIGADE IN MALTA will be celebrating its 75th Ann i versary in September t 984

To mark this special event a special prog r amme of activities i s being held in MALTA between the 3r d a n d 9 t h o f Se p te mb er.

Sere n a Ho lid ays of Lo n d o n, the officia ll y appointed a ge nt s o f St John A mbul ance Malta to hand l e all trave l a rra n g em e n ts, are o ffer i ng - at very attract i ve pri ces - packa ge holid ays t o Ma lt a to e n a bl e ma x imum parti c i p ation i n t h e act i vit i es. F li g h ts a r e ava ilabl e f rom mo st U K. A ir po rts a n d ac c ommoda t ion ra n ges fro m self-cater ing to d e lu xe hotel s A ll d eta il s ca n b e fo und in t h e spec i a l bro c hu r e publi s h e d b y SERENA HOLIDAYS f o r t h e CELE-BRATIONS OF THE 75th AN NI VE RSARY.

Send for a copy of the brochure.

NEW YEAR HONOURS

ON BEHALF of all o ur readers we most warmly congr a tu late the following four mem b ers of the St John fa mily wh om Her Ma j esty has been p lease d to honour at the New Year in recognition of their outstanding services to the Order of St John and its Foundation:

MBE

Mr T I Rees

Mr J. E. Thornhill

New Year H onou r s p.25

Wha t ot hers think of us - MORI report (letters) p

A round and About , by the Edito r. p 32

C adet Chat by Jim p 36

N Wilts Ridgeway Ex pedition

Readers'

BEM

Mr C. H. Green

Mrs M. S. Davies

Mr T. I. Rees joi n ed the St John Ambulance Brigade as a Cadet in 1928 and then, after a break of service , rejoined in 1959. He served i n various Divisions throughout Glamorgan and eventually became the County Secretary and Assistant Commissioner for the new Mid Glamorgan County subsequently being promoted to his present appointment of Commissioner of the County. He was made an Officer of the Order in 1973 and a Commander (Brother) in 1979. A s Commissioner , with over 1,000 personnel and almost 100 units under hi s command, his outstanding leadership has made a tremendous impact on the progress and success of the Brigade in the County. The cause of St John has taken rapid strides during his period of leadership and every aspect of activity has increased. He is undoubtedly a superb asset t o t he Brigade in Wales.

Mr John Edward Thornhill completed 30 consecuti v e years as Secretary of the Rochdale Centre of the Association, during most of which time he also served as the Treasurer of the Centre, Mr Thornhill was made a Serving Brother in 1961 and an Officer o f the Order in 1974 Although now 80 years of age and past the r etirement age for both Active and Reserve Lists , he is still an active instructor in the Rochdale Area.

Mr Charles Green is familiar to all who have visited St John's Gate Charlie Green has been an ambulance member since 1921 He remembers the introduction of the fir s t motor ambulances and was the very firs t Air Ambulance Attendant. He has been involved with the ceremonial staff at St John s Gate since 1948 and has been very active since his retirement in 1966. Charlie was made a Serving Brother in 1941, promoted to Officer i n 1960 and Commander in 1964 Now nearl y 85, he still gives full support and loyalty to our Order.

Mrs Mary Davies joined the Cardiff Nursing Division of St John Ambulance Br igade in 1938 Throughout the war years she was attached to the Royal Hamadryad Hospital and served in a First Aid Post as a Civil Defence volunteer. In 1961 she transferred from the Br igade to the Association and became responsible for organising first aid classes for industry She extended this work to involve training young people and arranged courses for Scouts, Guides and disabled young people in Cardiff and the surrounding district. These voluntary classes were arranged during the evenings and she has been responsible for training many boys and girls who otherwise may not have had the opport u nity to learn first aid. G.E. CO VER

unfounded. In view of this, combined divisions working very closely with cadet divisions would seem to be worthy of a much wider introduction.

Like all other voluntary organisations, if we expect people to get off their bottoms and leave the 'box' for a few hours a month, we must offer them something worthy of this 'sacrifice'

To sum up, a more relaxed atmosphere, thorough training, interesting programmes and careful selection of leaders will perhaps help in the uphill struggle for new members

There must be some areas of the country where St John is thriving and it would be interesting to hear how they go about making their divisions a success. The more those who are succeeding tell the rest of us how they go about it, the better our chances.

Weston-super-Mare W. 1. Fry

AS EXPECTED

from Mr J. E. Smith, ASO

The repor on the MORI poll was interesting and would be the sort of reaction I would expect to get if I stood at a street corner and asked random questions of passers-by. I think we would have also got the same answers 10 or even 20 years ago.

The Scouts have asked the same sort of questions, and were given to understand that the large-hat, short-trousers image was destroying the organisation. The Boys Brigade pillbox hat and religious background were doing the same to that worthy organisation. The Guides seem to have

soldiered on without any drastic changes. Yet all these organisations seem to be functioning as well as ever, despite so-called public opinion.

Those of us who are getting old in the tooth know that if you ask our cadets whether they would like any changes in their uniform, they would change it every six months, and still it would not be right for them.

St John has had its changes in uniform and most have been in the right direction, such as: Getting rid of the leather adult belt and all the other bits that hung on it; better material ; buttons that do not have to be cleaned; raincoats i nstead of heavy overcoats; no starching of nursing uniforms ; a jacket for ambulance cadets; and a new hat for nursing cadets.

There is a limit to how much change should be made just for change's sake. I have been a great admirer of the Scout organisation, but I do not think they appeal. any more to me for making their uniform so casual that without a couple of badges one would never think it was a uniform How can one have a uniform without a hat? No one else does

All my St John life (long b efore MORI was formed) I realised that the public did not include St lohn in the top ten national charities. The Red Cross' is such a wellknown device, used on anything that is supposed to be of humanitarian purpose, that the BRCS is bound to get the money, no matter what our efforts are.

The public will always tell a poll that they

St John Fellovvship

I AM GLAD to report the formation of two more new branches: Liverpool Area Branch. Contact: John J. Burns, 526, Southport Road, BootIe, Merseyside L20 ODG.

Runn y mead Branch, Surrey. Contact: Mrs A. King, 44, School Lane, Addlestone, Surrey.

Surrey is the first county to open a second Branch. The formation of the St John Guild of Retired Members in East Surrey was published in the Review of September 1983.

I am delighted at another 'first'. I was recently asked by a former Brigade member if I could arrange for a friend of his to be visited in a nursing home on the South Coast. His friend is 92 and feels lonely, and is a long way from the Brigade area he served for 60 years in Yorkshire. This is just what the Fellowship is for - to be able to arrange visits and exchange memories with former members who may be housebound, in hospital or at home.

One of the reasons for publishing the addresses of Branch Secretaries or other contacts in the Review is so that Branches can contact each other for help of this kind.

I hope, too, that in time Branches will visit

do not like military type / run organisations, yet:

l. 2. 3.

Youth marching bands are a go in g concern these days.

The latest Lord Mayor's Show was full of TA uni ts.

The youth organisations I have mentioned are all sti ll in business.

St John was very much organised on military lines when I joined, and before that date was even more so, with people having to be sponsored and seconded in many divisions before they cou ld join. We were full of ex-service people after the war who tr ied to organise volunteers on military lin es yet we had more members then than now.

With regard to the point that t he publi c are unaware of our services, we are not alone. Life today is so complicated, with so man y groups, associations, statutory and otherwise, that hardly any of us know what is going on Even if someone cuts a finger on Sunday morning I am no longer sure whic h hospital cou ld give them treatment.

We are told thousands of old peop le never get what they are entitled to, s o why s hould we think we are going to be a household name?

After all that I would not advocate that we do not make any changes. The national changes in St lohn in many ins ta nces are in the right directions. It is the detail of our approach to th in gs which is all important.

that could be imparted, on Brigade Regulation s, badges of rank, and the Ii ke, yet in the main Divisions do not include th.em in their programmes. I am not advocatmg whole evenings on the Knights of Malta, a nd how members can get over the c r av in g for a smo ke while on duty, but if 10 minutes per e ven in g were devoted to information, it would h elp a lo t.

People do not read posters unless it is something they are looking for, but will listen for a few minutes if a member of a particular organ isation offers some little s nippe t of informat ion. Wherever I work or go, someone h as the Order of St lohn and its charitable works foisted on them , and i t is r eceived with interest if done gradually and in a light -hearted manner.

It is amazing the number of members one meets who hardly ever see senior officers Th ere are enough about for one to 'look in ' e very fortnight; there's no need to stop or di sr up t anything that is taking place.

CAR RAFFLE RAISED £33,087!

Because of the generosity of the Talbot Motor Company in donating a car as the first prize, National Headquarters was able to organise a Nationwide Raffle which was widely publicised through the Review. All Cou ntie s and Di vis ions were invited to apply for tickets and they were able to keep all the pro ceeds from the tickets they so ld. I am delighted to be able to tell you that this raffle raised throughout the country a total of £33,087.50. This is a tremendous result and I congratulate all the Counties and Divisions who worked so hard in selling the tickets. I hope that you all found the

MILITARY STYLE - NG from Mrs S M Woodward

raffle helpful and a boost to your fundraising efforts

We shall certainly be organising another raffle during 1984 and I hope that Talbot can be persuaded to donate another car as the first prize. Tickets s hould be available from this office from Jul y onwards but we will let you know through the Review as soon as they are available.

Again, many congratulations to everyone who participated in tbe rafflelet's hope we can do even better this year!

Lord Westbury Chairman, Public Affairs Dept.

duties members are now see n sensi bly clad in dark jumpers, anoraks and wellies. But this of course means that we now have two uniforms - the official one pro vi ded in most cases by the di vision, and the more practical one provided by the member

This brings me to another suggestion. I notice that a great many former members of St. John do not take the Review, probably in many cases because they cannot afford the annual subscription (£8.50 at present). This means that they are missing a lot of Fellowship news as well as the main source of information on St John as a whole So I wondered if Branches would consider subscribing to the Review in the name of their Chairman or Secretary? If the monthly copy could be available to your members at Branch meetings this would keep them in the picture - and probably set off a lot of discussion on new Brigage policy, changes in uniform, etc

Reminder: Items for the Agenda of the Fellowship AGM on May 18 1984 should reach me by March 15, please.

Have you booked a coach yet?

Sheila Puck Ie, National Secretary, 31 Malvern Court, Onslow Square, London SW73HY

30 each other for social events, outings or other activities. I will gladly provide addresses if any Branch Secretary has missed some in the Review.

Our biggest problem these day s s tha t people give up too easily; one little up set and the letters of resignation Oood in. People in the main do not have the staying power they used to have. Their intentions are probably right and honest in the first instance, but can be easily turned off. We cannot do much about that, apart from mentioning it from time to time.

What we all have to do, especially those in authority in our organisation, and at thi s point I am thinking of Area/Divisional level, is to make it a happy organisation. When we get a new recruit we should give him / her all the information they require: the background to the organisation, the history of the division what the various officers do , functions nationally and county, the SI John Review, opportunities for service We shou ld however make known the efficiency requ irements, but at the same time point out that we realise it is a voluntary effort and as such anything done over the minimum by a member is a bonus as far as St lohn is co n cerned.

The same applies to appointments and promotions. The candidates should hav e ALL the information, books, etc, BEFORE they take up appointments, not be left to Oounder on making mistakes. The new officer assessment shou ld h elp here, but h e method of se rvice should be extended to treasurers/secretaries designate.

There is so much of interest in the Order

A lot of member s are being lo s t through the changing to and back from combined to quad divisions . It is a well-known fact that joinin g two groups of twenty m e mber s does not mean you will keep 40, more like 30. What works under one officer could be a to tal disaster under another. HQ s hould m ake it possible for combined / quad di visions to be sp lit up / joined almost over night (if the circumstances require it) by the count y commis ioner, not by ponderous pap er work to HQ As long as it is the wish of the divisional members, it should be done. Officer appointments could last four and then a vote of confidence from divisiona members, or a change round in jobs every so often in a division. It is not necessary to hang on to a job for the ake of a forthcoming anniversary or the like. A side step to allow a new man to gradually slip into the job s a way to do it without any oss of prestige Mo st people who han g on to a job after they have given of their best do not have any prestige when they do retire.

I feel sure the new St John Fellowship the best thing that has happened for many years and as branches gain in usefu l endeavour older members will not feel they are in dry dock.

To sum up. We have a lot of advice that St John needs a new image. The more new images we have the le ss likely the public wi)) know of our intentions or even recognise us. New images cost money, are not put into operation by everyone at once, confuse and usually lower standards, as has been recognised by the new Chief Scout. Adjust our image as circums tance s require and make sma ll changes if necessary, but keep a St lohn member looking like a St lohn memb er, and let EVERY member start the New Year by talking about St John and all its implication s and hi story.

Betchworth 1. E. Smith

About four years ago a letter of mine was published in the Review criticising t he military-style hierachy of the Brigade and the uniform, which I considered impractical and expensive. My letter hardly provoked an y response, apart from one contrib utor who was 'proud to wear his uniform and therefore completely missed my point. It was, therefore, with considerable interest that I read the account of the MORI poll on the public's attitude to St lohn It bears out the fact that the majority of people these days are not attracted to an organisation structured on miljtary lines and when it s members wear a uniform.

With regard to the uniform itself, it appears that changes are creepi ng in. On many public

Wouldn't it be more sensible to regularise the uniform along more informal lines? That way we might attract more members. For the future, I would recommend HQ to circularise a questionnaire to all members rather than the expense of a MORI poll. We at grass roots couId soon have told them that to the public St John is synonymous to the Red Cross and that they are v ague about whether we are part or not of the NHS. We could also have told them that uniforms are passe.

East Grinstead S M. Woodward (Mrs)

Keep writing

THE REVIEW Board considers that letters to the Review are such an important part of the magazine that, at its last meeting in September, it decided to offer small prizes for the best three letters of the year (in the opinion of the Board members).

For 1983, the first prize (£20) is awarded to the letter A MATTER OF URGENCY by D / O(N) Pat Cameron Watts, of Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford Div. Hants (March issue). 2nd prize (£10) to letter WHICH ROLE FOR SJA? by Dr. V. O. Calland, Surgeon Preston Corps (Sept. issue). And third prize (£5 each) - they received equal votes - to letters TEACHING FIRST AID by Mr. K. K. Bourns, County Director Avon (June), and WE ARE GIRLS by Sgt Christine Rand, of Dartford (Dec).

Congratulations! We shall republish these letters next month.

ROYAL RECOGNITION

HRH the P r ince of Wale s has announced that he is delighted to grant t o the whole of St John Ambulance in London the privilege of being known as the 'London, Prince of Wales s , Distric t'.

Pre viously onl y the Brigade had the honour of the royal appellation, but now the teaching branch (non-uniformed) may also use it.

In 1909 HRH George Prince of Wales , gran t ed the de signation Prince of Wales 's Corps to the then Metropolitan Corps (London Distr ic t) and the royal plumes fly to this day abo ve the badge of St John worn b y uniformed London members

NOTTINGHAM

The annual meeting , get-together, weekendof-cha t -a nd-fun - call it what you willwill be he l d a t Nottingham University from Friday Sept 21 (e vening) to Sunday Sept 23 1984 The weekend is open t o all SJA members, particularl y younger members of the Brigade (and those who can dance and talk, I hear)

The meet i n g includes an interesting programme of lectures, presentations, discussions a nd s oci a lising. There will be the usual disco / dan ce (t here y ou are, I said s o) on the Sat e v ening and an interdenominational serv ice on Sunda y morning.

Details and booking instructions will be published in t he Re v ie w and issued via count y/ Di strict HQ s and Brigade Orders

THANKS CADETS

I hear t hat the Ho s p italler, Sir Stephen Miller , recei v ed a cheque just before Christmas for £79.31p from the cadets of Gwent, South Wales, for the Ophthalmic Hospital. The mone y was collected at the cadet carol service held at Newport's St Woolos Cathedral on December 17. Than k you indeed , G went Cadets

HEART WARMING

From SJA L y n t on, Devon , we hear: It ' s no t ever y da y that s omeone remark s We'd like to walk from Lynton t o Minehead and be sponsored for St John.' Such a thing did happen he r e at Lynton recently the offer being made by t wo 19-year-old girls, so naturall y (we are gallant down here) we set abou t do ing what we could to help themas they wanted t o help u s Sponsor fo r ms were produced and two

Un more volunteers for t he

- a 19-yearold nursing member from the division and a ll-year-old Junior , son of a nursing member

And so on Saturday Nov 27 at 1O.15am the walkers set off, being seen away by the Mayor of Lynton, John Green , who is also our Association president, the Association chairman, Mr J Read, di v isional members and myself

First, it was downhill to Lynmouth some 500ft to sea level, then the long s log up Countisbury H ill to ov er 1000ft above se a level and open, inhospitable Exmoor. In a westerly gale and squally shower s they battled on to the top of Porlock Hill , and then the muscle-stretching descent into Porlock itself. Then through Porlock Vale, past Allerford and Selworthy, which was a

Anne Wisla,

1942 bit more sheltered

road , to M ineh ead, wh ere the

20 miles from the s tart ,

cheerful at

la t er wh ch wa s t h e wo rs t par t t h e walkers agreed : 'From t h e ou ts k irts of Minehead to the HQ in N o rth R o ad T ha seemed ne v er endin g A small s uppor t t eam o f A/M K N oyce, N / M Mr s M Hart, and Mr s No yce (Association member ) , accomp an ied t hem by car, produ cin g ho t soup e t c. A nd wi t h t h e help of A / M D Youn g, th ey to ok t h em ( b y car) back to Lynton afterwa r d s Quite a nice little sum wa s rai sed fo r t h e Division through the effort s o f this small ,

BY THE EDITOR

QUIZ REGAINED

eir ch

a mbul a n ce ca d ets h ave rega

m p ionship

Derb ys h ire ca d et q u iz. T hey lost the t itle last year after ho ld.mg it fo r three s u ccessive years. The Dronfle ld team - Tim Butc h e r , Pa ul Mason, Christophe r Sutcliffe and Ric h a rd Da ywo n th e Robinso n Tro ph y as a mbula nce ca det wi n ners, and the Coa li te S hi el d as overa ll win n ers, h aving beate n C h a dd es d en an d Alvaston nursing ca d ets.

CAST YOUR BR EAD . A reader writes:

WE RARELY get any feed-back in o ur d ea lings with people in need; stil1 less abo u t hose we have trained i n first aid - u nl ess th ey j oin t h e Briga d e.

Rece ntl y a n ad ul t first aid co ur se was h e ld at a loca l sixth fo r m co ll ege as a vo lu ntary o ptio n to t heir weekly recreat onal afternoon a n d the fo ll owing events were repo r ted.

Week 4: A girl student came across a ba dly beaten up youth in the road, p r ompt ly kne l d own and maintained an open airway, not leavi n g him unti l the ambu lance arr ived.

Week 10: The night before t h e exam in at io n two of the gir ls h a d to d eal with a frie nd having an ep il eptic attac k , ta k e ch a r ge a n d dea l wit h on l o o ke r s un t il p rofessiona l help arrive d

A ll 17 candidates passed the ex am i n at io n ,

D ORSET W AY

(Above) Eight SJA members from Weymouth, Dorchester and Bridport were at a reception given by Weymouth and District Hospital's A & E Dept for voluntary workers who regularly help out in the department. The SJA members have given over 1000 hours of help. (Right ) Dorset county pool officer Jim Dicker receiving his 30 year bar to his service medal from the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, Col Sir Joseph Weld

FIRE EXERCISE

Ambulances from SJA Nottingham Cit y Area, together with RAF and BRCS vehicles, were 'called' to this Nottinghamshire Fire Brigade exercise involving 100 firemen and 12 fire engines and rescue tenders. A mile of hose was laid to spray foam on the wreckage of a blazing Hunter jet (below ), prov ided by the RAF, 40 people had to be rescued from the p ane (righ t), and another 70 'cas ualties were strewn around the field. Th e county's Chief Fire OHicer wrote to congratulate SJA on its 'hig hly professional approach

includinG a master and two laboratory technici:ns, and we were all very satisfied. However, a few days later a letter arrived from the college with more despatches from the front.

Not a week after the examination another girl, on the way to college, joined an unknown first-aider in caring for a cas ualty who had a cardiac arrest and then both went into action by giving external heart massage and mouth-to-mouth ventilation, maintaining it until the ambulance arrived and the crew took over.

The same morning at college, the two laboratory technicians dealt with a lad who had a severe cut along the palm of his hand which needed several stitches at the local A & E department.

What greater satisfaction or reward could one wi s h f or in such a short time? And how worthwhile it was to go for further training and then reassessment (in spite of my own doubts and fears of the unknown!)

Thank you, Northern Area (London) Tra ning Team 1980 and Association Instructors 1983, for making possible this account of life saving and life preserving ac t ivities by four teenagers and two adults who had little or no previou s experience in the field before taking this course.

Hopefully, this will encourage everyone to take up re-assessment when due, and others to join the ranks of Lay Instructors (First Aid)

IT REALLY IS WORTH WHILE.

Henry Goodall, 357 (Finchley Combined) Div

4-WHEEL DRIVE MOBILITY

THE LATEST addition to the ambulan ce fleet of Chelmsford Marconi Combined Division is this 1978 4-wheel drive R a n ge Rover ambulance

The Divi sion had been waiting for two years for a good condition, purpose-buil t 4-wheel drive ambulance to become a vailable at a price they could afford , and were delighted when this vehicle was ret ir ed b y Mid-Essex Area Health Authorit y with 55 000 miles on the clock wa s offered for £2 : 500. It came complete with a York 4 eleva ting trolley stretcher and two sitting-case chair s The vehicle needed £700 worth of mechanical repairs and it was refurbished and fitted out with Brigade equipmen and radio by D / S Peter Weathersb y.

Drawbacks of th is type of vehicle are

YOUTH TO HOLY LAND

The Order is hoping to encourage youn g people who are interested in the Holy Land and the Order, its Christian origins, history and purpose, to visit Jerusalem - where the y would also see the problem faced by tha t unhappy land and meet the people involved.

The best time for a visit if the cost is t o be kept to a minimum is between now and Easter. With hostel accommodation in Jerusalem it may be pos sibl e to do a lO-day trip for £300, but one should be prepared to pay £400 . If there is sufficient support to form a party o f 20 f or a lO -day vis it from midMarch or early April all arrangements would be made by the Chancery. If you are interested in s uch a trip, write now to the

expensi ve runnin g co sts (8 mp g on lo cal runs!) and ex p ensive spar e par ts, o nl y 5-feet headroom a n d re du ce d s pa ce in t he b ac k Its impr essive cr oss-c oun try p er fo r ma n

f our mo to r cycle scram

ers from

aces ina cc essibl e to o r di nary veh i cles, a nd w hi c h o therw is e would h ave me a nt a n aw k wa rd stretcher-carr y o f so m e d ista n ce. The ambu la n ce is p ct u re d at M a rco n i Radar wo r ks, Chelm

price list. So if you don't to miss those bargains, get 10 touch wIth the St John Supplies Dept for a copy of the newsletter.

ESSENTIALS OF FIRST AID.

An instructor' s guide for runnmg EssentIals of First Aid (EFA) courses based upon the new book (third edition) is being prepared but will not be ready until early in 1984 , says the Association. In the meantime EF A courses using the new publication should be based upon the syllabus given in Essentials of First Aid (Second Edition).

FEllOWSHIP

I see from Hants Central A rea' s new s letter that their 1984 St John F ellow s hip programm e has an e ven t or outing booked for ever y mon t h with the ex cep tion of August. To quote the newsletter: The branch of the Fellow s hip, started by Miss Maltby (who retired from the Brigade at the end of 1983 after 43 ye ars se r v ice to run the Fellowship) is now fully f unctioning I should say it is. It meet s a lterna t el y in Southampton and Rom se y on the third Tue sda y of the month.

How 's y our F ellowship prog ra mme?

SLIP SHOWING

T he Grand Prior 's Trophy competitIOn report in t h e Janu a ry R e view got out of con t rol (and we hadn' t started Xmas celebrat ion s at t he time). It wa s h e 34th not 33rd competit o n Judge Dr C. C. Molly should h a ve be en Dr Mollo y, o f cour seapolo g i es And all t he ba c kground in formation about winn in g team s (to make the captions mor e interes ting - ugh ) was for th e 1981 compe t ition not 1982 In Dec 1983

Angel

St John

CODEX.

Madame There se de Vo s , of he

Be lg ia n A ss o ci ation o f the So vereign

Military Order of Mal t a re c ently publi sh e d a book Codex Rhoden s is, in which illu

Order

h o ld ers conta in s a n umber o f s pecial offers a n d in format i on on n ew produ ct s, toget her wit h a comprehensive Ay ebury Combined Division' s Christine White and Andrew Co ok - they met on a fi rst

(when the pages were being prepared for Jan 84 issue) we turned back to Jan 82 issue f or the prev ious year's results when of course we

Outward Bound Training 1984

PLEASE try to en courage your members to take part in one of t he 1984 courses Ou tward Bound courses aim to provide opportunitie s for young peopl e to t r y to understand th em s el ves and to fulfil t heir potential by re cogni sing their phy s ical and social abilities

For 1984, the Outward Bound Trust ha s provision a lly reserv ed a number of places for St John per sonnel over 16 y ears old on threeweek cour ses. Thi s t y pe of course is an intensive personal dev elopment experien ce designed to develop skills, judgment and confidence. The first week is spent learning ba sic techniques in na v igation, search and rescue ro c k climbing, canoeing and expedition planning, and in various exercises bring the group together as a team The activities become progressively more challenging as the group develops. The climax of the course is an extended expedition of 3 or 4 days as a vi rtually selfsufficient unit. Courses available: Aberdovey, Wales. July 14 - Aug 4 (2 vacancies). A large family hou se in 30 acres of ground overlooking the Dovey estuary. Nearest station: Aberdovey. Rhowniar, Wales. July 14 - Aug 4 (2 vacancies). Set in 65 acres and half-a-mile from the sea, the centre is surrounded by garden s and pasture Nearest statIOn: Aberdovey. Ullswater, Cumbria. july 21 - Aug 11 (2 vacancies). A 17th-century house set in

extensive grounds on the west shore of Lake Ullswater with its own boathouse and jetty, Nearest station: Penrith Eskdale , Cumbria. Aug 18 - Sept 8 (2 vacancies). An impress ive mansion n th e Eskdale Valley , which extends from the sea at Ravenglass to the high fell s and crag s o f the Central Lake Dist r ict. Neares t station: Ravenglass.

Loch Eil, Scotland. Aug 20 - Sept 10 (2 vacancies). A former shooting lodge on the edge of a sea loch near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, the centre enjoys the use of 1 000 square miles of moun t ains, is ands, rivers, sea lochs , forest and wildern es s between the Grampian mountains and the Hebridean islands. Neares t station: Fort William.

The Outward Bound Trust is a chari t able non-profi t organisation The full cost o f the three-week course is £362.25. St John Ambulance HQ will allow a subsidy of £197.2Sp per person. Costs to the individual / county will thus be £165 pe r person

The f ull cos t o f th e one- week c o urse is £ 161. S John Ambulance HQ will allo w a subsid y o f £ 96 pe r person C o s ts to the individual / county will t hu s be £ 65 p er person

Applications Personnel

The Outward Bound Trust has arrang ed courses for St John Ambulance personnel 14 - 17 years old. The participants learn a wide range of new outdoor skills as well as an appreciation of the risks involved. The programme is carefully planned to provide a series of progressively more challenging experiences which result in young people becoming more self confident and independen t. Courses a vail able : Eskdale , Cumbria Augu st 4 - 11 (24 vacanci es) Rho wniar , Wales , A ugu st 1 1- 18 (24 vacan cies).

Commiss

THE FIRST weekend of December 1983 saw the first meeting of County Staff Officers (Cadet s) from throughout England - although ver y sadly not all coun t ies were represented The venue was generously provided by SJA West Midlands at their Birmingham HQ - and they certainl y ' showed us how t o do thing s !

The conference, which began after lunch on Saturday, was opened by West Midland s Commander Commissioner, Mr John Sunderland, who welcomed Lady Westbury, Suptin-Chie f ; Mr L Hawes, Chief Staff Officer; Mr L. Budd Chief Officer Cadets ; and Miss Jennie Eaves, Staff Officer Cadets. Mr Sunderland referred to the cadet movement 'as the lifelin e of St John and urged 0 fficers to ensure tha t ever y member knows in wh ch dir e ction St John should be going.

Jennie Eaves opened the day by discussing the viability of a national cadet quiz, which was referred to a small working party for further exploration. Laurie Hawes gave his thoughts on communication, with some delegates suggesting that greater use should be made of the Review.

It was also suggested that every county should sponsor two cadets to t he annual Nottingham Leadership Conference. As 1985 is the ' Year of Youth', Leo Budd asked for ideas for activi t ies that could be considered for the year which produced a junior poster compet tion and a cadet rally. Further idea s are needed, together with o hers to celebrate the Brigade centenary in 1987, and would be most welcome at the Cadet Office, Brigade HQ.

After a long discussion, the meeting wa s adjourned for the evening and a magnificent meal.

On Sunday, John Sunderland gave a ver y interesting talk on the image of St John and showed an excell e nt video about St John produced by SJA West Midlands. This led- to discussing the possibility of a video to promote cadets, an idea which is to be followed up.

Further discussion were held on adventure training, proficiency subjects and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, as well as the production of a Cadet Manual and a Cadet NCOs training manual

Throughout the conference delegates discussed ideas and problems, and it was reassuring to hear of the many activities being undertaken nationally

But one point of criticism of the St John urganisation rang out loud and clear: communication, and the lack of it in many areas. The point was noted by Headquarters staff and the subject is to be inves igated. We hop e to hear some bright news from this area soon.

The weekend proved the ideal way to obtain real two - way communication, and much valuable work was achieved. Everyone also seemed to enjoy 36

themse lves. Let s hope this conference won't be a one-off, b ecause I m sure it was of immense va lu e.

Nobody told me 'Safe as houses is a common phrase , yet every year as many people die from accidents in the home as on the roads.

6,000 deaths and one million injuries each year are frightening figures and 'Nobody Told Me', the new home safety film from the British Insurance Association, aims to reduce these figures by alerting people to the everyday risks they run at home.

This excellent 22 minute colour film is available in Betamax, VHS and Sony UMatic cassette formats and as a 16mm film and can be borrowed free of charge.

Information and booking forms are available from the British Insurance Association, Aldermary House, Queen Street, London EC4N 1TU, or from the Central Office of Information, Chalfont Grove, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire SL9 8TN, or from the Film Library , The Royal Society for the Prevention o f Accidents, Cannon House , The Priory Queensway, BIRMINGHAM B4 7BS

Advisory service

The Community Service Volunteer Advisory Service, 237 Pentonville Road , London Nl 9NJ (phone 01 2786601) publishes a number of useful teaching packs which may be of value to divisions when working on some proficiency subjects.

Here are details of five of the packs:

Design with disabled people (£5.50)

A guide to involving young people aged 9- 18 years in designing and making aids f or and with disabled people The pack is based on

the experience of the School Concern pro ject in Salford and aims to increase youn g people's knowledge of disabilities and related problems.

Who

Pu b lis h ed jo intly wi th th e Me n ia l H eal th Film

Cou n cil

S x youn g peop le w h var io u s h an d ica p s, s h are t he c h a ll e nges, fr u s t ra ti o n s, jo ys a n d di f fic ulti es t hey exper ie nce in li fe. Ma ny a re com m on to a n y perso n of t h e sa m e age, so m e a r e di ffere n!. P hot ogra ph s a n d perso na l nt erv iews explo re eac h you ng pe r son's fee lin gs a bout hi s o r he r ow n han di cap, a nd ho w t hey wo uld lik e ot he rs o re la e to th e m Th e ha ndi ca p s includ ed are : c ere br a pa lsy, ep il e p sy, d ea f ness, m e nt al h an di cap, bli ndn ess a nd parap leg ia.

The ki t con tains:

• Photoposters - 36 b / w p h o t og r ap h s m o unt e d o n (295 x 420 ) car d

• Interview Booklets - 6 b ook els eac h wi t h an int e rview a nd phot og ra p h s of t h e yo un g peopl e

• Cassette Tape - 60min ta p e fo r Furth e r in te r vie ws with e a c h pe r son

• Teachers Notes and a r eso ur ce li s t

Noticeboard

I recently had a noticeboard made up for me to use when visiting di visions and thought it would be a useful addition to the equipment of any division without its own HQ to display permanent notices. The measurements of the board can be varied but this size fits well in the boot of even the smallest car and by its construction protect s the materials inside. The addition of cork tiles inside or the use o f blu-tac will enable notices to be displayed. Material required : 40ft of 1 Va ins x Va ins softwood' 6ft x 4ft x Va in hardboard ; and six 2in hinges

Have you any ideas to share with others?

Outdoor pursuits

The Review has contained articles about centres opened by St John in various parts of the country I thought it would be of value

to remind divisions of s ome o f t h ese

facilities

Sandhills Commondale, in t h e No r t h York s hire Moor s. Det a il s f r o m Mr M

Dick i n s on 12 Field C l o se, Tho rn ab y, S t ockton-on-Tee

Canal Cottage, Amberga

Details

AN INVITATION to visit Australia is not one lightly to be declined, least of all when it is extended by the Chief Surgeon in Australia and especially in view of the fact that he and I had played rugger together at St Thomas's Hospital 40 years before. Dr J. P. Bush had long been a keen St John man but, seeking pastures new, he left general practice in Barnstaple for Australia 16 years ago and soon established and so distinguished himself that he steadily ascended the ladder of St John to his present position of eminence. Those who saw and heard his contribution at the Medical Conference in Nottingham a few years ago cannot have been at all surprised that this should have been so.

Having arrived at lOam (local time) on a direct flight from England, which had lasted for 25 hours, I was glad of a shower and a shave at Dr Bush's home, after which I was taken to the headquarters in Melbourne to meet the Commissioner, Major General Poke, and other members of the staff. From there I walked the mile or two back to Dr Bush's home, where I spent a quietly enjoyable evening (I do not suffer from socalled jet lag).

Apart from the St John functions I att€nded a number of other meetings, beginning with a medical conference on 'Trauma Care - Current Concepts' that had been organised by the Victoria Division of the Institute of Ambulance Officers of Australia. As might be expected, a number of those present were members of St John.

The main c€lebrations of the centenary took place the following week, with the Brigade's Seminar and Conference on June 20 and 21. Australia hopes to have its new manual published early this year and the different States, which have sufficient independence to cause a noticeable lack of a sense of national identity in St John, were working on teaching and instructors' manuals, but still had a long way to go. Western Australia's efforts came in for commendation: their 'Simple First Aid' was desGribed as 'leaving all the others behind'.

There was one of only two (out of seven) States that were doing anything about occupational first aid and were 'achieving results by professionally mark€ting' first aid.

In addition to the discussions there were the usual sorts of exhibits, including a fascinating photographic and material history of St John in Australia, and practical workshops that Dr Bush had arranged so as to give an ranks a memorable understanding of the deeper reasons for modern methods of resuscitation and special care. There was also a special pamphlet called 'Play It Safe' that summarised in an admirably clear way the essentials of first aid in Australia and was the best that I have seen of its kind We could do worse that adopt it (without the part about snakes, perhaps) in Britain.

Dr Bush did me the honour of inviting me to deliver the St John oration on June 20 and the special nature of the occasion may be judged from the fact that the audience included the Deputy Governor of Victoria, who is also the Chancellor of the Order in that State, the President of the St John Council for Victoria, other distinguishd

conversation.

Thanks to the help given by St John at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, I was accorded the privilege of occupying one of the bes t seats; it must have been because I was nex t to the Vice-President. Australian rules football was a new experience for me but it was so cold (and wet) that it was no hardship to leave for the competitions, which were indoors, after quite a short time.

persons and about 300 others. In these circumstances, it will be readily understood that when, quite early on in the oration, the projector failed the orator was somewhat alarmed. When the projectionist then announced that he was afraid that the slides were being burnt it was clear that somehow or other the show had to go on, even without slides if the worst came to the worst. It was greatly to the credit of those working the projector that in the end nearly all the slides were shown and mostly in the right order.

To have recovered as they did when complete failure stared them in the face deserved the highest praise. For my part, it was sufficient that one of the audience should have said 'Only a Porn could have done it'.

The explanation was that because of the bright lighting required for video tape recording extra powerful bulbs were fitted to the projectors and they could not stand up to the abnormal load. I was enormously relieved to find that in spite of the alarming initial announcement not one of my slides had been damaged.

Other memorable features of the celebrations were the reception at Government House by the Governor; that at the Town Hall by the Governor General, who is the Prior in Australia; the Brigade competitions, which were attended by Sir Maurice and Lady Dorman, who were touring Australia, the Governor General and the Chancellor of the Order, Sir John Young; the Brigade dinner-dance, and the service at St Paul's Cathedral.

At the Governor's reception I was asked if I wanted to see possums at close quarters.

Not having seen any other than dead ones in the road (in Australia and also in New Zealand they take the place of hedgehogs in this respect) I said yes. Word was passd to the policeman at the gate, who, like all the police in Government House, was dressed in the uniform of the Australian Light Horse but wore a police jerkin on top. He produced bread so that when I left I was able to see several munching animals at close quarters. They were about the size of cats and have bushy tails like squirrels. They are protected by law, which was not appreciated by householders who found them eating the fruit and flowers in their gardens, to which they have resorted when the severe drought did away with their usual sources of food.

At the St John reception the band of St John South Australia played; they are a very good band but I could not help feeling that if the objective of a reception is to enable people to chat and make new friends no band, however good, does much to help

The following day was dry and sunny for the parade to St Paul's Cathedral. This was accompanied by the South Australian band, which was now in its element, and that o f the Victorian Police, who wore helmets tha t were rather like pith helmets, only smaller, and appeared to be made of a plasti c material. The cathedral is only about 100 years old and quite different from it s namesake in London. One wondered when it was last so full. Lessons were read by the Governor-General of Australia and th e Governor of Victoria in their capacities a s, respectively, Prior and Deputy Prior. I wa s next to a chaplain general, who really wa s a general judging from his badges of rank bu t had purple instead of the more familia r r ed tabs. Those that have attended th e Order's service in St Paul's Cathedral in London would have found themselves in a familiar atmosphere, if not surroundings

The informal lunch that followed wa s rather like the end of term at school, with people struggling out with bags and bundles, looking for coaches, cars or drivers and saying their goodbyes. Unlike school perhaps, was the fact that everyone w as look ing forward eagerly to getting togethe r again the following year.

Apart from the centenary celebrations, I had a chance to see something 0 f th e countryside outside Melbourne. On the way I was surprised to see a notice 'Natives, $1 '. It was explained hat t he nati ves referred to were plants, not persons. Australians are now growing their own plants and flower s as well as those that the settlers took ou t from Britain.

An open air zoo gave me a chance to see emus, wombats, koala bears (which were well out of reach), kangaroos and wallabies of several sorts, a flying fox (which was hanging upside down and fast asleep), an echidna, lyre bird, dingo and snakes. Th e platypuses were off duty. There was a narrow gauge steam railway line but trains were not running that day. One trip took me through areas in which the forest fires of onJ y three or four months ago had raged. It wa s not, as I had expected, a mass of blackened stumps and scorched earth; although their trunks were black, many trees retained their topmost leaves and already new growth wa s visible on the blackened trunks. Such is the degree of adaptation that some seeds do not germinate unless they are exposed to fire.

Another astonishing feature was the presence of one house, undamaged, while others nearby had been destroyed.

The heat generated by the fires is so intense that ignition starts well before the flame s arrive and the fire can advance at 60mph, which may make escape by way of country roads impossible.

(Concluded next month)

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Books

SAFER THAN A KNOWN WAY by Philip Newman

William Kimber, £10 50

This is yet another World War 2 escape story, but a very good one, I must say. The author, who was a recent chairman of the St John Ambulance medical board , was a young surgeon in the RAMC at Dunkirk, where he stayed as senior medical officer in charge of the wounded who were unable to be evacuated. For this h e later received the DSO. His descriptions of the temporary hospital in Dunkirk, towards which the Germany army was inexorably mo ving, while every effort was being made to bring in a ship to evacuate the patients and staff, are some of the best I've read about medical work at war.

Taken prisoner, Major Newman is moved from camp to camp, his t houghts preoccupied with escape. And then when the opportunity (or glimmer of hope) does present itself, the tactics adopted in this bid f?r freedom are intensely gripping. It isn't Simply a vicarious will it or will it not Succeed; but because the whole book is wri.tt.en with such honesty and lack of artifice, one is genuinely concerned for the person :

A.nd members of French resistance groUpE obViously felt the same. For soon youn!

Philip Newman is being passed down the line, across France to Spain and Gibraltar, and then home by 1942.

Good Reading. FD.

STROKE CARE - An Interdisciplinary Approach.

Edited by Gill lubbock. Faber & Faber Ltd.

252 pp. £4 95 paperback

'If every patient were secured in a chair, there might be few accidents, but precious little rehabilitation.' This sentence, taken from the book, exemplifies the positive approach to stroke management in this splendid little paperback.

There are chapters from seventeen contributors; many anticipated, others less so, such as the especially welcome and fascinating section on oral and pharyngeal rehabilitation with its treatment of dribbling and its links with speech therapy.

The emphasis is always on management and patient care, though there is a comprehensive review of factors predisposing to stroke, how to practise prevention, and the indications for computerised tomography and angiography. You will discover when to catheterize the patient, when not to send him into hospital, how to position and handle him to overcome spasticity and enable him to regain all possible use of affected limbs, how to teach him to dress himself and transfp.r from chair Telephone 0761

to bed - indeed the great web of rehabilitation is displayed.

There are only minor irritations. The index is incomplete, some of the photographs fail to illustrate the point, and the pages on sociological aspects chronicle other men's works in terms which are sometimes obscure to the common reader.

The book adopts a thoroughly businesslike approach, but the humanity and skill of the editor in producing a coherent account shows through in every chapter Whatever your interest in stroke, whether as career or patient's relative , there is something for you in this book.

R .A. Durace MA MB, MRCP Consultant Rheumaro logist, St Mary's Hospital, Colchester Books received

The Nervous S ystem, b y Peter Nathan. Oxford Paperbacks £4.9 5. (A revised edition of a previous Pelican book .)

St John House Club IS WHERE TO STAY IN LONDON

50 Eaton Place, London SW1 01 235 2732

F.A.W. PACKAGE

from M. K. Armfield, Hon Centre Secretary and ASO

Following the introduction of the F ,A. W training schedules based of the FAW package, as designed by those advisers named in its Foreword, I have been tempted to write on several occasions condemning the package as being considerably sub-standard to those courses as per the 4th and previous editions over the past 25 years or so.

Having been a certificated FA instructor for the past 20 years, conducting three annual courses for the public, I qualified as Instructor (FA W) some 12 months ago and have conducted my ftrst CFA W course with a group of professional people. All were of the opinion that the 4th edition Authorised Manual was far superior and contains all that is required, in this day and age, for a fully comprehensive course. Irrespective of the situation, first aid is first aid wherever it is performed.

There appears to be some great aura of mystery surrounding the FA W courses, created by certain persons responsible for administering t hem , as though the course was the ultimate in first aid circles. The str es s which is put on the HSE requirements for these courses is unnecessary, as these conditions are laid down in Association Class Regulations.

Never in the 41 years that I have been a member of the Brigade and the Association have I known such confusion regarding training syllabuses and procedures. Since the inception of our organistion we ha ve t rained to ever-improving standards on the current First Aid Manual in content and teaching techniques. I am amazed that St John has managed to survive so long; coping with the Boer War, two World Wars and numerous minor conflicts, and gi ving valuable assistance to the community - if the existing training schedules are so very inadequate, bearing in mind all the publicity being given to the superiority of the FAW package.

In fact, question the wisdom of producing such a package in the first plac e . The 4th edition with a tutorial on the duties of a fir staider as per Section 6 of the FA W manual, so as to comply with HSE requir ements , would have been the sensible , practical thing to do. Now we a re fac ed with all Brigade members having to convert to such a package to main t ain efficiency Are we to carry out such a conversion as per the FA W package, or follow the ideal situation laid down fully in the 4th edition syUabus plus Section 6 (FA W package)?

I am pleased to see that certain additions from the 4th edition are now to be included in the FA W manual. It appears some reasoning is dawning within the walls of 1 Grosvenor Crescent. Why not see th e full daylight and include the whole 4th edition? Please let us get back to normal procedure and do the job as it should be done. Ormskirk K. Armfield

NATIONWIDE RAFFLE

from D. Gill, Division Superintendent

With reference to the Nationwide SJ Raffle', experience of two of these raffles has shown that a 50p ticket is too expensive for most people. am confident that if they were 25p I could have sold at least three times as many People I have spoken to have echoed this view. At this time of year the public' , as we call them, are being inundated with various raffles and draws, and when offered a ticket for 50p have no trouble in refusing, often with words of disbelief. Perhaps other members have experienced this and would like to see a review of future raffles.

Bath D Gill

OUR FUTURE

from Valerie A Muscutt Officer-in-Charge

Although I know very little about radio communications, my division and I agree with the principle behind the views of D/S M. J. Newbold (CB Radio, Nov Review) - ie , that it is about time those 'at the top' took notice of those whose work is the backbone of St John - us.

Once we put on 'the uniform' we are expected by many 'senior officers' to do exactly as they say. The latest First Aid at Work instructions issued by London District, in the name of the Commissioner-in-Chief, must be the 'last straw'. Our Area Commissioner did not even have the opportunity to discuss this lengthy document before it was issued to OICs and MICs. I'm aU for training/revision and more training, but we are aU volunteers not imbeciles at the beck and call of our 'senior officers'.

Would members of Chingford Division drop their invaluable and devoted service to, for example, our local club for physically 42

handicapped people if they are forced to resign from the Brigad e because of these instructions? No they would not!

What the Brigade needs is responsible leadership with vision and insight, or we might as well pack-up now instead of enduring a s low death.

London E4

FAR EAST VISIT

from Mr G R Welch Divisional Superintendent

Valerie Muscutt

For our holiday last year my wife and I, both members of St John (my wife is an Area Nursing Officer and myself Div / Supt of the St Albans Ambulance Cadets) went on a marvellous 5-week holiday to Malaysia, visiting Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Thailand.

Using Penang as our base, we travelled to Singapore for 5 days.

We called in the St John headquarters and were given a smashing welcome. We attended a few meetings and it was nice to find that their worries were the same or similar to our division's - programme arranging, organising duties and fund raising. One unusual duty was arranging the blood donor sessions, which were sponsored by local firms. The hospitality was second to none . We were shown around the HQ and invited to take afternoon tea. At the end of the visit we were given a teeshirt advertising the blood donor sessions and St John.

Back at our base we stayed with a wonderful Chinese family who were relatives of friends who had invited u s to go on this holiday of a lifetime. It was not long before we found the lo cal St John Division and arranged to help at their co mpetition practice. At this time the cadets and adults had just won the Malaysia first aid and nursing competition and were to represent their country against Singapore

I have since heard they won the competition. I have also noticed a short report and photographs in the Review.

My wife (Betty) and I undertook to set a test for the cadets and found the standard very high , but were surprised to find that they were using old competition sheets of the 1960s and 1970s.

We were most welcomed by the very enthusiastic instructor, Tan Teong Cheng, whom we have kept in touch with and sent more recent testTwopapers.things saddened us. They dId not seem to know much about St John outside the Malaysian area, and they had not seen a copy of the SI John Review for a considerable time. But St Albans ambulance cadets are remedying that by paying for a subscription to the Review for them and some of our cadets are wntmg to them.

Sf Albans G. R. Welch

WE AGREE

from David G Bouchard, Divisional Superintendent Since reading the letter How Much Longer? (Dec Review) by D IS Mrs Elizabeth Thorne, of Lymington, I have spoken to several other superintendents and members of all ranks and find we all agree with many of the down-to-earth sentiments she states Well done, Mrs Thorne. Thanks for speaking up Woodford Bridge David G Bouchard

EQUALITY

from Mrs Brenda M Law

I am writing, as a nursing member, to complain about the fact that ha ving been born a female I am compe lled not only to t ake but pass a basic nursing course whi le my fellow member s, who were born male, have the option as to whether they take the course or not.

In this age of so-called equality, is it not time that those who decree that female members must pass the nursing course leave their ivory tower, pass through cloud-cuckoo land, and come face to face with reality? Not all women have a desire to nurse - in fact those who want to, usually do so.

While I recogni se the usefulnes s and validity of the course for those who want it , surely it is time to say: 'F or those who wish to take a nursing course, there are courses available' , but PLEASE remove the compulsion factor.

Many members in my division tolerate it only because they have no choice if t hey wish to remain members How many more have opted to leave, rather than submit to the indignity of what they feel to be an impossible situation?

As an ex-nurse, welcome the help o f trained amateurs, but question the usefulness of those who are forced to take the course. r appeal to any member, male or female, who feel s as do to contact me in the hope that some concerted action can bring the Brigade into line with the needs of the modern world.

144 Perne Road, Cambridge CBl 3HX Brenda M. Laws

HISTORY OF UNIFORMS

from Major G. J Flint·Shipman, Archivist and Museum Curator Berks

I am engaged in researching a history of St John Ambulance and Nursing uniforms, and recently gave an illustrated talk on this subject to the St John Historical Society. I suggested the formation of a Historical Uniform Study Group. It is hoped that interested members might borrow from their headquarters early photographs and also copies of the following publications, which I have not been able to trace:

1. Revised Brigade General Regulations, issued 1898, which includes Dress Regulations

2. Revised Brigade General Regulations, issued 1902 Dress Regulations included (Schedule V)

3. Revised Brigade General Regulations, issued 1905, which includes Dress Regulations

4. Revised Brigade General Regulations, issued 1908, which includes Dress Regulations

5. Dress Regulations 1923

6. Dress Regulations for Nursing Corps & Divisions 1929

Copies of the above would be photocopied and returned to their owners.

I would be interested to hear from any members wishing to assist on t his project , and join the Study Group.

St Nicholas House, Hurst, N,. Twyford, Berks. G.J. Flint-Shipman

SPARE REVIEWS

from Watkin W. Williams

I am very lucky to have a complete set of one copy of each issue of the Review for 19 years from January 1965 to December 1983, except

for the six months from March to August 1967. I find these back numbers fascinatingly interesting to browse over from time to time, and sometimes also very useful when one wants to check up on the details of events in earlier years. once had copies going much further back than 1965, and often regret having too impulsively ditched all but my most recent copies when moved house in 1966.

If any reader happens to possess a genuinely unwanted copy of the Review for one or more of those missing months I should be very glad to hear from him or her. But please write or ring (Epping 74685) before sending, because it would be an abu se of your kindne ss and a waste of your postage st amp s if I received several copies of the s ame issue.

Contrariwise, I have at least one spare copy of almost every issue from June 1972 onwards (but very few before that date). An y readers who are seriously anxious to complete their set but have one or two months missing are most welcome to let me know which issues they want, and if I can help them I'll let them have them, post free. Bu I hope I shall be forgiven if I leave you to assume that no reply within a fortnight (at very most) of your posting to me means 'no luck'. While writing, may add that I continue to look forward to the Review every month and read it with immen se interest. Many thanks to all concerned!

20 Crows Road, Epping, Essex CM16 5DE Watkin W. Williams

STILL IN L1NCS from Mr G A Cuppleditch, President and Mayor of Louth On arrival of the Review my first action is , generally, to scan the pages to see if there is any pictorial action of St John in Lincolnshire. Usually I

Louth

with Penang cadets and (centre back) Tan Teong Cheng. See letter FAR EAST VISIT

A very smart c adet obviously going on some duty, photographed at Penang bus

NEWS frol11 SCOTLAND

Royal Jubilee Trust Gift to St John Cadets

THE DENNY St John cadets are known throughout Scotland and further afield for their generosity to children's homes, hospitals and similar institutions. Their skill in craft work, particularly in toy-making for the handicapped, has brought much happiness to a great number of less-fortunate children Senior citizens' homes, too, ha ve been the recipients of a variety of gifts including bird-nesting boxes, garden furniture and foot stools. The cadet workshop was started several years ago b y the Supervisor of Cadets, Mr D Watson Law, himself a skilled craftsman.

The Denny cadets run a St John Club at Larbert Hospital where cadets assist in recreational activities with handicapped children.

Through the good offices of the Countess of Mar and Kellie, for long an enthusiastic supporter of the cadet service in Scotland, the Royal Jubilee Trusts have made a

The Countess, along with

and other members of the Order, as well as representatives of the Royal Jubilee Trusts' committee, attended a function at the Larbert

presentation

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Resusci Anne is the classic. She new reappears vastly improved. The Full Body model (Produc t Code C20000) is recommended for realism and versatility in programmes using only one manikin. Additional manikins could be Torso Models. Torso complete (Product Code C2000!) only lacks arms and leg s. Torso Practice model (Product Code C20002) also lacks Signal Lights.

Recording Resusci Anne (Product Code C15200) is the most advanced and useful manikin available It features a unique diagram writer which records each resuscitation meas ure in relation to other measures and time. Stimulates interest: Saves time. Provides practice to perfection and absolutely objective evaluation. The be st you can get for a one manikin CPR programme. In larger programmes, at lea st one manikin should be a Recording Resusci Anne to permit objective testing.

Anatomic Anne (Product code C17705) visualizes chest anatomy, lung inflation, heart compression, and blood circulation. A valuable supp lement to any training programme.

Resusci Baby (Product Code C20030) is extremely realistic and the only recommended infant CPR manikin Now significantly improved. A must for all CPR programmes. Special literatur e on Resuscitation Training Models (OS] 59) is available on request.

,News from Divisions/Centres

Safety aids from aim

AMBUL ANCES

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All f u lly r econ diti o n ed nc l u di ng r ep aint, new en g in e, bea cons , ho rns, str i p es , etc

Ov e r 70 v eh i c les s u pp li ed t o St Jo h n

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wit h da rk glass , co t fitting s , cupb oar d, atten dan t' s seat, beacons , s tri pes , etc. Factor y war ranty . £9 , 500

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a layer of the meninges in reddish-brown colour. (5). 14. Cut onions for a bruise. (9). 17. Both co-ord inate for a small dwel ling. (5). 18. Doctor from Pennsylvania adds direction for a clergyman. (5). 19. Cyst on the eye lid due to blockage of meibomian gland (9). 21. Prie using a facia l feature? (5). 23. Remains of a fire in Washington. (3). 25. Clasp for skin covering 26 Across. (5). 26. Brain case. (7). 27. He looks down in the mouth. (7). 28. Morning form of 4 Down in congenital mental deficiency. (7) 29. Deficiency of red corpuscles. (7).

Down:

1. Sufferer from cerebral palsy. (7) 2. Deficient production of steroid hormones by the adrenal cortex (8.7). 3. Motto is s u bject of literary compos ition in Mos lem manuscript. (5). 4 Fu n gus causing ringworm may be in tea. (5) 5. Inflammation and consolidation of the l ungs (9).6. Studies at university concerned with small advertisements. (5). 7 . This endocrine deficiency is Simmond's disease . (15). 8 Try idea becoming related to nature of food intake. (7) 15 Custom. (3). 16. Each aim is producing deficiency of blood supp y to a part. (9). 17 Unpleasant smell wit h a large snake. (3). 18. Cure for a ll disease s. (7). 20. Inflammable fract ion of coal tar and petro le u m. (7). 22. Grudgingly limit allotted amount of work (5). 24. Genus of fres h water polyp wi t h tub ul ar body and te n tacles (5). 25. Laxative from cassia plant. (5).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD N o. 1 (84)

Wi nn e r o Cro ssw ord No. 12: Mr W. J Pa d gh a m Flat 1 c. Winston Co u rt. S tou Rd. Christc h urch.

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.2 (84) by A. A. Pott e r Across: I. P lace' nta; 5. C lamp; 9. Loins; 10. Semilunar; I I. Aver; 12. Sign; 13. Colon; 15. Stroke; 16. Austria; 19. Eardrum; 21. Eyeli d ; 23. In 'cus; 25 Ne'ed; 26. Wake; 28. G in g ly m us; 29. Cress; 30. Sa ty; 31. I n jected

Dorse t. Across:

1. Fever due to streptococca l infect on is produced by cartels. (7). 5. Very h ot and thirsty (7) 9 U n usua l bad sign in a cavity of the body. (7). 10. Fo r

SCOTCHLlTE· and SCOTCHCAL

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Ladies black uniform shoes (leather uppers) sizes 4 1/2 to 7. £8.00 BLACK COMMANDO PULLOVERS (with elbow & shoulder patches)

ST JOHN REVIEW

Volume 57 No.3 March

TALKING POINT

The MORI report and the reaction

IN THE February 1984 Review , readers will have seen and read the unprecedented number of letters printed in response to the publication of the MORI report in the December Review. This must reflect the way the report has been received throughout the Brigade and readers will have noted that all the letter s are from divisional or area level. And may be these response s reflect the views of some, if not a majority, of the leadership in the country at large. For those of u s engaged in the cause of efficient, effective first aid know well that morale in St John Ambulance has been sl owly but steadily declining over the last few years. Some of this decline may be due to our failure to recruit suitable members, some due to changing times and attitude, some due to the confusion following the introduction of the 'first Aid at Work' certificate requirement s, and so me due to other points made by the correspondents.

So it may be worth while detailing the major point s:

Centenary

Around

Cadet

Helping

Readers' Views p.66

News

u rned, write on t h e back RETURN and name and Press day is the 1st of the month preceding the cover date.

Uniform: is now conside red outdated (except for ceremonial use), too expensive and too military in sty le. From these letters the plea is for the introduction of working dress, easily recognised, without rank markings (and saluting) or too man y insignia.

Comment: Special dur y uniforms are specified in dress regular ions and the Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief has aurhorised relaxed rules providing all in a division are dressed alike and officers are recognisable as such (Review July 1983). Comparison is made Wilh [he Red Cross and Germany 's Johannirer uniforms. The present Uniform may be roo milirary in {he eyes of the ge neral public, our potential patients, and in the eyes 0/ possible recruits/rom the yo ung 0/ the '80s. A/reI' all, St John Aeromedical alfendants are recognised world-wide in white shorts, black trousers and wearing our eight poinred cross and minimal insignia.

Publicity: And the level of re ponse from the public. The Dad Army image , one correspondent calls it.

Comment: Basic publicity mLlst come from our members and rhe job we do and are seen to be doing. Enthusiasm is the INord. In Seaule, USA, a city 0/ over 1 0 million people, 25% of rhe popularion have attended courses in basic cardio plilmonary resusciration. (Ediror: We hope (0 publish an arric/e 017 rhis /acr shorrly.)

Leadership: Correspondents feel that too many ex-ser ice offi er are appointed.

Comment: Bur ir is just sLich people who have rhe adl7linisrraril'e experience, as well as rhe lime to devole ro Sr John Afaybe less /ormality is one answer.

Sexism: A new idea, worthy of con ideration, that the term ambulance m ember and nursing member be dropped and repla ed by the designation 'Fir I-aider'.

Comment: Already all nell' male enrranrs have 10 rake rhe nursing certificare, which is a move in rhis direction.

Bureaucracy: Reduce papen ork and report, and peed up respon e from headquarter

None of the e expre sed idea i entirely original, bur all \\onhy o f very serious on ideration and action.

Is anyone listening?

CO VER--

L. P.

10 -year - old Lee Burgess was competing in the 1983 Grenoside Chase , a three-mile run in Yorkshire, when he just couldn't go any further. (Photo: Sheffield Newspapers)

Address by Professor A J Harding Rains, MS, FRCS, Vice President, Royal College of Surgeons of England, at the 1983 Grand Prior's Trophy Competition.

YOU ARE NEEDED!

;\IY \\ ll ·E and I , with many others, are privileg ed to be with you today at the culmination of yo ur competition yea r. I bring greetings from the Ro ya College of Surgeons and therefore rrom the 14 ,000 Fellow s - who make up our Collegeworking in the United Kingdom , the Commonwealth a nd many countries of the world: surgeons, dental su r geo n s and who are always deeply appreciative of what you do.

I would add a personal and fa mil y note of p leas ure to be in Derbyshire , for sca rcely 20 miles to the south east of Bu xton the area once inhabited by my forefathers.

And scarcely 20 mile s to the sou th east of Buxton, on a warm August evening, some 127 yea r s ago, a yo ung woman - young at 35 - s toI c quietly back to her hill-top home. ' I f I li ve,' she had written in h e r diary, 't he western breezes of m y hill-top home will be my first longing.' Sidestepping all the official welcomes, Flor e nce Nightingale had returned from the Crimea - coming, s hall we say, 'tops' in a trial of endurance and mental power, which turned out as Trevel ya n forecast to be 'an immen se acquisition of moral territory for England', and, as many do not realise, the beginning o f a new deal for the health and welfare of the British s oldier (known then as Johnny).

In going to the Crimean War, Flo had responded to the call - 'You are needed!'

Kurt Hahn, that distinguished sc hoolmaster, who came from Germany to Britain in the 1930s and was largely re s pon sib le ror Gordonstoun School, the United World College of the Atlantic and Outward Bound, always maintained that the spirit of rescue burns in every human breas t, and that if challenged, and with proper training, the young (and old) would display an innate strength in a critical experience.

We \Vitness here today the same spirit of rescue which through training is annealed and toughened by competition\\ ' hich itself rai s es standards - and is capable of producing the innaLe strength required in times of human crises.

We s urg eo n s ad nowledge that more lives are saved by

properly performed first aid than by heroic urg e r y, and therefore th e help yo u g ive to pati en t, ca u a l ty surgeons, nurse and to th e ho s pital ervice as a whole.

And s till more lives can be saved by properl y sustained first aid, preventing what is called the second accident, namely 10 S of life due to failure to sustain the first effort until the injured are safe l y in the hands of competent surgical or inten ive care team It was indeed the concern about the second accident which made Kurt Hahn prompt the Ro ya l College of Surgeon of England, with sister colleges, to s how a greater medical advisory interest in accident prevention - the setting up the Medical Commission on Accident Prevention, graced for six yea r s b y t he presidency of the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Medical Commission is aware of another sp le ndid pinoff of first aid, appreciated particularly by employers, and that is whenever the first aid movement is stro ng and efficient people become more conscious of accident prevention , and so the accident rate with all its misery and cost mercifully falls.

Now if you multiply the full meaning of what I have aid by the fact that 193,000 certificates in f ir s t aid and kindred s ubject s were issued last year (half a million in the Commonwealth), you in St John, by raising standards and improving techniques by competition, have occasion to be proud.

What a fitting culmination of the St John competition year. The teams competing were all winners of national competitions representing many of our great indu s tries and national ervices which have successfully won through their own eliminating rounds.

Appearance at the Grand Prior's Trophy Competitions is rightly recognised as evidence of outstanding achievement in the First-aid competition world. The winners are particularl y entitled to our praise for their success today, but all tho se participating can take pride in having reached the summit. We on the sidelines salute the spirit of rescue in all of you and the response of innate strength, through training, that comes with rhe call - 'you are needed!'

AWARDS

ORDER AWARDS

Life Saving Medal in Silver

Mr Steven Ludwig Model, Heavy Machine Operator, of British Columbia, Priory of Canada

[n the early morning of April 2 1982 Mr Model, who was employed with two other men, one his brother, to build a road along the side of a mountain which was very stee p and ro cky, was sitting in hi s bulldozer while his two work mates were examining an overhanging piece of cliff which eith er had to be blasted or s hak en down. Suddenly the who le sid e of the cliff collapsed on top of his two colleages, ki llin g one man and severely injuring his brother. At the same time a case of primed dynamite was dropped among the rubble. Without a thought for his own li fe, Mr Model jumped down from his bulldozer and proceeded LO remove by hand a pile of heavy rocks in order to free his injur ed brother. He then hurried down the mouIlLainside to get help. Later, he volunteered to remove the primed dynamite since it cou ld explode at any time, and once defused and rendered stable it was removed from the area. The dead man was then found under the fallen rocks.

Mr Michael Weston, Pilot

On Sunday, January 17 1982, Mr Michael Weston was piloting an aircraft on a night from Kaintina to Kanabea, in New Guinea, for the purpose of taking missionaries to their post, and al 0 to check his pilot-in-command mto an unfamiliar airstrip. At about 11.10 Lhe aircraft was ready for departure from but shortly after take-ofr the engine laded and he had to try and glide back to Lhe ba e which was about a mile away. Unfortunately, he wa unable to reach the airfie ld and so aimed for a clearing just over a kilometre from the strip end. The aircraft crashed in heavily timbered co un try just 60 metres short of the cleared area for which he had aimed. Mr Weston recalled Lhat when the aircraft came to rest he had just to ld everyone to panic and to get out of the aircraft as qUickly as possib le, when he noticed a fire starl mg by his feet in the rudder pedal area. However, he stay.ed to rescue the other pilot who was unconscIOUS, releasing him from his ha rne ss .and dragging him out of the cockp it. It was discovered later that Mr Weston himself had sustained a cracked pelvis and fractured vertebrae.

Mr Gabriel Hondai Student

Gabriel Hondai, a 1'6- yea r-old st ud ent was a passengel: in the aircraft mentioned He was umnJured and immediately began to drag one man the wreckage to the sa fety of th e surroundll1 g bu h. While he was doino thi th e all'c raft ca ug ht fire and th ere were from the cabin area as one of th e mis ionary Sisters was trapped and unable to relea e her seat belt By h b' . now t e ca 111 was burnll1g

January 1 to December 31 1983

fier ce ly but Gabriel did not hesitate to go back and help the Sister to safety. Five of the six occupants of the aircraft rece ived serious injuries and first degree burns to large areas of their bodies, but they were all rescued.

Life Saving Medal in Bronze

Shawn Everett Leckey and Christopher Rector, aged 9 and 10 respectively, New Brunswick, Priory of Canada

During the late afternoon of December 29 1981 the two Leckey children, Sha wn, 9 years, and Stephanie, 6 years, and the two Rector chi ldren, C hri stop her , 10 years, and Car l, age not known, went out on the ice of the Nasonworth Stream. Shawn Leckey and Christopher Rector were some distance ahead of their younger companions when they heard cr ies for help. Looking back, they saw that Stephanie had fallen through the ice and was clinging to its edge. The other child, Carl, ran off to get help from the shore. Shawn and Chri topher immediately ran to Stephanie'S aid. When they approached the spot where Stephanie had gone through the ice, both boy lay down on their stomachs and, with Christopher holding his legs, Shawn crawled to the edge and grasping Stephanie's arms managed to pull her out of the water. Christopher then moved forward to help Shawn drag her to safety.

Staff Sergeant John William Pringle, Corporal Robert A Lexander Wheadon and Constable Robert Peter Dunlap, RCMP, Whitehorse, Yukon, Priory of Canada It was midday on March 28 1983 and three Royal Canadian Mounted Police \\ere patrolling the Yukon River when they a\.\' a woman noaLing in the freezing water about 25 mecre from the shore. She was ob iously bemg taken by the currem toward an extensive ice noe and the three men rushed ahead of her onto the thin ice. Constab le Dunlap had managed to grab a lon g pole which he held out toward the exhausted woman, but she was too weak to hold on to it and \\'a wept by the strong current under the ice and di appeared. By this time the three men were joined by Staff Sergeant Pringle who helped the other three men search for the victim under the ice. Finally after a few minutes her blue jacket cou ld be een through the t hin ice and the men quickly smas hed a hole in it and dragged her out. Staff Sergeant Dunlap imm ed iately tarted mouth [0 mount res usc itation while Corporal Wheadon applied hean mas age. Co n table Dunlap ran to fetch blankets to prevent hypothermia and after five to ten minutes he regained consciousne and started to om it. She was helped to move arms and legs to restore body heat, and was then taken off the ice to shore and into an a mbulance to ho pita!.

Constable M. F. Oliver, RCM P, Mr Peter Robinson, Park Ranger, Mr Peter Marochi, Park Ranger, Mr Norman James Lesage,

Helicopter Pilot, Mr Norman Stanley Walker, Canadian Coast Guard, Brtish Columbia, Priory of Canada

[n the early morning of June 2S 1982, Mr Victor Stankovic and his wife were travelling in their motor-camper on Highway 3 in the direction of Penticton, British Columbia. East of Manning Park the vehicle got out of conlrol on an ungrade turn and plunged over a IS-metre embankment, turning over Lwice and landing on its wheels in the raging Similkameen River. The vehicle was carried some way by the swiftly nowing water and finally came 10 rest in the middle of the stream entangled with large rock on the river bottom. Fortunately for the Stankovics they were both still conscious and able to crawl through Ihe driver's window and pull themselves OntO the roof of the vehicle. They barh had leg injuries, and the water being very swift and cold, they stayed on the roof for the time being. Con table Oliver arrived on the scene about half-an-hour later and immediately called for help on his radio, bringing Park Rangers Peter Robinson and Peter Iarochi to hi as i tance. The river was nowing so swi ftll' it wa feared the \ehicle might move again, so first a rope was thro\\n out to I'vIr Stankovic \\ ith \\ hich he secured the vehicle. Then Constable Oli\er went out with a rubber raft and tried to get the couple on to it, but the raft \Va wamped by the rapid and till holding OntO it he reached the shore safely. He tried again 10 get the raft to Mr and Mr Stankovic by ecuring it to the rope attached to the camper and then pulling himself along [0 Ir l\Iarochi and f\lr Robinson, \\'ho had managed to reach the vehicle, bur this attempt too. So the two men who had reached the Stankovic decided that an attempt should be made to get Ir Stankovic to the shore Mr Robinson got into the icy water, with II' Stanko\ ic be ide him while Mr Iarochi tayed with the wife, who \\as by no\\ overcome \\ ith shock and hysteria. 1r Robin on had great difficulty in getting lr Stankovic ashore through the swiftly flowing water, but with some quick action by Constable Oliver they finally ucceeded. There was much concern for the safelY of Mr Stankovic, who because of her injurie and tate of hock would be unable to get to shore by the afety line. [I was taking considerable effort on the part of I\Ir larochi to keep her calm and to dis uade her from jumping into the icy water after her husband. Someone in [he watching crowd aid there \\'a a helicopter in the area 0 the pilot, orman Le age, was reque ted to stand by. Mr Le age wa apprehen ive about the narro\\'ne - of the rm ine in which hi helicopter blade had perhaps t\\O feet of clearance on either side, but reali ing that Ir Stankovic condition was very erious he decided to make an attempt to re cue her. Mr Norman Walker offered to guide the pilot in hi approach to

Co// i//u ed a ll //exI

Professor Harding Rains presenting the Grand Prior's Trophy to the 1983 winners. the NCB Bolsover Colliery team.

Chief President retires

Marjorie, Countess of Brecknock (left), DBE, retires

37 yea r a t ational Headquarter, I\arjorie , Countess of Brecknock has retired as Chief Pr esi dent. Brigade members a llover the world

will, I am s ur e, mi ss her. She is one of the be s St John 'Ambassadors' ever.

Lad y Breckno c k se r ved in the Auxiliary Territorial Service thro ughout the war a nd e nded up a t he sen ior Briti sh wo man officer at SHAEF in France. Th en in 194 6 s he joined St Joh n Headquart ers as Staff O ff icer to the Superintendent-in-Chief, the la te Lad y Mountbatten, who was h er cousin. In 19 50 s he became Assistant Superintendent-in-Chief (Overseas), a t itle which la te r changed to Controller of th e O verseas Department.

I n Februar y 1960 Lad y Mountbalten died in Sabah w hil e on a St John tour a nd Lad y Breckno ck took ove r as Superintendent-inChief. After spen din g ten years as Supt-in-Chief she became Chief Pr esi dent a nd ha s visite d St John in almost every country in which \Ve operate. H er ex perience, humour a nd dedication s almost un s urp assa bl e and we wish her all h app iness in her retirement. She was chairman of th e R eview Board for some years and has a lways taken a great int erest in our m agaz in e.

AWARDS (Cont.)

the rescue as any w rong manoeuvre wou ld have been fata l. Th e first attempt was successful a nd Mrs Stankovic, who had been p laced in a bod y harness by Mes srs Robin son a nd Marochi, was hauled to safety At about 50 metr es f rom landing she fainted and co llap sed , bu t on reaching the highway she was qu ic kl y put in an amb ulance and got ro ho spi ta l. Mr Le sage then flew back twice mor e to lif ofT the other two men from t he veh icl e

Mr Huw Richard Parr y, Trainee Ambu lan ceman of Gwynedd A mbulance Service, Priory of Wales

On Satu rday, February 2619 83, Mr Parry was c rewin g an ambulance which was in co lli s ion wit h a car travelling in the opposite d ir ect ion on the ASS road at Aber, G wy nedd. Bot h ve hicle s we re ba dl y dama ge d and caug ht fir e Mr Parr y immediat ely evacuated the t hr ee passe ngers, two of whom were slight ly injured. He then re turned to he bla zing ambu lance to resc ue th e dri ve r, who was more se riou s ly injured a nd dazed, and ha d to be led through the rear door as the dri ve r 's d oor was jammed. Ha vin g ensured the sa fety of Mr Williams, he returned again to the ambulance to remove the oxygen cylinder w hich by this time was ge tting ve ry ho t, and thr ew it away from the flame s. Thi s latter action was taken wit hout any rega rd Ior hi s o\Vn sa fe t y and undoubtedly avoided a se riou s explosion. Mr Parry then took char ge o f Ih e incid ent, se nding bystand e rs to

St John Fellowship .·

WELCOME to another n ew branch:

Peterborough, Cambs: Contact: Mr s D E. Colbert, 54, Little C lose, Eye, Peterborough, Cambs PE6 7TG.

You may lik e to know how our branches have spread Sin ce I last

publi s hed a li st in th e September 1983 Up to the e nd of January 1984, wh e n I am writing, the fo ll OW in g branches had been formed. Detail s were publi s h ed in th e R ev iew In the month s hown in bracket s.

Avon

Berks hir e

Mrs Ha r old Phillips (right) is new Chief President

EVERYONE admired Marjori e Brecknock for taki ng over so brilliantly from s uch a c h aracter as L a d y Mountbatten; the cene is repeating itself with Mr s Phillip s I know we w ill all admire Mr Phillips just as much when s he settles in to he r new position as Ch ief President.

In 1939 she joined the Bri gade and founded a Division in Leicestershire. Ha vi ng trained as a nur e she spent two year nur ing in Langton Ha l l Convalescent Home.

In 1944 s he m a rried the late Lt Co lone l Harold Ph illi p of the Coldstream Guard s and spe nt a t ime in Washingron. Returnin g after the wa r , she succeeded her mother, Lady Zia Wernher , as County Presid e nt in Leice te r hi re in 194 9.

In 1951 she was mad e a Serving Si ter of the Order and in 1958 a n Officer Sister. With 30 years' experience a a County Pre ident s he h as t he great advantage of 'inside kn ow ledge which will be put into u se ro it s f ull extent. We wis h her a ve ry warm we lc ome and our support.

R R.

telephone for ass is tan ce a nd renderin g first aid to t he injured.

Certificate of Honour N ursing Cadet Karen Kelly, Taunton Nursing C adet Division, County of Somerset

During the m orn in g of June 4 19 82 Kar en , who was then 13 yea rs of age, saw a woman in a very disturbed st ate run f rom t he ladie s toilets in Goodland Gardens, Taunton, a nd jump in to t he Riv er Tone. Withou t he s itat io n Karen jumped into the water after he r, swa m to her, managed to calm her, and then bring her ba ck to the bank Nobody el se entered the ri ver but the woman and Karen who were both pulled out b y the people on the ban k. Cadet Leader Geraldine Comiskey, Newcastle N ursing and N ursing Cadet Division, Commandery of Ards

At 11 .25pm on Jun e 16 1982 o uts ide a di scot heq ue, Geraldine, t hen 16 years old, was present when a youth was stabbed and severe y inj ur ed durin g a fi g ht. He su ffered a stab wound in the ba ck of hi s head , lacer ations to chin a nd c heek , and having been kicked in the t hro at was uncon sci ou s Geraldine sent for an ambulance, controlled the crowd, treated all of th e casua lt y's in juries and placed him in the recovery posi t ion He had regained consciousness whe n the ambulance fin a ll y a rri ve d at midnight.

ASSOCIA TlON AWARDS

Meritorious First Aid Ce rtificate

P.c. Keith Davies, Staffords hire Police

Mrs Anne Christine Hick s, De vo nshi re

Inspector W R. Oliver, Dor se t Police

Mrs Barbara Morris, Dor se t

Sergeant Malcolm P. Kendrick, Lancashire

Con tabular y

Mr Jame s Fitzpatrick, Lanca hire

P.c. A. Hu xle y, Lanca h ire Constabulary

P.c. George Shone, Lanca hire Constabulary

Mr John Simister, Lanca shi re

Mr Russell Steven so n, Essex

Mr Rodne y Bowles West Yorkshire

Mr Derek Charlesworth, North Yorkshire

BRIGADE AWARDS

Meritoriou s Service Certificates

Nursing Cadet Joanne lronmon ge r , Herne Bay N / C Divi sion, Kent

Divisional Officer H ugh Doherty, Londonderry Ambu lance Division, Northern Ir eland

Transport Sergeant Thomas Reynolds, Rohai s Ambulan ce and Rescue Se r vice, Guernsey

Transport Member Neil Tucker, Rohai Amb ul ance and Re sc ue Service, Guernsey

Tqmsport Member Geoffrey Blampied, Rohais

Ambulance and Rescue Service, Guernsey

Letter of Commendation

Cadet Kevin Rozier, H arwich & District AIC & N /C Di visio n , Essex

Nursing Cadet Al ison Carter, Ringwood

Quadrilateral Di vision, H a mp s hire

Ambulance Member Stephen Ma s on Kempston Quadrilatera l (Re sc ue Boat)

Div s ion, Bedrord shir e

Nursing Member Sa ll y Surface, Swanage A / N Divi s ion, Dor se

Buck s - Amersham Branch

Cambs - P eterborough Branch

Cornwall

De von

Dor set - We l Dor se t Bran c h

Greater Manchester

H a nt s - St John Gui ld , We stern Area

Humb e rside

Kent

Lancs - Pre sto n Corps (Duke of Lancaster' District) Branch

London -St. John Ambulance R.R.R. Fellowship, Nort hern Area

Merseyside - Liverpool Area Branch

S & W Yorks - St J ohn Guild, Bradrord

Surrey - St J ohn Gui ld, Ea t Surrey Runnymead Branch, We st Surrey

Come on, the Midland , where a re you?

(Sep. 83) (Sep. 83) (Jan. 84) (Mar. 84) (Nov. 83) (Sep. 83) (Nov. 83) (Oct. 83) (Sep. 83) (Sep. 83) ( ov. 83) (Sep. 83) (Sep. 83) (Feb. 84) ( J an. 84) (Sep 83) (Feb. 84)

1 have been asked to repeat the price of Fellow hip Badges - £ 1.30 each. Please make cheques / postal order payable to St John Fel lowship.

Sheila Pu ck le National Secretary, 3 J Malvern Court, Onslow Square, London S W7 3HY.

MIDDLE EAST SKETCHBOOK

lucy Gwendoline Duff-Grant

aBE RRC MA SRN

LUCY Du ff-Grant born in 1895 died peacefully at St John's N u rsing H ome, Whitstable on January 27, 19 84. Her di sting ui s hed career began in St Thoma s' H ospital, London and after numerou s appointments she became th e matron of the Manche ste r Royal Infirmary. H ere her interest in St John began through her association with the • Joint War Organisation Auxiliary Ho spita ls and Convalescent H omes in the orth Western Region. In the post war years her interest and influence spread both nationally and internationally She represented Her Majesty the Queen Mother on the Queen's In stitute of Di strict ursing, was a member of the North West Metropolitan Regional Board and the Joint St John and Briti sh Red Cross H ospital and Medical Services Committee. As a founder member and former Pre sident of the Royal College of ursing and Pre sident of the Guild of St Barnabas for ' urses, she devoted her energies to promoting the highest standards of physical and pi ritual nur sing ca r e. Her understandin g and humour helped patients and staff alike with their difficulties and problems. She joined St John Ambulance as training adviser in 1955 and look over t he additional responsibilities of Chief ursing Officer in 1960. She was admilled to t he Order ofSt John as an Officer Sister in 1955 and wa lat e r promoted to Commander Sister and finally to a Dame of Grace. During t he e fifteen years she worked unscintingly for the Br igade, encouraging volunteers and professional nurses alike. H er contribution will long be remembered especially by those of u who were privileged to call her a friend. Even after her retirement her inrerest continued and she rarely missed the Order Service in St Paul's Cathedral.

It seems fitting that her last days should have been spent in a St John Nursing Home. Rosemary Bailey

by PETER GARLAND

15-years-old IAN DURRENT, Cadet Sgt of Hants' Waterlooville Div, won first prize (adult section) in the Dyslexia Association's national story competition. Here's the story

A HAPPY

's prize: a day out in

THE DIGLETS 294B are a typically happy family of 2050. They live in a typical house of the t ime, in Zone 38, which is what used to be known as Portsmouth. Their house looks like millions of others up and down the country. I n fact it looks rather like a house of the 1980s but it has an outer surface of t hick white plastic. Also it ha s no roof because the weather is controlled not to rain in the inhabited parts of the world. It has a garden but it is very small, just a small square of cultivated grass front and back of the square house. In between the houses there

sufferer - difficulty in reading) presented Ian with a Parker pen is a network of perfectly straight roads, but these are used only as walk ways, In fact there is only one remarkable thing about the Diglets' house and that is a small up stairs window c o vered with a mass of window stickers.

The Diglets themselves are a typical family who are very happy with their lot. The family consists of five members, four of which are perfectly happy and one who is rather rebellious. Mr Diglet is a forty-year-old company director. He is of average build ,

with a short moustache neatly cut and regularly combed. He works a twenty hour week and plays a lot of sport. Mrs Diglet is his devoted wife. She is a housewife though in 2050 there is not a lot of housework to do. She is 39 and also very keen on s port.

Jane is 16 and still at school. She is a round faced girl with blonde hair and rosey cheeks. She is a talented musician with a love of Then comes the fifth member of the fa mIly _ grandad. Grandad is very unusual in th is time of happy conformity. He is 86 and a bit of a rebel. He hates the s imilarity of this new world. He wants to liv e in the way he did when he was young, with loud music and scr uffy clothes, cars and good old arg ument s. He seizes every opp.ortunity to pu t a spanner in works.of th Is .smooth ly running world. HIS room IS a s hrine to the 1980s and 90s The walls are covered with po sters of retired musicians (pop On the floor are pil es of 1980 rubbish, drink cans, magazines and arge amounts of football ant ique s. He is a small, scruffy man who always refuses to co-operate. He spends most of his tim e in hi s room playing records as loud as po ssib le , especially when people walk past.

can. He slumps down and starts loudly eating his food The res t of the family try to ignore him, but they secretly wish h e would go away. Grandad look s awful in the mornings (only s lightly better than he does all da y). He wears hi s crumply pyjamas, which are much too big for him, for mo st of the morning. He is in sharp contrast to the rest of the fami ly who sit smart ly in their perfectly tailored suits.

FROM MELBOURNE I flew to Canberra, which I had been warned would be chilly, which at time s it was, even though sunny. Canberra is the national capital and was built to the design of an American architect, because neith e r Sydne y nor Melbourne would agree that the o t her should become the capital of the Commonwealth (whe n this came into being) as well as being the capital of its S tate. The sole purpose of Canberra is to house and support the national headquarters of government and the Armed Forces, and to accommodate the embassies, which gives it a poor sense of community although now that the population has reached a V4 -million this is beginning to develop. It is, however, an attractive city because it has plenty of park s and trees within it as well as being situated in the country, quite a long way from anywhere else Also, the view across the lake to the old government buildings, which are now too s mall, is striking, with the National War Memorial and Museum at t he end of a splendid avenue on the opposite side. Australians are very proud of their achievements in war and each State that I visited had an imposing, and moving, m e morial to those that had fallen in battle since the first expeditionary force fought in

the Sudan nearly 100 years ago In Canberra I was the guest of the local St John organisation and had the pleasure of meeting the Commissioner, General Gurner, whom I had met years before when he visited England, as well as other distinguished men whose medal ribbons included t hose of the Order of Australia, DFC , DFM and MC, Australian campaig n ribbons for Korea and Vietnam, as well as some Vietnamese ribbons - and, of course, those of St John. My hostess was so assiduous in her introductions that coherent conversation was not possible for long and my poor memory for names was com pletely overwhelmed.

To one with an interest in railways and churches Canberra offered the une xpected finding that one of its parish churches had previously been a railway statio n near Sydney. A line ran out from the city to a large cemetery and it was thought proper that for the sake of the funeral parties the stations should have an ecclesiastical design, with Gothic arches, pillars, capitals, carved angels and the like. When the railway service cease d the Mortuary Station was offered for sale, whereupon an enterprising parish priest in Canberra arranged for it to be transported thither and re-erected with some changes, as his parish church. Having seen the remaining station in Sydney, I was in no doubt that the church was much more 'convincing' than was t he original stat ion In Sydney and Surfers' Paradise I was not involved with St John but with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and with the Australasian Society of Emergency Medicine

I covered a fair amount of ground in Sydney on foot, as well as taking a trip round the harbour. Seen from the water, the

They met through a computer coupling serv ice, as indeed did most couples. They had the normal two children, Peter and Jane. Peter is 19, tall and slim with short neatly combed hair. He is a computer monitor in the ce ntr a l computer system board. His sister famous brid ge looks light, even delicate, whereas when one crosses it many struts and girders are visib le and it looks a much clumsier str ucture The old part of Sydney s ca ll ed The Rocks and is being restored. There 1 found ome splendidly ornate (and lo cally made) po t office letter boxes; Australia has a larger variety of letter boxes than any country other than Britain.

Surfers' Paradise is about 50 miles south of Brisbane; there is plenty of surf but nothing that resembles paradise now that socalled developers have taken it over.

In Adelaide I attended a meeting organised by the South Australia Ambulance Service, in which St John plays a leading part. This meeting was intended to arouse medical interest in first aid and the audience had plenty to say in discussion of talks by ambulancemen, a lawyer and doctors.

Adelaide differed from the other State capitals in that it was founded by sett ler s, not convicts, and the inhabi tants are rather proud of that. It is a spacio us c ity with parks and a more eisu rely impression than the other capitals. The art gallery had an exhibition from the Chinese Buried Army of several thousand terra cotta fig ures, a ll with individual features and made some 3,000 years ago.

Western Australia is almost a separate country and is a Commandery of the British Grand Priory; it is independent of the Australian Priory. Perth is the most isolated capital in the world and is nearer to Singapore than to Sydney.

The unexpected feature of St John in We ste rn Australia is that the Association runs the ambulance se rvice for the State. The Brigade ha s much the sa me role as in Britain. The men mainly responsible are a British anaesthetist, Dr Oxer, and a South African

Apart from grandad, the Diglets' days are more or less always the same The family get up early and do some exercises. Then in a goo d mood they all have some food. Meanwhile grandad comes into the eatingroom, making the most disgusting noises he

manager, Mr Kaye-Eddie. They have tackled the teaching of first aid in a thoroughly businesslike way that, as mentioned earlier, has the respect and admiration of the rest of Australia. Nurse and doctors have to take a first aid certificate before their professional qualifications. First aid is taught in schools, to the police, in indu stry and the community and they recognise the importance of having trained teac h e r s to teach first aid and not leaving it to first-aiders to do what they can. They teach as realistically as possible. For example, air crews are taught how to render first aid in aircraft and the whole enterprise is run on sound commercial lin es and very successfully. That may seem a strange way for a vo luntary society to go about things but there was no doubt about its success and its popularity. It is a n exa mpl e that deserves to be em ul ated widely in the fie ld of first aid.

The visit to Perth included a very enjoyab le reception at the St John Headquarters, where my principal host was Mr Griffiths, who had already given up most of hi s day to show ing me round the Royal Perth Rehabilitation Hospital, which is famous worldwide for its treatment and co ntinuing ca re of the victims of sp ina l paralysis. The kindly hospitality and friendliness of St John is particularly well brought out by the smaller gatherings of this so rt because they enable one to meet all those pr ese nt and chat instead of pa si n g quickly from one to another.

When I left that meeting it was to go stra ight to the lo ca l m e mber s of Casualties' Union - and where did we meet? In the hall that another branch of the Brigade allowed them to use It was good to see the good relationship between the Union and the Brigade, which the Chief Co mmand er ha s sought to promote in this country; as a

After their morning food, Mr Diglet and Peter go off to their different jobs in Mr Diglet's pride and joy, his family automatic 2047 super deluxe speed flyer. This machine is about the size of a 1980 family car, but the family flyer actually flies a long specially m apped-out sky routes. Jane then goes into the educat ion room to continue her schooling The little computer screen flickers into action and starts firing problems at the stude nt s. Mrs Diglet normall y has a neighbourhood meeting of some group of other to attend; if not, she is quite a good painter. Grandad - well, he does nothing creative. He mopes about mumbling most of the morning in hi s baggy pyjamas.

In the afternoon he either watches some old videos in his bedroom, or he goes out.

Commandery, Western Australia is doing no more than comply with his requirements.

Another interesting medical occasion was a trip to a small coastal town about 300 miles north by courtesy of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. In that part of Australia the weather was not all that different from what England was experiencing, for in the summer it becomes really hot. One man told me that he then spends as much time as possible in the river. One hundred and fifty miles south of Perth r had been in the karri forests, with trees 200 and more feet high, here about 450 miles north of them there were no trees, just bush not more than a few feet high.

Time to relax

It will come as no surprise that I should say that this trip to Australia was the experience of a lifetime. Although I had a fair number of talks and lectures to give, my many generous hosts appreciated the n ecessity for relaxation. It might seem that to have had only four evenings to oneself in the course of five weeks was a recipe for exhaustion but the tempo was relaxed enough for this not to be the case.

A good piece of advice that 1 was given before I left for Australia was that it should be regarded as a foreign country. In many ways thi is true. In Melbourne one sees notice in three or four languages, and that city has more Greeks than any other ci t y except Athens. Sydney has a Chinese quarter, with signs in Chinese. The buildings in the small towns and so m e of the road signs are North American in style and the inrIu e n ce of North America is evident in other ways. Nevertheless, the cities contain many solid and in piring buildings of Victorian and Edwardian style a well as, for example, street light on brid ge such as can

When he goes out he usually joins up with what are left of his old friends, then he and his friends cause havoc. For there's a group of pensioners going around doing very unsociable things. Their favourite pastime is heckling the exercise classes in the parks. They stand and shout slogans like: 'Play up Pompey!' - which none of the exercisers understand. When they are forced to leave the area they sometimes go around the restaurants eating the biggest cakes they can find. This shocks all the calorie obsessed diners. In the evening the family re-unite and go to some sports-stadium or other. This gives grandad his greatest chance. He invites all his friends around and plays his records as loudly as possible. The behaviour of grandad and his friends shocks everyone. Sitting happily somewhere, family groups enjoy simple pleasures when a group of pensioners pounce. Grandad refuses to become a member of his family and nobody knows why, but if today a teenager refused to join in nobody would think anything of it. Grandad refused to be part of the family for the same reasons as the teenager refuses to join in today. Because grandad is 86 in 2050, so in 1983 he would be or is 19!

be seen in many parts of England. The business quarters of the capital cities have been more or less extensively rebuilt, but with a growing awareness of the fact that their past is important and should not be swept away in the name of 'development'. Fremantle, which is the main port of Western Australia, has been particularly sensitive to its history and has done much to preserve and restore its old building as well a not allowing new ones to exceed six toreys in height.

A particularly striking, and welcome, difference from Britain was the almost complete absence of litter, especially in the towns. During the last great war it was said that the advance of the 9th Australian Division across the Western De en of orth Africa was clearly marked by the vast numbers of empty beer bottles. Tho e soldiers' sons know better and there were few can and plastic bag to be een beside the roads upon which I travelled. 'She'll be right applies to many aspects of Australian life, but not to their credit, to public tidiness. In pite of the many difference, there i much to remind one that the Briti h colonized and developed Au tralia and, particularly in the medical profe sion, there are trong and numerous links with Britain becau e 0 many have come to Britain for higher training and becau e 0 many Briton have made their homes and reputations in Australia.

The Briti h connection \Va perhaps mo t striking during the sing-song after the Brigade dinner-dance in Melbourne. The songs were all from 'home'. Wherever I went I wa among friend, either old or new, but that is nothing unu ual for a member of St John travelling in connection with St John. The family and friendship are worldwide.

GRAND PRIOR'S TROPHY 1984

The 1984 will NOT be held at the West Centre Hotel, London - as announced earlier - but at Fairfields Hall, Croydon, and on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29, not the date circulated earlier.

JAMAICA'S HEROES

To celebrate its

T he Whitfi e ld a m ily a e c e rt ai nly m ak in g h e r d ow n in H a mp s h e A dif fe re nt prese ntati o n s a e in 1983 , hree

THE EDITOR

22 Ma r : 2.30pm

ti t ure Grand Prior y Chur c h.

24 Mar: N a tional Coal Bo a rd FA Competi t ion s, Wint e r Garden s, Blackpoo l.

31 Mar: Grand N ational, Aintre e Relevant TV programmes

7 Mar: 5 15 pm Family Tree LTV

e n t (comp a r ed wi t h 500 a nd two deat hs t he pre viou s year) and of tho se onl y 39 were t a ken to hos pital.

The plinth s of t he Squ a re' fo unt ai n s (w hich w ere turned o f f) we re a lso co m p le te ly

board ed up thi s yea r s o c limb in g - a nd fallin g off - wa s impo ssi bl e fo r reve ll e r s.

Al t hou g h Lon d on Di s t r ict f ie ld ed 2 3 ambul a n ces, 8 lar ge mob ile uni ts , t h ree s upport vehicle s a nd 200 personn e l (i ncl udi ng 9 doctor s and 20 profe ss ion a l n u rses), extensi ve PR planning obviou s ly p a id o ff

But it was a lmost t oo qui e t for o ne youn g

fi re m e n wh o lin ge red

bird s' a happy t

mi ed hi s app liance v he n / it d rove off on a ca ll - and he had to p lead for a lif t fro m one of our a m b u la n ce ret

s, hosp itals (acc id e n t a nd local ) nul' in g homcs elc Th e C lub o r ga ni es an a nn ua open I' ir sl a el co m peti ti o n , w h e n m e m ber s wo r k ve r y ha r d b u t th o r o u g hl y enjoy t h e comrade s hip. There are t wo es e nti a l for m e mb e r h ip -a va lid f ir s t a d cer ti ficate (in c ludin g Re d ero s and S t A n d r ew' ), an d a very m a ll an nu al s ub sc ri pt io n Re-exa min a ti o n in fir t a id can be a r ra n ged. T he re i n o age limit and n o rank -j u t a f ri e n d ly atti tud e a nd a commo n i ntere I

Furth e r informat ion can be obta in ed from the Du dl ey Ce n tre secre ta ry: Mrs M Ro be rts, Thirteen' D ud ley Wood venue, Du d ley, \ . Midland DY 2 OD G, phone D udl ey 66994; or from member of th e c lu b.

NEW SJA MUSEUM OPENS AT THE GATE

the Ord e r of S t J oh n It w ill be off ic ia ll y ope ned b y H er Roya l Hi g hn es Th e Du c hess of Glouc es ter, Comma nd a n t- in -Ch ief fo r Wa les , on Wed n e d a Ma r c h 14. T he new disp lay roo m race th e hi to ry or the As oc iat io n ( fo un de d 1877 ) a nd th e Briga d e (fou nd ed 1887) a nd t h e ir ac ti viti es a t ho m e a nd ab r oad , in p eace a nd in wa rtim e. Th e s t ory is ol d throu g h o bje c t s a nd ph o t og raph , m a n y o f wh ic h we r e dona ted to th e mu e um b y S J A memb e rs Amo ng th e o bjec t o n d i pl ay w ill be a la e 19th ce ntu ry liu e r , a n earl y fo rm o f h a ndwhee ed a mbul a n ce tr a n po r t ; a coll ect io n of his tor ica l m edi ca l in st rum e nt and fir a id textboo k. ; pe ri o d unif o rm da t in g fr o m th e fo rm a ti o n o f t h e Bri ga d e; and w a rtim e me mor a bilia, includin g a spe c ia l St John Ambulan ce ce rtifi ca te iss ued to a member of a Ge rm a n Pri o ne r -of-War Camp. A bri e f Illu s tr a t ed g uid e t o t h e mu seum and the hi st or y of St J o hn Ambulan ce will b e a va il a ble.

A Furl e y litter with a C ementson s retcher of 1910 o ut side St John s Gate I w ill b e on show in he new SJ A museum w hic h opens hi s m o nt h

The mu se um is it u a ted o n t h e grou nd floor of St John 's G at e. M a n y wi ll p r obab ly not b e a w a re that thi is w he re t h e f ir st reg i t er ed Di v i ion of t h e Bri gade \\' a formed The mu se um tak e u p a nd con t in ues th e tor y o f th e Ord e r o f St J o h n fr o m t he hi s lori ca lmu e um o f St Jo hn ' Gate whi c h wa s open ed in 19 78, a nd, like it , will be o pe n to h e publi c on Tue s d ays Frid ay a nd Saturda ys from lO a m to 6pm fr o m M a rc h 16. Th e re is no c har ge (but don a ti o n s a re a hvays welcom ed).

Wh y not com e and ee the ne\\ mu eUIl1 for your -el f , or b e tter till, comb ne the \' isi[ with a guid ed tour of [John s Gate and Grand Priory Church? Tour take place al Il am and 2.30lm on the day s Ihe museums are open. Large partie are a ked [0 bool-. a h ead plea e. F urt he r in formalio n 1'1'0111 the i' lu eulll a nd Lib rary of the Order of I John, I J o hn' Gate, I J ohn' Lane Clerl-.en\\cll. Lo n don E 11\1 T el. 0 1- 253-66 ..J...J. E.'\ I. 35

HOSPITAL DUTY UNIFORMS

TO GERMANY

Staff from Surrey's Ash Vale Combined Cadet Division visited Detmold, West Germany, during December to plan an expedition scheduled to take place next August. DI S C. Borthwick and A I M D. Human (who is a Sg t on the RAMC Training Staff at Ash Vale) met D I O T. H, Johnson, N. Yorkshire County Pool at present serving with the BAOR and attached to Detmold Johanniter Unfall Hilfe, who will act as Ash Vale 's liaison officer. Two Johanniter members, Herr Klaus Ringer and Herr Torsten Klaas, accompanied the British trio to plan routes, camp sites and support for the forthcoming expedition, which will cover activities for the D of E Award Scheme's camping and hiking a camp with German and British Scouts, and of course plenty of sight-seeing.

Sounds as though the cadets of Ash Vale have a good time in prospect. We hope to carry a report on the visit later in the year.

NEW FILM

In the wake of Handle Him With Care -

Part 2 Casualty Handling, if not actually touching its stern, the Royal Naval Medical Service has released another short film. The A BC oj Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation is a 13-minute film for use as direct teaching in informal first aid sessions or as illustrative material on formal courses.

The film uses live-action and animation to explain the following The Principle: What happens when we breathe and when we stop breathing. Ventilation: Demonstration of how to open and clear t he airway (using a live casualty) and of mouth-to - mouth and mouth-to-nose ventilation (using a t rainin g manikin), Circulation: Demonstration of external heart compression on a reconstructed 'real-life' electrocution casualty.

It illustrates various ways in which we can be deprived of o xyge n, showing a nd demonstrating general procedure and the need to act f ast without panicking.

Another worthy film from Stewart Films Distributor s Ltd, produced by Richard Need Production. Once again the Visual Aids

Cheshire s Mr John Walton, of Bollington, a member of

In German y, planning Ash Vale Division's trip there: (L to R) 0 0 T. H Johnson, Herr K. Ringe r D IS C Borthwick, A IM D. Human, and Herr T. Klaas

Department of SJA National Headquarters is allowed by Stewart Film Distributors to hire or sell copie at a pecial di count to SJA members. For more informati on o n how to borro''''' a review copy please apply to Mi s Diane Lyons or myself at H eadq u a rt e r , I Grosvenor Crescent, London, SW IX 7EF.

] E HAMMO D Secre/af)' to the Medical Board

MEDICAL MATTERS

I hear that the Chief Commander to chair the r eport back and panel di cu ion und er the heading SJA in rhe Year 2000 at the JA Medi ca l Conference at Nottingham University over the weekend April 6 - 8. Other h eadings for di cu ion over the weekend a r e the Drug Scene and Our liLlie Known Heritage.

Further details of the conference can be obtained from the Medical Secretary, John Ambulance HQ, 1 Gro venor Crescent, London SW 1X 7EF.

COLLEEN IN TROUBLE

DIO M. Bichard, oj Guernsey, writes in he island's SJA Bulle/in: The south 5ho\\ heralded the tart of the agricultural and horticultur a shows last autumn. [\Va on duty wit h a cadet from our division, C I Ldr D, de la Mare, and we were expecting a reasonabl y quiet two day. Allhough lhi s proved true on the first day, lhe second turned out to be quite different.

1 00 TO DAY Macclesfield D iv for many years receives a special 1OOth birthday card (o n Dec 10) from Deputy Comm, Mr R. A. Fielding, with the Mayor of Bollington. John started work as a spinner at 10 for one penny an hour retiring at 74. He lives alone, Our work r ea ll y started in the afternoon

when a distressed lady asked us to to the are n a to h e p with a horse that had Il1Jured itse l f. Not knowi n g what to expect we entered the arena to find the horse had been kicked by a stud and had received a severe wound to the right foreleg.

The horse, Irish Lady, was lo s ing a lot of blood, s o we helped to improvise a tourniquet by lying the large t crepe banda ge we had around the leg and ti g htenin g it with a rider's whip. The owner had found a blanket and strapped this over the gaping wound, but still the blood poured out.

Bac k at the M.U. the search was on for the largest crepe bandage s and ambulance dressings available. These were rushed back to the sce ne and immediately put to good use. While thi s wa s happening the police had put out an ur ge nt appeal for a vet, who a rrived twelve minute s later.

After a two-hour operation in the field, Irish Lady wa returned LO it s owner in a 'stab e' condition. (Sorr y l)

Other injurie we had to de a l with involved people -a dislocated ankle, a 2-inch wound to a rider' le g which needed s x st itche a casualty who had taken an overdo e, and th e usual round of minor cu t and grazes.

All in all a hectic, but n everthe le rewarding, day!

THE SWANSEA BARD

MUMBLES section, Swansea, II({ a divisional IIlIrs ing ofricer 11'110, all/ong other thing, is a

{JI'olijic poet and aJter each oj her Caring Jar the Sick lee/llres distributes copies oj appropriate I'er es. H ere is her handou/ 011 dieting and Jeedil/f!,.

Both in ickness and in health,

Both in poveny or wealth, The body needs essential food

To a hea lt hy a ttit ude.

Protein comes in meat and chee e,

Fi h and egg and bean a nd pea

Moderate lise of fats and starch

(E ent ial for a ong day' march!)

Vitamins for growt h al'e A and D

For cough and co ld p ea e go for C.

Nel'ves and brain require so me B

De generate ce ll s enha nced by E.

Mineral salis and iron pills

Reclify man's num eral! ill

But all are found in balanced diet

So don't rush o ut and go and buy it!

Sugar free for diabetic

TI'y ho se swee ncr so ynt he ic.

Ban th e pastry and the fruit cake

8an th e pop and carbohydratc!

FILIid diel. ma y be ne eded

Rin g the patient pleaded

Ho li cks, COT'!lplan, Ovaliine,

FruilY juices, flavoured ice crea m

Eating arc r ea ll y grea t

Non slip rood on non sli p plate

Drinking mu g or fa ncy traw s

Open up tho se once cia. cd jaw s.

Hel pl ess pal en ageing mi nd

Toolhless genial' maybe blind

All will ne ed YOllr special care

Learning how to ea th eir fare. Mary G. Greaves

AIM Mike Pow ell, 20, and NIM Debl Kirkby, 18, who are both members of SJA Berkshire's Enterprise Unit, rescued a man from the Ri ver Thames last summer (Review Sept.) and now receive Royal

Hu mane Society awards from the Mayor of Henley

(Above) The Leverhulme Trophy for the best adult division In Cheshire IS presented to 0 0 Mrs Gwen DaVies for Crewe NurSing

DiVISion by Viscount Leverhulme

Be low ) Ded cation of a new ambulance for the C r ewe Management Comm ttee by the Ven Archdeacon Rennie Simpson Pre ate of the Order and Chapla n o the QueEllJ.

CHESHIRE

he events in this article took place in utumn 1982. But history repeats itself, the same events took place again in 83, but with far less dramatic results

CARN I VAL TIM E : Sen o r Cheltenham c adet s demonst r ate abs ei lin g on a float de picting SJA adventure activitie s (that s hould get them) in t h e town 's carnival.

UNLIKE footba ll duties ca rried out by division s who watch major league or FA cup m atc hes involving such teams as Ma nchester, Liverpool and Spurs (sorry if I missed your team), ours is of the non-league variety , with crow ds (if t h at's the right word) in hundred s rather than thousands And t here are major matches (if you are lu cky, or rather if your team is lu cky) only once every three or four years

The FA cup run for non-leaguers start s in the sunny days of ea rl y September, wh en teams fight it out for t h e h onour of gettin g into the fi rs t round Our local t eam , Worcester City , found t hem selve s in thi s pos i tion at the start of the 82 / 83 FA c up competition. The y had su cc essfull y fou g h t their way into the draw for the fir s t rou nd proper, where they had o play a way to Macclesf ield, and won. Now we hoped to get a home draw for th e next m a tch We did , against t hi rd divi s ion Wrexham , on Dec II

If you have ne ver s upported a football t ea m that is caught up in cup fe ve r , with t he prospect of a little 'un killing a bi g unyou will not appr ec iate the atmo s pher e th at sw eeps through the cit y or to w n at th e t im e.

Memorie s of the 1958 victory over Li ve rp ool in t h e FA cup came nooding back, and pl a ns were now to be put into operation to cover this new chan ce of g lor y. It looked as t h o u g h De c II was to b e a hectic da y in Wor ces ter. A s well as Foot ball and Christma s shoppe rs, a pe ac e ma rc h wa s planned for the mornin g, with a cou n ter march from a rival group I de c ided that th e m a rch could be a dequ a tel y co vere d by o ne ambulance and it s crew , th e footb a ll was th e duty t

spectators,

arran gemen ts for

and the pea ce

rch I am a be liev e r in us ing cadet s on publi c duty, but thi s tim e I de c ided onl y four o ld e r cadet s wou ld come to the mat c h La rge crowds can cau se troubl e and I did not wa nt the ex tra re s pon s ibilit y of s mall youn gs t e r s , who ca n be quickly swa llo we d up in a ma ss of peop le. Du ty li s t s we re po s t ed , m e mb e rs were told th e t im e a nd p la ce to m ee t, ambulan ces wer e read y, a do c tor a rran ge d, a nd t he fir s t aid unit chec ked Op e rat ion bi g t ime wa s under way Dec I I turn ed out to be a cold and fr osty morning , and the fir t a id un it wa s o n sit e bright and earl y , be fore the c ro wd s a rri ve d Even at thi s ea rly ho u r we we re ne ar ly ca lle d to ac tion wh en a youn g cy cli st cra s h ed from hi s bike on to t he icy roa d Th e c rew d eta il ed for t he n-:a rc h were to re p o rt bac k t o t he foo t b a ll ground a t I pm. By 2pm t h e c row d ha d s t a r te d to a rri ve a nd we pr e p a red str et ch ers , bla nk ets, s p lint s, pill ows and fir s t aid ki ts for the me mb e rs to take t o th eir , s tat ion s. All th e me m b e rs a rr iv ed on ti me, a nd as u sual I held a bri ef ing on h ow I wa nt ed t h e in ciden t d ea lt wit h, who was t o go where a nd who was t o stay for fu rt her orde r St ret cher , fi rst a id kit s, e tc , an d membe rs were a ll in po iti o n Th e fir st a id uni t was manned ; th e do ctor in a p os iti o n wh e re he would be re ad ily a va il a ble. C r ow d we re now pou r in g into tile g round. Ther e see m ed to be N/ C Deborah Smart

a mbul a nc es a re ready for ca s ua lties, I t he n ma ke m y own way to the in c id e n t. T wo ca s ua lti es a re a lr eady on s tr etc her s, ot h e rs a re s ittin g near the t o uc hlin e Poli ce co- op erat ion is 100070. T hey m a ke spac e fo r me mb e rs t o tr eat the inju red , kee p th e c row d back , a nd ca rr y st retche rs w he n aske d to hel p. A t t hi s p o in t we h a d four casua lties in the f ir s t a id unit, Th e d oc tor , w ho had raced across th e f ield to th e inci d e nt , was now back in the unit ex aminin g cas ua lties. H e wante d t he lowe r leg of o ne of th e pa ti e n ts x-r aye d , p lus t wo wit h ar m injuri es These were loa d ed in to o ur a mbul a nces and taken to h os pi ta l w t h a po li ce escort. Two more cas ua lt ies, semi-conscio u from blow s to the hea d we re b roug h t to the unit. After exa min at io n t hey were tra nsferred to ho s pital b y loca l a u t h or ity vehicles which had been ca ll ed in Oth e r min o r in j u ri es were dea lt with b y m e mb e rs at th e sce ne,

Farmyard Safety

With Spring on its way, thought now would be timely for a reminder of t he dang ers that can be found in fa rmyards. Every year man y serious accidents occur in these highl y dan gerous places RoSPA produce s sev er a l hazard pictures based on farm scenes and there is an excellent film a va ilable called 'Apaches'. The film last s about 25 minut es and shows how a group of children playing Indian s in a fa r myard are in constant danger. The film can be hired for a sma ll fee f rom the Central Film Library Chalfont Gro ve Gerards Cros s, Buckinghamshire SL9 8TN

Survival Training Man y divisions are interested in s ur vival training in one form or another and from

BEST CADETS

time to time I have given details of organisations offering such courses. Another has come to my attention ; it is Wessex Expedition and Survival Training (WEST) the White Horse Hotel, Exford, Somerset TA24 7PY. West offers three courses:

1 The standard seven-day course, which includes shelter build ing, fire li gh t ing, food, emergency rations, water, edible plants, trapping and fishing, water crossing techniques, distress signals and signs, wea ther forecasting, field first-aid, s urvival equipment , s ur v iva l navi gat ion and survival s it uatio n assessment.

2. A t wo-day weekend survival SKi ll s course, which enables the basic surviva l ski ll s to be le arnt, perhaps as an introduction to t he seven -da y course. This course is held in t he winter and offers an opportunity to le arn some winter techniques.

3. A se ve n -day combined s urvi va l and parachutin g co ur se which combines mo s t e lemen ts of the standard seven -day course together with two days of parachute t raining. For a course brochure from which the a bo ve information ha s been obt a ined , pl ease w ri te to WEST at the i r addre ss

Britain competitions

Chi ldren under 16 a re asked to draw a map or to write a guide to any area they know well within the Briti sh Is les. Age groups are 7 and und e r , 8 to 11 , 12 to 16. A ran ge of holidays and weekend br ea ks are a mon g the prizes which will be presented by John Craven in Sep tember. The closing date for this competition is August 31. De ta il s about it can be obtained from local book s hop s or The Book Marketin g Coun c il , 19 Bed ford Square, London WCI. Why no t get some of yo ur cadets involved in this and perhap s m a ke an entry on behalf of the Divi s ion?

Colony Holidays

Colony Holid ays is a non-profit making educational tru st recogni se d by the Department of Education and Science. In the last 20 years, 50,000 chi ldren aged between 8 and 15 have come to Colony's and there are a bou t 30 centres a ll over Britain. The y are looked after by young adul ts called Monitors who have attended the training course whi ch Co lon y Holidays run.

The work of a Monitor involves havin g responsibility for a group of 8 to 10 c hildr en for 6 or 12 days. The organisers o f Co lony Holidays are anxious to recruit go ld award holder s of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, or ind ee d anyone else involved in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. The experience can offer enormou s satisfaction of g iving c hildr en an exciting, varied and memorable holid ay of learn in g new s kills and abilities and di s cov erin g the potenti a l for happiness whi c h can flouri s h wi th in community life for a brief period of tim e.

If you know of any older cadets or ex-cadets who might be intere sted in taking part in one of these cour ses they s hould cont a ct Jenny

Adams at Co lon y Holiday s Malv ern, Worcestershire WR13 6PP or telephon e Colwall (06 84) 40501 (24 hour s).

Books

Three book hav e come to my notice thi s month which are produced by Ladybird Books. They are enti t led 'Road Sen se' vvhich i numbered 04103 , Home Safety ': numb e r ed 0685 8, and Wat e r Safety', number ed 06874. These book s, priced at 60p each, are fu ll y illu st rat ed in colour and are ideal fo r both juniors a nd cadets as a n introdu ction to th e basic safe t y topics, whi c h a re e e ntial fo r a ll yo un g peop le t o learn

The e, and olher boo ks in th e Lad yb ird ser ies, co uld well be very u e ful for proficien cy s ubj ec t work For furth er information contact yo ur local book se ll er or write direct to: Lad ybird Book s Ltd , Loughborou gh, Le ice te rs hir e, fo r a copy of their current c a ta lo g ue.

Play it safe - ten rules for children

R ece nt even t have brought hom e in a v ivid way t h e d a n ge r facin r. un acco mp an ied yo un gs ters o n ou r treet Cadet often have to m a ke th eir way to a nd from meeting and t he followin g te n point co d e is d esig n ed to help pro tect t h e m and a ll c hildr e n:

I. Beware of al l st r ange rs.

2. Never get int o a tranger's car; if a car pulls up t a nd back to avo id being pull ed in ; if a nyon e get o ut run away.

3' Write dow n the ca r' number and tel l Mum or Dad, a po liceman, teacher or membe r of t h e organi sat ion.

1,000 HOURS

Ca d e Leade r Karen Cornwall of North Shields, who has been a cadet for six years an d helps w it h the elder y, mentally h andi capped, at carnivals and sports meetings, receives her 1,000 ho ur duty certificate from Northumbria No 1 Area's CSO Mr D Colley

4. Never accept swee t s or money from a stran ger.

5. Do not han g a r ou nd aft e r sc hool or d ivi sional meet in gs; go hom c wi th friends a nd do nol dawdle. Parent s hould mee t cade ts if there is a n y distance in vo lved.

6 Never play outdoor s afler d a rk.

7. Never keep a ecret o r be a fr a id to get help

8 If yo u are fri g ht e n ed , ask an adu lt fo r help or go int o a s h op and spea k to an ass is tan l.

9. Alway s te ll Mum o r Dad wh ere you are go ing and what tim e yo u w ill be home and then be sure that yo u are not late 10. A lways report in cidents to th e Poli ce.

It co ul d save a c hild 's life.

I u gges l that thi ten po int code be brou ght to the attent io n of your cadet at a su itable meet in g night.

Stuck for a game?

Have you ever been in a po itio n where you waIll a quick idea for a game at your fingertips? Have you come to a lOP durin g a planning meetin g a nd need somet hin g to help Jog your memory? H'ft¥e you been mea nin g to sta rt a game book for yea r but never gOI around to it? The Nationa l P laying Fields Association ha produced an exce ll e Ill set of cards eac h of which ha a game idea on it.

They are arranged in group under heading ueh a Relay Games , Messy Game, Energetic Game and Quieter Game, to mention ju t a few, I n fa t, the

KEVIN WINS WITH 1,200 WORDS

AT LAST I have been able to check the entrie s for the St John Ambulance Word competition of the October issue and congratulations to Kevin Whitehead, from Clifton Cadet Divi s ion York, who will s hortly be receiving his pen as a prize. Well done, Kevin, and the many other s who se nt in contributions - it must have been a lot of work compiling those lists.

Ca det Chat badge s have been sent to all entrants.

B y the way, Kevin listed over 1 200 word s !

pack of cards gives you a ready -mad e filin g system of ga me s. A ll yo u h ave to do is prov id e the box to keep them in The card se t is cal led 'T h e Great Play Times Ga m es Kit' and can be o bt a in ed by wr it ing to Nat ional Playing F ie ld s A soc iation, 25 Ovington Square, London SW3. The price i £3, which includes postage and packing.

Some more games

My thanks this mon t h go to Li nda H ea ney, from Nort he rn Ireland , who sent me t he se games whi ch s he has tried o n a number of oeca ions wilh great success in h er ow n Di vi ion.

Winking Game

Arrange for yo ur cadet to sit down in chairs forming a c ircle with another group standing

behind he c hair s with t heir arms s tr aight down by t hei r s id es. On e of them , st anding behind an empty chair, winks at one of t h ose s itting, who then ha s to try to run to the vaca n t chair without the person behind thaI chair s toppin g them. Half way through the game the t ea m s ca n swop sides.

Straw and Pea Game

For this game, if yo u ha ve a lar ge number of cadets, t hey ca n be sp lit up into teams. Each cadet ha s a s hor t piece of st

Saturday, 30th June 1984

Last year's 'fun day for St. John Ambulance members and their families proved to be extremely popular - to avoid disappointment , make sure you book as soon as possible Each action-packed day will include :

• Drive through Seven Game Reserves (using your own coach or minibus)

• Parrot Show • Extensive Areas for Picnics

• Seaworld Show including Dolphin / Killer Whale Show & High Dive Spectacular

• St John Marching Band, Exhibition Stand & various St. John Displays

, Mystery Celebrity. Ambulance Rally. St. John Supplies Stand shows subject to availability

Planned in conjunction with St John Ambulance

ROLL OF HONOUR

from Norman W. Smith. Sergeant Major IVlr I\I\. F. Jackson of Grays (Nov 1982 Review) enquired about an official roll of honour recording the names of members who lost their live ill the 1939-45 war.

In York Min ter, to the right of the huge clock (which gives the time allover the world and was donated by the RAF), are some clipboard door. (about 3ft by 1 YJ ft) and on the inside of one are the names 0[" SJAB and Red Cross members who lost their lives in the war.

I am not s ure how many names are listed, but it is in the hundreds. It mav be or member s from the north of England only. Norman W. Smith

RESUSCITATION

from Mr W J. Windebank Consultant Thoracic Physician and Deputy County Surgeon

I s hould like to comment on the points raised by Mr Gill (Jan Re v iew) regarding the First Aid At Work question on artificial ventilation. The answer being sought by those who set the question is clearly (c) (to sat urate the blood with oxygen) and that is the correct answer according to my marking sheet. However, that answer is not factually correct. The correct answer is to restore the concentrations of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the lungs to near normal as quickly as possible' - an answer not available in the multiple choices. Whether the oxygen in the lungs will get into t he blood \-vill depend on the distribution of air in the lungs and a normal circulation

The first a id texts give no reason for the state ment 't hat the first 4 inflation s must be given as quickly as possible' as these are not known. In man y aspects of medical or first aid care it is possible to study va rious treatments and compare one with another. This is not easily possible with resuscitation due to the urgency of the situation. Thu s the studies of resuscitation have been made on anaesthetised, paralysed humans, or animals or resuscitation manikins. None of these simulates the real thing perfectly.

The origin of the statement that the most important factor related to artificial ve ntila t ion is the speed of the first 4 inflations comes from work ca rried out in 1958 on anaesthetised, paralysed humans. Here it was shown that after 1 minute of not breathing it took between 5 and 20 seconds of artificial breathing (mask to mask) at a rate of 12 to 20 / minute to restore the oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in the lungs to normal. That is an average of 4 breaths at normal rate. It was, therefore, assumed that if these 4 breaths were given more quickly the improvement in the gases in the lungs would be quicker; but this theory has not been tested. What has been clearly established is that at rapid rates of infla t ion there is more risk of air entering the stomach than at slower flow rates. Therefore, it is possible tha t 4 rapid inflations may not be as effective as 4 inflations given at normal rate. In the experiments quoted above, although it took only 5 to 20 seconds to restore the gases in the lungs to normal, it took 15 to 200 seconds to return the arterial oxygen to normal, and this is in people with normal lungs and circulation. Thus the first 4 breaths are unlikely to saturate the blood with oxygen (answer (c)).

Although when I teach first aid I 'toe the party line' and say that the first 4 inflations should be given quickly, I do no t do this in practice My professional work has meant that I have resuscitated many sick peo ple and in my hands (or mouth!) resuscitation is clearly possible with mouth to mouth ventilation being given at a normal rate from the outset.

Although it ha s not been established by scientific experiments that the first 4 inflations of artificial ventilation must be given as quickly as possible it has been clearly shown from practical experience that the quicker resuscita t ion is started, the better the casualty's chance of recovery.

Goin g back to t he four possible answ e rs to the question on artificial ventilation, it may be of interes t to no te that in the Standard s and Guidelines fo r Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (based on a national conference of the American Medical Association) on which the current practices of resuscitation are based, the only suggested reason for the 4 rapid inflations is as follows 'even if breathing has stopped for only a short time, some of the small sacs in the lungs may collapse. The pressure generated by the 4 rapid inflations may open up these collapsed air sacs'. Therefore, are answers (a) and (d) correct?

You will realise from this long letter that no one really knows if or why it is important for the first 4 inflation s of artifical ventilation to be given quickly. What is important without question is that

resuscitation must be started with the minimum delay. Derbyshire W. J. Windebank

from Dr V. Altman. County Surgeon

Regarding the correct answer to t he multi-choice question (Jan R eview)

-I agree with D/ Supt D. Gill that answer (c) is correct. Not only have I always taught this, but it is stated on page 75 of the 3rd edition of the First Aid Manual.

S & W Yorks V. A llm an

COURSE PRICE

from Mrs Patricia F. Hine

As a member of the public with a keen inrere t in the welfare of the St John Ambulance As ociation and Brigade, I am amazed to learn that their First Aid Course enrolment fee in this area is £ 18.

I remember attending this excellent co ur se some ten years ago and feel that the instruction given was a credit to SJA. Since the First Aid certificate is valid for only three years, I would have had to pa) E72 by now to be a competent first-aider with a va lid certificate.

I understand that the enrolment fee for the SJA Fir t Aid Cour e in Hereford is only £8, as is the fee for a imil ar Red Cro course in this area. Surely there is so me mean of e n ab lin g SJA Division to offer first aid instruction with a fee that would atlract rather than deter public particip ation?

My interest in St John Ambulance tarred after attending a first aid course, and I expect this is the same for many other people too. This course is a valuable source of recruitment, bOlh to the Brigade and the Association.

Newark, Nof{s Patricia F. Hin e

CERTIFICATE

from Mr G. H G. Tilling

I hope the following few comments, thou gh lacking preci ion, ma y be of service to D/O Dunham (Jan R ev e ll').

The expansion of the numb er of b adge subject from 17 to 21 resulted from the work of a su b -committee set up in 1941. The certificate, li sting those 21 subjec ts, existed by 1943. So Mr Dunham find must ha ve originated in the period 1941-43 and probably in the latter rather than the ear lier part of it.

The first and second proficiency badge were awarded to a cadet who had passed in four and eight s ubject s re spective ly. The rracti ce of awarding two profi ciency badge s had cease d b y 1951 The Dr ess Regulations, revised in that year, reflect the c urr ent practice of ha vin g one badge with a numeral under it.

The removal from the syllabus of Aeroplane Accident Aid and the inclu s ion of Supplementary HQ s pital Training both took place in mid-1954. So the certificate shown in the J anua ry Re view cannot be earlier than that. But I do not know when the other c han ges in the syllabus were made, so cannot guess how mu c h - if at all - la ter than 1954 may be the date of that certi ficate.

I expect you have already had letters from Slough a nd from New South Wales since the first three Grand Prior's cadets, all recei v in g the award on the same day in 1933 , were two NCOs from the Slough Cadet Ambulance Division and one NCO from the Marrickvill e Cadet Nursing Division.

Edinburgh

from Thos. H. Hollingworth. Hon Member

The answer to Malcolm Dunham's query (Jan Review) about the first Grand Prior's award can be found in 'The SJAA Annals of th e Ambulance Department, page 178': '1933 17th February - The Grand Prior Badge (in s titut ed in 1931 and granted by the Yen. Order of St John to the Cadet who obtains 12 proficiency certificates out of the 15 offered for various subjects) was this day awarded for the first time by Chapter General to Cadet Sergeant G. Anderson and Cadet Corporal W. Lloyd, both of Slough Cadet Ambulance Division (enrolled J 924), Brigade at Home, and to Cadet Marion Higgins, of the Marri ckv ille Cadet Nursing Divi s ion, New South Wales District (enrolled 1931) Brigade Overseas. 'On 16th February 1934, Cadet Sergeant Gladys Dodds, of Slough Cadet Nursing Division (enroll ed 1924) was the first girl in the Brigade at Home to win thi s award; and on 14th December of the same year Cadets Basil Buckl ey, Duncan Clark, Jack Ede and Bruce McFarlane, of the Christchurch Cadet Ambulance Division (enrolled 1931), Canterbury and We t Coast Di s tri ct, New Zealand, were awarded badges and so became the first boy Grand Prior Cadet in Br igade Overseas.

The Grand Prior Bad ge, which is t h e highest award for Cadets under 18 yea rs of age, i embossed on il ver wire with the coronet 01' HRH the Grand Prior and the St John eight-pointed cross, and encircled with oak lea ves and the St John wort.' Nell'ork, NO/fs Thos. H Hollin gworth

Editor: A number of other letter s upplied this information.

QUID PRO QUO

from Clayton Freeman. ASO

I am so rr y to h ave disturbed Mr Greenslade (Dec Review) or anyone el e for that matter by my comments of the new manual. I suppose I was a little facetiou ! I am ful ly aware of the gravity or asthma, or any other illness that may be regarded lightly. H owever, the matter came up yet again during a conversation with a Brigade Surgeon who had never known of a death by the illness but did admit it can cau e a high degree of distress.

As ror the compound fracture, I am also aware of the fact that if an artery i e ered, then thi s would nece irate the appropr iate actio n But he re again, the ame doctor sa id lhat many amputation due to accident have little bleeding in the ea rly s tage s and if a c lot forms early, then Ihis will have the de ired effect.

The comment in my let ter (October Review) were made as 1 said, many, many year ago by a doctor who, in addition to [he normal medical qualif ications wa al 0 an FRCS and LRCP. He lat er ob tained his LLB as he was see king a po a one of HM Coroners.

Many trange things occur which omet im e may make one wonder after havin g been trained on the manual. I remember one of many. This was when a young ter actually walked into the ambulance, wit h a limp, of cour e. And hi injur y a fraclUred femur!

1y critici m of the new manual i Ihat il is for accident and sudden illnesses that may occur anywhere. For preparing members to perform du t y at events whe re lar ge crowd may be, galas, football matches and many more. And, of cour e, \ hen ca ll ed in by ne ighbo ur s or peop le who are aware that one i a fir t- aider. IIlne e uch as asthma manifc t them e lve rather insidiou Iy, fir t with light symptoms whi ch eventually give rise to the vic tim con ulting hi GP. After that, trealment i pre cribed and ma y be some form of re piratory aid a suffere rs of hay fever have.

I ind eed, not aying tha t we must ignore such things as asthma, btlt It a case of tit-for-tat, or which for which. By this I mean which co ndition and treatment goes into which manual. I am of the opinion that asthma s hould really be in the 'Care of the Sick' manual.

About four years ago 1 wrote g ivi ng a Ii t of co n tructive critic is ms about the manual. I note that some have been u ed Some were regarding the use of the triangular banda ge. Some may hav e used the old c hes t / back bandage, hip banda ge and man y more. Per onally I have neve r had the oeca ion to use s uch application of the t riangular b.a nel age Nor h ave I eve r seen it been used by anyone el e rendering first al d. Over the years uch featmes were frequentl y LI ed in fir t aiel exa mination s ror the practical part. They were becoming c lassics are so me br a nche s of ma thematic s which we teach in schools and Out-elated by today 's s tandard.

A'."ter. a ll, the BR s now state that m a le members are obliged to qualify 111 nur s in g as well as fir s t aid - and quite rightly so!

Sorry, Mr Green lade.

C. H. C. Tillin g

lJarns!ey

ClaY/Oil Freeman

Merseyside

(from F. BLAINE)

Abo ve Liscard Combined Cadet trophies winners. With (centre front) cadet of the year Royden Austin. (Below) Liscard juniors and notso-junlors (including Father Xmas distributing pres ent s) having a good time

NEWS frol11 SCOT LAN D

FOR SOME tw e nl y years now the Glasgow branch of the Order ren te d a house in the Langside district of the city which it ran as a Residential Home. Some three years ago, however, the landlords in formed the committee that t hey required the premises for their own use and gave the Order until May 1983 to vacate the premises. Before the time limit ran out another house was foundintere st ingly enough almost directl y opposite the previous one - but it r equ ired considerable renovation, modernisation and extension as well a the provision of furnishings and equipment. The e items plus the purchase price amounted to some £220,000. At the time of deciding to go ahead with the purchase the committee had only a rraction of this sum in h a nd. They are to be warmly congratulated, howe ver, in that the y ha ve found the fu nds necessary, although the sum of £45,000 is in the form of intere st free loans which must be repaid within three years.

The Re side nti a l Home has 17 rooms for residents plus accommodation for the matron and the assistant matron. It has a large garden, part of which may soon be developed for a Sheltered Hou sing complex which ma y be linked to the Residential Home. The removal to the new Home took place in April 1983 although the official opening itself did not take place until October, the ceremony being performed by the Prior of Scotland, the Viscount of Arbuthnott.

The Glas gow Order committee is also engaged in the running of a Sheltered Housing project at St John Court in the Partickhill district of the city . This project was opened by the Grand Prior , HRH The

Glasgow's £220,000 Residential Home and Sheltered Housing Development

programme

Pri

THE CLIMAX to t he first-aid competitive seas on in Wales is always the Prior's Trophy Competition held at the City Hall, Cardiff. The current holder s , fo l lowing the tremendous tradition of colliery teams in Wales, are he Cynheidre Colliery tea m from Dyfed a nd the runners-up, another colliery team, De ep Navigation of Treharris.

Intere st ingly, in third place was the South

The Prior, the Viscount of Arbuthnott about to officially open the new residential home in Glasgow. IBack, to r) Mr J. A. Brown, KStJ Chairman, Glasgow Order Committee Dr W. Morris, Sub Ch. StJ, Glasgow; Mr W. A. P. Jack, KStJ, Chancellor.

Duke of Gloucester in 1975 and consist of a purpose-built block of 26 flat with a resident warden. It is managed and maintained by t he St John (Glasgow) Housing Association Ltd in co njunc tion with the Scottish Development Agency and the Local Authority. The facilities offered are in steady demand and are great ly appreciated by the residents.

Over the years a large and enthusiastic Glasgow branch of the As ociation has been built up to fund its hou sing and other projects. All the members have given genero usly whenever requested. The main fund raising event each year is a function which the comm itt ee for tunat e ly is ab le to hold in the magnificent Glasgow City

Chambers by courtesy of a success ion of Lord Provost of' the city who have become involved in the work of the Order. In the past few years at this one eve nt the um raised has been between £5,000 and £7,000 each year. It i to the continuing upport of the members of the A ociation that the committee turns for regular ongoing income. Many people are introduced to the Order by attending these fund raising event, a a result of which they may decide to join the A ociation, and thus the Order's sphere of influence extended. At pre ent there are about 950 members in the Gla gow Association and it is the committee's hope to have more than 1000 members in the foreseeable future We wish them well.

WALES

Wales Police , and th s was the first time a n y police team has won the Don Dickerson t rophy Thi s result reflects the great e nthu siasm of the police squad and our photograph shows the team (L to R) Constables Boris Thoma s (best no. 5), Anthony Pro sser (team trophy), Alan Dawe (best no 2), Br y n Horgan (best no. 4), a nd (knee ling) Neil Livingstone. Of particular interest is that Alan Dawe was a St John ca de t at 8 years old and had competition experience with them; Tony Pros ser was a cadet a t 12 years and is the trainer of the Trehonkin St John's team; Neil Li ving srone was a cadet at 9 and is the Secretary of the Cwmavon Brigade and a member of the St John's Council in Porr Talbot.

Clwyd AS PART of the co unty's Diamond Jubilee celebrations for cadets, an It's a Kno cko ut competition was held at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, Acrefair, near Wrexham, on Dec II .

by so many di ffer e nt organi sa tions was recogni se d by the pre se nce of the Mayor, Counci ll or Mr s June Wil lIam s, a nd many other local dignitarie s. A St John plaque was presented to Mr Ray Lewi s in appreciation of a job we l l done.

eynon Valley

The St John Council 24th annual dan ce, held at Aberdare recently, drew many di sti nguish ed guests, in c ludin g the M ayo r a nd Mayoress, the Chief Commiss ioner for Wale and the A ssi tant Commissioner, the Commissioner for Mid-Glamorgan and the Ch ief Surgeon - and their re spective wives and the Deput y Commi sio ner for Cynon Valley.

De pite bad weather, there was an excellent turn-out (led by a band) for Cynon Valley Cadet annual church parade, at which the salute was taken by Mrs Ph yl li s H a rri son Roderick, Di trict Pre id e m.

It s a badge of honour for Newport St John Ambulance cadets - and a righ royal one too The youngsters Ipictured right) with the Mayor of Newport, Councillor

With a total of' 10 teams from the county' s eight divisions, each team had to design and produce their own joker card to be played during the competition. The winning de ign came from Pen - V-Cae Cade Division.

Th e results of the day's fun were: I t Cefn Mawr 'B'; 2nd Cefn Mawr 'A'; 3rd Mold; 4th Coedpoeth; 5th Ruthin; 6th Pen-V-Cae; 7th Buckley; 8th Wrexham 'B'; 9th Dyffryn Ciwyd; and 10th Wrexham 'A'.

Prizes were pre en ted by the Commissioner for Clwyd, Major D. J. Griffiths. The compe titi on proved so popular that it is to be an annua l event.

Carmarthen face-lift

Dr Ciedwyn T hom as, the Com mi ssio n er for Dy fed, recently re-opened the Brigade' Carmarthen Headqu arters The extensive redecorating project was completed by a t eam of youngsters from Community Industry under the superv is ion of Ray Lewis, it s mana ge r. At the same time a Ford Transit ambulance wa also pre sented to the Brigade ane! t he building was rededicated by th e Reverend Alun Page, the Minister of Priory Chapel, Carmarthen, who also dedi cated the ambulance.

This was a truly commLlIlity affair and th e recognition of the extens iv e use of the h a ll

OVERSEAS

News from Divisions/Centres

MN1001

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.3 (84) by A. A Potter

Acro ss:

1. Cup set for the che st , academi cally s peakin g (6) 4. Prot es ting st rongly, like a baby? (2.2.4). 9 Gives way under pressure for financial returns. (6). 11. Oft en the cau se o f ill-feelin gs (8). 12. Limb from a serviceman (3). 14. Meadow in Orle a n s (3). IS. Number of vertebrae forming sacrum and cocc yx. (4). 16. Fri end with eye appendage is pale and sickly-looking (6). 19. Chan g ed tone for memorandum (4) 20 Sacred spot o f mas sa cr e of Knight s of St John

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Please contact us at: Ambu International (UK) Ltd. , Charlton Road , Midsomer Norton , Bath, BA3 4DR. Telephone 0761 416868 in 11 87 (4 6) 24. Wr a p fo r a t rave ll er. (3) 25. Sk in condition whi c h ma y ma ke me di st ra it. (10). 26. Mo th e r a nd half an abdominal tumour (4) 29 It a li a n s tat e g ivin g th e e ight- poi n te d whi te c ross t o the O rder. (6) 31. Gi rl of J a ne A u sten's n ove l. (4). 32. Sense o r gan s u pp lied b y e igh t h c rani a l n er ve (3) 35. Vigo u r fo r a fastening dev ice. (3 ). 36. Fra ctu re in w h ic h the bro ke n ends are dr ven in to each ot her. (8). 38. Drie s t chan ge for a long step. (6) 39 Death of a pa r t of the bod y. (8 ) 40 R eg ur g itat ion of part of food recel1lly t aken by baby. (6)

Down:

1. E n zyme of sa li va begi n ni ng di gestion of carbohydrates. (7). 2. Race te rm s for mu scle r a isin g es ti s towar d s abdomen. (9). 3. Water p ir it for irr igat in g th e eye (6 ) 5. Deve lop a s ickly fee lin g at the summit. (4) 6. Fruit f o r th e h ea d : he 's crazy. ( 3). 7. O ut in t h e count r y (5)

8. D e put y mi x in g in wi th sa nd (5 -2) 10 Rage of t ir ed n e s. (3). 13

Vitam in of B com p lex fro m a n unu s ua l u ri ne. (7) 17. Advanced ga re ac to r containin g a la xa t i ve an d cu lture med iu m. (4). 18. Naev us is main Goa disorder. (7 ). 21 Fu rr o w one m ay find it d i f fic ul t to get out o f. (3) 22. Should e r mu sc le dr aw in g t h e hea d bac k an d ex p a ndin g the chest. (9). 23 Youn g animal in t h e lowe r limb. (4). 25 Ext r actin g a tooth and bringin g a n a bscess t o stage fo r in c is ion (7) 27. Re p t il ian sy mbol of the healin g ar t. (7). 28 Pi g m e nt a tion of th e s kin for decoration in a militar y displ a y (6) 30. P o pl a r f rom H o ndur as penin s ular. (5). 33. A rti fi c ial in se mina t ion by e1 ono r is fir st g ive n b y S.J.A.B (3). 34. Incline to be of s le nd e r ph ys ique. (4) 37. No t th e complete cur e for a d es pi c able fe llo w. (3)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.2 (84)

Across: I. Scarle t; 5 P a rch ed; 9 Abel' o m en; 10 Ex a mpl e; I I. T es t'a ; 12. Arm; 13 Se' pi a ; 14. C ontu s io n ; 17. Both ·y; 18 Pa·dr· e; 19. Chalazion; 21 No ses; 23. As h; 25 Scalp ; 26 Cranium; 27. Denti st ; 28. Am ' entia; 29 Anaemia.

Down: 1. Spa s tic; 2. Addi s on' s di se a se ; 3 Le m ma ; 4. Tin ea; 5. Pneumonia ; 6. Re'ad s; 7 Hypopituit a ri s m ; 8. Dietar y ; IS U se ; 16. Ischaemia; 17 BO'a ; 18. Pana cea ; 20. Naph t h a; 22. St int ; 24 H ydr a; 25 Senna

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ST JOHN REVIEW

St.

The

Wilnacote's

Around

Whitleywood, Reading RG2 8SB Bucks, Beaconsfield: Contact Mrs B. C. Alexander, 8, Longvie\\, Holtspur, Beaconsfield, Bucks.

Hants, Central Area: Contact Mrs M. A. Clark, Spindlewood, Hensting Lane, Fisher's Pond, Eastleigh, Hants. Sussex, Littiehampton: Contact Mrs R. B. Hill, 45, Church Street, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN 17 5PU. W. Yorks, Leeds Centre Monthly Meetings: Contact Mrs C. Latham Brown , 12, Harrowby Road, Leeds, We st Yorkshire LSI6 SHX.

Fellowship Prayer

Members will be pleased to learn that Lord Coggan, Pr elate of the Order, has written the following prayer for the Fellow hip: 'Our Heavenly Father, We thank you for the work being done by St John Ambulance and for the joy we have had in sharing in it.

Bless all our comrades who seek to alleviate sickness and distress; and grant that, through this Fellowship, we ma y continue to strengthen the Foundations of our Order. We pray this in the name of J e u Christ our Lord. Amen.'

This prayer will be said at the service on May 18 1984 before the Annual General Meeting at St John's Gate, and may be used in counties on any suitable occasion.

Visits to branches I am always delighted to accept invitations to visit branches but unfortunately can never manage a Tuesday or a Thur s da y, a I do a part-time job on those days.

Mr. Cyril Jackson, chairman Humberside Branch

With great regret we learn of the death of Mr Cyril Jack on, chairman of Humberside Branch and a member of the Central Committee of the ·Fellowship.

Mr Jackson gave 60 years service to St John. He joined the Hull Western Ambulance Division in 1924 and finally became Commissioner, Humberside. Even after his retirement in 1978 at 70, he contin ued his interest in Brigade welfare and was a \ elcome ho pital visitor. When the Humberside Fellowship was formed he was it s natural leader. He will be much missed.

Irish Lady the Guernsey horse which survived a serious accident against all odds las reported in Around and About March Review}, with her owner Mrs Val Bourgaize , says Thanks SJA .' Mrs. Bourga ize said: 'There were eight to ten crucial days after the accident. For the first two I was bathing the wound every two hours day and night.' After her miraculous recovery Irish Lady is to enter a dressage competition. IPhoto: Guernsey Press)

IT IS NOT for nothing that Jerusalem has been called the Holy City> for it is a place of pilgrimage and worship alike for Christians, Jews and Muslims. Christians are inevitably drawn to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Jerusalem, for it is now generally held that this encompasses the site of Calvary and the tomb in which Jesus was laid

The execution ground of Biblical Jerusalem lay just outside the city walls, sloping from the west to the east. Into the western rock outcrop had been cut several tombs and the mound for the execution crosses lay to the east of these tombs. After Jesus' execution it is said that the Cross was thrown into the city ditch or cistern, and in time covered with refuse and rubble The topography of Gol g otha and its immediate vicinity was very unusual and later, in spite of subsequent development, the exact location of events on that fateful day were still remembered. Until the year AD 100 one would have been able to find in Jerusalem someone who could remember what happened that day and point ou t he ex act location of Jesus ' tomb.

In AD 66, following the Zealot revolt and their defeat at t he hands of the Imperial Army, Jerusalem was destroyed and those captured sold into slavery. In AD 130 the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, decided to build a new city on the ruins of Jeru sa lem. He called it Colonia Aelia Capitolina. A forum, temples and other buildings were raised in the vicinity of Golgotha and a temple o Venus was actually built over the tomb of Christ. On the raised g round of Calvary was erected a statue of Jupiter.

By the year 312 Constantine had become master of the Wes t and con verted to Christianity 'The struggle for deathlessness,' as he called it. At th e Council of Nicaea in 325, Makarious, Bishop of Aelia, wa s given permission to demolish Hadrian's temple of Venus in order tha t he might re-discover Calvary and the tomb of Christ. Demoli t ion of the temple subsequently took place and both Calvary and the tomb of Christ were uncovered. The tomb wa s a double chamber with a rolling stone, thus confirmin g the verbal tradition that had been handed down from generation to generation. Constantine was delighted and immediately gave instructions for t he erection o f a church on the site. 'It is your task,' he wrote, 'to ensure that everything is done in order that this edifice shall be the most beautiful in the world

In 326 Constantine's mother, t he Empress Helena, arrived in Aelia on pilgrimage. Helena's special quest was to find the cro s s upon which Chri s t had been cruci f ied and it is said that with the help of a Jew called Judas, it was found buried, together with the nails, in a ditch between the tomb and the old city wall. The nails were p resented to Constantine who, it is said, forged some into a war bridle for hi s horse, the rest he had mounted as a crest on his helmet.

Constantine's architect, Zenobius, now set

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre byJOHNJAQUES

John Jaques, Dip Arch, RIBA, FRSA, is a chartered architect and senior partner of the London practice Jaques, Muir and Johnson. Mr Jaques was the architect for the 'recent reconstruction of the Dome to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and together with Peter Garland, whose drawing of the church ;s opposite, sits on the executive committee of the Friends of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, Jerusalem

about embellishing and covering the tomb of Christ; also erected close by was a large church called the Martyrium. A commemorative and bejewelled cross was set up on Calvary which was left uncovered. The building by Zenobius that was erected over the tomb of Christ took the form of a large domed rotunda; part of the outer walls of the rotunda can still be seen today The dome was open in the centre to the sky, very much in the manner of the Pantheon in Rome The walls of the Martyrium were built of stone, the interior of which was covered with polychrome marbles The underside of the roof was coffered and gilded and the outside of the roof covered in lead. The church was opened and consecrated on 13 September 335 in the presence of 300 bishops gathered from the eastern provinces of the Empire. These buildings remained intact until AD 614 when they were totally destroyed by the Persians. Constantine died in 339 and during the next 200 years, which were relatively peaceful, pilgrims continued to flock to Jerusalem from all over the world.

In 543 Jerusalem found itself under Justinian Rule and many new magnificent buildings were undertaken in the city but changes were soon to take place. After Justinian's death in 565 the Persians attacked westwards reaching the Bosphorous in 609 and Jerusalem in 614 Constantine's magnificent church, the Martyrium, wa s destroyed. However, the Persian conquest of Jerusalem was short lived Following a treaty with one of Justinian's Byzantine governors, Heraclius, Jerusalem was recovered and following repairs the rotunda over the tomb was fitted with a new dome. But the wars had taken their toll. Byzantine and Persia were exhausted and bankrupt. In 633 Heraclius withdrew to Constantinople leaving Jerusalem open to invaders. They were not long coming. In 638 Jerusalem surrendered to the Caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab and so Jerusalem passed for the first time into Muslim rule. The gilded Dome of the Rock was commenced in 685 and its builders based its form on that of the Holy Sepulchre. The Muslim rulers showed tolerance towards the Christians and Christian pilgrimages

resumed though they sometimes proved difficult and hazardou s It t ook Willibald , an Englishman, s ev e n year s to do t h e round trip in the 8th centur y.

Over t he followin g c e nturi es v ariou s Muslim rulers superseded e ach o h e r , but in the year 966 the Patriarch John V J[ w as murdered by the Mu s lim s a nd th e followin g year the Church of th e Hol y Sepulchr e wa s set on fire. Its final des t r uction w a s brou g ht about by the mad Ca liph AI - H a kim Bi Amrillah in 1009 a nd wh a t wa s le f t was finally destroyed in th e ea rthquake of 103 4.

Although this p e riod of unr es t was t o b e followed b y a few year s o f r el a ti ve p eace, during whi c h th e r o tund a wa s r e buil t, hi s peace was to pro ve s h ort li ve d In 1077 Jerusalem fell to the S e j u k Turk s, a o u g h , resourceful race d esce nd e d from nom a di c s hepherds from C entr a A s ia a nd con ve r ts to Islam Wh e n C hri s tian r ef u gees t r ea m ed out of Jeru s al e m bea rin g t a le of persecution t h e Byzan t in e E m pe r or in Constan t inopl e a p pea e d to W es t ern civilisation fo r h e lp a n d ass ista n ce. W estern

Christendom res pond ed a nd o n Jul y 15 1099, following a ca mp a ig n do w n t h e le n gt h of Pale s tine , th e Cr u s ad e r s w e nt ove r t h e wa ll s of Jeru s alem a nd put a ll Mu s lim s fo u n d inside to the swo rd So m e o f t h e C ru sader wounded wer e s ub se quen ly t ake n t o t h e Hospital of S t John w hi c h lay t o h e so u th of the Hol y S e pul c hr e a nd w hi c h was t hen under the dire c ti o n of th e Bl essed Gerard. They we r e vis it e d b y Go d f r ey d e Bo u ll on who later , followin g hi s d ea th i n 1100 was himself to lie in t h e h os pi ta l b efore b ei n g buried in th e Hol y Se pul c hr e cl ose b y. The Ho s pice had be e n fo und e d b y Pope Gregory I in AD 603 th o u g h th e re m ay have been an ho s pi t al n ea r t hi s s ite th a t h a d been de s troyed by T itu s in AD 66 . T h e H o pi ce provided for pil g rim s ri g h t d ow n t o t h e year 1009 , when it wa s prob a b ly d estroye d b y t h e mad Caliph AI-Hakim. F oll ow in g thi s, o n land provided by th e Mu s lim s , s om e Amalfi merchants built a Ben e dictin e monaste r y an d an hospice, the c hurch of whi c h was dedicated to St John It la y to th e s ou t h of the Holy Sepulchr e on land known tod ay as the Muristan. The Ho s pi ce had an e xce ll ent reputation and treat e d Chri s ti a n s and 11 0 nChristians alike It wa s to thi s ho s pit a l t h a the wounded cru s ader s w e re t a k e n a ft e r th e capture of Jerusalem. At s ome s ta ge th e Hospital achieved independen ce from th e Benedictine mona s tery and a Papal Bull of 1113 gave it full s tatu s as an Ord er independent of the Patri a r c h of Jeru sa le m. Its fame and s ervice to the s ick s pr e ad fa r and wide and it wa s so well s upported th a

't eventually becam e one of th e rich es t organisation s in Chri s t e ndom. The Hospital naturally grew in s ize and in 1163 it contained 400 kni g hts. Thi s ho s pit a wa s divided into ward s, one of whi c h at leas t was for g ynaecolo g ic a l ca ses . By th e n it had four doctor s a nd four s urg e on s By th e y e ar 1170 John of WLir z burg re port s that th e hospital contained 2000 infirm of both s e xes and in 1179 after the b a ttle of Mont g isa rd some 750 wounded wer e admitt e d fo r tr ea tment. Be in g now both ind e pendent and power f ul it is not s urpri s in g th a t : e lation s betw ee n the Ord e r and th e P at rt a rc h o f Jerus a lem wer e a li t tl e s tr a in e d a t tim es. On one occa s ion th e P a tri a r c h , F oulch e r of An gouleme , c omplain e d h a t wh e n e ve r he prea c h e d in th e Hol y Se pul

meetings with the Patriarchs of the Eastern Churches. Following the Vatican Ecumenical Council, a plan for the complete restoration and repair of the church was agreed upon. An architectural advisory committee was established and a technical office set up in Jerusalem to carry out and supervise the reconstruction of the church. Since 1959 the Armenian, Latin and Orthodox Churches have co-operated in restoring the Church.

The structure of the building has now been made safe and all damaged stones have been replaced with new from the quarries of Kalandia. It was these quarries that supplied the stones for the builders employed by Constantine and later the Crusaders. In 1967

the scaffolding and steel shores were removed and in 1977 preparations were made to renew the dome over the Rotunda. The renewal of the dome has been the subject of an international architectural competition that attracted entries from Greece, Italy, France, America and the United Kingdom. Following a very detailed assessment of the entries by the experts representing the three client churches, the UK solution was judged to be that which not only solved most satisfactorily all technical problems but also provided best value for money and was likely to cause the least disturbance to the church below during construction. Reconstruction work started in 1979 and the work was

complete and the site cleared by December 1980, ahead of the winter rains.

The new dome is finished in lead, a traditional external finish for the Dome of the Holy Sepulchre. Because of the difficulty of obtaining in Jerusalem sufficient craftsmen of experience for this type of work, nearly all the labour for this project was provided from the United Kingdom. This included steel fixers, welders, concrete sprayers, plasterers and lead workers. It is believed that this is the first instance in the church's 1600 years history that a significant practical contribution had been provided by British craftsmen, engineers and architects

only has sight in one eye. Yes, she will have to come into St John's.'

Yet another woman, neatly dressed in peasant fashion, came in talking volubly. The Doctor listened patiently, got her t6 sit down opposite and allow him to examine her. 'Yes, this is not uncommon, she has ingrowing eye la s hes, perhap s the result of trachoma in the pa st. 1 think we can deal with this here and now.' Two or three delicate, deft twitche s with the tweezers and the job was done

Then a shy dark-eyed frightened little girl of eleven or so came in with her mother and sat trembling on the edge of the chair, reluctant to face the bright light, the strange eye pieces and th e stra nge Doctor. 'Oh, look at this. It is so sad to see in one so young.'

The schoolmaster came in and they talked to the mother. 'I would like to have her in St John's; no , she won't ne e d s urgery, but intensive medication every two hours. The families find it so difficult to do this. The

drops do not go into the right place in the eye; the mother is feeding the baby; everyone is out working in the fields. I shall have to try to get them to let me take h e r into hospital when we leave this afternoon.' The next day visiting the children's ward there was the little girl, perhaps a little less shy, a little more at ease and able to manage a tremulous smile.

So this dedicated work goes on. The team saw sixty patients on that day in this one small village of 2,000 people where there was no doctor, no nurse, no bus and no water.

On return visits to so me of these villages it was already apparent that there had been striking improvements in eye health

But it is not only in the villages that such work continues. Any morning or afternoon in the hospital one can see five doctor s in their darkened examination rooms hard pres se d with outpatients. Nearly 40,000 attendances in 1983 represents a heavy work load.

THE VOLKSW AGON bus looked tiny from the flat high in the St John Hospital to wer. It was being loaded with heavy wooden cases and boxes. The team drove out of Jerusalem heading south through Bethany past Bethlehem, down the Hebron Road. High in the hills the morning was clear and blue, but mists filled the valley bottoms. There were Dr Lee Chumbley, young, bearded, goodlooking and enthusiastic, Janet the Orthop tist, Salim our driver and handyman, and Iman the doctor's aid. This was the team and we were making for Idna a small village in the hills of the West Bank between Hebron and the sea, an hour 's drive or more from Jerusalem.

Up Salah-Ed-Din Street (Saladin of Crusader times) past the old men smoking their pipes in the sunlight, we went through to the south end of the village, down a sheep track. Here we stopped at a small house on the hillside used as a nursery school, and ours for the day Already men, women and children began to appear; cases were unloaded and opened, an ingenious demountable slit-lamp for the examinations, a compact mobile generator to provide power and light, and cases of drugs and equipment. The little generator was soon purring away quietly outside.

The sma ll stone room was chilly and cold compared with the sunshine outside Heavy blankets were hung on the windows; chairs 76

and a table were found. As t he team set up the crowd gathered in the pas sage and the room opposite filled up. There were the village schoolmaster, the village headman, old women, children and young women, well dressed in black with colourful red embroidered stripes from shoulder to hem of the skirt, white muslin kerchieves over their heads, the men often wearing the 'agal' showing that they had made the pilgrimage to Mecca; this was a Muslim village.

The Doctor was ready. A fine-looking older woman leaning heavily on her stick and with one eye troubling her came in and sat opposite. As the Doctor made his examination he said 'Yes, trachoma I fear in this eye. It is a complex and tricky disease to identify but we should be able to do something for her. The other eye? Corneal scarring from a previous episode. Surgery should help her, she could expect a good result. Right, we will fix a time for her to come into St John's.'

In a black suit

A neatly dressed middle-aged man in a black suit, weather-beaten face, short black moustache, took her place; laid his medical record card on the table and pushed his forehead and chin close up to the slit lamp.

An old patient to whom Lee talked quickly in colloquial Arabic with Iman and the patient interrupting. 'He says that three years

The Outreach Progral11l11e

by THE LORD PRIOR

ago he could see right across the valley, tw o years ago he could see to the end of the s treet, now he can only see across the room Let's have a look - heavy scarring but there must be something more. We s hall have to have his pupils dilated, we may b e able to see someth ing more then.' He tilted his head back for the drops and stepped aside to wait for them to work, meanwhile helping wi t h translations or explanations to other patien ts when they were worried, or may not ha ve fully understood.

The village headman came in and greeted the Doctor. He was introduced to the Lo rd Prior and true to the Arab sense of hospitality asked everyone to lunch. He was about to go out and slaughter a sheep straight away but the Doctor explained that press of patients and of time regretfully prevented u s from accepting, but how welcome were the small cups of thick hot Arab coffee which appeared as if by magic.

A good looking young woman had been standing in the corridor mopping an eye with the corner of her headscarf. 'Some while ago,' Lee said, 'it might have been twenty years or might have been two, it is difficult to say, she had a prick in her eye and noW

1982 WAS an exciting Centenary Year for us at St John Ophthalmic Hospital, capped by the ma g nificent Centenary Order Service in St George's Cathedral.

Nothing [ have read about it really conveys .just what a spectacula r moment it was. The panoply of heraldry was dazzling One ha s to go back seven centuries (1286) to the last festivities in the Holy Land at Acre, when a fortnight of medieval game and tournaments were held (during which, in the Great Hall of the Hospital of St John in Acre, the British Knights of St John enacted pageants with scenes from the stor ie s of King Arthur and the Round Table) to find a spectacle with which to compare it.

However, I want to tell you about somet hing le ss spectacu la r which happened in 1982 in yo ur Hospital, but which will be just as vital for its future health for planning and deci sion making. This was the in - depth survey of eye disorde rs affec ting patients who seek care at St John Ophthalmic in Jeru salem, which wa co nducted IJ1 1982.

The survey wa s a very lar ge project to undertake in the midst of an undiminishing and rising regular workload (doubtless the reason none had been done before!). It took SIX months to collect the d e tailed data required.

The completed repon has been ubmitted to th.e Hospitaller, Sir Stephen Miller. SCientific accuracy was the paramount Concern throughout. The survey was analyzed by computer (what a far cry from

The Outreach programme c,taned with a random sam ple s urv ey of eye di sease among the population of the Bank 800,000 people) and of the Gaza Strip (some 440,000 people). The eam headed by Dr Ian Thomson and Dr Lee Chumbley visited so m e s ixty villages and attempted to examine every memb e r of the lar ge families in anything betw een fifteen and twenty five hou ses in eac h village. They saw and record e d the re s ult s of examinations of more than 9,000 per so ns. This s urvey suggested that there may be 20,000 blind persons in the West Bank and Gaza of whom 70% could be treated s ur gica ll y. This is some measure of the need for the St John Ho sp ital in Jerusalem and of the importance of the Outreach programme to the vi lla ge people of the West Bank and Gaza. Nobody who has seen

Survey of Hospital's Centenary Year

the first hospital in Jerusalem, established 16 centuries ago, but to the sa me end: th e benefit of 'our ma sters , the s ick '), and nearly one million bits of informa tio n were processed by the computer.

The patients were wonderful for the exams were systematic and took a long time to complete, with all the associated paperwork. I t was hard work, the patients finished late, and we were late. But the people really appreciated what was being done and were impressed by the thoroughness.

The results of the survey were very sobering indeed. One-fourth of the patients who seek care at your Hospital in Jerusalem have a blind eye. One patient in every six who walks through the doors of your Hospital in Jerusalem is blind in both eyes.

One of the items sys tematically recorded was the precise address of the patient. I was frequently staggered to find out that people had travelled so far and under suc h dif f ic ult conditions, because of faith in our Hospital.

[ remember the frightened village woman, beautifully attired in her traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, whose child could not sleep because of a painful eye ulcer. Huddled with her child, she waited several hours in the pre-dawn cold and wet for transport. After a journey requiring several stages, she patiently told me she was from the small West Bank village of Rantis 'Where is Ranti ?' omeone asked. 'Perhaps you know it by an earlier name Arimathea.' Fortunately we were able to ave the vision in her child's eye. Others are not so lucky.

Asking the patients their ages sometimes led to fascinating insights. Behind the dry bone of the survey proforma lie many stories. 'The Turks would interrogate anyone with glasses since they feared the educated classe " a grey-haired village elder told me

who was born during the rule of Turkish Sultan Abdel Hamid (there is still a deep resistance on the part of many Arab village rs to the wearing of s pectacles).

Another patienr, also a village man, told me of his experiences serving with the British Army at EI Alamein (he showed me his prized possession -a faded picture of General Monrgomery).

Many patients remembered the old 1882 Ho spital of St John on the Bethlehem Road ('Bakaa' or valley) and later the temporary hospital in the Old City of Jerusalem (' Darajat' or steps) used a fter the hostilities of 1948.

Other urvey findings were that the principal anatomic locations within the eye of visual loss in the patients, in order of frequency, were: the cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve. Trachoma, an eye disease common in the Middle East and very painful in its advanced forms, was lhe most frequent cause of visuaJ loss associated with corneal abnormality. In this disorder, the upper eyelid turns inward and the eyelashes constantly scratch the eye. Most blindness of this type would be prevenrable or curable. Cararacl wa the mo t frequent spec ific cau e of visua l lo s and is curable by surgery.

We found a lot of blindness from congenital abnormalilie The e condi lion are more common than in the UJ...: or orth America, and the surgeons at St John Ophthalmic Hospital have built up a great deal of experience through the years in dealing with them. 'Ibn-ummek' (your uncle' s son) i st ill considered lhe ideal bride g room march for a village girl, and inbreedin g probably causes us to see so many of these rare ge neti c condition. What a bles sing thaI we can offer (b cau e of your gifl and donation to the Hospilal) the most up-to - d ate s urgical treatmenr available (Continued on page 87)

(Left) Our Hospital - the St John Ophthalmi C Hospital Jerusalem. And (above) a patient with her mother

Neil Robertson's stretcher

AS A CADET of many years ago, r was taught the following as ' History of Equipment used in First Aid by St John'. The origin of the Neil-Robertson stretcher goes back to the introduction of iron ships to the Royal Navy but it is of Japanese ancestry. In the days when warships were constructed wholly of timber and had natural buoyancy, the fact that there were large openings in the decks, down which on occasion sea water poured, was of little matter, all things being considered.

The greatest need was the abi lity of t he crew to move from the gun decks to upp er deck or rigging, either to repel boarders or trim sails This necessitated very wide companionways (stairways) perhaps 8 to 12 feet wide, hence large openings in the decks.

Because of these wide, usually straight companionways, it was an easy task to manhandle casualties from the fighting decks to below for treatment. However, with the advent of iron-clad wooden ships, the balance of buoyanc y was upset causing ship designers to re-think the problem of large amounts of water coming aboard. One way was to make companionways much smaller, which made the movement of injured people more difficult. This was overcome by lowering the casualty by means of a tack l e rigged on a beam above the hatchway. The

SURREY Training. Training.

Surrey Cadet Officers recently arranged a weekend course at Felbury House, near Dorking, the residential centre of the Surrey Association of Youth Clubs to which Surrey cadets are affiliated. The course, for 15 to 20-year-olds, was aimed to help cadets move to adult membership. Our members were joined by a group of RAMC apprentices and their instructors, who took over the organisation of an initiative and leadership programme on the Saturday. The delegates, divided into teams, tack led a series of tasks including a crashed Landrover with several simulated casualties, and map reading and compass work. An amusing and very rewarding test meant following a rope lin e in crocodile fashion in rough woodland, with the leader passing back instructions and details about hazards encountered.

A social evening and a s hort se rvice on Sunday morning was followed by Dr Andy Handly, from Wolverhampton, talking and showing slides on t he SJA Aeromedical Services.

Joint exercise

SJA members from eastern Surrey were the first in the county to have the c hance of cooperating with the Surrey Fire Service on a multi-casualty exercise held at a factory at Whyteleafe. The incident, which involved a chemical explosion in a factory, was attended

Nursing Officer S teve Allison and Dr (Mrs) M St evens with a casualty by some 150 SJA members, 9 ambulanc es, a radio control van and a mobile unit.

Points made by the County Surgeon and others included:

The crew of the first vehicle to arrive always have a difficult time because of the la ck of precise information and great care must be taken so that they do not become cas ualtie s themselves.

Nursing and first aid aspects were generally satisfactory, but more use should be made of the 'recovery position' for semiconscious casualties. Contaminated casualties make for frustration because they cannot be treated until they are cleared by the Fire Service. 17 ambulance journeys were made to the base hospital at St John HQ, Caterham, the first only 24 minutes from the start of the exercise.

The best use of faci litie s was not always made and 'on the spot' planning and decisions must be made by senior officers

carriage (stretcher) used, looked somet hin g like a co llapsed dining-room chair with a foreshortened seat and an extended back. On la rger ships this carriage sometimes s lid down on a guideway which looked like a modern children's playground slide.

Obviously a cumbersome piece of equipment, especially if the ship had a numb er of decks and it must have be e n hazardous for the seamen constantly u s in g the companionways. As with all complicated equipment a drill had to be practised and thi s was carried out during 'General Quarter s', a term used for the act of clearing a manof-war for action.

When all-iron ships were introduced, a ll natural buoyancy was lost and the need no w was to keep water out at all cost. Out went the lar ge deck openings with their ea il y negotiable stairs, in came sma ll hatche s, often round, the openings of which ran ged from as little as 12 to 18 inches acros , belo w which were vertical iron - run ge d lad der s to the bowels of the vessel. Ima gine th e difficultie transportin g casualtie do wn those! And ca ualtie s there were in the early days of steam when the Navy wa carryin g out e xte nsive tests Lo se ttl e Lh e question of the suitability of waLer lube boilers for large ships of war. Steam explosion and blo w backs were the norm.

Other nations were closely watching the experiments of the British Navy, especially the Japanese, who were developing sma ll er iron ships more suitab le for their sha llower home waters. They too had experienced difficulties in removing casua lti es from below decks, but had overcome the problem by modifying their age-old method of carrying injured people across difficult terrain with the silk and bamboo foldable stretcher. This device consisted of a bed of thick si lk sheeting, in length and shape roughly the size of an average man, to which were added dozens of slivers of bamboo 3 to 4mm in diameter, and in various lengths to suit the width of the bed. These pieces of bamboo were placed horizontally across the bed, as c lose together as possible, and each individually stitched to the bed. Another silk sheet was placed on top of the bamboo and aga in stitched through (ie, a sandwich of silk, bamboo s ilk). To the sides of the bed were stitched 'wi ng s' for head, trunk and legs, of the same sandwich form and s haped very like the side flaps of the modern paragard stretcher. Sil ken 'ties' were ti tched to the underside of the bed to trap the patient on. The patient was placed up on the bed, which because of it flexibilit y conto ur ed to the bod y, the flaps were then folded over and sec ur ed by the ies. This de cription makes it so und rather Heath-Robinsonish but in

STAFFS

Wilnacote's third annual band concert

SJ Band in full swing before the guests And (right) the award winners with the Earl of lichfield. Coun ty President (cent re) and (on his left) Deputy County Commissioner Mr V J Mitchell

Matthew Christmas leading his team on th e rope walk

present. Assessment of prioritie is most important and may need to be changed becau se of the reatmen t given at any point.

An enthusiastic by tander mu s t be 'p u t down' early in the proceeding, but u efu l information and help mu t be acted upon. To emphasise thi s point Andrew LaLham, A I M of Caterham Division, dre sse d as a workman acted the part very well and was able to create minor chaos by giving instructions to all and s undry without any authority. The point was well made and members who attended th e exercise are noW well aware of this ha za rd. Much useful information and experience was gained by a ll member s a king part and very important essons learned It s on ly by such practice and criticism that we wi ll know what to do in a real incident.

fact the patient was very secure l y cocooned, warm and comfortab le. When not in u se, the stretcher rolled up into a cylindrical shape, about 18ins long by 7in s diameter, and cou ld be comfortably carried under the arm.

To return to the British Navy - it was the custom of flotillas or fleets to 'show the flag' in foreign ports from time to time, and on one such visit the Briti s h and Japanese s hip s moored together. Aboard the Briti s h ships were Neil, a naval engineer, and Robert so n, a naval surgeon. Both men had been deeply concerned for a long while with the problem of recov e ring men from the depths of the boiler and engine rooms. Then they had the good fortune to witness t he lifting of an injured Japan ese seaman from below decks and marvelled at the ease with which it was carried out.

One disadvantage

Needless to say, they bartered for a pie ce of the Japanese lif t in g equipment and in the co ur se of experiments w ith it they di scovered tha although an admirable stretc her it had one disadvantage in that, because of its horizontal trips, it did not afford suffici ent rigidity for tran porting a fract ured pine.

The rope spine attachment is probably the weakest part of the Neil Robert son st r etcher in that it is oversewn into the canvas bed. Thi s st i tching MUST be checked by a competent rigger at REGULAR intervals to ensure that mildew or rot is not present. Should this stitching give way while a patient is being low ered from any height the result could be disasterous. On later models of the Neil Rober tson the head-ring of iron is replaced by a rope grommet. Thi s wa deemed advisable from experience gained w h e n operating with untrained personnel. Ine xperienced operators found that it was remarkably easy to inadvertently strike the unprotected head of the patient with the galvanised ring. The ghosts of eil and Robe rtson must ha ve cringed many time s during the last 80 years or so of (he use of their famous stretcher!

1. Winter, OXOI7

There were no strips of bamboo aboard a Briti s h batt les hip but there was a supp y of hard h eavy- dut y cane. This was sp lit 1engthwi e and, under the guidance of eil and Robert so n, sewn by hand into the sai lcloth jacket by the sai lmaker. A new st retcher had co me to life. With rhe longitudinal s upport it was now considered adequate for spi nal injuries. A rope spine was added with iron rings top and bottom for lowering and guiding. Later, rope hand grips were incorporated, thus enabling the equipment to be handled mo re efficiently in con fined spaces.

Wilnacote

celebrity, and a St John band will be playing So come along and make it a day to remember. Major C. 1. Flint-Shipman, Mid Berks hire Area PRO, SI Nicholas House, Hurst Nr Readin g, Berkshire.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

BY THE EDITOR

(of the Hospital)

THANKS

The following let t er wa s sent t o the Readin g Great Western Divi s ion by a rugb y player whose injuries at the Holme Park s ports ground were dealt with by 0 / 0 K. Shepherd and A I M T Marriot - Lodge '] would like to take this opportunit y of thanking you for your prompt and efficient action at Holme Park on Saturday the 21 st January, 1984. I have watched your act ion s and ministrations over a number of seasons, but to be on the receiving end of your prompt action has put your efforts to a ne w perspective for me.

'You probably realise or are aware that when the accident occurred I knew ve r y li ttle of what in fact was happening other than your presen c e and calming influence, which ve ry much a ss ist ed no t only my well b ei n g

but peace of mind From what I a m told I h ad a very lu cky escape, but I am s ur e that lu ck wa influ enced by yo ur pre ence of mind a nd rea ct ion to a very diFficu lt s i t u at ion

Th e r efore, can I place on re co rd my g ratitude and thank s for yo ur effo r ts on my behalf, a nd long may you cont inu e to ha ye a very meaningFul presence on match days at Holme Park for Readin g Rugb y C lu b.' Chris

e just such financial help to SJ A. During 1983 th e Trust gave grants of nearly £10,000 to 13 SJA projects in t h e UK. Th ey ranged from £2 43 for a scoop st r etc h er for a Kent Di v is ion 's ambulance, a food mix e r (£3 00) fo r Bexhill Cadet Camp, instruments (£500) for a SJA band , to equipment (£1000) for W. Midlands tr ain in g cottage (W h e r e s it? - Let's have an article for th e R ev iew) , an d r adio equipment (£1000) for SJA G loucesters hir e. What a m arve llou s job this Trust does! But make u se of it if yo u fee l you deserve some help. I 'm sure Lady Mountbatten wou ld have bee n t h e first to say - Come on, a ppl y. T ha t's w h at it' s for.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED

A number of r eaders have asked me to exp la in th e cartoon on the cove r of the Jan u a r y 1984 ue. I have since asked various people f they understood it, and many sai d of co ur se they did. So obvious ly so m e u nder tood it ot h ers didn't.

Ca n I say that I often have prob lems in gett in g a goo d cove r picture and t hi s wa acute ly so for January 1984 is ue, so I used the cartoo n (ConI. overleaf)

NOTTINGHAM 1984

The ann ual NOllingham Meeting will be held at the UniversilY of Nottingham from 4 pm Friday Sept 2 1 to 1 pm Sunday Sept 23. The weekend is open lo all St John Ambulance member s and everyone will be mo I welcome.

P ro g ramm e The weeke n d wi ll comp r e a n int erest in g programme of ectures, presenlations, di scuss ion s and soc a l get-togethers. There will be an informal 'ice-breaker' party on the Frida y eve n ing, the u sua l di co dance on the Saturd ay eve nin g and the inter -de nominational serv ic e on Su nd ay morning

C harges

Allhough Ih e Univer s it y h a ha d o incr ease it s char ges for 198 4, we int e nd to offer attenda n ce at 1983 p ri ces: Residential: Friday supper to S u nday lun c h inclusive £40. Non-residential Day Attendance: Saturday coffee, lun ch, lea, s u pper, d isco/da n ce; S un day m orn in g coffee and lun c h £25.

Booking arrangements

T o sec ure your pla ce at Nottingham 1984 book throu g h yo ur Co unty / Di st ri c t office before August 1 1984 For rea so ns of ca t er in g a n d admi ni tr at o n the University ca nn ot accep cas u a l a ll en d a n ce W e mu s t t h e r efore pre-boo k b ot h r esidentia l and da y attendances. J ohn rescue boats manned by Weybridge Division at the Queen Mary Sailing Club s Bloody Mary' race on Jan 7. 280 boats raced for three hours in winds force 4 to 5 with 10 crew members being picked up by the rescue boats. (Right) SJA ambulance drivers from S Wales on a skid prevention cou rse at the Skid Control Centre at Cowbridge, S. Glam. (L to R) Centre Director land member of Air Wing ) J Morgan, 0 / 0 P Ford , Cty Cadet Officer F. Ford, A I M R. John, D S C. Davies and Instructor F Berry.

(Right) A pretty handchime ringing team of Folkestone nursing cadets who give concerts for the elderly. The handchlmes were presented by the President, Vice - President and the Adult Division (Photo: K Dodd) ( B elow) Bristol Dian a Moran - the local Green Goddess - getting SJA presidents into trim before a Valentine's lunch which raised £550. ( Pho to: George Gallop)

NEW BUILDINGS

WEDDING TIME

s ible ex piration, a carnal pleasure is uppermost in his mind. Good down to earth humour. Ha-ha-ha! No?

TRAINING IN SNOW

CSO Maureen Up/on, of Staffs, writes: For t he fourth year running, SJA Staffs held an adventure training weekend in J anuaryal Kibblestone Scout Camp, which is el in 48 acres of woodland.

Member from all over the county arrived on Friday eve nin g and, af t er c he ck in g in , soon got down to a syndicate di cu sion 'Free to Choose - Alcohol and Youn g People', a s ubj ect which produced mu ch discussion and varied opinion.

On Saturday morning it was orienteerin g and after breakfast gro up s et off for the Down s, where later they got a lunch of hot soup and spuds-in- the ir-jackets. When the weary walkers go t back to ba e the y found another course of pioneering waiting for them, so there was no respite for their aching feet. Little did they know it, but a ll thi s activity was being filmed on vid eo.

After supper came the big surpri e. The video of their action-packed day was played ba ck and everyone enjoyed lau g hin g a(

NEED A HOLIDAY?

Cleveland SJA' outdoor ce ntr e Sandhills at Commondale on the North York moors s being heavily booked by divi ions from all over the country ince we wrote it up in the Review. However, I hear that the week July 28 to Augu t 4 i till vacant for a mere £60. If anyone is intere s ted, get in touch with Mr M. Dickin so n, 12 Field C lose, Thornaby, Stock lon-on-Tees, phone 0642 617628.

SOMEBODY CARES

N I M Edith Newson, of Saxmundham, writes in the Suffolk nell'slerr er:

The mo t rewarding hours J have pent in St John were those spent with Mr Redstone so that his wife could have an afternoon out.

Our Div /S upt asked me if I would go to Beacon sf eld Bucks) Nursing Division celebrated its 40th birthday at the end of 1983 with a party for 50 pas and present members (Below) Founder members

Mr L. J. Field and Dr R. Kipplng (standing). in whose surgery the DiviSion first met. (Seated) Supt Mrs Loa ch; Dr M. Gillison. who formed Division Mrs Field and Mis s Elva Williams

Avon 's (18,000 sponsora- part ambulance appeal is launched with a (500 cheque presented by Mr Martin Wren, Chief Executive of the Bristol Contributory Welf are Association (right) to George McWatters, chairma n Avon SJ Council (Photo: George Gallop

look after Mr Red sto ne, who as the result of a heart operation which had gone badly w rong wa now blind, unable to wa lk far, incontinent and with the mental state of a yo un g child. I was accompanied by a retired nur e who was a St John memb er many year ago.

Mr Red sto ne, a charming man, was most apo logetic because he had to 'troub le' us and then he would cry, but he was so g rat eful for a ll we did for him. His wife was able to go out for the afternoon while we looked after him. She returned bright-eyed and relaxed. To notice thi s change in her was all that we

BIRTHDAY

required

We visited them again, to allow Mrs Redstone a little more time off, and when \ e took our leave, s he said: 'For three years I have felt completely alone, nobody wanted to know while I was in good health , but now after your willing respon e feel that somebody reall y cares.'

After this duty we both reali se how well our new ursing Manual has been titled 'Caring for the Sick' but we also reali e how much lo ving, tender care Mrs Red tone had given over severa l years looking after her hu band.

Dr Gillison (right) cuts the cake at Beaconsfield Nursing D ivision's party - with Mrs F. Roge rs. Supt (R); Mrs L Orllk Supt (R); and Mrs E. Jones

ORDER

I NVESTITU RE

John Crook Liverpool Area Commissioner, who has 44 years' service to St John, becomes a Commander of the Order. Mr Crook, who received the Meritorious Service Certificate while with the Liverpool Ambulance Service in 1955 , has for the last 25 years been employed in the Medical Dept of Eric Bemrose Ltd, Aintree

Mrs Peter Hilton, SJA President of Derbyshire is invested as Commander by the Lord Prior, Mrs Hi lton's husband Col Peter Hilton, Lord Lieutenant Derbyshire , is SJA Commander of that county. Mrs Hilton has 13 years of SJA service

by the Lord Prior, London, Feb 9

COMMANDER

Reginald John Richard Arundell, (Dor et)

Richard Hand on Carey, (Buck)

John Edward Crook. (Mer eyside)

Olive Miss Crowther, (York)

Rear-Admiral ir Ronald Forre I, KCVO, JP, (Devon)

Jame Dea Gallelly, BSc, MB, ChB, MRCS , LRCP, (Middx)

Annie Winifred, Mrs Hillon, (Derby)

William Kelsall, OBE, QPM, DL, heshire)

Joseph McDermOlt, (Cleveland)

Wilfred Ronald Morris, (Lanc )

William Wilkin on Packe, (London)

ASSOCIATE COMMAI DER

Eric Marcus Stitcher, MBE, JP, (Is e of 1\lan)

OffiCER

Harold David Adam, (Lane)

Shirley, Mr Alexander, (Slaft's)

Frank Riley Barton, (Leice ler)

George Ba I Borwell, (Berks)

Anhur Boynlon, (Wesl Yorks)

Jame Ru ell Brownlie, (Hert )

Ronald Alfred Buller s QFS I, F I FireE, (Middx)

Norman Alfred Chi holm. (\\'irral)

John Norman Cook. (Kent)

Alfred Roy Davenport, (Wark s)

John Michael Dixon, (Cumbria)

Mary Richmond, Mi Ellis, IB, BS. MR S. LRCP, MRCOG, (Berk )

Dorothy Elsie. Mr Fallo\\ .• (London)

Roger Anhur Farrance. BSc, FIPI\I, (London)

Jame Rush Fyanes, (Cumbria)

Alfred TimOlhy Green. (London)

Alfred J ames I ggle den, (Kelll)

Leonard Victor Kemp, (Surrey)

Graham Wass BEM , National Coal Board Area staff officer Leicester, with 38 years' SJA service becomes an Officer of the Order A Bevin boy who jo ined the Ormonde Colliery in 1944, Mr Wass was awarded the BEM in 1978 for to the NCB

Edward Brian Lewis, MA. IB, BChir, FFARCS, DA, (Kelll)

M au reen Syl via. Mrs Lewey, (Kenl)

Brig Duncan Love McPhie MB hB, (London)

Christopher David May, MB, BS , IRCGP , DOb sl, RCOG (London)

Victo r Edward Mayhew, (Sufrolk)

Florence, Miss Newton, (London)

David John Nobb , RMN. (Wilts)

Joan Mary, Mrs Packham, (Buck)

Col Joseph Anthony Moore Phillips, D 0, MBE, DL, (East Yorks)

Richard Raynar, (France)

Richard Combe Crighton Reekie, (Co Durham)

Glynn Ree ve, (Wilt,)

Le slie Sarson, (Cambridge)

Charles Nelson Sear e, (Surrey)

Norman Percy Sharp, (Wark s)

Marion Tessa, Mrs Smailes, (Kent)

Irene Mary, Mrs Smith, (Surrey)

John Edgar Smil h, (Surrey)

Dr Mary Fletcher, Tunbridge Wells Nursing Division's surgeon, who has 24 years' service, becomes a Serving Sister. Dr Fletcher is in general practice in Tunbridge Wells

ASSOCIATE OFFICER

Edward Holme s Wi g nall (Sus ex)

SERVING BROTHER or SISTE[{

Jonath an Flelcher Barrett, (Co Durham)

Willi am Ernest Barrell, ( H ant s)

Terence H enry Bates, (Lane)

George Bingham, (Derbys)

Cecil Edward James Brown, (Kent)

Thomas H enry Brydon, (Co Durham)

D oree n Mrs Byrne, SRN, DN, O H N, (Lancs)

Peggy Eil een, Mrs Cow lin ,(Ca m bs)

Dorothy Frances, Mrs DavL, (Halll s)

Lt Col Keith Baker Eddi on, (Cleve and)

Mynle, Mi s Elh eringlon, (Bed s)

Joan Katherine Dorothy, Mr Evenett, (Esscx)

James Finn, (Le cesler)

Freda Mary, Dr Fletcher, (Kent)

David John Freeman. (Surrey)

Winirred Marie, Mr Garner, (London)

Patricia Mary, Mrs Gates, JP (Berks)

EI pelhann, Mr Goleltone, (Surfo lk )

Hild a Margarcl, Mi s Goodb dy, (Avon)

John H oward Goode, ( urrey)

Doris Mary, Mr Gooeley, (Kenl)

Ronald McDou ga ll Gray, (Bucks)

John Win or Harcup. LRCP, tvIRCS, DOb t, RCOG, (Wore)

Pete r Barnard Hardwick. MB. BS, FFARCS, DA, (Sufrolk)

sabe Mrs H aUers ey, (Lancs)

James Douglas H es l er , (Co Durham)

Sy v a Margaret, Mrs Hinton, (Berks)

Rob er Hu ghf, (Co Durham)

Ethe May, Mrs Hunt (Bucks)

Lewis George IIlin g, (Bu cks)

Wendy, Mrs Johnson, (Leies)

Dora, Mrs Kirby, (Es sex)

Winnifred Norah, Mr s Knight, (North Devon)

Bertie Reginald Lathwell, (Beds)

Derrick Arthur Layzell (Devon)

Ronald McGrow, (Lanc as ter)

Katie Sincla ir Sw inburn Mrs Murphy, (Essex

Rose mary, Countess Orssich, (Berk s)

Ange a Margaret Miss Osborne, (Bucks)

Dougla s Victor Philbrick, (E s ex)

BCIlY, Mrs Pickard, SRN, (Co Durh am)

John Alderson Pickerin g, (London)

Elsie, Mrs Pickford, (S. Humberside)

Jean Barbara, Mrs Piper, (Bucks)

Gilbert James POlllin, (Hants)

Anne Etheline, Mr Poner (Dorsct)

Franci s Herbert Potter , (N. H umber side)

Dougla s Richard on, (Manehe ter)

Denni s Harold Robin son, (Dorset)

Erne-Johanna Sophie Lina, Mrs Rorr, (Devon)

William Horace Ryan , (Hanls)

Great Mary, Mi s Sissons, MBE, SE ,(N. Humberside)

sabella McPher son, Mrs Smith, (De von)

Thoma s Owen Smith, (Co Durham)

Mary Eva, Mrs Stenning, SEN, (Hants)

Cyril Alrred Tippins, SR ,(Avon)

Charles Edward Toole y, DSC (N, Humber side)

Norman Henr y Tucker, (Hens)

Ro y Walker, (N. Humberside)

Jeanne, Mrs Wallace, (Beds)

Alice, Miss Wallon, (Lancs)

Lillias Air, Mrs Wheatley, (Derby)

Cyril Thomas Whiltingham, (Kent)

Cyril Wilby, (Hants)

William Henry Wildish, (Kent)

ASSOCIATE SERV[:\,G BROTHER Samuel Hecke.- (London)

Major Yusir Mohammed Salim, (London)

The Earl St Aldwyn, Chancellor or The Order presented his personal

Stephen Rodney Sm ith (Surrey)

Cathcrine Ethel, Mrs Thornton, (Surrey)

Albert Edward Upton, (Esse ,x )

Charles Francis LC51ie Wanklyn, (Slaffs)

Graham Wass, BEM, (Derbys)

I vy Lilian, Miss Wright, (Che hire)

Tessa Mary, Mrs Yales, (Lanes)

DORSET

Survey of Hospital's Centenary Year

(Cont. from page 77) anywhere to the se un fo r tu n ate babies. Retinal blindness in on the increa e especially that du e to di a betes. lasers are expensive, and ours will soo n n eed replacing. Can we a fford to continue?) Glaucoma is a n ever-p re ent threat to vision.

So, too, a r e cases of eye trauma. (The mother wept w hen I to ld her her bab son' eye wa badly damaged by a fall on a penciL She came so quickly , he h ad no money for food or transport. One of our Arab ur geo n wa so mov ed h e reached in and ga e her a ll hi money from hi own pocket on the pot), The Ho pital Cente nar y Survey was a success c ientifi ca lly , but even more memorable were the small eve nt and int e ra c tion that (o ak place, (1982 wa al 0 the year of the Fa lkl ands, when British mettle a nd steadfastness were put to the test

eI ewhere and were not found to be wanting), The Ho pital of St John in Jeru aiem i your Ho pita!. Whether you are reading this article in Headquarters, while on weekend ambulance duty, or in a moment' re t during cadet training, all can hare with u our common goal of Service.

The Centenary Year hospital survey make clear the conti nuin g challenge facing u at St John Ophthalmic Ho pital in Jeru alem a we enter our econd century of en·ice. Your Hospital is moving forward to meet this future and it challenge,

AMBULANCES

from John Springer, Divisional Superintendent

May I add ome points on purchasing seco ndhand vehicles to the very carefu ll y worded warning on ambulances (Nov Review)

The meaning of the word ambulance may b e different for buyer and se ll er. The sel ler will supply a ve hicle with ambulance body and chassis, with rebuilt front end and reconditioned engine. There may not be a spare wheel; he bought it without one. There may be no s tre tc her gear; it could cost another £1000 for modern stretchers. Ask for a specificatio n of what is offered for the price.

I f you wan t radio, get if fitted before delivery. Then you save VAT on vehicle and radio. Spares can be expensi\ie. An exhaust fo r a pecialist ambulance Transit costs about £ 150, more than an ordinary Transit exhaust. Many other parts are non-standard.

Warranties can be difficult. You may h ave to driv e the vehicle a long journey to get warranty jobs done. There are no local d ea lers as there are for new vehicles.

Huddersfield John Springer

MORI POLL

from Mr A. P Lamb, Ambulance Member

The results of the poll show that it is high time that St John Ambulance gave serious consideration to both its ima ge and the functions it carries out throughout the country.

I think a lot of people are put off by the regimentation and rules and regulations wh ich seem extremely prevalent in the organisation. While nobody would argue h at rules and regulations are unnecessary , they do appear to be extreme in some circumstances for a voluntary organisation.

If we are to attract new members, which is all important for the future of the Brigade, I think several things must be done.

The first is to simp lify the administrative procedures and remov e from the organisation the militaristic lines upon which it is run. From my own experience, a number of senior officers with whom I have had dealings appear to consider themselves members of the armed forces and capable of fo r cing their will on lower members of the Brigade. While discipline is important, many volunteers must find this attitude unacceptable. Perhaps I have been unlucky in my dealings with senior officers.

The seco nd thing which is in urgent need of attention is the uniform. It is obviously necessary to wear some type of easily identifiable clothing so that the public can identify us, but the present ambulance members' uniform is far too easily confused with the police. This can sometimes lead to embarrassing situations, especially on evening duties in large cities, with someo ne who is intoxicated and in an abusive mood. The uniform is also impractical for administrating first aid. It look s smart for parades, but is difficult to keep clean and repair, and the si lver buttons can be a po s itive danger to anyone you are DEVELOPMENT OFFICER'S DIY KIT from Iva nom d'Plume

As Dev elopment Officer for the UK's premier county it has been brought to my attention that this appointment is not yet to be regarded as a standard requirement throughout the country, and indeed within some counties there is still some doubt as to what a County Development Officer really is - never mind whether they need one.

In order that development activities may be conducted on an economical trial basis, I would like to forward a diagram of a DIY Development Officer assembly kit for pos sible inclusion in future additions of St John Supply News, in the sa me manner in which is offered resuscitation manikins and equipment. Assembly is a simple matter - as indeed is the product itsel f. Maintenance is reasonable, consisting chiefly of keeping it well oiled and giving it occasional pats on the head.

Mark I models have been on the market for several years, but Mark 2 are now making their appearance. There is little essential difference between the two apart from there being more hair on the Mark 2 and less tendency for the unit to collapse or run amok.

Further details regarding this interesting offer may be obtained through the usual channels. Iva nom d'Plume Editor: I do not think it's his real name

treating. The cap is also liable to fall off or is so tight as to cau se a headache.

The image given is of an organisation ba ed on First World War ideas, hence its popularity with the public, who ultimately 'foot the bill', has declined drastically.

A lot is required to be done to ensure that new young members are attracted to the voluntary work we do. The Brigade cannot afford to sit back and wait for the 21st century before it has even reached the 20th.

Greenford, Middx A. P. Lalllb

from Anthony Thomas, County Staff Officer

In our efforts to make membership of the Brigade more attractive , we are all striving toward the same target. The divisions which thri ve, and even grow in strength, are those blessed wi th enthu ia li e, imaginative leaders and members, where intere ting trainin g programmes, social activities, good personal and communtily relations, and good equipment are all important factors receiving much thought and effort from the management team.

The vast majority of our new members are, at present, recruit ed as the result of some member 'spread ing he word' among friend and acquaintances. More national publicity and more attracl ive mal erial for local advertising are needed to stimu ate the interest of tho e our members do not meet.

I think that too much is being made of the argumenr againsl our so-called military ima ge We are , in uniform and ra nk, comparable to the c ivil services - police, fire and ambu lance. We do nol have lieute nants, captains, co lon e ls, etc. However, ome minor change s could save expense and be more practical.

Deaf ear. (See also "other cheek") Stiff ne=k (Through too frequent

Male headgear is neith e r the cheapest nor most practical for duty wear Would it not be bett er for all divisional ambulance personnel to wear, as sta ndard dress, a black beret? And allow stafr officers up to and includin g Grade II the of t.he beret for public.duty? (Yes, we do actually treat casualt ies to tIme, and, lIke all members, find th e peaked cap a nUisance, If not a danger to the victim.)

A further possible economy would be the change of officers' tunic to the same pattern a that for members. Not only is the individual ga rment c heaper, but promotion to officer rank wou ld not involve extra expense, and often avoid the waste of a littl e-used member's tunic. The change could be introduced to apply to all new appointees from a certain date, present ofricer- tyle tunic being replaced as wornout over a period or time by the 'member' tunic.

Surely our potential recruit s - those re spo nsibl e citizens who want to devote their leisure to a useful cause - reco g ni se that we need a readily-identifiable uniform, and that stars and crowns are merely a visib le sign of the degree of responsibility granted to and accepted by their wearer?

Oxford An/hony Thomas

ROME REUNION

from Mrs M Seymour Area Staff Officer

The No.2 St John team which had the honour of doing first aid duty in Rome, August 6 to 13 during the Holy Year, had a wonderful reunion at the St John Hou e Club, London, from February 3 to S.

It was so convenient having a central point for member s to stay from allover the counlry, and [ wonder why the club is not used more.

We had an excellent buffet on Saturday evening to su it all tastes, and very plea sa nt ervice from the manager Major Nicholls and his sta ff. Everyone brought photograph and memento s of their week in Rome (including tape or the broadcast made by members of the team), and the following ver came to mind with apologie to W. B. Yeats.

When you afe old alld and ru ll of \leep

And nodding by the rire, take do\\ n thi book

And rcad and dream II il h a look

In eye\ Ihat once had 5ccn Rome', ,hado\\', deep

Ho\\ many IOlcd yo ur monUmcnl\ of grace

And Illlcd Ihe beauI\ of Rome old or nl:\\

But one man 10led the rilgrim '>ou l In you

And 10led chi ld ren. mectin g fa cc 10 fncc

nd bending do\\ n be,ide Ihe glo\\ IIlg bar, lurlllur a lillie ,adh, ho\\ lillll' fled

But memories in books can 'Iill be rcad. nd lift I'our head and hear! to\\ard, the ,Iar\.

West Clae/o,;

OH DEAR

from Mr G. J Joyce

A Grand P ri 0 family, Area Staff Officer Mrs E lee n Wilkinson, with daughter Yvonne and son lan, both of Atherton Division

Gtr Manchester

Mary Seymour

What a heavy and humourle comment from the Director of Supplie to Mr Jane' s ugge ted u e of a cheap bag (Jan RevielV).

I have yel to have a complainl from a patient whatever I used to carry material s in, be it 100 , e in my pocket, in a pia tic carrier bag , or in a sop hi ticated recepticle of hi g h t ec hnolog y - and price. Indeed 10 me, and po ibl y some other, il appears that Mr Rockell " .doth protest too much There are belter ways of winning Customers than blud geo ning them! Greater Manchesfer

FOOTBALL CLUB DONATIONS

from Joy M. O'Neill , Area Staff Officer

60 cadets t30 boys) were enrolled by Robert Ollerenshaw, at a carol service at Manchester Cathedral. (L to R) Commissioner Robert Price , the Commander, Cty Supt Mrs Farmer Chairman of Cou nci Kathleen Ollerenshaw, and guest of honour Lady Westbury, Supt -i n-Chief Meet Shirley Rainford 17 (isn't she lovely?) who is in charge of cadets at Victoria Hall Quad Division winner of the Bolton Lions Youth Award mental handicapped volunta ry work

G. J. Joyce

I understand that Ihe Football A ocialion advise club on the amounl of donal ion that hould be given. It appears that the amount varie from nothing to between £6 to £10. I would be intere ted to hear from around the country the ort of donation received. If nece ary 1 feel thai Headquarters hould a k the FA to update their advice. lf personnel from Iw o to three divisions attended with their ambulances, the amo unt s I have quoted wi ll nO[ even cover Ihe petrol let alone any equipment used.

Why ca nnot clubs levy their ga te to t he tune of one pence per head? ThiS would be fair to both large and smal l clubs, and to St John Ambulance! Just imagine 40,000 gate - £400 donation.

I would also lik e to know how many clubs gi e adveni ing pace to SJA around the pitch? Havant

Joy O'Neill

NEWS froRl SCOTLAND

WITH MONEY raised from collec t ions and events durin g the year, the Strathkel vin St John Association have endowed a second bed at Huntershill Nursing Home near Stobhill, Glas g ow. A t a p leasant ceremony

Captain John Harley , MBE, OStJ , Chairman of the local Association, handed over a cheque for £1 , 000 to the matron at Huntershill, Mi s s Sheila Bett. As a token of appreciation to the Association the matron and staff of Huntershill have now offered accommodation to the committee to hold their business meetings in the hospital premises, a gesture warmly appreciat e d by the Association.

Elsewhere in Scotland the las t quarter of 1983 and the be ginnin g of 1984 has been a time when music has played an important part in the fund raising acti v ities of the several Associa t ions, with many young people showing an intere s t and becoming involved.

Naughton House Cupar, the home of

WALES

HONOURS

Trefo r I. Ree s , MBE

TREFOR JOINED the Brigade as a cadet and has served in many capa c itie s with different divisions before finall y bein g promoted to commissioner for midGlamorgan. He s a former superintendent in the South Wale s Con s tabulary and a pa s t chairman of A ge Concern, mid-Glamorgan and is tr e a s urer to the national bod y Age Concern in Wales. Trefor is also clerk to the Freemen and Town Trust o f Llantri sant, managing the a f fairs o f t he f orme r an c ient borou g h; and secretar y to the Llantrisant Chamber of Trade and Commerce. He is a past distric t governor of Rotary and hold s various office s in the Rotary mo v em e nt; he is past chairman of the Hospitallers Club of Wales in addition to being an off icer or member of various other cultural and historical societies in South Wale s His wife Peggy is a loyal support e r of Brigade activities and is also a member or officer of numerous voluntary organisations.

Tragically, their only son Richard was killed in a road accident 111 1975 .

Mrs Mary Davies, BEM

Mrs Mary Davies was given her award for her work with the Brigade in South Glamorgan from which she ha s just retired as county organiser. Mrs Davies is a Dame of the Order of St John and her late husband Richard was a Knight of the Order and a former commissioner for the Brigade in Cardiff.

Graham Munkley, HEM

Mr Munkley is a colliery overman at Penallta

and Mrs C

News from Divisions/Centres

FirstAid Training

MN1001

REVIEW CROSSWORD No. 4 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. They were a major naval power in the 16th century. (7.2.5).

8. Malignant disease of the white blood cells. (9). A strong beat of the heart produced by broth. (5) 11. Check a vital part of the brain. (4). 12. A prepared scheme from Lapland. (4). 13. From France follows a hundred in an old German city (5). IS. An ossicle of the middle ear. (5). 17. Morbid hardening of arteries and nerve tissue.

Ambu*

Presents the SAFE, EFFECTIVE, REALISTIC AMBU Simulator with Built in Hygiene ProtectionNo cross infection possible.

Please contact us at: Ambu International (UK) Ltd., Charlton Road , Midsomer Norton , Bath, BA3 4DR. Telephone 0761 416868 (9).20. A P.O. cruise provides in st rument for examinat ion of the ear (9). 23. Meditated abo u t the nine goddesses? (5). 24. Put o n e' fOOL down. (5). 26. Amphibian one may ha ve in t h e lhr oa t when hoar e. (4). 27 Part of the head lost when humil ia e d (4). 30. Be in Ea st Eleven Str eet. (5). 31. Arthropod class of the cen tipedes. (9). 32. Hormone producer. (9.5)

Down:

1. S t ronghold of th e Ho s pitallers in Cyprus now in possession of th e Order. (7.6). 2. Habituate for one's bene fi t in law. (5). 3. Restor e to health. (4).4 Medicinal plants. (7).5. Flattering und ergarmen t? (7) 6 Room at th e to p. (5).7. Meningiti s due to yeast infection from mi xt ure of torus oi ls. (9) 10. Founder of the Order of Hospitaller s. (7.6).14. Double ex is tence for chief Egyptian goddess. (4).16. A nic e st ar for mathematical co-ordinates. (9). 18. Trophy for a bleeding old s urgeon? (3). 19. Chink between voca l cor d s from primate. (4). 21. A person of rank. (7) 22. Condit ion of ce rvi x causing discharge and bleeding. (7). 25. Return three times a day to the sa me thing. (5). 28. A pleasan t stimul u s to t h e first cran a l n e rve. (5). 29. Bone with diaphy sis and two epip hy ses. (4)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.3 (84)

Across: 1. Pectus; 4 Up in arm s; 9. Yield s; 1 I Ba cte ria; 12. A' rm ; 14. Lea; 15. Nine; 16. Pal' lid 19. Note; 20. Qurn Hattin; 24. Ru g; 25. Dermatitis; 26 Ma' ss; 29. Amalfi; 31. Emma; 32 Ear; 35. Zip; 36. Impacted; 38. Stride; 39. Gangrene; 40. Posset.

Down: I. Ptyalin; 2. Cremaster; 3 Undine; 5. Peak; 6. Nut; 7. Rur a l; 8. Stand-in; 10. Ir e; 13. An'eurin; 17. A g'a' r; 18 Angiom a; 21. Ru t ; 22. Trapezius; 23. Ca lf 25. Drawing; 27. Serpent ; 28. Tattoo; 30. AS'pen; 33. Aid; 34 Lean; 37. Cu r.

Quick, neat and easy!

It's s o

= !IN:.,.. 50th ---....... -= '''''' f'liell s Ofth It/l), (/, e eathof ;"'8rie Cu 4th r'e '!... JUly

fOR THE WElfARE Of THOSE WITH CANCER

T h e Foundation provid es r es id e ntial care in e eve n llurs ing Il omes n a tionwid e domi c iliary night nursing, urgent welfare n ee ds in kind , co uns e lling for patients a nd th e ir f a mili es , and an e nqui ry bureau ; t oget h e r w ith act ive programm es of cancer res ea rch , and edu ca tion in the profess ona and la y fi e ld s.

Further information available on request from the Secretary, 28 Belgrave Square, LONDON SWlX8QG Tel:OI-2353325 AN INDEf Dt T CIIARITABLE FOU NDATIO S('P PORTED BY VO L UNTAR Y E DEAVOURReg l> lcre d o. 20 799 4

MENS & WOMENS

SECONDHAND POLICE UNIFORMS in as new condition TROUSERS £8.00 SKIRTS £8.00 TUNICS £ 1 0.00 GREATCOATS £15.00

GANNEX COATS £ 15.00 NEW WHITE SHIRTS £6.00 (with epaulettes and two front pockets) Ladies black uniform shoes (leather uppers) sizes 4 Y2 to 7. £8.00 BLACK COMMANDO PULLOVERS (with elbow & shoulder patches)

36" to 40 " chest £12.75 42" to 46" chest £13.75

MANY HUNDREDS ALREADY SUPPLIED TO THE BRIGADE

All callers

now in hospital, sick room and treatment room equipment

D Examination Couches

D Instrument Trolleys

D Instrument Cabinets

We are still the specialists in ambulance and emergency equipment, first aid and medical supplies, resuscitation and training aids.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND FREE BROCHURES, WRITE TO:

FW EQUIPMENT CO L TO. HANWORTH RD, LOW MOOR, BRADFORD BD 12 OSG 0274-601121

'ST JOHN REVIEW

Leicestershire St John Ambulance Fellowship:

Contact Miss Evelyn Boocock , 45, Evelyn Road, Leicester LE3 3BB

Sheffield Branch, S. & W. Yorks:

Contact Miss D. Needham, 86, Todwick Road, Sheffield, S. Yorkshire S8 ONR

Worcestershire Branch:

Contact Mr. K. H. Billingham, 80, Court Crescent, Kingwinford, West Midlands D Y6 9RL

Annual General Meeting at St John's Gate on Friday, May 18, 1984

Just to remind yo u of the programme:

2.15 pm - Service at the Priory Church

3.00 pm -=- Annual General Meeting in the Chapter Hall - Agenda below

4.00 pm - Tea, with tours of the M u seums, etc, for those who wish

Agenda

1 Apologies for absence.

2. Adoption of the Annual Report for 1983 / 84: Proposed by the Chairman, Seconded by the Vice Chairman.

3. Adoption 0 f the Central Accounts for 1983: Proposed b y the Treasurer, Seconded by the National Secretary.

4. Election of Branch Representatives to fill vacancies on the Cen t ral Committee Nom ina tions

Bucks: Mr Sidney Bunker, Proposed b y Rep. Amersham Branch, Seconded by Rep. Beaconsfield Branch. Lancs: Mr Jonathan Hall, Proposed by Colonel D Long, Seconded by Rep. Lanes (Preston Corps) Branch

5. Centra l Committee item

That Branches sho uld make an ann u al subscription of £5 towards the ce ntr a administration of the St John Fellowship Proposed by the C h ai rm an, Seconded by the National Treasurer.

6. Br a n ch items

a. That Fellowship ho lidays abroad should be organised on a nat10nal basis. Proposed by Rep. St John Guild, W. Hants Area.

b. That Bran ches should meet together for social and other events. Proposed b y R ep St John Gui ld W. Hants Area.

c T h at Fe llow s h ip headed notepaper sho uld be a ailable from Supplies Dept. Proposed by R ep. St John Guild, W. Hants Area.

d. That f uture Annual General Meetings should be held alternately in the North or Midlands, and the South. Proposed by Rep. Greater Manchester Branch.

7. The C hie f Commander.

8. Any Other Business.

MARATHONS AND ST JOHN (cont.)

the patients as they arrive at the stations (Cadets are very good at this) There should also be a booking in and out system so that one has some idea as to who is still in the system.

It is not practicable to take full particulars of runners receiving treatment and a record of the running numbers is adequate This does not entirely solve the identity problem because some swopping of numbers takes place thereby allowing unauthorised runners to participate. Other runners also take part with no numbers at all and in these cases the usual full details have to be recorded Medical record cards

In recent years St John members have been asked by the race medical adviser to complete medical record cards to aid further research. The information required is quite considerable and it has not been possible to do this satisfactorily. Some very abbreviated form will have to be found if we are able to make this an effective exercise Control

Close co-operation between the various authorities is essential. At the St John Control Centre there should be liaison officers from the police forces concerned and the ambulance service, with radio sets on their respective networks. Communication with the Control is better by telephone.

That

(troublesome)

First Aid at Work certificate

From the chairman oj the Review Board: I have had permission from the DirectorGeneral of St John Ambulance Association to publish the fonowing. It has been adapted from First Aid at Work - Information for Brigade Members, which is circulated to all St John members in Essex. It was prepared by the Commander of Essex, Dr Michael Weller, the County Director, Mr Joseph Bird, and the County Commissioner, Mr Charles Sparrow. It outlines and explains the FA W statutory legislation.

Despite much strong feeling about the law among the membership of St John Ambulance, it is the law and cannot be gainsaid.

Information on non-hospital casualties cannot be passed over the air when the race is in progress because of the numbers involved and the volume of air traffic. Two R I T channels are therefore necessary so that the ambulance movements can be monitored by the statutory ambulance service who have liaison officers at the designated hospitals.

Supplies

A large amount of equipment is necessary, particularly foot bowls, plasters, vaseline, beds and blankets (several hundreds). Even if the latter are provided there is a responsibility for cleaning them after the event which is labour intensive and quite expensi ve financially

Do not rely on the supplies promised by sponsors - they are interested primarily in the amount of publicity they can get for their products and will put them where the television cameras are - not necessarily where they are needed. This is specially the case in regard to thermal blankets which are usually distributed at the finish where the media are positioned They would have been more use at the intermediate stages. Every runner considers one of these to be an entitlement just as much as a medal!

All members should be warned that thermal blanket s prevent heat los s and therefore are dangerous in the hyperthermal stag e. Patients conveyed to hospital should

Why have the scheme?

Government has taken firm control of the teaching of first aid. The result, whether we find it comfortable or not, is a system of strict regulations That system has the force of law It is pol ice d by an independent Executive. Here we have the reasons why St Joh1). and .the other bodies providing first aid instruction have , since 1981, had to face a revolution in their lives, for that is what the FAW scheme is.

The changes made by the scheme

Not surprisingly, the FA W scheme has imposed on everybody a single standard of first aid training. The product of that universal training is the new FA W certificate. Backed by Act of Parliament, the new certificate is valid everywhere and fot all purposes In basic training, there is no higher qualification. Any lower qualification has now no practical value. Within the FA W field, it is the Executive which says what is good enough for statutory qualification. Nothing else counts

The choice for St John

Against that background of change, St John had to decide what standard it would operate for Brigade qualification in first aid. The present Brigade certificate was not acceptable to the Executive for FA W purposes. That is a fact, which we had to accept. Nevertheless, we could have continued our own certificate within the Brigade. We should have had to claim that our qualification was as good as

any other. Perhaps it was; but nobody

be covered with normal woollen blankets , What St John resources are required?

Personnel: This is a heavy commitment for St John - over 1,000 people (some 2S doctors and 65 nursing officers) and 60/70 vehicles, including support vehicles for stores, communications and feeding, Because it is a large and complex operation about 30070 of the members will not even come into contact with a patient. It does, however , afford a fine opportunity for co-operation between Counties in providing mutual support.

Briefing (General)

A prior briefing' is necessary but, as organisers are usually changing things up to the last moment, this is best carried out four or five days beforehand, down to Station Commander level

Briefing (Medical)

Medical notes supplied by the Race Medical Adviser are issued to all Brigade Surgeons, Nursing Officers and Station Commanders, Finance

This is an expensive operation for St John , even if only measured in terms of expendable stores and petrol, and negotiations prior to the event must include some understandin g on this issue. It is too late afterwards as the items have to be budgeted for.

A recent evaluation of the cost per outpatient seen at a N.H.S. hospital quoted a

outside St John would hav e believed us. The FA W scheme does not accept it and all industrial instruction of the public by St John has to be for the new statutory certificate.

So our Association has to teach and qualify on that ce rtifica te alone. Whatever the official decision, more and more Brigad e 'members would have acquired the FA W certificate. At the end of the day , it was quite clear that we could never justify the use , as preparation for public duties, of a certifica te that was unacceptable for instruction of the public and for the practice of first aid in the workplace.

The decision by St John

Inevitably, the statutory certificate has been accepted and adopted by St John as the common qualification for its first aid training, Brigade and Association, Brigad e members and public alike. That decision was made binding in 1982. The new system will be in full force for the Brigade on Januar y 1 1985. There is now little enough time left for the necessary action.

Your queries answered

This statement has been prepared after full consultation and with the approval of the Director-General. Its first purpose has been to explain the background and implications of the FA W scheme. Its other purpose is to meet and remove the understandable worries of Brigade members That will be done by answering the following prime question s.

Who runs the new training?

The Executive gives, to each organisation

figure of £20 + each. The to the community, made by St John, JO treatmg SO many casualties at the scene is evident.

Press statements

The Race authorities (in the person of the medical adviser) usually want to issue any press statements. It is tactful therefore to confine any comment by us to (a) the numbers treated and (b) t h e personnel engage d Sensitive issues can arise and it is important tMt St John be seen to be impartial.

Concl usion

There is no doubt that marathons are here to stay and there will be an increase in t he demand for our services. T he comments in this article are made in the light of experience gained over several years in an urban environment. They may well need a lteratIOn where different circumstances apply.

First Aid and Casualty Management

- advice given for the 1983 London Marathon

RUNNING 26 miles 385 yards on roads puts a severe stress on muscles, joints, the skin of the feet and anyw here that can be chaffed.

, There can be marked lo ss of fluids in insensible loss, from respiration, into muscles

running first aid instruction, one licence only. The St John licence has been placed with the Association, our teaching arm. The Association is responsible to the Executive for all FA W training by St John.

How are training courses provided?

The scheme requires: (a) registration of premises, (b) training of instructors and (c) appointment of examiners The Association has been busy training the new instructors. Designation of premises and nomination of doctors as examiners are now in the hands of Commissioners, to whom the Association has offered every assistance. 1t has to be borne well in mind that premises, instruction and examination have all to stand scrutiny by the Executive. St John can only operate to the standards demanded by the Executive. The Association has to apply those standards.

How are courses to be registered?

Divisional and class secretaries register FA W courses direct with County Directors, All Brigade officers concerned with FA W COurses will have available to them 'Course Guidance Notes'. This deals with such matters as registration procedure, types of CO urse, examination procedure and duties of COurse secretaries Incidentally, it is not possible to approach t he Executive itself. All FA W procedure mu st go through the County Directors.

What have Brigade members to do?

All Brigade members are required to have a full FAW qualification by the end of 1984. The basic method of qualification under the scheme is a 4-day course. But Brigade

as oedema, as well as obvious sweat. Muscle sto res of glycogen can be tota lly d epleted. The effects of these stresses an d failure of normal homeostati c mechanisms can give ri se to the following conditions. These are more likely to occur in in experienced runners, of which there are likely to be a large proportion in t he London Marathon.

Muscle cramps

Probably the commonest disabling condition, Arises from fatigue and dehydration. Occurs in both hypothermia and hyperthermia Extend the adjoining joint to stretch the affected muscle, often achieved by helping the runn er to stand up. Helped by rehydration (more important than sa lt) and warmth if cold. Runner may be able to continue after an attack but jf cold and wet should be warned of the risks of hypothermia.

Hypothermia or exposure

Most likely on a cold wet day in poorly clad runners but can occur with cold alone. Occurs in slow ly moving runners who are not generating enough heat to maintain body temperature , especially those who started too fast and became exhausted. They feel cold, suffer muscle cramps, look cyanosed and have low oral and rectal temperatures

Axillary temperature is of no value. In severe cases they will be mentally confused and hypotensive. Diagnosis is based on a low

members who acquired a St John Adult Certificate before July 1 1982 enjoy:! special exemption. Until it expires, such a certificate counts as a FA W qualification; and, for conversion to a normal FA W certificate, members need take only a 1 or 2 day course. Strenuous efforts are being made by our National Headquarters to get these terms extended to adult members and cadets who qualified with the Brigade certificate between July 1 1982 and December 31 1984. A favourable decision by the Executive is hoped for but cannot be guaranteed.

Can members wait until 1985?

Nobody can simply wait until 1985. Any member with a Brigade qualification of preJuly 1982 date must take the appropriate conversion course before the expiration of his certificate. It is basic to the FA W scheme that requalification must be secured before the current certificate runs out; and, for this purpose, every FA W qualifica t ion has a precise date (ie, year, month and day).

Failure to requalify in time will put the member in the position of an unqualified person. Any member who is must take a 4-day co urse before January 1 1985 . So every member of the Brigade must carefu lly check his or her own position and act in the appropriate way. Divisional Superintendents must guide and help their members to full qualification under the FAW scheme.

What does it cost a member?

The financial cost per member need be no more than £1 every three years. That is the cost of registration, upon original

( 36 °C) rectal temperature. Place runner in warm surroundings in dry clothing and blankets and give warm drinks. Wet clothing must be removed.

Hypovolaemic collapse

Marathon runners can lose severa l Iitres of extracellular fluid resulting in dramatic hypotension when they stop running, leading in some ca ses to syncope. The pulse will feel weak and may be imperceptible at the wrist (feel carotid) the runner will feel faint and dizzy and may vomit. Blood pressure is very low but is conserved by peripheral vasocon striction (causing cyanosis) and secondary collapse can occur 20 to 30 minutes after finishing when this vasoconstriction turns to vasodilatation, if blood volume has not expanded sufficiently in the meantime. The worst cases are those in whom there is gastroin testinal loss of fluid from vomiting or diarrhoea in addition [0 loss from sweat. The simple case is self limiting and responds well to rest and oral rehydration with the legs elevated for 30 minutes or so. Intravenous rehydration is indicated if there is continuing fluid loss from per s istent vomiting or diarrhoea, mental confusion or obvious deterioration, or hyperthermia.

Hyperthermia, Heat Stroke, Heat Collapse Although commoner on hot humid days continued overleaf

qualification , and renewal every three years thereafter. A textbook is necessary but individual purchase is not essential. Divisional Superintendents will provide for this need on a Divisional basis and they will have the benefit of an arrangement under which the Association has donated copies of the textbook for 'lending library' use A member who wishes to ha ve his own copy may buy one at £1.50, The cost of qualification in member's time should normally be, as explained above, one or two days. That requirement may be satisfied by the equivalent in evening training. Four evening classes of two hours each are suggested as the eq ui valent of a course day. The one or two days course will secure conversion before 1985 of a valid Brigade qualification and renewal of a FA W certificate every three years.

Is the FA W scheme good or bad news? Without doubt , the scheme is good news for St John. The reasons are these:-

(1) Standards of first aid training achieved by instructors and class members have unquestionably risen.

(2) The new first aid qualification will last for three years at a time.

(3) The FA W scheme will create a large pool of people in the community who have acquired a serious interest in first aid.

(4) Many other authorities are now qualifying people to FA W standard and these will be eligible as recruits to St John with basic training already completed.

First Aid and casualty management (cont.)

these can occur even in temperate conditions if homeostatic mechanisms break down (dehydration, toxins, drugs). Marathon runners elevate their core temperature as they have to dissipate a large amount of heat. This core temperature normally drops rapidly at the end of the race but occasionally may rise higher and be accompanied by cramps and mental confusion. Paradoxically skin temperature may be cool and the skin dry.

Profuse sweating with severe muscle cramps are also possible.

Every confused or collapsed runner with signs of peripheral circulatory collapse must have a rectal temperature recorded. If it is over 40°C and does not fall rapidly start tepid spongeing, if practical give intravenous fluids, and arrange rapid transfer to hospital.

Hypoglycaemia

Presents as mental confusion, pos si bly aggression, sweating and tremor. Should respond rapidly to an electrolyte glucose drink or food (confectionery).

General caveat

Runners are independent minded and may resent being treated as casualties. They may wish to dress their own blisters or tell you how to do it. Please be patient with them. If they insist on continuing make sure they understand that they must be able to reach the next aid station, or if it is cold and wet, the next underground station (they get free transport). If they are obviously confused and disorientated get a medical officer to convince them that they should not continue.

Caveat medical

Marathon running produces profound electrolyte fluxes and release of intracellular enzymes. Electrocardiogram and serum enzyme results may suggest myocardial damage, urine may contain blood, protein, sugar, haemoglobin and myoglobin, all as a result of the stresses of marathon running.

Marathon runners have been admitted to hospital and kept as inpatients on the basis of these findings which may not indicate disease under these circumstances.

DURING THE course of a tour in West Africa this winter I paid an official visit to St. John Ambulance in Ghana and, although for reasons which will become clear, I saw little of St. John Ambulance I was able to see and experience at first hand what life is like in that country today.

Medical Advice (for runners)

IF YOU have any real medical problems you should discuss these with your General Practitioner. This advice is to supplement anything he might say. If you have ANY medical problem that may make it hazardous for you to take part in the marathon do get your GP's advice.

Training

Musculoskeletal problems most frequently occur after a sudden increase in training. This should increase gradually and not leave you totally exhausted. If by early April you cannot run 15 miles without undue distress you should not, repeat not, run in the London marathon . If you have 'flu, a feverish cold or a ' tummy bug' DO NOT TRAIN until you feel fully recovered. Then start gently and build up gradually. Do not .try to catch up on 'lost mileage (Severe exertion during a viral infection can lead to fatal damage to the heart). Train on soft surfaces (parks, footpaths, etc) when you can

Diet

Eat what suits you. You may want to eat more carbohydrate (bread, potatoes, pas ta, cereals and sweet things). If you want to try carbohydrate (glycogen) loading for the marathon, give it a trial beforehand. It does not suit everyone and may make your muscles very heavy and unresponsive on the day. ,supplementary vitamins, minerals and iron not essential if you have a balanced diet; but, with the winter-time lack of fresh fruit and vegetables, additional vitamin C in small doses is reasonable. NO benefit has been shown for large doses of any vitamin, iron, potassium or sodium supplements for athletes on a good mixed diet.

Fluids

It is essential to replace fluids lost in sweat. If this is not done the body becomes less efficient from dehydration. Drink plenty of fluid and remember that alcohol is dehydrating. A pint of beer makes you pass more than a pint of urine, so if you are having alcoholic refreshment drink plenty of water or soft drinks as well. This is

particularly important before the race. Some of the casualties in the 1981 London marathon spent the evening before in a pub. They started the marathon severely dehydrated as a result.

Clothing

When training in the dark BE SEEN. Wear reflective clothing or add reflective strips or bandoliers (sport, bicycle and motor bicycle shops). Wear comfortable clothing. Cotton and wool are kinder to the skin than artificial fibres. Find shoes that stay comfortable for prolonged periods of running and use a familiar pair on the day - NOT A NEW PAIR.

On the day

If you feel unwell immediately beforehand DO NOT RUN. Most medical emergencies at marathon races are in runners who were ill before the start but did not want to mi ss it. There are other marathons! If you are feverish, have been vomiting or had severe diarrhoea or chest pain s, or feel otherwise unwell, it is unfair to yourself, your family ,and the marathon support staff to risk becoming a medical emergency.

WEAR appropriate clothing for the weather conditions. You may feel warm when you are running well but on a cold day you can become cold very quickly when you slow down or walk. At the finish GET INTO warm dry clothing as soon as you can. When you are tired and elated at the finish you can become cold very quickly. I f the race day is hot, wear loose mesh clothing and start slowly.

DO DRINK en route even if you are not sweating much as you lose water in your breath and from 'insensible loss' even on a cold day. If you keep yourse l f well hydrated you will feel much better at the finish and are less likely to get cramp There will be medical aid posts on the route and at the finish, but if you follow this simple advice and train sensibly it is most unlikely that you will need us

IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL PROBLEM which might give rise to an emergency (eg epilepsy) put a cross on the front of your running numb er (well away from the Bar Code) and write the de tai ls, including any medication that you are having, on the back of your running number.

Dr Dan Tunstall Pedoe, FRCP DPhil

The situation there is best described in two words: 'economic shambles', and, although in a short visit it was not possible for me to see or experience all that this means , the following examples may help to illu strate the conditions under which people are living in Ghana:

Devaluation. During the old days of the 'Empire' the rate of exchange was roughly one Cedi to the Pound In 1979 when the present Lord Prior visited Ghana it was ju st over five Cedis to the Pound. Now it is just under 45 Cedis to the Pound. Salaries average 300 Cedis a week, senior officials getting about 1,200, and this low salary has inevitably meant that many top administrators have lef t to work elsewhere, leaving behind the le ss competent in their

MUSEUM OPENS

HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, the Brigade's Commandant-in-Chief for Wales, opened the new St John Ambulance museum at St John's Gate on Wednesday March 14. The Duchess was received by the Mayor of Islington, Cllr Pat Haynes, and the Lord Prior of the Order, Sir Maurice Dorman, and shown around the mu seu m by the Librarian Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith.

The museum is now open to the public on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from lOam to 6pm, and on the sa me days conducted tours of St John's Gate and the Grand Priory Church and Crypt take place at l1am and 2.30pm. Large parties are asked to book in advance, please (tel. 01 253-6644 ext 35).

place s, a course not calculated to add to the speed at which the country is likely to recover.

Cost of Living. For a Ghanaian this is astronomical, and I never did discover how they manage to live at all. Virtually everything which we would regard a s necessary or commonplace is unobtainable, and I went into two huge Government-run supermarket s both of which consisted or comp letel y empty shelves. A third had a few bag s of peanuts and some odd single shoes se lling at 550 Cedis per shoe! Fruit and vegetables, and occasionally fish, is obtainable from stores in the streets and from markets, but meat is difficult to get.

continued on page 115

Dr Dan Tun stall Pedoe, FRCP, DPhil Medical Director London Marathon

(Left) Medical attention from a SJA surgeon. (Right) Nursing members get to work on a new arrival

The Duche ss says Hello' to the Order Librarian. Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith 8el ow) An exh bit A lesson in bandaging by Dr Cruikshank for a class at Wapping in 1880.

13 WINS!

I hear that Folkestone nursing cadets won the Princess Andrew Cup, awarded annually to the best all round nursing cadet division in Kent, at the recent county competitions for the 13th timel And they've won it for the last seven years consecutively! Fittingly, this yea r is the division 's 50th birthday.

Only three other divisions have held the trophy, which was first presented in 1947, more than twice, the next highest holder being six times.

The trophy, apparently it 's enormous, was given by Princess Andrew Romanoff , whose last husband (he died in 1981) Prince Andrew Alexandrovitch of Russia was grandson of Tsar Alexander III and nephew of Tsar Nicholas II , and cousin of King Geor.ge V. LOOKING AHEAD

7 May: Bank Holiday. HQ closed.

8 May: HRH The Princess Anne visits t he Avon St John Exhibition, Weston Super Mare.

13 May: London Marathon Run.

18 May: 2.15 pm St John Fellowship Ser vice in the Priory Church, Clerkenwell, followed b y AGM in Chapter Hall at 3 pm.

19 May: Cup F inal, Wembley.

20 May: National Road Passenger Transport FA Competitions, Beach Ballroom Aberdeen.

24 May: 7 pm HRH The Grand Prior attends 'The Pyjama Game' Chis wick Town Hall, in aid of St JA

28 May: Bank Holida y. HQ closed.

SJA MAGAZINES

It's interesting to see that St ] ohn generally throughout the world is producing more and more newsletters and magazines Which all goes to help with communications, of course, and tying everyone together. The latest magazine which I've received is Outback Ambulance , the official journal of St John Ambulance in Australia's Northern Territory. The first issue appeared in December 1983 and it's going to appear twice yearly for a start. General Manager is Colin Burden, working with PRO Theresa Scanlon. The first 40-page issue is full of good, local SJA news and articles, especially

The C-in-C , Major-Gen Sir John Younger (l eft) receives a £ 1000 cheque for Brigade training from the chairman of Pri v ate Pat ients Plan, Mr J. F. Phillips about radio networks, which are so important in this sparsely inhabited area. Best of luck, Outback.

DECENT EXPOSURE

The Committee of the Friends of St John Ambulance for Nottinghamshire is only two years old, new enough not to be bia sed about the ways of the Order and the Brigade. One point on which we feel very strongly is that St John is too reticent about ts activities, and too prone to exhibit a maiden-like modesty about them In short, it is undere xposed to the public aQd its achievements only too often go unremarked

So to try to help remedy this we applied to Nottingham's main s hopping precinct, The Victoria Centre, for permi ssion to stage a week-long display and demonstrat ions. Having ob ained consent, I invited the Brigade to participate. They eagerly agreed and t he City Area Commissioner Fred Shaw undertook to provide static displays and

uniformed adults and cadets from the City and Southern Areas to give demonstration s. I applied to the Centre for half-term week for two reasons , First, cadets would be free from school; and second, crowds would be larger, swollen by parents w ith children. We had to comply with several standard conditions imposed by the Centre, Unfortunately, one of these was that we could not co ll ect donations by shaking money boxes But we were able to stand collecting bo xes on the display table and around the demonstrations, and despite the restrictions the boxes yielded some £ 160 for the week.

But fund-raising was not intended as the prime objective of t he exercise. The main purpose was public relations, informatio n, arousal of public interest and, hop efully, recruitment. The demonstrations drew lar ge, interested, questioning crowds and the results exceeded our most optimistic expectation s.

We received over 130 firm enquiries, taking

STAFFS

POLICE TOPS

A delighted Staffordsh ire Police team which won the Police National Firs Aid competitions

THE EDITOR

names and addresses, Commissioner Shaw immediately followed up all the enquiries with a letter and has instructed each Division to report back on the final results so that they can be properly evaluated. To our surpr se, we found that a few enquirers had visited thei r local classes that same week. A further bonus was t h at we received requests for first ai d cl asses, one from a group of stu dent s who are going on a Himalayan expedition later this year.

We have been encouraged enough to repeat the exe rci se ne xt year, aJ though not necessarily in the same sho pping centre.

Eileen Torz, Chairman oj Friends oj 51 John in Nottin g hamshire

Footnote

Shopping centres must surely be admirable recruiting places. This exercise proved very success ful and is the sort of thin g that sho uld be a 'must' for all Counties a nd A reas which have covered s h opping ce ntr es (and where hasn t these day s?) where members can demonstrate a nd talk about St John in relative comfort both for themselve s and the ir audience.

Tell the people why we joined St John and continue to uphold it s traditions.

W F. Shaw, Area Commiss ioner

GUERNSEY

A recent eveni n g at Government House in Guernsey was set aside exclusively for the County HQ s

GREATER MANCHESTER

decisive winning score was 13 % points ahead of the Metropolit an Police in second plac e. Glos Po lice were third

At the AGM of Rochdale Centre on March I, the Centre Secretary John Thornhill announced his retirement.

(Above) A week long display in a Non ingham shopping cen tre organised by the Friends of St John Committee (See DECENT EXPOSURE)

(R ight) Central Hampshire's Eastleigh SJ Friendship Club as with th e new SJ Fellowship branches which are springing up throughout the country, comprises 50 very active retired members wo rking for lo cal divisions. Started by ret ired div -s upt Mrs B Hargrave here members are winning the carnival rose bowl for the 4th year

(Righ t) Retiring Ro chdale Centr e Secretary John Thornhill (cen tre right) receives cheque from Chief Supt Douglas Ri chardson

Mr Thornhill, an Officer of the Order, who was made a Member of the British Empire in the 1984 New Year's Honours for hi s work with St John, is t he lon gest serving Centre Secretary in Britain, h aving held the post since 1952.

Mr Thornhill joined the Brigade as an ambulance member in 1936 and served continually si n ce, with t h e exception of war se rvice with the RAMC in Africa and

Europe, retiring as a corps staff officer at Ro c hdal e.

At the AGM the head of Rochdale Police, Chief Supt Douglas Richardson who is the Centre President, praised Mr Thornhill for h is dedicated and untiring efforts on behalf of St John and his expertise in handling the Centre's bu iness so efficiently He then presented Mr Thornhill with a c heque to mark hi retirement. R.E.P

DORSET

(

presentation of St John awards. Three Meritorious Service certificates, an admission to the Order, and five Grand Prior awards were presented by Guernsey's LieutenantGo ve rnor , Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Ie Cheminant.

The three Meritorious Service certificates went to members of the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service for their part in a cliff rescue last September. The rescue of a casualty who had fallen 80 feet down a cliff involved the three members, Sgt. Tom Reynolds and Tra nsport Members Neil Tucker and Geoffrey Blampied, in a race against the t ide. Working in a gully, at times with the surging sea water up to their chests, they managed to secure the casualty in a mountain rescue stretcher for his safe evacuation to the t op of the- cliff. (Review cover photo Dec 83)

Pam Bartlett received her certificate as a Serving Sister after being in the Brigade for 27 years. She has worked in all spheres of St John activity, from competitions to camping and fund-raising, and currently is superintendent of the largest cadet division in Guernsey

Receiving their Grand Prior awards from the Lt -Governor were Lynnette Symons, Martine Winter flood , Kathryn Norman, Alison Garnham and Helen Bartlett.

After presenting the awards, Sir Peter congratulated the recipients, announcing to the gathered guests: 'St John Ambulance is something of which our island can be very proud indeed'

A total of 32 nursing cadets were enrolled in divisi.ons in Guernsey during January. Eleven of these were in the Rohais Nursing Cadet division, pictured below.

The new recruits were enrolled by Bailiwick Commander Mr Harold To u zea u

before be ing welcomed into the fa mily of St John. The Rev R. Nelson, reminding th e cadets of the Christian v irtues, said that th e greatest of these virtues was the giving of one's life for one's fellow man, and he told them: 'You have now promised to spend your life serving mankind'.

A number of trophies and cups were waiting to be presented, and referring to these, the Rev. Nelson said they were token of experience and expertise, but the real tokens of the cadets' service were people walking around restored to goo d health for anyone of them could be the vital link in the chain which restored someone to full health.

Following the enrolment the presentation s were made, including an award to Kim Wilkinson for performing over 1600 hour s of voluntary service since becoming a cadel. Neil R. Tucker, PRO

BOOK

Reader Brian Phillipo, of Site 39, Comp 48 , RR 2, Winfield, B.C., Canada - sounds li ke a POW address, doe s n't it? - is de sperately trying to beg, borrow or buy a copy of Sir Harry Luke's book The Knights of St John in the British Realm. That is his address, if you can h elp.

75 TODAY

Co Durham's Murton Quad Division, whi ch is celebrating i ts 75th anniversary this year with many events, paraded through Murton with the local colliery band to a service of re-dedi cation, which was attended by County President Lady Barnard, County Commander Dr A Burns, and Area Commissioner T. Hope, on April 1.

APRIL REVIEW

We very much regret that a combination of ne w machinery (and teething troubles) at our printers, plus a 24-hour lo ca l posta l strike, meant that th e April ss ue was late in delivery. OUf apologies

(Top) Guernsey SJA award winners at Government Hou se. And (below) , some of the enrolled 32 nursing cadets, 11 of whom were from Roh a s Division. (Photos: Guernsey Pr ess)

Junior Games

THE METROPOLITAN Rail way Company opened its line in January 1863. It ran for a distance of almost 4 miles from Paddington to Farringdon Street. The tunnel was formed by cutting a giant trench which was then roofed over. This is known as the 'cut and cover' method and was used to make part of the Heathrow extension to the London Underground. The first real tube railway came 27 years later. Here are some games which you could try with your cadets based on the Underground system.

1. On arrival at your Headquarters each cadet is given a ticket with a station written on it, and with Underground maps on display ask cadets to find their stations and which lines the stations are on.

2. Compass Race: Before using the Underground it is a great ad v antage to know the compass points as the platforms are signposted Westbound, Northbound and so on. Thus, cadets in a circle numbered 1 to 4 all round. In the centre chalk a circle with an arrow marking North. The leader calls a compass point and a number, cadets of that number run around the circle in a clock-wise direction, back through their own gap and into the chalk circle to face in the correct direction.

3. Underground Jigsaw: This is a group activity, small groups of six would be ideal. You will need a postcard size map of the London Underground for each group, which you cut-up to form a jigsaw puzzle to see which group solves their puzzle first.

4. Automatic Gates: Many stations have automatic gates which open to let you through when you put your ticket into a slot. Therefore, two cadets are blindfolded and sit on chairs facing each other (not too far apart), holding rolled up newspapers. The other cadets have to creep up one at a time, deposit their ticket into a box, just before the gate, and try to pass between the two seated cadets without being hit with the newspapers (don't make the rolls too hard).

5. Escalators: When escalators were first installed at Earls Court Station in 1911 a man named Bumper Harris, who had a wooden leg, was employed to go up and down them all day to show how easy and safe they were. Therefore, you can playa game of Escalator Travel (passengers stand on the right and walk on the left). A special group of cadets form into teams in relay formation, the last cadet runs up the side of his team (left side of course), touches the end wall and runs back down the team and to his place The cadet in front of him then runs up and down round the last cadet, back to his place and so on until all have run.

6. On The Right Lines: Each of the nine lines that make up the Underground is marked on the map in a different colour, Bakerloo-brown, Metropolitan-purple, Central-ted, Northern-black, Circle-yellow, Piccadilly -dark blue , District-green, Victorialight blue, Jubilee-grey. Give cadets a chance to look at the map and try to remember which line is which colour. Then in groups of six, line up in relay formation and number them off. Some distance away on the floor are 18 cards., nine with the names of Underground lines and nine the colours. The Leader calls out either the name of the line, or colour and a number. Cadets have to run up, select the correct card and take it to the Right

Help wanted

Frank Phillips, superintendent of Amesbury Quadrilateral Division, has written asking for help. His cadets are training for competitions and would like a variety of test papers to use for practice. If you can help, please send to Frank at 49 Randalls Croft Road, Wilton, Salisbury SP2 OEX.

Leader

7. The Rush Hour: Equipment needed: newspapers with pages out of order, two rows of chairs set out facing each other. One team sits in each row with the other teams strap-hanging down the centre_ Seated teams each have a newspaper. When the signal to go is given they have to arrange the pages in the correct order. Change places and see which team finishes in the shortest time. The less space you give them in which to work, the more fun it is

8. Resource Material: Free London Transport maps and leaflets are available from The Public Rela tio ns Officer, London Transport, 55 Broadway, London SWI OBD.

Talks

To vary the activities of yo ur cadet divisional meetings why not ask along representatives from some of the following organisations or occupations: dentist , optician, hea vy-goods vehicle driver district nurse, chemist, customs inspector, somebody from the Met office, the RNLI, the police accident prevention unit, a crime prevention officer, somebody from the Guide Dogs for the blind Institute.

Visits

Why not try arranging a visit for your cadets to a local place of interest? Perhaps some of these might be of use: local or national new spaper s, River Police, a power station or water works, a local theatre, local factories, fire or police stations, a cinema projection room, a ship in a dockyard, a large rail yard, an archery club, RSPCA or PDSA clinic and

JUNIOR COMPETITION

A competition for juniors was held at the · Deeside SJA Headquarters in Clwyd on March 24. Based on the third year first grade syllabus, it was in three sections: First Aid; General Knowledge and Knowledge of the Order; and Road and Home Safety.

The results were: First, Tracey Jones, Ruthin Division; second, Carole MacNab, Ruthin Division,' third, Donna Edwards, Wrexham Division.

The prizes were presented by the Commissioner for Clwyd, Major D. J. Griffiths, and the competition was organised by Area Commissioner T. Bilsborough.

what about an RAF or army base? Why not try to arrange to meet your MP at the House of Commons? When visiting London you could attempt to see The Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London, or indeed , go to Wembley Stadium which has a very good guided tour at reasonable cost.

Map Reading

Here are some training ideas which might be of use when working on map reading with your cadets. Issue maps, etc, to the ca dets, then drop them 5 miles from the point they must make for. First they must find out where they have been left, then plan t he route.

Follow a stream from its start in the hills and follow it until it reaches the main river or sea; or follow the route of a disused railway,

Next time you consider holding an overnight hike, why not arrange to sleep in a farmer's barn overnight for a change?

Organise a night hike in your local area. Cadets will be surprised how things look at night.

Ask ca dets to plan a hike, travelling by bridle ways, foot paths, etc. They could lose points for crossing roads or gain a point for every church passed. For example, give cadets start and finish points and the route must not take more than say seven miles.

The Great Race

Choose a finishing point, then drop your teams of three cadets in a circle 8 miles from this point, so each team travels in a different direction All teams start at the same time and points can be given for how quickly they reach the finish. Also each team co uld be given three tasks to undertake on the route· for example, collecting phone numbers of call boxes they pass.

LEEDS AREA

Obviously for all these activities it is !mportant that before the cadets take part

In they are properly trained in map readmg, are well equipped, properly clothed and all safety precaution s nece ssa ry have been taken.

Book· news

A number of excellent books have recently Come to my attention and I recommend them to for use in training in your divisions_ !he fIrSt of these is the 'Knot Book ', which IS a paperback with drawings and

instructions to tie more than 100 knots, including six which have never appeared in print before. The author, Geoffrey Budworth, started his hobby of knots when he was a scout in the 1940s. He recently helped to found the International Guild of Knot Tiers of which he is the secretary and the editor of the newsletter. At only 85 pence, this book is a gold-mine of information.

Another good book which could be used to help cadets learn their traffic s ign s is 'Know Your Traffic Signs'. Each of the signs currently in use on our roads is shown in colour along with an explanation of its use

The book is publi s hed by the Department of Transport and is available at 75 pence. For cadets involved in expedition training a u se ful book is 'How To Survive' by Brian Hilldreth. It is a guide to survival techniques, bivouacking, catching food, finding water and shelter, and other essential tips to staying alive. Plenty of diagram s and good commonsense are scatte red throughout the 192 pages. The book is publish ed by Puffin Books at 95 pence.

v X S P1 L

5 5 u P A p, u e N

CADET p E \ G H

0 0 G A C, WORD A R !'If'.. G A

Z U F " £ SEARCH I q E- N \ A l E A 0 B p \" \ l) by A l e G E Waterfield .0 Jl 0 0 Lutterworth Quad Division f A u G n

FIND the missing r R A E I words from the J V P P L following 25 C A M L LJ se n te nce s in the grid of letters. They read, E E W R 1" correctl y or as R I G 5 B anagra ms (letters muddled up) V J u T , vertica ll y, horizontally, or A Q E E () diagonally. See how V I 0 R 5 many you can find. A (j I F R Answers (don't cheat) I N 5 P E are on page 11 7

1. You are as J. c . 2 is caused by dry heal.

3. You hopefully can do f. a 4 An a is a motor vehicle

5. A d is found in a chemist shop.

6 is a vital part in the treatment of burns

7. You r is in case you have no uniform wh ile on duty.

8. E la s op ast make p 9. As is in charge of a Division.

10. The is the highest badge for cade ts 11 s a form of commu nic atio n

12. Pr incess is CommandaOl-in-Chief of Cadets.

Cover-Up

Following the success of the Science Museum's Great Cover-Up Show, which clo se d last Easter, a new permanent gallery called 'Clothes For The Job' opened to the pu blic in Decembe r 1983. Among the garments on display are Sir Randolph Fiennes' Trans-Globe Expedition arctic suit, Trevor Brooking's football boots, and a sp ace suit. There are also video and slide s how s and push-button demonstrations. A book let about the history of protective clothing entitled 'Covering-Up' is available for 80p. This exhibition, at London's Science Museum, is well worth a visit.

Contributions

If you have an idea that you would like to share wit h other Cadet Divisions, write to me a t the address below. I also always look forward to receiving letters from cadets telling me about what they have been doing in their Divisions and will send a Cadet Chat Badge to all those who do contribute. The address to write tb is: Jim, 3 Brandreth Road Beckton, London E6 4QB.

U R '5 T

ORDER I NVESTITU RE

by the Lord Prior, London, March 22

Derek Clark, of Bishops Stortford a member of the St John Aeromedical Services is invested as Commander by the Lord Prior Sir Maurice Dorman

Mrs Vida Crofts of Felixstowe, retired Association Secretary and Area Nursing Officer in Berks then Suffolk becomes an Officer of the Order

CHAPLAIN

The R ight Reverend John Waine (Ip swi c h , Suf olk

COMMANDER

Derek H enry Clark, BDS, LOS, RCS CA v M e d AMRaes (Herts)

John English. QPM (Tyne & Wear)

Surgeon Vice-Admiral Sir John Alb e rt Be w Harrison, KBE, QHP (Hant s) Sir George Walter Robert Terry, CBE , QPM E as Sussex)

OFFICER

Michael John Aker s (Es ex)

Raymond William Brotherwood , MB , BS LR CP, MRCS, MRCGP DObst , RCOG (S u rre y )

Bruce McGillvray Coltman (N e wc a s tl e o n T y n e)

Vida Margaret, Mrs Croft s (Suffolk)

John Edwin Crow (York s)

Thomas Curtis, MA, LLB (Surrey)

Surgeon Captain John Brian Drinkw at er FR CS, RN (Hants)

Robert William Eason MD MB C hB FR CP, MRCGP (Cheshire)

Raymond Franci s (O x on)

Kathleen Mary , Mi ss Harding M 0 BS. LR C P MRCS, DPH (Suffolk)

Har old Hanley (Cumbria)

Doreen Elizabeth, Mr Leek (Su ffolk)

Paula Frederica, Dr Lee s (Glouce s ter )

Surgeon Captain Noe P. Littlefield, VRD, BD S, RNR (Cleveland)

George Henry Luscomb e (D ev on)

Revd Dr Roben Line Ma c Que e n, TO MR CS, LRCP, MRCGP (Hens)

A llan Paul Merrifield (Ess ex )

Surgeon Commander Clive Willi a m M ll a r. lB MRCGP (Han s)

William Charles New (Suffolk)

John Douglas Riley, MB , ChB, LRCP, MR CS (G lo )

Surgeon Captain A nd rew Johnston Rintoul FR CS (Hants)

Dr R L MacQueen, former London Northern Area

Surgeon, who resigned in 1966 to take holy orders, and has 30 years service, becomes an Officer of the Order

Francis Edward Donnelly (Lond o n)

Sally Ann, Mrs Ecro y d (Bri s tol)

Graham Engli s h (W es t Midland s) Mildr

Mr s En g is h (West Midland s Michael John Evan ( Midd x )

Robert Franci s Elton (Surr ey) Eric George Fi s he (Wilts ) Joyce Mrs Fryer (Yorks)

David Samuel Gee (Wes t Yorks)

and Nursing Cadets, who devote much time on holidays for the handicapped become Ser ving Brother and Serving Sister on the same day

Frederick Hyde (West Midlands)

Sally Margaret, Mrs Jarvis (Somerset)

Thomas Jennings (Mer seys ide)

Joy ce Paulin e, Mr s John s on SEN (We s t Su ss ex)

Kenneth Edwa d Kearsley (Notts)

Charle s Alf ed John Kee v il (Oxon)

Colin Les lie Albert Keywood (Su ssex)

Margar e t Patricia Mi ss King (West Suss ex)

Ph ll p Warnford Kinsey (West Midland s)

Andreas Mi c hael Kirkis , SRN RMN RNT (London)

Arthur Red vers Knowlton (London)

Warrant Officer Brian Lakeland (Kent)

Ce c il John Le e k (Suffolk)

Ge o ffr ey William Edwin L oc

Peter Bamforth, Superintendent of Stockton and Thornaby Combined Cadet Division and Association member, becomes a Serving Brother

Colonel Michael Joseph For s er Sh e ffi e ld, TO D L LLB (Cleveland)

Alan Towers Traill (London)

Lt Col Richard James Wall, MBE. JP, DL (B e r k )

Stuart Leonard Whiteley, CBE QPM (Suf fo lk)

Relph James Wi lli s (Glos)

John Freeman Woollam (Cheshire)

SERVING BROTH ER or SERVING SISTER

Jean Mary, Mrs Abel (Kent)

Frank Robert Ainsworth (Berk s

Audrey Doroth y, Mrs A ll en (Berks)

Norman Ernest Andrew (Northant s Mary, Mrs Askham (Northants)

Peter Bamforth (Cleveland)

May, Mrs Barkham (London)

Ivy Dor ot h y, Mrs Barrett (Middx)

Albert Berry (Yorks)

George Ernest Leonard Brad s haw (Staffs )

Kenneth Alan Campbe ll Brown, M B, ChB DOb s RCOG, MRCGP (Surrey)

Jacqueline Ann, Mrs Cole (Norfolk)

George Br ow nell Nathaniel Cre s w ic k, TD MA LLB (Somerset)

Alan Robert Croft (Surrey)

Joyce, Mrs Dahir (Merseyside)

George William Day (Surrey)

Lt Col Samuel Ironmon ger Derry, DSO, MC, TD JP (Notts)

nt c r (W es Midl a nd s)

W lli a m Be rn a rd H utchinso n Le cs )

AIM BRIAN HAWKINS of Dorchester Combined Division, shows us how to

CONVERT AN OLD DUMMY

OVER the past four years I have used the old type of resuscianne with a body that has to be inflated. But after a time the body perishes and be comes useless, and to me it seems an awful waste to throw it away. So I came up with the foHowing idea for using the rest of the dummy without the body. Basically, it is a matter of removing the 'body' and using the parts to make a model similar to the more advanced ones by using only the essential parts. Here's how you do it:

1. Foundation board, small enough to fit into the present carrying case, but it may be necessary to remove the 'pocket' at the end.

2 A blo ck of wood about 1 Y2 ins thick under the dummy's shoulders (7) to raise the head sufficiently to enab le it to drop back for operation and to keep it level with the 'stern um / chest' part of the model (5).

3. A block of wood, which is removable, to support the model's neck w hen not in

7. The shoulder part of the dummy

Graham (left) and Mildred English (right), of Solihull a husband and wife team in charge of Acocks Green Ambulance

SJ IN SOUTH AFRICA

from leslie J Temple, FRCS

I read with great interest the article on the visit of the Chief Commander to South Africa (Jan Review).

He h as given us a very good picture of the Order in S. Africa and has pulled no punches in making his criticisms. There is however one omission that haunts an excellent article. I read with delight the description of the work in Cape flats in the best tradition of the Order, but I gained no idea if the Order is subject to segregation by colour. Are there any black , coloured or Asian officers of the Order and were people in these categories allowed to attend the ceremonies that the Chief Commander describes without being segregated?

Clearly it would be quite out of place for the Chief Commander to criticise the policies of his hosts even by implication and I am not asking that he should do that. However, it would be of enormous encouragement to many of us if we knew that the Order of St John in S. Africa was totally unsegregated. Equally we would want to know if it by Aparthied regulations. Please may we have this information?

Powys Leslie J. Temple

The Chief Commander Writes:

I can confirm that St John Ambulance in South Africa is a completely non-r acial organisation. It is not subject to any racially restrictive or discriminatory legis la tio n, and all references to race were deleted from its regulations, hand books and circulars some years ago. I have met severa l coloure d and black officers during my visits to Divisions in different parts of South Africa, and over 400/0 of Brigade members are either black, Indian or coloured. The majority of the work and r es ponsibilit y for the Cape Flats Project, for in stance, is undertaken by coloured and black officers. Both coloured and black officers were present at the Centenary Church Service in Cape Town, and of course at the Centenary Foundation Conference. Currently none of the senior national appointments are held by coloured or black officers but this is not because there is any rule or regulation preventing this. Like St John Amb ulance organisations everywhere promotion is governed by merit and who is considered the best person for the job.

FIRST AID AT WORK

from Mr J. P. Candler, County Staff Officer (Admin.)

In recent months much has appeared in the SI John Review concerning the Commissioner-in -Chief's ruling on the adoption of the First Aid at Work (F.A,W.) certificate by St John Ambulance Brigade, and almost all of it -has had a sense of concern about it, rightly so. I write to express my dismay at the ruling, although I will have to obtain a FA W certificate in my capacity as a company first-aider, that the Brigade will accept only t he FA W certificate in the future. Most of our members appear to believe that the current policy is tantamount to suicide by the Brigade and I agree with them. There is no logical reason why the Brigade cannot accept both the normal F.A. certificate and the FA W certificate as equal alternative qualifications for membership and efficiency in the Brigade. To disbar the normal FA certificate as a qualification for membership will cut down recruiting by a large factor, fo r there are very few people who having just passed an examination and obtained a normal FA certificate at a public course will join the Brigade when told 'of course you will have to attend another four-day course and pass another examination to obtain another certifi cate before we can accept you as a member'. It is essential that a normal FA certificate once again becomes acceptable as a qualification (equal in status to the FA W certificate) for both membership and efficiency in the Brigade

I do not believe that nobody outside St John would accept the normal FA certificate as being as good as the FAW certificate; it has been the foremost qualification in first aid for over 100 years and as such has been used as evidence of proficiency in the subject. The Order of St John has sufficient standing in the community to give the existing FA certificate all the credence that it requires and make it the logical qualification to obtain for use outside the workplace. Already it is the only one that teaches in sufficient detail for our normal public duty requirements, thus it is essential to us. It should be remembered that the FA W certificate was generated ? " the re<:u\t of a specific Act

of Parliament intended to regulate the erratic standards of safety and first aid in the workplace, and as such t h e co urse leading to the qualifi cati on is designed to cover only circumstances in which full medical assistance is, at most, a telephone call away.

I have spoken Lo a number of people in the Brigade since this regulation was promulgated and a ll were co ncerned about the effect that it would have on ourselves and recruiting

I hop e this letter will help to persuade all in St John t hat we must not give up the fight to retain the presen t normal FA cert ifi cate as our qualificabon and that you will persuade your Division to write t o the St John Review to say so.

Sometimes the rank and file members are right and I believe that this is one of those times.

Chelmsford J. P. Candler

from MT D. Godfrey, Divi*,ional Superintendent

On behal f of my Division, who are incensed at being h y 'them in London' that t h ey will have to go for a FAW certificate next year, after paying out only recently for a new textbook (albeit a good one), they are now expected to buy another to learn the same sk ills , et c, that they know already.

Why are St John members expected to be FA W certificated? It is supposed to be for shops and offices, to ensure traine d staff are availabl e to stern bleeding and resuscitate be fore the ambulance arrives, It means a step backwards if we are forced into th is lud ic rou s idea. We strongly resent it. And would like to know how others fee l about it.

Dorking

MORI REPORT

from Ambulance Member Clarke

D. Godfrey

I should lik e to comment on the so called major points raised by the MORI report. These points as summarised in the March Review 's Talking Point suggest the Brigade is a well intentioned group dress ed like dad 's army and led by seni l e, chauvanistic, ex-army officer s. I doubt whether this is tota ll y true and I fear that our main problems are far mor e dam aging than any of those li sted. If our only probl em were our uni form and the image it promotes, then why worry? A change of cloth es and recruits and cash wi ll flow in. This, as we all know, is not going to be the case. Image is not created only on our appearance In our case it is equally important that we are we ll trained and show it, well equipped, and a nationa l organisation h at can be relied upon

I fee l that we shou ld first of all ask ourselves a r e o ur sta nd ards of training good enoug h . I think a great many members would say no, attendance s at trainin g nights are often poor, trai nin g given is not organised, badl y conducted and many hours are wasted on idle chit chat. I would hav e thought a minimum of around 30 hour s per year would be com pul sory. It is not a lot of time when people's li ves are at stake. This tra ini ng must be based on one textbook, either FA W or our regular FA book With longer periods of tra inin g, better organised and well co nducted, members wo uld be prepared for a much stricter examination. At the moment our exams are a fa rce , few if

any member s fa il and unf o rtuna te ly many deserve to fail. Only by raising our exam standards will we be seen by the public as competent _ a vital in g redient of im age:

Secondly, we must be uniform in our ap pro ac h to equipment. appreciate certain areas need specialised equipment (eg, mountain rescue work). An examp le of unbalance in our approach to equipment ca n be seen in Nottinghamshire. Certa in areas are banned from purchasing ambulances even tho ugh loca l ch arities ha ve offered substantial contributions. In ot h e r areas ambulances of very poor sta ndard are regularly u se d It is s urely not unr easo nable t o ask t hat all our ambulances should be equipped and maintained to a national sta ndard and be avai lable where ever there is the need and the cas h to purchase them. Equipment needed only occasio nally such as radio s, are another prob lem. Few divisions can afford them. In the case of this type of equipment can we not purchase at county leve l , with eac h division sending a contribution, and then using t he equipment as and when required?

Our final problem can be seen by looking at the Review - to o man y chiefs and not enoug h Indians. Why so many levels of 'co mmand ' in our organisation; what exactly do Area and Corps do? Fewer levels wou ld lead to fewer interpretations of regulations and many young people would not be put off by too many bosses The truth is we need to attract people of my age group, 20s to 30s, but they wi ll not join us unless we offer a challenge in our training, equipment to back -up our training, and a firm national policy.

To be blunt, we must chan ge in many ways; and if by attaining higher standards we lose many of our members, then so be it. We must forget about cosmetic alterations to our image and build a better image throughout. This must be done soon, for we are losing good people all the time.

Nottingham AIM Clarke

from Mr K, Dickinson , Divisional Officer ilc [ have read with interest the results of the MORI poll, reactions to it, and Talking Point (March Review). Havi ng started the process of collecting information and assimilating it, I should be interested to know if HQ is going to carry it through to its logical co n cl usion by laking definite steps to act upon it? To put right the weaknesses in our organisation which have been brought to light. If no action is taken on this information the whole thing will surely have been of limited value, because radical changes are needed, such as:

1. Our uniform and military type organisation an d customs are outmoded and unpopular.

2. Publicity needs to be improved nationally, whi ch will mean t h e use of resources. It is no use passing the buck by saying this is 'everybody's responsibility'.

3. More Brigade-bred and less ex-service officers need to be appointed to key posts nationally and l ocally. Service officers may have the organisational ability but they can never know what St John is really about at grass roots level because they have never experienced it. After all, every Chief Constable in England started by walking the beat. This should be the case in St John

4. In the 1980s, all arbitrary discrimination on the grou nd s of sex are unnecessary. We should all be St John members trained in first aid, nursing and welfare.

5. Above divisional level bureaucracy must be cut to a minimum. Do we really need corps, areas, counties and regions? Wou ldn 't a single tier of manageable districts be more efficient?

I have been reading the Review for ten years and have repeatedly heard members calling for these kinds of changes. Now the general public is telling us the same.

Is Headquarters going to have the courage to take the action that S needed? Or is this just another paper exercise?

Thornaby M. Dickonson

THE ESSENTIALS

from Mr I. J. Paxton

YOur readers may be interested in a few comments on the most recent St John publication for cadets.

At first sight the new edition of The Essentials of First A id seems to be a valuable training aid. The clear pictures a nd diagrams make

CHESHIRE

a certificate of thanks and farewell gifts from Area Commissioner A, Smith

County Commissioner Lt Col G B Pownall receiving a donation cheque from Mr B Pill in g, managing director of Tiffin Brown Cosmetics Ltd, London

(Photo: Chester Mail)

Miss Joan Henshall , retiring corporal of Crewe Nursing Division after 32 years service, receives

at the Crewe HQ.

Bel ow) Als o at Crewe Nursing Division (left) Most outstanding nursing member of the year is Mrs Susan Wildig receiving trophy from Div President Arthur Capp er. (Right) Preparing stalls for the Divis on's coffee morning

Crewe AmbulancE' Cadets receive their certificates from Div President Councillor S, Ba yman.

the book attractive to children. The text is simple and informative. Placing a blanket under a casualty is (at last) from. the treatment of a fractured spine. Chapter eleven (Flfst Aid In ActlOn) is excellent.

A closer investigation of the book, however, reveals a number of shortcomings.

Although the knee-cap is shown in the illustration on page 59 there is no mention of the signs, symptoms or treatment of a fracture of this bone.

No guidance is given on the information required when n:aking a 999 call. Methods of blanketing a stretcher have also been Ignored. These omissions cover (or fail to cover) procedures which cadets .ca.n usefully carry out while adult members carry out treatment (this IS not to imply that cadets should not participate in giving treatment where appropriate). .

The chapters are correctly ordered, with important techmques near the front of the book, but is it really necessary to include the removal of clothing as early as page 91

The index includes several incorrect or incomplete page references. For example, the entry: 'Breathing, checking' makes no mention of page 53. Finally, can anyone explain the entry: 'Saint John-12'!

The failings of the third edition seem to be the result of hurned preparation and occasional lack of thought. is a shame as t?e book is generally more 'clear and helpful to Its users (than) Its illustrious predecessor' (page 3).

Lancaster 1. 1. Paxton

COURSE PRICE

from Mr A. R. Tozer, County Director

Ref. Mrs Patricia F. Hine's letter (March Review), the First Aid course fee for potential Brigade members (BFAW & BRA W) in Nottinghamshire is £2.75 per candidate, as stated in the Commander's memorandum, dated October 20 1982, entitled Association Classes: Administration & Charges relative to Brigade Divisions .

We expect the class tutors, etc, to give their services free for such classes. '"(he £18 charge mentioned by Mrs Hine was used for persons requiring the old (CAFA) certificate (now outdated) for work purposes, to meet the employers' statutory requirements only.

We did not consider it necessary to sponsor or subsidise such industrial and other candidates.

Nottingham A. R. Tozer

OVERSTRETOOED?

from Mr E. J. Gallagher

In these times of increasing leisure we tend to receive more requests for first aid cover on a regular weekly basis from local sports clubs than we cover. It seems to me that as demands can only be expected to increase, it wouid be a good policy to supply cover on the condition that the club sends a number of its regular members along to attend one of our public first aid courses. This would enable the club to provide its own cover under normal circumstances with the Brigade giving back-up on special occasions.

The result of this w(mld be that the division would be freed to supply cover to other clubs and any other intermittent requests by others. I feel that unless something of this nature is adopted the Brigade could collapse under the demand, as in no way are we recruiting sufficient new members to carryon existing policy.

I would also like to add that a spin off from this would be that an increasing number of trained first-aiders would become available to assist the public at other times when help was required.

I would like to hear the views of other members on this, or perhaps somealternative suggestions of how we can overcome this problem.

Ruislip, Middx

COLLECTION BOXES

from John F. Bent

in it I send donations to the hospital from time to time.

Also, as a public health and wartime member of the army school of hygience, I feel the Brigade can do much to train members as potential leaders to act in the event of a major crisis.

Dudley John F. Bent

IN ROME

from Jack Hewitt, County Pool

I have recently returned from a 3-day stay in Rome, during whi ch I visited the home of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta at via Condotti, where I received a warm welcome and a conducted tour.

The one place I was not shown was the Council Chamber for the Grand Master was holding council with local dignitaries. I also visited the Order's Chapel at Aventine Hill, where I was made welcome, and at both places found many things of great interest. I recommend the visit to members of the Order visiting Rome.

Visiting the English Protestant Cemetery to see the graves of Keates and Shelley and the artist Joseph Severn , I came upon the followin g (the St John Cross on the tomb stone caught my eye):

Francis D'Arcy Godolphin Osborne, KCMG, KStJ, KCSG. 12th and last Duke of Leeds. Minister to the Holy See 1936 - 1947 London 16.9.1884 - Rome 20.3.1964.

Also another knight of the order :

Sir Victor Perowne, KCMG KStJ. His Britannic Majesty's Minister to the Holy See. Worcester 30 July 1897: Rome 8 January 1951. Dover Jack Hewili

Chief Commander in Ghana (from p.103)

A few restaurants and hotels exist but prices mean they are st rictly for foreigners. Breakfast at the little cafe near my hotel cost 140 Cedis (half an average person's weekly salary), and consisted of a pot of coffee, a slice of bread, a spdonful of jam, and a slice of pineapple.

Rationing. Three important commodities are rationed: petrol, water, and electricity

E. J. Gallagher

HISTORY from Mr T. Deakin

May I through the Review, appeal for assis tanc e?

For 'some years now I have been conscious of the little care given to maintaining the historical aspects of the first-aid movemen t and while 'doing my bit' by being engaged in the restoration of old ambulances (one completed and lodged in a museum, a under , way, with a t hird in store) I am often dismayed as to how httle thought is given to preserving old equipment.

Only recently I have becn 'just too la te' to stop the disposal of a probably irreplaceable pair of stretcher carrier frames, which had been stored for ten years after removal from an old vehicle to allow the carriage of trolleys. And even worse, this was preceded b y the destruction of a litter dating from the 1920s.

I am sure that many store-rooms still have a wealth of items, so may I ask that any divisions who are about to dispose of any old pieces of equipment please contact me first - si.nce you may ha ve .the only example remaining. I am particularly anxIOus to obtam speclfI.'lens of the litters used by St. John; Novita, Spark lets and other resuscita tors; old stretchers (particularly a Riley Rocking Resuscitation Stret cher); bells, early warning lights, although almost anything else could be of interest - including old stores catalogues. Photographs of old vehicles and equipment would also be welcomed - even if only on loan for copying.

Please do give a little thought to the future of the past. I wlll, but I need your help.

27 Hillside A ve, Worthing, Sussex T. Deakin

From the anonymous SJA newsletter which is being mailed to members in Essex.

They send the Review a copy - it's a great spoof on life and times in SJA.

I wonder if it might be worth bringing the collection boxes sent out to support the St John Ophthalmic Hospital to the forefront? I keep my box at the side of the telephone and after depositing odd coins

The hardship this entail s is compounded by there being no proper organisation or plan to cope with such rationing. For example, the ration of petrol for civilian vehicles is four gallons per week which, if unused, cannot be carried forward. But garages 0 ften run out of petrol and never know when a tanker will calJ to replenish their stocks. A frequent sight is a long queue of cars outside a garage waiting for petrol to arrive. This may mean a wait of anything up to one or two weeks, and owners either sleep in their cars at night or pay someone else to do so. This frustration coupled with a lack of s pares means many owners just dump their cars, and in every town one sees piles of rusting, cannibalise d, derelict ve hicle s. There was obvio usly somewhere a plan for the rationing of wate r and electricity, but the population (or alleast those I was in contact with) never seemed to know it. In Accra, for example, it seeme d generally that there was no electricity during the day and for several nights each week, while water seemed to be cut off for about two days each week. This shortage of water and electricity is largely the result of a two-year drought. The great Volta Dam whose creation formed a vast lake some 250 miles long is barely working, the lake is in most places dry, and the river is lower than it has ever been in recorded history. A proper rainy seaso n this year will help, but it will take th ree such seasons, so I was told, before the project will be working to proper capacity again. And s ince two of it s major industries depend on water and electricity, the chances of a quick economic recovery are slim. Also I must mention t he lack of proper commu nications, not just be ca use they are impo rtant in any country, but because they had a major effect on my programme. The written vers ion was presented to me on my arrival, itself something of a surprise to my hosts since the telegram confirming my visit did not arrive from London until two days before I was due to leave! The fact that my actual programme bore scant resemblance to the written model was not the fault of the organisers, but was largely due to the totally Inadequate system of communications in the COu ntry It · is possible at times, although I ne ver managed to initiate it, for a telephone co nversation to be held between two people tn the same town Within the country the telephone conversations take so long to be connected, that most people do not bother.

My visit to St John Ambulance in Kumasi, a lown some 150 miles from Accra, had to be cancelled due to problems in obtaining petrol, but it was quite impossible to get a

message to Kumasi telling the organisers this, with the result that a large parade together with the spectators waited four hours for me to arrive before they gave up and went home.

The sad thing about my programme was that, apart from the Secretary, Mr Addo Abedi and some members of the Council, I hardly saw any members of St John Ambulance at all.

There is no doubt that the Association Branch is doing a good job in Ghana

Although they only run the Adult First Aid Course and the Essentials of First Aid, they run some fifteen courses annually in the country. These are all run at the request of industry and institutions such as the Polytechnic, Ghana Airways, and the School of Hygiene, but none are run for the public.

In addition the Police, Railways and Mines run their own, but in accordance with our Regulations They have some 18 instructors in the country but, since all work during the week, courses have to take place at weekends. They make no charge for their courses and do no advertising. They have a little teaching equipment available but, in terms of importance, have no film or slide projector, and have no Resusci-Anne.

I saw a few members of the Brigade on three occasions only: a few cadets at Kumasi when I finally arrived there, some at a Council Meeting the day before I left, and some at the Airport who came to see me off.

Those that I did meet were delightful people, generally young, and very cheerful. In addition to the three closed divisions in the Gold Mines, there are twelve other divisions in the country. All these latter are combined divisions There are no cadet divisions as such, cadets simply joining the existing combined divisions. Recruiting is done entirely as a result of courses, and no publicity or advertising is used. The duties they do are normal, but once a year during the holiday period they are required as part of a Government scheme to do some community project, such as helping to build roads, markets, or school huts. There are very few doctors in the Brigade, and in fact I did not meet one throughout my entire visit. As might be expected they are short of virtually everything they need. They have no ambulance to transport casualties, no tentage to provide a sheltered place where they can treat casualties, and there is a grave shortage of medical stores and equipment. None of the above are obtainable in Ghana, and they would not be given foreign exchange to purchase anything from outside. They rely heavily on the Police, with whom they have a very close link, which is not entirely surprising since St John Ambulance was formed from the Police in 1937 and the Police have never forgotten this. I saw many examples of this liaison and support while I was there, and indeed it was the Police who provided at no charge to St John Ambulance a Range-Rover and driver for my exclusive use during my visit.

So far as money is concerned their only sources of income are a grant of 30,000 Cedis (about £650) per annum from the Ministry

of Health, and some 12,000 Cedis (about £250) per annum from the National Trust Fund. This latter is a type of Community Chest which finances most charities in the country, the disadvantage being [hat if a charity draws money from it, it is not allowed to raise money independently. The only real means they have of raising money would be to charge for courses, and by the Ministry of Health increasing their grant. I was assured this would happen, but I cannot see enough being pro v ided to make a significant impact. They are considering starting to run a farm outside Accra, produce from which would be sold to raise funds, but this is as yet very much in the format ive stage.

I did not visit the National Headquarters until my last afternoon in Ghana and then only because I insisted ·on seeing it. Having done so I realised why I was being steered away from it. It is in a very small but what was obviously once a well constructed building belonging to the Police, who have let St John Ambulance have irvirtually free for many years. Sadly like so many other things in Ghana, it has been allowed to fall into disrepair and is now quite unworth y of any association with the Order of St John. It consists of two rooms, covered like everything else in Accra i n dust. In one is a cupboard, a desk, a chair, and a ve ry old typewriter. In tbe other are six wooden benches, a blackboard and a wheelchair which, if cleaned up, migh t be suitable for a museum. There is no electricity, "fio glass in the windows, and mercifull y only a very faded sign denoting who the building belongs to. It is from here, and in those conditions, that the Secretary has to run S t John Ambulance for the whole country. Reviewing my visit after a lapse of time, I think my main feeling is one of surprise that, under the conditions prevailing in the country, a voluntary organisation like St John Ambulance can exist at all. That it does so is entirely due to the dedication and devotion of Mr Addo Abedi, the support he gets from ordinary officers and members, and the help the whole organisation gets from the Police. How we can best help is a real problem, because Ghana is not the only St John organisation in Africa in a similar predicament. Money and materials are not the only things needed to enable it to flourish again: it needs enthusiastic leaders of stature in the country, and these are not easy to find. So far as the future of the country is concerned, I quote a remark made to me b y our High Commissioner during a conversation I had with him: 'TJ1e only good thing about the economic situation in Ghana is that, if it is going to change in any way, it can only change for the better.' The Ghanaians are lovely people, always ready to help, always smiling, and full of apologies for the shortcomings of their country. We must pray that things will change for them soon and that St John Ambulance will once again one day be strong enough to contribute in a meaningful way towards all the work which needs to be done there.

NEWS frol11

SCOTLAND

SCOTLAND experienced some of its worst weather for very many years during late January of this year. One member of the Order who is unlikely to forget the events of the weekend of January 21-22 is Mr Sandy Middleton, OStJ, who as well as being the newly appointed chairman of the Angus Branch of the Association is also the pilot of the St John's Ambulance Air Wing based on Dundee.

Around 9.30pm on the Saturday, Sandy and his two-man crew, Ron Raffan and Dave Anderson, were enjoying a relaxing time at home when they got the call out to uplift a donor kidney at Aberdeen and fly it to Dublin. Their plane took off about an hour later and had just got north of Glenshee, itself the scene of many rescue missions this winter by Dr Paul Mackenzie 's St John's Mountain Rescue team, when they encountered the worst of the winter's blizzards. Sandy informs us that the plane

WALES

Golden Years Award

ELIAS EVANS of Senghenydd, Caerphilly, joined the St John Ambulance Brigade as a lad in 1927. He was a member of the Windsor Colliery corps in Abertridwr but was the only non-miner in the group. Thus began the public service of a truly remarkable man whose list of involvements and associations with so many organisations reads like a page from the Charity Commissioners' register. His family was very well known in South Wales, as many of them practised the delicate skills of bonesetting. As Elias says, every family has its 'quacks' but bonesetters were an essential part of medical services many years ago, when few people could

was encountering 100 knot headwinds and that he has rarely experienced such icing on a plane as on this occasion. The winds in Aberdeen were equally treacherous, but having cleared the Highlands the weather improved. The plane arrived in Dublin at 2.45am, having taken twice as long as normally for this flight. On the return

First Aid at Work

The Director of Association for Wales, Dr G. M Mitchell, presents a St John Ambulance .plaque to Mr Tony Lee, the manager of Unigate Dairies, Western , on completion of a recent First Aid at Work course which was held there for a number of employees. IPhoto: South Wales Argus )

afford qualified doctors and there was no Health Service Elias recalls that he felt he had 'the gift' and it was intended that he followed the family tradition by journeying to North Wales to join his uncle, but the 1926

Rive r Tay IPhoto Tayside Aviation)

journey, again because of adverse weather conditions, the plane was diverted to Glasgow Airport, where it remained until a temporary break in the weather allowed a return flight to Dundee in the late afternoon of Sunda y. Altogether quite a memor able trip and another triumph for the St John Air Wing in Scotland.

Miners' Hospital Action Committee; Aber Valley Male Voice Choir; Senghenydd Cricket Club; Caerphilly 'Probus' Club; Pontypridd Art Society; Caerphilly Art Society; and so many other bodies that they begin to look lik e a catalogue. Elias is also a painter of pictures, broadcaster, lecturer , ranconteur and, naturally, plays Father Christmas for the local children! Little surprise therefore that he was chosen to be the Welsh representative in the recent 'Pensioner of the Year' competition and duly travelled to London for the final round. Elias did not win but typ ica of him he said: 'We were treated like royalty and that, along with the honour of representing Wales, was reward enough'. Although Elias, who describes himself as 104 per cent Welsh, did not win the title he met awards c hairman Sir John Mills backstage at London's Wynd hams Theatre and our photograph show s E lia s with Sir John. F.B.D.

CADET WORD SEARCH (on p109) Answers:

Glamorgan Cadet champions

Wales' top pensioner, 73-yearold Elias Evans, from Senghenydd !left), who joined SJA in 1927 with Sir John Mills at the final of the 1983 Golden Years Awards. IPhoto Legal and General Assurance Co.)

General Strike stifled that ambition. He is proud of the red mahogany and glass door in the Pwllheli Hospital which bear s an inscription in recognition of the pioneering work by E li as Evans' ancestors to wards advancement s in orthopaedic surgery in Wales and the world.

For as long as anyone can remember, Elias Evans has been associated with St John For the past 25 years or so he has held many o ff ices , including that of unofficial PRO, and has performed tasks from those of president to tea-maker. He is a former member of the East Glamorgan St John Council and of the Priory for Wales in Cardiff. The Elias Evans Cup for best cade t of the year is still competed for each year at Abertridwr.

In addition 10 his devoted service to St John, Elias has also served as an officer of the Caerphilly Citizens' Advice Bureau; the Rhymney Valley Arts Festival; Caerphilly

OVERSEAS

A plane of the St John Air Wing over the

News from Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

LAST SUMMER I went with a friend to the Mse leni Ho s pital, in Kwazulu, South Africa, for eight weeks as part of my medical trainin g. The hospital was set up in 1938 by the Africa Evangelical Fellowship, but in the la st few years has been taken over by the Kwazul u government, as were all the hospitals in the homeland. It is in a remote area, the nearest store being three miles away , with one bus a day and the most awful roads - sa nd and stones, no tarmac. It is very close to Lake Sibaya, from where the hospital water is pumped, so we did not suffe r the effects of draught like so many areas. The hospital is in a compound with the church, a school, orphanage for 17 children, and about 12 houses, We found it very restricting, as we had to rely on others to take us out, or walk down to the lake to get away,

The ho sp ital had three doctors, two of them English with their families, and one South African woman doctor. They all worked very hard, starting at 7.15 and going on till the day's work was done, usually 5.30 unles th ey were n ee d e d at night. All the nurses and ho spita l taff, apart from one sister and matron, were black. The nurses were our interpreters, as the patients could speak only Zu lu. I found this working through a tran s lator very trying , as the nurse .and patient would often talk for several minutes and then answer my question with one word! The nurses also tended to be a little irre pon ible - on the daily ward rounds we would fi nd blood pressure not measured, babies weights not recorded, or temperature recorded on the wrong chart. All this, of co ur se, added stra in for the doctors.

The patients were local black people and had to travel, u ually on foot, a very long way to the ho sp ital. They were very poor, orne having no in come and others receiving £10 a month from hu sba nds to live on. There were few male patients, as most of the males worked in Durban and came home only at Christmas - hence the baby boom in Septe mber! One of the things that struck me wa their dress - the women wore modern clothes of very bright colours that invariably clashed vio lentl y.

The ho pital itself was small, with six wards and 120 beds, but this bore no relation to the numb e r of patients, for many slept und er the beds! Ward one was maternity, both ante and postnatal, patients were all in together. The ladies who had caesarian sections got the co mfort of a bed! There was a labour ward with two beds, but only one was suitable to deliver babies as the other was against the wall. So if two ladies were in labour and the one ready to deliver first was in the small bed, they would have to change places, As soon as one had delivered, she was back on her feet and returned to the ward. There was no monitoring equipment -a nurs e could sit by the bed all day and watch the patient's condition. There were two inCUbators in the ward, which was inadequate, as on a couple of occasions

4th-year medical student

MARY REEVES, a nursing member of Guildford Nursing Division, last year went to work in a hospital in South Africa's Zululand

Nursing • In remote Africa

babies were taken out as another infant, more seriously ill, required it. For example, a baby in the children's ward with pneumonia needed to be in an incubator, so a pair of twins were put in the other together.

Ward two was the female ward, to me a dirty, smelly ward and I didn't like working there. There was one sink with cold water and occasionally a bar of soap, There was not a lot of privacy either, as the screens did not screen the beds very well when they were used - which was not very often. The patients in this ward ranged from young girls to old grannies, with every type of illness from nearly every field of medicine - all in the same ward!

Ward four was the male ward, a much bigger ward and less overcrowded,

Ward three was the children's ward, which was my favourite. It looked very crowded, as the mothers still breast-feeding and those whose child suffered malnutrition were allowed to stay. The morning ward round was delightful, with all the mothers and children lined up holding their charts before the doctor arrived. When the doctor did arrive, to go along from patient to patient, it soon became very noisy with screaming children, especially as the nurse usuaJly followed with medicines, including injec tions

Most of the children suffered either malnutrition, burns, pneumonia, diarrhoea and vomiting, although we did see a few rare diseases. But it was a very happy ward and a joy to work in.

Ward five was the TB ward and always overflowing with patients. At one stage there were 56 women and children to occupy its eight beds. At night they lined the sleeping children in the corridor and covered them with a blanket! TB is still very common and they are now giving infants born in hospital an inoculation before going home, but only a smaJl proportion of babies are born in hospital.

Ward six was the infectious diseases ward, and was usually empty. We had several different cases, including cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, and a girl of 12 years with rabies

(which I had never dreamt of seeing - it was frigh teni ng).

The ho sp ital had very poor facilities for investigation. There was a small laboratory with a girl who was able to do a few blood tests, urine and s tool analysis. She had been taught by the doctors and was still learning new tests. There was an x-ray machine and again the girl was taught by the doctors. On two occasions they wanted a new type of xray - one to see if the patient has a fractured scaphoid and the other to assess the size of a woman's pelvis - so they did the x-rays with a book in front of them! There was an operating theatre where everything was done from draining abscesses caesarian sections, sterilization operations, li ve r biopsies , and stitching. A general anaesthetic was rarely given for two reasons: cost and danger with little available equipment or trained staff so Ketalar was usually given,

Apart from the work in the hospital we went out to clinics which took place in a wooden hut or schoolroom. The Land-Rover was loaded with equipment - sheets, drugs, weighing scales - and driven along rough sand tracks to another vi llage , usually about 20km away. After a talk b y the doctor on something from the Bible and a health talk by the sister, the patients were then lined up to pay (about SOp) and then saw either the doctor, the sister for antenatal care, or a nurse for baby immunisation. Each day the team went to two or three clinics and each place was visited fortnightly. Any patient who needed further treatment or admission was taken back in the Land-ROVe{ (there was no going back to pack a case or tell relatives, they went to hospital as they arrived at the clinic!)

This trip was a really fantastic experien e and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work in a situation like this and so d ifferent from home. It was great to see the work of the doctors with so few facilities and how they all helped one another. I would like to go back and work in a similar situation one day in my future career as a doctor.

Corps) to the Rev, Alexander Duncan, retiring minister of Gas Green Baptis Church, for all his help (Photo: Cheltenham Echo)

St John Fellowship

Notification of the formation of a branch

Name of branch

Branch Secretary or other contact

Address ....•................................................

ST JOHN REVIEW

To Review Sales, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3QF.

CL ASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

Telephone No Date

To: National Secretary Miss Sheila Puckle, 31 Malvern Court Onslow Square London SW7 3HY

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enclose

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Reduced rate for bulk orders (minimum 6 copies) from St John (Councils, Association and Brigade) in the U K 53p a copy, including postage. Details from R e view Sales.

changes. (8). 21. Pain in the hip joint. (8) 24 Short-sighted per son. (5).26. Dog with laryngitis? (5). 28. Root of medicine and perfum ery. (5).29. Food for printers? (3). 30 The human species. (7). 31. A xe for a helicopter. (7). 32. Surgeon's mop. (4) 33 Part of br a in concerned with co-ordination of muscular activity. (10)

Down:

1. Nocturnal disorder the sufferer will try to sleep off. (8). 2. Rel ative by marriage. (2-3). 3. Freudian technique for treatment of me nta disorders. (14).4. In a state of alcoholic intoxication. (7). 5. The cur e turns to jaundice. (7). 7. Section of brain cusp in middle ear. (5) 8. Oesophagus. (6).9. Instrument for examination of the interior of the eye. (14). 16. Pair of artistes (3). 18. British drug manufacturer is here in France. (3) 19. Part of mind concerned with on e's individuality. (3). 20. Part of brain concerned with the high er functions (8). 22 Tyneside fellow. (7) 23 Part of heart and t he external ear. (7). 25. Gland from healthy mustang. (6). 27. Laxati ve composed of selenium, nitrogen, and sodium. (5) 29. Student of he eye. (5)

aids from aim

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.5 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. Disease without apparent cause. (10). 6. Resonant finger? (4). 10. Outwardly turned, broad, flat feet. (7). II. Affecting only a part of the body. (7). 12. Final stomach of a ruminant. (3). 13. Glands situated at the root of the lungs. (5). 14. Buds in the mouth. (5). 15. Oriental state involved in main diagnosis. (5). 17. Affected by pathological

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 4 (84)

Across: 1. Knights of Malta; 8. Leukaemia; 9. Throb; 11. Stem; 12 Plan; 13. C'elle; 15. Incus; 17. Sclerosis; 20. Auriscope; 23. Mused ; 24. Tread; 26. Frog; 27. Face; 30. E· xi' st; 31. Chilopoda; 32 Endocrine gland.

Down: 1. Kolossi Castle; 2. Inure; 3. Heal; 4. Simples; 5. Flannel ; 6. Attic; 7. Torulosis; 10. Blessed Gerard; 14. Is' is; 16. Cartesian ; 18. Cup; 19. Rima; 21. Officer; 22. Erosion; 25 Dit·to; 28. Aroma; 29. Long.

• Stretcher trolleys - our range offers versatility and dependability.

• First aid cases - tough, compact, lightweight.

• First aid satchels - three styles, expertly made.

• Frac-Straps and Frac-Immobilisers - efficient, fast; made from wipe-clean, PVC-coated nylon.

• Rescue tool kit - for speed and efficiency.

-= ':' -- ,-., "'EllS ' oflhe i4Jl1' "'- dealhof '''IJr; Illy 1984 fOR THt WfLtJ\REOfTHOSE WITH CANCER

T h e Fo und a ti o n pro v id es r esid e nti a l ca r e in e lev e n nurs ng hom es , nation w id e domicilia ry night nu r sing , urge n t we lfare n ee d s in kind , c oun se ll ng fo r p a ti e nts and th eir fa m ili es, and an e nquiry burea u ; t o g e th e r w ith ac i v e programmes of cance r r esearch , and education in th e profe ssional a nd l ay fi e ld s,

Further infonnation available on request from the Secretary, 28 Belgrave Square,LONDON SW1X8QG Tel:OI-2353325 AN

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News from Divisions / Centres p.142

St John Fellovvship

March 1984. Presented at the AGM at St John's Gate on May 18 1984

THE ST JOHN FELLOWSHIP came into being on June 25 1983 At the inaugural meeting, attended by representatives of 14 counties, the constitution was approved. This remains the only formal document concerning the Fellowship. It has proved an effective basis for its growth both locally and nationally over the past eight months. It is a pleasure to report that in so short a period the Fellowship has already fulfilled all four of its objects as defined in the constitution : I. It has brought together former members of the Foundations of the Order and others who have helped in the work of St John, and enabled them to keep in touch.

2 It has led to the formation of 27 branches in 19 counties to date, providing opportunities for meetings, outings and many other activities.

3. It has increased contact with former members in need, especially those who are housebound in hospital or a residential home , and provided a channel for this between branches throughout the country.

4. It has provided active support to the Foundations of the Order in many forms

Above all, i[ has given happiness to many who thought [hat on retirement they had lost for ever the comradeship and s atisfaction the y had known in S[ John. The Fellowship enables members to remain in the St John Family to the end of their days.

Central Committee

The Central Committee elected at the inaugural meeting was as follows:

Chairman:

Vice-Chairman:

Treasurer:

National Secretary:

Branch Representatives:

Major General D. S. Gordon CB, CBE, DSO, JP Lady Moyra Browne DBE , SEN Mr Gordon Monro FICA Miss Sheila Puckle MBE, TO Mrs V. A. Trebilcock - Devon Miss M. Holley - St John Guild, W. Area, Hants. Mr C. Jackson - Humberside

Only three of the five Branch Representatives allowed under the constitution were initially elected. Sadly, Mr Cyril Jackson, chairman of Humberside Branch, died on January 28 1984 after sixty years' service with St John. Mrs Trebilcock, chairman for Devon , has unfortunately had to retire on ill-health There are, therefore, four vacancies on the Central Committee. Nominations have been requested.

Branch Repor.ts

Nine of the 27 branches to date were based on existing groups, some of which had existed for many years and were already fully accepted in their counties. Leicester has had a Retired Members Association since 1958, Sheffield since 1970, and Devon since 1974. No doubt there are many oth..:r such groups in other counties

Many branches issue newsletters to keep members up-to-date with activities on both the active and fellowship fronts in their counties. continued on p. 126

St John Ambulance personnel bringing injured crewmen ashore from the Guernsey lifeboat which snatched nine seamen from a boiling sea after the Liberian grain carrier Radiant Med sank off the island in January. (Guernsey Press)

THIS ARTICLE is for the benefit of medical and nursing members but hopefully is not so technical as to be of no value to other Brigade members. It is an aggregate of many articles combined with the personal experience of various Brigade Surgeons.

It is our experience, and that of otheTs internationally, that organisers of races base starting times on convenience and commercial influence of sponsors rather than common senseI. Time and again the Brigade is not consulted until the final planning stages 2 but experts recommend races should not be run in July and August and shou Id be sc heduled to start in the early morning or evening. A course with some shade should be selected and adequate fluids should be provided every 2 to 3km. Competitors should be advised before the run begins of the air temperature warning (see fig 1). The Temperature Humidity Index may also be available from the local meteorologist and may be used as a guide for the advice to be given [Q runners (see fig 2)3. The setting up of sprinklers [Q spray the competitors may help reduce the risk of heat injury4.

Advice available

When runners check in they should be made aware that they can seek the advice of the medical team before they run. Alcoholism and the tak ing of tranquilisers and anticholinergics dramatically increase the risk 56 of heat injury. They should have the facility to consume 500ml of water just before the run and they should be directed to do so, and to take 250ml water at each station I. Before the start they must all be advised to run only on the left hand side of the road if they hear approaching ambulance horns

Casualties will fall into four main categories:

(1) Minor blisters, sprains and grazes

(2) Trauma form falls, collisions, etc.

(3) Life threatening cardiovascular collapse from assorted causes.

(4) Heat injury, which may include heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

Our personal experience is that many of the runners are prepared for blisters, etc, or at least do not trouble first aid posts with them The management is basic and needs no further comment except the dressing of such injuries may be delegated to cadets acting under supervision.

Long distance runners are not so lonely. • •

V. CALLAND, Divisional Surgeon, Preston, discusses

medical aspects of marathon running

At a principal first aid post wounds may at a surgeon's discretion be formally cleaned and sutured. If this is undertaken then availability of tetanus toxoid, Humotet or antibiotics is necessary, as the casualty will expect and assume that all necessary treatment has been given. It would probably be wise for all casualties with open wounds to be given a card advising tetanus prophylaxis.

The principal of icepacks, compression and elevation is generally accepted. Large numbers of ice cubes can be made in 'Glad' bags which make ideal ice packs. A recommended procedure is for the packs to be applied to the injured area with a single layer of material between the bag and skin within 5-10 minutes of injury and secured with an elastic wrap for compression. The body part is elevated above the level of the heart. The icepack is removed after 30 minutes and the wrap reapplied, and the body part is again elevated. The icepack is reapplied for 30 minutes every 2 hours until bedtime. The compression bandage should be used continuously for 18-24 hours. The casualty should be advised to have the injury re-elevated the next day 7 This treatment is absolutely contraindicated in patients with cold allergy or Raynaud's phenomenon and may be contraindicated in certain rheumatoid conditions 8

Prediction difficult

Predicting the number of casualties and where they are likely to occur is difficult, being dependant on weather, route , and type of competitor. The 1983 Preston Half Marathon was run in RED conditions and yielded approximately 100/0 casualties, ma inly heat injury, but the promoters' advertising had resulted in many regarding it as a 'pushover'. A twenty mile run in even hotter conditions but with experienced runners given a 'RED' warning resulted in a 0.5% heat injury rate. We found the organisers were generally incapable of estimating the likely casualty numbers.

The likelihood of a runner having a cardiovascular collapse or cardiac arrest is not necessarily distance related. Our experience, however, is that the first collapses may occur within a couple of miles of the start when competitors are foolhardy and inexperienced.

It must be realised that if a runner does have a cardiac arrest he is likely to vomit at the time and he will have exhausted his

oxygen reserve already. The aim of deployin g first-aiders is therefore to ensure basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be initiated within 30 seconds with medical team backup within 4 minutes. It should be remembered that cadets, police, scouts, guides, etc, are all taught resuscitation and their deployment can be integrated into that of the Brigade.

Hypothermia

Hypothermia can occur in slow runner s on cold wet days but may also occur some tim e after a race in runner s who don't bother to change. Management is outlined in the First Aid Manual. It is heat exhaustion and th e heat stroke casualty that is peculiar to long distance runs and often outside th e experience of the medical s taff. The casualt y is a healthy person stressed beyond hi lim it over a short period and may oflen be returned to perfect health by rapid, vigorou s treatment.

Heat stroke is a life threatening situation It is sustained by non-acclimatised individual s who are exposed to excessi ve heat. They develop a thermoregulator y aberration and present with hyperp yrexia (often) without sweating. Heat exhaustion , which may be life threatening if improperl y managed, is generally recognised as bein g due to salt and water depriva tion in individuals undertaking strenuous exercis e in high temperatures 9

The most noticeable feature of heat exhaustion is the appearan ce of s hock. The casualty is pale and the kin of the arms and legs is usually clammy. They are exhaust ed and unsteady but are restles • often confu ed and with feelings of impendin g death or dread. They may be violent and ambulan ce members are advised to remove their ti e, or use a 'snappy' tie, as several of our team have been half throttled by delirious runn ers. They are often nauseated and may vomit. Muscle cramps are common, partly due to hyponatraemia, but also du e to continued overleaf

Thousands of spectators - and a notso-small St John team (be/ow)turned out for the 1983 Preston Half Marathon

Long distance runners are . not so lonely (cant.)

hypocalcaemia or respiratory alkalosis.

The immediate management is to lay the casualty down, elevate the foot of the stretcher if shock is marked, maintain the airway and cool the body by tepid sponging.

Sugar and electrolyte solutions are now commonly available and should be given in 30ml ahquots as tolerated by the casualty. Ideally the solution should be chilled, BUT IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT IT IS CORRECTLY DILUTED and we recommend this is done prior to the race and the solution then distributed to Brigade members. Evacuation should be arranged promptly, by ambulance to the base hospital with the patient in the recovery position. The use of incontinence sheets and plastic pillow co vers are recommended, as these patients are very wet.

As runner s may lose up to 2.SL of water in each hour of active sweating, those who present signs of heat exhaustion should not rejoin the race till seen by a doctor. Heat stroke casualties probably should never enter similar events again 10.

Base hospital

On arrival at base hospital the casualty s condition is assessed. Casualties with mild sy mptoms should be given electrolyte solution and sponged down until they feel improved, when they are towel dried, covered with a light blanket and allowed to rest for at least an hour. Patients with signs o f shock, vomiting, having been unconscious or c onfused should have blood pressure, RECTAL t empera t ure E.C.G. and b l ood sugar recorded If the casualty is hypotensive an I. V. infusion should be commenced of normal saline and run in quickly (if severely s hocked it should be pumped in) Pla s ma expander colloids are not l,1ecessary as there is no loss of red cell mass or protein.

The infusion is continued rapidly until a normal blood pressure is achieved and then slowed for a further SOOml. If the blood is still normal the I. V can be discontinued. This is the most rapid way of improving a casualty's condition and with discretion may well prevent hospitalisation. When the cannula is removed direct pressure should be applied over the site for four minutes to prevent bruising.

Patients with a core temperature of 40°C or more are best cooled by spraying with a mist of warm water (using a clean pressurised domestic crop sprayer) while a warm air current is blown over them II. The active cooling should continue until the core temperature has fallen to 37°C. The casualty should then be dried and wrapped in a light blanket, a close watch being kept for signs of reheating or slipping into hypothermia.

Failure of cramps to respond to fluid restoration and thermoregulation may be due to hypocalcaemia, but the administration of

later l4 Cases of renal failure occur in heat injury but either seem to be due to inadequate and delayed treatment or the runner was unfit initially.

Bloody diarrhoea is due to bowel ischaemia. During maximal exercise blood flow to the gut is reduced up to 800/0. With the additional stress of dehydration and hyperthermia ischaemic colitis results

While many moderately heat exhausted runners slowly recover by oral rehydration alone, an aggressive approach even in th e moderately affected ensures that they ar e fully recovered by the time the duty stand s down.

Atypical cases

intravenous calcium should be left to those doctors who are satisfied they have the skill and facilities for its safe admini s tration

Diazepam is probably the drug of choice for agitation and convulsions, chlorpromazine causes hypotension 12 and has been implicated in thermoregulatory failure S.

Motilium may be given intravenou s ly to control vomiting and has no central action

Hypoglycaemia is best treated with a bolus of LV de x tro se but preferably into an I.V. infusion which will reduce the lik e lihood of thrombophlebitis.

Sinus tachycardia is a uni versal finding in the hypotensive casualty with h e at exhaustion. Borderline or prolonged Q-T intervals and ST segment depression compatible with anterolateral ischaemia, may be found normally.

Urine tests may show blood and prot e in present immediate l y after running ], clearing in 24 hours, but the creatinine excretion c an be abnormal up t o a w ee k

Atypical cases, those who fail to respond to 2 litres I. V. flu id, those with neurologic a l features persisting beyond the initial pha ses of resuscitation and indeed anyone wh o gives cause for concern to the medical attendants, should be hospitalised.

All pa ients treated for heat injury and n ot hospitalised s hould be advised to conta ct their GP for review within 48 hours The se patients should be comprehensivel y documented and detailed notes provided for the GP ' s benefit , a copy being retained for medico-legal purpo s es

This field of work is an outstand i ng example of how St John Ambulance c a n provide an ex pertise in immediate care th at cannot be found elsewhere

Bibliography

I. Primar y Prevention of Heat Stroke in Canad ian Long Distance Runner s HUGHSON. CAN. M ED ASSOC. J. 122: 1115-1119 MAY 24th 1980.

2. Pers onal C ommunications.

3. Year Book of S port s Medicine.

4 Prev e nting Se ver e Heat Injur y in Runn ers: Suggestion s fr o m TH E 1979 PEACHTREE RO AD RACE. E NGLA D FRA S ER & HIGHTOW ER. A NN l NT E M M E D 97 196-201. AUGUST 19 82.

5. Ri s k Factors for Heatstroke: KILBO URNE, C H OI, JONES E T AL. JAMA 247: 3332-3336. JUN E 25 th 1982.

6. Kollias and Bullard. J PHARMACOL EXP. THO R. 145 373-381. 1964.

7 Ice for immediate care of injuries: KNI GHT PHYSICIA N S PORTSMED 10: 137. FEBRUA RY 1982

8. Cryotherapy in Ankle S prains HOCUTT JA FFE, RYLANDER ET AL. AM. J. SPORTS MED 10 316-319 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1982.

9 Heat injur y in Runner s HANSON PHY S C AN SPORTS MED 7. 91 -96. JUNE 1979.

10. Heat intolerance in Former Heat Slroke Patient s: SHAPIRO MAGAZANIK UDASSIN ET A t. ANN INTERNAL MED 90 : 913-916. JUNE 1979

1 I. Physiologic Body Cooling Unit for the Ireatment o Heat Stroke: WEINER & KHOGALI. LANCER 1 507-509. MARCH 8th 1980.

12. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Manifestation s of Heat S troke and Severe Heat Exhaustion COSTRUNI, PITT, GUSTAFSON ET AL. AM J MED 66. 296-302. FEBRUARY 1979.

13. Stress haemaluria: BOILEAU, FUCHS, BARRY & HODGES. UROLOGY 15: 471-474 MAY 1980.

14. Renal Function Abnormalities induced by Marathon Runners: NEVIACKAS & BAUER SOUTH ME D. J. 74: 1457-1460. DECEMBER 1981.

I am also indebted to the assistance of Dr H. Baker, Dr M. Cottier and Mr J. Benson (Corp Sup) for their valuable assistance in preparation of this article.

DUE TO COUNTY boundary ch a ng es a few ears ago, SJA Surrey found that Epsom y ce course came within its Eastern Area and ra o inherited the job of covermg Its ra ce whi c h of course include the everpopular D e rby Day. In the early days ml s gl vlOgs were VOiced about the c h a nces of u b e

g abl e to pro vi d e enough per s onnel for mid - week race meeting s , as Surrey was and

Regular c ons u lta t ions between se n io r s aff and t h e m anagers of t h e race mee t n gs h ave im p rove d t h e perma n e nt fi r s t a id pos ts in h e sta n ds, and t h ey're al we ll pa in te d and s ign pos t ed Also a perma n ent l. aravan has been provided in h e paddock for o ur use

A Brigade am bul ance fo ll ows t h e r un n e rs and the county ra di o unit kee p s in to uch w t h a ll posts and amb ul a n ces T h ere is exce ll e nt co - operat i o n wit h Surrey Amb ul ance

Sen ice, wh ic h fHO\ ides a card iac veh c e whe n members of th e Ro)al fami iy are at th e course Aparr from this, our St J ohn ambulance lak.e casua l ties direct to hosp tal SI J ohn doctors a n d trained n u rses are availab e on And a m a i n meal s provide d fo r S J A me mb e r s a l th e po lice cateri ng m arquee. So all to ld we're pretty we ll organ ised at Epsom.

The dU LY h as d one m u c h to br in g Eas l ern Area divis o n s toge th er, a nd mo I members knov. each ol h e r by C hr istian names

Manv member even reser e odd da) s of their ' ho idays tha t h e ) can be involved in the d u ty. A nd t h ey can' t a l l b e keen pu n ters ! No. W e've j u s t ach ieve d a nic e ba la n ce of profeSS iona lis m an d ordinary fi r st ai d a n d we l fa r e -w hi ch work s. 1. E. Sm lfh , ASO

DERBY DAY IS HERE AGAIN

.. Surrey's popular race course duty

(Top) Th e c ou n ty r adiO unit , With C SO Rodney Bain e s. (Right) There s u sually plenty of sun on D er by Day ( Below) A n d plent y of ambulances mustered o the b g day at Epsom

The Bailiff of Egle meets a junior cadet who's got rather wet but is still very cheerful

THE ONLY people not affected by the rain at the opening of the new headquarters of 374 Royal Borough Kingston upon Thames Division on Sunday March 25 were members of the Tidew ay Divi si on , who stood by the rescue boat resplendent in yellow oilies and red buoyancy aids.

But the almost continual deluge did hold off for the early afternoon assembly of members to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress of Kingston, and - the Bailiff of Egle, Lord Grey of Naunton, and Lady Naunton.

After chatting to most of the members the Mayor and the Bailiff went into the new building for the formal dedication by the Rev Dr Don Markwell and the unveiling of a plaque (donated by AIM Hector Dove) by the Bailiff.

After the formalities of the opening, the South Western Area President William Best presented a picture of the Queen to the Division. And then Div/Supt Michael Newbold presented a plaque to the Bailiff of Egle, as a reminder of the opening of the HQ, to South Western Area Commissioner

AnewHQ (and a Fellowship branch) for Kingston

John Kibble, for his help with the opening, and to Commander Alex McNair, in recognition of the close ties between SJA and V Division of the Metropolitan Police.

Commander McNair then presented a V Division plaque to 374 Division.

Many ex-divisional members who were at

SWAY SHOWS THE WAY

SW A Y is a community-spirited villa?e in Hampshire's New Fo re st and It has its own mainline railway station It has not developed a great deal over year But it does have a youth centre, a vil age hall and a church centre, It was in 1980 thal the Hants Western Area SJA Commissioner Mrs Molly Bow le,r, who is a resident of Sway, had a vlsl?n of satisfyi n g the needs of the young the vi llage by forming a cadet divisio,n: the co-operation of the Vicar, a publ1clty display was put on in the church room and a few weeks later a meeting of parents and potential young members wa heldresulting in sufficient vo lun teers to form a division.

The Commissioner, with the help of ASO Mr s Joyce Dewey , became caretaker leaders of the new division until one of the ca dets volunteered the information that her mother

was a practising nurse. Such an opportunity could not be missed and in 1981 [he Sway Ambulance and Nursing Cadet Division was taken over by Mrs Val Leyland Jone s SRN as Div Supt, followed by the appointn:ent of her husband Gordon as divisional officer. [n fact the whole family soon became interested in the division, with daughter Dawn and son Peter enrolling as cadets, while Michael the youngest, was not yet old enough to join.

There was no difficulty in appointing a president, for Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Kyle, who is a Knight of the Order, ha.d recently returned to Sway to retire, and hiS wife, Lady M. Kyle, who is a Commander St John, agreed to be divisional preSident.

From the start the division meeting in the chu r ch hall, was a great success,. was not long before there was a waltmg II t to

join. Most of the founder members are still with the division and recently 14 Grand Prior's Badges were presented at the one ceremony - surely a record? They went Joanne Brooks, Emma Cranidge , Jacquehne Good, Sharon Hedgecock Dawn and Peter Leyland Jones Kerri KevJn Oakley, Catherine ancf" ChrIStopher Linda Paris , Mary Anne Stevenson , Julie Vince and Christopher White. The badges were presented by Area Commissioner Mrs Bowler, and the certificates by Lady Kyle after an enrolment ceremony of 38 cadets to other Western Area divisions 13 cadet were enrolled into Sway Division. A fter the ceremony tea was served to 200 parents by Lymington St John Guild and then Sway cadets entertained everyone with song, music and verse. Sounds as though a good time wa had by all.

(Left) Air Chief Marshal Sir Wallace Kyle Knight of St John and Lady Kyle, Commander St John President of Sway Cadet Division

In some counties the county circular is sent to branches, a most welcome move; in others regular reports on the Association and Brigade are made at branch meetings, and Fellowship members are welcomed at divisional inspections, competitions and cadet enrolment ceremonies.

Nine branches report fund-raising; most necessarily for their own branch funds. But the St John Guild in Western Area, Hants, was able to donate £]00 to their Area ambulance appeal, £100 to a St John Holiday Camp for Disabled Children and £25 to the local Cheshire Home. Other branches help on flag days, when sellers are always needed.

Among activities reported in support of St John Ambulance several branches provide stewards at Area or Regional competitions, others help at cadet enrolment ceremonies and open days, and Central Area, Hants, set up and assisted at annual camp.

All reports received speak of happy meetings, mostly monthly, but some more often. All have speakers and many outings, but the most popular item is reported as conversation.

The Fellowship exists for friendship.

Ten branches mentioned visits or outings for elderly or sick 126 members, some in response to requests from other counties, while a number run annual gatherings at Christmas or in the summer, to which elderly or disabled members are brought by car.

(Right) The Leyland Jones family Div / Supt Mrs Val Leyland Jones SRN husband Gordon , Div / Off, and chilQ.ren Peter , Dawn and Michael (Top) 13 of the 14 cadets who received their Grand Prior s Badge, (Photos by Barry Rickman)

50 AND WINNERS!

Walsall's Chasetown Division, Staffs, celebrates irs 50th a nni versa r y th s month (it was formed Ju n e 20 1934) Soon after its formation - to show how rimes and va lues have changed - it held a socia evening (entrance 3d) and a concert (4d) from which a grand tOLa l of £16 lSs ] 1/2d was raised, Those were fhe days! Or were they?

In 1956 it formed a cadet division

Last month the Division's adult competition ea m was invited to compete in LOOKING AHEAD

an international first aid competition

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

In co-operation with the

SURREY TRAINING

A Surrey member writes:

again

were supplied to visiting t eams to convey queries and instructions.

The British teams took the first three places: 1 Chasetown; 2 Central Electricity Board; 3. Metropolitan Police Congratulations all.

s and

once again RAMC NCO bravely agreed to try to impart some knowledge and expertise to us. So between go rging our. elves on su perb meals pro viJed by Mrs Ren e Smith and her cooking taff, what did we do?

At 9 am the course members book ed 111 and join e d t he advance part y and a frer introductions we had coffee (St John, eh?). After an ice br eaker of having to speak aboul yourself for two minutes, we were tested all

FAMILY AFFAIR

It was a family affair for Mrs June Wayte

14, and Mrs June Wayte. (Photo Myra Meredith)

BY THE EDITOR

OUf ability to understand instructions (about which I will not comment). A session on chain-of-command and how not to break it was followed by one of the most memorable lectures I've ever heard. Dr A. R. Maisey, an Area Surgeon from Oxfordshire, gave us his views on competition judging and competitions in general, which eft us thinking about county competitions in a n ew light. I s ugge st that all St John get on the phone (sorry, Dr Maisey) and invite him to talk to you. It will be more than worth your while.

After a sess ion on method of instruction, which is so important when teaching first aid both inside and outside the Brigade, we were presented with a problem, as Area Staff comm itttee members. of a recalcitrant Div / Supt with whom we had to deal. After a reasonable lap se of time, the three groups met to discu how they would deal with the problem.

We thought the directing staff would be kind to u s on Sunday. but no hope. Our task was to make a short video for teaching first aid in 2 Yz hours - everything from scripting to show ing. Easy? Just try it. Our first stum bling attempts showed just how difficult it was. The weekend came to a close with a talk on Immediate Care by Assistant Area Surgeon (East London) Dr K. Hines, of Hines Splint fame What did we learn during the weekend?

RESCUE

(Right) DIS Ernest Johnson presents an engraved goblet to Mr William Newbury who has retired after 53 years service which started with the Brigade in South Africa. Mr Newbury has been a member of Totterdown Division. Bristol,

Myra Meredith)

The complete an s wer would need more space than the Review can offer. But we did learn: how we ought to communicate, from members to county and beyond; how to discuss; how to breakdown harmful and unnecessary barriers erected within the Brigade, which we now realise is so important for the well being of all. The absence of uniform at a weekend such as this is well worth trying, as it certainly helps to get rid of the ' us and them' attitude. We did not-learn first aid; that wasn the purpose weekend, but we did learn how to be better Brigade members Not bad for a couple of d a ys M. C.

(E ditor: Talking of communication, the w riter of the abo v e omitted to send me a phone number with his piece, and I spent 30 minu t es and three phone call s tr y ing to track him down with a quer y. )

SUPT-IN-CHIEF

The Superintendent-in-Chief, L ady Westbury, and t he Mayor and Mayoress of Kingston-on- Thames, Surrey, Councillor and Mr s Albert Simpson, attended a recent open evening held by the CN 47 Malden and

Coombe N I C Division at New Malden,

The Divi sion, who were the national winners for 1983, gave displays and demonstrations The Special Service Shield for 200 hours voluntary service to the community was awarded to cadet Caroline Harwick. Grand Prior's Badges were presented to cade t Maxine de Brunner and Nicola Cooper

Also present for the evening, which wa s well attended by parents and resident s of New Malden, was the new Area Commissioner, Mr John Kibble

'JEWISH' DIVISION

I learn from the Jewish Chronicle that an engraved plaque and a pre sen t ation were made to 70-year-old Noah Gold s tein at a party to mark hi s re irement as th e officer in charge of No. 409 Tower Hamlet s Divi s ion.

Mr Goldste i n served for 53 year s a nd is belie ved to be the longest-ser v ing member of this East London division. He recalled he time when the division, founded in 1895 and formerly the number 30 East L ondon division wa s unofficially known as th e f."S" "

'Jewi s h divi s ion b e cau se 99 per cent o f the m e mber s wer e Jew s

The large gath e rin g at he party nclu ded

Mr Gold st ein 's wife, Debbie, his 73- year -old brother Alfred Gilston o f Highgate , who was the divisional treasurer for 20 years an d Rabbi Eli Salasnik, the mini s ter of the Waltham Forest Hebrew Congregati on, where Mr Goldstein has been warden for the past eight y ear s and h as ser v ed on the bo ard o f management for 30 y ears.

Mr Gold s tein s to remain acti v e wi t h the Friend s of S John for r e tired and fo rmer member s, which he helped to found WET RUN

A I M Kenn et h Selley , of Surre y' s Cran leigh Comb i ned Di v is ion , o ok p a rt in th e an nual 14-mile Guildfo rd m aratho n o n a wet March

25 , r a is in g £ 90 fo r di v is io na l fu nd s.

Well d o n e, K e n MEMBERS RAllY he a r tha t la s yea r 's SJ A Sta ff s' me mbers rall y held in S t a fford s hire m a de a d o n ation a s requ es t e d , to BB C T V's Blu e Pete; Weatherbea t er Appeal whi c h pro vides s uppli es to 21 o f t he w orld 's poo rest countrie s deva stated by flood s and drou ght.

ONE of h e major a i ms of St Jo hn Amb u lance is to teac h f i rst aid to a w ide variety of people. Of late many requests h ave come fro m abroad.

When the Royal Army Me d ical Service of The Ki n gdom of Jordan wa n ted advice a nd help to se t up ts own Ambu lance Se r v ice they approached St John Ambu la n ce H.Q _ in London. H .Q. asked St John counties to nominate lay with bot h amb ulance and fir aid teaching exper ie n ce to work on the scheme_ Some 88 names were sub mitted and from this two were c h ose n after inlen ive interviews. They were Area Staff Officer Roy Davenport fro m Leiceste r and Div is iona l Superintendent Ray Fra n c is fro m Ab ingdon.

Roy and Ray had several meetings to discu s the programme of training and to as emble their teaching aids. The e filled a very large suitcase. On arr vmg in Jordan Roy and Ray were based al t h e King H usse in Hospital in Amman. Thi is the finest, m ost up to date leaching hospita l in Jo r da n a nd is the headquar t ers of th e R oyal Jor d a ni a n Med ica l Service. The ai m of the co ur se was made clea r. T h e most i m po r tant part was to set u p h e am bul a n ce se r v ice for ar m y a nd govern m e n t perso n nel.

Up to t h en h er e was n o a mb u la n ce se r v ce in J o r da n . A n yo n e r e quirin g h os pital treat m e n t was ca rr ied i n ca r s, truck s, va n s or a n y ot h er trans p o r t a va il a bl e_ Whil s t R o y and R ay we r e a d v is in g the army on an a mbul a n c e service pe r so nne from the Lo nd o n A mbul a n ce S e r vice we r e a d v is ing

the Go ve rnm e n t of Jo rd a n a nd h e lpin g t o set

up a c iv il ia n am bul a n ce serv ice_

T h e a rm y h a d asse mbl e d 30 o f fi ce r s and sen ior N C O s fo r th e co ur se. T he t eac hin g

was d o n e b ot h in cl ass ro o m f o r t h e t h eo r y a nd in t h e f e ld f or th e prac t ica l as pect s _

V s it s we re a rr a n ge d to seve r a l fi e ld ho s pi t al s to e nable Roy a nd Ray t o judge the ex t ent of the probl e m. It b ec am e ev id e nt durin g

(again)

th ese vi s it s that mu c h of the fir s aid t a u g ht was a mixtur e o f ver y new and ver y old Sp ring

ST JOH N

GOES T O JORDA N

by Ray Francis, D I S Abingdo n T h eir mo dern training was mainly from A m e ri ca n fi l ms on cardio-pulmonary r es u sc it a t io n f o r example O n e of their more ant iq ua t e d m ethods of performing artificial res u sc itat io n was to swing the patient by the ar ms a nd feet from side to ide to try to r evive him Th is was not uncommon in the 18 th ce n tury Nat urall y before teaching too m any mo d ern mechan ical methods basic proced u res in li fe saving had to be improved.

Afte r a few h ours of in truction and discussion an incide n t was staged at the main gate of t h e h ospital. The ambulance was c all e d a n d it took one hour and fo r ty five minu te to a r rive. Th is exposed two probl e m s, the lack o f orga n isatio n and that th e a mbul a n ce d r ive r with the ignition key was wo r k in g o n t h e o t he r side of Amman.

Once he se probl ems we r e solved t h ey stage d ano t h er in ci d en t and t h is time i t [Ook a m ore res p ec tabl e four mi n utes for the ambulan c e to a rri ve.

The langua g e ba rr ier pro ve d t o be not too difficult a s int e rpret e r s were avai la ble a lso a g r e at man y s lid es a nd film s were u se d.

Durin g some of the film sess io n s o n wo und s the u s ual p e r ce n tage o f th e a u die n ce ended up o n th e fl oo r.

By t h e e nd o f th e two and a h a f wee k course Ro y a nd R ay h a d ta u g h t eno u g h o f f icer s a nd N C O s to p a ss o n t h e ir n ew ly ga in e d knowled ge t o o th e r m e m be rs o f th e A rm y Medical Ser vi ce and th ere b y p r ovide a s tron g nucl e us fo r the n ew ven tur e.

Roy and Ra y found th e work ve r y exacti n g but rew a rdin g_ A lthou g h a ve r y o ld cou n t r y, it is only in the la s t 50 year s or so t h at J orda n has d eveloped technically and their thirst for knowledge is immense. They were willing to try any new scheme and improve upon it if possib le. The Jordanians showed their thanks in their displays of great hospitality. D uring visits [0 many of the field hospitals all over the country every opportunity \>,a s taken to see the many fascinating sights. These included the city of Jaresh. This is a well preserved Graeco-Roman provincial city built during the conquests of Alexander the Great. It is a great archaeological discovery. Mount ebo is the site of the Chapel of Moses which includes some of the f inest mosaic work in the world and it includes a mosaic map of Jerusalem. The City of Petra w h ich is carved out of rock has a beauty that is indescribable and the colours of the sand around Petra make this a city worth visiting. A further highlight wa a trip [0 the Ca de of Tarila which was the original ca tIe built by the h:night s of St John i n 1105 AD. The final visit wa _ (0 Nasb Al Shaheed which is t h e Tomb of the Unknown W a rrior Here Roy and Ray were met by a full militar y Guard of Honour led by a Colonel - the Keeper of the Tomb. They were inyi le d to s ig n the Vis ito r Book which an honour us u ally given only to royalty a n d visiting heads of state and were a ked to \ ater the Olive Tree - a ymbol of the Tomb. On a visit to a water irrigation plant R ay real is ed w h at it is to be humbled The irr iga t ion p la n t was in a very poor v llage and h ey we re intro du ced to a Bedoui n family. A lt h oug h t h e t ota l po e _ ion of the family was o n ly 12 s h eep. the family in isted on killing one of the sheep ror a rea of thanksg iving, Ray fe lt that thi _ family ga\ e m or e d ur i n g that day than he had be n able to g ive dur in g h i whole visit. A lt h o u gh th e course was o nl y a shon two a n d a h a l f week i t i fel t t hat R oy and Ray u p h e ld the tradi t ion of St J ohn whi l ( in Jor d an and it is hoped that t h e benefit s giyen t o bo th p art ie \\ il l be felt for many to co m e.

13 1

At Malden and Coombe Nursing CadetDivision's open evening (Left) Helen Johnson and Maxine de Brunner attend a casualty

(Above) The Supt-in - Chief, Lady Westbury, chatting to Jennifer Bearup. (Right) Maxine

showing the awards to the Mayor of Kingston

Programme ideas

WHY NOT try a few visits? Perhaps you could go to an indoor cricket school, a milk bottling plant, a sweet factory or a musical instrument factory. What about a lighthouse or a boat builders or indeed a camera or similar factory? A few ideas for talks: What about one on the history of the ambulance, the role of a speech therapist or a hospital at night? To get cadets involved why not get them thinking about TV advertisements and act out their own. An interesting variation on the Keem's game theme could be one where you use people who keep on changing clothes.

Have you ever thought of ?

* Holding a cookery meeting to raise funds. Ask the chef or the women's editor from the local paper to take the chair. Then for a small charge, your mums and their friends come along and are shown a few ideas for the kitchen, followed by a question and answer session. Don't forget to inform the local press and radio well in advance.

* Informing the hospital radio of your news. They may slip short news items into their programmes or they may want an interview.

* Holding a barn dance. These seem very popular these days. Find out from someone who has held one the names of your local callers.

* Collecting a set of photos of your cadets doing first aid, nursing or on duty, camping, or on a visit. These could be made up into a small display which could be taken on duties, coffee mornings, etc.

* Putting the name of your Division in the phone book. A number of Divisions have been able to obtain new members when people have found it possible to make contact via the phone book.

* Arranging for someone to teach your cadets deaf and dumb sign language. Or during an exercise arranging for a casualty with a fractured jaw who cannot speak and attempt communicating in other ways.

* Ensuring that your cadets who use bikes take the Cycling Proficiency Test. Most schools arrange these and this is some way towards a Proficiency Badge subject as well.

* Holding an exercise for your cadets at a location that you would normally do a duty

at. For example, a dog track or a cycle speedway track, or at the local swimming pool at a time when it is normally closed to the public.

* Inviting the Mayor, MP, Carnival Queen or a TV star to come and shake a tin for half an hour on your next Flag Day. If you infoqn the local press well beforehand this should draw a large crowd and give you some excellent free publicity.

Krypton factor

Why not set your cadets a series of small challenges to test their ability and to find out what their Krypton factor rating is? The tests are not only physical challenges but involve the senses and use a bit of brain matter as well. Every cadet needs to have a personal card on which to keep a record of how well he or she does on each challenge. Here are some suggested challenges.

Taste factor

Cadets are faced with plates of potato crisps, each plate holding a different flavoured crisp Mark the correct identification of the tastes.

Ear factor

Leave a ticking alarm clock or egg timer in a quiet room. Cadets are blindfolded and then led into the room on their hands and knees. Mark on how quickly the cadets find the clock or who gets to the clock first.

Eye factor

Prepare a series of cards on each of which is written just one word in letters one inch high. The cadet under test stands at a given point, while another cadet some distance away holds up a card. The cadet with the card slowly walks closer. The cadet under test stops him coming closer when he can read the word by raising his hand. Score according to the distance at which a cadet can read the word.

Nerve factor

Cadets are provided with sets of playing cards. Who can build the biggest tower of cards in a set time? If a tower collapses the cadet can start building again. It is the height of the tower after the time limit is passed that counts.

Reactions factor

A cadet is armed with a mallet, draw a circle on the floor with chalk, and another cadet

daughter of Transport Officer Ray Pennock, who has just received her Grand Prior s Badge, with D Of icer Frank Staff , who was the first Weybridge cadet to gain the GP s B ba ck in 1954 holds an old sock stuffed with paper so that the toe is in the circle. The idea is tha t the cadet with the sock has to pull it out of th e circle before it is squashed by the mallet. The boy with the mallet , however, is not allo wed to move until the sock starts to move

Finger factor

Prepare a number of cloth bags contain ing a variety of items Each bag should have exactly the same set o f item s in it. Give each cadet a bag and they hav e to find things from it by feel not by looking. Announce on e of the objects and the cadet who holds it up first wins.

Fang factor

Provide the cadets with a toothbrush and some toothpaste. Each cadet has two min utes to clean his teeth to the best of hi s abi lity.

After the two minutes , test each by asking them to chew a disclosing tablet, which ca n be bought from the chemi st and whi ch colour the mouth red, any tartar left on t he teeth being coloured more strongly tha n the rest. Put the toothbrushes in a weak antiseptic solution for cleansing be tween tests.

Bristol and N Avon's Area Commissioner

Mrs Nora Ford presenting record book and badge to Rebecca Clark at the first enrolment ceremony of the newly-formed Knowle and Totterdown Div, with 0/0 Kevin Neale (right). (Photo: Myra Meredith)

This is just a selection of the possible challenges that you could set your cadets on a typical Krypton factor type evening. Have you any other ideas that you could share with us? If so, please write to me.

Nursing Cadet Weekend Camp

On a recent visit to Brigade HQ in London

I met Lady Westbury, Supt-in-Chief, who had just returned from the Midlands NCB Colliery Nursing Cadet Divisions' weekend camp at the Derbyshire Miners Holiday Centre, Skegness. During the weekend over 9()(} cadets and officers participated in a range of training and social activities which ended with a formal parade on the Sunday at which the salute was taken by Lady Westbury. I hear that the parade looked most impressive and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves during the weekend. To have the use of such accommodation and the generosity of the hosts no doubt was well appreciated by the cadets. I'd like to hear from any Cadets who took part and perhaps we can publish the best account of the weekend.

Contributions

If you have an idea that you would like to

THE NEED to familiarise our members who are not employed in manufacturing industry with some of the conditions of 'First-Aid at Work' motivated the competition organisers of Staffordshire's Southern Area to inves t ig ate using a factory as the venue

A managing director who was approached was not at all enthusiastic! 'What about insurance? - How could we guarantee that equipment and work in progress would not be damaged, etc.'

Eve ntually he expressed confidence in the discipline of the Brigade and an undertaking that some of the technicians, foremen and works' fir st- aiders would attend to cover the interests of the company won the day.

The Area Surgeon then visited the site and was taken on a tour of the premises. Tests were allocated to various areas and an isolation and a presentation room were earmarked. He then went away and devised tests which would fit in with the existing conditions. No special staging for the firstaid tests was required - in fact the only piece of equipment which had to be brought in was a bed. My wife has, by the way, on occasions suggested that I took mine there

The adult team test called for a worker to be found with his arm trapped in a machine. He had been working alone and only after 1Yz hours was he discovered by a person who, in his anxiety to help, also became trapped They were in a narrow gangway and, after 3 minutes, the second casualty fainted.

None of the teams had ever been in the factory before and therefore were not familiar with the services; consequently they had to rely on their powers of observation. !he method of operation of a metal-clad Isolator switch gave the team the greatest difficulty. Few thought of asking the

share with other Cadet Divisions, write to me at the address below. also always look forward to receiving letters from cadets telling me about what they have been doing in their Divisions and will send a Cadet Chat

Badge to all those who do contribute. urgently need good black and white photographs of Cadets. Please send these to me also. The address to write to is Jim, 3 Brandreth Road, Beckton, London, E64QB.

Competition based on First Aid at Work

'worker' casualty, although he was anxious to volunteer information, on how to operate the release mechanism. However, the standard of first aid was good.

The cadet teams were faced with two 'competition helpers ' , one of whom had suffered an electric shock and the other who had attempted rescue had also become a casualty Both were unconscious and the first required artificial respiration and cardiac compression for the whole of the test. The second casualty was breathing but did not regain consciousness. Fortunately, none of the teams sustained 'casualties' and again the unfamiliar surroundings posed problems.

No.1 found, in his individual test, a man standing by a bench having dropped a heavy metal bar on his foot. A perfectly normal accident situation but the 'casualty' was not made more comfortable when, early in the competition, one of the competitors applied cold water without removing his sock!

No 2 found a young girl lying on the floor among the remains of her broken spectacles and with a severe wound on the cheek immediately below the eye. How few considered the broken glass a danger. The casualty expressed concern that she could not see without her glasses and a young competitor helped her look for them.

No.3 was asked to improvise a stretcher; their knowledge of page 200 was being tested Some methods were both ingenious and effective but were not ba s ed on the 4th edition of the First Aid Manual'

The last member of the team was asked to take charge of the works' first aid room He was faced with three 'customers'. One had a sting on the back of the hand, the second complained of a headache, and the third had toothache. The best performance was by a female member of an ambulance cadet team from a combined di v is ion. It goes to show how few of u s get as far as the last pages or, if we do , we don't bother with the every day ailments

To forestall any letters of protest , the treatments called for by the tests we re all based on the 4th edition and not the FirstAid at Work course. No.4 was not expected to know anything about records or the Accident Book.

The Area Staff regard the competition as much a means of training as a competitive event and feel quite satisfied that thi s yea r s event fulfilled both requirements

The 'c asualties ' were drawn f rom noncompeting divisions and prepared by SJA members who were also members of Casualties Union This also provided training opportunities, both f rom the acting and make-up experience, and that of being at the mercy of first-aiders.

Lastly, [ am pleased and proud to be able to report that the confidence in SJA discipline was not misplaced - absolutely no complaints were received following the event and the employees of the company who were present were most impressed by the skill a nd enthusiasm displayed.

D. E. Poole, ASO (Training), Southern Area, County of Stafford.

CSO Mrs V. M Crosby presents Grand Prior's Badge certificates to Rugby nursing cadets (L to R): Debbie Smith, 16; Tracey Barratt, 15 and sisters Janet, 17 and Penny Watson 14 (Photo: Rugby Advertiser)

EACH YEAR in England and Wales over 100,000 people die from coronary artery disease, most with a sudden unexpected heart attack. The risk of death is highest within the first few minutes of such an attack so that about half of those who die do so before they can reach hospital. In most cases cardiac arrest occurs and is due to 'ventricular fibrillation', which is a completely irregular and ineffective twitching of the heart muscle.

AlthouO"h combined Expired Air Resuscitation .:> (EAR) and External Cardiac Compression (ECC) will maintain an adequate circulation, only an electric shock from a 'defibrillator' will put the heart back into a normal rhithm. Applied quickly this electric shock has at least a 50070 chance of resulting in the patient's recovery - without it he is bound to die.

In Belfast in the mid 1960s an attempt was made to treat victims of a heart attack at an earlier stage by providing 'Cardiac Ambulances'. These vehicles carry specially trained doctors and nurses and are equipped with defibrillators. The idea has been further developed in other cities and notably in Seattle, USA. It was to thiS city that I went in Mav 1983 to study their socalled 'Medic l' and 'Medic II' programmes.

Strange Emergency medical facilities Seattle's 1/2 -million population are provided by the Fire Department rather than the ambulance services. To us this may seem strange, but the principal reason is that the are privately owned whereas the Fire Department is financed out of local taxes. There are 32 fire stations which are sited so that a fire engine can any part of the city within three minutes of being called. All firefighters are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) but some receive an additional 80-hour emergency medical technician (EMT) course. These men then crew the seven Aid Cars, which are well equipped and fast ambulances. Additionally, there are five Medic I ambulances, each carrying two paramedics who have to complete a one year full-time training course. They are taught to recognise various medical emergencies, particularly heart attacks and heart failure, and are able to intubate (pass a tube down the windpipe to establish an airway and enable oxygen to be given), set up intravenous infusions (drips), drugs and, most importantly, use a deflbnllator.

If someone in Seattle collapses at home, at work or in the street, an emergency telephone call (911 rather than 999) is put through to the Fire Department

If the description of the collapse sounds like a cardiac problem, the Dispatcher will alert the nearest emergency vehicles. A fire-engine will be on the scene within three minutes and the crew will start CPR if necessary. Within two to three minutes of their arrival an Aid Car with two EMTs will be there to take over and set up an electrocardiagram (ECG).

Lastly, the paramedic team in a Medic I vehicle will arrive about eight minutes after the initial telephone call. The paramedics can gi ve all the emergency including a defibrillating shock If the patient is in ventricular fibrillation, and get him into a fit state for transport to hospital. If need

Community resuscitation service for Seattle's %-million citizens

More than 100 times as many people die each year from heart attacks

be they can call up a by ra?io, describe the patient's condItIon and be given appropriate advice on management. They can also alert the hospital casualty department to the fact that they are bringing in an urgent case. The Seattle emergency medical service came into being in 1970 and soon itself dealing with about one case of cardIac arrest a day. Of those patients who were found to be in ventricular fibrillation, about 20% were resuscitated and were eventually able to leave hospital. However, it did not prove possible to reduce the time from call-out to arrival of the first emergency vehicle much below three minutes. In order to try and reduce the delay before CPR could be started, a community programme has been set up to train as many citizens as possible in the techniques of EAR and ECe. This was named the Medic II programme. Courses are provided free of charge and are funded by various chari table organisations. They are given by Fire Department EMTs and consist of a film, a lecture-demonstration and practical work on various resuscitation manikins, lasting three hours in all. Classes are arranged for many public departments and private businesses, but anyone who can organise a group of 20 or more can ask for a course to be run. To date about 30% of the population have received such instruction and there is now a 25% chance that someone suffering a cardiac arrest within the city limits of Seattle will have CPR initiated by

a bystander. This has led to patients having twice the chance (40%) of eventual recovery, provided the underlying problem is one of heart disease.

At Home

One difficulty still being tackled is the fact that 750/0 of cardiac arrests occur at home. Usually only the patient's spouse is with him, so this lessens considerably the chance of someone being present who is trained in CPR. An experiment has been set up to try and overcome this problem by means of Telephone CPR. When the Fire Department Dispatcher is called, he has available a set of questions to ask and instructions to give.

Having obtained the name and address of the caller and despatched the appropriate Aid Unit, he will ask: 'Do you want to do CPR?'

If the caller says yes, he gives instructions over the telephone:

'Get him flat on his back on the floor.

Strip his chest.

Kneel by his side.

Pinch the nose.

With the other hand, lift the chin so the' head bends back.

Completely cover his mouth with yours.

Force 4 deep breaths of air into his lungs.

Just like you're blowing up a big balloon.'

By trying this out on volunteers using Resusci-Ann manikins, it has been found that the precise wording of the instructions is very important in determining whether the caller, who is under considerable stress, can

understand and carry out adequate resuscitation. To date there have been a number of very dramatic success stories, although the whole procedure is still under evaluation. Since its inception a little over ten years ago, the Medic I programme has saved the lives of over 800 heart attack victims. This has, of course, cost money. A paramedic earns about £20,000 a year and the whole programme has an annual budget of £250,000. Medical care is more expensive in the USA than in this country, but even so a large sum of money would be needed to provide a similar service here. There are at present a number of les s ambitious schemes in the UK, notably in Brighton, and the early results are encouraging These schemes need to be extended to other towns and cities. As has been shown in Seattle, education of the public in the techniques of EAR and ECC is as important as the provision of trained professionals. This is an area in which the Royal Li fe Sa ving Society has both expertise and experience - we could well find ourselves involved in the future. There is a danger of thinking that resuscitation is only needed after water-related incidents. Remember that more than 100 times as many people die each year from heart attacks than from drowning.

Anthony 1. Handley, MD, MRCP Medical Adviser, Royal Life Saving Society

(Firs! published in (he RLSS Quanerl y Journal. )

F.A. COURSE FOR DISABLED

GLOUCESTERSHIRE'S Deputy County Supt Eileen Gleadle-Richards and D / O Jean Gander recently organised an eight-week basic first aid course for ten Bronze Award DofE participants at the National Star Centre for Disabled Youths in Cheltenham.

Although the participants' disabilities varied considerably and most were confined to wheelchairs, this did not deter them from reaching the required standard. The final examination was taken by the County Mr John Gray, who was most Impressed by the courage, determination and enthusiasm of the whole class.

The two SJA instructors felt this was the most rewarding class they had ever ta ken.

(Above) Julie with an injury to the hand and Jean Gander examining Joanne's head bandage (Right ) Thanks to the instructors , Eileen Gleadle· Richards and Jean Gander from co ordinator Chris Crosskey

FAREWELL JIMMY

from Maj-Gen (Rtd.l Desmond Gordon

I am sure many St John members will have read the sad news of the death of Jimmy Kennedy, the song writer, at the age of 81.

Last year he received the OBE in recognition for all the songs he wrote before and after the war, which gave so much pleasure to so many people. Who will ever forget t he 'Teddy Bears Picnic', 'Red Sails in the Sunset', 'Hometown' to name just three.

In 1977 I wrote and asked him if he would write a St John March, which he did very readily and which I trust is in regular use by the Brigade on ceremonial occasions. He was a great friend.of Sir and Lady Mitchell and through them he took a great IOterest 10 the activities of the Brigade. Now he is no longer with us but his songs will live on for ever.

Greywell, Hants Desmond Gordon

FAW

QUALIFICATIONS

from Mr W. Morris, Divisional Superintendent

From [he numerous letters on this topic , it is obvious that many members are experiencing problems that are adversely affecting the efficient running of their divisions. Even if one allows for the instinctive opposition to change inherent in any social group, there mus t be something other than a change of teaching methods to account for the disruption being caused to a firmly established and cohesive organisation such as St John.

Could it be that the Brigade member feels discriminated against by the way the H&S (FA) Regs have been interp:eted by our superiors?

Just because they are prepared to give up thelf own tIme to further the work of St John, why should they be obliged to give more time and the Divisions' hard earned cash to relieve an employer of a duty imposed on him by statute? Why, they are asking, can't they be included in the 4-day training package (with lunch included) in their w orking time at the employer's expense.

The employer knows he has to pay for any training required under statute and is quite prepared to do so. Where he has a member of SJA as an employee he has a ready made first-aider, with little chance of money being wasted. He certainly is not going to turn him her awa y

For any rule to be workable and acceptable, it must be sensible. Where is the logic of requiring all members to have the FA W qualification? The unemployed, yes, a very useful bargaining lever in j ob interviews , but members who will never need to go into a place of work again? Recruitment? Just how do you explain efficiency requirements to a prospective member wIthout scarmg him / her away.

As in most cases, there are swings and roundabouts. While the Association is highly organised with its up-to-date training package pulling in the cash from industry, the divisions are finding that they are coming out on the losing side by trying to 'mix it'. Perhaps we should have kept to what we do best 'the organisation and training of men, women and young persons to undertake work on a voluntary basis.'

Stoke-an-Trent W. Morris

from Mr K. Armfield, Centre Secretary and ASO Training

I have no intention of entering into regular correspondence on the above subject (my letter, Sf John Review, Feb 1984), but I am grateful to those readers and fellow members for their replies in the April Review

It would, however, be appreciated if may reply to Messrs Cooper, Carr and Sedgley in collective form. Clearly my letter has not been fully understood. I was not condemning the package as a whole, only the contents of the syllabus came under criticism, as was made clear (or so thought) when I advocated the use of the 4th edition with a tutorial as per section 6 of the Student's FAW Handbook. I agree that the Instructor's Manual gives an ideal basis on which to build teaching skill and practical expertise; the latter, I might add, being considerably lacking in a large number of instructors. A similar syllabus teaching programme was circulated to all Association Centres following the publication of the 4th edition. All of us who have undergone a certificated teaching technique course or hold Dept of

Education certificates or professional tutor diplomas find great b enefit from such guide lines

I am pleased to see that at least one other person agrees tha t the 'social ' or public fir s t aid certificated course is more con:prehe nsive and, with respect would point out that our centre panel of mstru ctors, all of whom are active Brigade members, are fully system s an d objective orientated in their teaching , although their technique s may vary slightl y. All five strongly relate to the se methods both o n the first aid and nursing courses; all , with one e x ception, having wid e and varied prac i c al e x per t s e. We on Mersey s ide and in Lancashire are not , as I trust I made cle a r, living in the past or re s is ting modern teaching method s I am s ure

we are all in favour of progre ss for st ud e nt and c a s ualty alik e We have also taught the 'least done soonest mended adage for a s long as I can remem ber and thi s has al s o been applied to the FA W courses

I agree that the stud e nt gets ou t of the cour se onl y wha t he instructor puts into the s y stem. The FA W s y llabu s mor e than encourages any instruc t or worth his s a lt to inj e ct more e ff or t and interest in the course. One concurs with the three writers i n encouraging new thinking in the te ac h i n g f ield f or the benefit of St John a nd the studen undertaking the pu blic FA or FA W cour s e; it is long ov erdue in some respects, at Associa t ion Centre and Brigade divisiona l/area level. I would al s o agre e th a t the package wa s de s igned to carr y out a specific function within the indu s trial field and within the me aning of the Act. I do ha v e faith in the package, Mr Sedgley s o fa r as the teaching format applie s. However, r still contend tha t if w e to train people to carry ou t first aid dut i es irrespective of loc atIOn, they should be trained a s fully a s po s sible on a comprehen s Ive m anual s o that they may c arry ou t tho s e duties in any sphere

All in all the comments made in reply to my letter have been very fair and I trust I have now made m ys elf quite clear: T E A C H AND TRAIN ON ONE MANUAL be it FA or FAW Ormskirk, Lan es K. Armfield

THAT CLAVICLE

from Bruce Coltman, Area Staff Officer

1 am re s earchin g the first aid treatment of a fractured cl aV cle throughout the age s and should be obliged if readers of the Sf Joh n Review c an be of any assistance.

This treatment could be likened to a pendulum travelling back wards and forwards. In 1891 the treatment wa s a pad in the axila , th e arm on the injured side placed in a St John sling, and a broad ban dage placed over the supported arm and tied around the bod y. Any a s sistance with the tr e atments in the year s 1878, 1885 1901 , 1904, 1919, would be greatly appreciated.

The loan of any publications would be of a s sistance and any expenditure would be reimbursed.

10/ Kenton Lane Kenlan Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 4LD Bruce Colt ma n

MORI POLL

from Group Captain J. A. G. Siessor, HQ SJA, london

In the conte x t of the MORI poll there has, over recent month s, bee n

a di scernible thread of criticism running c?l,uJ?ns of the ' military ima g e prese nted by the Bn gade , the mliltanstlc !mes I g whi c h it is run a nd ev e n of w hat IS regarded as a surfeIt of Service o ff ic e r s in the Ambulanc e hierarchy. Falling, as I d o, fair and s qua r e into t he latter c at e g o r y I have b e en tempted wnte d an s wer the s e criti c ism s but instead have adhered to the vIew that is g olden '. Howeve r , along comes M: Lam b's letter (April Revie w) and I now feel inspired to break thiS sJlence m the belief that it is time for an opposin g view to be a dvanced. Let me therefore take th es e point s in the ord e r se ou above I. The Military Image: This is best an s wered some SImple ques tIOns: What is wrong with the m i litary image? Is It a that th e Armed Services epitom is e t h e very be s t qual1tle s mherent m the British character? Witness the surge of prid e swept country during the Falkland s Camp a g n in J 982 and uDl ted the natIOn to an ex tent unheard of s inc e 1945. And what alternatIve Image would Mr Lamb pr e fe r? Thi s may be a c ase of r eductio ad absu rdum' but ,:"ould we like to s e e the 1984 'punk' ima g e, or s omethmg quite s o ou t land is h in be t wee n? Of co u rs e not , so in the lack of an ythmg better , Iet u s st ic k to the militar y im a g e a nd be t hankful for It, not resent it. (Incident a ll y , I am s t ill puzz ling out where Mr finds his 'First World War id eas'. Is he o ld e n o u g h to remember? ) F mally, w hen all is said and d o n e , ca n th e p ri n c iples e mb o died in the Or?7r 's dual 'P ro F id e Pro Utilitat e Hominum be better exemplIfied than In th e p r inc ipl e of se r v ice as m anifeste d n t he Arm e d

2. Bri g ade run on Militar is tic Lin es : To a n s we r thIS c ntlc ism on e h as b ut to d ev el o p t h e arg um e n t a s ex p o unde d so fa r Granted t?at a

Briga d e unit mu s t be so co n s titut ed as t o r ea ct

to any em ergency, w h ethe r it be a c h i ld f a Iling off hI S bike or a d saste r t h e n someo n e must b e recog ni zabl y i n c har ge of e a ch UnIt

or sub -un it inro w hi c h a d ivi o n m ay b e s plit f or th e purpose of a

s pec ific du ty Imp l icit i n th is p h ilo so ph y, ass umin g tha t i t is

is t he prin cip le of lea d e r s h ip a nd to ask th a t t h e auth o nt Y,of lead ers mu st b e re pec t ed i n n o way m e an s t hat th ey a re f or Cin g t heIr

will o n lowe r members o f the B ri gade' as Mr L a mb s u g ge s t s It is hard ly lik ely t hat t h ey w ill h a v e bee n gra nt e d offi cer s ta us w! th out

at eas a m o di c um o f Bri ga d e ex p erie n c e b eh nd h e m , a nd WIthout

havi n g displayed some qua lit ies of lea d ers hi p ga inin g th at e xperie n ce, &0 it i not unrea o n able o ex p ect the Ir a uthon ty t o b e accepte d b y j u n o r membe r s o f th eir d ivis io n s who m a y hav e no experie n ce at a ll. In o r de r to per fo rm its rol e n soc ie t y th e Brig a de is, an d m ust cont inu e to be, a disci pl ined force, eve n i f o nl y t o a m eagr e degree c omp a r ed to a f ig h t in g unit n th e Ar m y. Th e fac t th a t t hi s is so inevi t a bl y lea d s to j u s t s uch co m p a ris on s, bu t volunte e rs w ho fi n d t h e si m Ilari t y o b jectio n a bl e s h ou ld as k th e m s elv es w h et her the i r d iv sio n wo uld r eally be wo rk a ble wi thout a n appoint ed se nior memb e r being p la ced in overa ll c har ge; a nd h ere let u s not fo r ge t t h at carries r espo n s i bil it y. W ll o ur u n h a pp y v olunt ee r , left t o hI S own dev ic es, carr y hi s s h a r e in d if fic u l s ituations , or mi g ht th es e mor e like ly det e r i or a t e i n to to a f ail ur e? Even a footb all t e a m n e ed s a ca pta i n, a nd all s old ie r s a re volunt ee r s , ev e n thougr t he y are paid 3. Too many ex-Service Officers: Service officers are retired earlier t han their ci v ilian co unterparts , a nd have a n average of 10 years of use ful workin g life ah e ad of them before the magic age of 65. During t he ir career they und e r g o len g thy p e riod s of staff training, after which th e y f ill a variet y of app o intments that equip them with a wide spectrum of administrative expertise and managerial skills. S imultaneou s ly they are called upon to exerci s e informed judgement during de c ision-making processe s and readily to accept responsibility. ] may be wron g, but in my view the s e attributes combined in all likelihood with a pronoun c ed sense of duty, fit them fairly well for the sort of positions in which one finds retired officers in the A mbulance organis a tion

J Grosvenor Crescent , London S W.i. John Slessor

from Mr D. Millband, Divisional Superintendent Ambulance Member A. P Lamb would appear to have suffered some grave injustice at the hands of a Senior Officer which prompted his letter in April's Review At le ast, we are left to assume so. Could it be , however, that Ambulance Member Lamb was merely being instructed to comply with regulations with which he should have been

hR5T AID Po.sT

"COME BA CK IN AN HOUR MATE - THIS IS A VOL UNTAR Y ORGANISA TION AND IT'S LUNCH BREAK. "

If Mr Lamb has his way (April Review)

familiar and has reacted strongly to such instruction? The reader was unable to judge.

r cannot agree that prospective members are 'put off' by the rules and so called regimentation. Few prospective members have any idea of the way in which the Brigade is run until they have served in it and I wou ld venture to suggest that there are even members of some standing who still are not fully aware of the responsibilities of running a Division.

Mr Lamb agrees that regulations are required and it must follow that where regulations exist somebody has to see that they are adhered to or they lose all significance I am the first to agree that the manner in which this control is exercised is of paramount importance and that there will undoubtably be officers within the Brigade who take upon themselves the kind of role Mr Lamb is complaining about. Like Mr Lamb, I have encountered such officers.

However, to seek to remove such ' officers by removing the regulations and thus making all officers redundant can hardly be seriously suggested as a sensible answer. Mr Lamb has an option open to him if he is able to substantiate his allegations and this option is provided for in the very regulations he appears to be attacking. I would suggest that Mr Lamb's grievance can hardly be generally shared within his own Division or one would expect that the Division would have collapsed before now.

No doubt Mr Lamb will accuse me of taking a defensive position as an officer. This is not the case It is my view that all officers should be liable for continuous assessment and that, as a part of this assessment, the general conduct and morale of the respective Division, Area, County or whatever should be taken into consideration. Quite how this asessment might be conducted in respect of our most senior officers is difficult to suggest but it could easily be introduced at Corps, Division and Area level.

As to Mr Lamb's comment that the Brigade as a whole is run on far too militaristic lines, r have to disagree. I cannot, of course, comment on the way in which his own Division is run but my wide experience in my own Area and County does not support his view at all. I believe that the vast majority of officers lead by example rather by the force of rank. I cannot imagine volunteer members submitting themselves to a regime such as he appears to suggest is widespread.

138

What Mr Lamb should remember is that the Brigade is expected to take its place alongside the existing Police, Fire and Ambulance Services, all of whom are run along almost identical lines to those of the Brigade where regulations and discipline are concerned.

I am able to agree with some of what Mr Lamb says. There can be confusion in respect of uniform and I have personally experienced such confusion but one can imagine the reaction of Brigade members if they were asked to finance a complete uniform change to avoid what must only be the isolated incident of mis-identity.

As to Mr Lamb's comments on the unsuitability of the uniform for first aid duties, there is again something to be said for his view that the ambulance member's cap can become a nuisance in certain circumstances. One assumes that Mr Lamb's own cap is not such a tight fit that he cannot remove it for the purpose of treating a casualty. More important, provision has been made for alternative items of uniform to be worn on Public Duty which would effectively counter the problem of damage to or by the parade uniform.

Overall, one gets the impression that Mr Lamb is carrying an outs ze chip on his shoulder that could be effectively reduced by a more comprehensive knowledge of the organisation to which he belon gs Many of the remedies he seeks are already available to him if he took the trouble to look for them.

Finally, his observations that the popularity of the Brigade has declined on acount of the picture he has himself painted is utterl y ridiculous, although he perhaps unwittingly raises another questi o n.

I very much doubt that the general public knows more, or less, ab o ut the Brigade and its work and financial arrangements than they d id thirty years ago Had he commented that the apathy of the publi c remains, generally speaking, as it always was, I might have agr eed with him. There again, the answer lies within the Brigade itself a s do the answers to Mr Lamb's other problems. Garstang, Preston D Mil/ban d

THREE COUNTIES RIDE

from Mr S W. Attfield. Treasurer Rotaract Club of Bracknell

While reading with interest the February Sf John Review, I came a cross an article which showed the inaugural ceremony on 20 October 198 3 of a new ambulance for the Bracknell division of St John.

Being content with the fact that I had been involved in th e organisation of the event - The Three Counties Cycle Ride - I rea d the article only to find that it had been attributed to the Rotary Clu b of Bracknell instead of the Rotaract Club of Bracknell. Since the eve nt raised £9,500 and is likely to raise much more, in this its second yea r running, I feel that the event should be clearly linked with Rota rac t and not Rotary. Nevertheless, we do have close links with our Rotary Club.

The Three Counties Cycle Ride is a 'fun' ride, NOT a race fo r 50 miles, passing through Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckingham shir e via such beauty spots as Sonning, Henley, Marlow, Cookh ams Taplow, Eaton and Windsor. It is a sponsored event and thi s yea r the money raised is to go to Heatherwood Hospital Special Baby Ca re Unit and to aid Leukaemia Research, this event being held on the 3 June.

Finally, just a quick note about Rotaract. It is an organisation with members aged 18-28 years raising money for various charitie s a nd helping the community, while arranging a social life for oursel ves

If anyone would like more information about either the Thr ee Counties Cycle Ride or Rotaract, please do not hesitate to contact me. 12 Linkway, Crowlhorne, Berks S. w. Attfield

THE GIRLS

from Mrs M. Graveling

My mother, now aged 87, was most interested in the March Revie w, for she knew both Lady Mountbatten and Marjorie, Counte ss of Brecknock, when they were living in Wherwell during the First World War. Mother would meet the 'girls' as they cycled to the station for Col Jenkins' papers.

We should both like to wish the Countess of Brecknock a very happy retirement.

Crawley M. Gravelin g

WE WANTED something different [0 the forma l competitions - we had held area competitions before and for the previous two years these had become eliminating rounds to our county competitions. This year we had the chance to run the competitions in a completely different set-up and by popular demand the name 'fun' was to be incorporated. The Southern Area Fun Competitions became a reality. As well as being fun the competitions would be completely 'open', an opportunity for members from any Division to work together An invitation was also extended to all our doctors and nurses in the Area to come and have a go. Uniform was optional but in the event turned out to be special duty uniform or.not at all. If two members from one division wanted to take part in the team test, they could get together with two more willing competitors on the day and join in The format had been worked out by the members at one of our area meeting s and now it was just a matter of working on it.

Wh e re to hold the competitions was no problem We had requested and been offered the use of a local factory and as much space as we needed on the Cressex Industrial Estate in High Wycombe. Mr Glynn Butler , the works manager of Jeyes Hygiene Services

Ltd, invited me [0 visit the factory and discuss with him exactly what we wanted Nothing was too much trouble and we were indeed fortunate with all the facilities that were kindly loaned to us. It worked

We had 10 different competition s all going on at the same time - the more I think about it, the more I wonder how it worked - but work it did, very, very succes fully.

We offered :

A First Aid Team Test (team s of 4 open to anyone, male female, adult / cadet, any mixture)

First Aid Pairs Adults

First Aid Pairs Cadets

Driver Attendant, adult

Diagnosis First Aid (group of 4), open t o anyone

Diagnosis Nursing (group of 4), open to anyone

NurSing Pairs, adult pairs or cadet pairs

2 Nursing Individuals, open to adults or cadets

Junior Competition

All the Divisions were notified of the selection available and asked to give a rough guide of what they were likely to enteractual entries were to be made on the day There wasn't a terrible lot of feed-back apart from the 'yes we are coming'.

The task of finding judges casualties and helpers wasn't too difficult either. Mrs Joan Pymont, our Area Nursing Officer with two divisional nursing officers, work;d out the pra.ctical nursing tests and each would bring theIr Own equipment - apart from the bed which was to be used for the Nursing Pairs. If the competition was to be open then any Judges would have to come from somewhere other than Southern Area. Who could I ask?

section were now comp e tir., ; th e competitions were under wa y. TI ,ae were no team escorts. All the sections wer e i n ar eas where you could wait to

The

Well, I started off by asking a police first aid team but they didn't reply. Anyway , I certainly needed more than four - more like 44 (well, not quite that many) Judges were found with in our own St John colleagu es. Some joined us from neighbouring counties, a member of the fire service and the safety officer at Pinewood Stud io s, both FA W instructor s and friends of St John. It was very encouraging to find that e veryone I asked was willing to c ome if they were able Indeed our luck wa s 'in' again when the ca s ualtie s had to be found - at the end of last y e ar the local Scou t Leader s had asked for a first aid course which we were able to run over a long weekend We had willingly roped most of them in to being casualties for us at an Area exercise being held the following week and having enjoyed the experience they asked if they could be approached again when we needed casualties. I approached and they came up trumps. With the help of Mr Michael Evans , the leader of the Aylesbury Br a nch of C asualtie s Union, and Mrs Caroline Seddon and her helpers from Beaconsfield, they were l icked nto shape and primed for their parts In fact, after he had helped with the makeup, Michael changed hats for the afternoon and became a judge in the First Aid Diagnosis

The Parents Associations of the two local cadet divisions were marvellous. They became our helpers for the afternoon and with other staff colleagues they kept time , re-set tests, fetched, carried and, most importan t ly of all, they kept us going with endless cups of tea.

At last the day had arrived, all the equipment was ready. None of the divisions had to bring anything - only themselves. We only had to wait and see how many competitors would arrive.

As each competitor arrived, they signed in and were given a number They wrote on s e parate lists which sections they wanted to enter. More and more competitors arrived and in all 76 had signed in. Where had they all come from? Virtually every division in Southern Area had entered competitors and many more had just come to watch. The canteen which was our reception area was bustling with people. The response was tremendous

The first teams / pairs / individuals in each

hough t it ime to brin g things to a close but t eams were still queuing to take part in t he Te a m Test, so with the agreement o f a ll t ak in g part \\ e would continue unti 6pm . U n f or t un ately, still one team wa s disappoint ed. Not only had we exhausted all those i nvo lve d w ith the Team Test , but from e a r ly af tern o on the two auditors had bee n surround ed by hun dreds of marking sheets and right o n tim e had produced winners for each se ct io n Trophies were awarded f or so m e sec t ions but mainly there were pri z es - a se lec io n was available and the winners cho s e wh a t they wanted. Everyone who comp e ted had a specially printed certificate whi c h had kept our Area Commi ss ioner, Mr Vincent Sm ith, busy for most of the afternoon - b eca u se he had to sign them all. E v en if yo u had n't won a prize you still had s ome t hin g o t ake home with you

The total involvement of e v e ry bod y joining and working together work e d marvellously. Members from diffe rent divisions had the opportunity to compet e alongside each other if the y wished and th e formal rules of Brigade competiti o ns we r e absent.

We learnt a lot, we won't forget the thing s we did wrong, and the more opportunities we have to train the better I hope we s hall become. The opportunity of running competitions on a fun basis enabled us to work and join together in a social learning situation.

We had a really super afternoon! Wh y don't you try it?

NEWS frol11 SCOTLAND

NOW that winter is over and statistics are to hand, sadly 1984 has proved to be one of the worst on record for death and danger on the mountains of Scotland. This has meant that all the mountain rescue services have been und er very pressure and none more so than the St John Ski Rescue Service based in Glenshee.

The weekend of January 21-22 turned out to be particularly bad Dr Paul Mackenzie, the Director of the S[ John Ski Rescue Team, informs us that from very early in the morning of Saturday January 21 it was clear that skiing would be impossible because of the ferocity of wind and drifting of snow. His team, therefore , in cooperation with the local Police and the Regional Roads Department, con centrated on trying to coordinate the movement of traffic and in

particular to keeping one lane of the road clear for emergency and snow clearing vehicles.

By late afternoon of the Saturday the weather further deteriorated and it became evident that it would be necessary for everyone still in the mountain areas to spend the night in whatever shelter they could find.

In cooperation with the Police, Dr. Mackenzie set up a small group to tackle the problems of accommodation and food and to make provision to deal with anyone who became ill. Every available inch of space was used up. Radio link with stranded buses was established and the Ski Rescue Centre itself designated as a medical centre where anyone needing medical attention could be dealt with. At one point there were 100 people in the Centre. The medical problems encountered included diabetes, asthma, fibrocystic diseases and appendicitis.

Feeding the stra nded was also a very real problem. On the Sunday morning arrangements were made for food to be brought in b y helicopter. Though one

WALES

helicopter did manage to land, bad light prevented it taking off again so the medical cases whom it was about to ferry to hospital had to be sent down the valley by snow-cat.

Sometime later weather conditions improved and the helicopter was able to take off and to pick up the patients from the snow-cat as it made its way down the valley. The patients were then flown to hospital in Dundee.

The improvement in the weather continued on Sunday and by evening all the stranded vehicles that would start were able to move down the valley, the police ferrying to safety the occupants of the vehicles that would not sta rt.

The St John Rescue Team finally left for home about 10 pm on the Sunday , havin g worked almost non-stop and·with little food from 7 am on the Saturday morning. Dr Mackenzie and his team are to b e congratulated for coping 0 very well in atrocious conditions and overcoming very many difficulties.

OVERSEAS

The relation between TV and violence is established

After 10 years of investigation a report, presented by the United States National Institute of Mental Health, concludes in a declaration that 'convincing evidence exists that excessive violence on television is directly related to the aggressive and violent behaviour of children and adolescents.'

Television violence 'has as strong a correlation with aggressive deportment as any other factor of behaviour which has been measured,' says the report. It goes on to declare that 'the television set is a powerful and terrible instructor whose effects are as penetrating as they are accumulative.'

The article states that the potential of TV as an instrument of good, which can improve family relations and help furnish instruction, has not been generally realised

Cancer in the Third World It is generally believed that cancer is a disease of the industrialised countries. However, according to the World Health Organisation of the United Nations, of the (approx.) 37 millions of cases of this disease occurring in the world more than half are in the leastdeveloped countries (those of the third world).

The review World Health states that three common types of cancer - of the mouth, cervix of the womb and the liver - affect principally those countries in process of development, and each one of these three types of cancer kills a million people annually. Moreover, according to certain

information published by a group of experts, cancer of the lungs is rapidly becoming a main problem in health in these countries 'unless the recent increase in the sale of cigarettes is reduced Similarly, World Health says, 'Cancer of the mouth, a great problem affecting the population of the subcontinent of India, also can be avoided by means of educational programmes aimed at dissuading people from chewing areca nuts and promoting oral hygiene .'

There is danger in handling blood It has been known for a long time that

hepatitis sometimes results from blood transfusion (a fact made much of by some religious organisations with objections to blood transfusions on religious grounds ). Now information from New Zealand revea ls that a danger exists in simply handling blood

In a study which lasted more than nin e months, it was found that more than 20 per cent of the personnel of laboratories whi ch handle specimens of blood in the hospital s of Auckland have been infected with Viru s B of the liver. The information states that this quantity is 'significantly greater' than th e quantity for the laboratories which do not handle blood or even amongst new bloo ddonors The older the person, or the longer he has worked in such a laboratory , th e greater the danger becomes.

The periodical Star of Auck la nd commenting on this, says 'Every specime n of blood should be considered to be potentially contagious.' Pointing out that the persons who handle the blood sample s ar e exposed 'on many occasions to accident al contagion' the Star says that it would be difficult for the laboratory assistants to 'avoi d contagion unless they to ok exceptional precautions which would be prohibitively costly.'

(4). 14. Be filled with great longing in every ear nerve. (5). 16 I 'm part changed in the axilla. (6) 17. Fear bill for dynamic person li ke a larger meteor. (8). 21. Double sounding culture medium and laxat ive from seaweed. (4-4). 22. Fever of phthisis is in a state of bustl ing activity. (6). 24. Secretion of sebaceous glands. (5). 27. Small anim al is a blemish on skin and uterine tumour. (4) 28. Unruly child. (4). 30. The type of medicinal preparation to withdraw teeth? (7). 31. Lacking sympathy for hard, thickened epidermis. (7). 32 Physiolo gical process regulating body temperature. (8). 33. Emphasise a cause of illness of executives. (6). Down:

1. Suppurating infection of a tooth socket. (8 7). 2. Deficienc y of oxygen in the blood (9). 3. Change time for one unit of the list. (4) 5. Disease occurring as scattered outbreaks (8). 6. Having a sturd y powerful physique. (5) 7. The nape of the neck. (5) 8. Se vere reduction in number of phagocytes produced by cosy Anglia tour s. (15). 9. Vertebra articulating with the occipital bone. (5) 15 Type for a pathological appetite for unnatural foods. (4). 18 Well-balan ced without peaks and troughs (4) 19. Vessel controlling supply of blo od to a part. (9). 20. Main heat for iron-containing pigm ent of haemoglobin. (8). 23. Remove the feathers for courage (5) 25. Tr eat by immersion in liquid. (5). 26. Signified by average temperature (5). 29. Bones such as parietal, scapula, and ilium. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 5 (84)

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

lO p a word (min. £4.00); semi display £20 single column inch (min £10). Se nd to Driscoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner Butley Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3QF. '

( l YE YOUR LE CTURES THAT FINAL PROFESSIONAL

REview CROSSWORD No. 6 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

Across: l. Idiopathic; 6 Ring; 10. Splayed; 11. Topical; 12 Ma w; 13. Hilar; 14. Taste; 15. India; 17. Diseased; 21. Coxalgia; 24. Myope; 26. Husky; 28. Orris; 29. Pie; 30. Mankind; 31. Chopper; 32. Swab; 33. Cerebellum. 1. Vehicle in motoring club produces defective control of muscles. (6). 4. Tinea has turned to general debility. (8). 10. A type of patient producing problems in Accident and Emergency Departments (7). 11. Person of rank is off with rice concoction. (7). 12. Shape often referred to in cricketing circles. (4). 13. Anatomical vessels and ducts.

Down: l. Insomnia; 2. In-law; 3. Psychoanlysis ; 4. Tiddled; 5 Icteru s; 7. Incus; 8. Gullet; 9. Ophthalmoscope; 16. Duo; 18. I.e.I; 19. Ego; 20. Cerebrum; 22. Geordie; 23. Auricle; 25 Thymus; 27. Senna; 29. Pupil.

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ST JOHN REVIEW

JOURNAL OF ST JOHN

First Aid in School p.145

St John Fellowship AGM p.146

Talking Point p.146

Casualty Simulators (or actors) p.148

Weston-Super-Mare shows 1,000 years' SJ history p l 51

Around and About, by the Editor p 52

Shock, by Dr Anthony J Handley p.156

Night hike for 40 cadets p 157

Order Investiture, May 24 p.158

St John House Club is alive and well p 159

Readers' Views p.160

St John and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission p .163

COVER

First Aid • In School

A GWENT school is leading the way by teaching first aid techniques in the classroom.

By the end of the year 100 sixth form pupils at St Joseph's Comprehensive School, Newport, will have studied First Aid at Work to a high level. The scheme is being organised by the Priory for Wales Headquarters which wants to see first aid as part of the curriculum in schools throughout the UK.

The Occupational First Aid Training Officer for Wales, Mr Keith Dunn (shown demonstrating heart massage) is confident that the success of the scheme at the Newport school will help persuade the government that first aid is an important subject for everyone.

'We are very pleased with the way the course is going here. Pupils and staff are keen to learn In Scandinavia first aid is a compulsory subject and we believe it should be here.'

Ambu*

Presents the SAFE, EFFECTIVE , REALISTIC AMBU Simulator with Built in Hygiene ProtectionNo cross infection possible.

News from Scotland - Wales p.164

Cadet Chat, by Jim p 166

Co-workers of Mother Teresa p 167

News from Divisions / Centres p 168

(UK)

One sixth-form pupil who is now learning first aid skills at the school echoes Mr Dunn's beliefs. 17-years-old James Roche was a helpless bystander when his four-yearold co u sin was taken unconscious out of a swimming pool. 'None of us knew what to do. My uncle tried to give the kiss of life but he did not know how to do it properly. '

Now after an intensive four-day course James is confident that next time he will know what to do if he is faced with an emergency.

The four-day courses run by the Association at the school teach pupils how to deal with unconsciousness , heart attacks, severe bleeding and broken bones. During the course their knowledge and first aid skills are examined and if they reach the required standard they receive a 'Fi rst Aid at Work' certificate which is recognised by government legislation.

'All companies and places of work are required to have at least one in fifty of their employees trained to this level. Armed with this certificate pupils leaving school may even find it helps them find employment,' said Mr Dunn.

'But more importantly, we think it is vital that everyone should know some first aid. A study has shown that 75 per cent of people who die in accidents die within nine minutes of the incident. If those who are first on the scene know what they can do to help, maybe a few more will survive.' (Photo: South Wales Argus)

National Secretary Sheila Puckle writes: THE FIRST AGM of the St John Fellowship took place at St John's Gate on Friday, May 18, 1984. It was a great day. I hope all the 90 members present enjoyed it as much as I did.

The proceedings began with a service in the Grand Priory Church. The Rev Dr B. A. C. Kirk - Duncan had prepared a very satisfying order of service for us, but sadly he was taken ill the night before and could not officiate. No other chaplain could attend at such short notice, so Mr George Creech, chairman of Avon Branch and a lay preacher, took over with great success We were also grateful to the Bailiff of Egle, Lord Grey of Naunton, who flew from Northern Ireland to read the lesson and attend the AGM

Opening the AGM in the Chapter Hall, our Chairman, Major General Desmond Gordon, welcomed the guests and members, some of whom had travelled from as far as Preston, Lancs, and Humberside for the occasion. The guests included the Chief Commander, Major General Peter Leuchars and the Commissioner-in-Chief Sir John Younger and Lady Younger. Our ViceChairman, Lady Moyra Browne, unfortunately could not be with us as she had to attend a family funeral.

Moving the adoption of the annual report (published in t he June Review) the Chairman said how good it was to see that all four objects of the Fellowship had been achieved in the first eleven months of its existence: former members of St John were now able to keep in to uch, to meet regularly in

TALKING POINT

Why I think the St John Family in the UK is getting smaller ... by Rex Purchase DIS

THERE HAVE BEEN many letters published recently in the Review commenting on the many problems within our organisation. These letters have covered a wide range of subjects, from Talking Points, comments on the MORI report, FA W constraints on Brigade members, to the loss of membership.

I suggest that the latter is a direct result of all these, plus some others, and that if the hierarchy of our organisation does not act quickly to 'stem the flood' then at least the smaller divisions 'out in the sticks' (such as ours at Weymouth) may well cease to exist within the next decade.

Here, as I see them, are some of the main problems:

Uniform

Far too expensive and elaborate, totally unsuitable for practical first aid, and it should be discontinued. The black or white boiler suit approach is at the other extreme.

What about this idea? Black anorak and trousers (for ladies a black skirt if preferred).

Retain the men's peak cap with white band

In spite of recent comments in the Review that these cause headaches, etc, most other services wear them without any trou ble. Perhaps we should change our suppliers. The remainder of the uniform could be the same

146

(ie, black tie, white shirt or polo neck jumper). Ladies wearing skirts should be allowed to wear black, grey or brown stockings/tights, with matching shoes.

Most of these garments could and should be bought from the local Marks & Spencer store, which provides high quality with good service. (I am in no way connected with M&S group). This should enable members to go and choose their own size requirements while maintaining uniformity.

Buttons, epaulettes, badges of rank, county flash, etc, should still be worn and supplied by HQ Supplies Dept. Officers, including county staff, should wear the same uniform, their rank being indicated by badges. They should also wear the same type of hat.

If a different uniform is needed for ceremonial occasions this should be bought by the individual or county, but the ruling should be flexible and at the discretion of the County Commissioner.

The white haversack could be retained as part of the uniform, but a more comprehensive first aid kit should be available in the form of a white carrying case.

Please note these are my suggestions for the 'worker ants' who do the public duties and so are very much in the public eye. We must ensure that our uniform identifies us

Branches, to visit and encourage the housebound and the lonely, and to be a practical asset to the active side of St Joh n Ambulance.

The annual report was adopt ed unanimously.

The Chief Commander then gave a memorable address. General Leuchars reo called the inaugural meeting of the Fellowship on June 25, 1983, when he had hoped it would not only bring friendship and enjoyment to its members, but also enabl e them to continue to give service to St John as they had for so much of their lives He was delighted to see in the annual report that this was already happening, and on behalf of St John Ambulance he thanked the Fellowship for its contribution

General Leuchars foresaw an importan t role for the Fellowship in fund-raising, and also in publicising the work of St John Ambulance as a voluntary organisation A recent study on the future role of St John Ambulance had looked for gaps in the National Health Service which St John might fill. There would clearly be an increa sing demand for community care and it was possible that volunteers from the Fellowship might be able to use their training and experience in this field.

The Chief Commander then announced that in recognition of the help the Fellowship

clearly as St John Ambulance. Uniform for use in the dark should be the same, but plus a fluorescent yellow overjacket. These are obtainable with the words St John Ambulance on the front and back from adverts in the Review for the same pric e as the diagonal belt from the Supplies Dep t. A similar belt is available for less than half the price from another sto re Alternatively , a black / yellow reversible anorak could be worn for both day and night conditions, but these are rather expensive.

First aid kits

For today's use believe the small metal compartments of the 15A haversack are too restrictive and therefore un s uitable for some medical equipment (Tubigrip and applicators). As previously mentioned a carrying case would be more useful and versatile. The colour could be white or the new European Economic Community green, with the large St John Ambulance adhesive badge attached The case could be made of GRP or some similar material. Some types are available, off the shelf, from advertisers in the Review.

FAW

What a shambles this is for SJA! It must be the finest recruitment scheme the BRCS could have wished for. No one in SJA seems to know what is going on and therefore puts their own interpretation on poorly defin ed guidelines. I believe this is the biggest single cause of loss of membership and our inabili ty to recruit new members.

In spite of some comments in the Review the standard of first aid in SJ A is very low indeed, even less than what is required of cadets. The instructors' manual is good, and the students' manual well presented (except for some of the illustrations), but already we Continued on page 150

was already giving the Foundation he osed to make an annual g rant of £500 it s administration. Thi s was received with applause.

Next the Treasurer, Mr Gordon Monro, proposed the adoption of the accounts, members approved an annual subSCrIptIOn of £5 from Branche s to the Central Committee to be payable on January 1, The £500 grant from Headquarters will help to prevent the cash flow problem s we have met this year, when mo st of our were tied up in stock. The s ub sc nptlOn from Branches will be u sed for postage, tatio nery visits to Branches and other Any which finds It difficult to meet this su bSCription shou ld let me, he National Secretary, know )

The following new Branch Representatives on the Central Committee were then elected unopposed:

Mr Sidney Bunker - Bucks.

Mr Jonathan Hall JP - Lanes.

Three Branch items from the St John Guild, Western Area, Hants, were then proposed by Mi s Holley:

a. That Fellowship holiday s abroad shou ld be organised on a national basis. I agreed to put suggestions to Branches for 1985.

b. That Branches shou ld meet together for socia l and other events. It was

St John Family Hampshire

agreed that thi s would probably only be feasible between adjacent areas.

C. That h eade d notepaper should be available from Supplies. I will no w circulate Branches again on this with costs.

Mrs Sprosron, Greater Manchester Branch, then proposed that Future AGMs s hould be held in different parts of the country, to help lo ca members to She generously offered accommodation In Manchester in 19 85 It was agreed that the Central Committee s hould consider this s u ggestion together with a of day to Wednesday instead of Fnday. I wIll write to Branches on this.

Under 'Any Other Business', Mr s Bowler (Western Area, Hants) propo se d t,hat Supplies sho uld stock a black sash With ST JOHN FELLOWSHIP' in white, for members to wear when fund-raising, etc.

This suggestion was welcomed by the women members, but the men were dubious The Director of Supplies has since offered to produce an arm-band which might be acceptable to all members.

The climax of the meeting was a mOVIng talk by the Bailiff of Egle

Lord Grey traced his high office In the Order back to the 14th century, when service in the Order involved constant danger and discomfort as members fought for The Faith

A FINE group of members, all smiles and obviously very happy (nothing wrong wilh SJA here, it eems) wilh Mrs C. Balfour, County President who had just presented trophies at the county competitions, Casualties Union (Shirley and Readin g) made up casualties for the incidenls which involved learn s competIng for 13

and cared for the sick in very difficult conditions. Such work forms a comrades hip which is too precious to lo se. It s spirit lives in our Order today and in St John Ambulance. Now the Fellow s hip offers a means for members to retain that comradeship For the rest of their lives: Order welcomes its formation because It wIl benefit its members, and its members will benefit the Order. He wished members every success as they continued to do good, and got a lot of fun out of it. The meeting, which ended punc ually. at 4 pm, was followed by an excellent tea dunng which happy greetings flowed between old friends. Member were able to make a tour of the Gate and visit the new Brigade Museum.

I would like to thank the Order's staff, Mr George Kirkham, and the member s of 37.8 (Westminster) Di v ision, who on thiS occasion with the kind permission of t heir Superintendent, Mr John Cowan, Secretary of the Order.

There are two new Bran c he s this month: Stamfor d St John Friendship Group, Lincs. Contact: Miss J. A. Bingham, 6 Northumberland Avenue, Stamford, Lincs. PE9 lEA.

Aylesbury Branch, Bucks. Contact: Mrs F. R. Gurne y, 51 Clifford Road , PrInces Risborough, r Aylesbury, Buck s. trophies.

Winners were: Ambulance - Fawley, wIlh 2nd Ha vanl Quad; Nursing - Fareham, Wilh 2nd Eastleigh and Chandlers Ford Quad; Ambulance Cadets - Fleel and Crookham Quad, with 2nd LymingLOn, ursing Cadets. - Sway. (PhOLO: John Bosworth Bishop s Wallham).

FOUNDER members are thos e who were on the books of Casualties Union on July 2, 1945, when the Union was reformed from being an organi sation wi t hin Ci v il Defence , to become a wholly independent or g ani satio n to serve the needs of peacetime.

I recall that fir s t day so clearly It was a brilliantly sunny day with a keen f r o s t and early mist over the Surre y Hills. To da e there were only some seven or eight of us pla y ing the role of casualty' bu t we had become very conscious that service as casualt y h a d taught us more individuall y t hat we h a d learnt in our rescue /fi r st aid / ambulance / warden work o ver the y ear s - bu t I ru s h on.

The Surrey County Civil De f ence Re s cue School which occupied the bomb - bla ste d buildings of the former St And r e w' s Con vent at Leatherhead, in the ex-metropolitan area of Surrey , had alread y de v eloped a reputation as a realis ic ana practical training centre wi t h work among s t r ubb le and other bomb debris, as well as from height s and depths. In fact the w eekly picture ma g azine Illustrated had published on Ma y 26th , 1942, a four page feature under the heading 'Battl e School for Wardens' for it faced up to the realities of war - real incendiary bomb s real bottles of pho s phorus, real CAP ga s and hundreds of tons of debri s. There was a lot to learn as well as a lot of training to b e don e before worst of the bombing began , and the school was ready to do that trainingso I thought when suddenly the bombing ceased. Not unnaturally the Local Authorit y Engineers, who had released a s many men as possible to join the Armed For c es wer e eager to claw back some of their Ci vil Defence workers to catch up on a backlog of urgent work that had piled up. Many of them, in any case, looked upon rescue work a s a task u s ing pick and shovel to release dead bodies and really needed no new skill s for their men.

I was convinced that the worst was still to come and told my chief, W. Percival Robinson, CBE, Surrey County Engineer and Head of the County Rescue Service. He agreed tha t it was urgent t hat the rescue men be given as much of the very best train i ng as possible while there was still time. I proposed therefore running a special course for the Local Authority engineers and surveyors themselves, to convince them of the need for highly skilled and experienced

148

CASUALTIES UNION

the organisation that supplies trained casualties for first aid training

(they're specialist actors really) - was st arted just over 40 years ago. Founder ERIC CLAXTON (standing centre, wearing suit, in picture above) made this speech at the Union ' s anniversary lunch in November 1982 . w or kers c apa b le of locat

reach

h ey s hou ld onl y be in st ru cted b y professiona l men - which me a n t m y medi ca l a d vise r a n d m ys el f. Su c h a c ourse w ould r eq uir e in j u re d people for them to re scu e My colle ag ue D r M aelor E v a ns A ssis tan t C oun ty Me di ca l Officer, offered to recr uit v olun teers from Byfleet A mbul a n ce Stat io n , w h ere Edwa r d Ake s ter w orked. Ed war d h a d a lr ea d y mastered th e rudiment s of fakin g injuri es, and to our ine x peri e nc e d eyes h e was wonderfull y clever. E dwa r d ac cept e d ou r invita t ion and brought sev e r al a mbula nce personne wi th him Dr Ev an s and I d ev ised all sorts of situation s in which th e c our se had t o seek and hand le casu a lties I t w a s a ve r y tough course, especially for several m emb e r s who were alread y elderl y, but at the end o f the three days they were utterl y convinced When asked for c omm e n ts th ey m a d e t wo demands:

i. All future training should be like th e train ng they had recei ved.

ii. A s milar but more ex ten s iv e c ou rs e s hould be given to their deputie s

Subsequentl y there were follo w-up c our ses for both chiefs and depu t ie s and the se we r e

n o p roble m in themse lves but with three c ou rs es runnin g at a n yone time, it b ecame a tremen d o u s bu r d e n on o u r resources both as i nst ru ctors a nd 'casua l ties'. Maelor Evan s fo u n d it more h an he co u ld cope with personally and he sent Dr James Barford to d eput ise for h im. D oc, as we ca ll ed h im, was an acquisition - brilliant lecturer and demonstrator, he soon made the fullest possible use of casualties as illustration for all his lectures He was no respector of persons, so that when I was honoured with the MBE he said it was obviou ly a reward for mud, b lood and e n thu iasm Th e cas u a l ty vo l unteers had their own CD duti es to perform and our demands often covered seven days each week. Some days we required quite a lot of casualties. Our resources in volunteers had increased following our stag ing of rescue part y competitions for London Region, Group 9.

For hat occasion Brenda White ley, another Byfleet Ambulance Driver, was ava ilable and she became the star of the competition and the organisers presented her with a splendid bo u quet. He r specia ta l ent was that he bro u ght her whole life imo the portrayal of each cas u a lty that she performed. With her it was necessary to care not only for specific injuries to her body, but also to her mind, h er fami ly including 'Fifi' her pet pood le, he r neighbours and t h e other victims of the incident. Anyo n e or al l of them could have b ee n i n volve d.

Wit h this ad d ition, our training becam e more and more rea li stic and e n ab led all services to be included in the exerc ises. We attracted m ore vo lu n teers like George Evers h ed a n d E ls p e h Bri stow, but t he dema nd s became t oo great for o u r dozen odd 'cas u a lti es' At a b o u t this t i me h ose of u s w h o h ad se r ved reg u la rl y as cas u a l ties became aware of h ow much we we r e learning f r om being h a nd le d , s p l nted, b a nd aged, m oved and resc u e d from a m o n g d e bri s, from be lo w, f r o m a bo ve and t h r ou g h s mall spaces, in addi t ion to w h a we lea rne d pr e p ar in g to portray s p ec ifi c in j uri es It was, we con sid ere d p e rh a p s h e m ost vita l p art in b ec omin g a n ex p ert fir st- aid er, r esc uer or a mbulanc e atten d ant, a nd we res ol ve d to offer s u c h ex p e ri e n c e t o t h

d , beca u se t h e WVS w h o had k ind ly agreed to cate r for l u n ch an? tea, were expecting o n ly so m e fIfty per o ns a ll , including staff - nothing like the 350 VISitors who h ad turned up! Fort u nately t h e loca l food co n troller agreed that thi was a proper occasion for an exercise in emerge.ncy feeding. T h e hot oup was very comforung. My other conce r n that day was .on earth were we to impart adequate tra m mg [0 such a vast number, when we ourse lves knew so little. I was concerned roo that vo lunteers shoul d not b il k at being p u t the dirty, uncomfortable places; haV i ng wo u nds in co n venie n t spo ts; and thus d es t roy this serious and vital training or treat t h e w h o le process as a h u ge Joke to cover their embarrassment. I pent the rest of the day emp h asising, perhaps over emphasising, t h e r isk, d iscomforts, etc, e t c, so that when at the end of the day we asked peop le t o enrol in 'CASUALT IES UN I ON ', I was somewhal re lieved when only 110 vo lunteers were forthcoming. We set aSide four Sundays in December 1942 and January 1943 for their train i ng. Reprinted from Casualty Simulation, the maga zi ne of Cas llalties Union.

U sing trained c asualties in SJ A

ood simulation

a cting - can put t he magic of theatre into first aid training

W H ENEVE R I g ive a ta l k to a St Jo h n

D ivisio n o r som e ot h er fi rst a id o r ga n isa io n I a lwa ys in t rodu ce it b y s a y in g the w or d

MA GI C a s t h is is w h at 1 fee l h appens whe n a s imulat ed cas ualt y is intr o du ce d t o a fir sta id e r. Let m e exp la in

Eve r s in ce j o i n in g t h e B riga d e o rn e t hir ty yea r s a go I h ave a lways b ee n int eres t e d in t ra inin g. 1 wo nd er, in r etr o spect, h ow (C ontinu ed ove r p age )

(Above) A matter of organisa' tion Casualties and bystande rs ro m Berkshire Reading) CU branch. The members have their own language , 'Caslang for co mmunicating which is unintelligible to competitors.

(Photo: Peter Holt)

(Right) Moving burnt and smoke affected casualties (Photo: Ted Boatman)

(Below) A question of interpretation. A Johanniter team from Germany getting involved in language problems with CU members at the Union s 1982 in· ternational trophy competition

(Photo: Peter Hold ).

Casualty simulators (or actors) cont.

Divisions kept members at all when meeting nights were so monotonous, unimaginative and unrealistic. I suppose the word must have been 'dedication'.

I was given the opportunity as an Area Superintendent to go to a training weekend at Kidderminster College organised by Casualties Union. What a memorable two days they were. I returned to Staffordshire determined that our training was going to be enhanced by using trained casualties.

organised an inaugural weekend at Keele University, when about thirty St John members attended, and from that a study circle was formed with twelve enthusiastic volunteers who embarked on a six month training programme. We have been improving our techniques ever since in order to portray the most realistic casualties and so help with training in whatever sphere they may be needed.

Programme planning is of course essential for a successful division, and it is at this planning that regard should be paid to including trained casualties. Some divisions are not within striking distance of a Casualties Union unit, but very many are, so within these programmes all sorts of exciting uses can be made of members of Casualties Union. Always remember that trained casualties work in co-operation with instructors or judges if it is competition work.

What is one of the most di fficult aspects of first aid for the lay person? Perhaps you will agree that it is DIAGNOSIS. Once we know what is wrong with the injured person it is reasonably easy to treat. The problem is finding out what is wrong. The signs and symptoms can be learned from the manual, but what is better than actually dealing with a 'casualty' who has the 'signs' made-up and is able to act out the 'symptoms', and tell the history if questioned In this way the first-aider can make a diagnosis

Having reached a diagnosis, 'c asualties' can be used for treatment - it may be head injuries, it may be fractures, bleeding (yes, even arterial bleeding can be simulated if you don't mind pints of blood on your floor), epilepsy, heart attack - almost anything that is in the manual. Heart rate, pupils of eyes and face colour change are difficult to simulate, but this is only a very minor disadvantage.

TRANSPORTING the casualty in the field is much more difficult than just raising and lowering the stretcher in a classroom. Try getting the stretcher over a gate, through a narrow passage, down a difficult stairway. Not easy.

Exercises in the dark is a good night's training - accidents so often happen when daylight is no longer with us. Work with torches so that the first-aider has to feel sticky blood, or wet urine, or deformity or swelling or vomit.

When competition training for teams is taking place, it is necessary to train with casualties because these are the people who will be encountered in the Finals If you run

divisional competitions your local CU branch to help - they would even set the test if you brief them well on the venue.

Divisional or Area exercises are a culmination of your year's training. You cannot organise this aspect of training without using trained casualties. It is only by using trained casualties that you will get the atmosphere of urgency; it will have no comic quality about it. The casualties will continue acting for hours on end in order for the realism not to be broken. Your cadets can be at reception area, serving tea, taking notes, reassuring patients - all ideal training. Invite your casualties to the debrief because it is only they who can really tell you how they were handled. Take notice of them.

Lectures can be illustrated by using casualties. It makes the classroom exciting and the atmosphere requires diligence, dedication, practical application and all the other necessary qualities expected from the first-aider. The new First Aid at Work manual does not officially make use of trained casualties, which is a retrograde step in my opinion, but nevertheless it does no t prohibit the use of them, so if you will be or are teaching to this manual, look to see where casualties could be an asset to your lecture

I have highlighted just a few ways in which a trained casualty creates 'magic' in or out of the classroom. I ha ve emphasised 'trained' because this is vital; I fear I have witnessed

one or two of our own members who declare they are casualties, but on enquiring abou t make -up techniques they go back twenty years, and their acting is not realistic nor is it sustained. The little details required for absolute realism are omitted and so the magic is lacking.

Why not start your own study circle? You require only six keen members initially. They do not have to be St John members, but do need to be first-aiders. Or failing that Why don't you encourage one or two of YOur members to join your local CU study circle, group or branch? You will then hav e a trained casualty always available. Do no t worry that he will be missing out on hi s fir st aid; know from experience that YOur knowledge of the manual and the practi ce of first aid is better by being a casualty. Your CU member, I guarantee, will be your No 1 first-aider.

Lastly, a few years ago a Commissionerin-Chief had the far-sight to try to encoura ge every division in the country to include a trained casualty simulator in its membership. The idea did not ha ve the success anticipated , but shall we try again? Make your d ivisional meetings MAGIC. And don't forget your nursing classes either - casualties can be used successfully here too. But that is another article.

P. Kay Harris, County Supt, Staffs, and Leader N. Staffs branch Casualties Union

T ALKI NG POI NT

(Cant from p.146)

are on the third edition since [982 and it is still not correct. Surely copying from our own manual is not so difficult. In a lot of cases it seems to be change for change's sake. We must be more positive and recognise the urgency of sorting this problem out.

Comments from the chairman of the Review board (That troublesome FA W certificate. Review May 84) explain the need and requirements by the HSE but completely miss the main 'bone of contention', which is why have uniformed members GOT to have both certificates for St John Ambulance duties?

Another ambiguity is the statement 'one or two day course' Well, which is it, one or two days? Please define when the one day course should be used , and when the two days course should be used, or is it optional , in which case why bother with t he two days course at all?

I consider that we should maintain a high standard of first aid, 'stick to our guns' and use the normal 8-week course of lectures based on the latest edition of OUR manual, followed by an exam. (There may be a need, however, to produce an amendment to cover section 6 of the FA W manual). We should insist that this is the best approach for the uniformed member doing practical first aid, and settle for nothing less We know, because we (St John) have the knowledge and experience to support our convictions.

bers with this particular interest, or mem .' d I f I where duties are nurSlI1g Oflentate. ee that this could also a to male recr uitment. High quality first aid IS what we are really about in thi s day and age.

Military

We must have a se nse of diSCipline If are t be a credible organisation, and to thi S end, o input from ex-service officers is ve ry an P h worthw hile , in moderation. er aps we are lucky here in Dor set, as I have not exper ienced ex -s ervice .offlcers as an imposition, in fact qUite reverse. However I can appreciate that thIS could be a problem. and I think it would be up to the Cou nty Commissioner to have a qUiet word in the ear of the person concerned. am not toO sure what you do. if the C.ounty Commissio ner is the CUlPflt, but aga1l1, we are lucky in Dorset.

Bureaucracy

There is far too much bureaucracy. Whe.n are we going to get rid of all thl.s unneccessary form filling, etc? The IS far toO complicated Annual Inspec.tlOn forms are too involved, with repetitive sta tements to be made annually, duty hours spl it up under different regulations, and so on. Surely we need only three dif,rerent types of duty at most: general f irst a id , hospital and tran port. The annual form filling exercise is a divisional secretary's nightmare. Please drastically reduce all this bureaucracy, and let us get on with the first aid duties instead of wriling about them. First aid is all abo ut what we do, not what we say we do. We also have too many first aid manuals all say ing the same thing mo st of the time. At lea t the EFA and the adult manual could be combined to ave expense.

Communications

This is another area of discontent. Why on earth are we s till insisting on out of date equipment and low band AM frequencies? J f they are so good why do all the ?ther services use high band FM? The Brigade Radio Officer defends this as being an ideal all UK frequency, capable of communications up mountain s and down valleys. Which is all very true, but most of us only need comm un ications over 2 to 3 miles, and PMR equipment will provide all this and more at less than half the price and with much more convenience. So this is another area where we mu st urgently modernise to move forward to the year 20.0.0.

There was a ve r y informative letter to the Review recently be someone who really knew what he was talking about when referring to PMR equipment. Listen to and good use of this free expertise adVIce. There is no reason at all why CB radIO should not be used, although [ agree that is unsuitable for many reasons, but ma1l11y because you cannot guarantee to a f:ee c hannel. However, all this talk about It bemg unsuitable because of cas u alty confidential information is rubbish. Anyone with a glimmer of imagination can overcome that problem.

Finance

This must be every division's problem. We

at this end of the country are very grateful for all donations, as J am sure is everyone, but they are nothing like enough. Thi<; means that members who are already overworked with duties al so have to take on fund rai sing. I had to smile when read in the Re view recently that the F.A. s ugge sts £6-£10 pounds per football match as a donation. We got £25 for the who le seas on (30 games) la st year, so yo u can under s tand our problem s We cannot charge for our se rvice s, thank goodness, but somehow organisations requesting our assistance must under stand that there are expenses to be covered. I do not think we can keep asking the public for more, as they are being inundated by requests from other charities, and .thelr money is limited Ha s anyone got any Ideas for a regular income?

The views and criticisms I ha ve expressed here are intended to be constructive and thought provoking. Whether you agree with them or not, please write to the Re view and express your opinions, in order that we can persuade the power s that be to ma.ke St John Ambulance an efficient and practIcal Fl RST AID organisation.

Finally, I would like to support 100.070 the views of Messrs Candler, Godfrey , Clark and Dickenson (Review May 84). These letters are all good, sou nd commonsense.

Some of the questions and answers in the FA W course paper are simply silly. I recall a n in stance where the pulse rate was quote d by a student as 70 l min. The correct answer on the answer sheet was 72/min so the mark was lo st. The mark of 70/m in is howe ver perfectly acceptable for practical purpo ses. There are many other instances, and in at least one case all four answers are wrong, with others ambiguous

I find it difficult to believe that people with practical knowledge were involved in seaing these questions. First aid is not an exact science, and it requir es people with experience to understand and teach t he subject. It does not follow that experienced people need to be old, but it does follow that inexperienced people do often make unwis e and possibly dang erous assumptions and statements. Incidentally, members of the BRCS to whom [ have spoken do not appear to have any of these problems, and their qualification s for membership remain unchanged apparently.

Sexism

[ ag ree that the terms nursing member and ambulance m e mber should be dropped in favour of a more suitable name s uch as St John Member. I also consider that there is flO need to insist that members must ha ve nursing as well as first aid certificates. The nursing certificate only be for those

Publicity

We have never been much of an orgal1lsatIOn fo r si nging our own prai es, and perhaps th is has been one of our main qualitie But [ feel that we now have little to publicise that is to our advantage. Just read the letters in the Review which have prompted me to write this in t'he hope that it will jerk us out of this apathetic state and do somet hin g construc tive. We belong to a great organisation, we train to help people who are sick or injured, and only these people wi 11 su ffer if we give in - so be positive and let the hierarc hy move fast to put things right. Do not resign, for it is the rank and file members that really count at the end of the day.

Cadets

As the Div Supt of the on ly ambulance cadet division in Dor se t, I think I may now be in an area where I know what I am talking about. At least 30070 of the Weymouth Combine d Division are ex-cadets. Cadets are probably the best source of recruitment today, and it is therefore imperative that everyo ne, from county staff and adult divisions, as well as cadet superintendents and officers, mixes and works together more frequent ly in oider to encourage these youngsters to join the adult divisions. The ca dets are important but sometimes I feel they are considered to be an expensive, unnecessary lu x ury.

Princess Anne congratulates

Major John Plain for organising the exhibition.

IBelowl After the forma lit ies of the investiture. Sir Maurice Dorman welcomes Mrs Miller - Barstow as a Dame of Grace.

THE Woodspring Museum in Weston-superMare was recently the venue for an outstanding exhibition which traced the origins of the Order of St John from its roots in the Holy Land to the Meditarranean islands of Cyprus , Rhodes, Malta and then to Great Britain, spanning a period of 1,000. years It also traced the origins of the orgaOl at10n JI1 Weston-super-Mare. Among visitors to the Princess Anne, who was accompamed by Sir John Wills, Lord Lieutenant a nd pre ident of the St John Council in Avon.

On the opening day of the exhibition the Lord Prior, Sir Maurice Dorman, invested 94-years-old Mrs Evelyn Miller-Barstow as a Dame Cross of the Order, only the second in Avon. Mrs Miller-Barstow, who was president Weston -s uper-Mare No [ Nursing

Division, is now Woodspring area president. The exhibition is available to other counties, who are asked to add their local history and activities, through Miss Pamela Willis at St John 's Gate.

PUSH!

THE EDITOR

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

THANKS

gade. Ho w e ver, many PROs ha ve complained that Di v s ions were not read y to help

So if y ou do find a number o f potentia recruits knocking on your door dur i ng the nex t few months, please try and make them very welcome. I realise it ' s the middle of the 'public duty' season, but it would be awful

i ll m an to Be d ford H ospital. After waitin g at L u ton for an hour, the ambu ance was to d th e p la n e had been diverted to Stansted b eca use of bad weather. With a po lice escort, t h e a mb ula n ce hurried back to Stansted and took t h e patient to Luton. The doctor and t h e n ur se accompa n ying the patient were t h e n t ake n back to Stansted, and en route back to Hackney HQ the crew stopped to ass ist at a n accident on the MIl. W hi c h mea n t t h at the ambu l ance crewA lan Rose (Trans p ort Officer), Cpl Alan He

The crew were then call

b y radio telephone to go to Luton A

another

to t a k e a se r io u s l y

ANTIQUES SALE FOR AVON

DEVON

SHOW IDEA

This year was t he turn of St John Ambulance to supply fi r st aid cover at the Devon County Show. As a lways, t h e cas u alties included t he usua cuts burns and bruises, b u t t h anks to ideal weather there were no incidents of heat stroke. There were, however, two ser!ous cases of heart attack and one of senous vomiting and diarrhoea. During the three d ays of the show, 150 casualties dealt with by the Brigade and muc.h. praise .w as given by s how officials and alike. An innovation this year, which proved to be hig hl y successful, was a St John marquee shared and manned equally by the Association and the Brigade. While the Association showed training films and publicised its FA W courses, t.he concentrated on recruitment. ThIS combmed operation was well attended and us.eful work was accomplished. The public relatlons aspects were excellent and recruitment was given a boost, particularly for the cadets. Because of the success of the venture, at a most reasonable co t, it has been decided to make this a yearly event even though we supply first aid cover at the show on alternate

THE FIRST

MOUNTAIN ACTIVITIES

Headquarters recently received details of the Plas y Brenin National Centre for Mountain Activities, which is run by the Sports Council in the heart of the Snowdonia National Park.

The Centre holds year-round courses in a range of mountain activities, such as general mountain crafts, rock climbing, winter mountaineering and expeditioning, as well as canoeing, orienteering, skiing, photography and fly fishing.

This wide range of activities is open to everyone over the age of 16 years; and special youth group courses are available for 14 to 16 year olds. Courses are usually of 1 week duration with some mid-week and weekend courses by special arrangement.

Prices range from £42 for a two-day specialist course to £148 for a week's rock climbing course; there are also 2-week summer courses at advanced level.

If counties would like arrangements made for courses please advise Staff Officer Brigade Training. Given enough response, HQ will arrange for personnel to take part during 1985. It may also be possible to offer some assistance with the fees from the Brigade Training Budget. Much will depend upon response received.

RELAXING

Individuals may in any case be interested in taking courses. Individual bookings ma y be made with Plas y Brenin National Centre for Mountain Activities, Capel Curig, Nr Betws y Coed, Gwynedd, LL24 OET (Tel: 069-04-214/363)

JUNIOR POSTER CaMP

You will be pleased to learn that Rolf Harris has kindly consented to judge the Junior Poster Competition and present the prizes. First prize will be 'A Raleigh Burner cycle and the runners-up will each receive a BMX cycle.

The prizes will be presented at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on Saturday July 7. We will endeavour to inform the prize winners as soon as possible after the closing date of the competition on Friday June 29.

CaMP/RALLY

Glenda Green, Area Supt, writes: Northern Area SJA Northants found a fun way of introducing the new 'Caring for the Sick manual to its members.

Sunday, April 15, was Home Nursing Day, for which the Area had been divided into sections, namely: Kettering, Corby,

Thrapston and Burton Latimer. The divisions in these towns used their HQs to stage home nursing competitions based on the new manual.

Each division worked to a theme to prevent repetition of tests - they had to set two individual tests and one pairs bedmaking test - which were vetted by the Area Nursing Officer. The divisions were responsible for setting the tests, s uppl ying patients, staging and judges.

Each division then provided a team of four, one to be a car driver, but made up of any combination, malelfemale, adult or older cadet. These teams competed at each HQ other than their own, and en route followed clues as in a car rally. The day concluded with refreshment at Kettering, where the results were announced.

Kettering HQ Division won the Shield for overall winner in the home nursing section and tied with Burton Latimer in the rally. The winning team was: DIS Mrs Janet Houghton, N/Ms Michelle Ronald, Tracey Westley and Jeanne Roger s.

The day produced a wonderful atmosphere of fun, with everyone being involved and working together, even though

competing against each. It. was a valuable exercise in Judgmg and mpeting, everyone learmng as a result. It cf a had the benefit of being one of the a Ssiest competitions I have ever had to The members did most of the work!

PRESIDENTS MEET ,.

London District S- W Area s presidents conference was thIS year by 196 Watney/Mortlake DIVISIon at Roundhouse of Watney Coombe ReId Brewery, Mortlake.

The day started with a talk by Area Comm John Kibble on the future of S-W Area over the next five years and the part to be played by divisional presidents Mr Kenneth Ayers, Di st rict Vice-Pres, then spoke on showlOg the SJA flag at motor race meetings, and DSO (Cadets) Griffiths the help presidents can give to cadet dIVISIOns. Wandsworth & Southfields Cadet Division 's president is Mr Keith Castle, th.e heart transplant patient, who .spoke on hIS experie nces as a transplant the help give n him by SJ A and now working for the orga ni sat ion

Before showing the fIlm The Order of St John Area Pres William Best presented the of appointment and president's badge to Derek Turner , the new president of 196 Watney/Mortlake division

SURREY FETE

SJA Guildford Corps are holding a fete at Chilworth Manor (home of Lady Heald), near Guildford, Surrey, on Sunday, July 8. The house and garden will be open to t he public and there will be numerou s attractions, including Surrey St John Cadet Band. Proceeds are in aid of the Corps' new amb ulance appeal.

BODY BLOW

I hear that at a recent inspection at Wisbech eight members, one AIM, two N / Ms and five ca dets, were taken unwell and had to be

London's Edgware and Mill Hill Divisions formed in 1929 , dedicated its first ambulance during May - and a dream came true for the Div Supt Ray Brain.

Dedicated by the Rev Jeremy Harrold and Area Comm Victor Phillips , the ambulance is booked every weekend till October Fund rais ng was so successful that a second ambulance s planned this year

WINNERS

The Sidmouth team which carried off two cups at the East Devon competitions held in Sidmouth - the Susan Hughes Cup (fo r nursing) and th e Courtney Cup (for

WED

Avon cadets and juniors from Longwell Green Division

treated by other members. D IS Mrs Mary

of Wisbech Combined Di vision, asks if this is a reason for stopping inspections?

ALTERNATIVE

The Alternative Medicine Exhibition and Conference, which takes place at the Kensington Exhibition Centre, Derry St, London W8 on July 13 to 15, includes talks on naturopathy , nutrition, herbalism, homoeopathy, cop in g with stress, acupuncture, osteopathy, and other subjects.

Rig ht) Port land Combined Division's new mobile first aid unit, obtained with the help of local organisations and friends, was dedicated recently. The Division is desperately in need of new members (should you live in th e area) (Below right) Newark Divis ion. which has about 70 members including cadets. used its new first unit at the Newark Show in May. It is a modified version of a standard medical unit built by Lynton Commercial Units Ltd, Gorton , Manchester

DISABLED HOLIDAYS Di saway Holidays for the Di sable d, a charity, seeks volunteers to help on their 1984 and 1985 holidays. Contact Hazel Morgan, 17 Gill St, London E14 8HQ.

MORE FOR

In May's Around and About a caption said a 10-mile sponsored run by SIX Essex FIre Brigade members raised £100 for the Hospital. We now hear the final figure was £275.

The Sidmouth Herald)

When not enough blood is being pumped round the body there'll be

amount of blood in the body, and may lead to shock.

SHOCK

explains ANTHONY J. HANDLEY, MD, MRCP, FIST

Royal life Saving Society staff tutor and medical advisor

A LOT of people have considerable difficulty understanding what is mean t by 'shock'. Indeed many doctors would be hard-pressed to give a definition, although they would recognise shock as a serious condition that may follow man y injuries or accidents and can lead to death if not treated quickly and adequately. It is possible to prevent shock, or at least limit its severity if appropriate action is taken early. It is therefore very importan t that all those who are involved in first aid should understand what they may have to deal with. Hopefully this short article will help

Definition and mechanisms of shock

First of all, it is important to appreciate that the medical condition of 'shock' has ve ry little to do with the popular meaning of the word, and in particular is_very rarely caused by sudden fear or emotional upset, although both of these may make the condition worse if it al r eady exist s We can define shock as: 'A failure of the circulation which results in an adequate supply of blood to vital organs.'

In other words, shock occurs when, for a number of reasons, there is not enough blood being pumped round the body. Since one of the main functions of blood is to carry oxygen, failure of the circulation means that essential parts of the body such as the brain, kidneys and heart do not receive as much oxygen as they need, and stop functioning properly. The body tries to compensate for the lack of blood in three ways: a) by drawing the remaining blood away from the ski n and directing it in preference to more important areas, b) by increasing the rate of breathing thereby getting more oxygen into the blood, and c) by speeding up the heart to circulate the blood more rapidly

Signs of shock

Altered consciousness

Anxiety

Pallor and coldness of skin

Rapid weak pulse

Air hunger

The signs that a casualty is suffering from shock are produced by the effects of oxygen lack together with the body's compensating mechanisms. The brain suffers most from a

reduced supply of oxygen, so a shocked casualty usually feel s dizz y, faint and confused, and in severe cases may even become unconsciou s. As blood is drawn away from the surface so the sk in becomes pale and cold to the touch The pulse is rapid but 'weak' as the reduced volume of blood in the arteries gives rise to a low blood pressure. Breathing is rapid and the casualty ma y seem to be gasping for air, a state sometimes known as 'air hunger '. The swe ating which often accompanies shock does not seem to have any useful purpose, but is simply a reflex response to the reduced blood flow.

Causes of shock

Loss of blood volume:

Whole blood External bleeding

Blood plasma:

Bod y fluids:

Pump (heart failure): Intern a l ble eding

Burns

Vomiting

Diarrhoea

Sweating

Coronary thrombosis (hea rt attack)

Certain virus infections

I rregular heart beat

Pooling of blood

Venous:

Arterial:

Severe blood infec t ion

Pain

Fear

Remembering that shock arises as a result of inadequate blood circulation, the causes may be considered under three heading s: a) reduced blood volume, b) pump failure, and c) pooling of the blood.

It is easy to see how the blood volume may be depleted if a casualty is bleeding profusely from a severe cut or wound, but large quantitie s of blood can also be lost internally, for example if a stomach ulcer bleeds or the spleen is damaged following a blow to the upper abdomen. Several pints of blood can also be lost into the muscles after a crush injury to the thigh even though there is no external bleeding. Considerable amounts of blood plasma may 'weep' from burns, and fluid can also be lost from the body due to severe vomiting and diarrhoea or with excessive sweating in hot environments. All of these reduce the

Even if the blood volume is normal, s h ock can still occur if thi s blood is not c ircul ated ade quately. For example, if the heart is damaged after a heart attack (coronary thrombosis) this may g ive rise to 'pump failure'. Blood may also s tagnate or 'pool' either in the ve ins or arteries. Venou s poolin g can occur durin g severe blood infection s (septicaemia) when many pints may be effectively lost to t h e circulation. Pooling of blood in the arteries can result from severe pain or fear, but as noted before, this is ra rel y enough alone to produce shock , a lthough in conju nction with other causes the co ndi ion may be made mu ch worse.

Differential diagnosis

There are two conditions which may be confused wit h s ho ck: a simple faint and one for m of diabetic coma.

A simp le faint usually comes on when someone sta ndin g for a lon g time, parti cularly in a hot or stuffy atmosphere, and recovery is very rapid, after sitt in g or lying down. A lth ough th e casualty is pale and sweaty durin g the actua l episode , there are no associated injuries or other obviou s reasons for shock to have occurred. The diagnosis is usually easy because of th e circum tances of the inciden t and the rapid recovery. In addition the pul e is us ually slow rather than fast. However, no harm will re ult even if the full treatment for shock is given.

More difficult to distingui s h are the effects of a low blood sugar in a diabetic. In diab etes the level of sugar in t he blood i abnormall y high, so tablet s or insulin injection s are given to bring it down to normal. If too mu ch treatment is taken or the patien t mis ses a meal, the blood sugar level may fall below normal (hypoglycaemia) The result of thi s is first noticed by its effect on the brain. The patient becomes co nfu sed or may beha ve in an odd fashion Later he be co me s dro wsy and then unconscious. At the same time he is pale a nd sweaty and has a rapid pulse. It is very important to distinguish this condition from shock for, if the patient s u ffering from hypoglycaemia is not given sugar he may die. Ask him if he is diabetic or, if he cannot answer, look for any card he may be carrying with the diagnosis on it. Alternative y he m ay have lumps or s u gar in his pocket; if so, give them to him or give him any sweets or sweet food that is available.

Treatment of shock

Treatment is directed first towards the cause Thus, external bleeding must be stopped, burn s dressed and the casualty reas sured. To help blood flow to the brain, the casualty s hould be laid flat with hi s le gs raised Do not try and tip his head below the general level of his body as this may, in fact, reduce blood flow. Keep him warm e nou g h to prevent heat loss but not too warm as thi s will encourage much-needed blood to flo W to the sk in surface. Control pain if you h ave the means and give oxygen if this is available.

(Ed: Not authorised in our Manual).

Generally speaki ng, nothin g s hould be g iven b y mouth because of the possibility that surgery, and h e n ce an a n aest h et ic, will be needed. If the to mach is full, anaesthesia often produces vomiting and, in the unconsciou s casua lt y, inhalation of vom itu s into the lun gs. The excep tion to this rule is in the situation when it is known that help will be delayed for several hour s. In he se ci rcum stances, the casualty s hould be encouraged to take frequent sma ll drinks of clear, warm liquid of whatever type is available except alcohol. F luid s must n ever, of course, be given by mouth to someone who is unconscious or too weak to swallow properly.

Keep a clear written record of the circumstances of the in cident, the state of the casualty when initially found and any changes in appearance, pulse and respiratory rates and state of consciousness. Note any treatment given and, above a ll get the casualty to ho pital as oon as possible.

_ Reprinted from the R LSS Quarterly Journal

(Guernsey Press photos)

IT's A DOG's

LIFE

I JUST couldn't resist these pictures (a bit soppy, some will say) of Teasle, a border terr ier of Guernsey who thought he cou ld 'go it alone' but fell off the cliff in the process. (A lesson for all wayward dogs, including mine.)

Teasle, it seems, disappeared while on an afternoon walk along the cliffs with his owners and when he failed to reappear they went home fully expecting him to turn up later.

Gently examine the patient.

(Reprinted from SJAH Australia 's What is First Aid?)

The fol!.owing morning the Island's St John Ambulance and Rescue Service's cliff rescue team was called in, and T I M Dave Eaton found th e little chap on a ledge about 80 feet abo ve sea level, frightened but unhurt.

The photo above shows T I Sgt Tom Reynolds examining Teasle with an officia l from the GSPCA, but it seems all the little terror wanted was a good meal. Wouldn't you? (Right) Teasle back with his owner.

(Reprinred jroll'l SJA Guernsey's injormariol7 Bullerin).

NIGHT HIKE FOR 40 CADETS

THRAPSTON (Northants) cadets held their 3rd annual sponsored ni g ht hike on the weekend May 19 /2 0 and were delighted to have with them Justin Evans of Radio Northampton.

Forty cadets who assembled at their HQ at 10 pm were divided into five teams and transported to (for them) an unknown desti n ation. They were in fact deposited in Cranford Wood, which meant they had 10-miles to find their way hom e wit h the maps , compasses and map grids they were given. En route they were to encounter various accidents and incidents designed to test their enterprise, ingenuity and first aid sk ills.

First they met two casua ltie s suffering from leg and arm injurie s, which were treated promptly and efficiently. Next they had to prepare a nd light a fire - yes, mat c hes were st ri ctly rationed , but being a fine dry night thi s did not present too many problems.

Northants adventure officer Mr M. COleman had a far more difficult task

awaiting the teams. Here they had to cross a stream by using a rope ladder, and then abseil into a quarry. While the boys tackled this with enthusiasm, the girls were more reluctant. But in true team spirit everyone had a 'go' after which were looking forward to hot soup and coffee. But before they were allowed the luxury of rest and refreshment another incident was encountered - they had to determine the switching sequence to bring on a light. After the break, the next task was to wire a switc hplu g in the dark. Fortunately these were not connected to an electrical supp ly, ot her wise there would have been some shock cases to treat.

By this im e teams had gone through Twywell, Slipton and Woodford, having comp leted over half the cour e. They were then confronted by t wo unconscious casua lti es, one 'needing resuscitation, the ot h er s u ffering from hypothermia (who wouldn't be ly in g in shrubs at 3 am?). Again efficient first aid wa carried out a nd both cas ualties were revived (five times, ill fact).

By now the teams had become very confident, some very weary, but their final encounter was yet to co me It was to defu e a bomb! The team who had adopted Ju tin Evans were blown up, a were mo t of the others. In fact, only one team " ould have s urvived Dawn was now beginning to break and sights were set on the HQ where the la t team arrived at 5.30. The cadets climbed wearily into leeping bag {o pend the remainder of the night at HQ They were awakened at 9 am to the aroma of breakfasl. Pani ipanr s were later pre ented with a certificate and at the post mortem' all agreed that the hike had been a great ucces and were already a king abo ut the next.

On radio, Justin Evans interviewed the organiser, DI O Mi hael Croot. who aid the uccess of the n ight \\'a due to deta i led planning of the route, incidents and check point, plu help from adul t member and the realistic efforts of the 'c a ualrie '. It i hoped that pon ore hip will raise L -0 for cadet fund

ORDER I NVESTITU RE

Mrs Monica Belfield MBE, of Horley, Surrey whose 31 years' service (she is now on Reserve) included Area Superintendent (Nursing) from 1968 to 1980 becomes a Commander of the Order

COMMANDER

by the Lord Prior, London, May 24

Owen Herbert Ashdown (Surrey)

Monica. Mrs Belfield, MBE (Surrey)

Professor John J. Cremona, KM, BA, LLD, DUtt , PhD, Dr Jus, FRHistS (Malta) Ll Col Walter Derek Hamilton Duke, MC, DL (Somerset)

Theodore Thomas Dumaresq (Surrey)

The Lo rd Fairhaven (Cambridge)

Arthur Hudson (Dorset)

Surg Vice Adml Re ger John William Lambert, QHP (Hants)

Charles van Bergen (Berks) Jacinlha Winnifred, Mrs Walker (N. Humberside)

Hea her Elizabeth, Mrs Atkinson (Glos)

Wilfred George Bi ck ley (Humberside)

Eliza beth Joy, Miss Bowden (Somer set)

Thomas John Brightman, MM (Anglesey)

Gordon Watson Brown (Northumberland)

Peter William Castle (Lincs)

William John Cook (Devon)

Kathleen Elsie, Mrs Corner (Lanes)

William Dalby (Humberside)

Kenneth Charles Davison (Cambridge)

Derrick John Evans (Worcester)

Richmond Arthur Evans (Worcester)

Owen Gordon, BA (Lo nd on)

Susan Jane , Miss Greaves (W. Midlands)

Roger James Green (Avon)

Reginald Stewart Griggs (Cleveland)

Rodney Francis Hayward (Berks)

S/Sgt James Stuart Hender so n (Bed s)

Les li e Francis Hope Jones, FCA (Hants)

Muriel Nance, Mr s Jury (Cornwall)

Co lin Knight (Avon)

Kevin Linklater (Cleveland)

Harold Loosemore (Berks)

Geoffrey Edward Mayer (Kent)

Wadi Yusuf Nassar, MD, DLO, MCh, FRCS (Cheshire)

James Edward Nuttal (Peterborough)

Bruce Peardon (Surrey)

Ronald Edward Pipes (Lancs)

Douglas Pledger (Essex)

Ian George Ridgeway (Shropshire)

Colonel Arthur Rigb y, OBE (Lanes)

Donald Augu tu Rin g (Avon)

Dorothy Margaret Haver, Dr Robert s, MB, BS, MRCS, LRCP, MFCM, DPH (Oxon)

Nigel Eric Rob inson, SRN RCNT (Lanes)

Arthur Hudson Assistant Commissioner , East Dorset, with 37 years' St John service, who is ex Grenadier Guards and Dorset Police Chief Inspector, is invested as Commander by the Lord Prior , Sir Maurice Dorman

William Hotchkis Ri chmond Water s, MB, ChB, FRCGP (S. Yorks)

OFFICER

Herbert John Braund (Cornwall)

Charles George Patrick Cooper (Salop)

Annie Ulian , Mrs Crewe (Leicester)

Deni Crosland (NOllS)

William Herbert Cuff (London)

Henry Davidson (Surrey)

William Allan Davis (London)

Ada, Mrs Denham (Northampton)

Gwendolyn Olive, Miss Dodson (Surrey)

Barbara, Miss Farnell, SRN, SC;M, HV (W. Midlands)

Mrs Evelyn Gladys Richardson of Orpington Kent, who after 23 years' service is now Assistant Train ng Offi cer, London District becomes an Officer of the Order. During the St John Year of Nursing 1980

Mrs Richardson spent three weeks at a hospital in Naples and with DSO Mrs Iris Sullivan of Petts Wood, has returned to Naples every year on this voluntary work

Edwar d Arthur Fisher (London)

Elaine Wynn Mrs Forbes (Hens)

Florence Margaret , Mrs Fowler (N. Yorkshire)

Jack Peter Gar and (Surrey)

Shirley Marguerite, Miss Haxell (London)

Gladys Margery, Miss Horne (Essex)

Beal rice May, Miss Hunt, MBE (Surrey)

Montague Morris Levy (Kent)

Michael Llo yd-Jo nes, LRCP, LRCS , LRFPS

Kevin McGuane, MB, BCh, BAO (S. Humberslde)

Patricia Josephine, Mrs Mears (Wilts)

Ada Florence Mary Miss Murphy, MBE (Sussex)

William Arthur Neal (W. Midlands)

Gweny, Mrs Nixon, SRN (S. Yorks)

Dou g as George Palmer (WillS)

Frank Albert Thomas Peters (Salop)

Fred Phillips, TD (Co Durham)

Donald James Piggott (London)

Edgar Plunkett, BEM (N. Yorks)

John Pro ctor (Devon)

Ralph Rawlinson, OBE (Staffs)

Eve yn Gladys, Mrs Richardson (Kent)

Alan John Riley, MSc, MB, BS, LRCP, MRCS ,

DObst, RCOG (Essex)

Naomi Clare Lawson, Mrs Robinson, JP, DL (Berks)

Brian Frederick Rockell (Berks)

Constance Mary, Miss Rowell (Leicester)

Frederick Thomas George Webb (Somerset)

Eileen Doris , Mrs Wheaton (Surrey)

Irene Ma vis, Mr s Willis (Lo ndon)

Miss Barbara Taylor, of Harrogate, who has served in Service Hospitals at home and abroad as a St John and Red Cross Welfare officer, becomes a Serving Sister

SERVING BROTHER or SERVING SISTER

Susan Lily, Mrs Ansell (Lancs)

Peter David Arnold (London)

David Atkins (Bucks)

John Ward, of Filey Divisional Superintendent of Filey Quadrilateral Di vision and member of the town 's lifeboat crew, joined SJA ten years ago (as he puts it) 'to help out once a week!' He is now a Serving

Brother Maurice Samue l Sanger (Devon)

L lian Dore en, Mrs Scrace (Cornwall)

Charles See ey, MD, FFCM, DPH (London)

Cyril Ri chard Lionel Sharpe (Nollingham)

Barbara Joyce, Miss Taylor (N. Yorks)

John Phillip Ward (N. Yorks)

Patricia Anne, Mrs Waterworth, SRN (Lancs)

Christopher Reuben Weaver (Cornwa l)

Cliffo ld Newman Webb (Berks)

Arthur Edward Willerlon (Lincoln)

Henr y Allen Graham Winter, MRCS, LRCP, DOb st, RCOG (E. Sussex)

St John House Club • IS

AN ODD title? Yes, but few of us hear much about the St John House Club nowadays, so when the new warden a rri ved I went over

Turning in to Eaton Place, SW 1, there it was - St John House Club, the Order flag fluttering from its balcony flag-pole. Just as well, since the club is distinguished outside only by a brass plate on the door, in keeping with the quiet elegance of this street where TV's 'Upstairs, Downstairs' was filmed. I Went up the steps, pushed open the door and ventured into the hallway, to be greeted by a resounding voice: 'Welcome!' The new warden, Major Sydney Nicoll , MC, ex-Black Watch, was waiting for me.

I found the club spac iou s, pleasant and airy. On the upper floors are five twinbedded rooms and six sing le rooms. A comfortable, almost sound-deadened drawing room occupies the entire first floor of the building, a fascinating room of St John memorabil ia from many travels. On the ground floor is the large Priory Room, furnished by Lady Edwina Mountbatten, and ideal for meetings, sma ll receptions , etc, with an adjoining bar. The ba seme nt breakfast room is also spaciolls and li ght.

St John House Club is very conveniently situated, being some five minutes walk from St John HQ in Grosvenor Crescent, and about 10 minutes from Victoria Station and Sloane Square, both of which have tube stat ions Harrods is but a s hort walking distance away.

When I called last su mmer, t he new warden and Mrs Nicoll had been at the club six days but had already worked out what they were to offer - a professional and

alive and well

The Secretary-General of the Order, Sir Peter Hudson, recently sent out an appeal to Priories, Commanderies and Counties for support in refurbishing and modernising the St John House Club. The club, as many realise, is an ideal, inexpensi ve centre for St John visitors to London from all over the world. It must be kepI as such - both by members making use ofilsfacifities and by support (by adopting the upkeep of a room, for instance) from the world of Sf John. See that it gets your support.

inexpensive service. What more cou ld members want?

A lit tle background to our new man in Eaton Place. On le aving the A rm y, Major Nicoll went into publishing, working on s uch magazines as Co unt y Life and Home and Gardens, and then followed his wife and daughters into hotel management. Training in this new field included Switzerland the VIP lounge at Heathrow. Major and Mrs Nicoll then ran their own hotel for some years before moving t o the Royal Overseas League in Edin burgh, where he was mana ger. The couple then went to manage the Caledonian Club, leaving behind their eldest daughter who now m anages the Ro ya Overseas League. The Nicoll's three daughters are all in the hotel business. And

Prices at St

at £ 15 for bed and b reakfast - which is pretty fair for Belgravia in the heart

West

All bedrooms now have colour TV, radios and alarm systems, along with tea and coffee making facilities, central heating and lashings of hot water. The annual su bscription of £10 covers husband and wife.

If this sounds like a plug for St John House and its new management team, you're right - it is. In fact Major and Mrs Nicoll would like nothing betteT than to welcome you to London and to look after you in the club - in you r club. So why not come along and stay with the Nicolls for a night or t, 0, and catch up with "vhat's going on in town? V.S.

Nicos Zodhiatis, BEM (London) Ailsa, Mrs Malcolm (Devon)

ASSOCIATE SERVI G BROTHER Delowar Hu sain Chowdhury, MB, BS (Lancs) ESQUI RE

Lord Astor of Hever, Knight of Justice, presented his personal Esquire, Captain Victor Richard La\\ (London), to the Lord Prior.

D r Charles John Pralt Seccombe, Knight of Grace, presented hi s persona Esq uire, Alan Henry Seccombe (Middx) , to the Lord Prior.

Hosts Major and Mrs Sydney Nicoll

Major and Mrs Nicoll are now at our club.

John House Club start

London.

FIRST AID AT WORK

from Mrs E. K. Thorn, Divisional Superintendent

I was interested to read the article That (troublesome) First Aid at Work Certificate, but it is not true to say that we in SJA are governed by law for our first aid certificate.

I have a copy of the regulations in front of me. It is law for the training of first-aiders in industry, in work conditions, but there is no mention in the Act of voluntary first-aiders at horse-shows, gym khanas, etc. Of course we have to hold FA W certificates if we are first-aiders at work , and as such St John has drawn up an excellent training scheme, but it is doing us no service to say 'The Government has taken control.' It has of first aid at work - but not us.

How such a misapprehension came about I do not know. We must stand f irm on this as a Brigade Already I have had five resignations from my division, three of them for family reasons (having babies, etc) but two because the commitment to St John (the extra courses and weekend courses, which is all we could manage for FAW) is proving too much. If we don't have weekend courses we shall have to have weeks of e vening courses, which we cannot afford in a programme which already includes an ambulance aid course (for our newly-acquired ambulance), casualty simulation (to make exercises more realistic), and a nursing course - another must for us all, especially with a new book and a User's Handbook which suddenly introduces the fact that it must be a lO-week course and the whole book be taught. How people can write that meetings are just chat sessions beats me.

Lymingfon Elizabeth K. Thorn

from Mr D. Lager, Ambulance Member

I refer to May Review pages 100 and 101, from the chairman of the Review Board, and letters page 112 from a county staff officer and a divisional superintendent.

As an ambulance member, I agree with the sentiments expressed in the letters and condemn the comments from the cha;rman. Most of the duties carried out under the St John flag are covered by people at my level; time is given freely and without any general publicity (ie, we are always there) But now with the new order' we are arriving at the point where v oluntary work becomes mandatory. If this is part of Government decree will not SJA become a cheap form of civil de fence in time of national emergency?

Why were members not correctly informed in the first instance about FA W instead of this mandate decreeing YOU MUST. Please, not in a voluntary organisation. If thi s at t itude continues then for one will not be dictated to by SJ A or the law, but will simply say goodbye, as I believe many others will. Come on you members who do not like dictator s hip, speak up now or shut up for ever as volunteers.

Derby

A HAPPY DIVISION

from Glynn Reeve, Divisional Superintendent

D. Lager

(A ged 68 an d 1000 h o urs dul y in 1983

Reading the Review recently has made me quite depressed. The letters and many articles all talk of falling numbers and there is much despondency about the Brigade in general. Is it not time that all the people who write about what is wrong tried to do something about it in their own area?

Here in Sali s bury we have a reasonably happy and contented Division consisting of some 45 ambulance and nursing members, of whom bet ween 30 and 35 turn up each week on the divisional training night. Many of them also attend on at least one other night for either competition training, specialised training (ie rescue work, map reading, search and rescue, and firefighting), public classes or just divisional maintenance. On top of this they turn out for duties at all times. How do we do it, some may ask . Well, the divisional training is good and interesting, and everyone is expected and does take part in all types of t raining. The actual meeting night training is in the hands of Divisional Officer Alan Byrom, assisted by Divisional Officer (T) John Stone. Between them they organise all training on the full meeting nights; and at least one month's detailed programme' is posted up in ad vance. This includes outside speaker s , at least one practical nursing session per month, training with ambulance equipment, outdoor and indoor exercises (summer and winter), and last but by no means least

basic first aid. The division is sub -divided into t raining gro u ps, each with a group leader who is responsible for impl e m ent ing the programme with his group. Each group is pi c k ed a rand om and consists of a cross section of member s, y oun g a n d o ld m a le and female. Groups are revised twice a year or a s n ee d e d

We find this system encourages members to at t e n d and t hi s year we have welcomed 6 cadet s to our number wi t h 2 more about to transfer, and 3 members of the publi c ha ve j oin ed us.

The division also has a good cross se ction o f o ff icers a n d NCO s and there is always an officer a v ailable t o sor t ou t pro b lems, talk new members, adv ise ex-cadets , etc

We work quite closely with our cade t di vis i on, b u t we limit t he number of cadets on du t ie s ver y st rictl y W e find t h is encourage s t he cadets to work well, and the y can be u sed u se full y o n d uties and taugh t. They in turn build a relationship wi th the adult s wh ic h wou ld not be possible with large numbers.

Finally members are not pushed ou at t h e e n d of a meetin g (i n fact we have our own social club) but ar e en cour aged to stay and chat. It is not unu sual for member s to be sa t a round lo n g after the bar closes and put t ing the division to rights. Often it is midni g h t b efo r e we lea ve . I do not think we have it all ri g ht , but i f a n y d iv isio n ha member passing through Sali s bury who would lik e to ca ll i n and see u , we would be only too plea sed, or an y HQ o r co u nty staff. Mond ay is our full training night and I can be o btain e d on Sal isbury (0 722) 742475.

By t he wa y, we all have full-time job s a nd m any other comm itm en ts, but above all we have enthusia s m fo r St John A m b ul ance.

Salisbury Glynn R eeve RED TAPE from Alan P Renshall

As I cannot find an an sw e r to a s impl e qu est ion at county le ve l, I wonder if a Review reader could help? r have been a member o f the Bri g ade for s om e yea rs a n d h a ve had the responsibility of teaching first aid and hom e nur sin g in m y divi sion for the last seven years. I have held a la y in stru ct or 's ce r t i ficat e fo r seven year s Over the la s t five years I ha ve been teac hing f irst aid to local indu s tries, but since th e FA W came into fo r ce the Brigade has decided that I am no longer competen t to t eac h

As am a qualified occup a tional health nur se wo r ki n g full tim e in a very large heavy industry, and de spite t h e fact that I a m registered with HSE to teach the FA W course at m y wor k pla ce (s p ec ia l Centr e), why is it tha the Brigade will not allow m e to teac h w it h o u t bein g assessed by our county development officer? I would have thought that a nurse working in indu s tr y wo ul d have made the ideal instructor for the FAW cour se I wond e r h ow man y FA W instructors hav e as much experi e nce as I h ave in fi rst ai d at th ei r place of work?

Merseyside Alan P R e nshal!

The Association Secretary writes: No doubt many people will feel some s ympath y with Mr R e nshalL

However, hi s main concern seem s to be that h e no t per mi tted o teach FA W within the county organisation without be in g s u bjectecl ·

to assessment. Surel y thi s does not mean that he is no longer competent to tea c h , bu t that the county org a ni sation wi s h to sati s fy

themselve s a to hi S lev el of co mpet e nce in conjunction with the St John Ambulan ce !rainin g P ac k ag e H ow ever well qualified Mr R.e ns hall may be, hI S coun ty ha ve t h e right to sa ti s f y th e mselves that hi S curren t .level of compet e n ce is of the standard required by the of st andard s is the res pon sibilit y of the Count y Dlr ecto: In v ie w of Mr R

CLASS LETTER

from Norman and Bryan Nicholls (father and son) May we co ng ratul a te C la r ke o f No ttin gham for a fir s t cla ss letter (Ma y R eV iew ) - h e IS a yo un g m a n not afraid to s peak hi s mind We fee l futur e of th e Bri ga d e s ink o r s wim s on t he following st at emen t: I t IS be t te r t o ha ve a we ll tr a in ed a nd equ ipped organi sation than a pa rt y

a ke t rainin g in te res tin g and ead o t h e com me n ts of A I M Cla rk e's a bo ut t r a inin g. H e r e in o u r pa r a d e s t a te ha ometime s been as low as 4 t o S N o diV Is io n s h o uld ope r ate wit h o u t a minimu m of sa y 20 member s. It has a lways bee n diff ic u lt to get a 50070 week ly atte ndan ce eve n in t he days o f b ig d ivisions.

Oxfo rd Norma n a nd Brya n N ich olls

RECOGNITION

rom Mrs Brenda M Law , Nur s ing Member [ wo u ld li ke to r eply to Mr A. Thomas's le tt er (Ap r il R eview ) w her e

he. t h a t 'too much is being ma de of [h e arg um e n agai ns t o u r

So far, a g ree w it h him. H e t h e n goes o n to say [h at

Wou ld It not be better for all divi iona l a mbul ance pe rso nn e l to wea r as d r e ,a black beret? ' He re I st r o ng ly di s a g ree . A bl ack be ret ID th e min d of ma n y peop le i synony mous with t h e Pr ovos' of N. Ir e la nd Do we wa n t 0 be connected in a n y way, ho wev er nebu lo us, wit h a terrori t organ i ation?

I asked office co ll eague s how the y recogni ed S JA p e rso nn e l a nd lhelr an we r to a .man was [he whi te ba nd o n the ca p a nd th e "" hit e bag. T he uDlfo r m n elf d id n 't matter - it is the whi te ba nd t hat s ta nds out and recognl ed and by this they k now that S J A is p rese n t. A black be r et wou ld have [he a rn e impact. I acce p t th at ca p ar e not part lc u r1 y practical , bu tho u Id ea s y recogn tio n be sac ri fice d for Cap can be re m ove d wh e n t r eatin g patient s

I app r ec Iate Mr T h oma support ( h i eco nd letter Ap ril R ev iew) for I11 Y urglI1g non-compu l ion. A s a s taff officer h e is in a be tte r

PO Sition to II1nue nce policy than I a m , a n d a d iv i i on al du t ie s th ese days te nd t o be fir st a id, t he r e being n o re qu e ts fo r nur si ng du t ies at least as fa r as thi s a r ea is conce rn ed , I wo u ld ho pe t h a hi s supp o r t' and t hat of o th e r of li ke mind, may h e lp to c ha n g e th is un fai r an d out d a ted p o li cy.

Cam bridge

RESUSCI - ANNE

fr om Brian Rockell Director o Supplies

Bren d a M. L aw

H awk in s' he lpful a nd intere ting a r t ic le in t he Ma y R eview g a ve iteta ll s of to co n vert a Res u ci-a n ne w h en t he b o d y ha d passe d

Ss useful li fe Alt h ough r e p lace m e nt b od ie are t i ll ava il a bl e fr o m

Sup ph e , t he re i a n a lte rn ative co n vers io n for tho se wh o wi h th aVO id th e expen e a new body , b u t wh o wo uld a lso li ke t o r e t a in e compl e te b o d y It IS pO SSible [0 m ake a lit a t a s uit a bl e poin t (I 7uld s ugges t n ot a t t h e seam ) a nd f ill th e bo d y w ith s ma l l p iec es foa m rubber. Th e b o d y ca n t h en be re- ea le d with a r e p a ir kit s o th e d oe m e thod re ul ts in a wh o le bod y d el with o ut th e d lffl c ul t le w h ic h ca n a ri se with the inflat a ble model Fo th h d ro se Wi t a n Infl a t a bl e bo d y wh o pr e fer to re tai n t he co mp act nes , t he life of t h e b o d y m ay b e prolon ged if all a nd use d in a warm a t m os ph e r e In comm o n with m a t e ri a ls, th e bod y beco me s m o r e bri t tl e w hen c old a nd ent erge tl c u se o f a mod e l in a co ld e n vir o nm e nt ca n provoke s plit t ing a se am s, e tc S/ J o hn 's G a l e Brian R ocke ll (Co nlinu ed

MULTIPLE CHOICE

from Miss K. D. Wilson

There was a letter in the Nursing Standard recently from some 3rd year student nurses entit ed' Against any multiple choice'. They said they had endured yet another multiple choice test supposedly preparing them to be competent, thoughtfu l and adaptable! They say training encourages initiative and individual approach to patient care and an awareness of a ll possible variables s urrounding any sing le case or situation, and suggest that multiple choice tests run counter to this approach and can blunt initiative and imagination to such an extent that the nurse can be left with feelings of disillusionment and despondency. They request serious consideration of the validity of multiple choice tests.

This I feel applies to the multiple choice tests given to students on the First Aid at Work course. Many of the questions are ambiguous and not a real test of the student's knowledge, especially from a practical aspect and so much in first aid depends on the sit u ation at the time

What do others think?

Workington K. D. Wilson

EX-SERVICE OFFICERS

from Col C. E. Knight !Rtdl. SJA Commander and Commissioner

Recent letters in the Review decrying the enrolment of ex-Service officers in to posts of authority with St John Ambulance are the cause of concern for many of us who were invited to join in order to help and foster the spirit of St John . These letters appear to be motivated by envy and perhaps jealousy too, and do little to encourage ex-officers to offer their services. A really efficient and determined member with no Services background has every opportunity to reach the top, if so minded.

Service officers, by their very training over the previous thirty years or more, have gained in the art of leadership more than can ever be expected of our members at grass roots level, though with application there is no reason why such members should not attain high rank, but to do so needs study and hard work well beyond the call of first aid duties. No ex-Service officer worth his salt would not re gard it as obligatory to find out and experience what it means to work in a Division; no one can lead from a position of ignorance but it does not mean that service with a Division has to be extensive. Ex-Service officers, who often have time to spare, can devote their organisational and administrative experience towards the routine running of St John Ambulance when many other members are still earning their bread and butter, and it is in this field where the ex-Service member is of inestimable value to the Order as at present constituted.

To suggest that ex-Service officers are insensitive to the needs o f members shows total ignorance of the make up of such officers and savours of an assumption that only by 'throwing the book about' have they achieved any form of recognition in the Forces. The days of 'do this or else' in the Forces have long departed, and leadership in the Forces is enlightened, understanding, and human, and it is these virtues which ex-Service officers bring to St John Ambulance when they join. Leadership in the higher echelons of St John Ambu lan ce needs to be a blend of non ex-Service and ex-Service members, as the two complement each other and can produce exactly the right type of loyalty and devotion to St John which is needed. In passing it must be remarked that the apparent 'dissidents' among our membership single out ret ired officers, why I wonder, when very many retired Warrant Officers and NCOs who have offered their services to St John soon rise to positions of authority by virtue of t heir unique experience and service background.

It does St John Ambulance no good at all for the public to read letters in the Review which, in criticising our leaders, highlight the ignorance displayed by the writers themselves on the subject of leadership. Far better that all aspire to climb the ladder of promotion which is available, and if necessary criticise from strength rather than from weakness. This apparently insidious 'knocki n g' the system does no good at all unless it can be proved beyond doubt that an alternative is better.

Norfo lk C. E. Knight

from John Leadeham, Ambulance Member

Mr J. A. G Siessor (June Review) asks: 'Is it not a fact that today

the Armed Services epitomise the very best qualities inherent in the British character?' No, Mr Slessor, it is not a fact: it is an opinion. The concept of the 'British character' is meaningless and racist, and who is to decide which qualities are best? The major problem with our military image is that it is unpopular. I suspect that, contrary to Mr Slessor's assertion, most of us would welcome an image somewhere between punk and military. While 'Pro Fide' must be a matter for the individual in St John and in the Armed Forces (I have checked this with the Ministry of Defence), I cannot help feeling that 'Pro Utilitate Hominum' is better suited to St John than to the Armed Services which exist to kill people.

Obviously, in some circumstances we need people to take charge.

In no circumstances do we need to salute them or bow to them. Most Brigade officers above divisional le ve l are primarily managers and administrators: could we not remove their rank and give them jobtitles, as in fhe Association? And let us rid the Brigade of sexism : we could start with competitions and move on to more controversial areas such as the nursing certificates and allowirg women to move unaccompanied by men on all duties.

Every few years changes are made to various first aid procedure s It is time that the reasons for these changes were explained, perhap s in the Review, with literature references for interested members. Thi s may increase acceptance of new methods of treatment, resistance to which is sometimes a problem with long-serving members. And wh y the obsessive secrecy s urr ounding radios? Our frequency is often marked on the outer casing of radio sets, and many Ham s and electronic engineers have frequency meters. What are we trying to protect?

Finally, is it not time that the error in converting calories to joul es on pp 58-59 of 'Caring for the Sick' was corrected? Briefly, the calorie is a small unit (= 4.184 J) so nutritionis ts often use 'calorie ' to me a n kilocalorie so that 1,000 calories (= 1,000 kcal) per day converts to approximately 4 million joules (4 MJ) per day. This sort of error should be unacceptable in a book sold to the public. It makes Sl John look amateurish.

[!ford John Leadeham

FOLDING DISPLAY UNIT from Fred Blaine

Here's an easy to make folding display unit which costs £8 35 in materials, and makes a fine display if mounted on a folding decoratin g table which costs £5.99 in our area. Materials needed are hardboard: 1 @ 3ft x 2ft; 2 @ 2ft x 2ft. Wood, with a sing le slide track (as used for cupboard doors): uprights 6 @ 2ft 6ins; horizontals 2 @ 3ft, 4 @ 2ft; 4 1 !h inch hinges; wood glue and panel pins. Each section is made by glueing hardboard into slide tracks, Y2 in from the top of uprights, cross tie with string, pin corners with two panel pins, and leave until glue sets hard. Lay each section flat, glossy side of hardboard uppermost, and fix hinges on inside. To avoid splitting wood with panel pins or screws, part drill holes. The uni t can be varnished or painted display side only.

Merseyside

AMONG the 1 Y4 million men and women of the Commonwealth who died in the wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45, and who a re commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, are some who served as members of the St John Ambulance Brigade. The names of six can be seen in the Commonwealth War Cemetery at Kirkee, near Poona in India, on the banks of the Mula River. In this cemetery nearly 1700 graves from the two wars and a memorial to another 2000 men and women who have no known grave or were buried elsewhere in India in small cemeteries which could not be adequately maintained.

Near the top of one of the 'malad' sandstone stelae (or slabs), which comprise the Kirkee Memorial and stand in a crescent behind the Cross of Sacrifice, are engraved the names of these St John members:

Sjl E. Ain s bury jl J McNeil

Pic J. Badger Pie C. V. Phillips

Sjl E. Dover PIC O Slark

Their graves lie in the old Sewri Cemetery in Bombay, where they served in the military hospitals caring for the men of the Indian Army who passed through the great sea port between 1914 and 1918 on their way [0 the battlefields of Flanders, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli and East Africa.

The Commission's record s are kept by alphabetical list of name s rather than under unit s , and it has not therefore been easy to find other St John members the Commission commemorates, but five have been traced :

PIC C. Jame buried in Amara War Cemelery Iraq - died 28.6.1916

'1ur e Marion D. Chapman, buried in Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemeler), Eg) pI - died 10.8.1918

Kalharine F. Kinnear buried in Malo-LesBain Communal Ceme ery, France - died 3.9.1917 ursing Orderly C. M. Turner, buried in Banlra Cemele y, Howrah, India bUI now commemoraled on Ihe Madras Memorial - died 28.3.1918 ur;ing iSler Annie W Bain. buried in Elaple Mililary Cemelery, France - died 1.6.1918 St John

Although the Commi ion was established in 1917 primarily [0 mark and maintain the graves of the armed forces of what was then the British Empire, there were other s who were not in the armed forces but who shared many of the same hardships and risks. It was therefore accepted that the commemoration of all these members of St John, who worked WIth the armed forces and who, like so many soldiers and sailors of the 1914-18 War died of sickness or disease, should the permanent responsibility of the rommonwealth Wa, Gmves Comm;ss;on

and the

Fred Blaine

WHENEVER we need to use an ice bag, it we are hampered by circumstances: either we are out of doors and not within reach of a fridge, or the fridge has been of ice. With these problems in mind I deCided to make an ice bag which could remain in the fridge / freezer until needed and then cOl1!d be returned until needed again. All that lS fequlred is gelatine, salt, water, freezer bags, and the use of a fridge or freezer.

Dissolve two ounces of gelatine in !h pint of bOiling water, then add three table-

Jelly ice bags can be useful

poonsful of salt. Make the fluid up to 2 '1i Pll1ts When cool divide equally into three strong freezer bags (18 " x 12 ") Expel the air from the bags and tie the openings. Then lay the bag on a flat surface in the fridge to set.

Once that they are set, they can be tored either in the fridge or freezer until required . They can be taken to outside events in a freezer cooler box, together with the ice tablet They will remain cold for everal hours and can be put back into the freezer on returning home

Ice bags have se veral uses To reduce bruising or swelling. T o take the heat out o f burns and scalds which cannot be placed in cold wa ter or under a running tap. The y will also be u eful for helping to r edu ce temperatures. And man y more u e can be found for the ice bag out s ide th e boundarie of first aid and nursing

An alterna t ive ice bag, \ hich i readil y at hand if you have a freezer, are bags of fro zen vegetables.

D / S L e n A /dll'in c k le Sre venao e Broadll'arer Comb in ed Di visio n

Kirkee Wa r Ce metery, Poona. (Be low) Na mes on the memorial

NEWS from SCOTLAND

SINCE MAY 1979 when the canal cruiser St John Crusader was officially presented to the Seagull Trust by the Edinburgh St John Association Executive Committee over 16,000 disabled people of all ages have been introduced to the joys of canal cruising (free of charge) along the Union Canal, starting from the Bridge Inn at Ratho close to Edinburgh.

Recently it was decided by Mr R. A. Williamson, the Field Organiser for the St John Volunteers 0 f Scotland, and others to mark this fact by a special gathering of all those who had helped the Volunteers to achieve such a worth while record.

Accordingly an invitation was extended to all helmsmen and helmsladies (with their wives, husbands, boy friends or girl friends) as well as other crew members and Volunteers to assemble at Bridge Inn, Ratho, for a celebratory cruise and lunch.

At around 1O.30am everyone gathered at the Bridge Inn for coffee. By the kind permission of Mr Ronnie Rusack, Director and Manager of the Bridge Inn, the company embarked on .board Mr Rusack's luxury

WALES

Chief Commander's visit THE CHIEF Commander paid tribute to the Brigade's Welsh workers when he opened their refurbished South Glamorgan County Headquarters in Cardiff during May. Major General Peter Leuchars, unveiling a commemorative plaque in the building in Cardiff Castle Mews, said: 'There is no doubt that St John flourishes in Wales and here in Cardiff. In England we have a hell of a lot to learn from you.'

Most of the £20,000 needed for the

barge 'The Pride of the Union' and proceeded to sail on the Union Canal. The barge is some 70 feet in length and has a beam of 11 feet. Well furnished and fitted out, she is authorised to carry some 50 passengers.

Speakers at the function included Mr R: A. Williamson, who thanked individually all those who had given much time voluntarily to learn to steer the craft and other crew duties; Mr Ivan Tait, Chairman of the Edinburgh Order Committee, introduced the Chancellor of the Priory of Scotland, Mr W. A. P. Jack, who spoke on

A happy group including the Helensburgh Sub Branch Convener , Mr Stan Latimer Ithird right) and the principal guest, Mr Bill Gordon It hird left) at a recent Dunbartonshire meeting. IPhoto: Courtesy the Helensburgh Advertiser)

the work of the St John Association s throughout Scotland, and Col W A. Dal z el, Chairman of the Edinburgh St Joh n As ociation.

The barge cruised along the ca nal to as far as Wilkie's Ba sin, then returned to the Bridge Inn at Ratho arou nd 2pm.

Mr Ronnie Ru sack, who was on board throughout, was thanked for the delightful lunch served to all during the cruise. A vote of thanks was also proposed to Mr Ronni e Williamson for all the arrangements so delightfully laid on for the comfort and pleasure of t he participant. at JOHN AM8ULANCE BRIGADE OF SOUTH GLAMOAGAN HEADQUARTERS renovated wlttl the gen(!rl)US 8$slstance of

renovation work came from South Glamorgan County Council, Barclays Bank and Cardiff Round Table.

Major General Leuchars went on: 'This headquarters i designed to provide facilities for St John Ambulance to serve the people even better than it does now.' He added that there had been much debate recently on the future role of St John Ambulance and promised more involvement in community welfare in the next 10 to 15 years. And there had to be more recruitment to increase the ervi c es of the Order, he said.

This occasion was also the first official

Gas hero wins top first aid award

The Chief Commander visited the Air Wing function performed by Councillor Albert Huish as the new Chairman of South Glamorgan County Council and he told the audience that many doctors and nurses had begun their careers as cadets with St John

Our photograph shows Major General Leuchars talking to Cardiff Castle Division Cadets; also in the picture are the Commissioner for South Glamorgan, Doug Hartley, and Dr George Mitchell (wearing spectacles) Director of the Association for Wales.

The itinerary of this' flying visit' included a presentation by the Chief Commander to

A BARROW ga ervice technician, who became a national first-aid hero four years ago, has won the North West Gas annual fir t aid competition with his partner.

David Legg made nation-wide headlines in 1980 when his prompt first aid action saved a Dalton child badly injured in a road accide nt.

David Legg Ileh) and Colin Haworth , holding their trophy. with N.W, Gas chairman George Scott. and Mrs Scott

BOOKS

Emergency Patient Care. Lenworth Jacobs and Barbara Bennett. MacMillan. Paperback 320p, £14.50.

This is an excellent production - for Americans and Canadians! It is, in part, a first aid manual detailing the basic emergency procedures familiar to all in St John who use the new First Aid Manual. But it goes further, because the U.S. Government, through the Highway Safety Act of 1966, empowered the Department of Transport to set standards and also provided funds (these were withdrawn last year). It then set up the E.M.S. programme by Statute in 1973 and provided curriculae for E.M T. (Emergency Medical Technicians) training.

As the reviewer has explained before, these are:

E.M.T(A) - ambulance standards similar to NBS crew training.

E.M.T(I) - as above plus limited A.L.S. (Advanced Life Support).

E,M.T(P) - trained completely in A.L.S, (80 hour training!).

This book will interest and be of use, as well as thought-provoking, for all in St John who wish to expand their understanding of what 'Second Aid' can achieve. The E.M,T system in the U. K. is in its infancy. It is being applied in certain of the NHS ambulance services and also is a qualification obtainable by trained operation theatre technicians and nurses working in intensive care units.

Of specialised interest are the chapters on Air Ambulance training and procedures and the definition of 'Aeromedical Consultants' and 'Medical Flight Attendants'. Very full

the ground crew of the St John Air Wing at Rhoose. Our photograph shows the presentation of ties and badges to the three airport workers who give their time and skill so readily to enable the Air Wing to function.

The Wing's Captain John Morgan said: 'Without such willing service at any hour of the da y or night we would never get any aircraft in to the air. The Chief Com mander was given a demonstration of loading a stretcher patient into the aircraft and as can be seen from the photograph taken inside the cabin, much ingenuity is required because of the lack of space.

lists are given of the equipment to be carried and also there are summaries of the physiology of flight, which patients are to be flown without undue risk, and notes on safety in small aircraft. Though these points are not law they are recommendations by the Commission on Emergency Services 1981. It is understood that our Civil Air Authority (C.A.A.) is also planning recommendations on these principles

There is a very comprehensive inde . to this book which has been written by a Di recto r of Trauma and E.M,S. in Boston and by a Paramedic Nurse Educator,

IRight) The Chief Commander with Cardiff cadets. Photo : Western Mail ) IBelow) Opening the new HQ

Norman Paras

Computer Evening

I RECENTLY received a letter from Rex Purchi s , of Weymouth, Dorset, who told me about an evening he arranged for his cadets involving computers

The evening consists of cadets participating with or without their own computer in various activities, including games. The Division offers prizes to the cadets who could write a simple programme involving first aid as a training aid. It could consist of modifyin g an existing programme - for example, Hangman - but using words appertaining to anatomy. Many other ideas are being thought of. In addition the Division has also introduced a video evening , where serious as well as humorous training can be involved. Both the evenings have met with great success and help to break up the more rigorous training sessions. Another idea has been first aid by pictures. The cadets form groups and each group is given a coloured picture of a casualty with sim ulated injuries. One cadet acts as patient while the others have to use their judgement to diagnose and decide the best ways to treat the injuries in a given time. On completion the pictures are c hang ed around for the group to try again with a different set of ir.juries At the end the best method of treatment is discussed.

If al'ly cadets in your Division have produced a computer programme which works would be pleased to hear about it, together with a copy of the listing if any cadet is prepared to share their programme with other cadets

Short story competition

What would it be like if you were suddenly disabled by an accident? How would you cope at hom e and at school? How would you feel? What would you need to change? How would your friends react?

These are some of the questions you might think about if you take part in the new Short Story Competition arranged by the John Grooms Association The story should be about 500 words with the title 'How an Accident Changed My Life'. Cadets who w sh to participate can imagine that they become di s abled in any way at all, perhaps blinded or con fined to a wheelchair, and they would need to think about all the things that would change in their life.

The competition is open to any one in the UK under the age of 16 and full account will be taken of the age of entrants. There are

some super prizes to win. First prize is a Campari Corvette inflatable dinghy, as well as a T-shirt, po s ter and a badge, al'ld th e two runners-up will also receiv e a T-shirt and a poster. Entries must be received no later that Thursday July 31 1984 and should be addressed to The Groomsters Short Story Competition, 10 Gloucester Drive London, N42LP.

Peak District National Park

I f you fancy staying somewhere a little different next time you are in the Peak District, why not try a barn, like those supp lied by the Peak Di s trict National Park, which ha s equipped four barns with the bare necessities for an overnight stay and opened them to walker s and cyclists. Each barn has a wooden s leeping platform, table and bench, cooking area, a tap, a toilet and no other home comforts at all. You take normal over-night camping kit, including cooking and sleeping gear, but leave your tent at home. The accommodation is unisex, so it is not for those who prefer privac y, but the member s might f ind it an intere st in g ba ckto-basics exercise. The barns are w ithin walking distance from each other and have limited parking space nearby.

Why not try a cycling or walking tour from Ash Grange Barn, in Lathkill Dale to Allport Cast les Barn, b e tween Bleeklow and Kinder, staying in the other barn s Abney and Castleston) on the way. The buildings themselves ran ge from a fo rmer pig-sty tastefull y re sto red, to a listed building which once belonged to t he monks of Roche Abbey The area around the barns is rich in places and traditions of interest, and cadetscould use the barns as bases for all kinds of expeditions Anyone over the age o f five can stay in a barn, although those under 14 need to be accompan ie d by an adult. The Barn s hold between 8 and 12 people and cost a mere £\ .25 a night. It is advisable to book in ad v ance and booking forms can be obtained from, Peak National Park Study Centre, Low se hill Hall, Castleton, Derbyshire, S30 2WB.

Long distance footpaths

Many of u s have heard about these lon g

JUBILEE

distance footpaths but few realise how many there are. There are now: The West Highland Way in Scotland, the Pennine Way, the ancient track way of the Cleve land Way the Wards Way, the Of fe rs Dyke Path, the Pembrokeshir e Coast Path, the Rid geway Path, the Norrh Down s Way, the South Downs Way; and circling the South West of England - the South West Peninsula Coast Path, the Somerset and North Devon Coast Path, Cornwall Coast Path, South Devon Coast Path and the final section, the Dorset Coast Path.

All these path s could provide u se ful adventure activities for cadets by following them using the long distance path way marking, which is in the form of an acorn symbol. Maps are essential. Guide books published by HMSO provide ordnance s urvey map sec tions with the path s ov e rprinted. Alternatively, try your local library a nd / or bookshop for the guidebook which suits you best. When u s ing the path s seve ral possibilities are a va ilable for accommodation. Camp, youth hostels or there are some bed and breakfast facilities available. The Rambler As ociation publishes a bed and breakfast g uide All the paths mentioned are the official Countryside Commission lon g distan ce paths, but there are others around the country provided by local councils. A good book shop or the lo cal library will probably provide you with a wea lth of information about local paths.

Proud of cadets

Before Christmas I h ear d from Jo Corbett, of Willenhall, West Midland s, about the activities of the cadets from the Bl ockrich Quadrilateral Divi s ion, who had be en involved in a number of proficiency s ubj ect training courses, many hours of public duty severa l training co ur ses in first aid a n d nursing, and a range of adventure activitie s including an Army assault course. There is also what the y believe to be a record of no le ss than ten families of St John as member s of the Divi sions Thankyou Mrs Corbett for sending these detail s. I would be interested to hear from other Divisions about the activities that the y have b een undertaking

lee

is cut by Deputy

who joined the Division as a cade in 1938 , and Junior Derek Molyneu x. Also in the photo is the Cty Commissioner Col R H Jones, who presented warrants of appointment to D /Os J. Flah erty and A Pye

'WHAT yo u can do, I can't do - what I can do , you can't do - but toget h er we can do somethin g beautiful for God.' So spea ks Moth er Teresa to every person who ha s ca ug ht eve n a g limp se of the vision which has inspired h er own life for n ea rly 40 years. She used these words to the Prince of Wales, just as to the humblest of her helper s. She uses them to each one of u s It ha s been s u ggeste d that some m e mbers of St John Ambulance might be intere s ted to help, in a variety of ways, with the work of the Co-Workers of Mother Ter esa. We Co-Workers would welcome this and b e glad to share since we have a good deal in co mmon. Both our organisation s aim to relieve s uffering and to give faithful dedi ca t e d se rvice; and both co ntain men and women from all walks of life, youth, adults and retired (Indeed there must be many CoWorkers who ha ve at lea st completed a SJA first aid co urse .)

Mother Tere sa s uncompromi s ing She asks u s o serve Christ in our own families, in our neighbours, the sick and d isa bled and lonely, and especially in Hi s most di stressi ng disguise' of the addicts and alcoholics, the desti tut e and unwanted of soc iety. So our loc a work is widely varied. Visiting the s ick and mentall y h a ndic a pped at home or in ho sp ital, writing letters a nd reading to the blind or tho se with failing sig ht, befriending and baby-sitting for one-parent families or hard-up yo un g coup le s, wo rking with young offe nd ers and others on probation - these are a few examples.

Many of our elderly or housebound CoWorkers spend many useful and fulfilling hours knitting blankets and garments to be sent [0 Mother Teresa's Missionaries of C harit y (now in 56 countries), mainly for their work with abandoned chi ldren and destitute in India. Maybe some of the young retired SJA cou ld interest their local el derl y in hi ,or in ro llin g bandages. Cadets might enjoy col ecting wool for them , and old sheets, tearing these up into str i ps - grea t fun for the youngsters, and good therapy for arthritic old h a nd s to roll th e bandages. Best of all is the opportunity it gives for visits and c ha ts and a s i g ht of bright young faces in a lon g, lonely day.

We are frequently invol ved with the handi capped and di abled, ometimes helpin g to take them out, eit her singly or in

Co-vvorkers of Mother Teresa

groups. Retired SJA member s who ha ve the knack of pushing a wheelchair, and assisting in and out of cars, buses and toilet s, would be a real godsend on the se occasions.

The Co-Workers aim to supply the Missionaries of Charity Sisters in the five G B House s (Southall, London W.9 and E.!., Liverpool and Li vi n gston) with a ll they need for their work with the homeless and deprived Active volunteer s give up a few hours days or even weeks to work alongside the Sisters at the se Home s, Da y Centres and Soup Kitchen s, SJA might care to join in this, and we can su pply details. A 'plain clothes' pre sence of a few SJA members would be very valuable at our summer outings a nd Christmas parties for the depri ve d.

Help is often at the clothing collecting centres all over the count r y, at which we prepare the clothes and pack t he s ack s for India - yes, h ey do arrive safely, being baled at Silvertown and stowed in 20ft containers to be shipped to Calcutta, Bombay and Madras at the EEC charity rate.

This can be very satisfying work for someone keen to serve others

We try to grow in the spir it of Mother Teresa through our work, and indeed something seems to rub off on all who join in. It is beaut if ul to see the smile returning to the face of one who has s uffered a tragic

bereavement, or the depression of another li fting by degrees; the mixed-up student learnin g to give 'love and action' (in Mother's familiar phrase), and the joy lighting up the face of the lonely ninety-yearold whose knitting 'for the children' is admired.

Yes, we can surely help each other and together spread compassion and peace in this world so s orely in need. We will be glad to put you in touch.

Evelyn Armilstead (Mrs) SlOnecole,

St Helens Town Ambulance Cadet Divisions jub

cake

Cty Commissioner

Pimblett,

News from Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

CL ASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

lOp a word (min. £4.00); semi display £20 single column inch (min. £10) Send to Driscoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3QF.

G IVE YOUR LECTURES T H AT F INAL PROFE SS IO NAL TOUCH detailed co lour s lid e se FA1- 10 co mpr e hen s ive ly cover th e SJA Manual. P rod uced by Dr Kenneth Leese (County Surgeo n GMC). Sl id e sets £6.50 eac h, do uble le cture cassettes £4.75 a l p lus post and VAT, Send for fREE details f teac hin g a ds for Hom e and Road Safety to F. C. CU RTI S LTD 6 Mileta s Place, Lytham St Annes, Lan c FY8 18Q.

I- U NO RAISING, Fetes, Ba zaa r & Sporting Eve n ts. Many types of J nd raisers, bran tub gifts, ba ll oons, balloon r ace eq uipment. Fa nc y oo ds, spo rt c ups , medal s, S

y (4), 13, For change in skin infection acqu ir ed from sheep or g03t S (3). 15. Beer rig ht for sta t e of r ea dine ss to respond to emergency cal l. (5). 17. Belonging to no - one. (9). 20. Of littl e va lu e a nd soon to be o bso lete. (9) 22. Organs of masti cation. (5). 24 R eflex in the ner ou system. (3) , 25. Brutal ru f fian, (4).26. Bird for a boy. (6). 29. Flow er from east is irregularly n otc h ed at th e margin. (5). 30. Growin g exuberantly (9). 31. Treatment ofdi ea e. (7), 32. Noi y, norin g re s p irat io n. (7).

Down:

1. H a lit os is. (3.6). 2. Ha v ing a common ance tOr. (7). 3. Girl h as nothing for a n oose. (5).4. Perennial part of the eye. (4). 5. GeneroLi S with fin ge r s extended. (4-6). 6. Note for a smal l dose of medicine (5).7 Sugar in varied courses. (7). 8. Part of skin worn around t he neck. (5). 14. A principal founder of the SlAB was stretc her d esigner (4.6). 16 Withdraw cerebro-spinal fluid from the spina l canal. (3) 18. Harb ou r er of fleas spreading t y phu s fever. (3). 19. Ci rc ul ar mu sc le closing a body or i f ice. (9) 2 1 Locate s c h a n ges t o milk s u gar , (7). 23. Medicinal preparation to remove 22 Acro (7). 24. Meant fo r person with congenital men tal deficiency. (5). 25. The carcinoma form s the s ub - arachnoid s p ace. (5). 27, Co n se nt to h ave same pe r son, ge nd er, and case (5). 28. The odontoi d peg a p r ocess of thi s bon e. (4 ) ,

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.6 (84)

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.7 (84) by A. A. Potter Acro ss I.A·tax i· a;4.Ast heni a; 10 Violent; II ,Off·icer; 120val ; 13 Va sa; 14. Y'ear'n; 16 Armpit; 17 . F ir eba ll; 21. Agar -aga r 22, H ectic; 24. Sebum; 27 Mole; 28. Brat; 30. Extrac t 31. Cal lous; 32. Swea ting; 33. Stress.

Across:

I Rod -s haped micro-o r gan sms ca u s in g anthrax. (7). 5 Proc ess by which substances pass through anatomical membranes. (7) 9, Gives diet modi f e d for system dealing with food. (9). 10. The nape of th e

Down: I Alveolar abscess; 2 Anoxaemia; 3, Item; 5. Spo r ad c; 6. H e f ty; 7. Nucha; 8. Agranulocyto s is; 9. A las; 15. Pica; 18 , Even; 19 Arteriole; 20 H aemat in; 23. Plu ck; 25. Bathe; 26. Mean·t; 29. F lat.

Professionally equippedth , e F. W way.

Stretcher Wall Kits

Models 620-1 and 650-1

Equipped with Model II emergency stretcher or Model 108AF foldaway stretcher, plus

• cellular -cotton blanket • vinyl coated nylon groundsheet

• pack of Frac straps • first aid box

All contained in a sturdy aluminium cabinet to protect from dirt and dust, which fits on to a wall or door and roomy enough to add extra equipment.

RECONDITIONED AMBULANCES

Safety aids from aim

ST JOHN REVIE W

Birthday Honours

ALL OUR READERS will wish to join in congratulating the fo ll owing members of the St John family who on the occasion of Her Majesty's Official Birthday were honoured in recogn ition of their outstanding services to the Order of St John and its Foundation: Knight Bachelor : KBE:

CBE:

OB£:

BEM:

Group Captain Gordon Pirie

The Right Hon The Lord Aberdare

Or W. A. Eakins

Miss Mar) Neville-Ka)e

Mr J. F. Parker

Mr A. W. Phair

Mr E. M. Wakefield

Group Captain Gordon Pirie, CBE, JP, DL, Chairm a n of Council, Greater London Di s trict , for hi s s ervice to the City of Westmin s ter and many other organisation s , including being Commander, St John Ambulance London Di s trict from 1969-75, s ince when he ha s b e en Chairman of the St ] ohn Council.

The Rt Hon The Lord Aberdare, Pr i o r f or Wale s , Order of St John, for s ervice s to m a n y or g anisation s in England and Wales. Lord Aberdar e ha s been Chairman of Committee s in th e Hou se of Lord s s in c e 1976 and was a Minister of State for the DHSS f rom 1970-74 and has held office in man y s porting and kindred organi s a t ion s .

Dr W. A. Eakins, TD, QHP, MB , MRCGP , MFOM, MBIM, for his services to the communi ty Dr Eakin s ha s been Deputy Commissioner in t he Commander y of Ards in Northern Ireland a nd ha s nov/ become the Commander y Commi ss ioner.

Miss Mary Neville-Kaye, Chie f Welfare Officer , National Headqua r te rs, ha s a reco r d o f 40 y ears o f continuous service t o St John Ambulanc e B y nature a leader, by profe sion a headmi s tres s, s he progressed speedily through all rank s to become Di s trict Superintendent, Greater London Di strict. Since her retirement from London Di trict s he ha s taken o v er the Welfare Department a t Headqu a rte rs and is continuing her record of public ser v ice.

Mr John Francis Parker, Ambulance Member , for hi s long service to St John in Buckin g h a mshire and to the Slough Squadron ATC.

Mr Albert William Phair for his long s ervi c e to the Brigade and the As ociation in the Isle of Mrs Eileen May Wakefield for her services to many charitable organisations including the Priory o f Wal e s, serving St John since 1938 through a serie of appointments up to that of Assistant Commis s ioner. Ir Wakefield has been treasurer of the Og\ r Di s trict in Mid Glamorgan since 1978 and continue most actively supporting St John in many wa y

COVER

EARLIER THIS YEAR I had a letter from New Zealand which quoted some wellknown lines: 'Oh, to be in England, now that April's here ' April was here, and with it the St John Ambulance Medical Conference, which this year was held April 6 / 8 at Nottingham University.

Sadly, the weather was not kind as delegates set out from their homes; I drove steadily northwards through increasing rain, hoping that the weekend would not be too wet - the university campus is exposed and one can get very damp! Immediately noticeable on arrival were the omnipresent Beeston St John Cadets. The weather had cleared and cadets were to be seen scurrying in all directions, helping delegates with luggage (some of it the same size as the cadets), catching people as they stumbled on the step immediately outside Cripps foyer, and generally being most helpful. It was good to see the cadets in evidence throughout the conference - they did a marvellous job.

The programme began, traditionally and informally, after a good supper on Friday evening Not being from the Association, or a Brigade surgeon or nursing officer, I joined the group watching new first aid films Last year this group expressed a need for new British-made first aid films, and they got them. Two of the three films shown were made by the Royal Navy as a result of the Falklands war. The first, entitled Handle With Care, demonstrated the various methods of casualty handling with one, two or more people and included the different types of stretcher. Each method was explained clearly and concisely, with a touch of humour -a style carried over into the second film, ABC of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation. The final film of the evening, voted well worth watching, was somewhat different; a well-produced documentary on the work of St John in South Australia, where they provide ambulance and rescue services. Covering all aspects, from the smallest cadets on duty to the latest hightechnology equipment in use, the film made its own lasting impact.

Whether or not delegates managed to lose themselves on the way to group meetings (another traditional Nottingham hazard), they found their way back to the official 'icebreaker' without any casualties. Any ice that may have been around didn't last long, as wine flowed and the temperature climbed. Always a popular event, new delegates had the chance to meet everyone and old delegates renewed last year's acquain tanceshi ps

The conference proper began on Saturday morning, when Dr P. A. B. Raffle, the Chief Medical Officer, welcomed delegates. In doing so he paid tribute to the late Dr Elston Grey- Turner, Chairman of the Medical Board, who died suddenly earlier this year, and who had done so much towards the organisation of these conferences.

The first session, entitled The Present comprised very different presentations on 'The Drug Scene'. This had been chosen because, as session chairman Dr J C Graham, remarked, drug abuse is a problem which is with us as citizens, as professionals and as members of St John Ambulance.

SJA Medical

Con fer en c e

Dr John Strang, MRCPsych, MRCS, Consultant Psychiatris t to the Drug Dependency Unit, Prestwick Hospital, Manchester, began with a fascinating talk on the treatment of drug addicts in hospital, which immediately conjured up images of white-coated people dealing with overdoses, withdrawal symptoms and other similar and dramatic notions. However, Dr Strang described instead the way in which he and his staff look at the patients referred to them. He began by criticising the traditional medical model , suggesting that drug use is not a condition which exists in the oldfashioned disease sense of the word. Drug use, he said, is not a disease, but a behavioural presentation. This was an interesting statement, reflecting on Dr Graham's introduction when he mentioned that a section on drugs had been included in the Public Duty Handbook in the chapter on behavioural disorders. Dr Strang went on to say that this could include disea se components, and that there may be aspects where medical care was essential. He then indicated the need to provide an alternative way of looking at the problem if one took away a previously accepted way (ie, the medical model mentioned above) of understanding a behaviour which bothers a large section of society. Any new model of understanding should not be linked to the substance in question, but should embrace

P. A. B. Raffle , Chief Medical Officer SJAA

, Nottingham, April 6-8 ,

all substances - often a particular pattern of behaviour presented with a range of drugs. There was no reason to suppose that a single exposure to, eg, heroin, makes a heroin addict any more than one exposure to alcohol makes an alcholic.

Dr S tra ng supported this with some definitions, one of which summed up the picture: 'drug-re lated behaviour is the interaction between drug, personality and environment' (Griffith Edwards, 1974). The system in use on Dr Strang's unit was a way of acquiring this broader-based model, and Dr Strang described it in three categories : what, why and how.

Regarding WHAT, Dr Strang told delegates that most people referring those with drug-related problems tend to get stuck on 'what'; letters of referral tended to read 'Please see this heroin addict' _ This took into account nothing else; the same letter of referral could accompany the hardened daily user over a period of years or it could equally accompany the 17-year-old casual user caught by his mother. From tne professional's point of view any model of understanding the drug use must be able to bring out the differences between these two presenting pa t ients. It would be a gross misjustice, continued Dr Strang, to suggest that these two patients had the same disease, and, by implication, needed the same treatment. Dr Strang also looked at the WHAT from the consumer's point of view, dividing drugs into: sedatives (opiates, barbiturates, benzodiazepines), stimulants (amphetamines, cocaine) and the hallucinogenic drugs (LSD, STP, 'magic mushrooms'). He then presented a number of conclusions based on his own researchthat the potential for physical dependence was mainly a feature of sedative drugs , not stimulants. Cocaine was probably the most 'more-ish' drug - experiments with rats showed that the animals would return again and again for cocaine rather than eating or sleeping, and in this way cocaine could be said to be drug of dependence. The hallucinogenic drugs (self-evident) and stimulant drugs caused psychosis, but the opiates did not.

Moving to the HOW, Dr Strang commented that this was probably the way to greater understanding of what drug use means to a particular individual. It was also the kind of feature most omitted ?y referring officers. Dr Strang covered vanous facts:

1 Route - whether the drug was taken orally, nasally, smoked, injected, etc

2. Regularity - whether a daily user an occasional one (see the example given above).

3 Effect sought - hedonistic or medicinal. This was one of the key features in the development of dependence. In the of every drug user there came a pomt where the user was no longer looking for a positive, pleasurable effect, but for a negative effect - eg, to prevent unpleasant withdrawal symptoms.

4. Level of functioning - whether the user was stable or chaotic. Not all users were confused, unreliable, smelly, etc.

5. Degree of Dependence - evident by degree of difficulty in abstaining from the drug, its effects on the family, work, user's health, etc. Even within a particu lar substance there is a tremendous variation in the value placed on the drug by the individual.

In fin ishing with the WHY, Dr Strang explained that there was no single answer for why anyone takes drugs. Any single model put forward could provide a reason for about 5 to 10 per cent of users. The answer was not to look at the drug, but to look at each person who presents on a number different levels - it is the person who IS important.

Miss Alison Morton, SRN, feat ure writer on the Nursing Mirror, followed this with a talk on the vulnerability of the nurse and drug abuse, with a com pletely different view of the problem from the nurse's point of view. Dr Graham had remarked in his introduction that doctors and pharmacists are often considered vulnerable as drug suppliers; perhaps nurses are also vulnerable Miss Morton outlined the vulnerability of nurses in several ways. She began by pointing out that nurses are very often in the front line, especially in casualty d epart ments, where they are vulnerable to attack from infection, violent casualties, etc. This is where the nurse will meet a desperate addict - only when addicts are desperate will they turn to hospital staff. She went on to say that many nurses feel inadequate to deal with this kind of situation, suggesting that a new look at nurse training should perhaps be taken. Indeed, one special study on this kind of problem had recognised a need fS,)r special services and the need for a nurse to obtain good clinical experience in this field. However, Miss Morton went on to point out t hat nurses were vulnerable in other, less obvious ways. Nurses are vulnerable emotionally; they come under a good deal of stress and must always be seen to cope. Any symptoms which they may develop are often labelled psychosomatic, and as a result nurses often turn to other things such as alcohol, cigarettes and drugs, where there is often little difficulty in obtaining a supply. Such drug usage could start quite

Continued on next page

TEN YEARS AGO the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem had an annual budget of £250,000; in 1984 it has risen to £1,250,000. The reasons for this change are complex. Worldwide inflation has played its part, the sophistication of modern ophthalmic surgery has proved extremely costly and the upgrading of the services of the hospital from the expectations of a third world community to those of a highly developed society was necessary to ensure the hospital's survival as a centre of excellence. One of my problems as Hospitaller is to encourage donors to contribute to the daily running costs of the hospital. There is not much glamour attached to under-writing daily expenses; t he donor feels quite naturally that such a gift is depersonalised; there is no lasting evidence of warm generosity; no permanent record to admire and no symbol of encouragement to posterity to behave likewise. And so there are many requests from donors to make their contribution 'special', to purchase some item suitably engraved whkh may be searched out at a later date. Indeed there are many items in the hospital which are a lasting memorial to those who were moved to donate them and our patients are eternally grateful. At the 1980 centenary celebrations t he hospital was equipped with all the technical hardware needed for some time to come by gifts from members of the Order from all parts of the world.

And herein lies my dilemma: the problem of the daily costs remains; the offer of gifts to purchase particular items persists. How can this be resolved? Let me tell you a story.

Sister Jane George has just joined the nursing staff of the hospital. She is aged 24, comes from the Daventry Division and took an interest in the hospital from her days as a cadet in the Brigade when she resolved that the hospital was where she would like to work. Having made up her mind, she planned her career in general nursing and took her Ophthalmic Nursing

Diploma at Moorfields Eye Hospital in 1983. Her interests and ambitions did not go unnoticed among her own folk and when she left Daventry for Jerusalem she was the centre of a farewell party (See photo.)

When her application was accepted , the secretary of her Division wrote to me to say that the members would like to gi v e a cheque of £1,000 to be presented to the Warden on her arrival as a mark of the occasion and they would like it to be a 'special' gift. It would be a dull Hospitaller indeed who would not be thrilled by such clear evidence of Jane's desire to serve and the generous goodwill of the Daventry Division.

I explained my dilemma to the secretar y of the Division and asked if he would be agreeable to make this gift 'special' by regarding it as the first thousand pounds towards the endowment of a Di visions Bed'. Endowment of a bed costs £70,000, the interest from which will provide the Order with sufficient funds to co ver the cost of a bed for as far forward as we can see. It means that the gift of £70,000 will remain in the UK and should disaster overcome our hospital the Order will retain the capital sum.

I am delighted to report that the members of the Daventry Division accepted my suggestion and the £1,000 has been banked as a capital sum towards the 'Divisions' Bed ' . I earnestly hope that this idea will appeal to the members of all Divisions because in this way the problem of funding daily costs and at the same time establishing a permanent mark of a gift will have been resolved. An endowment bed has a plaque placed above the head-piece recording the name of the donors and it will remain there as long as the poor and deprived of Jerusalem need our help. If any Division would like the Hospitaller to talk to their members about the hospital, please wire to: Sir Stephen Miller, Hospitaller, The Order of St John, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SWIX 7EF.

Session on Drugs: (L to R) Mrs Penny Webb , Medicus Productions ; Dr John Strang, BUPA Dr J C. Graham, Surgeon -in -Chief; Ch Supt R Penrose New Scotland Yard; and Miss Alison Morton Nursing Mirror

Chairman of the Conference, Dr

(Left) A cheque for £1,000, collected by Daventry Div isi on for the Ophthalmic Hospita l, is presented by Northants Cty Cdr Mr James Mackaness

SJA Medical Conference (cont.)

innocuously, with, say, a nip of brandy from the treatment trolley or the odd tablet or two for particularly bad back or period pain and go on from there. Such problems can make nurses vulnerable professionally. Miss Morton often attends disciplinary hearings as a journalist, and she told delegates that during 1982/83, of 237 offences, 57 were to do with the misappropriation of drugs, forging doctors' signatu res on prescriptions, etc; such offences can easily lead to the removal of a nurse's name from the Register, thereby leaving him or her unable to practise. Miss Morton did say, however, that nurses connected with this type of offence do often now appear before tribunals privately, considered as 'ill' rather than 'criminal'.

Miss Morton put forward her own views on what should be happening, advocating that it was time that nurses themselves extended the principles of caring to emotions and to helping those nurses who become addicted. She finished with a sobering statement: 'It is time to press for necessary education and training, and to meet with kindness, tolerance and sensitivity a fellow nurse's cry for help, because if we cannot, who is going to pick up the pieces?'

The final speaker before the coffee break was Mrs Penny Webb, managing director of Medicus Productions Limited, who has been much concerned with the production of audio-visual aids in health education. She had put together a mass of statistics and case studies especially to illustrate something of the role which drugs hold in society and to ask the question: 'who is to blame for the taking of drugs - society, the laws, adults, children - or is it now simply a part of life?'

The mass of statistics was not so difficult to come across as one might suppose for, as Mrs Webb began by remarking, all of us are constantly faced with a mass of information concerning the dangers of drugs - more so than on any other single subject.

Mrs Webb used her case studies to highlight the fact that drug use was not the only habit - people smoke and drink also, and to point out some of the widespread but false assumptions about drugs and drugtaking. Some examples she gave were: that most problems involve the young; most problems in fact involve middle-aged and elderly people; the adults are the ones who take the alcohol, tranquillisers, sedatives; the young take drugs because they have been shown that adults take them.

Mrs Webb then went on to talk about alcohol, telling delegates that there are an estimated 750,000 alcoholics in Britain, and between 8m and 15m working days are lost each year at a cost of £Im to the nation. As many women as men are affected. They are usually middle-class, in their forties, married with two or three children, and are affected by their eighth wedding anniversary Mrs Webb then said something which many delegates found surprising - that most children who take solvents come from alcoholic parents.

Moving on to solvents, Mrs Webb said that of the case histories which she had studied, the youngest solvent user was eight years old, and the oldest was 40, with three children. Solvents used were petrol, glue, lighter fuel, butane gas, Tippex, Thixofix and Evostik. Solvent usage was also more widespread than most people expected; in Glasgow one in three children are solvent users; in London, 40 per cent of under-18s are affected; in rural and middle-class areas, 40 per cent of the country's under-18s are affected - so there was no insisting that solvent usage was rife only in slums and inner city areas. Reasons given by users varied: to 'look big', to get together with friends, a prop for life; these reasons were also given for drinking, with the addition of one comment from a young person who remarked that 'drinki ng is a nice hobby'.

Mrs Webb then talked about the various drugs. More than 2 million Britons smoke cannabis sometimes, she said. Some users did not realise that cannabis (dope) was addictive - many thought that it was harmless.

Amphetamine usage was also on the increase; in the UK, stated Mrs Webb, there are approximately 5,000 users in the middle ciasses and wealthy middle-aged groups. Valium could cause problems, and delegates were reminded that valium is often prescribed to help people get off other drugs, to forget problems, give up smoking, etc.

The smokers were not left out; approximately two-thirds of Great Britain's population smoke, and, of these, approximately 40 per cent of all those aged under 25 are smokers. However, there has been a recent drop in the overall number of smokers, but not in the unskilled, in women, or in lower socio-economic groups.

Mrs Webb told delegates that addiction is a function of many factors (following on from Dr Strang's remarks), and the

Detective Sergeant shows a drug sniffing Labrador to the conference

newspaper stories could not possibly take into account all the realities. She also reminded us that none of us is entirely free from addiction How many of us get in from work and head straight for the gin and tonic/scotch and soda? With this in mind Mrs Webb concluded by asking 'As parents, adults, members of society, how far are we demonstrating our old habits which influence these young lives?'

That the speakers so far had given mu ch - and different - food for thought was evident in the lively buzz of conversation over coffee. It was good to see the Beeston cadets once more, directing people, holding open obstinate swing doors, etc. They even managed to find the biscuits!

After coffee the picture of drugs in today's society continued with a talk entitled Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll by Dr Alan Bailey, MB, MRCP, Director Medical Research, BUPA He gave his well illustrated talk as the principal medical officer at the Reading Pop Festival. This was an extremely practical talk which delegates enjoyed, not only because of the subject material but because of Dr Bailey's presentation.

Dr Bailey began by giving delegates some idea of the scale of operations. Each year some 25,000 to 30,000 young people descend on Reading for a weekend for the music, which continues from noon till midnight. Approximately 1,000 people are involved in the festival's organisation. The hospital includes quite a lot of sophisticated equipment, such as defibrillators, which Dr Bailey said was rarely needed. During the first festival there were about 1,000 casualties, of which about 10 per cent were unconscious The team had never had to admit an unconscious patient to the General Hospital. The festival hospital is clearly marked out right from the beginning, with its location printed on all tickets, etc, and large signs are put up which can be seen from all over the site. The average age of most visitors is 16 to 18 years, but the age range can vary from 0-23 years!

Moving on to the medical aspects of the festival, Dr Bailey remarked that alcohol was the biggest problem, especially as it can mimic the effects of some other drugs. Where drugs were taken - marijuana was found to be about the most widely usedcasualties' pulse rates went up, but not much else was affected. Some people can suffer from acute noise poisoning: they are nonaggressive, confused, conscious, with dilated pupils, raised pulse, raised blood pressure and raised respiratory rate. This also mimics some drug states. However, once in a quiet area, most recover in about 20 minutes. On the subject of un conscious patients, Dr Bailey went on to explain the system used. The only uniform worn by staff in the intensive care area, to which all such patients are taken, is a protective white coat. The area is staffed by people from local regions outside Berkshire; this is necessary becau se all Berkshire people would be needed in local hospitals if there were some kind of disaster.

The nursing staff observe casualties' vital signs, summoning a doctor as and when necessary, otherwise patients gradually recover unaided, without the u se of any

drugs. A volunteer will sit with a casualty and find out what happened to cause the problem _ afterwards, if neces sary, the casualty can be sent through to the tent. A few casualties can be a ltttle Violent on recovery, u sua lly due to alcohol wi th or without additional drugs - so several large, tall first-aiders are available to cope here! After recovery the casualties are accompanied to a special 'cras h tent' to sleep. Much self-help s practised, and medical staff rarely worry unduly while a patient is recovering.

All casualties receive a card stating what happened - this can be presented to the local GP in case of repercussions. The cards are then later returned by the casualties to the festival doctor, providing some degree of follow-up. Prepaid envelopes are used to encourage prompt return of cards.

Only about half a dozen casualties are usually sent to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, who are generaJly those requiring treatment for suspected fractures, etc.

The final presentation of the morning was equally fascinating, but with a very different viewpoint, well away from all the medical front. Detective Chief Superintendent R Penrose, of the Metropolitan Police, New Scotland Yard, commented on the distribution of drugs in general and provided a few hard but little-known facts.

He began by saying that the incidence of drugs usage in London had never been higher, with the number of new addicts registering up by 50 per cent. Ch Supt Penrose also said that the incidence in schools was growing; a favourite ploy of pushers was to distribute free samples to pupils until they became hooked and then turned to crime to obtain their supplies With regard to this, the speaker remarked on the need for more and earlier education; at 13 or 14 it was too late to tell pupils of the dangers of drug use. Parents and teachers need to look out for first signs much earlier.

From the police point of view, Ch Supt Penrose saw three interlinking facrors at work: the supply (where the police have little influence over the source countries); the demand (and the need for a heavy education programme to counter this); and the profit (which is able to be neutralised by the police). He suggested that by removing one of the factors, the other two will disappear. The police tend to concentrate on removing the profit (a case of 'crime doesn't pay'?) and Ch Supt Penrose quoted some examples to illustrate the enormous profits in volved.

The most serious problem, he said, was heroin, grown in the 'golden triangle' of Laos, Burma and Thailand, and in the 'golden crescent' of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. 80 per cent of all heroin seized in Britain comes from the 'golden crescent'.

The profits involved are as follows: kg of heroin fetches: £1,000 at source

£25,000 to £30,000 to distributors

£250,000 in single doses at street level

At the same time, the heroin is generally cut and diluted as i is distributed, so that it is Usually about 40 per cent pure on reaching

Continued on next page

Penkridge Division s ambulance at the starting line

Ambulance driving comp/fun day

AMBU/CROSS 84 - believed to be the first of its kind in SJA England - was the outcome of a long-held ambition to produce a fun-day-cum-competition for SJA ambulance drivers in Staffordshire.

After 10 weeks of planning and despite the fact that several divisions could not attend because of other commitments, it was decided to go ahead with the event.

Thanks to a local farmer, we obtained the use of an old airfield runway and early in the morning of May 20 preparation began with the laying out of the course. Half of it was devoted to a nine-stage driving, manoeuvring and distance-judging event designed to emphasise driving ability, and included a short general motoring quiz. The nine stages were all manned by independent marshalls who awarded penalty points in accordance with a pre-set table. The other half of the course was marked out with straw bales and cones for a patienthandling, stretcher-loading and speed driving event. Between the two areas we erected a borrowed army tent for selling a variety of goods to fund the event. Two toilet tents and a large mobile unit with catering facilities completed the centre of the field.

At lOam everything looked promising, and even the sun was shining. But by 10.30, reporting time for competitors, we were still

short of numbers. By eleven o'clock, when the event should have started, it was obvious that the entries from several divisions who had shown a willingness to participate were not going to turn up. Disappointed but determined, we got the first competirors on to the course and all went reasonably well until just before the half-way stage, when the weather went sour on us and very heavy rain forced us to cancel the whole exercise.

It is perhaps unusual to publicise an event which was not entirely successful, ro say the least. But so much interest was shown by some divisions, who genuinely could not attend, that they may be interested to know that the drivers who were there all said that they benefited from the event and would like to compete again in the future. So shall we try again? May I say that the real losers were those SJA drivers who missed an opportunity to learn in safety from their mistakes, which as a driver of some 40 years' experience I think is the best teacher.

Finally, than ks to all from ASO to youngest cadet who helped to get off the ground, if only for a short whne, the first of this sort of event.

Don Matheson Transport Officer Stafford Combined Div.

Stafford Division 's ambulance close but nicely positioned to complete stage 3 of the course.

(Photos: Neville Brandrickl

SJA Medical Conference (cont.)

the streets. The police target here is the source of supply.

Cocaine, Ch Supt Penrose continued, has been favoured by some people. It is grown in the Andean foothills of Peru and Bolivia with the leaves refined into a fine powder. Usage has increased greatly: in 1972 23kg of cocaine were seized in Western Europe; in 1982 348 kg were seized in the same area; in December 1983 6 kg were seized in London alone. At source and at distribution the value is much the same, but on the streets the average value of 1 kg of cocaine is about £300,000.

The speaker also commented on cannabis, remarking that it had attracted much attention in the media. Some American states had in the past tried legalising the drug, but all had since reversed the decision Ch Supt Penrose also pointed out that possibly the only safe way to decriminalise cannabis would be to let the major tobacco companies market it, thereby removing the dangerous profit. He also commented on the increase in amphetamines and LSD.

Another problem of drug misuse was that of pharmaceutical drug misuse, by a) dubious doctors prescribing controlled drugs on request to those stating they needed them, or b) retail premises being broken into for supplies. £30 worth of drugs stolen from a chemist could fetch £2,000 on the streets.

Comparing drug misuse with some other offences, Ch Supt Penrose stated that both burglary and robbery involved little or no loss of life, was inconvenient to the victim habit-forming, compensated b; msurance, and the victim recovers. On the other hand, the effects of and demand for drugs incited both the other crimes, there was no insurance, drugs are habit-forming and the associated problems can take up medical services needed elsewhere. The profits from such offences go to professional criminals, and the police have found that few areas of crime today are not somewhere connected with the distribution of controlled drugs.

Ch Supt Penrose concluded by quoting from a speech made by the Home Secretary in 1983 on drug abuse and the importance of overcoming the problem: Drug abuse is a disease from which no country and no section of society seems immune The rewards are great if we succeed - the price of ultimate failure is unthinkable.'

This ended proceedings as given in the morning's programme, but one should always remember that the police usually have a surprise up their sleeves, and this morning was no exception. Two more colleagues appeared with two police dogs, trained to sniff out drugs. They gave an excellent demonstration of searching for and finding small packets - one dog approached me rapidly and I looked with apprehension at my somewhat capacious camera case and thought 'That's why the cadets were guarding the doors at coffee time!' Needless to say, the dogs were successful in their search, causing quite a stir among the delegates.

After an excellent cold lunch in the Medical School, the conference turned to its second session of The Future and delegates broke up into a number of syndicates to consider the role of St John Ambulance between now and the year 2000. A number of guiding questions were provided, asking what delegates thought might be needs not met by the NHS over this time which St John could fill, what kind of courses St John should offer to the public, additional courses for Brigade members, the present role of doctors and nurses in St John, and the running and organisation of competitions.

The discussion which followed when the plenary session met was a very lively one. In the past I have sometimes thought that people can use these sessions as an occasion for saddling their favourite hobby horses to the exclusion of other things, bu t this was not the case today. Delegates had obviously thought deeply about each point and carefully considered their answers. The main general conclusion reached was that St John could do much more in the way of 'community care', extending things like good neighbour schemes. Loneliness was identified as a major problem, in which very few other people or organisations are interested.

Another suggestion was that St John could do more in hospitals , particularly looking after relatives who may be waiting in casualty departments. This would enable relatives and friends to share their worries with someone and at the same time free casualty staff for medical work. Another suggestion was that St John first-aiders were in a unique position in the case of, say, cardiac arrest, one delegate pointing out that 25 per cent of all coronary patients die in the first 15 minutes.

Perhaps St John could man special units. An extension of a social ambulance service was suggested. Many delegates felt that there should be increased and advanced training

.., David Penman , a medical student from London's St Thomas' Hospital, who spent three months in Fiji last winter on a SJA sponsored study period David wears his Fiji sulu, a wraparound skirt with serrated edges, which is smart male attire in those parts

available in this field. Doctors and nurses be approached at the training stage (fIrSt aId would at least give them the chance to get near a real patient!) - although the Medical Board has already done some successful pioneering with medical students. Most people agreed that competitions could be differently organised - eg, remove sex ?iscrimination from teams, vary the numb ers III a team, have more competitions for teams of different standards. These are only a very few of the points discussed and the Chief Commander, General P R Leuchars promised delegates that their opinions and views would be considered. To round off the session, the Chief Commander thanked everyone for their hard work for St John all over the country and for the time which was so freely given. Judging by the conversations overheard on the way back to Cripps Hall, delegates felt that they had had an interesting and varied day.

The day 's session seemed to have left a deep impression 0n everyone, since the same subject of conversation continued in many cases at the pre-dinner sherry party. As always, this was a colourful occasion followed by a dinner which was even bette; than last year. Indeed, the general standard of catering was much higher all round. Most delegates migrated to the bar afterwards (Mrs Penny Webb, please note) to continue conversations begun or to cement new friendships Everyone looked surprisingly healthy the following morning, and since bar stocks had seemed to go down fairly rapidly the previous evening this only strengthened my conviction that doctors and nurses know something the rest of us don't!

Following divine service, at which £200 was collected for the St John Ophthalmi c Hospital, Sunday morning's session was devoted to 'The Past'. Lt-Col. R. E. ColeMackintosh, opened by giving a talk on 'St John in the Boer War'. He did a very creditable editing job here, compressing his talk into half an hour, complete with slides He showed various slides of St John members at various stages - at St John's Gate for training, in South Africa outside the hospitals, driving a horse-drawn ambulance , etc. He also gave interesting examples of the practical day-to-day routine, culled from the various surviving diaries of members I suspect that many delegates were surprised at the high number of volunteers: by Jun e 1900 abou t 1500 Brigade mem bers had been mobilised; by the end of the Boer War this had risen to 2043, equivalent to roughly one in five adult male Brigade members. St John provided just under 25 per cent of all field hospital medical orderlies. Although 65 members died on active service, none died from gunshot wounds. Two members were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and eight were mentioned in despatches. Col Cole-Mackintosh, in summing up, made a comment which would seem to be relevant today and bears further thought: 'the volunteers were young, had modern skills, were well qualified, up to date and did the job well.' The Brigade has always placed great importance on training and keeping up its skills. In relating St John Ambulance's past to its present, Col Cole-Mackintosh

concluded by asking 'Can we see today these men's success? Can we see the forerunner of greater cohesion between St John Ambulance and the Red Cross in any future war?' Delegates appreciated this deeply interesting talk, where the past was shown to have such relevance.

The next presentation, by Dr A. LlewellynLloyd, followed on well. This was an illustrated description of the various medals iss ued by the Order and its Foundations, beginning with the St John Ambulance Boer War campaign medals and com ing right up to date with the Service Medal. Some of the medals referred to belonged to the people mentioned in the previous talk, providing cohesion between the two presentations.

Follow ing coffee, the final confere nce presentation was given by Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith, Librarian of the Order, entitled 'Can the Order's history influence its future?' To which he argued that it could (this turned out to be more relevant than ever in the light of the previous afternoon's discussion on the role of St John Ambu lance). Professor Riley-Smith set out to be controversial, and succeeded in holding everyone's a tten tion.

Professor Riley-Smith began by explaining that there are five legitimate Orders of St John (thus solving a personal mystery), divided into two categories. The first category is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Caltholic Order of St John, which has direct and unbroken descent from medieval times. This is itself divided into a tiny nucleus of about 30 professed monks and about 10,000 Knights of Malta who are associates of the Order , The Order of Malta is an order of chivalry; the Grand Master is a sovereign power to create knights.

The second category is the non-Catholic Orders, ie The Order of St John (us) and the Johanniterorden. Here there is no church nucleus as such. The various Sovereign Heads create knights, except in Germany, where this is done by order of parliament.

The main problem associated with the Orders are indi fference or alienation of the general public to the Orders and, often, alienation between the knights and those who work in the field. Why should we worry about the Order of Malta? Professor RileySmith continued by saying that the number of professed brothers is decreasing; most are now very old, and very few young men are prepared to enter. Entry is difficult and the life is, physically, very arduous. Due to this there is now a real possibility that the Congregation of Religions at the Vatican may suppress the Order of Malta, and this would affect everything connected with it. There would no lon ger be a Grand Master, so there would be no more Knights - would they re-form into over 30 new orders?

The Order of Malta, went on Professor Riley-Smith, fears the creation of splinter groups out of the non-Catholic orders. What would happen if one of our own Priories, Commanderies or National Councils decided to form their own society? In fact, over twenty unrecognised Orders of St John exist today, ranging widely in their reliability and credibility. If new groups formed, there could be over 50 Orders of St John by the

Somerset North Pe therton Division's new HQ is all their own work

IT CAN BE DONE!

IN 1981, when buildings on the old army camp at Sherford, Taunton, were to be put up for sale, Somerset's North Petherton Division was desperate for its own headquarters. The cadets met at the school, which was not available during summer hol idays, and the combined division at the Swan Inn. They were grateful to the landlords for their kindness, but to ask a doctor to lecture with a keep fit class overhead and a skittles match next door became embarrassing. So it was decided to buy one of the ex-army, 60ft x 20ft buildings for £700 from Sherford Camp, even though the Division had no site for it. The building was carefully and laboriously di smant led by members

Then the Division had to face the problem of finding a site on which to erect it. Eventually, in 1983, the North Petherton Rugby Club offered to help in return for all the duties the Division had done for them, and planning permission was obtained to erect just over half the building, 36ft x 20ft, on their site for five years.

On April 16, the Division 's annual

year 2000, which would devalue our Order's present work. A feature of all these orders is that the history and regard for sovereignty, traditions, etc, has become more important than the order's work. If this were to happen to us, we cou ld get a very bad name.

Professor Riley-Smith then outlined the Order of St John's double history - the military histor y, running from around the beginning of the 13th century until the Order left Malta, and the earlier history of the Hospitaller Order. This, dominant in the first century after the Order's foundation in 1080 , was where the needs of the poor were more important than anything else. Our first hospital was divided into wards with room for up to 2000 patients. The care given was excellent, with physicians to every ward, fresh meat, white bread, separate beds, a gynaeco logy department with cots.

The speaker continued by saying that after 1798 the order went back to looking after the sick primarily , but that they did this with the added ethos of the military history. It was this ethos, he added, which makes the Order of Malta so unattractive today. The original terms of 'venerating the poor' have narrowed; the word 'poor' has been replaced by the word 'sick' - with the needs of the poor greater than ever in the 20th century.

Professor Riley -Smith finished by saying

inspection, the first load of stone was delivered to the site and work began. The Division's competition team, which won the county competition that year, were also building the HQ while training. Everyone worked like beavers and by May 25, when the Chief Commander was to visit the Division, the main structure was completed with the exception of half the roof. This did not prevent the Division welcoming the Chief Commander to their new HQ Work went on throughout the summer before the HQ was completely finished ready for a grand opening on Sept 16 1983 by the chairman of the Rugby Club, and with the County Commissioner, and county and area staff.

North Petherton SJA, a small division, is now under its own roof, by its own efforts (and a lot of help from friends, of course). But one thing is miss i ng; it hasn 't any nursing cadets. What - no girls? So now it has another plan, to start a nursing cadet division. And so complete its formation - its family.

that if we played up the earlier, Hospitaller history, the false orders would be shown for what they are - false; and there might be more recruits to the professed Order of Malta. 'We would all,' he said, 'be expressing in actions the most ancient, but the most living, of our traditions.' A statement which brought much applause.

Dr Raffle closed the conference by summarising the various sessions, saying that delegates had had three very stimulating sessions of widely differing character, all of great use. He linked the sessions, remarking that it was good to be reminded of our heritage and what it really means, and that perhaps this gave even more direction towards the 'community care' ideas expressed by delegates the previous afternoon. Finally Dr Raffle thanked everyone involved in the organisation of the conference, and mentioned particularly HQs Lt Commander John Hammond and Miss Diane Lyons , who had worked behind the scenes througho u t the year.

All in all, this was an extremely interesting and challenging conference, with different, controversial viewpoints put forward The delegates had the chance to hear and think about these views at first hand; here is an opportunity for the reader.

Veronica A Sharpe

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CENTENARY HISTORY

from the Chief Commander:

To coincid e with the cen enary of t he Brig ad e in 1987 , Colonel R E Cole-Mackinto s h ha s kindly undertaken to write a short illustrat ed history of S t John A mbul a nce with an introdu ctory chapter devo t ed to The Ord er.

While our main aim will be to st imulate morale and personal pr i de in St John Ambulance , par icularly among Cadets, with an attractive and dige stable histor y a t a reasonable price, it is hoped ha t thi s book will also appeal t o the publi c, a nd will provide an important mean s of publicity fo r the Foundation.

Wi t h t his in view, there is a need for original meterial including pho t o g raphs and drawings particularl y those which dep ict th e more personal a sp ects of the life and work of member s of the As sociation and th e Brigade.

Count y Headquar t ers and Special C entres of the As s ociat ion as well as indi vidual members, both s erving and retired a re invited to send an y rele va n t informa t ion o r illustrations to Col R E Cole- M ac k in t o sh cl o HQ St. John Ambulance , 1 Gros veno r Crescent L ondon SWI X 7EF befo r e t he end of the year. There will no t be space for ever y incident or an ec dote, but the mo st memorable event s, acts of gallantr y o r outstanding service will find their wa y into the book. In any case , all in forma t ion recei ved will be recorded so that it is a vailable for future re search , even if it is not in cluded in this part icular project. When submi tt ing your co n t r ibution , please stat e i f you want any manuscript or illu st ra ion returned t o you.

This is a great opportunity t o ma k e our centenary histor y worth y of our proud traditions and t o contribute to St John Ambulance records for fu t ure gene r a io ns. Please make the mo s of it.

LIFE SAVER

A photo of London Edgware and Mill Hill Division's ambulan c e being dedica t ed appeared in this column of the July issue. I now hear that three weeks after t hat ceremony the ambulance and its two - man crew - A I M Mark Howard and d r iver D I O Terry Staniford - have saved a life.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN TH E WORLD OF ST JO HN

Racing mo t or cy cl is t Richard Ie Page , of Guernsey, who wa s badly injured at a ra ce meeting at Hendon was on hi s way o ho s pital in SJ A M ill Hill 's ambulance w hen he st opped brea t hing . It took t wo at te mpt s a t mouth-to-mouth resuscitation b y M ark Ho ward before he start ed breathin g aga in some 20 s econd s la t er. Their p at ient was s afel y de liv ered t o the hospi tal.

THE CLINCHER

O f the 30 people w ho attended Bromle y Division s open eve ning on July 2, which was aimed a t creating more public awarenes s o f

SJ A in the area, 18 signed on for a full fir st aid c o urse to start in Septem b er . And a numb er of t hem said t hey only did so becau se o f w h at t h ey heard during the evening; a nd tha t th ey would probably not have been ther e at all if t h e press promotion had been fo r the u s ual 10-week co u rse only

T he open evening, which seemed to be th e cl in c h er , inclu d e d a ta k on basic life-savin g tec h n iqu es as r e lated to acc idents in th e home, a d isp lay of SJA activit ies in the ar ea, and a demon stration of res u sc i ta t ion

T alk t o A r ea P ub licity Officer Chri s Ba tten on 01 -697 6068 (home) or 0 1- 2153568 (wor k) fo r more information on t hi s

'BY TH E EDITOR

int erest in g poin t. It mi g ht h e lp so l ve your local PR p r obl ems.

LOOKING AHEAD

J ul 31 : Buckinghamsh ir e Co u n t y Cadet Camp, row

A ug 8 : London Distric Ca mp OW Aug 3 1 : Nott i nghams hir e Haworth Nu rs in g D iv s io n

lee

UPDATED SJA

I hea r West Mi dJ a nd s SJA took stand space at the RoSPA Internatio n a l Sa f ety Exhibiti on he ld at the National Ex h ibit ion Centre, Birmingham, May 22 to 25, to promote a first clas s, updated image of St Jo hn Ambu lance to industry and to a d vertise the various courses avai lab le u nd er t h e Hea t h & Safety (First Aid) Regulations. In order to ensure that the first objective was attained, Edson & Evers Communications Ltd , p u blic re latio n s a nd marketing consultants to SJ A West Midlands, were engaged to design a stand tha t would incorporate t he live r y of St J ohn Ambu la n ce and portray a thoro u g h ly mo d ern approac h to th e presentati on The design an d layo u t u ltimat el y pro du ced included an animated f igure h ig h -ligh ed with flashing eyes and in termitte nt spa r ks from an electric dri ll. Furnishings were of white plastic with black up h o lst er y an d staff manning the stand throughout the exhi bi tion were dressed i n black an d wh ite.

(Right) The Chief Commander on a recen visit to SJA Berksh re getting a close look at Reading Division s rescue boat that operates on the Thames.

(Above Fiv e members of Berkshire Enterprise un t - Bernadette MacCarthey, G aham Hodges Douglas Co x, Yvonn e Townsend and Debbi Kirby about o set off for a pa ac hute jump.

WATERLOO TOPS

(trainer), AIM Peter Plevin , N /M Mari McDermott. DI D Gwendoline Guy (capt.) and N M Janet Collins. (Right) Catherine Briers, a 22-year-old nursing member of Liverpool North Nursing Division, the second to be chosen from the Division, is Liverpool Area's Miss Personality 1984.

Visitors to the exhibition - mainly middle-management, training and personnel officers, and security / safety representatives - were invaluable for our second objective, course sales and advertising.

Many enquiries were received from a national level and much interest was generated by the stand. In fact , many exhibitors congratulated SJA em their effort.

Such a venture is obviously expensive and West Midlands SJA wou ld like, th rough the Review, to thank the following for their financial assistance: National "HQ, Derbyshire, Humberside, Lancashire, Nottingham and Suffolk Counties.

SJA course literature from eleven counties was available and distributed from the stand to potential customers throughout the period of the show.

GOOD SERVICE

I hear that· Camb's Wisbech Combined Division had a busy weekend June 2/3 when they gave 48-hours coverage at the saloon stock car championships being held in the town for the first time.

With 200 cars racing, 10,000 people turned up for the event. Cadets and adults put in more than 200 hours' duty, while the Division's Supt Mrs Mary Mason and her

daughter stayed at the ground over Saturday night to ensure continual cover.

Three cases were taken to hospital. A course collection raised £150 for the Division.

Good Service.

BARNSLEY WALK

On Sunday, September 9 , 1984, SJA Barnsley Area is organising its 2nd International Walk.

The walk, open to individuals, families and groups, gives a choice of three distances - 40km, 30km, and 16km, (25, 18 and 10 miles). All entrants will pay an entry fee of (Left) Of the two SJA Divisions attached to the Services in Germany (the other is at RAF Wildenrath) , RAF Gutersloh Division recently held its enrolment ceremony for cadets and adults conducted by the Area Commissioner Col W. Forsyth-Jauch, here presenting warrant of appointment - to DIS Mrs J. Grimshaw

Corporal Alison Gordon and Kevin Swinney who met on a course run by Chatham Division and both later joined the Division, leave church together as Mr & Mrs Swinney flanked by a guard of honour from the Division. Alison says this is a good advert for SJA Courses!

£2.50 and on completion of their chosen distance will receive a commemorative medal or additional award Teams of seven or more who walk together will receive a team award and in addition this year a special trophy will be presented to the largest St John Ambulance team.

Last year almost 300 people took part in the walk and more are expected this year. In

At the shield hanging ceremony for High SheriH of Lancashire, Dr P.J.J. Wren Commander SJA Lancs at Lancaster Castle (L to R) Father R. Wren (Dr Wren's brother), Dr Wren and the Earl of Derby.

Young Explorer Stuart Young, of London, measuring v ramin A deficiency by light test in eyes of young Indon esians

OPERATION ADVENTURE

addition to SJ A Barnsley Area benefiting from the entry fees, a great deal of money for various charities was raised by sponsorship, and St John Ambulance Divisions are invited to raise money in this way

Futher details can be obtained by sending a S.A.E. to Barnsley Area International Walk, 25, Rutland Place, Wombwell,

During 1978-1980, at the suggestion of the Prince of Wales, the explorer Colo nel John Bla s hford-Snell led a series of worldwide expeditions for i young people from some 27 countries. Operation Drake, as it was known, was a widely acclaimed success. On their return the young explorers did much to inspire other young people with the pioneering spirit. At least one St John Ambulance Brigade member took part in Operation Drake.

The Prince of Wales has suggested that the project should be repeated on a much larger scale. Instead of 414

J young explorers, it should involve 4,000. Instead of two years it should be four years OPERATION

RALEIGH-is the result -a series of over 40 expeditions to be carried out between Autumn 1984 and Spring 1989, commemo rating the founding of English speaking America by Sir Walter Raleigh colonists in 1584, four

Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S73 8PU. CONCERT

I hear that there is to be a special musical evening at Chelmsford Cathedral on Wednesday, Sept 26, when for the first time the British Association of Barbershop Singers (do they also sing in barbershops?) are taking part with a military band in a concert to raise funds for the Brigade.

(Left) ESSEX A replacement ambulance for Coggeshall Combined Division for the one originally presented by the town in memory of lo cal GP and Div Surgeon Dr Dorothy , Shiells Chairman of Parish Council. Bryan Haynes hands keys to Essex Commissioner Dr M Weller with Father David Beeton and DIS W Homes.

hundred years ago.

OPERATION RALEIGH is open to young men and women aged between 17 and 24. Each Venturer will be in the field for approximately three months. Conditions will be uncomfortable and the work arduous. Climate and terrain will vary from high cold mountains to hot humid jungles; dry deserts to icy wastes. Venturers will be expected to carry out their allotted tasks in these extremes, supervised by expert directing staff including well-known explorers, scientists, service personnel, youth leaders and others experienced in adventure training and explorations.

If this sort of adventure is for you, St John Ambulance members should write for further details to Lt. Cdr. John Hammond, Secretary to the SJA Medical Board, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW 1 7EF.

Apparently there are Barbershop clubs all over the country and the organiser of t his event (who is also a member of SJA Essex) hopes that such arrangements could be made throughout the country.

FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR

A national mail order catalogue company who advertise in the Review has launched a major campaign to find its own fundraiser of the year.

Webb Ivory is offering its agents, and any other interested parties, the chance to give recognition to people who often dedicate their lives to raising funds for hospitals, needy children, animal societies, or a whole host of other worthy causes. The winner of the title Fundraiser of the Year will receive £250 in prize money and a specially engraved plaque , He or she will also be invited with three guests to a celebratory presentation lunch followed by a guided tour of the Webb Ivory headquarters.

People wishing to nominate their own choice for Fundraiser of the Year should write in not more than 100 words to Mr Malcolm Totney , Webb Ivory Limited, Fine Art House, Little Combow, Halesowen, W. Midlands, B63 3AG marking the letter Fundraiser of the Year.

HEREFORD - WORCESTER:

This fully equipped mobile unit was presented to Kidderminster Combined Division by the town's Round Table from proceeds from the town's carnival of 1983 - the Division's golden jubilee year The presiding officer at the dedication of the unit last February was the Co mmander , D.J. Oliver and the Rev. A.J. Mowa te conducted the service.

(Photo Kidderminster Shuttle).

SJA HlIll1b erside writes:

THE SJA Saturday Charity Shop / Pop In at the Humberside County Cadet HQ in Hull, has just completed its first year and made a profit of £4,637.

Two basement rooms were converted into a 'shop' and leafl ets appealing for bric-abrac, clothing, etc, were distributed by cadets. The response was magnificent - you name it , we h a d it - everything even to kitchen sinks, and so we were on our way. We weren't worried about what to charge as we had had quite a bit of with this sort of work. We have run charity s hop s for short period for the past three years This time, howe ver, it was hoped to open the shop every Saturday for as long as possible on our own premises. Staffing has not been too much of a problem as we ha ve volunteers from our honorary members, auxiliaries, officers, members and cadets. Everyone finds this sort of work very rewarding. We have had no shortage of donations of items during the year. As soon as people get to know about u s, items come steadily in.

An added attraction to the char it y shop is our 'cafe ' Here customers can pop in

\",hile hopping and have a cup of tea or coffee, together with home-made cakes. This service ha proved to be very successful, shoppers coming in for a chat or maybe to \vatch sport on elev ision on a Saturday afternoon in a friendl y atmosphere.

Catering is now no problem. We have acquired a large deep freezer donated by a retired member. This is filled about once every six weeks with cakes, buns, pastries, cones, a pple pies, etc. They are then taken out as required and the pies freshly baked each Sa turday.

Unemployment in this area is so high that large number of people are turning to this type of s hop which can provide them with clothing, shoes and items they could not otherwi e afford. They are then able to pend what mone y they have on food and other necessitie for their family. Our cadets are learning at first hand that life is no t as 'rosy' as we would wish, and that sadly there are many people much worse off than hemselves. These lessons in life can only help to make them good, caring citizens for what we hope will be a better future.

Donations of clothing and shoes ha ve been sent on three occasions in t he name of St John to Poland to try to help to relieve t he suffering there. But we realise there is also suffering here. There can be no greater satisfaction than to be able to help the elderly, the lonel y and t he sad. Perhap he y only need advice on some problem, or someone to listen to their troubles. If they come back the next week with a smi le on their face, as many do from far and w ide, we know all our efforts have been worth while.

Yes, it can be trying, but we feel that we are answering a community need here and at the same time raising funds, so the project has become dual purpose.

It has become so success ful that we are now in the final stages of extending our

'shop' to cope with the demand. This we lfare community project has certain ly put St John Ambulance on the map here in Hull in the service of mankind. Long may we co ntinue o.

Help the Aged

I recently received a copy of a proje ct fold er produced by Help the Aged' for young people. Presented in a lively and interestin g way, thi folder provides a useful background to the problems of the elderly and the work 0 'He lp the Aged', both in this country and abroad. In addition to this, 'Help the Aged' produce a wide range of publication suitable for young people at very reduced rate. A ll those Division s involved in working in the community or following a course to under stand the problem of other people, will find these material very useful. For furthe r inform at ion and a copy of the Education Department Catalogue you shou ld write to: Help the Aged, Education Department, Saint James Walk London, ECIR OBE.

Scavenge Hunt

Once in a while why not arrange for your cadets to undertake a scavenge hunt? Divide them into teams of three or four and give them an hour or so in which to col lect 50 or o assorted it ems. Either make up your own li st or use some of the e a an example:

1 A bow tie

2. A pair of red ocks

3. A library ticket

4. The autograph of a member of the Adult Division

5. Your name typed on a piece of paper

6. A oap bubble

7. A carpet ti le

8. A piece of black pudding

9. A piece of coal

10 A wig

There are many others that you could add to this list.

Penfriends

CADETS AT.

You may recall that on a number of occa ion in the pa I have publi hed item concerning requests for pen friend Officers will know that the Over eas Department at Brigade Headquarters deal regularly with request for pen friends abroad and hope very much that your cadets take advantage of thi ervice.

Recently had a reque t from Mr R. Townsend of Whitney in O x fordshire who ha s a number of cadet intere ted in cor responding with other cadets in thi country. If you have cadets in your divi ion who w ill be intere s ted in becoming a penpal with somebod in Oxford hire, pica e wr it e to: Mr R. Town end, 53 Wind Ru h Valley Road, Whitney, Oxford hire, OX8 5AF. Grand Prior Badge holders

I would lik e to take this opportunity to remind all holder s of the Grand Prior's Badge, pa t and pre ent, that they are now allowed to wear a miniature version of the badge on thcir plain clothes (the emu t not be worn on uniform). The badge are available from the Supplie Department in metal with enamelled detail, and are priced at£I.45. The code number is B12400. You will remember thes details were fir t announced in the Review of July \984 Alphabet of Programme ideas

Over the ncxt few month s I will offer ome more programme ideas. Here are the fir three letter

AAssault course - vi it a local army ba e; Ab eiling - try the local mountaineering club; Archery - aga in, the lo ca club or Cadet Division may help ; Aluminium foil cooking; Architecture - how many different style of building in your area?; Angling - why not try shark angling for a change?; Athleticsa fun day out ror a ll; Air act iv iti es - do yo u have a lo cal club? A local Air Cadet Division?; Amateur dramati c -a novel Way of spending the winter month; Amateur

radio - Jamboree on the Air will soon be with us; A tronomy -a super Divisional programme ; Axemanship - improve standards for next year's camping season.

BBlind trail - an activity for all to enjoy before the gr?und becomes too mucky ; Balloonlllg - a more unu sua activity for cadets; Badges - find out what your own badges signify, start collecting badges; Bagpipes - how to play them; Backwoodmanship - learning to fend for one e lf ; Bellringing - will the local church help?; Badminton -a Divi ion champ ionship; Boating - again, there must be lot of local contacts; Baseballcombining both port and the international dimension; Beachcombing - intere ting for all Divisions; Bras rubbing - an interesting way of completing a local survey; Bandswhy not have a go at making your own percu sion in rruments?; BaUet - either a vi it or atte mp t at; Bivouacs - build Hnd spend the night in

CChe -a knock-out competition; Charades -a popul.ar activity to while away an evenlllg at camp; Charcoal cooking - the most original meal;

QUIZ

Concerts - could make an interesting series of programmes; Conservation - helping cadets appreciate the world around us; Car maintenance - an interesting programme for older cadets; Climbing, canoeing, caving - oreat fun in the outdoors and don't be afr:id to call in the experts to run these activities; Codes and ciphers - guaranteed to keep cadets busy (and quiet) for hour on end; Compass work - a refresher course ready for camp: Cooking - why not invite the Area Cadet Officer to a slap -up meal?; Country Code - a ready made Divisional programme; Civics, Camping, Collectingin addition to being great fun and educational, the e activities also pro\ ide intere ting material for badge courses; Canals - how does a camp afloat appeal?: Cricket - of the indoor, non-stop variety; Challenging other - an inter-Division acti,itv for one evening. The people making the must be capable of carrying it out. Contributions

I f you have an idea that you would like [0 hare with other

Bed9rove (Bucksl Cadets gave a musical int erlud e to parents and officers at a recent enrolment and presentation evening. The Division, nine years o ld in September, is doing so well t ha it hopes to start an adu lt division!

How's that for showing the way?

(Left ) Standing: Cpls Ruth Gifkin, Deborah Kirby, S9t Helen Ch lcott and CILdr Dallas Jeffrey. Sitting: Deborah Mcintosh, Cpl Alison Dedman and Rebec ca Ridgeway (Above) Versatile Dalla s Jeffrey - now with brass - and Sgt Kev in Simmons. (Photos: A M S. Watts)

Stoke (Staffs) Cadets Samantha Talbot (leftl and Clair O·Nelll who have just won the County Bedmaking compe tition W ell done, girls

Cadets from Cumbria's newly-formed Broughton DiVision, led by Div Officer Tony Gill, headed the St John parade to Broughton Church of 250 officers and members of No 3 tSouth Cumbria Area (Photo: North Western Mail)

Recruitment ... Recruitment ... Recruitment

THE FaLLa WING is a precis of a talk given to SJA officers of Norfolk at a Leaders Day held at Norfolk Fire Service HQ, March 25. The speaker, Mr E. A. Walker, MBE, was introduced by the Commander and County Commissioner, Col C. E. Knight, as a retired senior police officer, formerly a member of HM Inspector of at the Home Office and a former member of the Directing Staff of the Police Staff College.

MR began by referring to his general and specific experience in the subject, some of which related to the voluntary sec tor. Much of what he had to say was already known by the audience but he wished to place this knowledge in a useful sequence for examination and application.

The whole su bject needed to be looked at both by those responsible for recruitment and in the light of its attraction to those to w hom it was directed. Difficulties at this point included: the way in which those res ponsible saw their own organisation; the

importance of seeking the right volunteer to contribute to its success; its 'image' portraye.d outside the membership ; and the expectatIOn of the new recruit. In the field of commercial enterprise, for example such a critical examination of these became the 'life and death' of the product' itself.

Identifying the product

What sort of organisation are we? In terms of need, how and where were volunteers

essential? It must be possible - howe d 'ff' I ver I lCU t - to look ones own organisation from the outside WIll anyone wish to jOin?

If so, how can they be used? Are there a . . ny restnctlons on age or ability which must be clearly stated? What are the organisation' s of success in recruitment - eg IS there a ta rget - how was it arrived at -.: what has been its previous record of Success?

Identifying the market

Where will the volunteer tend to come from?

The belie ves that, despite bad pubbcIty to the contrary, there is both a need for voluntary participation in society's affaIrs and a need in humans to make a contribution towards that state. In other words, t?ere's both a supply and a demand

In the light of increased lei sure time the opportunity is also here - perhaps greater ever before But there are hundreds of chOIces for the potential volunteer. Who are the in the fie ld? Are they successfulm gammg numbers and if so how do they achjeve it? What is the expectation of the organisation on joining?

Research and consult

Both exercises mentioned will lead to the gatheri ng of inform ation vital to the success of a campaign. Supplement it with views from recently joined volunteers - what attracted them to the organisation? What do they like and dislike about it? Talk to others outside the organisation. What is their impression of it? Would they join? Why not?

Half way

So far, if properly carried out, we have all the evidence we might need. We know who we are, what we do, what we look like to ourselves and others. We are beginning to know who 't hey ' are - what they might do and what they might expect. A real need here for faci ng all the facts honestly.

The campaign

Have we decided to mount a campaign? WHEN can it be achieved - should it be ongoing permanently - or a specific day, week, event or year? Bring a friend (with accompanying dangers in some respects)?

Can we latch on to other events with which the organisation, or its 'ma rket ', is connected?

HOW will it be achieved? Static methods include poster s, leaflet s, cards, newspapers, photographs, bookmarks and displays. Dynamic methods might include radio (especially local radio), television, video (home produced?), film, tape/slide presentations and demonstrations.

WHERE will be the point of contact?

Own headquarters, clu bs , schools, Job Centres, libraries, supermarkets, shops (including empty premises for short periods), or loaned shop windows - are all possibilities.

The need for 'appeal' in terms of presentation - including title and/or logo.

The vital need to tell all members of own organisation what is going on and to find them a role in it if possible!

Get and keep the customer

Make any response easy to achievewithout cost or difficult effort to enquire.

Gi ve the volunteer a commitment from the

beginning, a date and place, perhap s something to be reading meantime. Make the volunteer weltome and tell others of hi s or her interest (especially those who helped). Perhaps stage future commitments (training, probationary period, something to str ive for). But involve them immediately v ia 'induction' procedures. Be prepared for disappointments. In maintaining the volunteer's interest, gradually shift the onus from the organisation to the volunteer.

Learn the lessons

Did the product live up to its image? Did the research lead to the right conclusions? Did the campaign work? Was it worth it by costeffectiveness? What do you do next time?

In Summary

Treat the matter seriously

Do the homework

Try to involve everyone

Make the efforts stick

Follow it up

Learn from it

AVON's MISSION COMPLETED

WHEN THE Billy Graham Crusade was mentioned in August 1983 and we were told that Bristol was to be the first venue in May 1984, it was with some hesitation that I envisaged crowds of over 30,000 in Ashton Gate football ground. After some thought I reali se d our organisation had coped with the Crusades long ago and no doubt we could manage in the 20th century with the help of radios, ambulances and modern equipment.

We tackled this problem in many ways and decided that communication was the key word. The public du ty officer called a meeting of divisional superintendents to ascertain what help for the duty could be drawn from members The newly appointed transport officer arranged for all vehicles in the county to be available and the county training officer provided people well equ ipped for radio communication. Our first thoughts of 20 duty personnel and three veh icle s at each session had to be quickly rethought and doubled. In fact, statistics show that an average of 48 members per session were needed, plus six vehicles each with a crew of three. And at least one doctor and three state registered nurses, not to mention a radio control officer and his team and an ambulance duty officer. These figures

had to be sustained over each of the eight sessions.

It was a big undertaking for Bristol and North Avon, one of the three areas in the county. We asked for help from neighbouring areas and the response was excellent.

Also through friendly relationships with people from the West Midlands, we were fortunate in having the use of their mobile unit. This was a great asset and we are indebted to them In turn, they ained knowledge from the event; no doubt' to be u sed when Billy Graham visits Villa Park.

It was agreed that the steward ing by the Mission England staff was excellent, and the crowd control so efficient that many accidents must have been avoided on narrow staircases. A total of 140 people were treated, although only eight were taken to hospital.

A divisional surgeon on duty was very

impressed with the standard of the membersJ work and felt that prompt action on the ground had avoided many more serious cases

It would be difficult to highlight an yone aspect of t he week-long duty except to say that there was a tremendous feeling of team effort by all involved. Over the eight days 673 voluntary first-alders were on duty and put in a total of 3,365 hours. Many asked to return a second and third time to help Throughout the week some 250,000 people visited the crusade and 21,000 people went forward to Billy Graham for counselling. It is good to know that we are still following in the early traditions to help Christians in a modern day crusade.

Mrs N. G. Ford, Area Commissioner, Bristol & orth A von

(Left) Wherever crowds gather CSO Clive Rooke and a vast crowd at Billy Graham's Crusade at Bristol City s football ground. (Right) Another casua lty on his way to a first aid post. (Photos: George Gallop)

MaRl POLL

from IVIr J. E. Smith

Since 'MORI' it has been very interesting to read the variety of correspondence on St John, public opinion and image. We have had the members who blame declining membership on uniform, rank markings, HQ staff, and First Aid at Work. We have had those who defend most of the present structure. And in June we had a letter from a staff officer at HQ saying 'What is the matter with being military ', which completed the full circle.

Most of us fee l, I think, that MORI did not tell us much that we did not already know. Some we disagree with, but it did make us look at ourselves, and it did s tart a lot of correspondence. The last time we had so much correspondence in the Review was when our present editor took over and re-vamped the magazine and we had some articles by Mr Watkin Williams entitled 'Is Our Dignity Really Necessary?' New members may find it worth while looking back to those first few issues of the new Review.

Getting back to 'what is the matter with being military', we do not have St John ( Brigade) marching a bout every week, saluting and the like. We all know that most members only stand in a line fo r a few minutes at annual inspections and perhaps once in two or three years go on a church parade. Saluting se ems to be almost a thin g of the past, Chr istian names a re used mu c h more (even our man at the top is called Jack by many), and we all get the opportunity of talking to HQ officers on s uch occasions as Nottingham.

Most of us know we are not a para-military organisation, and there is nothing wrong in looking smart on duty, wearing the proper gear at the right time, and putting on an impressi ve show from time to time.

One correspondent (Mr Pearson) was right in saying it is very much up to the indi v idual to create the right (or wrong) image for the public in the way they wear their uniform. No matter what t hey do at the top, much of the end product is how it is put in front of the public b y the people on duty.

Military ranks. Yes, we should abolish the ranks of staff sergeant and sergeant major, and call them parade officer. With regard to corporal and sergeant, could so meone give some ideas on a change of terminology, at the same time keeping the insignia? Get rid of these and we do not have military ranks.

The haversack and white hat band are the only real visible things that identify us from a distance, and this should be hammered home to all members who see no need for these items of uniform. It was a great move to introduce the serv i ce jersey, but I for one do not want to go on from that to aT-shirt or a coloured tab bard except when necessary.

MORI suggested that the public does not want to give us money I feel sure all t ho se who collect hou se-to- house , or in the street, would agree that hardl y anyone refuses, and if the opportunity of calling at doors is taken by telling people a quick snippet of St John new s, then people are most generous. Last week I was given a £5 note on a sma ll housing estate by a man who thought we did a great job, and he said he had refused two other charities recently which are on t he top of the public appeal poll.

There see ms to be a limited number of people available for all causes and the number with a burning de si re to become a Florrie Nightingale cannot be inexhaustible, and of those vast numbers do medical work as a paid job. Our only hope is to make sure we keep our cadets, not hope but expect to keep t hem.

Our greatest enemy is the st atutory executive that produced The First Aid at Work scheme without doing it the St John and Red Cross way and got all our certificates back to front. The only way to put it ri g h t for prospective members is to accept the FAW certificate as a first qualification for joining the Brigade with the provi so t ha t such members do not do duties on their own until they have the added knowledge of the 4th edition.

Surrey J. E. Smith

from M. Dickinson, Officer-in-Charge

I read with intere s Group Captain Siessor's let te r (June R ev iew) defending the military image of St John and the appointment of exserv ice officer s. I have been a critic of these aspects of Brigade organisation and would therefore [ike to put the opposite point of v iew as I see it. I w ill take eac h of the Group Captain's three point s in turn.

The Military style - Gp Capt Slessor asks: What is wrong with the military image? The answer is nothing - if you are part of the military. St John is not. The military im age is ju st not necessarily the right one for St John. I would s u ggest that a better imag e would be one of ca ring , committed people, highly trained and effic ient, and capable of providing a service to those in need with compassion and understanding. An organisation or group can be disciplined without being military in nature. For example, the county ambulance service or the nursing profession.

Brigade run on militaristic lines - Although BGR 7 (v) states that one of the objects of St John Ambulance is 'T he provision of trained personnel to give assistance to centra l or local Government or to the Armed Forces at times of e mer gency in peace or in war; the Brigade does not form part of our military reserve and so doe not need to be organised on military lines. Of course a division need a structure.

For hi storical reasons our organisation, uniform, rank titles and rank marks, etc, are based very closely on army line s What we hould ask ourselves is, is this the most e ffici ent system to enab e us to fulfil our objects? I persona ll y think not. The military type of organisation not the only one and we s hould look objectively at our organisation and work in ways that are more uit able to doing the job in hand.

Too many ex-Service officers - No doubt service officers under go lengthy periods of staff training and later gain a wide spectrum of administrative expertise and managerial sk ill s. These kills might be relevant in a military sit u atio n but leadership in a voluntary organisation is very different. You might wear silverware on your s hould er and h ave a warrant of appointment, but if yo u a r e to be effective you must earn he respect of those you are leading or your impact will be very limited. In th e services an order is issued which must be obeyed whet her you [ike it or not. It is very different in St John. Instructions must be ca rri ed out but will be questioned if they appear unreasonable. Ch ildren today are educated to be questioning and so the leader in a vol un tary organisation ha s a very difficult task, one I would suggest a military officer is not accustomed to dealing with in a wo rld where orders are orders. Apart from this, people with grass roots knowledge of the organisation are essential in key position if St John is to s ur vive into the next century on a sure footing.

Stockfon-on- Tees

M. Dickinson from Capt B T Brown, RAMC(V)

Without wishing to denigrate the recent opinIon poll on St John Ambulance, it has to be sa id that polls, like statistics, can be framed to point to a desired result.

Gp Capt S[essor (June Review) indic ates that a militar y style organisational struct ure in the Brigade is inevitable. Students of the history of St John will appreciate that the Order ha s evolved from an esse n iall y military organisation. They will also know that modern first aid h as evo lved from esso n s learnt in the battlefi e ld. The SJA Association and Brigade might have been established fo r a peacetime role but they owe their existence to Henr i Dunant who sowed the seeds of t he Red Cross. It is possible that the s hort hi sto r y of the Order, used for promotional exa m s, is lacking in information s howin g the relationship of SJA to the BRCS and the role play e d by member s of the Order in the formation of the R e d Cross as we now know it.

r wonder how many member s are fully aware of all the objectives of th e Brigade when they s ig n e d th e BFI? One of them indicates that the Brigade becomes a r eserve to the defence m ed ica l services in time of war.

I do not re co ll ect the MORI poll s howed the r easons w h y so many Brigade members, espec ia[l y former cadets, join the armed forces as a regular or as a TA so ldier. While the number involved ma y be sma ll, t is not in s g nifi cant. My own TA unit currently has on its establishment no fewe r than five se rving Brigade members and ha s had a much lar ge r numb er of former ca det s on it s books in recent yea r s.

Territorial Army unit hold in high estee m the Brigade (and Red Cross) for its (or the ir) abi lit y to teach first a id Ironically, organ isat ion w h o h ave at different times used the TA and the Brigade for m e di ca l cover often prefer the TA. That is a sad truth, but truth it is.

Brigade officers and member may not appreciate it but the app li ca ti o n of a first-aid t r eatment frequently takes the form of a drill movement. Once a diagno is had been made the application of the treatment hould be instinctive. When a procedure requires more than one fir t-aider, team work is essential. Sometimes rescue at major incident require u e of bystanders who will have to be told what to do.

While armies may from time to time use drill as a pUI1lshment, insti ll ing obedience and ubservience to superiors is rarely the prime object ive. Dri[l is a very effective way of developing the attributes of team work, pride, confidence and ultimate[y self-discipline, which prerequi ite for anyone joining any uniformed organisation. There a terrific ense of achievement in training for ceremonia l drill.

The problem for most Brigade units is that few of their duties demand an organised fir t aid pre ence. Few duties produce life saving emergencie or ma ca ualty ituations wh ich stretch the available re ources - human, material or mental. Fir aid cover at many marathon may be hard work, but with al l the experience units involved now have it should be possible to arrange the necessary cover in such a way that all the first aid provided is routine in nature.

Becau e few Brigade members have the opportunity to [earn how to handle real emergencies ,\ ith u fficient frequency to become proficient through live practice, the skills have to be taught in the cla room. Ultimate y this require military ty[es of training, which are now adly lacking in the Brigade.

Rather than knock their ex-military senior, gra roots members of the Brigade hou[d exploit every opportunity they can find to make stronger contacts with nearby defence unit Sutton Coldfield B. T. Brown from A M Chough

Poor Mr Lamb seems to have touched a few raw nerves judging from the respon e to his letter (April Review). Sadly , neither D. Mil[and nor Gp Capt S[essor seem to have accepted at all hi s cry from the heart about the need of St John in 1984 ; to a ll ow our organisation to survive and flouri h in this day and age, let alone overcome public apat h y, we must accept some hard fact of life.

The Military image. Both MORI and many members (including myself) feel we shou ld be seen to be more paramedic than para-military or para-police. The modern St John should not be viewed as an organisation pandering to the need of those who wish to wear a fancy military or police style uniform, be-badged and be-buttoned and beribbo ned, in a formal sty le reminiscent of the 19 50s. Taking Gp Capt Slessor's point about the modern military image, 1 t hin k h e would agree t hat tod ay's Service unit i een to be well led, wel[ trained, well equipped, competent and profe siona l in all that it doe - certain ly a ll things to whic h we hould a pire, but as a civilian organ i ation.

I s hould a dd th at today's Armed Service working dress in practical, comfortab le and eff icient, and in every day use except for ce r emonial occasion. Our im age would benefit from the special service dre male and female, as the norm with the add ition of tabards or other high visibility device, a required for public duty.

H ead gear s hould be r edes ig n ed to become a standard issue for all member - p rhap s uni sex? - providing di tinction, visibility and protection. A safe, comfo rt a bl e quick acting ch in -strap will sol e the wind and operational problem. (I not e th e front cover of the June Review s how one of th e Guernsey St John m embe r s using hi s

Gtr Manchester

On display at Little Hulton Quad Div s first enrolment ceremony were (right) equipment presented by Lankro Chemicals representatives Ann Jevens and June Ridings to DI S Marie Lilley and tbelow) resuscitation dummy from Salford Councillors Anne Johnson and Tom Hobbs

Horwich Cadets won first prize in their class ,. with this Worzel Gummidge float in the town s carnival

NEWS from SCOTLAND

St John Fellovvship

News from Divisions/Centres

HERTS:

NOTTS - At a coffee morning held in the Town Hall, Newark on June 30 Divisional Superintenden t Mrs Ivy Hollingworth, SSStJ, said farewell to the Newark Nursing Cadet Division.

Area Staff Officer (NC) Mrs Audrey Monk on behalf of the Southern Area Staff presented Mrs Hollingworth with a retirement card and said that while she was going into retirement it was expected that it would be an active one.

Mrs Patricia Hine, President, Nursing Cadet Division, spoke of Mrs Hollingworth founding the Division with Mrs Parkinson 30 years ago, and the respect which Mrs Garnetta Hine, the first President of the Division had for her. Mrs Hine presented Mrs Hollingworth with two trays from the Divisions.

Mrs Margaret Gibbs, one of the Division's first cadets, before presenting Mrs Hollingworth with a bouquet on behalf of past and present cadets, said that uniforms had changed over the years. When she was a cadet collars and cuffs needed starching before wearing. Mrs Gibbs spoke of the friendships which had been built up with Mrs Hollingworth during the life of the Division.

Mrs Eileen Humphries of the Nursing Division presented a bouquet to Mrs Hollingwor th on behal f of D/S Mrs Winifred Parkinson, the Division's first Divisional Officer and herself.

Mrs Hollingworth who was deeply mo ved by the tributes and presentations made to her thanked those who had come to say farewell. She wished Mrs Rosemary Barnett, Officer i/c the Division every success and as much pleasure and happiness as she had experienced in the past 30 years.

) BURY CORPS: (Right) En route to the annual

(Above) W MIDLANDS Bushbury (Wolverhampton) Combined members with

(Right) AVON Hartcliffe (Bristol) awards (Back, left) Susan and Helen Spray

A motor car collision ...

From What is First Aid? by A. H. Toyne, published by the St John Ambulance Association, Australia

fOR THE M:LfARE Of THOSE WITH CANCER

The Foundation provides residential care in eleven nursing homes , domiciliary night nursing, urgent In kind , counselling for patients and their families , and an enqu i ry bureau together with active programmes of cancer and education in the professional and lay fields. Further information available on request from the Secretary, 28 Belgrave Square,LONDON SWIX8QG Tel:0l-2353325

AN INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE fOUNDATION SUPPORTED BY VOLUNTARY ENDEAVOURRegislcred No. 207994

food passing from. tomach to duodenum. (5). L7. Pa age for translatIon exercIse IS not in field of vision. (6). 20. Unreal mutation with nerv es (6). 21. Show marked recovery during illn e 10 gathenng of enth USIasts. (5). 26 Secretion imp ortant in control of body (5). 27. Purulent infection of dental alveoli. (9) Severe reprimand for a pyrotechnic s ig nal. (6). 30. Synovial c ys IS nerve centre of the sympathet ic system. (8). 31. Skilled perform e r around. small department. (6). 32. [s timely reconstruction ro r inflammation of the spina cord. (8).

Down:

1. Name to change in folds of peritoneum. (6). 2. A c lo ve become s of the age. 3. French river r enowned for its chateaux. (5)

4. I?fenor, part of th e innominate bon e. (7). 6. Termin a l of the aitmentary tract. (4.5). 7. Layer of m en inge s c lo ely the brain. (3.5). 8. Sickness pread b y [set e fl y. (8). 11 Bird 10 centre of femur. (3). 15. Cardiac impul e. (5.4). 16. Sense organ at centre of heart. (3). 18. Generalised oedema of ubcutaneou s tis ue s. (8) 19. Rounded prominence of rib s, radius, tibia, and ta lu (8). 22 not I.n with established data. (7).23. Suitable type of prophylactIC. (3). 24. Vote is up se t in Russian governing councIl. (6). 25. Va sc ulari sat ion of cornea causing thickening and opacIty. (6). 28. Return a light beer suitable for a king. (5).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No.7 (84)

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.8 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. nothi?g before classic malformation in a tarsa l bone. (2.6).

5. FIsh w ith us .bones of the wrist. (6). 9. Lens of microscope is part of organ of vIsIOn? (8). 10. Friend consumed in roof of the mouth (6) Quadrilateral bone of 5 Across. (9). 13. After up setting car' politiCian develops painful muscular spasm. (5). 14. Partially-digested

Across: 1. Bacilli; 5. Osmosis; 9. Dige st ive; 10. Nucha; 11. Rea son; 12. Sham; 13 Orf; 15. Ale·rt; 17. Ownerless; 20 Halfpenny; 22. Teeth; 24. Arc; 25. Thug; 26. Martin; 29 E'rose; 30. Luxuriant; 3l. Therapy; 32. Stertor.

Dow?:.I. Bad breath; 2. Cognate; 3. Lass'o; 4. Iris ; 5. Open - hand ed; 6. MII1lm; 7. Sucrose; 8. Scarf; 14. John Furiey; 16 Tap; 18. Rat; 19. Sphincter; 21. Lactose; 23. Extract; 24. Ament; 25. The'ca; 27. Agree; 28. Axis.

CL.ASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

ZOP a word (min. £4.00); semi display £20 single column inch (min. £10) Sel'id to Driscoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP)2 3QF.

GI I E YOUR LECTURES THAT FINAL PROFESSIONAL TOUCHdet l iled co lour s lid e et fAI-IO comprehe nsively cove r the SJA Manual. Pn duced by Dr Kenneth Leese (County Surgeon GMC). S lide sets £6.50 each, dO I, ble lecture cassettes £4.75 all plu s post a nd VAT Send fo r FREE details or leaching aids for Home and Road Safety to F. C. CURT IS LTD , 6 Mileta s PI e, Lytham St Anne Lanc s FY8 I BQ.

FU'ID RAISING Fetes, Bazaars & Sporting Events. Many types of fun J raisers, bran tub gifts, balloons, balloon race equipment. Fancy gOC d ,sports cups, medals. Shie ld s etc All at wholesa le price s. Send for c atalogue to: Swinnertons Ltd., 68 Ablewell Street. Walsall WSI 2E J. Telephone (0922) 26081/2 / 3

IH SECT BITES and stings, nettle rash, hives, prickly heat and Sl nburned skin are ALL promptly relieved by the application of RBC Cream. R BC Cream reduces inflammation, prevents infection, so othes b Irn ing or stinging and moisturi ses and protects. RBC Cream is a ailable f rom pharmacies or samp e on written request, to bonar

ADELAIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA

John nur e (plus husband) wish to exchange their s )ac iou s 2 bedroom flat for sim ilar in London or e lv irons. From April to Sept 1985. W. McLeod, 6/19 E x planade, Caloundra 4551, Queen land, Australia.

MENS & WOMENS

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TROUSERS

£8.00 SKIRTS £8.00 TUNICS £10.00 GREATCOATS £15.00

GANNEX COATS £15.00

NEVJ WHITE SHIRTS £6.00 (with epaulettes and two front pockets)

Ladies black uniform shoes (leather uppers) sizes 4 % to 7. £8.00

BLACK COMMANDO PULLOVERS (with elb::>w & shoulder patches)

FirstAid Training

Tape-slide programmes and teaching slide sets available for hire (UK) and sale worldwide

Free catalogue obtainable from

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Pilcher-Greene has now added the wide bodied Freigtlt Rover Sherpa 310 ambulance in three versions - welfare, sitting and front line - to its range of conversions which already includes Mercedes-Benz, Renault, Volkswagen and Bedford variants as well as four wheel d 've ambulances on Land Rover One" Ten and Range Rover chassis. Optional interiors are available to clients' specification.

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Formed in 1925 to fulfil the increasing demand for emergency service vehicles, Pilcher-Greene pioneered the development of specialist mobiles. Today Pilcher-Greene continues this lead with the building and conversion of all types of vehicles from the smallest cross country ambulance or fire fighting appliance to the largest mobile theatre. Pilcher-Greene vehicles are designed for demanding situations throughout the world - in difficult terrains and varying climates.

'ST JOHN REVIEW.

p 197

Conference p 1

Elston Grey- Turner p

Readers' Views p.208

Cadet Chat, by Jim p.211

News from Scotland - Wales - N. Ireland p.212

Overseas News - SJ Fellowship p.213

News from Divisions / Centres p 214 The World About Us,

4th Cy nheidr e Co lliery (Wale s)

5th Betleshanger Co llier y (Kent) 289 Ellis C u p; 6th Grays (Essex)

7th Redruth (Cornwall) 284; 8t h Crewe (Cheshire) 277; 9th Nat Dock Labour Board (London) 276; 10th YMCA Ashfie ld (N. Ireland) 261 Cop land Griffith C up 11 th Faw ey & District (Hants) 246; 12th C ha setown Comb ined (Staffs) 24 1

NurSi ng: 4th Ormeau (N. Ir eland) 272 Go ldin g Trophy; 5th Kington (Hereford & Worcs) 261; 6th Craw ley (Sussex) 258; Tie, 7th Coa lville (Leics) 248, and Jarr ow (Northumbria}"248 Grosvenor Cup; 9th Waterloo (Merseyside) 236 10t h Fareham (H ants) 232; 11th Stainforth & Hatfield (S & W Yorks) 217; 12th Bedford Town (Beds) 209.

Ambulance Cadet: 4th B shopston (Avon) 266; 5th Lowestoft (S uff olk) 262 Barne Cup; 6th Bilsthorps Colliery (Notts) 261; 7th YMCA/As hfield (N. Ireland) 256; 8 h South Hetton Q uad (D urham) 250; 9th Shrewsbury (Sh opshire) 2 12; 10th Hull North West (Humberside) 206; l11h Bex leyheath (London) 193; 12th F leet & Crookham (Hants) 162 Lowe Cup

NurSing Cadet: 4th Rohais (Guernsey) 262 Phylli s Bireh Trophy; 5th Aberp ergw m (Wales) 257; 6th Malden & Coombe (London) 247; 7th Lisnage lvin Quad (N. Ireland) 245 C un ard Cu p; 8th Fu ll wood & Broughton (Lan es) 235; 9th Rickmansworth & C horleywood (Herts) 203; 10th Smithwood Combi ned

ONE senior Order member blurted out that his Review always went into the wastepaper basket; another suggested that a Sun newspaper type page-three model might make the magazine more popular; while a third said he had tried but he just couldn't read it ... Was this Panorama or a board-meeting of the Daily Scurrilous? No, it was St John Ambulance's Foundation conference, which is attended by senior officers from throughout the country and from national HQ, and meets annually to discuss 'the future'. Fortunately (or unfortunately), these lively, provocative comments came only during the last minutes of a long day (June 22) of talk under the heading 'improving the Review'.

The more serious parts of the day came first:

Mr John Patten, MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, earnestly reassured us about the present government s commitment to the NHS and the voluntary societies, the latter having received a total of £23 million from the government during 1983 / 84. But more integration between the two was needed, he emphasised. With the conference being held in the GLC's council chamber (free to SJA, by the way, only the catering was charged for; or so I understood), I thought Mr Patten's asides about being allowed in this place (Mr Livingstone and all that) were rather unfunny. Questions to him from the floor produced two interesting facts for SJA: the ministry encourages liaison between the NHS and voluntary societies, so keep asking if you don't get a satisfactory answer locally to your query; and approaches to the NHS by SJA for help in ambulance training (theres been many a cry for that) would be welcome.

On the future of SJA, the Chief Commander said that before we embark on a national recruiting drive, which is what everyone seems to want, we must be absolutely sure of the direction of the work of the Brigade over the next 10 to 15 years. For this reason, last year he asked the Medical Board to report on the role of St John from now to the year 2000.

Dr P. A. B. Raffle, the Medical Board's acting chairman, said that the report had been delayed due to the sudden death last

Foundation Conference discusses SJA's future

The Chief Commander with the guest speaker, Mr John Patten MP , Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health

January of the board's chairman, Dr Elston Grey-Turner, but it would be ready for distribution shortly He then mentioned some of the study'S conclusions, emphasising that they were not firm f indings: FA in schools; teach emergency resuscitation to the public; more realistic donations for FA cover from organisers of major public events; SJA should not teach advanced first aid but where it exists in the organisation it should be used; FA units should be manned by professional staff; train sports specialists (ie, referees) in FA, not specialist first-aiders for sport; plug gaps in NHS services with community care ; and it was felt the drugs question was too specialised for SJA to become generall y involved

During the discussion which followed, a representative from Wales said that the teaching of first aid in school had recentl y begun in Gwent (Review cover July). The FA W certificate was found to be a valuable qualification fo r school leavers.

After lunch, the future pattern of first ai d courses was discussed Points made were: 1) Decisions had to be made quickly · (see opposite page) 2) The 16-hour Essentials of First Aid rather than the Public First Aid course should be adopted, followed in two or three years time by a 2-day conver s ion course. 3) A system should be adopted whereby members can go on public duty as soon as possible.

The exten sion of community welfare duties within the Brigade, introduced by HQ's Chief Welfare Officer Miss NevilIeKaye (her OBE had just been announced), brought forth many views but the subject

Teatime : Col

Arthur Johnstone (2nd from left), Prior for South Africa with Mr Gerald Easton, Assistant

C-in -C Miss Jenny Eaves and Mr Leo Budd

Banquet

(in aid of the Order) at Hal11pton Court Palace

AND SOME UNGAINLY WORDS FOR THE REVIEW

seemed to come back to the best term o b e used for what SJA is or should be doing in this field. Is it community care (C hie f Commander), welfare (CNO Rosema ry Bailey), care in the communit y, and not community care (Devon s Director Mer vy n Malcolm)?

The Association D irector-General Mr D. E Seymour, said with h is limited experi e nce of SJA the debate on its fu t ure s eem ed to fall into two groups : the s tatus quo, and change He felt the or g ani s ation was a t a watershed and perhaps they should d o something new in a very org a nised way (1 s this the point from which all di scus s ion on he future for SJA s hould begin ?) And then at 3.50 pm a t tention was focu se d on 'improving the Review' Point s mad e were: Make it a tabloid new s paper ; s h o ul d be free of charge ; more care needed in reports; no obituary published of Medi cal Board chai rman (it has arrived at last - see page 207); should be more readable for cadets; should include all material sent out from national HQ; put it on bookstalls ; and publish less frequently but more lavi s hl y. Oh, and during the day we were sh ow n two new style s of ambul a n c e memb e r 's uni f orm, beautifully mod e ll e d b y two fellows The commen t ar y to the show rath er confused me, but one uniform I for get which , I liked I'm s ur e we'll get anoth er chance to see them.

I'd heard that these Founda t i on Conferences (this wa s my fir s t) we r e de a dl y dull. This one wasn t.

rece p tio n in the State Apa rtm e nt s, a nd d urin g dinn e r in h e G r ea t H a ll t h e orc hest ra

T H E ASSOC IA TI ON Br a n c h h as a d vise d

Cou n ty D irecto rs ( H Q C ircula r A I1268 re fer) t hat a from Ja nu ary I 1985 h e presen t Adu lt F rst Aid Cou rse wi ll be di scon t inued. Fro m t h is da te t h e fo ll owing co ur e w ill be offe re d to a dul ts re qui ri ng a St J o hn A mbu la n ce F ir t Ai d Ce rtifi cate: I tatutor y Fir t Aid C ourse w hi c h mu t

b e co n d u cte d in accorda n ce w it h class reg ul at ions w h ic h cove r t h e r equir e m e n ts la id down by t he H ea lt h and Sa fe t y Execu t ive.

2. W h ere it i not po ib le t o mee t t h e req u irements of the H ea lt h a nd Safe t y Exec ut ive in respec t of p r e mi ses be in g a ppr ove d b y t h e m , t h e a b ove co ur se m ay be co ndu c ed but th e ce rti f ca t e iss u ed at the e nd of th e co ur se wi ll not car r y sta tu tory s t at us.

3. The E e ntial s of Fir t Aid -w h ere t hi s co ur se is la u g h t to a dul ts, it wi ll b e

base d on h e 4t h E d it io n o f t h e Fir s t A id

Ma nu a l. T h e n ece a r y Syl la bu s a nd

G uid a nce N o t es fo r In str u cto rs h ave b ee n

pr e p a re d a nd w ill b e a vailabl e s h o rtl y.

Th e E e nti a ls o f Fir s t A id , w hi c h at p re se nt we of fer t o p eopl e betwee n th e ages

o f II a nd 15, will co ntinu e to be t a ug ht a nd t he necessa r y Sy ll a bu s a nd Gu id a nce N otes fo r In s tru c t o r ar e n ow ava ilabl e fr o m

Supplie s D e p a rtm e n t, produ c t co d e

POOOI6, co s 65p

Tho s e ac hi e vin g a s ati s fac tor y r esul t on

cour se I or 2 w ill b e eligible to join the Bri gad e a nd , afte r compl e tion of the Whit e C ro ss C our se (which cove r s th e it e m s no t includ ed in C our se 1 a nd 2 but cont a in ed in th e 4th E dition M a nu a l) und e rt a ke publi c duti es.

T he D uc h ess of Glouceste r an d me m bers of th e Scots Gu a rd s p laye d in t he Min s tr e ls'

Gall e r y. A ft e r di n n er g u ests h a d an o pp o rtun ity to to ur t he S t a te A p a rtm ents a nd t h ey were then guided to the P alace

Gard e n s w he re t h ey aw 'Beating R et reat' b y t he Ba n d of the Ir is h G u ar d s a n d P ipes a nd

Drum s o f t h e 1s t Batta li on Scots G u a r ds.

Th e eve nin g e nd e d w it h a m agn i f ice nt

Courses to replace adult course byJan 11985

T hose ac h ieving a at i factory re ul t on co ur e 3 will be e li g ibl e to jo i n t h e Bri ga de a nd d o publi c duti es u n d er u pervi ion as we ll as co mmu n ity we l fare wo r k, but in orde r to do f u ll pu bli c dut ies w it h o u t

s u pe r vi io n they m ust o b tai n t he S t a t utory

Ce r t f cate (1) o r its equ ivale n t (2) p lus the Whit e Cro Co ur e. I t is int e nd e d to iss ue free of c h a r ge to eac h Di vi io n o ne c op y of th e Wh ite Cro

Co ur se. T hi s s ho uld be use d by th e Bri ga d e fo r in - ho u e t r a inin g. N o a ddi t iona

cer tifi cate w ill be is ued fo r th e W h ite Cro

Co ur se.

It a lso o u r p o li cy t h a t eve r y o pportuni ty s h o uld b e pr ov id ed to a i t

our adet t o o b ta in th e S ta tutor y

Ce rtificat e as s oon as po ss ible af t e r th e ir 15 th birthd ay.

In du e cour e the a d o pti o n of th e e polici es will m ean t ha t a ll m e mb e r s of th e Bri g ade e n gag ed o n publi c d uti e$ will b e qu a lifi ed to t he sa m e ta n d a rd

It is m os t imp o rt a nt t h at th ose m e mb e rs

f ir ewo rk di s pl ay.

Th e f rst a id cover fo r h e even ing was pr ov id ed by a local tea m fro m the H a m pton and Mo lesey D ivision and there was a guard of h o n o u r of ca dets fro m several divisions of Londo n 's Sout h Western Area . T he Du c h ess of Gl o u cester was p resented with a b o u quet b y K aren S mi tter.

who were in possession of the St John Am b ulance 4th Edition First Aid Cert ficate p r ior to J uly 1 1982 should, befor e the expiry of this certificate , attend a 1 d ay o r 6 h our refresher"course as this certificate at the moment carries statutory r ecogn it io n a n d, by atte n ding a I day ref reshe

e re q u ir ed to revalida t e their Statutory Certificate by means of the I day or 6 hour refresher cour e and exami n ation.

2. F o r t h e interven i ng 2 yea r member w il l be requir ed to take a normal B r igade re -exa m i n a ti o n for eff icie n cy pu r pose. T h s wi ll be b ased on the content of the 4th Edi tio n Ma nu al.

3.T h ose peop e joining the Brigade on th e Adu lt Es en ti a l of Fir Aid Certificate w ill be req u ir e d to be re-examined annually and it is h oped that within a period of 3 year they wi ll eithe r obtain a Statutory First Aid Ce r tificate or

from the new Chief President, Mrs Harold Phillips: I WOULD very much like the Presidents to have a place of their own in the Review. They are required to play an ever increasingly active role in helping the Association and the Brigade. The Commissioners and Superintendents, who have the executive task of training, form-filling or desk work and many varied activities for their members, welcome the fact that Presidents are able to fill many gaps. The most important gap today is publicity and promotion of the Brigade and the voluntary work they do.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

B OJ

BY THE EDITOR

was awarded the Grand Prior's Badge and his third silver star to his Special Service Shield, representing 829 hours work in the community.

Well done, Alun.

FISHED OUT

They are too often taken for granted and there is often a false impression that they are paid. The point that must be put over is that they are willing to give their services free of charge, but without donations and financial aid how can they afford their equipment, transport, uniforms, etc? Also there is a big role to play in improving communications and c,ontacts between Presidents and the Executive Officers; and of course this works two ways. It is no good waiting to be contacted. Presidents must come forward and offer their help and ask where it is needed; and for the Officers to seek out the Presidents and suggest where they need help. A President should have many contacts for publicity,

thinking about plans for the Brigade centenary in 1987, as if any large halls, theatres or sports grounds are to be used they have to be booked far ahead. I would like to see Presidents sharing information through the Review, which would help others to overcome problems and so achieve a quicker and better result for all.

So, please, Presidents, send any thoughts to the Editor so that it can appear in our regular column

OFF TO BAHAMAS

Hampshire is the first county to tell us of a successful candidate for Operation Drake.

She is 18-year-old nursing member Elizabeth Baker, of Farnborough, who goes to the Bahamas on December 20 for Phase One (Bahamas and West Indies) of this exciting

venture. Elizabeth, who joined SJ as a junior, is a t present on an intensive sub-aqua course for underwater exploration - she includ es survival swimming and life-saving among he r proficiency subjects. Like all venturers, sh e has to raise £1,400 towards the cost o f h er trip; £1000 had been raised when we hear d the news. Elizabeth's mother is division a l officer of Farnboro ugh Cadet Division.

ANOTHER AWARD

The captain of Clwyd's Cefn Maw r ambulance cadet first aid team, Cad et Corporal Alun Morris, which came fi rst in the Brigade Finals, was recently awarded th e Best All Round Shield for his outstandin g work for the Brigade in Clwyd.

During 1983 Alun attended 43 meetin gs, The 1985 SJA Medical Conference will be held at Nottingh am University's new conference centre (below) - the most modern in Britain - over the weekend April 19 - 21. The programme includes 5t John in the Community', 5t John as I see it' , '5t John Abroad ', and of course the ice -breaker sherry party, co nf erence dinner and dance 5JA lay members are welcome. Application form from John Hammond Secretary SJA Medical Bo ard 1 Grosvenor Crescent London SW 1X 7EF

hear that an 11-years-old probationary cadet of Cornwall's St Blazey Divis ion made headlines in the local paper when he saved his 9-year-old friend's life Simon Haberland and Russell Brazier were fishing in the local canal when Russell, who had hooked something, jumped into the water and got the fish in his hands. But suddenly he slipped and disappeared Simon jumped in and dragged his friend to the bank. Russell had cut his leg on a stone and was bleeding badly Simon made him as comfortable as possible on the canal bank and then stopped cars for a first aid kit. He bandaged Russell's le g to staunch the bleeding and stayed wit h him until the ambulance arrived. At Truro Hospital, 16 stitc h es were needed in Russell's leg.

HQ FIRE

Bad news from 348 Hayes and Harlington Comb ined Division (Middlesex). There was a break in at their HQ in the afternoon of Aug ust 4 and two fires were started which resulted in considerable damage. 'There's a lot of clearing up to do,' they said on the phone to us.

PEAK DISTRICT BASE

The Canal Cottages, Ambergate, residential centre for adventure and proficiency courses is run by St John Ambulance Derbyshire in

Yes , tetting eve ryone know we're here. Barrow member at the

the Peak District countryside. The centre provides self-catering accommodation with all electric facilities, including showers and toilets block, and all cooking facilities.

Members of other counties are welcome to use the centre, which may be hired at £1.40 per head per night.

Programmed weekend courses at £12 per head (including accommodation, food and instructor's fees) and week long adventure course at £40 are also available to all counties. These courses, for cadets, young adults and experienced personnel, cover a variety of subjects including walking, surfing, climbing, canoeing, orienteering, NCO training, initiative and proficiency, and other subjects for individuals and team work.

Courses for the rest of 1984 are:

28-30 Sep 84 Proficiency course (canoeing & orienteering).

5-7 Oct 84 Training weekend for cadet leaders and NCOs

26-28 Oct 84 Initiative weekend for older cadets and young adults.

23-25 Nov 84 Proficiency course (outdoor survival and rescue).

If counties are interested in taking advantage of these excellent facilities, applications should be made to County Staff

Officer (Adventure) Mr A. J Collington, 137 Ladywood Road, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE74NJ

In future years, if counties indica te sufficient interest, it may be possible to augment costs in part per head from Brigade HQ Training Budget. All the formal courses listed above are eligible for Youth Service grant aid through your local Youth Service or Area Education office.

ROYAL CARS

I hear that the Order has sent first aid kits and blankets for all the cars of the Royal Family. The Chief Commander received a letter of thanks from HRH The Prince of Wales.

REVISED DRILL

BOOKS

The revised drill and ceremonial booklets are now available from Supplies Dept. These are: Basic Drill Book (P 11800). £1.70; Ceremonial Drill Manual (PI1802). £1.70; Pocket Drill Card (PlI801). 45p. Basic Drill Book. Designed to give in nine chapters complete initial guidance on personal drill, from the individual 's first attendance in uniform to he completion of a Division's formal annual inspection parade. It is envisaged that this book should be held at each Division.

Ceremonial Drill Manual. A continuation supplement in five chapters, giving all other aspects of drill ceremonial likely to be required by the Brigade. It is envisaged that t his reference manual may need only be held at County HQs or Areas.

Pocket Drill Card. Intended as an aide memoire, this is a listing of the words of co mmand (only) required for unit parades from sectio n to county level. Ideally , every officer and NCO should possess one. It is robustly made, showerproof and desi gned to fit the pocket easily.

Significant Changes in Drill. There are several sig nificant changes incorporated in order to simplify the drill required by St John Ambulance personnel. All instructors should therefore take time to brief themselves on the new publications.

Earlier Drill Publications. All earlier drill publications are superseded and are no longer to be used for training or ceremonial after December 31 1984.

NIJMEGEN MARCHES

This year, once again, a St John Ambulance contingent took part in the Nijmegen Marches (July 17-20). Our team, lead by County Staff Officer Ken Branson (S & W Yorkshire), was 26 strong, 13 men and 13 women (including 5 girl and 2 boy cadets)

They came from Berkshire, Cleveland, Hereford & Worcs, Shropshire, Staffordshire and S & W Yorkshire. The four experienced march orderlies were ASO Brian Bridges (Salop), DO Elizabeth Ackroyd (S & W Yorks) and Mrs Sylvia Branson, for whose untiring help all were very grateful.' Many of the marchers had first met at the two-day Wellingborough March in April, which is a good rehearsal; they all received a medal then, which augered well for the main effort to come in July.

As last year, the plan was to meet in Leeds where on the Saturday we joined the Wallace Arnold coach for the trip via Kingston-uponHull to Rotterdam. The two from Berkshire made the port all right in spite of a car accident on the motorway halfway to Leeds. With initiative, they did all the right things: replanned, telephoned, quick train journeys, more phone calls and joined the contingent at Hull before sailing. Well done!

A good sea trip was enjoyed by all, with excellent food, discotheque, no high seas and no sickness! Disembarkation on Sunday morning left enough time for a vis it to famous Heart of Holland craft centre to watch experts in ancient crafts (making clay pipes, clogs, pottery and pe wter moulding), before going on to the Sportsschool Noviomagurn at Nijmegen, our base for the next five day s.

Our old friend and Sportsschool Director, Heer Hofs and his family welcomed the team most warmly: they were apparently surprised to see us at all, having been led to believe by Dutch TV that the whole of Britain was in the throes of some so rt of general strike!

On Monday the team officially registered for the Marches and then went to see the Arnhem War Graves and Museum - a most moving experience; so many , so young. (The Nijmegen Marches were initiated as a memorial to those who took part in the epic Battle of Arnhem and the Nijmegen Bridge.)

In the late afternoon we attended he Nijmegen Sports Arena for the parade of the flags and the opening ceremony, in which we had been invited to carry the St John Flag and the Union Flag. We were the first team to enter the arena after the silk national flags

and NATO Forces, and we received a terrific cheer! After the parade we were ushered to the central stand to witness the rest of the evening's activities.

Tuesday saw t he star t of the Four-Day Marches, beginning at 4am each morning

Over 20,000 set off to complete 30,40 or 50 kilometres each day (depending on age). All our number made their allotted goals, 11 each over the 50 km and 40 km courses, all the team earning their medals. 1,500 failed to make it! Our team, especially the ca det s, were warmly praised by other participants, particularly by the Canadian and American Army teams and the Irish Garda team, who all came over to congratu late us. They were all very kind.

After t he las t day's march, our host and his family greeted our return to base by getting out a beautiful fairground-type organ (almost the size of our coach!) a truly

BERKS: West Area recently received this ambulance, received by Area Comm Leo Smith from the NO.6

ESSEX:

Dutch occasioJ;1. followed! Our team left a St John trophy with the Hofs in recognition of their continual kindness. This now resides in a pdde of place on the bar in his Budo Club. The aim of the Interna tionale Vierdaagse Afstands Marsen (International Four Day Long Distance Marches), as the Du tch call it, is to foster good health and international camaraderie. This it certainly did and all our participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience (again!).

FAITH IN

The following quote from a biology examination paper of a 14-years-old girl was in answer to a question on the prevention of the spread of disease in institutions such as schoo ls.

'We have Mrs Kirby so that if we feel an illness coming on, we go to her and she prevents it getting any further'.

(Left) A £500 cheque from Vauxhall/Bedford Employees Charity Fund is handed by Jack Manton to Luton Southern Area Commissioner Mrs R A. Hayward

N/C Alison Reid, of Reigate Division looked after baby of the new Commissioner for Sussex, Mr J. Shippam, and his wife at the No 11 Region competitions

Part One

ON A COOL August evening in 1954 as I sat in my garden in Essex reading a copy of the St John Review an announcement caught my eye concerning a course of training for Air Attendants to be held in Kensington, London, in late October. It was nine years since my demob from the RAMC and although I was happy in my job as a nurse tutor at the local hospital, I frequently looked back to . the wJirtime years when I served in North Africa, Italy and Europe, and wished the travelling days were not now over. This new venture of St John Ambulance looked as if it might offer the opportunity I desired, so I joined about forty other applicants on the first course of training.

The requirement8 for application were a nursing qualification, good healtb (including all necessary vaccinations), a current passport and the ability to leave home and employment at very short notice, and report to the airport indicated. I was able to satisfy this last requirement by arranging with my employer to use my six weeks annual leave for escort duties, having first arranged for a colleague to take over my tutoring during the days that I would be away. I must say here that everybody at work was very friendly and co-operative and I could never have managed the duties without the help of the District Health Authority.

The escort training course consisted of lectures on:

Preparing patients for air travel

Effects of altitude on people, and care in flight

Use of oxygen

Airport procedure

Use of special apparatus in flight

Air emergencies and crash procedures

Later in training we received refresher courses to keep us up-to-date with the modern equipment and aircraft.

In addition to escort duties, SJA also ran a service ferrying human tissue, ie blood and organs, for transport to and from countries on the Continent but I was not involved in this aspect of the work.

Having completed the course and been entered on the Aeromedical Group 'A' register, I waited with eager expectation and a little trepidation for my first call.

204

Early days

The first few flights were short ones to places such as Paris, Belfast, Leeds and Glasgow and the patients were not really ill but simply needed an escort to satisfy the strict requirements of the airlines

These flights built up my confidence and gave me valuable experience in dealing with routine flight procedure. The plane crews were always friendly and helpful and I learnt a lot from talking with them. They tended to regard me as one of themselves rather than one of the passengers. I began to recognise the different types of planes, their lay-out and what they were used for. The 'Jumbo s ', Trident, Boeing 707, and VCIO began to have meaning for me. I knew now what to expect when an 'Executive' plane was on its way.

My first big flight was to Barcelona, when I was asked to join another male nurse in bringing back a lad of 20 who had been on holiday with his family and had suffered a severe nervous breakdown. He had become unmanageable at times and had been admitted to a Spanish hospital in Barcelona. His parents wanted him brought back to England as soon as possible and special arrangements were made for him to be flown back by a chartered transport plane.

I met my partner at Croydon Airport (now Illustrated by Jacl(

no longer used as an airport) and we made ourselves known to the pilot and hi s navigator The weather report over France was very bad but as th is was a 'mercy fligh t' they were prepared to undertake the journey.

We took off at 4 pm in heavy rain and as we passed over Lille we flew into a violent storm. We felt the effects of the turbulence as we hit air pockets and the plane rocked continuously, and frequently dropped several hundred feet, giving the sensation of a rapid descent by lift Suddenly there was a terrific bang and the plane shuddered as if we had hit something. The navigator came out from the cabin and told us he thought we might have been hit by lightning and we had better land at Marseilles for a check and refuel. As we approached the airport a message was sent requesting permission to land. Alas, the airport remained in darkness so we made another circle of the airport, sending out another message. This time all the lights on the airfield were switched on. Most of the airfield staff had gone off duty to a fiesta in the town but fortunately there was a controller to talk us down. As we came in to land, the plane gave a lurch and we scraped along the ground in a shower of sparks and smoke, but we came to a stop a safe distance from the buildings. We all quickly alighted from the plane and the damage seemed to amount to no more than a damaged undercarriage and a burst tyre.

car r y o ut o n ly p art of t he r ecomme nd a ti ons beca u se of h e cost in vo lved. C ear ly m uc h o f th e b uil d in gs we r e in need of re p ai r

a nd resro r a t io n a n d so a fu rt h er s ur vey was com m iss ioned in 1982 wh ic h s h owe d th a t so m e £11 5,000 sho ul d b e spent o n

St J oh n' s Ga t e, £2 5 ,000 o n t h e C hu rc h a n d a n un dete rm ined su m fo r genera ex erna l sro n e repa i rs and clea n ing at both b u ildings, w h ic h equ d be as m u ch as £60,000. Chapter-General

a u t h orised a n expend it u re of £92,500 du r ing 1983 ro cover immed iate work of rop p r ior ity such as a complete rewiring of St J oh n 's Ga t e ro re m ove the very rea l f re risk and structural repa irs to the lanterns over the Council C h amber and the C h apter Ha ll. Support for h e Gate and h e Ch u rc h w h ic h co nt ain the o n ly parts of the origi n a 12t h Cent u ry Pr iory, a n d fo r t he Muse um and L i brary whic h house m a n y u nique treas u res trac in g the h istory of The Order, shou ld sure ly be

The Sight Proj ect in Oman fl ou r is h es a nd h as been adopted as a National Sch eme. Forty full-time m e dical special ists and a number of part-timers eq ui va ent to sixt y m ore full-time d octors and administrators are n ow e mpl oyed by th e Om:.1ni Government which h as budgeted th e equivalent of so m e £1. 2 miJli on for 1984. It w i cover some 60% of the rural population an d perhaps 80% of the urban population of Oman. Through th e Sight Project, th e Venerable Order has made a signal contributio n to the we lfare of the Omani people and has give n Oman the lead in preventa t ive medicine in the Gulf. We have also been asked to help and advise t h e Gov e rnment n matters of curative ophthalmology.

On 29th and 30th June a meeting of the Grand Prior 's Advisor y Co u nci l was he ld at St John's Gate. HRH The Grand Prior welcomed delegates, took part in the first morning's di cussions and hosted l uncheon. In the evening memb ers of the Council and their ladies dined at the Turf Club. In addition to the Great Officers, Lord Caccia th e pa st Lord Prior and the Exec uti ve Officers, the Priors of Ne\v Zealand, Scotland, Wales and South Africa were present as were the Chancellors of Scotland , Wales, New Zealand, Canada and Australia together with t h e Prelate and Secr eta ry of the American Society. Many problems of mutual in terest were discuss ed in Counc il and recommendations to amend var ious Statutes, over which Pri ories had been previousl y consulted, were agreed. The Council ended at midday on 30th June after sp irited disc u ssions in Open Forum.

Earlier in the year I paid a most valuable visit to Canada, spend in g time w ith St John Amb ulan ce in Ottawa, Quebec a n d Prince Edward Island and being received everywhere wit h grea friendship and hospitality.

It was a year of Centenaries. In early Jun e, HRH The Grand Prior attended the celebrations in Ottawa. Later that month the Lord Prior vis ited the Priory in Australia and, after a w hirlwind tour whic h took in Western Australia, the Northern Territories, Canberra, New So uth Wales, Victoria and South Australia, he joined the Priory ce lebration s in Melbourne before return ng to London just in time for t he Grand Prior's Ad v isory Council; and in October the Chief Commander vis ited South Africa and represented the Lord Prior at the Centenary celebrations in Cape Town.

In April HRH The G r and Pri or visited Edinburgh to install the Viscount of Arbuthnott as the new Prior of Scotland. The ceremony, im maculately organised by the ceremonial staff, w as held in St Andrews and St George' s Parish Church and was attended by s ome thre e hundred m e mbers of The Order from all over Scotland.

It has be e n an active and successful year too for the Ladie s Guild and the Musical Societ y ; together they have made a major donation to the St John Ophthalmic Hospital. Also summoning support world-wide, are the Friends of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital; revitalised with HM Queen Noor of Jordan as their Patron, and Lord Caradon as President th ey aim to secure a Hospital endowment fund of £5 million. The Historical Society is busily increasing its membership through a programme of interesting lectures, presentations and visits concerning the historical aspects of The Order and its two Foundations.

The rel a tion s hips w ith o ur Confreres of the other rec'ognised Orders co ntinu e to p rosper As a result of a meeting of the Fa lse Orders Committee in Bonn a t the e nd of May, recognition h as been given by the Gra nd Magistry of h e Sovereign and Militar y Order of Malta to th e leg itimat e indep en de'1 ce of the Johanniterorden in Sweden and h e Netherlands. The news was received wit h acclamation at the Alliance meeting, held this year al so in Bonn which was one of the most fruitful a nd spontaneous of t h ese annua l discussions between the Protestant Orders of St J ohn. Toward s the end of the year a small but enjoyable ceremony was held at St J ohn's Gate wi th o ur Confreres of the SMOM, to mark the 20th an ni versary of the signing of the Concordat in 1963. Two identical joint declarations were beautifully illuminated b y The Order's Heraldic Artist; they were both signed by lh e Lord Prior and the President of the Briti h As ociation of the SMOM, Sir Peter Hope, and exchanged. After short peeches and prayers there was a reception in the Chapter Hall.

This year's Order Service was held in Derby Cathedral. The Counci l of St John for Derbyshire had prepared for the occas ion with great care and generosity, setting extremely high standards of cere monial and ho pitality. The weather was not good, but not bad enoug h to prevent a march past by St John Ambulance and the presentation of Grand Prior's certificates at the saluting base by the Lord Prior.

During th e year blanket s and St John Fir t Aid Kit have been supplied to cars of all the members of the Royal Family connected with The Order.

As in previous years the endeavours of the many vol unt eers in St John Ambulance and tho e who work in the H oly Land at the St John Ophthalmic Hospital have been supported by a host of benefactors, many anonymous, and by innumerable workers all round th e wor ld, who give up their time to bring their many talents and var ied practical kill to bear upon t h e work which we have undertaken. Immediat e recognition of their vital contrib uti on and our unh esitating thanks and gratitude are gl adly and publicly given, and given w ith pride, for we all work together for the objects and purposes of Th e Order; we co uld n ot cont inu e wit h out h eir act ive s upp ort. But there i s no room for complacency; the harsh r ea liti es of rising costs and infl ati on demand that we all redouble our efforts to enlist ever more s upp orters and to attract the greate r a mount s of money th at are needed to s u sta in our c hari ta bl e work in London, ill the Holy Land and w ith St John Ambulance thr o ugh o ut th e wor ld

St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem

III J a nu ary o ur new Warden, Dr A. M. Morgan, and his wife were welcomed and Dr Grego ry Hay from Ca n ada joined u s for a year. In September Dr Marwan Zeidan joined h e staff a nd was followed a month lat er by Major Clarke of h e RAM C. Dr J. Byrne from Australia a nd Dr 1. Thompson from the U ni ted Kingdom left during t h e year. Dr Anwar Maswadeh finished his training, sponsored by the Arab Council; he hopes to take a higher degree in Cairo.

During 1983 the Matron, Mrs Ruth Parks, visited Canada as an honoured guest at their centenary celebrations. There has been a shortage of Sister s this yea r , our last Service Si tel' having left in OctOber. Sixteen of our local staff left to takc up more r e munerative work, e ither in the immediate area or n other Middle East Sister Callinan, in charge of the Cenrra l Slerilising Unit, has maintained the high standards of her department, ass isted by the fact that the sterilising equipment wa updated during the year.

There an increase thi year in tOtal attendances by 3,000 patients, 2,000 of these being new attendance.

The Outreach programme is in full sw ing. Dr Lee Chumb le\ and I an Thompson carried out a urvey of the incidence' of eye disease on the We l Bank, interviewing and ex.1I11ining some 10,000 patients. Ivluch more blindness has been disnwered than was expected and a report ""dl appear 19'4 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. Dr ChUll;bil'y is ,liso carrying out a trachoma project, chiefly

A child at our Ophthalmic Hospital in l emsalem having received treatment.

treating young people, with the h e lp of virologist Professor Darougar from the University of London and Dr Mala Rapport from the In stitute of Ophthalmology In London. ThiS wi ll form a valuable piecc of re earch.

Sister Manarious has been in charge of the Nurses' Training School and two courses were under supervision She has been awarded a British CouncIl Scholarship, enabling her to come to London to attend a nursing education course. Dr Chumbley held a day course for UNWRA Nursing Sisters in April. Three-month courses Were attended by external students from Bethlehem University (12), Augusta Victoria Hospital (14) and the Caritas Baby Hmpltal, Bethlehem (14).

During the year the Hospitaller and Lady ,\1iller [\.\ice visited the Hospital. Other visitors included Colonel J. Hospitaller for Scotland, and his wife and Mr Charles Butler. the Order's Chief Accountant. Dr John Cairns, a world authority on the treatment of trachoma, al 0 visited the Hospital.

The marked inflation in Israel during 1983 together with a in subsidies on basic requirements such as food have caused problems in looking after our local staff. A close watch has been kept on the alue of the shekel and arran<'ements made for the salaries of local staff to be revie\\ e d monthl". In an attempt to reduce <;>"inter heating costs, a olar heating srstem has been introduced in the nurses quarter financed bv Canada and the Alliance Orders in Europe. It successful sYStem ma\ be installed throughout the Hospital.' , The long-term finance of the Hospital is still a cau s e for anxiety but c\"Cry dfon is being made to construct longterm plans.

St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusal em .

The Alllerican Society of The Order

The American Society is an honora ry soc iety whose members ha ve been nominated for admiss ion to The Order on the basis of their philanthropy and their service to fellowmen.

The purpo se of The American Society in 1955 was to establtsh an eye bank, at t hat time a new pr oced ure in surgery, and to fund, on an annual ba s is, the stipend of an Amencan ophthalmic surgeon to serve at the Ho spit al in Jerusalem.

In addition to maintaining the Eye Bank and our

sur geon, The American Society has contributed annually since 1973, for the partial support of the Children's Ward. The amount has been increased every year so that the total cont ribut ed t o date by The American Society, including research grants, has been $1,310,000.

It is the present inte nti on of The American Society to give at least £150,000 p er year for ge n era l support ot" the Ho spita l. As our principal effort is devoted to the Hospital an d th e continuation of its mission, we believe that our members will g iv e eve n more generous ly in the years ahead.

Ladies' Guild

In .1983 the Ladies' Guild, under the chairmanship of Lady CaCCia, saw an appreciable increase in its income and at their meeting in October the members took a decisio; to allocate annually a regular proportion of their funds to the Hospitaller for use as he wished, in addition to their normal allocation to the Matron The sum of £30,000, half of which came from the activities of the Musical Society, was handed to Slr Stephen Miller for the St John Ophthalmic Hospital.

Several enterprising events have led to the of the the Ladies' Guild, among them two orgaOlsed by the VICe-Chairman, Lady Miller There was a very happy evening at the Tower of London when after a most enjoyable supper on a perfect evening, the Governor gave a short historical account of the fortunes of the Tower and explained the significant moments during the

Ceremony of the Keys. Later in the yea r a m ost s ucces s ful Fair was held at St George's Hospital, Tooting.

The St John Musical Society, in spired by its Director , Sylvia, Lady WdklOson, arranged a major co ncert at the Barbican Centre with Placido Domingo, Luciano Serra and Thomas Allen performing with the English Chamber Orchestra, which was an outstanding success. There was also a most imaginative and popular concert at Sutton Place with Marisa Robles and, as a new venture, Miss Pamela Willis, the organised a concert of early music in th e Grand Pnory Church. Other concerts outside London were at Exeter Cathedral, organised by the St John Council in Devon, and three private concerts arranged by Lady Beauchamp , Lady Zetland and Lady Aberdeen.

Altogether a memorable year.

Library and Museum

We have decided to establish a programme of future develupments because of the amount of progress being made in reorganising and redisplaying the collections at St John's Gate. The Library has two main functions: a centre for research and a consulting library for St John members. Although the Library fulfils the second function well, it is at present limited as a centre for research. A research library needs not only its collections of manuscripts and books on its peciality, but also reference works on allied subjects. It is therefore intended to reserve a small sum of money annually for the specific purpose of building up the reference sections. Researchers need to know the contents of t h e Library :lOd Museum collections, and we hope that the eventual publication of catalogue of our book, manuscript, ep h emera, photograph, picture and object collections will meet this ne ed. Work on re-cataloguing the book section is nearly complete, and 1986 should see its publication, the first in the series.

The Museum's purpose is to collect, record, preserve and display objects pertaining to the history of The Order of St John and its Foundations a nd to provide informat io n serv ices to m e mb ers and to the public. For the acquisition of objects we depend on donations a nd 'purchase; catalog uing depends on research undertaken b y the staff. Although th e collections are now organised and displayed, there is still much to be done - for example, the potentially exce ll e nt Ambulance

collection and part of the print collection need to be catalogued properly A start has been made, using voluntary help. We will continue our programme of conservation, concerning ourselves primarily with the manuscripts, prints and drawings, and photOgraphs. Time has been set aside for refurbishing the present displays in due course. Work has tarted on exhibition panels about the histOry of The Order, which may be used by St John division.

We were particularly glad to receive gifts of St John Ambulance items while we were preparing the Ambulance Museum room. The Lord Caccia has given specially-designed showcases for this room, and we have been able to proceed with the display work thanks td Mrs Gladys Westlake' generous gift in memory of her son, David, a St John member killed on active service in 1946.

The St John Historical Society continued to meet regularly and visits were made to Rothle), Court in Leicestershire, to Salisbury, to Cumbria and Lancashire. The s uc cess of the Historical Society show the excellent commitment of St John members to our "'lork.

The Curator spent six months on study leave and is preparing a publication on the physical remains of the English Commanderies.

Detail from David Bomberg's painting of The Orders first Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem.

St. John Alllbulance

Introduction by the Chief Commander, Major-General P. R. Leuchars, CBE

1983 may not be remembered as a year of great significance for St John Ambulance, but behind the scenes I am confident that we have made good progress in charting the way ahead and resh aping our policies to me e t the challenges of a changing world

The MORl Opinion Poll conducted in 1983 speir out some interesting, if rather salutary home truths, of which most of us were alread y vaguel y aware When asked to name the top four or five charities, only 6% of those interv iewed included St John. On the other hand when s hown a card listing the top dozen charities, 91 % had heard of us and 36% said they would like to help a charity which assists sick or injured people. Shamingly only 6% of the public knew that we taught First Aid and 12% imagined that we were an integral part of the National Health Service, whilst our Cadets and Aeromedical Service were virtually unknown outside St ] ohn. As a result of these unpalatable findings, at least we are learning to fly the flag, publicise our achievements and make the White Cross as familiar as the Red Cross to the man in the street.

A committee under the Ch ai rmanship of Sir Leslie Monson also ex amined the functions of National Headquarters with the aim of streamlining and simplify ing our organi sation and command structure. A decade has elapsed since the merger of the Associ ation and the Brigade a nd further steps towards the unification of St John Ambulance under one title and a single Commander have no w been accepted in the light of this useful report. In the same context of looking ahead, our Medical Board is at present examining 'The Role of St John Ambulance to the Year 2000', w ith a view to ensuring that we will continue to bridge the ever-widening gaps in the provisi o n of health care and w elfare which the National Health Servi c e is unable to fill owing to limitations of manpo w er and f inance.

So much for mending our fences. For the Association and the Brigade it has certainly been a busy and constructive year as th e ensuing pages confirm. It has also been a year of sad departures, particularly on the distaff side. Marjorie, Countess of Brecknock, our Chief President, Lady Mo y r a Browne, Superintendent-in-Chief and her Deputy, Miss Lucinda Romilly, ha v e retired during the past twelve months We are indeed fortunate to have found such worthy succes sors.

For mys elf, my abiding memories of 1983 will be m y visits to New Zealand and Fiji in the Spring, and to South Africa for the Priory Centenary in October. T he St John family at home and abroad is indeed a band of kindred spirits and it is immensely gratifying to meet so many members in all walks of life, of all colours, creeds and backgrounds, united in their devotion to the service of their fellow men and women

ASSOCIATION

The maintenance and improvement in standards of instruction, on which emphasis has been placed in recent years, have been consolidated during 1983. A new 'Instructor Training Course' and accompanying manual were produced this year to improve the selection methods and quality of our Instructors.

The training of young people remains one of our main objectives and the regular programme of teaching Emergency Aid to school children at the Butlins School Venture Weeks was again very successful.

Preparatory work has continued on our Schools

Projects covering the introduction of First Aid into schools

A new manual for Occupational First Aiders, on which a new course will be based, is in final draft and will b e introduced during the first half of 1984.

Publications issued during 1983 included the third edition of Essentials of First Aid , r e flecting an up-dating of some of the procedures with a modernisation of the presentation.

EXAMINATION RESULTS

Type of Class

First Aid

First Aid at Work

First Aid in Mines Essentials

Thi s h as proved to be a very busy but extrem e ly worthwhile duty and the services of St John have been greatly appreciated

Our adult members and cadets hav e undertaken jointl y a quarter of a million hours of welfare duties, helping elderly and disabled people and visiting the hou sebound.

Runners being helped by St John after the 1983 L ondon Marathon Over 1,000 volunteers, backed by over 40 ambulances and 20 mobde first-aid units treated over 1,600 0/ the runners.

You w il l ee ater in h is Report the work w hi c h has been u n dertaken by the St J ohn Ambulance Air Wing in flying h u man orga n s for transplant a n d hat of he St John Aeromedical Serv ices in repatriating ick and injured peop le from a ll parts of t h e world.

We have j ust cause to b e pro u d o f t h e efforts of our vo l u nt ee r , w h o un se l fishly devote t h e ir t im e a n d s k ill s to t h e se r v ice of man kin d.

NURSING

1983 was a ye a r of c h a n ge wit h t h e ret ireme nt s o f

La d y M oy r a Br ow n e , Sup e rint e nd ent- in- C hi e f, M is L u c ind a R o mill y , th e D e put y Sup erint e nd en t-in -Ch ief a n d M iss Sh e il a P uc kl e , Prin c ipal Ad mini s tr a ti ve O ffic e r (Nu rsi ng). Ea c h o n e h as b ee n in vo l ved with St J o hn fo r m a n y yea r a nd v,te ga in e d a gr ea t d ea l fr o m th e ir v a lu a bl e ex p er ie n ce a nd d e d ica io n

Th e L a d y W es tbur y has a k e n o ver as Sup e rint e n de ntin- C hi e f, a nd s h e h as alr ea d y met all but t wo o f th e Co unt y Superintend e nt s a t a meetin g held a HQ in O cto b er. T hi s proved a v aluabl e m e eting a nd o ne w hi c h will , it is hoped, b e r epeat e d bi -a nnuall y. Lad y Westbur y h o pes ne x t ye ar to be a ble to vi s all c ountie s, seein g as man y di v s ion s and m ee ting as many pe o pl e as possibl e a gr o und lev e l.

WELFARE

O u r ever increasing welfare role is now yery apparent. This encouraging development in no way lessens members' first aid and nursing commi ments, and no request f:om the community appears to go unheeded Opportunities f:or partici p a ti ng in welfare work are uncovering m u ch latent t a ent in Brigade members and their friends.

Excellent ent r ies h ave been s u bmitted for the Sir Keith ] 0 ep h We lfare Cup co m petition, howing excellent co -o p eration w ith Association m embers, other yol u nrary orga n isation and the stat u tory en·ice. Visits to countie s h ow t h at a t remendo u s a m ount of co m munity care work goes u n m arked, a n d entries for the compe tit ion do encourage this wor k to be r eco r ded, often by experrs out ide the diyision

Cade t s are increas ing th eir co-operation ,,, it h adult d ivis io n s an d do ing an im m e n se amo unt of work in the co mmun it y caring for yo un g di ab led people. T he cadets also g ve r eg ul ar hel p to e ld e rl y p eop le, bo h i n th eir own -homes and in com Illu ni t y h omes, w h en t h e rapport between young a nd o ld h as to be seen to b e believed. T h e concern of these yo ung peo p le is of e n co nt in ue d as th ey transfer to ad u lt d iv isi o n

With St J o hn incr e as in g it ro le in c om mun ity care around th e co untr y, m o re m e mb e r s o f th e pu bl ic a r e beco m ing interest ed in o in i n g th e Bri ga d e, whi c h is very encouraging.

BRIGADE TRAINING

Sail Training

In 1983 St John Ambulance cadets and young adults took part in four of the Sail Training Association's two-week schooner training courses. A total of 26 young people sailed in both the STS 'Sir Winston Churchill' and the STS 'Malcolm Miller'. The girls on the 'Malcolm Miller earned high praise from the ship's professional officers for the manner in which they dealt with unusually tempestuous North Sea during their voyage.

Nijmegen Marches

Ten adults and thirteen cadets took part in the 67th Int e rnational Long Distance Marches at Nijmegen in the Netherlands, with participants from five counties ranging from Cleveland to Dorset. Two people undertook the 50 km, 12 the 40 km and 10 the 30 km marches. All succeeded in completing their courses on each of the days.

Brigade Instructors

Six HQ Methods of Instructi on courses were run during 1983, including one Advanced course and two courses held in counties. From these, 73 personnel qualified for the Brigade Instructor Certificate and a further 17 became Advanced Instructors. Throughout the country, the total number of certificated Brigade Instructors stands at 253, plus 41 Advanced Instructors.

Camping Warrants

Eighty Camping Warrants (incorporating the Quartermaster's Ce-rtificate) were issued during the year for varying degrees of qualification.

CADETS

St John Cadets are observer members of the National Council for Voluntary Youth Services a nd the Counci l for Physical !'-ecreation, and have links with most other youth organISatlOns.

Leadership and Adventure Training

A Potential Leaders course was held for members to run adventure training within counties. Held at Eskdale, Cumbria, it provided training in skills such as rock climbing and canoeing. Two Outward Bound courses were held for cadets at the Outward Bound Schools at Rhowniar and Eskdale.

Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme

To date 600 young people aged between 14 and 25 years have participated and in the past five years over 100 Awards have been gained.

Proficiency Scheme

The Proficiency Scheme, due to be revised in 1984, for Cadets and ex-Cadets (who belong to Adult Divisions) up to !he age of 21 to study subjects outside First Aid and Nursing in order to widen their interests and abilities. There are some 90 sub jects from which to choose (from Mountaineering to Needlework). On obtaining passes in 12 sub jects 818 Personnel were awarded the Grand Priors

badge and Certificate in 1983 (225 to Adult Members and 593 to Cadets).

Cadet Quiz

The annual Cadet Quiz, held during Brigade Finals in Croydon, was won by a team of four cadets aged under 16 from Berkshire. They competed aga in st a team from Oxfordshire over three rounds of first aid and nursing tests judged by senior medical personnel.

St John Ambulance Bands

St John forms 39 bands throughout the country, playing to varying standards according to experience and expertise. At the Royal Tournament in July the Southwick Division Band performed at Earl's Court.

Nottingham

Another successful gathering was h el d in September at Nottingham University, this year's theme 'The New Approach' being de signed to reflect the new format and organisation of this annual meetin g.

ST JOHN FELLOWSHIP

The St John Fellowship, an "old comrades' association" for all who have served with The Order and its Foundations, was formed on St John's Da y 1983. Its objects are:

a) to enable former m em bers to keep in touch wit h St John and each other

b) to form local Branches which will arrange meetings, social events and other activities

c) to help former members in need, especially the housebound and those in hospital or residential homes who would appreciate visits and outings.

d) to support the activities of the Foundations of the Order

There are now Branches spread over 17 counties, and many hold regular meetings with a programme of talks, outings and activities in aid of St J oh n and other charities. Close liaison is maintained with the active side and members can feel that they now need never lose their contact with St John.

ST JOHN AMBULANCE AIR WING

The end of 1983 saw the completion of the 11th year of operation, which was accident-free despite the short notice given for our missions, often carried out in adverse weather conditi?ns, and many of which were flown at night. This record IS due to the experience and skill of the pilots. The Air Wing currently has 161 pilots and 113 aircraft located strateg ically on th e UK mainland at aerodromes adjacent to transplant centres.

Forty-seven missions were undertaken during the year , of which 24 were 'foreign' flights and included Belgium, Holland, Germany, Eire and Northern Ireland. In aJ I, the Air 9

Wing transported 16 kidneys, 2 li vers, 8 liver teams, 16 heart teams, 2 patients and made one delivery of drugs. The Air Wing carried 9· 2 per cent of al l tissues moved and 60· 5 per cent of all medical team moves. All this involved 145 hours flying tim e covering 19,480 nautical miles.

Our relationship with airfields and other authorities continues to improve and broaden. During 1983 senior Air Wing members visited the UK Transplant Centre in Bristol, meeting staff and specialist co-ordinators. This meeting provided an exchange of ideas to improve our service and it has now been decided to hold simi lar meetings every six months.

Our flight controllers, dedicated as ever, continue to give round -t he -clock service and a programm e ha s been instituted to recruit and train new perso nnel. This should maintain hopefully, increase the number of controllers thereby helping to spread the workload.

At the Air Wing's annual sup per at St J ohn's Gate, the Pooley Sword of Honour was awarded to Mr Frank A. Quick, and the Howard House Trophy to Mr Peter J Bartlett Both awards are presented to members for outs t a nding co ntributions to th e Air Wing's work.

It becomes ever more appa r ent that the St J o hn Ambulance Air Wing is an integral and very valuable part of the UK Transplant Service distribution system, and we look forward to man y more years 'in th e service of mankind'.

ST JOHN AEROMEDICAL SERVICES

St John Aeromedical Services carried out a total of 682 repatriations in 1983, two-thirds in passenger ai rliners a nd air ambulance aircraft with road ambulance journeys, and onethird by tasking St John an d other road ambulances to meet patients at airports and Channel ports.

The first six months were very slow, due to the recession affecting holiday bookings and the lack of snow at European ski resorts. However , the holiday trade revived to such an extent that Aemmedical Services had its busiest summer ever, with the number of air am bulance repatriations reaching a new r ecord level.

The majority of pati e nts continued to originate from illnesses or accidents sustained in Europe and the countries bordering the Mediterranean, although there was an increased number of calls from more distant areas, especially the United States and Canada.

Most patients suffered from multiple injuries, r es ulting mainly from road traffic accidents and a significant number of strokes and heart attacks. Several new-bo rn babies were transported in incubators, including a tiny premature baby re-united with his parents from France. There were fewer cases of violent schizophrenia due to drug abuse but an increase, nonetheless, in the number of psychiatric patients escorted.

Air repatriation is a difficult task, demanding the utmost professionalism from all those who e n gage in it.

St John Ambulance has every reason to be proud of the efforts of its volunteers in this specialist area:

- the doctor and nurse aeromedical attendants, who are called upon constantly to cope wit h the unexpected on tiring journey s when their ski lls are taxed to the full.

- the lecturers and demonstrators who keep aeromedical attendants up to the mark on Training Da ys and Training Weekends, an essential requirement for efficient care and treatment in the air.

- the aeromedical equipment consultants, inspectors, co ntroll ers and their deputies, who select, store, maintain and issue large quantities of nursing supglies and very expensive specialist equipment such as ventilators and cardiac monitors.

- the county transport officers, co-ordinators, drivers and nursing crews, whose road ambulances convey seriously ill patients, their families and luggage to and from airports and hospitals and who remain cheerful, efficient and available.

- the headquarters staff, whose operations officers make and foll ow through the myriad of arrangements to ens ur e that repatriations go smoothly.

The operations carried out this year have proved once again that as an ever -gr owing organisation whose task increases in step with the expansion of international travel, the reputation of Aeromedical Services is second to none.

MEDICAL

The Medical Board has spent many hours on its wideranging st ud y 'the role of St John Ambulance until the year 2000' due, to a large degree, to the dedicated enthusiasm of its Chairman, Dr Elston Grey-Turner. Amongst those interviewed were Sir Henry Yellowlees, Chief Medical Officer of the DHSS, The Medical Directors General of the Armed Forces and the Chairman of the Association of Chief Police Officers.

This year's successf ul Medical Conference took place at Nottingham in April, organised by a committee under the chairmanship of Dr R ]. Donaldson. It included an outstanding pres enta tion by the R oyal avy Medical Service on 'Medicine during the Falklands Crisis'. The Conference was delighted to welcome as guests the Medical Director-General of the Royal Navy Surgeon Vice-Admiral Sir John Harrison, KBE , QHP, and the Matron -in-Chief QRANNS, Miss M. E. Collins, CBE, RRC.

In addition to the almost traditional first aid course for medical students at St Thomas's Hosp ital, the Board received a request for a course to be held at the Royal Free Hosp ital Medical School. This was accorded considerable interest by the students, with up to 100 attending most sessions.

Following correspondence between the Medical Board and the St John Co-uncil for Fiji , Mr David Penman, who as a first year student in 1981 attended the initial first aid course at St Thomas's and who h as since demonstrated much ent hu siasm for St John Ambulance, left for Fiji in December to start a three-month elective study period at the Fiji University School of Medicine.

Visits

The Chief Commander's Far East and Pacific tour in February and March included Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Fiji and New Zealand, where he spent three and a half weeks vis iting every major St John centre. Du-ring October he visited South Africa, Swaziland and Namibia. Whilst in Capetown he attended the Priory's cente n ary celebrations.

The Commissioner-in-Chief paid a private vis it to India in February, during which he called on the joint Red Cross/ St John Ambulance Headquarters in Delhi.

Overseas Conference

The 5th triennial Overseas Conference, normally held in London, this year took place in Toronto at the invitation of the Priory of Canada, to coincide with their centenary ce lebra ions. A most generous grant was received from the Commonwealth Foundation which, with a n allocation of £15,000 from the Order, enabled 27 countries to attend,

represented by 76 delegates and a number of observers, some of whom would not have been present without this generous assistance. The conference, on 'The Relevance of the Present Work of SJA to the 1980s', gave rise to several presentations and much useful discussion on our possible role in primary health care projects in the Third World. It was generally acknowledged to have been a valuable and constructive conference.

Overseas Aid

Also discussed in Toronto was the proposal to set up regional aid programmes throughout the world, whereby the overseas Priories would co-operate in providing assistance to smaller, less wealthy co untri es lying within their geographical regions The response so far received has been favourable and, whilst dev e lopment of the project wil l take time, the outlook is encouraging. Financial assistance from London wil l continue, as far as budgetary considerations allow, on the basis oudined in last year's Report.

Following the much publicised landings in Grenada at the end of October, a report was received to say that St John h ad survived more or le ss intact, although the s hortag e of First Aid and training equip ment had adverse ly affected their capac it y to assist.

The Sight Project ReportS on the progress of the Sight Project in Oman during the year were encouraging with almost 300 people

being treated daily It was also learnt that the Omani Government had approved a £400,000 grant for the project. In April, a satisfactory meeting took place between the Grand Prior and the Sultan of Oman, who had publicly pledged his support for the project. His Minister of Health had pro v ided every encouragement, both financial and otherwise, and it was seen in Muscat as a possible blueprint for other s imilar programmes over a much larger area.

The Hospitaller has expressed his intention of visiting the programme in Oman next year.

Priories and Cotntnanderies

PRIORY OF SCOTLAND

1983 has again be en a yea r o f achievement, and eve ryone has reported increasing ac tivit y and interest in The Order's work, rogether with imp roved income despite the co ntinued reces ion.

Amongst The Order's many worthwhile achievements are the opening of the extension ro the St John Nursing Home in Aberdeen; the now fully operational Day Centre extension to the Dalrymple Hospital in Stranraer; and the opening of the new Langside Residenrial Home in Glasgow.

The annual Festival of St John on 24th June was a memorable occasion, both for the ceremony it elf and th e glorious weather. Held at St John 's Kirk, Perth, 69 postulants were admitted to or promoted within The Order.

Growing interest in mu ic and the arts in Scotland ha been marked by a number of evenrs, which included several visits by the Alauda Choir during the summer, some delightful concerts in Glasgow's City Chambers by the Scottish Opera, a nd a not ab le autum n musical evening at Naughton House, Cupar, home of Brigadier and Mrs N. H. Crawford. Fir steps have been taken to form a St John Musical Society in Scotland to co-ord in ate and focLls this int erest, and to raise funds.

In April, afrer some seven years, His Grace The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon relinquished off ic e 1S Prior of Scotland. The occas ion was marked on 11 th April by a dinner in His Grace's honour at Abden House, Edinburgh. Gue t s 12

included The Grand Prior and the Secretary-General, together wi th the Chancellor and other senior Priory officers. The Rt Hon the Viscount Arbuthnott was installed as the new Prior of Scotland by the Grand Prior in a moving ceremony the following mornin g at St Andrew's and St George's Parish Church, Edinburgh.

During the May meeting of Chapter, Colonel A. J. Watt was installed as Hospitaller in s ucce ssion to Mr Dayid Liddell-Grainger. Following the Festival of St John Mr William Smith retired after some five and a half years as Priory Secretary. At the ovember Chapter meeting Mr Andrew Lawson retired a Preceptor of Torpichen and was succeeded b y Dr W. MacFarlane Gray. Dr Gray 'A aS himself succeeded as Receiver-General by Mr George Burnet, and Mr Alistair Monrgomerie retired as Director of Ceremonies, handing over to Mr J. Forest McLelland.

PRIORY FOR WALES

The annual" Festival of St John took place at the pari h church of St John the Baptist, Cardiff on 9 July if\ the presence of H.R.H. The Duchess of Gloucester, Commandantin-Chief St Jo hn Ambulance Brigade in Wale. A Rede dication Service, conducted by Canon Edwin I. Davies was foilowed by an Investiture. The Prior wa presented with a painting from all members of The Order in Wale to mark his 25 yeu as Prior for Wales. That evening The Duchess of Glouce attended The Hospitallers' Club banq'uet at City Hall.

Major·General Leuchars on his visit to New Zealand inspecting the Dunedin St John A mbuLance switchboard room.

Grenada

Priory Chapter visited North Wales on 24 where a Rededication Service and Investiture took place In Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno, attended by the Lord Lieutenant for Gwynedd.

A successful conference of a ll Chairmen and Secretaries of St John Councils in Wales was held in Llandrindod Wells on 14 May to which we were pleased -to welcome the Secretary-General of The Order. On 28 September the Chief President (who is also Hospitaller for Wales) chaired a Presidents' Conference.

Mr Huw Richard Parry, of the Gwynedd Ambulance Service, was awarded a Life Saving Medal by The Order for a conspicuous act of gallantry at a road accident in Aber, Gwynedd on 23 February.

The Association has had a very busy year, with 1,320 new First Aid at Work Certificates being issued, whi le 762 people took FA W Refresher Courses. 311 candidates received certificates of attendance at Appointed Person's Courses. Under the auspices of the Manpower Services courses were organised for unemployed young people In Newport, and a special FA W course was held at Swansea. Prison. With special courses being held for teachers and sIxth-

form pupils it is hoped that the Direct,?r of Educatio? may authorise FA W courses as part of the sIxth-form currIculu m In Gwent.

The recruitment of young members, including former cadets, has been important and there has been a gratifying increase in the number of doctors and nurses joining over the year. The Ambulance Committee has concerned itself with an accurate assessment of availahle materials and manpower, exploring ways in which greater service can be given to the public.

1983 was the Cadet Diamond Jubilee in Wales, and county ce lebr ations featured prominently. 72 cadets gained Grand Prior's awards during 1983, while the highlight of the year was the Cadet Camp at Glanusk Park.

Competition success was marked b y the Glynneath Nursing Division winning the national Brigade Finals competition for the second successive yea r. They went on to represent the Brigade in the UK at the Grand Prior's Tr ophy competitions in November and although not WinnIng the team trophy, team member Mrs Janet Davies gained the award for the top individual competitor.

PRIORY FOR SOUTH AFRICA

St John first became active in 1883 and a major part of 1983 was devoted to centenary celebrations.

At the National Centenary Appeal's first meeting, in February, four project were formulated to be funded by a spec ial centenary appeal:

a) Incr eased first a id and nursing training, which received a boost when the Manpower U tili sation Act made provi sion for the establishment of approved training centres.

b) Community health education. Cape Town's success in this field had demonstrated convincingly the urgent need for thi type of service, embracing health education, community development, training in first aid, home nursing, hygiene and nutrition, tOgether v. ith the formation of new Brigade divisions.

c) Care of the elderly. The Order has not been involved in this area apart from founding and running successfully the Stella Londt Home in Port Elizabeth. It was proposed to extend this work.

d) Establi hment of rehabilitation centre for blind people from the black community. The Commirtee agreed that the Ophthalmic Foundation should extend its work to this project. Such a centre, providing tuition in the skills of daily li ving together with psychological counselling, would be the first of it s kind in South Africa.

The pre ent Prior, Mr 1'. H. Coulter, will complete his term of office next year. He will be s ucceeded by Colonel A. H. Johnstone, the pre ent Chancellor. The end of the year saw the retirement of (he Chief Commis ioner and Director of Ambulance, Dr R. C. van der Merwe, after many yea r s of distinguished, loyal service to barh Order and Brigade. Chief Commissioner Mr J. r. de Kok will take up the ap pOIntment.

Numerous events were held throughout 1983 both nationally and locally, and with the help of a PRO appointed for the year reasonable coverage was obtained on TV and radio an d even better coverage in the national and provincial pre s.

Centenary celebrations culminated in a week of pecial eve nts in Cape Town, the climax of which was the Investiture and Service of Commemoration and Rededication held in the Cathedra Church of St George the Martyr, attended by many civic dignitarie and leading personalities from all walks of life. The Grand Priory was represented by Major General Peter Leuchars, CBE, Chief Commander St John Ambulance, who was also g u est of honour at the Annual Ambulance Conference, when he inspired delegates with his addre s.

The St John Counc il in Swaziland, estab li s hed with Priory help last year, continues on a sound footing.

The St John Ophthalmic Foundation's major work is carr ied out by the Mobile Eye Unit which has now made over 80 monthly tours to rural areas, screened some 90,000 people 14

and performed nearly 2,000 operations. The two static Eye Clinics at Port Shepstone and Stanger continue to progress, and a third Clinic has been opened in the African township of U mlazi, near Durban.

For the Association and Brigade, planning for the centenary projects was the year's principal activity. All Centres have qualified under the Manpower Utilisation Act to offer industrial first aid training, and this may also attract new members. A start was made on extending the community health scheme

Brigade membership remained virtually static, although the number of casualties treated rose from 30,000 to 36,000. More first aid and nursing classes were held, VI'ith a considerable increase in the number of certificates awarded.

During February the Brigade suffered the loss of Dr Paul Keen, Surgeon -in -Chief, who served St John VI'ith such great loyalty and enthusiasm for 35 years. His great kindness, wisdom, skill and knoVl ledge will be missed by all. Dr Richard Pear on, As!>istant Surgeon-in-Chief, retired after 22 years' sterling service.

1983 saw the completion of nearly two years of planning and thought to ensure that the centenary year would be marked by steps forward to meet the rapidly changing social, political and human conditions in South Africa.

PRIORY IN NEW ZEALAND

We were grateful that Major General Peter Leuchars, CBE, Chief Commander St John Ambulance, could spare so much time for his visit to us. He maintained a bus)' schedule, seeing a whole range of St John activities.

Our Chancellor Sir Randal Elliott, and Hospitaller Dr W. J. Watt attended the St John Ambulance Oyerseas Conference in Toronto, Canada from 13-16 June. They then travelled on to London as our representatiyes at the Grand Prior's Advisory Council on 29-30 June.

During the year "VI'e received a further grant of $100,000 NZ from the Accident Compen ation Corporation in suppOrt of our fir aid training in indu tr y. Thi continuing support by the Corporation is very encouraging, enabling us to extend our activities in this important area. With substantial assistance from the Sutherland Trust "VI'e have purchased from St John in Canada copies of their audio-visual training material for the introduction of this first aid teaching system in ew Zealand in 1984.

A new adult training programme i being introduced into St John Ambulance Brigade. The programme is threetiered and Level 1, which comprise twelve adult instructional modules (AIM), was released in September Each module is a self-contained package and tutorial teams have been set up in each District to oversee the programme's implementation. The

Pupils of St Joseph's High School, Newport, Gwent with their First Aid Certificates, watching their Headmaster being presented with a St John Ambulance plaque.

second and third levels are planned for release in 1984 and 1985. The programme has so far be en well received and -:e are hopeful that the interest generated w dl be reflected lD a nse lD standards, interest and recruitment.

The annual Combined Conference of Association and Brig ade R epr esenta ti ves was h e ld at th e Police Wellington fro m 16 -18 Sept em ber. Three signi ficant recommendations from the Con ference have been approved by Prior y Chap ter:

a) that wor kin g parti es be se t up in the five main metropolit an centres to review th e future a ims, n eeds and stru cture of Th e Order in New Zealand

b) th at Priory Headquarter s seek the guidance of Maori, P acific Island a nd ot h er cultural group le aders to adv ise on how we ca n further promote participation in The Order

c) that a concerted effort be made in March 1984 to h ave every referee, coach and ad min is tr ator attend a sports first aid course

PRIORY OF CANADA

St John Ambulan ce this yea r mark ed it s ce nten ary in Canada with man y exciting eve nt s. The fo ca l point of national festiviti es was the Grand Prior 's visit to Ottawa f rom 3- 5 June. In addition to attending a ga la dinn er, HRH The Duke of Gloucester was present at th e la un c hing of a com m e morati ve st amp, in spec t ed Brigade member at a Government House P ara de a nd presented awards co com petitors in th e first nati o n al Brigade First Aid and Hom e Health Care Competitions.

Another spec ial guest was Mrs Ruth Parks, Matron of the St J oh n Ophthalmic H ospital in J er usalem, who also atte nd ed th e 5th triennial Over seas Co n fere nce from 13-16 Jun e. Hosted by Ontar io Council in Toronto , this was the first Overseas Conference to be held out ide the UK.

The Brigade in Canada has shown a record .growth in 1983. 15 ,68 4 members in 610 divi ions gave approxlnutely 2 million hours of service, treating almost 200,000 casualties. Highlight of the year was the provision .of first aid. en·ices for the ge n eral public at the World University Game lD Edmonton, A lb erta.

Other co mpl eted projects incl ud ed a Fre n c h ve r sio n of the NCO lea d ers hip programme, translation of the Cadet. Camping Manual, and the production in French and Engll h of a brochure for new members As part of an ongoing study of the role of the Brigade in the 1980s, National issued comprehensive questionnaires to a random selection o f Brigade members. The results will help determine the Brigade\ furure dir ect ion.

Brigade Cadets a nd Crus<1ders in Canada raised approximately $7,000 for the St Ophthalmic Hospital,. for ophthalmic equipment and to finance pa.rtly a .',olar heatln.g They also a ,1 centenn ial surv va l c,llrn prOject In the Northwest Territorie

Up to December 318,021 Canadians were trained in first aid (incl uding c.lrdiopulmonary resuscitation) and heJith care. Gi\ en current economic conditiom, this is most encour<lging and indicative of the continuing imp(). tance of first .lid and health care training.

The ational Instructor Tr,,;ning ;1I1d De\·elopment Progr,lll1me ( ITDP) came into effect year, ensuri.ng a higher t.lndard of in tructor. Ne"':· ,liT requln:d to .mcnd ,\ form,,1 -,O-hour With pre-course study and post-course monitoring For re-qualification, imtrucrors must ,1ttend NITDP work hops. All IIlstructors \\ ill therefore mcet the same tandards.

The three and ,1 half hour Fir t Aid for Drivers course has bccn complctcd and pilot e\·aluation programmes werc conducted in thc autumn. Somc changes are required to increase the cour c' cffecti\"(:ness, to be completed in the e\V Year. Thc course will bc markcted initially to driving schools and it hoped that in time it will become a pre-requisite for obc"ining.1 driving licencc.

Improvem ents in the multiple choice question data bae for the Standardi ed Theoretical Ex,lmination Project continued with the introduction, ubject to further field testing, of' th e first se t of standardised examinations for both Emergency and Standard level of training.

The Priory of ew Zealand this year decided to use our multi-media afety-oriented industrial fir t aid tra ini ng co ur ses, a nd arrangements are being m ade for some course materials to be produced locally under li cence.

The Department of Health Care al,so had an active year, with the nati o nal lau nch in spring of. the Health Care for Se ni ors pr oject, fund ed by a $ 1· 8m grant from the J. W. McConnell Foundat on of Mo ntr ea l. This three year progr"mme is des igned to inform and teach senior citizen how to stay in th e best of hea lth.

T h e n ew ly revised C hild C<1 re in th e H o n1 e cour e ;vas this year eva lu ated through a research gra nt f!"Om the Hea lth R esea rch Development Programme, and preliminary finding s how it ef fective in t eac hin g chi ld care to hi gh- c h 0 1 st udent s

Finally, th e N at iona l H ea lth Ca r e Department' ce nt e nni a l p ro ject met with resounding suc cess, an d a. Ca nadian nur e will be sent to th e St J o hn OphthalmiC Hospital nex t April.

THE PRIORY IN AUSTRALIA

In 1983, the Priory in Australia celebrated the , centenary of the formal L'stablishment of the first Centre of the Association in Australia. The with which the work of The Order spread throughout the Empire one hundred year ago is a commentary on that period's need of the 'icrviccs offered by St John. The Priory ha, used the centenary as an occasion to concentratc our efforts towards ensuring that we me<.'t the community'.., needs in Australid today. The , development of new policies for the proper combination of the vo lunte er and the professional has been anorher priority.

The ccntenarv of The Order was celebrated in Melbourne, and it a pleasure to have The Lord Prior ,md Lady Dorman present for the occasion. Another event [he launching of our centenary history, 'A Centur;.- for Aust.rall.a' by Dr Ian Howie-Willis, which is a dispaSSIOnate objectl\ c of The Order in Australia, It was a rehef tor St John to emerge relatively unscathed from such a thorough ,111d ,earching history.

Once again, first aid certificate numbers ha\ e marginally increased this year, and Brigade numbers ha\'e remained static. The number of man hours worked and casualties treated have shownignificant incre,lse Succe sful tund raising for the Australian Ophthalmic Fcllo\\·hip at the Ophthalmic Hospital has cnabled another surgeon to work .H the Ho pital for a year.

Standards of the Civil Ambulance Ser\ ices run by The Order hd\'e continued to irnpro\·e and once again the:- ha\·e ho\"\"n themselves to be a \·ital and irreplaceable part of the Australian health system, despite philo ophical objections in some area to these en·ices not being a government f.Kility.

This has been a olid and un pectacular centenary year, ho\yevcr a series of initiati,·es ha\·e been taken that \"\"ill bear fruit in the year to corne.

COMMANDERY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA

With the generous upport of the \'x/estern Au tralian Turf Club th e St John Ambulance Welter took place on 12 March, \yhen the Knight Commander, Hi Excellency Sir Richard Trowbridge, KCVO, KStJ, inspected a St John Ambulance Brigade guard of honour and pre ented a trophy, provided by the Club, to the \yinner.

A ce nt e nary church en'ice was conducted at t George's Cathedral on 3 July. The ComlTlandery Chaplall1, the Mo t Reverend Dr P. F Carnley, Archbi hop ot Perth, preached to a capac it y congregation.

On 26 October, the Commandery bade fare\yell to the Knio-ht Commander, returning to Britain after completing hi of office. To mark th e occasion pre enta tions were made bo th to Hi s Excellency Sir Ric hard and Lady Trowbridge.

The Sir Wallace Kyle Education Fund established during the year. The F und will cover or subsidise tuition and trave lling COSts incurred by country sub-centre member visiting P ert h to qualify as fir t aid instructors.

The Grand Prior, His Royal Highness the Duke of Gloucester presents Miss Mandy Fish with her Grand Pri ors Badge during the Federal District Brigade Parade and Inspection held at Government House, Ottawa

The Ladies' Auxiliary has once again given tremendous support, making a donation to the Commandery Museum and catering generously for all the various functions during the year.

The Commandery is indebted to Mrs Muriel Dawkins, widow of the late Brigadier A L. Dawkins, OBE, KStJ, ED, Commandery Lieutenant , for her most generous gift of a Hans Heysen water-colour.

The Association had an impressive year with 14,728 students qualifying. A new Belmost HQ extension was opened on 16 December by the Premier of Western Australia, the Hon R. T. Burke, MLA.

Brigade members this year gave almost 60,000 hours of service and treated over 10,000 casulaties in all.

COMMANDERY OF ARDS

This year the Londonderry/Osborne Nursing Division celebrated its golden jubilee, with man y events held in the county to mark the occasion, including the annual Commandery Church Service held at St Columb's Cathedral. At a jubilee dinner attended by the Knight Commander, our

Bailiff Grand Cross and other civic dignitaries, the Division presented a cheque for £1,000 to the Knight Commander for the St John Ophthalmic Hospit2l and their Divisional Officer rece i ved a Jubilee Certificate.

The death of Sir Francis Evans, GBE, KCMG, on 21 August was a sad loss to St John in North ern Irelaml. After a distinguished career in the Diplomatic Service, Sir Francis returned to North e rn Ireland holdin g office as Commandery Lieutenant from 1961-1970 becoming a Knight of Grace in 1965.

The Association has met the challenge presented by the new Health and Safety at Work leg is lation. After some teething troubles 5,360 FA W Certificates were iss ued for the year, despite the closure of man y places of employment in the Pro vi nce.

The Brigade has continued to serve the community during the year. Two ambulances destroyed by arson in West Belfast were rep laced. Our competition teams were su ccessful both in London and in Dublin, bringing the Sir Otto Lund Trophy back to the North from the South. One cade was awarded a Certificate of Hon o ur for an incident in 1982. Four cadets participat ed in Outward Bound courses.

The Joint Committee and Service Hospitals

During the past year the Joint Comm ittee has achieved a co n solidatio n of it s aims, made possible by a continuing improvement in finances.

This year Lady Moyra Browne retired after 18 years and everyone will miss her long experience and wise counsel. We wou ld like to welcome Lady Westbury as her successor.

This year the Committee took over the war pensioner casework and aid to disabled ex-servicemen previously handled by the King's Fund. An extension has been approved to Mais House for disabled ex-servicemen. Close cont<lct ha s been maintained wi th, and continuing grant-aid given, to the residential paraplegic settlements at Lyme Green, Macclesfield, the Kytes Estate at Garston, at Norwich and the Barrowmore Village Settlement near Chester. Assistance continues to be given to the Chaseley Trust and the Royal Star and Garter Home for Disabled Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen. A donation was made to the Scholarship Fund of the National Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee. The trustee s of Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, again donated a substantial sum towards the welfare of war-disabled ex-servicemen.

In Jan uary t he Ministry of Defence asked for staff to accompany the Falklands Pilgrimage and set up a creche on board the 'Cunard Countess' for approximately 60 children. The Director, Miss Shirley Goldthorpe, and five Welfare

Officers joined relatives in London on 4th April and flew to Montevideo the fol lowing day, where they embarked. A close relat ionship was built up with the families and help and comfort was given during the many harrowing experiences of the voyage.

In November we were particularly honoured when Elizabeth Patten, Senior Welfare Officer at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Wroughton, received the MBE in recognition of the work done by Service Hospitals Welfare for the relatives of injur ed servicemen from the Fa lkl ands.

Many NHS hospitals and nursing homes continue to receive t he Hospital Library Service, despite a severe reduction in the number of librar ans

A copy of Jean Cantlie-Stewart's book, 'The Quality of Mercy', has been sent to all Service Hospitals Libraries, inscribed in memory of Miss Prue Jeff, who died in September 1982. She was Hospital Library Administrator before her retirement and had been a Director of the Service Hospitals Welfar e D epartm e nt.

The Joint Committee continues to co-operate wit h the Not Forgotten Association, the Royal British Legion and the Lest We Forget Association in arranging convalescent holid ays and outings.

St John Ambulance volunteer Kathleen Cadeen came to the rescue when Rachel Grace of Great Baddow cut her foot and missed the Toddler competition.

The agony of effort shows in the face of young Lee Burgess who was competing in the 1983 Grenoside Chase, a three -mile nm.

Headquarters of the Order of St. John and its Foundations

A year ago I reported upon a very difficult year. 1982 had ended with a substantial deficit, partly because mone y we had expected to come from a generous supporter in the Middle East had not arrived and partly because the Falklands conflict had attracted charitable supp ort away from other charities. But by the time that Report was written things were improvingHi s Majesty King Hussein of Jordan had stepped in to tide us over toe problems of the H ospital and donations in this country had started to move ahead.

I am pleased to report that these developments proved to be sound harbingers of events in the rest of 1983. King Hu ssein's generous donation was followed by further help, particularly from King Ze id of the United Arab Emirates from friends in Saudi Arabia and from the American Society. Smaller, but no less welcome, help came from supporters in this country and Continental Europe. Some of this money was stated to be for t he purpose of endowing the Hosp ital to reduce the long-term v ulnerabi lity to short -term pre ssures, and these donations have been dealt with appropriately in the accounts. As a result, the endowment fund was doubled and it now exceeds £1 million, and the income it earns now covers a little over one tenth· of the cost of running the Hospit al. I regard the build-up of this Fund as of crucial importance for we have to recognise that our major s upporter s have many other pressing claims on their resources, while economic and political developments may affect the volume of resources they have available.

In this country, too, things improved Donations rose to a level higher than that of 1981 and, at the sa me time, added efforts in our various income earning operations produced a welcome increase in revenue. As a charity we would not be justified in ex travagant c harging for sales and services, but it is our duty to our backers that we seek to generate such income from these sources as we fairly may. Selfhelp is an essential complement to outside help - and it may encourage that outside help.

It is proposed to transfer the deferred liabi li ties in respect of certain pensions to the Social Workers Pension

Statetnent of Accounts for the year ended 31 Decetnber 1983 Report

Fund over a number of years. As a first tep th e reserve of £90,396 w hich we h ad a year ago and a further amo unt of are being u sed to buy a nnuiti es for some of the eXlstlDg pensioner s.

Two further special item s of expenditure arose in 1983. First, the fabric at St John' s Gate had for eco nomi c reasons, enjoyed less regular m a intenanc e that wa really desirable and inevitably the time came when we co uld no lo ng er delay. The old adage abou t 'a stitch in time' is very relevant to th e care of ancient buildings a nd a determin ed effort wi ll be made to keep the reg ular care up-to-date in future. Secondly, ""e hav e for some yea rs e mploy ed computer facilitie a nd we were faced last summer with a decision that the Bur eau which we were using would cease to b e available in March 1984. A new modest computer syste m of our own ha s been in tail ed, it i already properly covering - at lower cost - the work w hich was handled by the bureau, and plan s are in hand to ex tend its use to other wQrk at Headquarters with th e intention of providing more effe ctive administrative services.

The continuance of The Order 's work is always dependent upon the generos ity of our benefactors and this was made abundantly clear last year when we were forced to conte mplat e cr isis measures which, had they been implemented, might well have cut deeply into some of our activities. The balance is happier at present and it is a littl e easier to plan ahead - but we must not become complacent and assume that the funds wi ll always flow inexorably.

As there were no mechanics available (they had all gone to the fiesta) we had to leave the plane for the night and seek a hotel until the morning. The Airport Controller gave us a lift into town, where we had great difficulty in getting accommodation and, owing to a firework display outside the hotel, we got little sleep that night.

We were back at the airfield at 7 am and mechanics soon got to work on the plane so that by 11.30 am we were ready to continue our journey to Spain. We reached Barcelona about 2 30 pm and found the patient lying on a stretcher in an ambulance, with the rest of the family sitting in the shade waiting for us. After lunch at the airport we loaded the family into the plane, the patient at the front of the plane and the family at the back. Shortly after take-off the patient became very restless. He had been sedated prior to

S JA o n th e MOTORWAY

/ Began to recognise aircraft, and (right) struck by lightning take-off but was disturbed by the strangeness of his surroundings and, to make matters worse, we were running into more bad weather and the plane was rocking from side to side

After a while he attempted to get up from his stretcher announcing that he had had enough and was going to get off the plane, and we had great difficulty in restraining him. We gave him an injection of Largactil but it had little effect and his family could be of no assistance as they were all suffering from air sickness. By now I was becoming really worried and informed the Captain, who decided to land at Pari s for medical help. He radioed ahead and the airport doctor boarded the plane and gave the patient an injection which 'put him out' for the remainder of the journey. At Croydon an ambulance was waiting with a doctor to

The St John Flag is hoisted at the M5 's Gordano Service Station first aid un (Photo George Gallop)

AFTER spending £1400 refitting and repairing their new first aid post on the M5 motorway at Gordano motoring services, Easton Avon's Shirehampton SJA members were ready for another season of busy motorway duties. The renovated Portacabin - the first of its type at any service station in the UK - is on the southbound lane of the M5 and was officially opened on June 19 by Col John Uniacke, Avon 's Deputy County Commissioner.

The unit, which will be manned by members until October on Friday evenings and weekends, includes a separate treatment room Summer weekend first aid cover at the service area has been provided by our members for the last eight years They began with a tent, putting in 240 hours and treating 30 people during the first season, and later built a hut. Last year 972 hours of duty were put in and 285 people sought first aid for cuts , burns and even sudden illness. Additional facilities offered include two wheelchairs for ase in the service area, to bowls of water for animals travelling during hot weather.

Motorways are places where SJ A services can be seen by people whose minds are often very receptive due to monotonous driving. Invaluable publicity here.

take him to the Maudsley hospital. It was past midnigh when I said farewell to his family and my colleague and was given a lift to Essex b y the Airline company. It was the first time I had been able to relax since I left Croydon t he previous da y and I felt completel y exhau ste d , but relieved that the mission had been accomplished satisfactorily.

(Continued next mon th)

H. C. Cottrell, Receiver· General.

INVESTITURE

Mrss Henniker Wctherall (Norfolk)

Susan. Mrs Heppenstall (Llncs)

Brian St George Hewlll IMerseYSlde) DOriS Sheila M rs Hewitt (Merseyslde)

Hind ICumbrla}

OBITUARY

(Leics)

Mary Mrs Young (Avon)

(B rot h er)

Ma cus Ruderman (N reland)

BROTHER or SERVING SISTER

Edward Acornley (Derbyshire!

(Staffs)

Bartho omew (Dorset)

ler s t a nd in g a n d we ll a ware o f th e c h a ngi ng p lace or [h e pr o fe ion o f I1l L'ciici n c in soc ie l Y. H e saw q u ite clearly

t h e nece sity fo r improved relation betwee n h e BIVI A and the t rade union operating in the H S. T hi improlement was in crea ingly difficult to bring about loca ll y, where mi l itant shop s tellard held sway, but at the centre it wa ea ie-r to tart a d ialog ue , and this he wa s able to do mo t succes fu ll y. H e found it ea y to establi h good relation and indeed friend hip \1 ith hi fe llo ll trade unioni t He h el d trongly to hi C h ri tian belief and Con en a til 'e p hil o ophy, a thoug h a a very pril ate man h e h el d h i own co u n el. T o work with EL ton \Va a joy, a p r i\i lege. and an in piration. H i Cal 'a lier l ike approach to all challenge _ anc! prob lem made life e.\ ' iting an I ften surpri ing. Hi s profes ion Olles him a g reat dea l and o \\ es much roo ( Lilia (hi II ife) and hi fami ly for rhe <;acrifice l1ladc to h i ense I' dutl' and the ortcn in\c!h <1tc dema n d o r th e B !

TALKING POINT (JUL Yl

from Mr M.H. Green

Well done, Re x Purchase! At last someone has put into print what I suspect a lot of us are thinking. I am 95070 behind what he writes and w ould onl y like to comment further as follows: Sexism. Why does St John insist on nursing certificates for officers of comb ned di vi sions and all female members? Why not first-aiders - male and female - and leave the nursing to those with that particular interest. M y wife left St John for that very reason. She wanted to be a first-aider and wasn't interested in the nursing side. On duties she took part fully in all aspects , but for divisional aspects she had to give priority to nursing and it became a drag As she couldn't drop it, she left, and I'm sure she's not the only one that has done so. If all St John members have to take the certificate more will follow.

Cadets. As a cadet Superintendent I sometimes think, like Mr Purchase, that cadets are considered an expensive luxury. For instance, not a word has been said about how cadets fit into the FA W scheme. A lot of cadets over 15 have taken the Adult First Aid Course. Presumably they will have to take the FA W conversion or not be able to join the adult divisions

Here, in Winchester, we encourage our cadets to take the exam as soon as they feel able to and we will therefore encourage them to take the FA W course, but it would be nice to know what we are supposed to do Winchester M. H. Green

WHAT WE ARE GOOD AT from David Symes, SRN, ONe

I would like to comment on a few points from the July Re view. First, Talking Point by Rex Purchase. I think Mr Purchase's suggestion so far as uniform is concerned is one of the most sensible that I have read. I completely agree with him so far as the men's peak cap is concerned, and if we must have headgear I certainly think that this is the most serviceable and practical. I would like to see the badg es of rank replaced and the bars for registered and enrolled nurses. Personally I would like to see chrome lettering SRN, SEN or Doctor as the distinguishing mark for this group of member.

Could I now turn to the letter Red Tape by Alan P. Renshall. I do. ind.eed feel a great deal of sympathy for Mr Renshall 's position, bemg m very much the same situation myself. As you will see from my qualifications, which I have included, I am both a qualified teacher and specifically qualified in accident and emergency work. I have undertaken orientation in industry as required by my County Director and now under sta nd that I have to take a fi rs t aid exam and give a talk on first aid This I shall do as I think the aggra vatio n will b e worth it in the end However, I must say I feel slightly aggrieved that someone who is not either should bring themselves to question a formal teaching certificate obtained through the Royal College of Nursing a post registration qualification in accident and emergency work o through what was then the leading accident and emergency tramlllg centre. I am sure Mr Renshall ' s assessment should cause him no concern and personally hope that he survives the indignity with as much good grace as he can muster.

Ne xt to the article Shock by Anthony J. Handley, which I thoroughly enjo y ed. It is not often that you see a straightforward approach to the topic of shock. It is a grea t pity t hat it was thought necessary to insert the comment that oxygen therapy in the case of shock is not authorised in our manual as it is virtually standard treatment in the management of the shock state. It was interesting to note, of course, that where pain control is di sc us se d in the prehospital phase one is assuming that Entonox would be the analge sic of choice, and this of course contains 50% oxygen, being higher than the percentage in atmospheric air. We would indeed be providing oxygen therapy along with analgesic and if that is not authorised in our manual, then it is high time it was.

on topic of ex-service officers, I have had the privil ege of workmg WIth many di visions in many counties throughout England and Wales. As such I have come into contact with a lot of officers and members of different social backgrounds, education and experience. In my opinion most of us are doing a difficult job in the best way that we possibly can , regardless of our background All bring

208

specific skills .to the Brigade, which are val uable if utili se d intelligently Most ex-serVIce personnel will bring with them organisational skills and these can be of immense va lu e to a Brigade unit. Of course if these people's experience is ignored and t h eir help spurned they become frustrated and this frustration may often show itself in an authoritarian approach. However, bein g blessed with th r ee left feet all on right side I have a great deal of sympathy for peopl e who wo uld hke to see a less militaristic approach I see us as St John Ambulance, a body of people trying and prepared to care for the an.d sick, and provide a first aid and ambulance function alon g WIth nursmg support. This I think is what we are good at and this I think, is what we should stick to.

Lymington

David Symes

FIRST AID IN SCHOOL

from A. Walker, Divisional Officer and Mrs J. Gaskin Area Supt (N) I was interested to read the article on first aid in schoo ls (July Review), but Wales are not the first to teach first aid in sc hools.

Early in 1983 the Borough of Blyth Valley decided that action should be taken towards developing a home and leisure safety programme

A worki ng party was formed from various organisations within th e area who were interested in reducing the numbers of dea ths and accidents in the home. The working party realised from the start that direct co nta ct with the public was needed, rather than poster or leafle t campaigns, and having made that decision the question was what type of educational programme would attract public suppo rt? The choice fell upon basic first aid training

The object of such a course would be to teach emergency first aid so that people co uld react constructively to a situation rather than panic, and use their acquired knowledge to save life, relieve suffering and promo te recovery A further aim was that the basic training would be available to everyone free of charge and it wo u ld be given at their own meeting places, or locations convenient to their home. The target audience was to be members of the community who would not normally be available for first aid training.

As two Divisions were to be involved in the training, Blyth Am bu la n ce and Nursing and Cramlington Ambulance and Nursing, a pilot sch eme was started with one group from each town. Blyth was to teach a pre-play - school group of young mothers. Cramlington selected the Brockwell County Middle School.

The programme chosen was to be four one-hour lectures on the fo llowin g:

1. Artificial Ventilation

2. Control of Bleeding

3. Burns and Scalds, and Poisons

4. Shock and the unconscious patient and minor injuries

The project proved to be an instant success and app li cations began to arrive in a steady stream.

At this point the Senior Environmental Health Officer, Mr. Bustin, approached the Manpower Services Co mmi ssion who gave approval

r r a small team of a c'o-ordinator and two clerical assistants to b e to run the scheme The co-ordinator was a lso a St John inst ructor. So with Blyth Valley CouncJ! advertIsmg the project and the St John member s lec urin g and demonstrating the project quickly athere d momentum Up to March 1984, 793 pupils had attended the fec tures an d a further 595 pupils were waiting to take the course. Local sc hool s have included first aid training in for 1.9 84 and 1985. We are convinced that the project IS havmg the deSIred effect. Reports are coming in of accidents in the home where schoo l children, yo ung parents, etc, have saved life and coped with other emergencies by using their newly acquired knowledge and skills. We feel that we have achieved a great deal in bringing first aid training 10 people who would no t n ormally receive any training at all.

A further spin off from the project is recruiting We have had several school children co min g to join our cadets and adults, men and women, have been arriving in a steady trickle over the past few months.

Blyth A. Walker D I O 1. Gaskin , Area Supt(N)

)T IS FOR US TO REASON

from Thos H Hollingworth , Honorary Member

How entertain ing and provocative was July's R e view with Talking Point and Readers Views To try and repl y to all the points of view expresse d would take more time than I can spare and more space than you wou ld be prepared to use.

Mrs E. K. Thorn's letter First Aid at Work states that it s not the la w which compe ls Brigade members to take t h e FA W certificate; and have yet to see it promulgated in Bri ga de Regulations which are the equiva lent of Queen's Regulation s in t h e Armed Serv ices.

Mrs Thorn's lett er makes me wonder how it is the As s o c iation manage d to get away with ins isting that people in industr y mu st take an industrial course in first aid when the first aid ce rtificate was valid fo r first-aiders in industry

Candi date s from industry must no t be allowed on public first aid cours es. This was the instruction iss ued ; which re s ulted in divisions losing ca ndidates and prospective members to the British Red Cross Society.

'Y ou can foo l the people some of the time; and all the people some of the time; but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.' It would see m that this adage has come true.

The Brigade is a group of people who give their ime and services free ly to be able to say 'Can I help you', knowing they ha ve the skills and train ing to save life and promote recovery. As a uniformed organisation we must have regulations and be prepared to accept and obey them whether we agree with them or not. Di sc ipline is the backbone of any uniformed organisa ion ; som eone has to lead and accept responsibility; that is why we need officers. We may respect the rank, but the bearer has to win our respect; he may command but he cannot command our respect.

The days of 'Not for us to reason why, but for us to do or die' are coming to an end with the passing of my generation.

Newa rk Thos H. Hollingworth

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

from Watkin W Williams

My views on Multiple Choice Questions are too well known to many of my frie nd s and former colleagues in St John Ambulance for me to feel any impropriety in expressing strong support for Miss K. D. Wilso n 's con t ention (July Review) that MCQ tests are ill suited to the ex amination of students on the First Aid at Work course (or, for that matter, any examination in first aid or nursing), and for the following reasons:

1. 1 ent ir ely agreed with the views quoted by Miss Wilson as expressed by co rre spondents in the Nursing Standard to the effect that MCQ tests 'disco u rage initiative and individual approach to patient care' to s u ch an exte nt that the examinee 'can be left with feelings of disillusionment and despondency'.

2. As a professional teacher and for many years a GCE examiner am co nvin ced that MCQ tests are suitable on ly for examinations in an exact science where ther e can be no shadow of doubt that only

CORNWALL

Furley Cup - Awarded to the Torpoint Divisions in recognition of their alI-round progress and participation in SJA work. They are a fine example of Divisions working in close co -operation. They take part in all St John activities - Association, Interlink, competitions, cadet activities, as well as doing nearly 3,500 hours of duty. The adult divisions incl ud e 12 ex - cadets, 11 of whom are Grand Prior's Badge holders. We feel they are representative of what St John is all about - service to mankind.

Furley Cup for Cadets - Awarded to Pendeen Quad Division, whose cadets have done the most public duty hours in proportion to their membership.

Metheral Cup -Given by the late Mrs Oli via Pott s for work by individuals in the community, we are delighted to announce that this year the cup has been awarded to Mr and Mrs Ingram , o f Hayle, who operate a telephone service for escort duties five days a week. The service should be from 9am to 5pm, but Dr Lyons, from the Hospice, often visits patients in the evening so Mrs Ingram has to organise trans p ort at all hours Letter s of appreciation for the service have been received from the Hospice During the year 367 escorts were arranged, an increase of 125 on last year. St John and the public are very fortunate in having such dedicated people as Mr and Mrs Ingram (Above) The

Mrs Shirley presents the Metheral Cup to Mr and Mrs (CSO) Ingram

Britain's only SJA county commissioner, Lady Mary Holborow presents the Furley Cup to D I S M. Mallett of Torpoint Divisions

Furley

for Cadets goes

S.H.

one of the alternatives offered could conceivably be the right answer. I spent a good deal of time studying possible questions based on the last previous FA manual and came to the conclusion that first aid is not a sufficiently exact science for an adequately wide range or 'bank' of MCQ tests to be devised without introducing (a) ambiguities in the wording of the question and (b) sets of alternatives among which, though only one is normally the right answer, there can be circumstances in which one or more of the others will be preferable.

3. My third, and perhaps greatest, objection to MCQ tests in first aid is that they are no substitute whatever for what they almost totally replace, namely an oral discussion between examiner and examinee. I am quite certain that many first-aiders will bear me out in saying that we have very often gained more from this discussion with a good exarnining doctor than from anything else in the course - irrespective of whether we passed or failed. To replace this by MCQ tests is a very grave loss to our examination system, and if (as some have told me) the only reason is to save time, then we must adjust our values and save the time on some part of the course which is of less educational and inspirational value.

4. Perhaps I should add a fourth reason, though I hope it may no longer be relevant. In the early experimental days of our use of MCQ tests I went on an excellent refresher course followed by a reexamination of which the results were announced before we went home. I was told that I had passed and that I had scored 18 out of 20 for the MCQ test. But they couldn 't tell me which two I had got wrong. Consider the case of candidates (and there were some) who scored, say, 11 out of 20 and couldn't be told which nine were wrong. It is unlikely that they would identify all nine by thumbing through the manual afterwards, and if, as is more probable, they went through the rest of their lives thinking that their wrong answers were the right ones, someone could easily die in consequence. Of course that applies to me too, for I never succeeded in identifying the two questions on which I was faulted. I did afterwards tell the Association branch that I felt this to be not only a very unsound educational practice but also a very dangerous one , and I was assured that the matter would be rectified. I would lih to feel certain that it has not only been rectified in the instructions to those who process and announce the examination results but that those instructions are carried out without fail on every single occasion.

Epping Watkin W. Williams

AN ERROR?

from Mr B.T. Brown

If AIM Mr Leadeham reads 'Caring for the Sick' carefully I think he will find that there is no error in converting calories to joules (July Review) However the text under Special Diets', while being correct, may be misleading.

1 calorie (cal) = 4.184 joules (J)

1000 cals = 1 kilocalorie (kcal or Cal*)

*Note the spelling

The confusion has arisen because medical personnel have until now used the 'Cal' as the medical unit of energy and many people may not appreciate the subtle difference in spelling.

It is possible to infer that a special diet of 1000calories might be prescribed and, while this converts to about 40001 (or 4kl), it would be virtually impossible to achieve. It is likely that the author was thinking about a 1000kcai or Cal diet, which as Mr Leadeham points out equates to 4MJ or 4000kJ or thereabouts.

The book is not therefore incorrect, even if it could have been worded a little differently In normal medical practice there was no problem until the introduction of Systeme Internationale (SI) units Within the confine s of medicine the indiscriminate use of the two abbreviations was of little significance. When converting to other units it is of course essential to know what you are starting from.

Sutton Coldfield B. T. Brown

OUR WARM KITCHEN

from David S. Gee, Area Superintendent

Never in all the years of taking the Review have I had the misfortune to read such rubbish as written by AIM 1. Leadeham (July Review).

So far as Brigade discipline is concerned, some sort of order is required and if our type of discipline reminds him of the Armed

Forces so be it. I always thought, by the way, that our Armed For were there not to 'kill people' but to protect the realm and OUr w ces of life. ay

If Mr Leadeham had taken the trouble to read General Regulation then he would have learned that saluting is not an act of subservienc! but courtesy.

And to our ambulance all ranks above Div / Supt admInistrators Area staff offIcers do not have ju st one to but several.' and I. have. found that teaching firs t aId and assIstmg m demonstratIOns (first aid) takes more time than admin.

Next, sexism in the Brigade. I would have thought it apparent to all that male and female members were needed on public duties as a common courtesy to the public.

To sum up our Ilford member's complaints: Our un iform is wrong' our officers are wrong; saluting is wrong; our discipline is wrong; ou; radIOS are wrong; our duty rotas are wrong; our handbOOk is amateurish.

Mr Leadeham, if you don 't like the heat stay out of the kitchen. Brighouse David S. Gee

QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

from Miss Kathlyn D. Wilson SRN, County Pool

Thank :you, Mr Candler, for your excellent le tter (May Review) about the new requirements for Brigade efficiency (ie, t h e FA W certificate).

I agree with all yo ur remarks and question whether this will raise our standards. (I do agree, though, that some standards need to be raised.) Surely the new F.A. Manual can do th is and if Brigade members must have another certificate to increase efficiency why not a course and certificate ba sed on the Public Duty Handbook? This surely would be far more appropriate than FA W, especially at, say, horse trials and other country events. There are some items in the PAW course which refer only to industry and 'ordinary member s' do not need to know them and will not be needed on most public dut ies, but items in the Public Duty Manual all members should know. So, please HQ, do think again about what a large percen tage of rank and file members are saying.

Cumbria Kafhlyn D Wilson

THIS MONTH I am continuing the alphabet programme ideas started in August. Have yO U any ideas to share with Cadet Chat? Co ntribution , please, to lim, 3 Brandreth Road, London E6 4QB.

Dancing - di sco or otherwise; Dressing up -a super evening for Cadets; Duke of Edinburgh's Award _ don't forget tha t there are other award sc hemes; Debates - this hou se believes that they can be popular with Cadets; Divingan exciting activity that can be organised for you by the experts; Do-it-yourself - a series of practical hints and instruction from some of the fathers.

Electricity - v isit your lo cal generating statio n ; Emergencies -a lifelike ser ies of accidents to test the cadets to the full; Edinburgh rock - see what they're like at making sweets, simp y give them the ingredients and let them get on with it; Entertaining - the parents , the local Divisions, lot s of scope here; Exploringa great day out for the Cadet; Electronicsmore cadets are turning to t his as a hobby, get them to talk to the Division about it; Expeditions - excellent programme matedal here, both in build-up, planning and exec ution. Something here for all Divisions; Entomology - look it up!; Estimationa skill not u sed as much as it u sed to be. Can be great fun to find out who is the champion 'estim ator' .

FLanko Chemical's first aid team who were there : (L to R) George Froggatt , George Webster (SJA CSO and well-travelled aeromedical member ), and Dr Richard Marcus

(Photo: Bolton Evening News)

Gtr Manchester

THE prompt action of Lanko Chemical's first aid team recently saved the life of an elderly lady who had collapsed in Eccles bus station. She had stopped breathing after losing about t hree pints of blood from a burst varicose vein. Dr Richard Marcus gave mouth -to-mouth resuscitation while the other members of the tea m rendered fir st aid assistance The firm's ambulance was called and she was taken to nearby Hope Hospital where she was soon state d to be comfortable. The medical centre of the firm is sited very close to the bus station and this is not the first time their services have been called upon [n fact shortly afterwards the team were called out again to give first aid to a boy who had fallen from his bicycle.

* Congratulations to Judith Clarke, a member of Bredbury and Romiley Combined Division who while attending a duty at Woodford Air ShoW bought a raffle ticket for 20p and won a new Mini Metro City ca r The draw was organised by the RAF Association.

ires - the dangers of , how to light, lighting by friction; Fencing - the sport, not building them; Field studies - an interesting project for Cadet Divisions; Fil ming -a good way of building up a Division's archive; First aid - either a course or a few minutes each week in the programme. Once again, it is vital to consult the experts. If you haven't done any first aid training recently you may find your knowledge is out of date; Fishing - popular with a lot of cadets. Why not hold a Division fishing champio n ship?; Fundraising - vital if activities are to be successful.

On St John's Day, Radford Cadet Division

Gang Show - still one of the most popular Cadet activities, great fun to organise and take part in; Givinghelp in practical ways. For example, learn a skill such as painting and decorating which can be used as part of service projects ; Geology - a new activity to introduce to Cadets; Gymnastics -a fast growing sport. Could a Di vision championship be organised?; Gliffing - relatively easy to organise if you have the contacts; Gardening - watching things grow and learning to care for nature; Golf - another competition idea; Good turns - Cadets help others; Gadget making - an important skill needed for camp. Use the winter months to tryout new ideas. Design your own gadgets.

HaYbox cooking - a definjte aid for camp. Practise the skills now and help take a lot of the hassle out of camp cateri ng; Hot air ballooning - again a case where the experts should be consulted; Hockey - challenge the local division; HosteUing - a great activity for the winter months; Hill walking - another activity which needs a great deal of training; Horsemanship - easy to organise. Just book, then turn up with cadets and cash!; Hobbies and interests - an evening where everyone talks ab?ut his or ber own interests;

At Southsea Milton Cadet Division 's presentation evening: (Back L to R) Eric Boyes , pres George Brunner Area pres; Mrs G M Duke Cty Supt; Tony Thompson, Supt Hants Pot ice; Mi chael Pi ckst ock Div vice-pres (Front) Frank Etlard , retiring after 45 years as a D O and Jane Bampton Grand Prior s Badg e

Handicrafts - another popular activity with the cadets

International evenings, cook ing , finding out about young people in another country, how people in other countries spend their lei sure time; Ice skating - a novel activity that might be difficult to organise it' you li ve i n the country; Invisible inks - lemon or vinegar, for example, could improve the basis for an exciting wide game; Initiative tests - such an activity would make an interesting day out for the Division

Joinery -a parent might be invi t ed along one evening; Job week - do you still hold one? If so, make early preparations to ensure that it is as successful as possible. If there is to be a camp in your area next year, it might be worthwhile finding out if the Division would like to go. They are usually assured of a good programme and Leaders have been known to find them to be relaxing!; Judo - a good activity, either as a one-off on a meeting night or as a series of lessons from an expert; Jungle background -a good theme for a series of Cadet Meetings; Jousting - a more activity which could be fun, particularly as part of mediaeval evening.

Clwyd

THE final of the Clwyd Cadet Pairs competition, which is run on a league basis an d was organised by Assist Commissioner T. Bilsborough, was held at Ruthin on Jul y 9 Results: 1st Cefn Mawr A team 65 pts; 2nd Cefn Mawr B team 63 pts ; 3rd Buckley A team 55 pts; 4th Buckley B team 53 pts; 4th Mold B team 53 pts; 6th Rhyl 46 pts; 7th Mold A team 42 pts; 7th Wrexham 42 pts; 9th Ruthin 40 pts ; 10th Buckley C team 37 pts. The results of the Clwyd Cadet Quiz final, which drew nine teams on a knock out basis, were 1st Cefn Mawr A team; Joint 2nd Rhyl and Ruthin. Trophies prizes and certificates at both events were presented by Clwyd's Commissioner, Major D. J. Griffith.

SCOTLAND

A FELICITOUS gathering of representatives of t he Prior y of Scotland and The Scottish Hi stor y Soci ety t ook place last June within

th e C hance r y of Scotland to launch the Societ y' s volume on t he histor y of the Order in Scotlan d called The Knights of S John

o f J eru s al em in Scotland

This volume started many years before a s

th e br a in child of the late Dr Angu s M acDonald of the Department of English in

Ne wca st le U ni v er si t y, who had a life-long in t ere st in he Knights Hosp taller and their S co tt is h He a dquarter s at Torphichen and w ho o ver t he y ear s had ama ss ed a considerable collection of source material for t he vo lume Sadl y, before Dr MacDonald

c ould complete his task, he died suddenly i n the autumn of 1966 .

Y OUNG people from all over t he countr y

ar e s t riving at w eekends to win a place on Operation Raleigh and so carry out projects n countries all over t he globe.

The 's election weekends' are for t he f it , en t hu si a stic ad ven t urers who are will ing to · go ·through hell and high water in i hid to pu s h t heir mind s and bodies to the ab s olute limi t. No place for the half-hearte d thi s The tw o day s of v gorous t ests include hiking with f ull pack over rough country, and forestr y , coping with such obstacles as one-plank bridg es , rubber boats, single ropes and many ini t iati ve t es ts. Added to this is a night in the op e n air and the preparation and consump ti o n o f food in the raw state, some of w h ic h t he p a r t icipants have neve r see n 21 2

A copy of Th e

Th a n ks t o t h e e n t h usiasm - of h e late

Colonel Cald e r Ma cleod , at one time

Chan cellor of t h e P r io r y of Scotiand, two w orth y su ccesso r s were f ou n d as editors of t h e M ac D o n a ld p ap ers, Professor Ian

Co wan an d t h e R eve r e n d D r H u gh Mackay, later to b e j oin e d b y a th ir d ed itor, Dr Alan

Mc Quarr ie. Toget h er th ey have produced a ver y a cce p ta bl e a n d u se f ul volume. Copies ma y be had f rom pr Du nca n Shaw, the

(Left ) M id Gl amorgan

CSO Sue K b b

(R ght) Mid G lam o r gan Cou nty Council

St John Fellowship

WELCOME to another new branch: Maidenhead Branch, Berks. Contact: Mrs T. J. Bristow , 26, Rutland Place , Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 4JA

And congratulations to Berkshire on becoming the first county to have four Fellowship branches. If members are to be able to reach meetings easily, especially in rural areas, the answer is clearly to fo rm more branches.

Recently I attended a divisional inspection at which two 'casualties' taking part in tbe prepared incident were former members of the Brigade. With their knowledge of first aid they played their parts exceptionally well, and obviously enjoyed themselves. I thought this was something which Fellowship members might like to consider doing. Perhaps some branches do it already? Divisions are seldom able to have Casualties Union help with their training and demonstrations, and their own members may not be able to spare time to 'act' for the competition team, for instance, on other than training evenings.

This is one more way in which the St John Fellowship can help St John Ambulance. If you have thought of others, please let me kn o w It is time that Branch news started to a pp ear in the R eview!

Knights of

J o h n of Jerusalem in Scotland is presented to the Chancello r (Photo: Jack Fisherl

Search for vaccine for 'River Blindness'

The effects of 'river blindness' can be devastating. In the regions of the grass plains of Western Africa more than 100,000 persons are blind due to this parasitic disease. Moreover, tens of millions of persons in the tropical regions of Africa, Yemen and Central and South America suffer the symptoms of this affliction.

This has impelled investigation institutions in the industrialised countries and the · developing countries to fight against this evil.

The periodical Fraternite Malin, of Abidjean, Ivory Coast of West Africa,states: 'The close cooperation between teams of British investigators and Sudanese colleges has as its objective the perfectioning of a vaccine against oncocercosis, the dreaded 'river blindness'. Due to the relation which exists between those living close to the rivers and the incidence of this disease, many of the local population have abandoned the fertile river-banks of the valleys for the lessfertile upland regions. 'As a consequence this sickness represents the main obstacle to inhabiting and developing the economy of these fertile valleys which have been left depopulated and the periodical declares.

Do protective hats causa baldness?

Although some people think so, the wearing of a protective hard hat at one's place of work is not conducive to baldness, according to Dr William B. Steck, a dermatologist of the Clinical Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio.

In. an article which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association he explained: 'Baldness, which follows a certain model or pattern in man, is the loss of hair which is due to hereditary factors, and generally begins suddenly at the beginning of adult life and progresses rapidly until it reaches the pattern of baldness which the genes have determined.'

If the scalp is thick and well-supplied with blood-vessels, Dr Steck believes that the wearing of a protective hard hat or a helmet should not diminish the circulation in the scalp to an extent likely to cause baldness,

and he has not found any scientific evidence which links the wearing of a head-covering with the speeding up of baldness nor which indicates that it can be attributed to this

Cardiac pacemakers

The first successful pacemakers were fitted early in 1950. These early models were worn externally and connected to the heart by wires passing into the patient's body; infection inevitably tracked along these leads so despite obvious advantages (ease of battery replacement, etc ) surgeons decided only an implanted pacemaker would be suitable.

A tiny wire with a flattened knob at the end is threaded down inside a neck vein in to the heart, where the beaded end presses on muscle substance

With an induction-type pacemaker this wire connects to what is virtually a secondary coil of a transformer inserted under the skin of the chest. The power-pack, pacema king regulator and primary coil are worn inside the body. (For this reason there could be interference, eg, from a strong ambient field. such as a car starter. A DC starter is more likely to cause interference than an AC starter - unless it is effectively suppressed.)

15. Such a disease is occurring most commonly in the group (9). 17 Attempt a short literary composition. (5). 18 As apt as an Italian dish. (5}. 20. Talus. (5.4).23. Custom put into operation. (3). 24. Not one of the stars in sex transformation. (5). -26. The small carcinoma is in the sub-arachnoid space. (5) 27. Psychosis characterised by extreme shifts of mood. (5-10). 29. Parts of head well-known to barristers. (7). 30. Though not a pharmacist, he deals in drug s. (6).

Down:

2. Arousing strong feelings. (7). 3. Developmental defect of mouth is in place at left. (5.6). 4. Tissue surrounding eyeball formed from real spice. (9). 5. Mental weariness from hidden nuisance. (5) 6 Sense organ contributing to weariness. (3). 7 Applies ointme nt ceremoniously. (7). 8. Not suffering from any disease. (7). 9. Clean the dining utensils. (4.2). 13. Select it as a change for collapse of part of a lung. (11). 16. Give oneself a shot of hallucinatory drug. (4.1.4 ). 18. Fall rapidly on the line. (7) 19. Bone made up of manubriu m, gladiolus, and xiphoid. (7). 21. Formerly. (3.4). 22. Hard tissue covering crowns of teeth. (6). 25. Lock of hair. (5).28. Army officer in feature of mountain chain (3).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No , 8 (84)

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.9 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. Bring to safety using strange cures and a note. (6). 5. Part of the natural protection for the structures in orbit. (7). 10. Psychological problem involving refusal of food in adolescents. (8.7). 11. Host gets around one to raise the flag. (5). 12. Lower part of the face with a high-quality porcelain. (5). 14. Egg of louse found in seven items. (3).

Across: 1. O's'calcis; 5. Carp'us; 9. Eyepiece; 10. Pal'ate; 12. Trapezium; 13. Cra' mp; 14. Chyme; 17. Unseen; 20. Neural; 21. Rally; 26. Sweat; 27. Pyorrhoea; 29. Rocket; 30. Ganglion; 31. A· dept· s; 32. Myelitis.

Down: 1. Omenta; 2. Coeval; 3. Loire; 4. Ischium; 6. Anal canal; 7. Pia mater; 8. Sleeping; 11. Emu; 15. Heart-beat; 16. Ear; 18. Anasarca; 19. Tubercle; 22. Anomaly; 23. A· p' t; 24. Soviet; 25. 28. Regal.

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ST JOHN REVIEW

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Hovv to • raise £200,000

in your County

NO TIM E is ever the best time to raise funds.

Th e re a r e a lways a number of competing appe a ls in operation or which h ave ju st finished, a nd inevitably man y of those local notabl es an d bu si n essme n w ho one hopes will assist a St John appeal have been committed one way or another t o these venture s. In starti n g an appeal these import a nt factors pl ay a very bi g part in setting up the organisation of a co unty appeal, a nd to a n extent limit the freedom of action w hich s so necessary.

Th e St John Cou ncil for Norfolk has just concluded an appeal which has s urpas sed all expectations, but it has been achieved as the result of ext rem e ly hard work on the part of a ve r y large number of peopl e who ran the app eal. As an example, the executive

TALKING POINT Officer

Training

I WAS PLEASED to h ear that a new scheme was being introduced for the training and appointment of officers and NCOs. But now we find that it reall y differs little from the old scheme in that they are still tested on what can only be regarded as irrelevancies and the obvious dangers are that the wrong people wi ll be appointed to officer and NCO rank. Now it's all very well for me to say that. Perhaps what I ought to do is to explain what I want my NCOs and off icers to do and what I therefore think should be the criteria for making such appointments. do not expect my officers and NCOs to have a d etaile d knowledge of Brigade forms, Dres s Re g ul a tion s, qualifications for joining and effici ency, etc. Th ey shouldn't fill their head s with that s ort of information. What they should b e able t o do, however, is to answer any such questions with the manuals and reg ulation s available. I think that it is generally re cog ni se d in mo s t activities these days t h a t le arn in g by heart information

218

Think BIG and take risks

committee met weekly for over eighteen months, and seldom was there more than one member absent - this is a measure of the determination of all concerned to make sure the appeal was a success.

Why was an appeal necessary? There are many reasons for an appeal and everyone in the minds of the promoters indicates good reasons to ex pect local support, bu t when it comes down to 'selling ' the appeal are these reasons acceptable and compelling? The n ee d for funds in Norfolk arose quite simply from t he fact the Council could not r a ise annually the amount required to sustain St John Ambulance work in the county, and it wa s soon realised that there was fund ra is in g potential in such a reas on for aski n g for support.

which is readily available is pointle ss. What we should be doing is training peop le to know where to look for information when they need t. I do ex pect m y Divi siona l Secretary to have detailed knowledge, for she is the on e w ho ha s to fill in the forms, but s he doesn't have to take an examination I don't know how a knowledge of the hi story of the Order or the ability to in s tru ct in b asic foot drill is of any r e levance.

Basicall y I want m y officers and NCOs to be able to do three things to a greater or lesser extent.

1) Take charge o f a public duty.

2) Give instruction to the Di vision.

3) Organise particular activities.

I don't expect them to be expert in everything but to take t hese points in r eve rse order and expand on them :

Organise particular activities

I would expect any NCO to be capable of organising a jumble sale or a dance, including booking the hall, advertising, organising assistance, disco, etc, and I would expect anybody of s ergeant rank or above to be able to organise for example a week's cadet camp, including organising si te, parental consent, transport, etc. Perhap s it would be a useful, and productive, part o f the test if candidates were asked to do something along these lines. Such an exercise would require them referring to regulation s, writing letters, organising and moti va ting others, etc

Give instruction to the division

I would expect any NCO to be capable of giving instructions to the division on a given subject. If of sergeant rank they should be capable of organising a six month training programme for cadets and adults , and

H oweve r after mu c h thought and wid it was d ec ided to go ahead thi s baSi S, and to make it a more a ttr act iv e propo s ition by ex pl a ining t he ben ef it s which would arise for the memb ers , and particularly t h e cadets, if we could ac hie ve our target. Having sett led on t he a im, a tar ge t h ad to be esta bli she d Do we go for £75,00 0 or £250,000? Eve ntually , by ge neral co n cens us, the su m of £20 0 ,0 00 was ag reed and for it to b e rais e d in o ne yea r The finai r es ult after a llowin g for cove n ants to be completed and tax to be reclaimed, will be a net total of donations amo untin g to more than £ 170,000.

The target

The deci s ion s o n the target and the t heme of the appea l were taken by the C h airman of Counci l , s upported by t h e Co un cil and Co mm an d er, toge ther with an Appeal C h a irm a n w h o had by then been re cr uited

a nd conv in ced of t h e viabi lity of t he task

w hi c h confro nt ed him The most import ant decision taken was the appo in tment of the Appea l Chairman, and it is no exaggeration to say that this is the key to s ucce ss - we never considered the possibility of fai lure

T h e ro le of chairman of an appeal of any type is usuall y part time, unless one is

officers s hould certain ly be of ay in st ru ctor standard.

Take charge of a public duty

Apart from the small duties, uch as fetes cinemas, etc, I would in ist that an office; or NCO s hould be in charge of any public duty. They shou ld be capab le of organising equipment required, transport, liai son with the organisers, organising the personnel on the duty (ie, managing it, arranging meal breaks, etc) and be a good enough experienced first-aider to be respected by the other members on duty. They must be able to 'keep the peace' when tempers become frayed and the pressure is on. I like to think of thi s as a roug h gu ide :

1) Gymkhana. High risk but unl ikely to h ave mU ltipl e incidents at once and unlikely to ha ve more t h a n one casualty at eac h particu lar i ncident. Ambulance required. Corpora l shou ld be capab le of tak in g charge of such a duty.

2) Car Grass Track Racing. Again hi gh ri sk but u nlike ly to have more than one incident to dea l with at a time, a lthough could h ave multiple casua lti es at the in cident and problem s (ie, trapped in car).

Amb ul ance required Probably 5 adults and 2 cadets on dut y. Experienced corporal o r a se r geant sho uld be capable of taking charge of t hi s duty.

3) Schoolboy Scramble. High ri sk, p ro b ab ly multiple casua ltie s and mor e than one in cident lik e ly to occur at on ce. Ideally mo re than one ambulanc e required. Probably 8 to 10 a dult s plu S 6 ca d ets on duty. If a doctor is available an ex p er enced sergea n t co uld probably take c har ge of this; if no doctor, t h ere s h ould certa inl y be an officer pre se nt. In any

fortunat e to find a rea lly d y nami c re tir ed per son with absolutely nothin g else to d o, but in reality the r es pon s ibilitie s of c ha irm a n involv e full tim e participation , an imm ense amount of trav e llin g, inter views a nd letter writing, and above a ll a persuasive a ppr oac h ste mmin g from to ta l id e ntifi ca tion wit h th e ca use. Onc e appointed th e Appeal C h a irm an mu st be left to get on with the task and not be hampered b y in te rnal co ns traints or th e need to seek app rova l for every lin e of act ion, though cl ea rl y Co un ci expected, and rece ive d, periodi c reports on progres s. Early stage

At thi s ea rly stage in pl a nnin g t h e deci s ion was taken nOlto invo lv e member s of St John Am bul a n ce in th e appea ; t he normal Briga d e fund ra is in g activitie s were 0 co nt inu e as organ ised by Pre s id e nt s, and an ass uran ce wa g iven t h at the appea l wo uld not impin ge on t h ese e fforts as it was to be co nce n trated in areas no usually approached on t he President's network. [n the event this decis ion was proved to be se ns ibl e and it was obse r ved throughout. A further factor indicating rhe wisdom of this de cision arose through the absence of a County Pr es id ent and it was dec ided, for the period of the ap peal on l y, to ama lgamate th e res pon ibilities of Cou n ci l Chairman with

ca e, at lea st one a sistant officer or NCO is required.

Why not let the candidate take charge of an appropriate duty under s upervi s ion as par t of his t r aining, and later a part of hi s pro motion exam?

Obviou Iy each s up eri n tendent will have his ow n id eas but one thing that is perhaps of most importance is tha t he person appoi nt ed mu st be accepted in that rank by the ot h er member Now thi s doe s n 't just mea n member s of t heir own divi ion but al 0 the members of other divisions with which you work. A lot of bad feeling ha s been ca used in t h e pa t by ignor in g thi obvious fact. [n part ic ul ar tho e appoi n ted as off icer to cadet division mu st be acceptable a of ficer by th e members of t he adu lt divi ion or problems wi ll certain y arise It may be wort h co ns deri ng for a mom e nt, that adu lt rare ly accept a office r s tho e who have not proved t h em e lve as NCOs! We h ave a po li cy in o ur Divi ion that th e first app ointment is a lw ays to corporal ra n k on ly.

If things don't work out those two s tripes needn't beco m e thr ee; in fact they cou ld easi ly s neak off aga in without too much em barr assme nt. If t he p e rso n prove hi m elf, however, they can always move up One slow ste p at a tim e i much eas ier for a ll to assi milate than one bi g tep f rom m e mber to officer. Don 't forget, i f you ha ve esta blishm e nt for a divisional off icer, a se rgeant and two corporal, yo u co uld ap point four cor poral s in stea d and then promot e two later Mo s t rea onable co mmissioners would approve of that. The real problem co mes of course with the ca det divi s ion s Perhap s it is time for us to appreciate that ca det divi s ion don 't n eed

t h ose of th e County Pre s ident. H owever, m e mb e rs were asked to g ive practical he lp at so m e events a nd th e ir pr esence in uniform , espec ia ll y cadets, was not on ly great ly app rec iat ed but co n t ributed to the s u ccess of the many event s at w hi ch t h ey were pre se n t.

One of the fir st s tep s in la un ching the a ppeal wa s comp ilin g a li s t of in fluential peop le in t h e county who might be invited to become Patron s. Thi s was done by the Co un c il C h airma n wh ile at the sa me time the Appeal Cha irm an was drawing up a li st of peopl e w h o might form the main Appeal Committee. All work so far und ertaken, tarting in late 198 1, was aimed at an appeal launch in September [982 to la st to Septem b e r 1983.

Evident

It soon be ca me eviden t t hat we would not ha ve the funds readily available to laun ch the appea and in thi s we were fortunate in negotiatin g a lo an for o ne year, at very favourable terms, from National H eadquarters for originally £ [0 ,000 which in the li ght of experience was subsequently reduced to £5,000. This ena bl ed the Appeal Chairman to make his plans, secu re in the knowledge that he cou ld 't hink big', and also go ahead in forming an Appeal Office, wh ich

officer to run them. Thar is not to say that ca det officer don't deserve to be officers, but if the y are of officer tandard they are under utili sed running a cadet di vi ion. People - notice I don't say 'officer' - in c harge of ca det di vis ions need to be able to organise var iou s activities and be able to give in s truction. They don t need [0 be ab le to organ ise public duti es. The level of organisation required for a cadet division is not anywhere near [he level required for an adult division Please don'r write and di agree, I know, I run a quadrilateral division. The qualifications for joining and efficiency are much more comp lex in an adult division an d the records to be kept are more exten ive. The difference perhaps can be summed up: A cadet officer ha to train the member an adult officer ha to train the member a nd lead them in t h e real t hin g.

A ca det officer Ira to be a man among boy, the adult officer has to be a man among men.

Upset?

[ am sure I have upset many cadet officers

(or is that an understatement!) , but perhaps the y could be ar with me fo r a moment. I know t hat many of you have parti cu lar skil ls a nd quali f icat io ns, and put in a lot of rim e running your ca d e t di vi ion, and that a ll of yo u cou ld run the adu lt di vi ion much better than t h ey are run. Ye ,I've heard it all, from both ides of the fe nce Bur St John Ambulance i really about public duties and many of yo u don' s h ine too brightly in that phere, if you do any d ut ie In fact, I would sugges t that in t im e a ll cadet division ho uld cease to ex ist as separate divisions , b ut become sect io n s of a n earby adu lt divi ion

Perhaps t he exi t in g cadet officers could take over t h e adu lt divi s ion ? The cadet section or

was to be enrirely separate from County Headquarter

Through the generosity of the orwich Union In s urance Group, office accommodation was provided free of charge with some use of the Group 's office facilities: rhis generous gesture was in reality worth the

section could then be run b y 'Cadet Organisers ' assisted by Cadet [nstructors '. These would be appoinrments as secretary, treasurer and storekeeper are , and \\ould nor nece ssar ily hold any rank, al t hough if the people who did the job were worthy of a panicular rank then they should hold that rank. To go with this patrern there would be a training sc heme 0 rhat cadet insrructor cou ld learn about methods of reaching, psychology of rhe adolescem, sociology of groups, etc. Such a cheme would have obviou advantage. The mo notable would be closer link between cadets and adults, a use f ul training ground for future COs. Flexibilit y and the full resource of the adult division, both in manpower and equipmenr, would back up the Ca d et OrganiseI'. Finally, let me gi e just one example of where the existing s stem fails and if anyrhing encourages adult members to regard cader officers as 'not really officer at all' expect a divi ional officer to be able to take charge of a fairly large duty such a a motor cyc le scramble. If he i unable to attend [ might a k a ergeant to deputi e for h im or i f there wa no alrernative a enior experienced corporal. 1 \ ouldn't expecr an adult member, however experienced, to rake charge of such a duty. Cadet of cour e, e\'en those who hold an adult certificate, cannor attend a public duty except to accompany adult members, and certainly not ro rake charge of the duty. ow read General Regulations 27 and I paraphrase 'Cader Leaders should understudy t heir Di\ isional Officers' Perhap rhi regu larion put it all in perspective.

Cllri Hale, DiI ' Slipt Cambridge Eastern Gas Qllad Division

How

to raise £200,000 in

your County ·(cont.)

value of a very large contribution to the appeal, and in consequence no further approaches were made to the Group's local offices. Following the acquisition of an office, two pa rt rime appeal employee s were engaged - an Appeal Director and a clerical assistant. Later it was found n ecessary to emp loy t he services of a book-keep e r (expenses on ly) to deal with c ovenants and tax c aims, and of cour se keep the account; though through the kindness o f a local firm of accountants all financial record s were computer processed.

The next problem to be tackled was t o decide whether or not to employ the services of a firm of professional fund raisers. Several firms were approached but on av er a g e required at least 18070 of the takings a s fe es - a la rge slice of whatever might be raised, in addition to the routine expen s es.

Eventually agreement was reached with on e

firm for the Appea l Director to attend a hort co u rse at their head office, a nd thereafter a r etainer would be paid for the right for the fo ll owing s ix months to seek advice on matters as-t h ey arose. This arrangement worked admi r ably, and even a f ter that period the firm concerned was available for consu lt ation. The appea l ended with tota l expenses, including the repayment of the London loan, amounti n g to less than 10 070 of the donations. To achieve this the Appeal Director in fact worked for much longer hours than was envisaged at the start, and in this he wa s matched by t h e va t amount of time put in by the Appea l Chairman

By earl y 1982 the whee ls were most cer t ainly sta r ting to turn and attention was concentrated on publicity , which was obviously recognised as the key to succes A number of pub li city firms were asked to t ender for t he preparation and produ c tion of a brochure and a ll ied information. A logo wa s de vised and the appeal was to be called Crusade for St John in Norfolk' This tage in the prepar a tion prior to the launch was

long and protracted, in cluding a s it did presentations of idea

G loucestershire

-committ ee wa form ed whi ch be came extremel y aC liv e in promotin g eve nIs to rai se fund s throu g hout the co unt y; especially durin g the s umm e r month s, a nd t hough

but in c lud ed a C hampagne Tasting Party, Strawberry Feasts, Special Dinners, Pyramid lunch, a film premiere, vintage car rally, sponsored walk of the Peddars Way in Norfolk, sponsored swims and an agricu ltur a l implement s auction , gard e ns ope n , charity football match - ther e were many others, none of which c ut acro ss normal Brigade fund-rai s ing a c tivitie s. Th e reception to la un ch the appeal wa s held in a suite of rooms generou s ly made available by the Norwich Union In s urance Group. Prior to the reception a briefing was arranged for press , radio and te le vi s ion, who wer e supplied with a ll publicit y material by then produced.

Talks were given to anyon e who would listen! These inc luded school s , Rotar y , Th e Lions, Wom e n' s Institute s and man y oth e r bodies who had expre ss ed an intere s t in helping us. The finan c ial res ult s varied, but goodwill wa engendered , indeed a hu ge b ye-

product of the appeal

s the goodwi ll which became evident a s the months went by, a nd which it is now up to the Brigade to capitali se on and benefit from.

This article concludes with a review of some of the main problem s wh ich we met and the le sson s learnt for the

Cheltenham Central Nursing Cadet team with the Cumma n der. Major N. Warry and their DI S Mrs J. Gand er. w nners of the county cadet FA qu z. (L to RI Lystra Mai sy Sara Goodall.

Photos Myra Meredith

THE above are just a few stages in the history of the Guernsey Ambulance Division which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Even though 150 people were trained in first aid by the Association in Guernsey in 1933, only 14 expressed an interest in starting a Brigade divi s ion. EvenLually , one other person was persuaded ro serve for a year, so the magic number needed to re g ister the Guernsey Ambulance Division in 1934 was reached

The enthusia st ic members c ould just afford armband s and fir st aid pouch es, but gradually saved enough ro bu y full uniforms, and in 1935 a contingent went to King George V's si lver jubilee in London. It was here they learned one of their first practical lesson s - not to put choco la te in their white ha versacks!

A notable landmark in island health care followed soon afterwards. M r Reg Blanchford, after being se riously injured in a road accident, joined t he Divi sio n so that he could buy an ambulance and help to improve on the treatment he'd recei ved from the island's part-time service. He bough t a secondhand ambulance from England for £140, and by 1939 his service was approved as the official island authority.

The rest of his story is legendary. It became the first SJA service in the British Isles to have two-way radios; the first to use inflatable boats for inshore rescues; it launched the world's first marine ambulance launch; the world's first use of the vehicle location indicator; the world's first truly mobile radar tracking unit; the first civilian recompres sion centre in the Briti s h Isles; a cliff rescue team, a diving team, breeches buoy and so it goes on. It was not lon g before the service begun by Mr Blanchford, who received the George Medal and OBE for his work, became so professional that it separated from the vo lun tary division which had given it birth, and it now has a sepa rate identity as t he full-time St John Ambulance & Rescue Service.

For much of the war years, however, the voluntary members helped with manning the ambulances, as well as maintaining their other dutie s, such a s first a id cover at public events, cinema dutie s and helping with ARP training.

Minules, Jan a d efinile order Ihal memb ers s hould cany their steel helmets, Red Cross armlets and eq uipJll enl wilh Ihem when OUI in Ihe evenings. 11 was also agreed (0 try to' obtain sack cloth and red flannel which could be made into R ed Cross armbands

Mimlles , OCI 1942 : 'The Gerll1an aUlhorities had g ven permiss o n for uniforll1 s 10 be IVorn, pro vidin g all badges of rank and all dislinguishing l17arks were relllo ve d. [I was decided thaI Ihis wou ld 110t conSlilUle uniforlll al all .'

Thi s was not easy , how ever, gi ven the restriction s of enemy occupation. Anyone out after curfew needed a ni ght pass, a nd so me armed German s were espec ially nervous when they encountered someone after dark It took two years to per s uad e the German authoriti es to allow m embers to wear Brigade uniform s, and petrol s horta ges led to the use of bi cy cle s, feet, and even a horse-drawn ambulan ce

Minules, Sept / 1944:

'Owin g to the ve ry s mall rati on allowed th e s uperinlendenl had been inforllled Ihal ul1Iil a fu rth er ration had been g ral1led to th e division eleclI c lig ht co uld nOI be allo wed.

Minutes, Dec I 1944

Wale,. sho uld il become co ntall1inated 01 any till7 e, th e ambulance officer had made enquiries and found there was nothin g bett er or easier than chloride of lim e diluled

Towards the end of the war food was so short that Red Cross s upplie s which rea c hed the island had to be g uarded all night. St John personnel perform ed this duty. Severa l large parties of islanders were deported to internment camps in Germany, including some members of the Brigade. Even while on foreign soi l they carried on their first aid tra ining by assisting the medical officers in the camps to which they were sent.

Minutes, April 9 1945:

'With reference to th e safeguarding of R ed Cross goods wh en a Brig ade member had been on night duty his employer would b e asked 10 allow him half a day for recovery of lost sleep. !f so up is nOI s upplied 10 th e night guard, a sma ll ratio n of bread shou ld b e given in s lead.

Minutes, May 7 /945

'The drill hall wou ld be cleaned twice weekly 01 a f ee of !/z R eic hmarks per week. '

A ft er the Ii beration 0 f t he Channel Island s on May 9 1945 t h e Guernsey Ambulan ce Division cou ld once again communicate with England, a nd activities such as co mp e titi on with UK te am s bec ame popular.

Member s of t h e Divi s ion attended ro yal occasions in London s uch as the Queen' s si lver jubil ee celebr a tion s, seve ral have taken up nur s ing as a ca re er, and some h ave becom e se nior officer in St John

In more re ce nt year divi s ional memb ers ha ve become particularly involved in work w ith the ha ndi cappe d co mmunit y, he lping at day centre, escort in g handi cap ped peop le on trip to the other c han n el i land , a nd dri vin g minibuses during their spare lime.

Another se r vice offered by the Di vis ion is the Guernsey Fir s t Aid Kit se rvi ce. This s upplie first aid kit s and material s to gove rnm enta l department, s hop, off ice, industrial co ncern, a nd even ea -going vesse ls, a nd maintains a regular check to ens ure that material s use d are rep la ced when necessary. The se r v ice, wh ich is u ed by hundreds of concerns in Guern e y, ha s a t urno ve r of e veral th o usan d pound per yea r , a nd al 0 offers advice to any customer on what so rt of first a id eq uipm en t would be app ropri ate t o their circu m s ta nces.

The latest acquisition of (h e Divi s ion is a mobile first a id po t w hi ch is u sed extensively at scra mb les and motor spor t s meeting as well as other la r ge event

Th e Bailiff of Guernsey he ld a Vin d'Honneur to ce le brat e the Di vis ion 's first 50 yea rs, and a dinn e r d a n ce was h e ld at which four of the found er memb er from 1934 were present. Th e m e nu of thi s dinn er compared favourably with th e tenth anniversary dinner, h e ld with t h e food shortages of an island cut off by e nem y occupation. The menu was then: New Pot ato es Green P eas New laid eggs, fr ied in real' bUll er Omelelle Pancake, made with 'rea l ' flour alld 'real' cu rranl S Acorn coffee.

Five of t he founder member s were s till in Guernsey a t th e tim e. Hope th ey lik ed eggs!

Guernsey Division's

GRANTS - BUT HURRY

The Bri t ish Council (g overnment - yourmoney) is sponsorin g special projects for British and German you h group e xchan g es during 1985 / 86 - which ma y be ve r y u seful for SJA parties pl a nnin g v is it s next s ummer to Johanniter Unfall Hilfe in West Germany. But hurry if you want to appl y for a grant, as applications have to be in by Oct 2 2 1984 (I've only just got th e informat ion) Get the booklet 'Grants for Youth Exchanges', plus application forms for g r ant s, from The British Council , 65 Da v ie s St London WI Y 2AA (phon e 01 499 8011) .

AROUND · and ABOUT

BY THE EDITOR

nd o n S a t urd ays from 2 pm to 5 pm T h e ex hibi ion coincide s w i t h t h e 75t h a nniver sar y of St John Ambul a n ce i n M alt a A ll a re ver y we lc ome to atte nd An illu strat ed cata lo gu e will be avai la bl e. (r gh t) The D uke on a visit o London s So ut h W estern Area is me t a Wimbledon Div sion 's HQ by

lease d to n ote that t h is is less t ha n la st year by £5.

A p plications fo r pl aces sho ul d be made as soo n as possib e t h ro u g h Co un ty/District H Q s, stating: Title an d fu ll pe r so n a l n ames; St J ohn rank; Birt h da t e; Ho m e a d dress; Co u rse req u ired; and Alte rn ative c h oice, if possi b le.

A ll ocatio n of pl aces wi ll be s ub ject to avail a bil ity and th e n umb er of appli ca nt s, the

d t h ro u ghout the counties and the d ate of recei p of app lications.

PLASTERED W ITH SJ

Monica Etherington, of Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, lipped and fractured both her wrists while on holiday in the South of France. But fortunately she was staying at the Camp Mar Estang, where St John Ambulance members run h e Camp First Aid Post for Sunscene Holidays. S h e was duly plastered u p, as can be seen in the picture.

Monica' only other co n tact wit h SJA was being p ricked (blood drawn) when b uying a flag o n flag day - she was aga in duly patched up by membe rs. Now she is considering making contact again - with her loca l division. As is Monica's friend, Dorot h y Turner, who was on ho liday wit h her, a n d quickly learned to cope and escorted he pat ent home by plane.

It looks a though the local division might get two new recruit. FUN

Berk s h ire and East Lon d on's Mile End Divis io

AND RETURN

event that I've never heard of

It 's an auction of promises dinner part y to be h e ld at the Phyllis Court Club, Henley-onThames on March 8 1985. The organiser s are Mile End Combined Divi si on 's presiden t Mrs JoAnn Keable, who live s in Maidenhead, Lady Elizabeth Godsal , Berkshire ' s County Superintendent, and Mr s Anthony Ellis.

Items so far offered for auc t ion include a 2-week holiday in Barbado s, a k is s from a celebrity (male o r female?) , and thou g hts are tickets for Wimbledon a load o f manure, a day shoo t ing, your grass c ut once a week for 3 month s , etc

Accompanied by a good dinner and a fe w bottles, thi s s ounds like f un

AGE RESEARCH

Foundation for Age Resear c h is a charity committed to impro ving the lot (with regard to health) of people over the age of 60 - and two thirds of people in the world who ha ve ever lived to 60 are alive today. We're a ll living longer, of course, but does that mean happily?

The organisation , whose patron is the

Queen

'Growin

say , 'but s uff

Th e ir a im s incl ude: s ub st it utin g p reven tio n fo r care; t o ex te n d th e ac ti ve li fe of pen s ione rs; to r esea r c h rh e a g e in g proce

Th ey've o b vio us ly got a bi g j o b o n h eir hand s . A n d h ey n eed he lp : i n dona ti on, to sta rt g ro u ps, o ld doc um e n ts fo r auc t ioning.

T hey' re at: 4 9 Q uee n Vic t o r ia St, Londo n

EC4 N 4SA, ph one OJ 236 4365.

EVEN ON SABBATH

T h e m edi ca l pr ac t iti o ners p u b li cat io n Pul e re port s: A n 80- s t rong tea m of o rth odox

J e wi s h bu s in ess m e n in no rth Lo nd o n have beco me w hat is pr oba bl y t he m os t un u ua l

CREDIT TO TOWN

( When Schools are open)

'depu ti i ng serv ice' in th e cou ntr y.

Th ey are p repared 0 br eak t he ri gid Sabbath laws at the drop of a hat, and arc us ua ll y a le r ted before ick patie nt cal l t heir

G P Tra ined in paramed ica ki l. by St J ohn

A m bu lance cre\V, t he me n a s e s the patie nt co n dit ion and ub eq uent ly ad vi e th e G P whe t he r m ed ica l atte n t ion i n eeded im med ia te ly

T he ervice, ca lled H a l -;,o a, t he Hebrew te rm fo r res c ue, \V illin g ly re pond to call from s ick fo lk who do nor s h are t h eir fa ith

Go lde rs Gree n G P Dr Sa lomo n Ad ler tol d me the bu s in ess me n \Ve re do in g a very good job indeed. 'T hey are exceeding ly he lpf ul and here h as bee n no fr ic ti on bet\Vee n t he m a nd local d octors a t al l,' h e a

Sail Training Cruises 1985

T H E SA IL Training A ociation (STA) have provisio n a ll y re erve d a nu mber of p lace s for S t John Ambulan e perso nn e l (aged 16-24 yea rs) o n t heir fin e advent u r e training cr ui es 1?85.

T he STA is a c h aritab le non-profit maki ng orgaJll a tl o n pa id for by peop le with di f ferent abi ities to contribute t he f ull co t of a voyage whi ch i £550. Th e STA allot s b u rsar ies of £ 145 on eac h bert h ; th e ope ni ng offer for the two week c rui se s thu s £405. St Joh n H Q a ll o w a furt her £205 per per s on from training fund. Co t to E n g lI s h (a nd Nor th e rn I re land Di s tr ict) countie s/ ind iv idu a ls w ill t hu s be £2 00 fo r eac h be rt h.

P e r o nn e l int ere ted in aking pa rt in one of t h e 1985 c rui se s h o ul d a ppl y thr o u g h Co unt y/ D i t ri ct Headqua rt er, w.h o w ill in p as: to Bri ga d e H Q t h e nam e o f th e app li ca nt s w hi c h Co mml SlO n e r reco mm e nd

Bid s fo r th e c rui ses are very hea y a n d app lica t io n h o uld be m a d e

as soo n a nd fo r as far a h ead as poss i b e. Bid a re t o t a te for eac h a ppli ca n t : T itl e a nd full n ames; t Jo h n ra n k; Birt h date; H o m e a ddr ess; C rui se requ ir ed (Se r No. and date); It ernat ive c ho ice, wh e r e p oss ib le . C r uises a r e avai lab le on a ariety of d ate a nd to from different po rt s aro u n d h e co u ntry, thu offering th e ountie a little easier ac ess C

THE SIXTIES wer e th e years of the Beatles and later the Hippie Cult. Thousand s of young people from re s pectable middl e clas s homes 'opted out of the rat race' as they called it. They reject ed what seemed to them a boring conformi s t way of life and , with knapsack and bedroll on their backs, left home to seek an alternative society' Som e lived together in communes, while other s hitched lifts all over the world, adoptin g very different life-st y le s from those of their parent s The y were mo s tl y good-hearted youngsters prote s tin g again s t the hypocris y and inequality of societ y wi t h s tarvation in under-developed countrie s c ontrastin g sharpl y with th e affluence of the We s tern world, and the threat or nuclear annihilation hanging over the whole world. II is not s urprising thaI a few of them were led into e x perimentin g with dru g taking, a nd it s gradual but inevitable degradation In the course of my us ual SlAB dutie s I had attended several 'Pop Festival s in the county, and worked with the medical a nd volunteer team s known as Rel ea se' , who were trained to deal with the erfect s of drug s They showed me how to 'talk down' people who were high on drug s and I gained a lot of insight into the problems of young people.

Perhaps it was because of this experience that I was asked to fly out to Athens one day to bring back a young man we can call Adam (not his real name). Adam, t he s on of a pro fessor, was reading sociology at Belfa s t University and the usual tension of ex aminations was being aggravated by the violence going on in the cit y as a re sult of the activities of the I RA . He left home, hitched his way across Europe and landed up completely destitute in the streets o f Athens His mental condition wa s such that in his despair he stole a can of petrol , poured it over h imself and set himself on fire. He was taken to hospital with severe burns of two-:hirds of his body and , because he was a British subject, the British Embassy was notified and asked to arrange hi s transport home.

I received the call from London Aeromed HQ late one evening, caught the 2 am train from Taunton, where [ now worked having transferred from Essex, and flew f rom Heathrow at 8.30 am to Athens. I was m et at the airport by a member of the Brit is h Embassy staff and taken to the hospital to see the patient. Adam was in a very poor condition , semi-conscious and cover != d in bandages. There was little I could do at thi s stage, so I booked into a hotel in Athen s fOT the night. Next morning I was at the hospital very early, in time to see his dressings bein g renewed, and was horrified to see that thi s was carried out without any attempt at an a septic technique such as I had been accustomed to in hospitals in this country I feel sure that this is not the general rule in hospitals there and think that perhap s thi s parficular hospital was so used to receiving the dregs of s ociety from t he streets of Athens that the s taff did not give them the care and attention that they would have done ir the treatment had been paid for.

228

PART TWO

The doctor handed over the ca se note s and I collected dressings and dru gs for use on the journey , then we set off b y ambulance to the airport. Her e I found that no s tr e tcher fitments had been fi xed in the plan e, although they had been ordered prior to the flight, and I wa s ex pected to nurse the pa tient on the floor of the plane I said t ha t thi s wa s unacceptable in view of the patien t's poor condition, and insist ed that a more thorou g h search be made for th e fittin g s , which I fe lt sure had been sent out from London as promised : sure e nou gh , th e y were even t uall y found stored awa y in an off ice , ha v in g bee n sent on a previou s plan e I received an apolo gy from Briti s h Airwa ys and, after mu c h delay w hile the str e tch e r rack wa s fitted, we were eventuall y read y for take-off and I settled down to wa tch o ver

Ad a m. H e h a d be e n gi ve n a h eavy se d at ive be fo r e lea v in g th e h os pital a nd was se m ico ns ci o us throu g h o ut t he jo urn ey 0 I wa n o t abl e to ho ld a n y p r o p e r co n versation wit h him , althou g h I lo n ge d to as k h im why he had done th is te rr ibl e thi ng to him se lf and to ass ur e him that th er e we re till t hin gs in li fe worth li vin g for. H e lo ok

Illustrated by JACK

ti o n s t h ese days. I wo nder ed wh at so r t o f a we lcom e Ad am would rece iv e on hi s r et urn hom e. Afte r a w hil e I noti ce d that hi s dr ess

SJA Aeromedical Services

The role of the St John Ambulance Aeromedical Services , w hi c h is on call b y ph o ne or telex all the t ime in London, is to bring home anyone w ho is s ick or injured fr o m anywhere in the world The service or gani ses road ambulan ces a t eith e r

and

The patients are accompanied by St John aeromedi cal att e ndant s - volunteer do c t

rs and registered nurses who are s pecially trained to give in-flight patient car e The service s tarted in 1924 when a cardiac p a tient wa s brought from Paris to Lond o n by plane. Today the service is world wide and its 800 operation s ever y year include brin gin g patient s from China, Ru ss ia and th e Far East. The service is non - profit makin g .

stewar d esses to ass ist me in rol li ng hi m on to hi s s ide whil e I repacked t he d ressi ngs wit h cotto n woo l and f resh bandage I gave him a pa in -kill in g in jection a nd he lped him to drink a li t t le water but I was co n cerned becau e I knew h e rea ll y needed far more rIuid t h an I cou ld get into him ora ll y but th ere were no faci lities for giv in g him int rave n o us fl u ids. I was r e li eved whe n we r eac hed H eat hr ow a nd we r e met by t h e nu rse Fro m the med ica l ce n r e. It i a r ul e t h at al l patie nt s ca r ried by pla ne are take n immediate ly to the med ica l ce ntr e Fo r record [0 be entered up a n d any treat m e n ts necessa r y carr ied out before t hei r tra ns fe r to a m bu la nce fo r the fina l stage o f t he ir jo urn ey. Adam' d res ings were ch a nged, thi t im e u n d e r ster il e cond it ions , a nd we s t a rt e d t h e la t lap of t h e a ir jo urn ey to Bel fa s t. A d a m 's pa r e nt s we re wa itin g for him and h e o pened hi s eye a n d recog ni sed t he m a nd I le ft th e m a lo n e w ith h im in the a mbulan ce, for suc h a r eu n ion wa bou nd to be a t ea r ful an d pai n Fu l affa i r a n d I d id n o t wis h to intrud e On ar ri val a t U ls ter Gene r a l H o p it a l A d a m wa take n straig hT

to th e In te ns ive Care U nit a nd I a id goodbye

to hi s par e nt s. I have ofte n vvis h ed th a t I ha d bee n abl e o co nt ac t th em late r t o fi n d o ut the e nd o f th e s to r y, but a t th e t me I fe lt the y would n o t wa nt o be re mind e d o f a t rag ic e pi sode in th e ir l ves. As a n u l' e o n e

is ta ught not to ge t too invo lved w ith one' patients and at all times to respect their p r ivacy and confidentia l ity.

A welco m e relief was provi d ed from the a n xiety of t h e flight when the ambulance crew, who were al l members of the loca l S l A B, invited me back to their H Q for a meal. T he co n versation got on to t he ' tr ou bl e' in Ir e la n d and they asked me if [ 'd like o go o n a tour of the Fa lls D istr ict of Be l fas t. We a ll p il ed int o the ambu lance a n d I sat nex t t o the drive r , wh o looked rather a kance at m y air- m ed be r et and suggested I remo e it in ca e one of the IR A mistook m e for a n Army officer! Thi rather unn erved me and I f ull y expected to ru n into an a mb u h bu t he jo u rney wa uneve n tfu l.

I was adde n ed to see t h e ba rri cades a n d the bo m b da m age a n d to re fl ect o n t he tragic h isto r y of t h e Ir i h peop e. Whe n I returned n ext d ay to th e afe a nd p leasant streets of Tau nto n , m y hear t was t ill h ea y with t h e k now ledge of how m uc h uffering peop le can in flict u pon t h em e lve

With the Mounties

By n o w I wa be in g e n t f u r th e r afie ld a n d

wa thrill ed wh e n I rece ve d a ca ll to go t o

Ca n a d a, a it wa a co un try I h a d a lw ays

wa nt ed to vi it. I h a d fo r got ten that t he

wi nt e r th ere a re co n s ide r ab ly m ore seve r e th an ou r ow n a n d wh e n I s tepped o u t of the

p lane at Montreal wearing my usual SlAB u n iform and ordinary shoes I wished [ 'd brought overcoat and boot s, as rhere was a blizzard blowing and the runway was being kept clear with snow ploughs. (Afterwards r found my s hoes had gone completely whire with the salt used in the snow clearance). But I was soon in a taxi being taken to a luxurious hotel where I could forget the weather outside and thin k about my forthcoming mi sion.

Accommodation at the hotel had been provided for me by a s hipping company as 1 was on my way to collect one of their seamen who was an alcoholic and had been left to ' d ry o u t in a Canadian ho sp ita l after one of his drinking bouts 1 had been warned that he wa a big tough ex-guard s man who could be very iolenr at rimes, so I anticipated meeting him with a little trepidation. Howe ver, there was nothing to do overnight except enjoy the unaccu tomed luxury of my surroundings and the facilitie of the hotel, which a large bedroom wirh bathroom en - uite, television to watch fro m my king -size bed, and breakfa st on a trolle y in the morning. r till had time on my hands in rhe morning so decided to walk to W indsor Station on the other side of the city where I was to meet my protege. It had topped nowing and 1 had no problem walking around in my ordinary hoe. The people there are u ed to sno\\' and the main streets have a ort of uction apparatu built into the centre of them which keeps them permanent ly clear of now. [could not help contrasting the situa t ion with that in England, where a fall of a few inche of sno\\' can ca u e chao for day. There \\'a no time to do any proper ight eeing 0 [ went in[O a b ig department tore and asked the a i tanr what I could buy to take back for my wife a a ouvenir of my \'i it. She told m e t h at the eal wa t he ity ma ot, 0 I b o ug h t a ea l car ed out of local tone. I had been to ld to look out at the tation fo r t \\' o member of the famou Canadian r-,/\ ou n ted Po l e who had been detailed to mainrain a di cr et pre ence in -a e I hould

Travels of an Aeromedical Nurse (cont.)

have any trouble with my patient. It gave me quite a thrill to see them resplendent in their red tunics and broad-brimmed hats just like my schoolboy heroes of the Saturda y morning cinema I made myself known to them and we had an intere s ting chat about our respective duties. When the train wa s due [ made m y wa y to th e platform and a pproach e d the ticket collector to e nquire a bout the arrival time He was quite ti c kled by my cockney accent and called to his colleagues to come a nd hear a real Lime y'. I wa s s oon the centre of a s mall a udience, a ll wanting to hear about 'th e old countr y' in the authentic accent. When the train arri ved it w as mo st interesting to see the massi ve Canadian Pa c ific locomotive with the snowplou g h a ttached, slowly making its way into the stat i on I soon pi c ked out my burly seaman ,

a mbling a long betw e en

THIS MONTH I am continuing the alphabe t programme ideas started in August. Ha ve you any ideas to share w ith others?

Contributions should be sen t to Jim, 3 Brandreth Rd, London E6 4QB.

Knotting - one of the more tradition a l types of cadet activities but once the cadet s have learned the knot s make s ure they keep putting them into practi c e. Learning knots s hould be a mean s to an end and not an end in itself; Karting - again you're going t o have to rely on a local club or track. However it might prove to be an interesting activity if the cadets can build their own Knitting - it might pro v e a diversion and it will get a parent in v olved.

Lace making - to sell later at a Div ision fair; Leader Training Courses - for cadets only; Leisure centre - for physical activities; Librarian - one of the less popular proficiency badges but can make an interesting e vening's programm e ; Local knowledge - prepare a wide game that will involve the cadets finding out mor e about the area in which they live; Layout of kit for inspection -a few minutes to show the cadet s how it should be done ; Life savinga series of even ngs at the local pool; Lightweight cookin g - either a trainin g 230

seat s at the back of the B r itis h Ai r way s YC lO and m y onl y c oncern was to k e ep him away f rom the duty- f ree alcohol. He promi s ed to be good and polit e ly d e clin e d th e drink s offered to us b y the s te wa rdes s. I g l a n ce d down t he menu and notin g Rum P uddin g amon g the de sse r ts, s u gge s t ed i t would b e nice to ha ve s om e g ood old a pple ta r t a ga in to w hich he a g r ee d. We c hatted a l i ttle but he wa s no t v er y c ommun ica ti ve and s oon got bored with the old film s s hown on t h e journe y. He g re w in c re as in g ly r es tle ss a nd I took the precaution o f g iv in g him one o f t h e Libr i um tablets was c arr y in g , after w hi c h

s e ss ion or as k t he cad ets t o c ondu ct a s ur vey to find o u t w h ic h is t h e mo st effect i ve method ; La s hin gs - aga in i t is v i ta l t h ese

are u s ed for a p r a ct cal proje c t ; Lo gs - h ow

to w rite them.

orr is dancin g - s hould pro ve to b e e nt e rtainin g ; Map makin g - u se the local Ordnanc e Sur vey o ff icer;

M a g az i n es - get your o w n Di v s ion a l o n e o ff th e g r o und M od e l pi o n eer in g - ca n es a nd e la stic b a nd s ca n h e lp y ou w ith some

i nt e re sti n g pro jects; Mess a ge c arr y i ng - a g ood outd o or ga m e; Mo unta i n r esc u eens ure y our c ad e t s kn ow w h a t t o d o; Mus ic - an act v i ty that is o f ten o ve rl oo k e d Let the cadet s m a k e their own in s trum e n ts; M ak n g t hin gs - a l w a ys a popul a r ac t iv ty w ith cade ts; Motor c y cl es - eit h er m ai n te nan ce or lea rn i n g ho w t o r i de safe y

Na v igat i on - blind f old c a de ts a nd ake t hem to a de s i nation. Th ey t h e n have to di r ect the dri ver b a c k to b ase; N octambulation - aga i n look i u p!; Nature and conserva ion - w e only ha ve o n e world so w e mu st learn to look a fte r it; Nig ht hik es - st ill on e o f th e mo st exc itin g acti v ities for c ad et s but rememb er safety pre c aution s ; Needlecr a f t -a g a in, thi s ca n ma k e for an unusua l pro g ramm e O b s er vat o n - lo ts of differ e n t th e m es here ; O r ie nteerin g - a pra ct ica l way of int r odu c in g map a nd co mp ass w ork ; Origami - a good hand icr a f t it e m f or a programme ; Ornithology - either call in the local s ociety or ask th e c adets to con s tru ct t heir own hid e ; Outward Bound -t here a r e lot s of the s e cour ses or ga ni s ed b y lo ca l e duca t ion authoritie s; Op e r a - a c u tur a l e vening for cadet s.

en pal s -a s pecial link-up w it h ca d e s from all over the world . F or furth e r deta i s conta ct the Cadet Dep a rtmen t at Headquar er s ; Pony rek k in g -a relativel y e as y acti v it y to or g an ise ; Photograph y - either call in the local c lub or u se a s peciali s t Phil a tel y - (sta mp s to y ou!) conta c t t h e lo ca s o c ety Dealer s ca n

Tal<e three girls

three Northamp ton girls with a bright future

(Photo: Pe t er Thorpe)

ation; Pottery - another

idea; Promise and Law - don't neglect them i n h e programme; Post e r makinga

tise fo r n ew recruit; Painting - either o n ca n vas or someo n e' living room as a service p roject; Po ice -a vi it

ganise activ

Partie - you don 't h ave to wait unti l Chri st ma s to organise one; Pot h o ling - h is should only be undertaken with expert g u idanc e; P u ppet -a fun activity for cadet

u o i ts - find the D ivi ion champion; Quizzes - challe n ge the Divi ion d own the road; Quilt making -a u sefu l service or fund raising project.

OWN WORK

at London' s A lbert H all. A ll thr ee competed in the orthampton Sl John co mpetition to fini s h second. Claire received her Special Service Shield. 11 thr ee went to camp for the fir s t time.

[n 1983 Cla ir e a r"l d Ida took pa r t in the Area Quiz which the i r team won. All th r ee were promoted to corporal. Claire and Ida won t he County Quiz (6 teams). Jane led a comp [etely new tea m in a St John competit ion against 7 other teams - to come fourth. Jane r ece ived her Special Service S h ield a n d Cla re her 400 hours Service' both wo r ke d w ith e lder ly. C laire was se r geant and received the cup for progre ss. I n 1984, Jane led a team in the Area competition and herse f obtained the highe st individual marks for nur s ing. All three girls competed in the orthampton FA League taking a seco nd and two firsts in their sec tion, and a trophy for the highest sco re b y a S J tea m A ll th r ee gir ls are about to

A good time h ad by

A J U l OR f)A Y, h eld ill th e garde n (co m plet e wit h tent) of D I S Mrs A. S h eehan' Heme !Ja)' ho m e. lI it h the help of D I O l'vtrs R. prodllced these tll'O best eye ll'i t lless accounts. 'On Saturday 14 July, I went [0 a Junior Training Da y. We arrived at the hou e belonging to an orficer of he H erne Bay divi ion and wa l ked round to th e back ga rden. We a ll at in a tent and soo n a lady came and collected our money 30]1 for a au age s izzle that wa to be in t he evening. T h e f r t thing we did was guess so me bird s; we had to gue 9 correct y. The next rhing wa to get a match box and put as many th ing n it that we co ul d co ll ect on a walk. We a 0 had to find 6 different wild flowers and gra e. We wa ked on t h e b eac h and had t o co ll ect the roundest pebb le, s malle st pe bbl e a n d a n a n imal- h aped I ebb le. We a lso h ad t o wr ite dow n a ll thc diflerent ani m a l we sa w. We f ini heclthc walk at the ho use and had our dinner. fter dinner we we nt fo r a n other wa l k, bur t imc w c Iwci to an wer que tio n s. We \\'alh.ed Lip a road ca ll ed Cliff venuc anclturncci right at Ihe lOp n t o th e High St r cel \\ ·c \\:l lh.etill lllhc Way thr o u g h t h e H g h tno'er :tllcilllI11'ed IcI't int o t h e wvcd We a ll collected wood 1'01' th e sa u sage s i7.l.lc, t he n \\ C \\ Cllt bad to Ihe house Wh c n \Ve got bad \\l Jlut :111 Ihe hin gs we co ll cctcd in 1'0\\" \\ it h ai! I he tIl hL'!' hi ngs. Som e I'l'()pk \\ l'l1l ,,\

A garden party for Juniors

s tayed and h elped to make the f ire. I t went very ve ll. Everybody came back in half an h o u r and the ausage were frying in the pan.

We all at round and watched the au age cook. When they were cooked they were given out in roll. When we had fini hed our au age we were given the re ult of rhe competition. S h aron Collett, from irringbourne, won the match box. he collccted 74 thing. I n gue ing the bird abour 9 people d r ew 0 we had to gue five m ore birds. A gir l from Herne Bav won that. The la t competition was the in the afternoon; Herne Bay & ittingbourne got I h ar, orhey h adtogue 4wildtree. Herne Bay \Von but Sittingbourne got omething because th ey came econd. I enjoyed the d ay \Cl'\ much.'

Lynn Earl, Siflil1f!,bollrne Dil ' i ion

* 'S:ll urcla\ [ \\ ent on til Junior Training Da\,. \\' '''.'11 \\l' mri\Tci a t i\lr he e-han s ho-u e;1

leave on a sai l traln1l1g cruise on the Sir Winston Churchill f rom Sept 30 to OCt 13 , which will be their la st venture together as cadets - as they s hortl y move to the adult divi s ion.

All three girls ha ve been a great help in running the cadet division. Th ey are well l i ked in the division, particularly for their sense of humour, and b y other officers and member s We wish them all the

Something positive, we're sure.

IN 1983 Crawley Division, which is based on the north Sus sex border, five miles south of Gatwick Airport, decided it was time to buy a new ambulance. But which vehicle were we to choose?

In our appraisal of models we took stock of t he Division's work load, especially with regard to am bulance escort work and our urban loca tio n. We also considered the various limitations laid down in the Public Duty Handbook. Various makes, shapes and sizes of vehicle, costing between £4,500 to £6,000 for a base van, were considered and subjected to a 2 I point check list we had devised (and reproduced here). The winner was the vehicle we bought.

Last March we purchased a Talbot 1500 Express, converted by Rootes of Maidstone, for a special price of £10,500 inclusive of equipment. The ambulance was dedicated during April at St John's Church, Crawley, by the Rev Goode, the service being attended

Our requirements: Crawley's views

'Only

Why Crawley Division bought this ambulance

by our Deputy Commissioner, Mr J. Shippam, the Mayor of Crawley, Clir Pegler, and our President, Mrs M. Churchill. That same night the ambulance set off on its first escort duty to Leeds, Yorkshire. Three months and 4,000 miles later we would like to report to other divisions on our choice, for we were the first Brigade unit to acquire a Talbot Express ambulance.

1. Its claim to give patient a ride equalling 'car comfort' is no boast. The stretchers, mounted between the wheel arches, considerably improve on the ride given by most conventional ambulances. Almost all our patients comment on the degree of comfort.

2 Having a long wheelbase it is spacious and its height allows even the tallest member to stand upright.

3. It is a versatile Brigade ambulance and can take either: two cot s tretcher s; or one centrally mounted stretcher; or one stretcher and two forward-facing seats; or five wheelchairs.

4. It has a five-speed gearbox and uses two star petrol, so it is economical to operate.

5. Storage space is plentiful a nd can be arranged to uit the individual unit 's requirement s.

6. It is front -w he el drive , ha a lo w centre of gravity and a useful low floor h eight (but this co uld be a disadvantage on rural dutie s) In conclusion, and in support of the Talbot Expres 1500 may I ugges that an y division considering a new ambulance should look at this vehic le. I t wi ll not uit everybody, but I uggest it will be difficul to find a mor e attractive proposition in it s price range.

Any Brigade unit w ho would lik e more information on t h e vehicle s hould contact our Transport Corporal: Mr D. Birch, II Trefoil C r escen t , Broadfield, Crawl ey, phone Crawley 30365. D I S S. R. Strange SR N

Manufacturer's plans

The story of a division as it reaches its jubilee by EDITH KIRBY, 0/0

WAS THIS the day George Orwell's predictions came to fruition , or the biggest Apri l Fool's joke of the century? I can still hear t he muffled mirth which accompanied the 'Do yo u know what day it is?' when t he first telephone calls were made to book the date. The fact that it was the only free Sunday in the county cale ndar for the first half of the year wa overlooked. However, it was to be none of the usual activitie associated with that date, merely the day chosen by Stamford Combined Division for its Diamond Jubilee Service of ReDedication, to be followed by the dedication of a new mobile unit. It all began with members deciding that a church service wou ld be a good way to ce lebrate the Division's diamond jubilee, and whe n it was known that the unit would be ready, to combine the two. The C hurch of St George with St Paul was chosen as the ven ue This is a 'Garter' church, and has con nection s with St George' Chapel, Windsor, go in g back over five hundred years. Our h eadquarte r s are just inches inside the pari s h boundary. It was also felt that one Order of Chivalry worshipping in the church of another was appropriate to the celebrations.

A telephone call to the Rector produced an immediate 'Yes, I would be delighted to take the se rvice .' Hymns were c hosen , help with choice of readings was g iven by a teacher of religiou s ed ucation so that they would be compatible with the motto of the Order. A long serving retired member pleaded with us no t to hav e the story of the Good Samaritan yet again. (We did man age this, but he sti ll got it in the R ector's

address!) Then, on a cold February night, clutching a draft for the order of service, the divisional superintendent, with the divisional officer and the member in charge of the ambulance cadets, trooped off to see the Rector , who put th e finishing touch (or the Church stamp of approval) to our proposals , with amendments as necessary. We were pleased to find that these were few. The Rector kindly agreed to let us fly our flag for the afternoon, providing we produced someone to go up the tower. A certain member of the Division has his parents living next door to the church, so was able to organise a robing room (or should it be a boiler-suiting room?) to change back into a pristine uniform when the deed was done Fortunately, he did volunteer!

Having got the day, date, time and place fixed, it was time to turn to the guests' list, and who does what list. At one time it did ge t to the state of there being lists of lists,

Suggestions for guests came in thick and fast.

Apart from St John staff and Council in Lincolnshire, there were all the local organisations who have helped us over the years, or with whom we work and do duties

The original total was three hundred and eig hty, and the church seats two hundred and eighty. So, out came the blue pencil. This was a difficult task. We wanted everyone on the list to come. In the end, two hundred and fifty invitations were issued, and most were accepted.

A seating plan was made out. Two officers and all cadets were put in the choir stalls, VIPs to the front on the centre aisle, with the Divi s ion behind those from St John, other organisations behind the Deputy

(Photos Stamford Photographic Services )

Mayor and Mayoress on the other side. Former members of St John were placed together in the Lady Chapel. County Staff, families and friends filled the side aisles On the day there were few empty seats. The next item for consideration was refreshments, and where to have them, There was a vehement outcry against a 'standard St John tea'. I wonder why? Everyone wanted a buffet. It was pointed out that as an organisation publically acknowledging several large donations on that day, we should not appear to be spending money without due thought. Therefore, it was agreed that everyone would donate something: cakes, sausage rolls, sa ouries etc , and that the WRVS would be asked to prepare sandwiches, and make and serve the tea This would be the only cost to the Division I have it on good authority that there was not a frozen sausage roll left in the local shops by March 31!

During preliminary discussions in the autumn of 1983 a nursing member had volunteered to make and decorate a large celebration cake. This turned out to be a work of art - and it tasted better than it looked On its top was the St John logo and each of the four sides supported a plaque

Continued on p.235

(Left) The new unit s dedicated, (L to A), The Rev J. Ormston Mr H. N Neville, Lines President ; Mr M Hindmarch chairman Stamford Round Table and Div Supt (now Area Comm ) Pe ter Castle. (Above ) The Order flag flies over St George's Church for the service.

MORI POll

from Gareth L. Greenslade, Divisional Superintendent

I have watched with interest the reaction to the MORI poll in letters to the Review. The point as I see it is that it does not matter what we think of what the public think. Assuming that the sampling method w a properl y designed, the fact is the poll reflects public opinion on St John Ambulance.

Since we function for the public and deplmd on them for every penny we s pend, I think we ignore their opinion at our peril.

London Gareth L. Greenslade

BARE ESSENTIALS

from Mr A R. Goodrum

As a r ea der of the Review for many years, I usually turn first to the Readers ' Vi e ws page, where someone is always moaning about our uni form. A tabard is the latest suggestion among the many variations w hich ha ve included white coats, boiler suits, bump guard helmets, co mbat pullovers , no rank markings, different rank markings, etc. etc.

How about dressing according to the duty? Thus members attending a pan t omime could go as Cinderella or Prince Charming; at sporting ev ent a track suit could be worn with Guess who's a First-Aider?' e mbroidered on the back. Duties at nudist camps would get down to t he bare E s sentials of First Aid' and here also a prize would be given fo r the most ingenious use of armbands.

Seriously , you have only to look at old photographs to see how much our uniform has changed over the years and will continue to do s o - economics will see to that. Finally, whatever we wear in the f u t ure , there will be no pleasing everyone.

N ottin g ham A. R. Goodrum

FAW from Mr H. Milner

T he fol lowing are my views on the FA W argument: I ha ve read w ith interest the various comments regarding the ntroduction of the FA W course as the only authorised course of in s truction now acceptable both for the Brigade and industrial firsta ider s, and now even for schools. I c a n see no reason why this should b e s o. Surel y it was only necessary to have the FAW booklet , les s t he sections on the v arious forms, etc, introduced as the one needed to quali f y for the General F.A. certificate, and then for any industrial c our s e s a s eparate booklet showing the necessary documentation n ee ded for records, etc, to be added to the FA W booklet?

I can well understand the feelings of Brigade members on being t old th at t hey now have to have FA W certification. Why should they?

A f ir st -aider at work is just that - he may never consider joining the Bri g ade or an y other similar organisation, therefore the FA W book and t he extra booklet are what he needs. Surely, then, for any other c ourse the at work should be dropped, eg, First Aid Course.

The introduction of the instructor's manual will save a lot of work in preparing a course, but I expect a few instructors will still just read f rom the m a nual, as some (including a few doctors) used todo with t he e arlier manuals. On a four-day course, with all the contents of t h e F A W c ourse book, theory and practice, to get across, there isn't much chance t o e x plain why things are such and such, or why this or that happen s - it's a pretty condensed course.

I mu st make some comment about the introduction to the FA W c ourse book which s tate s that 'the aim was to produce a complete training pa c kage which would enable someone with no prior k nowle dge o f first aid to become competent in all its aspects in 4 days' -r ea ll y , I a s k y ou! W ith all the subject matter being poured out at a ra w re cruit , plu s the practical, is it really fair to expect someone to b e c ompe te n after four days to give external cardiac compres s ion or ven t ilation correctly? What instructor hasn't had difficulty in getting a c our s e m e mb e r to give ventilation correctly on resuscianne? Some p e ople can do it, but certainly not every member of the course

At th e o r ga nisat ion where r us e d to work we ran weekly evening rev is ion sess ion s with s imulated wounds, etc, and when you consider man y fir s t -aid e rs in a factory or at work probably don't bother reading heir f ir s a id book s until the next course is due (every three years), ( is n ' t r ea ll y s urprising to find that even the simplest procedure of e lev a ion and direct pressure are not always remembered. Admittedly, in a re al life acciden t you don't have to ask whether bleeding is profuse,

etc, although we used a pump to k ee p th

Consequently, some form of continued trainin

t to be provided at the work place In s chool s , r eg ul

r re v

ion c asses could be introduced int o the c urri c

This would not of c our s e appl

they are u s ually ou in th e fi e ld

etc and presumably readin g their manual

One of he most difficult h a n g- up s fo r

id ers is their lack of confiden ce in approachin g a casua lt y. Und e r s t a n dab ly so , the y are probabl y thinkin g Will r b e a bl e o di ag n ose what is wrong or will [ ma ke a fo ol o f m y e lf '. It mu t b e r ea li e d w h at a great effort of will is so m et im es n ee d e d b y o m e f rs t- a id er fo r t hat fir s t approach to a cas ualt y. Thi s o n e thi ng th a t q ui te a few people on the revi s ion cour s e s said w a s m a d e eas ie r by th e e ex t ra tr ainin g se s sions.

Finall y, one section o f f ir s aid trai n in g I a m sor r y to see a lmost ignored the se da y s a natom y a nd p h ys io logy. I h ave a lways con s ider e d , a s a r e tir e d in s truc to r fo r a large organ at io n , tha to know the anatomical nam es of t h e m a in bo n e of th e b o d y was rather important. Ever y on e t hen kn o ws exac tl y w hi c h bo n e i b e in g re ferred to And surely t he y ar e no t h a t di r fi c ul to lea rn ? A ll fir t -a iders s hould ha v e a rea s onab ly goo d kn ow le d ge o r w h ic h o rga n li es under wha t par t ic ular point o n th e bod y, no u st b e ab le to p u t na m e to a dia g ram Thi s is pa r ti c ul a rl y im po rt a n t a t an acc id en t in vo ving in t ernal in j uri es. Then yo u kno w w h at th a t di co lo r a ti o n u n der th e left rib s mi g ht indicat e. Leeds H ar ry Milner

HELP! from Mr C R. Davies, County Staff Officer PRO De s pite good co ve ra ge o n lo c al r a di o a nd a spot o n So ut hern Television, we are ha v in g g rea t diffi c ult y in m a int a inin g in te r est in St John on the Is le o f Wi g ht. S o du r in g th e a utumn we i nte n d o have a s erie s of meetin gs with loc a l o rgan sa ti o n t o t ry t o s t ir u p some intere s t. But fo r t hi s w e n ee d proj ec ti o n s lid es, v id eos or film o n the work of St John. I would be exceedin g y g r ate ful if a n y p e rso n Coun t y or Area who ha s s u c h ma te rial th a t we co uld b or r ow, h ir e or buy would get in touch wi th m e. 41 Gre en Lane , Shanklin (ph o n e 862943) C. R D av ies

CAN I HELP?

from Mr E M R. MacAuslan

I am curr e ntly in the pro cess o f leav in g th e RAM C a f te r s ix yea rs' service a s an Environm e ntal H e alth A ss is t a nt w ith th e ra nk of se rgeant. If an y SJA unit s w ould lik e a g u es t s p ea ke r o r in s t r u c t o r I wo uld be mo s t g la d to offer m y ex p e ri e nc e. I h ave m any lid es o n top ics such as medi c al e ntomolo gy and p es t c o ntr o l , wa e r purifi ca ti o n , Berlin, and the Falkl a nd Is land s. 98 Old C hurc h St , E. M R M acA us lan London SW3 6EP phone 01 -3523377

HACKNEY OPENS NEW AMBULANCE STATION

HA C KN EY (L o nd on 342) Di v is o n 's f i ne ne w a mbu la n ce stat ion in M ild e nh a ll R oa d , C la pt o n E5, oppo ite t h e div is o n 's HQ wa s o p e ned b y th e L ondon Di st ri c t Co mmi ss ion e r o n J u ly

H ac kn ey D ivis ion cove r s a w id e r a nge of d uti es, n c ludi ng: H ac k ney M a rshes amateu r foot b a ll , w h e r e on a S unda y the 12 0 pit c h es ar e a ll

IApril 1 1984 (from p.233)

mad e o f ic in g a nd pa in t ed Th e re w a s a a mbulan ce, a m o bil e uni t, a nd a n ambul a nc e a nd nur s in g m e mb e r ( b ot h b ore a n unc a nn y rese mbl a n ce o cerra in peo pl e ) , a nd t h e co at

o f a rm s o f St a m fo rd . T h e ve n ue for th e bUllfi g ht wa s t h e b ea utiful R ege n cy Ballr o om of t h e loca l A rt s' Ce n tre, sit u ate d ac ro ss t h e q uar e f r o m th e ch u rc h T h e committ ee a llo we d u s to u se i for a nominal fee, provid e d w e clea n e d up af te rwards.

The se rvi c e w a s an ac t o f f ull c oop e r a tion a nd p arti c ipati o n b y the t hre e Di v s io n s of St J o hn in St a m fo rd . T h e A mbul a n ce a nd

Nur s in g C ad e t S ta nd a rd s we r e ca rri e d into c hurch, a nur s in g c ad et r ea d the first es son, the sec ond b e in g re ad b y th e C ounty Co mmi ss ioner, a nd two ambulan c e c adet s sang an anthem Th e a dult s provided s ide s men and u s h e r s. Oth ers had d o d g ed th e early mornin g s now s h o w e rs to cl ea n and poli s h th e veh icle whil e oth e r s laid out the table s for t ea

Prior to t he d e dication o f t h e unit, th e parade w as in s pe c e d by th e County Pr es id e n t, the L o rd Lieut e nan t of Lincoln s hire, Mr H. N N ev ile , th e C ommand e r a nd th e D e pu ty Ma yo r of Stamford

Durin g thi s, the St John Fla g was fl y ing

b e in g pla yed on Ye s, 120 mat c hes go i ng on at t h e s am e time! Thi s ce r t ainl y keep s H ac kn ey m e mbers bus y dealin g with all so r ts of inju r ie s. 2. Ha c kne y Spe e dway.

3 M a n y lo c al and London e v ent s, et c 4. Ambulance t r a n s p o r for S t Jo s eph 's Ho s pic e.

5. Ambulanc e transport for aeromedical

o ver St. G e orge 's Church - an historic s ig ht highl ig hted again s t a br i lliant b ue sk y b y t he cold winter sunshine emphasising the Chri s tian ori g in s of our Order and giving u s c au se to rem e mbe r ex a c tl y wha t we were ce lebra ing.

Fo r s xty y ear s St John Ambulance has b e en pr es en t in th is ancien t town. In the b e ginnin g , without uniform or equ i pment, eve n a stret c her had to be borrowed from the p ol ice, a nd m e e t in g s were held at the local r ailwa y st ation. Eventually, an ambulance w as a c quired , and he adquarters set up in the buildin g we s t i ll o cc up y toda y. Originall y a g ranar y, it has been used as a fire station and the hose store was conver t ed into le cture room, which still has an abundance of air curr e nts, in spite of improvements and a carpeted floor.

In t he 1950s, when the then superintendent died, a new Daimler ambulance was bought with donations made in his memory This was in use until 1972 , and was the only ve hicl e retained when the local authority took over t he ambulance services. After this member s hip declined , and the Division became c om bined in 1971. Appeals to local organisations brought new equipment, including an ambulance , and the Daimler w a s honourably retired to the Leyland Motor Museum A trailer and a frame tent were se r v ice s , w hi c h in volves many long journeys a ll o ve r t h e cou n t ry. The n ew amb ulance station has an i ns pec tion pit in o n e b ay and all the neces sary t ool s ha ve been ei t h e r donated or bought to allo w the Tr a nsport Officer and CO to carry ou

, th e latte r being replaced by a more modern one s hor tly afte

News from

.Divisions/Centres

Why, as a doctor, I joined

St John

by JILL WHITE, County Superintendent, Dorset

OBITUARY

Mr F. Carter, Divisional Superintendent Ely Combined Division, Cambs, for last seven years. 27 years in the Brigade. Died july 30 1984.

Paul Johnson, 15, of Salford Combined Cadet Division, Greater Manchester. Died August 4 1984.

Roland Otter, of Newark Ambulance Division. A professional nurse who joined the Division in 1947. Mr Otter went on to the Reserve in 1983 because of health problems.

AVON: A civic reception was held in Bristol to mark Bishopston ambulance cadet division's success at the National Competition finals. The Lord Mayor , CII Fred Apperley and his wife Joan , presented (L to R! Sean Dillon Andrew Sutton, Mark D llon, Andrew Element and Andrew Wightman with medallions usually reserved for other Lord Mayors and visiting dignitaries (Photo : Myra Meredith!

AVON (Right! A I M Alan Elson accepts a cheque for £50 for Bishopston ambulance cadet division from Mr Royston Saint money was raised by the parents and friends of the division.

(Photo: Myra Meredith!

IT IS such a simple question but I don't find it easy to give a simple answer.

It has always been my belief that every decision we make in life is the outcome of mixing three ingredients; the circumstances at that moment of time, one's own personality and, lastly, one's own capabilities The mixture is influenced or 'flavoured by something, somewhere, somehow or someone, be that human, symbolic or just Lady Luck. So it was for me when I decided to join St John. Let me go through my 'ingredients'. The first was the circumstances. As a doctor my work ha s always been mainly with children, for whom [ have great respect and love, and it is not s urpri s ing that my first appointment in SJ was as a Surgeon to a Cadet Division It is so worthwhile to help , not just to save a life but also to teach a way of life and skills that will benefit not only the cadet but the family and society as a whole. Working with cadet s one hope s to kindle a life-long interest in SJ and perhap s initiate a medicallyorientated career. Before I started studying medicine [ did an intensive course in First Aid and Home Nursing (as it was called then) so that I could become a VAD and then a nurse should I fail to get into Medical School and I well remember the fascination of those first courses and - yes - I did pass the exams!

The second 'ingredient' was my own personality I have always had a strong sense

Why did you - SRN, ambulance driver, or whatever - join St John? Let's start a new series of who and what is St John. Why exactly do people join? Why did you join? Let's have YOUR story and a photo please.

of duty and felt that one should serve the community in some way, give something of oneself without reward; make a voluntary contribution to the we lfare of the people of my country instead of always taking advantage of the benefits of our society and way of life. One cannot deny the personal satisfaction gained by doing voluntary work.

My third 'ingredient' was my own capabilities; my professional skill and knowledge as a doctor which I could use not just to h eal but to teach others to save lives and improve the quality of living of the sick and wounded.

As for the' flavouring' of my ingredients that influence over the whole decision was a chance conversation with a dedicated member of St John who spoke of the great need for doctors and of the aims and achievements of the Brigade and I realised that perhaps in SJ I would find the ideal

outlet for my interests, skills and energies. And that is exactly what happened I joined and have never regretted that day and bless that member introducing me to St John; it was proof that the personal contact and personal example that each member sets is the most powerful recruiting agent. These are just the main points in my decision to join; of course there were others such as the satisfaction of fulfilling a need, as there is a chronic shortage of surgeons in the Brigade; the secure feeling of being part of a great and venerable organisation; the comaraderie of the members, the team spirit in our county in particular; the thirst for more knowledge, medical and para-medical and plenty more pleasurable reasons. In fact , the only dissatisfaction I experience is wearing That Hat - scoop or no-scoopit just isn t my style at all!

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

How to raise

£200,000

for your County (from p.221)

f) The building industr y.

g) The equestrian fraternity

An attempt was also made to form committees in the largest towns in the county outside Norwich, but for a variety of reasons, the chief bein g intense parochialism only one town ga ve full support and produced an excellent result. A conscious decision was taken, and fully observed throughout, not to go outside the county boundary in seeking support.

St John Ambulance in Norfolk is more grateful than can ever be recorded to all those who worked so hard for so long to achieve such an outstanding result, and our thanks go in large measure to all who subscribed whether in cash or kind to a cause which has certainly achieved its objective.

This is but a brief outline of how we ran an appeal in Norfolk, and it will be realised that much of what we set ou t to achieve w a s conditioned by local attitudes throughout the county , which was felt early to be crucial to our plans, and so it proved. Readers will have their own views and their own problems

t o overcome in moun t ing an appeal but in recording our impressions there is always the hope that others may benefit from our experience, which is the spirit of St John, wher e ve r we may serv e. Some lessons learnt from the appeal

1. It is hard work very hard work

indeed.

2. The most careful preparatory work is essential before the launch, a nd a suitable aim must be settled

3. The executive team conducting the appeal must be convinced of the worth of the appeal and mu s t become dedicated to the work

4. Publicity in the widest sense possible is vital, and this must percolate down to grass roots. Too much t ime can not be spent on publicity.

5 Frequent reports on progress mu s t be given, and lists of donor s (not amounts) published in th e local pres s , no matter how expensive.

6 Members of St John Ambulance must be kept fully informed of progress at all stages to retain their interest.

7. Some w a y must be found t o overcome parochialism in outlyin g parts of the count y ; a s all mu s t b e convinced on the worthine ss of th e cause and be prepared to work for the whole cou nty, not merely their own 'neck of the wood '.

8 Great care must be e x erci se d in inviting per s ons to join a c ommitt ee ; there must be evidence of commitment at the ou set. Promi s es are not sufficient, performanc e is what is needed.

9. Expenses must b e kept to a minimum, but it is unre a li s tic to

expect willing paid worker s to work beyond their expectation s of reward, though in practic e [his will happen if the ri g ht team is selected at th e outset.

10 Think big and be willing to take risk s. Not every venture will be successful financially or even s ocially; we can't control the w e ather.

11 Keep up the impetu s to the very last day of the appeal in s pite o f dwindlin g income by thi s time

13 Tho

REVIEW CROSSWORD No.1 0 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. Feeling giddy but clearly not thick skulled. (5.6). 9. Preserve a restoration to health. (4) 10 C oncretion forming in the pelvis of the kidney (5.5) 11. Uproar in a fraudulent business. (6). 13. Authoritative order is cited wrongly. (5). 16 Chemical nature of gastric

240

eve m s to tr y to d r um up s upp or t.

juice (4) 18. Ha ving six fa ces ea c h of whi c h is a s quar e (5). 19 Inh a le a concoction of herb tea. (7 ). 20 [s in ale in pa ssage in chur c h ( 5)

21. Keep ones attention fixed on note in good h e al t h (5). 2 2 U. S vet is upset concerning a cough (7) 23 F ilamen ou s e pid e rm a l appendages. (5). 24. Turn key s in S c otti s h is land. (4). 25 W e ep t o make salutation. (5) 27 Most reliabl e t e mp e ratur e i n in fan ts. (6). 29 Tibia toni c may be from dru g us ed to combat ba c e ri a l in fec ti o n s. (10).31. A small amount of ipeca c uanha (4). 32. Disea se prim a r ily affecting the lungs and air passages (11)

Down:

2. Product of mental actIVIt y (4). 3 Re s tor e d to health. (6). 4 Paradoxically an increase reduces speed , it is s aid (5) 5 A great fu ss in meadows (3). 6 Turn the upper lid inside out. (5). 7. Good fortune to sustain a fracture? (5 5). 8 Ero s ion o f part s of alim e ntary ra ct exposed to gastric juice (6 5). 12 Gland regulating c alcium levels in blood and bone (II). 14 Surgeon 's a ss s tant work s back - stage (7). 15. Rice tin becomes lemon coloured. (7).17. Laughing when suturin g is completed? (2.8) 18 Surrender terri t ory. (4) 19. Be s t variation for wagers (4). 24. Begin to grow shoot o f a plant. (6). 25. Fit gla ss for slight opacity of cornea. (5). 26. The potato for example could become brute (5) 28 Carriage for a c orpse. (4) 30. Draw cerebrospinal fluid from the theca (3)

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 9 (84)

Across: 1. Rescu-e; 5. Eyelash 10 Anorexia nervosa; 11. Hoist; 12 Chin-a; 14. N-it; 15. Prevalent; 17. Es s ay; 18. Pasta; 20 Ankle bone ; 23 Use; 24. Ex-tra; 26 Theca; 27 Manic depres s ive; 29. Temples; 30. Pusher.

Down: 2 Emotive; 3. Cleft palate; 4 Episclera; 5. En-nui; 6. Ear; 7. Anoints; 8. Healthy; 9. Wash-up; 13. Atelectasis; 16 Take a trip; 18. Plummet; 19. Sternum; 21. One time; 22. Enamel ; 25 Tress; 28 Col.

20p a word (min.

Send to Driscoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3QF.

MENS & WOMENS

NATIONWIDE ST JOHN RAFFLE

You keep 100% of the proceeds!

There are still plenty of raffle tickets available for this National Raffle DIVISIONS AND COUNTIES KEEP EVERY PENNY FROM TICKET SALES

You sell as many tickets as you can, keep all the money and return the counterfoils and any unsold tickets by December 1 in time for the draw on December 5

There is a really first class set of prizes

1st prize A BRAND NEW TALBOT HORIZON LE1.1 CAR and other prizes include:

One week's holiday for two in Houston, Texas, USA

A two week villa holiday for two in the Algarve, Portugal

A JVC portable colour television

The tickets are 50p each and are available in books of five from: The Public Affairs Department, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW1. Tel: 01 - 235 5231

Try to sell as many tickets as you can. This is a very easy way to fundraise without any costs!

ALL COUNTERFOILS MUST BE RETURNED TO GROSVENOR CRESCENT BY DECEMBER 1 AT THE LATEST

Ambu=-

Pr esents the SAFE , EFFECTI VE , REALISTIC AMBU S imulator with Built in Hyg ie n e Prot e cti onNo cr os s infection possib le.

ST JOHN REVIEW

THE JOURNAL OF ST JOHN

Volume 57 No. 11 November 1984

Contents

Talking Point p 242

An Unduty Weekend p.242

Working together solves two problems p.243

FA in Schools launched p 244

St John Fellowship p.244

The Thrapston Story p.245

Around and About by the Editor p 246

Travels of

Cadet Chat by Jim p 254

Readers ' Views p 256

Mobile Un i for S dmouth p.258

The home that was built around a window , by Watkin W Williams p.259

News from Scotland -'- Wales p.260

Northern Ireland - Overseas p.261

News from Divisions / Centres p.262

Service to Mankind p.263

The World About Us by Jack p.264

EDITORIAL and ADVERTISEMENTS

The National Finals of the Band Aid / St John Ambulance First Aider of the Year Competition will be held on Wednesda y, November 14 at 6.30 pm at the Robert Brook Centre , St Bartholomews (Barts ) Hospital, West Smithfield, London ECl. Why not come along? Ten finalists compete and tests include audio visual questions and answers, and a simulated accident. A surprise celebrity will present the prizes.

Pleas

TALKING POINT

A personal view

We must sort this out ...

HA VING SEEN the new regulations for Adult First Aid Courses and the new instructions concerning efficiency of members of the Brigade, and having also heard the views of a cross-section of the Divisions in my Area, I feel I must write to the Review on the subject. It appears to me that we have now got ourselves into such a tangle that we must sort it out. I hope that those who made the decisions will see the arguments and issue new more acceptable instructions before it is too la te

NOSTELL PRIORY four-day music festival made news in August 1984 - Five hundred police! Thefts! Firearms! Drugs! Arrests! St John Ambulance was there

As pop festivals go, this one went. Not by any means oversubscribed or over-attended by music lovers, it fizzled and dampsquibbed through four days demonstrating the continuing dedication of St John Ambulance to the cause of caring for the sick and injured 'on-site'.

John Winterbottom, of Wakefield City Division, S & W Yorkshire, with little or no experience of this type of event, had organised substantial cover with a 24-hour first aid tent affording three 'hospital' beds and front-room casualty clearing facilities, an ambulance and an assorted team of beautiful nurses (female) and smart male ambulance members, who braved the baking sun of the Bank Holiday weekend cyclone with mobile radio-communicating and first aid satchels at the ready.

On the first evening of the event, the punk rock group 'The Damned' excited a predictable response and the surge of young enthusiasts broke down the barrier between the audience and the stage - producing fourteen casualties. And later, a fight broke out and somebody got a broken head - no vinegar and brown paper here - blood, toil and sweat. The overnight team of first -aid ers rued their volunteering as they tried to snatch a few hours sleep amid the noise and turmoil. Day two was passed in apprehension. Day three. We arrived'. Doctor and SRN. Car boot brimming over with medicotechnological paraphernalia. Our turn on duty to face the hordes.

The music in the arena was not unpleasant. A smattering of vaguely remembered tunes with the odd jig and reel;

242

My County Headquarters has tried to simplify the new system and have calculated that there is a choice of TEN different courses which Brigade members will have to go through at some time or other. The situation has thus become extremely confusing.

The requirement for all Brigad e members to hold a First Aid at Work, or to give it its new name Statutory Certificate, is causing much resentment among member s, for only a small number actually require this certificate and in the majority of cases their employers arrange for them to take the course; which is right and proper. There are many Divisions who will not be able to hold statutory courses in heir headquarters because they do not meet the requirements of the Health & Safety Executive This is particularly true of Divi s ion s in rural areas, and also app lies to many in town or city area s. It is wrong that they should be asked to hire special premises for these courses.

The problem with the statuto ry course is that it pre su ppose s that all accidents occur within a town or city area, and the treatments shown are those which merely keep the

patient comfortable until medical help or an ambulance arrives. This is the same with the non-statutory course based on the same syllabus This is not much use to, say, a Scout leader or a motorist who has to treat a patient who may have to be carried over rough ground or wait half-a n-hour or more for help to arrive. The new White Cross course is for Brigade 'in-house' training, so the ordinary member of the public who wishes to learn first aid for his own and others benefit will not get this training. We could offer the new adult version of the EFA course, but that standard is lower than the present adult course. It is an acknowledged fact that the FA W course is of a lower sta ndard than that of t he normal adult course, but what has happened is that examination standards have been improved, which, in many cases, was long overdue. It seems to me that in saying when premises do not meet the required HSE standard the certificate is s ued will be of the non-statutory variety, or by offering the EFA (adult) course, we are diluting our teac hing to those (the public) we hope may become St John members. And yet those who do join

a folk song; and even, en passant, a jazzed up version of, but recognisably, Holst, emanated from the 10 watt black-fashion 'loudspeakers(?)'. We were taken on a conducted tour of the establishment. The side shows were moderately well patronized, the toilet facilities excellent, and there was loads of catering, clean and fresh. There were brightly coloured and colourful salespersons with the panache one expects at a 'pop do'

Have you ever bought a candle from a topless sales lady? Nor have I, but I had the chance!

Meanwhile, back at the first aid tent. nothing! Well, to be fair to the workers, not quite nothing, but no evidence of overdoses of drugs, no serious head injuries, no stabbings, no shootings. Just a minor flow of cut feet - (bare feet and broken plastic' glasses') and one little boy fell off hi s mother' s shoulders and had a greenstick fracture of the wrist but, otherwise nothing.

The local residents complained about naked people. The only completely naked

the Brigade we give the White Cross course which is just a more complicated version of the non-statutory course.

am concerned that the new requirements will result in an acce leration in the reduction of Bri ga de members rather than slowing or reversing it, for I have heard that there are rumblings of resignations from the Brigade from some of our keenest members because of the new requirement. If only a few of them carry out their threat, we shall have lost many valuable members over the country.

It seems tQ me that there are two acceptable alternatives which would resolve the problem:

1. Offer two adult courses. The first would be the present adult course which is the one most members of the public would like to take. This would be the non-statutory course, but the procedures and sta ndard s of exami nation in the FA W course could be a dap te d to suit it. This could be the standard entrance examination for the Brigade. The second would be the present FAW, or statutory, course held in suitable premises which are paid for or arranged by employers. Separate facilities could be made for Brigade

AnRoy Lucas, Area Staff Officer South and West Yorkshire, administeri ng (under medical supervision) nebulized drugs o an asthma sufferer Manua l 4th edition page 60 female saw (I didn't see any naked males) was about eighteen months old! Though I did see one rather overweight lady wearing only a hat!

At t he end of the two days on duty we packed up and went home

* Lots of first aid duties are like this. Can you remember the exciting occasions?

'We had a fractured femur. Stuck out at an angle it was.' 'We had an unconscious head injury. Brain coming out all over the splint we were trying to put on his fractured skull. '

Our members are often lacking in ex perience of real, serious injuries aren't we lucky?

Nostell Priory 1984 was a good duty

Good organisation, waiting for a disaster that, in spite of the media, didn't happen during a four day pop festival. If it had done, the black and white hornets would have been buzzing around.

A F.

members or members of the public who wish to take this certificate. Those who take the FA W course and obtain a certificate could enter the Brigade provided they successfully pass the normal Brigade re-examination within one year of joining This option would dispense with the need for Brigade members to hold the statutory certificate.

2. Offer one course based on the present non-statutory course. It could be split into statutory and non-statutory, depending on the premises where the course is held. The statutory course could include a session on form filling for accidents and illness at work. The examination standard could be that of the pre se n t FA W course, but arrangemen ts would be needed to exclude from the written part the questions relating to accident books, etc. I realise that this would mean that the investment made in the FA W course books, etc, would be wasted, but at the same time the credibility of the statutory course would be increased, which can't be a bad thing. It would also mean the Association agreeing a new syllabus with the HSE, but as I have it on good authority that our friends in the BRCS do this, it would not be impossible for

St John to do it also. Either way, the course would be the entrance requirement for the Brigade.

should say that I am required to have a statutory certificate for work purpose s. My employer arranges the co urse s on his premises

I therefore ask Headquarter s to reconsider the present instructions and issue new ones. In particular, cancel the requirement to have the FA W course for Brigade membership and reinstate the present ad ult course. I suggest that the majority of members treat Brigade member sh ip as a hobby through which they can give assistance to their fellow men (and women). They will give up the hobby if it becomes too hide-bound by what they see as unnecessary regu lations, which many believe the new ones to be. Plea se, Headquarters, take notice of w hat the s ilent majority are saying - b efo re they become so silent that they are no longer members.

Unduty Weekend

Right) South and West Yorkshire : John Peeb les, John Winterbottom, Sarah Ingilby, Stephen Violet and John Minett, in a quiet moment. (Below) Other members under the stage between acts.

Radio ca ll sign - Sierra Juliet Panic Two Six

Right) County Nursing Officer Mrs J. Hyde dressing a dirty cut on casualty's foot

Clive R. Dennis Derwent ASO (Transport), Derbys hire

Working together solves two problems

WEYBRIDGE Combined Division had a dilemma. The cadets were holding a casualty simulation course but lacked competition members on whom to practise. The adults had hit an unimaginative patch and couldn't dream up a good idea for an exercise. Then somebody remembered the old 'cart and horse' adage - and the next thing the cadets were planning an incident involving plenty of interesting casualties for the adults! Problems solved.

At first the cadets had some qualms about judging their seniors (notice we didn't say betters) and finding suitable casualties from among them (we'd have thought that would have been easy - dementia, droop, etc), but soon confidence was restored and within three weeks the set was arranged.

244

( Cadet ) and adult

The exercise, at our partially-built new HQ, involved four patients: one with both legs fractured and a fractured base of skull; the second, lying face down on a catwalk, with a fractured spine; the third with a crushed foot; and the last with broken fingers and a nose bleed. (Plenty of casualty simulation here). The cadets, with three newly promoted adults (who seemed to want to revert back for some reason), prepared the marking sheets, did make-up and acted as patients.

So successful was this experiment in working together that a second exercise was held a month later at the local sailing club.

Again the cadets planned everything, with two patients on land - one with a broken femur, the other a gashed leg, broken ribs

and punctured lung - and two on the water - one with an epileptic fit in the water and the other in a boat suffering a stroke.

Again, this was very successful, with the bonus of our local building society manager putting the action on film.

Not only have these exercises helped cadets and the adults with their trammg programmes, but they have of course helped to strengthen the bond between the two sections. Incidentally, 750/0 of the adult section are ex-cadets, which explains a lot. There has been yet another exercise on the same lines (an R T A) and the cadets are busy planning their next. And, on the QT, I a feeling the adults of Weybridge are havmg to get the old grey matter moving: There's some hot competition around thelr way!

FA in Schools

launched WITH MINISTER FOR EDUCATION

EDUCATION CHIEF Sir Keith Joseph gave his blessing to a new campaign to give school children lessons in life-saving during his visit to SJA national headquarters on September 24.

Sir Keith, Secretary of State for Education and Health, backed a new school s programme devised by the St John Ambulance Association which, it is hoped, will help save upwards of 10,000 lives a year. The St John scheme will give 10 to 14-yearolds basic training in life - saving techniques . The lives of thousands of accident victim s could be saved, say St John, if emergency aid was ava lable wi t hin the first four to five minutes - too soon for the 999 services to react.

Launching the new schools scheme, after seeing an emergency aid demonstration by Kent school children, Sir Keith said: 'I take away just an element of a feeling of guilt, thinking that I should have known this much at least.'

The St John package consists of : a) A new paperback book Emergency Aid in Schools' for teachers which explains

(Leh ) Sir Keith Joseph and SJA s Assistant Director General Bob Balchin who directs the project (Right) S x Kent school children, the first to receive the r c ert ifi cates under the Three Cr o ss Award

the simple techniques to use in dealing with the most common types of potentially fatal emergency. These include: drowning, sports injuries, heart attack, shock, burns, diabetes, drug abuse, unconsciousness, poisoning, and bleeding. Price £1. 95

b) A video based teaching programme for children designed for use in the classroom, and capable of teaching children graded standards of proficiency.

Known as the 'Three Cross Award Scheme' this programme gives children the opportunity to earn merit certificates and colour coded badges. Price £10

The programme has been directed by St John's Assistant Director General Robert Balchin, who explains: 'Teachers are increasingly asking for specially developed

teaching aids that would enable them to prepare themselves properly for the sort of accidents that inevitably occur, not just in the school but outside as well. There is also clearly a growing awareness of the importance of first aid and the lack of suitable material which will teach it to children.

'I hope that very soon there will be a copy on every teacher's desk and t hat they will increasingly see first aid as an essential part of the curriculum '

The package, which has taken three years to develop, has been put together by a team of St John experts, all of whom are volunteers.

Mr Balcrun added: We have gone to great lengths to make this material as easy to understand and accessible as possible. I urge teachers and parents to take advantage of the package to make sure they and their children are equipped to cope in the face of an accident. We have kept the cost of the package as low as possible to encourage the maximum number of people to take advantage of it.

ST JOHN FELLOWSHIP - Holy Land tour planned

THIS MONTH I am pleased to rep ort an enquiry about the Fellowship fro m t he Brigade in Australia

On September 14 there was a me e ting of the central committee of the Fellowship in London and it was decided to go ahead with the proposed visit to the Holy Land in 1985, provided su fficient mem bers apply. Here are the outline arrangements

Date: Tuesday, Sept 11 to Thursday, Sept 20 1985 (to be confirmed).

Travel Agent: Inter-Church Travel, a Thomas Cook company , well known to Mr George Woodhill, former Brigade Registrar, who has kindly worked out the

tour with t hem

Accommodation: In 2 or 3-star hotels, with priva t e bath shower and W.e.

Itinerary: Day 1: Flight to Tel Aviv and on to Je r usalem

Day 2 -4 : Guided tour s of Jerusalem, Bethlehem a nd surrounding area, including of cour s e the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem.

Optional trip to Jericho, the Dead Sea and Masada

Day 5: To Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. Visits to Capernaum, the Mount of the Beatitudes, Megiddo and Mount source of the

River Jordan and a kibbutz.

Day 8: To the Mediterranean coast. Visit Acre , Haifa, Mount Carmel. Day 9: Spend last night in Tel Aviv. Day 10: Return flight to London (Gatwick)

Cost: Based on twin-bedded room, approximately £550

The trip is open to all members of the St John Fellowship, t heir r elatives and friends. Brochures and booking forms can be obtained from me.

31 Malvern Court, Onslow Square , London SW7 3HY. Sheila Puckle ational Secre t ary

(Above and right) Brothers A I Ms Joseph and Patrick Moran attending casualty N/C Theresa Kelly

Thrapston's eight Grand Prior's badge winners this year, with the Chief Commander and their Div Supt Miss Marjorie Tiney (right). They are (L to R) front: Sarah Cornwell, Richard Morson Gary Horne and Angela Wallace Back Julia Claxton, Susan Box, Sharon Starsmore, and Adrienne Coombe (Photo: Northamptonshire Newspapers )

closely involved. Several had expertise and skills in various fields: some were prepared to acquire specialist training in order to assist, and to a large extent courses were tailored around the resources we had within our own numbers

The introduction of many more proficiency subjects gave much wider scope, not only to cadets but instructors too. It now became possible and, in view of increasing numbers, necessary to have two courses running simultaneously, in addition to first aid or nursing for probationers on each class night. This obviously required careful planning, especially during winter months when most time is spent indoors. Emphasis in the summer, of course, is on outdoor activities, and Thrapston is fortunate in having nearby facilities which are used to full advantage.

Since 1963, Grand Prior's badges have been gained by Thrapston members every year, culminating in 1984 with eight being awarded, which brought the total during the 21 years to 101. To record this achievement, the Chief Commander, Major General Peter Leuchars, presented the Division with a letter of recognition and congratulation from the Lord Prior at the divisional inspection held on June 26.

THE THRAPSTON STORY

or How to solve

that recruiting

THRAPSTON is a small market town of 3,000 inhabitants situated halfway between Northampton and Peterborough. St John first arrived in the town in 1940 with the formation of an ambulance division, and a nursing division was founded very shortly afterwards. Classes were held in two small rooms, rented from what was later to become the British Steel Corporation. Towards the end of 1946 a nursing cadet division was started, and it soon became apparent that two small rooms were quite inadequate.

Fund raising was initiated, and plans to acquire a divisional headquarters were put into operation. An ex-RAF hut was obtained, assembled by members, and officially dedicated and opened as the HQ in October 1950. This meant the Division could expand, and 1952 the formation of an ambulance cadet division.

Friendly rivalry always existed between the Divisions, enhanced initially by the participation in eliminating rounds of the national competitions. This of course proved an important factor in raising the standards

From the outset, families have featured very strongly in all four sections of Thrapston SJA; which, made for very clo se and harmonious working relationships. Happily, these ties have strengthened over the years and this has been one of the great assets in overcoming the transition from cadets to adults, and indeed the age gap overall. Substantial benefit has also been gained from younger members in particular who have been encouraged to participate in

Membership is 100 800/0 of adult members are ·ex-cadets

Just some (p ast and present ) of Thrapston's 101 Grand Prior s badge holders since 1963 - they got together for this photograph at last June 's divisional inspection and presentation evening. We counted 42 - just think what a picture it would make if the other - er - 59 were there! (Photo: Cyril E Diamond , Thrapston)

activities organised at Area, County and National level which are designed to give maximum opportunity for meeting other members in a different envi ronm ent and exchanging idea s. Members ha ve attended Area, County and National Camps, Nottingham Weekend, Sail T raining Association cruises, Outward Bound courses, to name but a few, returning to the Division with new and enthusiastic idea s, many of which have been put into practice. As a result of some of these ideas, Thrapston led the way in Northamptonshire by becoming one of t he first Combined Divisons Member s hip no w totals over 100 , and to cope with the increasing numbers a new Headquarters was erected and opened in 1982. Of the 44 adult members, 80070 are ex-cadets, 95% of those Grand Prior' s badge holders.

It is now the aim of almost every cadet who joins the Division to gain the Grand Prior's badge , and as can be seen a high percentage of badge holder s automatically transfer.

Tv all Divisions with recruitment problems, and seeking a challenge, encourage your cadets to work for and gain their Grand Pr ior's badge. You too may be similarly enriched.

problem

Proficiency subjects had obviously been included in the cadet training programme, but even in 1960 the Grand Prior's badge was something only vaguely heard of in Thrapston. However, this was soon to change.

Firstly, divisional training had to change. Much more integration took place between the ambulance and nursing cadet divisions.

In the early stages, two proficiency courses were organised each year by the ambulance cadets, held on their class night, giving the nursing cadets the option to attend; with two different subjects being covered by the nursing cadets, giving the boys the option to

246 of first aid and nursing, but it was quickly recognised that this alone was not sufficient to interest all the members all the time.

attend. Thus, there was the opportunity for the really keen members to take the maximum of four subjects each year. Efforts were rewarded in 1963, when the first Grand Prior's badges arrived in Thrapston, awarded to two nursing cadets and one ambulance cadet.

Naturally, this stimulated interest, and numbers too. Courses now available increased to six a year, and problems arose with regard to qualified instructors . Resources in the town were very limited. It was relatively easy to find examiners willing to visit the Division for one night, but much more difficult to entice suitable persons to travel a round journey of 20 miles or more for eight to ten weeks. This was where members of the adult divisions became more

HQ APPOINTMENTS

Medical Board: Dr Elston Grey-Turner died at the end of 1983 and the Medical Board has been without a chairman. Headquarters St John Ambulance has invited Sir Douglas Black to become chairman and he has accepted.

Sir Douglas IS a past president of the Royal College of Physicians of London and a noted and progressive leader in the field of medicine. He is a Fellow of many other Royal Colleges of the United Kingdom and overseas.

The Medical Board is the main advisory committee at Headquarters on new methods in first aid and on the selection of equipment. Brigade: Assistant Commissioner-in-Chief Gerald H. Easton has been appointed Deputy C-in-C.

Aetomedical Services: The Director, Group Captain George Baxter, has retired on medical advice and his successor, Mr E. D. Dew, takes over at HQ as Director on November 1.

14 Nov: 6pm

r 6.30pm First Aider of the Year Competition, Robin Brooke Theatre, St Bartholomew's Hospital, ECl.

21 Nov: 10.15am for Ilam I nvesti ture of Knig hts and Dames b y HRH The Grand Prior, St lames 's Palace

22 Nov: Musical Society Concert and Bu ffet Supper, St lames 's Palace.

29 Nov: Grand Prior 's Trophy Competitions, Fair f ield Halls Croydon.

29 Nov: 2.30 for 3pm In vestiture, Grand Priory Church, Clerkenwell.

AROUND and ABOUT

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST

JOHN

OUTWARD BOUND The Staff Officer Brigade Training writes: The Outward Bound Trust have reserv ed a few places for St John Ambulance personnel on their Senior Gateway Courses in 1985, in addition to tho se announced in the October Review.

Please encourage your member s to take part in one of these courses. The senior courses, of 12 days duration, are intend ed for those unable to leave their respon s ibilities for a longer period. In a tightly structured training period, the first few days are spent

learning ba s ic techniques in navigation, search and rescue, rock c limb in g, ca no ei ng, expedition planning and in various exe r c ises. The activities become progressively more challenging as the group develops. The c lim ax of the course is an extended expedition of 3 or 4 day as a virtually se lfs uffi cient unit. These cour e wi ll offer leader s hip experience to enab le members to return to the ir Count ies and run or ass ist with, County adve ntur e training.

There will be five courses for per son nel who, on the first day of the course, have passed their 21st birthday. Courses will be at: Aberdovey, Gwynedd U llswaler, C umbria Loch Eil, Hi ghland s 13-24 May 85 10-21 Jun 85 16-27 Scp 85

Ambleside Division's A I M Neil Crossland gives the 'magic sponge' treatment to an exhausted young fell race com peti tor at the Ambleside Lakeland Sports. (Photo: Lancashire Evening Post)

BY THE EDITOR

Rhowniar, Gwynedd 23 Sep-4 Ocl 85 Eskdale, Cumbria 14-25 Ocl 85

The Outward Bound Trust is a charitable non-profit making organisation and the full cost of a course is £350.75 per person. St lohn Headqu arters will allow a subsidy of £200.75 from the Brigade Training Budget. The cost to the county/individual w ill thus be £150 (plus any travel costs to reach the Outward Bound Centre). Applications for place s should be made as soon as possible .through County / District HQs, stating: Title and full personal names; St John rank; birth date ; course required; alternative choice, if possible.

WHO'll COME DIVING WITH ME?

I hear that a new St John Division has been formed in Hobart, Tasmania, with the objective of impro vi ng the safety of diver s who go underwater for sport or as professional abalone (a richly coloured sea-ear, my dictionary tells me) fishermen.

The Division is unusual in that it ha s six doctors attached as divisional surgeons; it a lso has over 30 member s. With Dr Jane Gleeson (the good- Dr J;m e - SJA diver looking blonde , pictured) as the instigator of the project, it is not surprising that so many have been attracted to the Division so quickly It has been suggested that the annual inspection should be held underwater , but so far District Officers are not nibbling. Spoil sports.

MIS-PROGRAMMING

Members of Avon's Keynsham division who were on duty at the local carnival took time off to keep fit with the Green Goddess - Diana Moran. Diana has aided Avon's fund raising events on many occasions. (Photo: Myra Meredith)

AMBULANCE FOR VILLAGE

It was a proud day for Saltwood D iv ision, near Hythe, Kent, when following a short service members and friends gathered outside the village church to watch the rector, the Rev Guy L'Estrange, dedicate the Division's new ambulance at the request of the County Commissioner, Dr E. B. Lewis.

The vehicle, given to this village division b y the Ford Motor Company's Research and Engineering Division, was handed over by Dr Prout, Ford's Medical Officer and SJA County Surgeon for Kent, to the Commissioner during the ceremony. (Photo below).

IN CANADA

Dr Tudor Powell Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Combined Studies at Gwent College of Higher Education , and well known as a lecturer in the SJA Nottingham Conferences, undertook an educational research project during August for the British Council in Canada. While he was carrying out this research work in the universities of McGill, Montreal, Toronto and Western Ontario, he was invited to talk to gatherings of senior St John members.

(Photo above).

At Montreal, the hosts were M Jacques Poulin, Past President, M. Gerard Simard, Executive Officer, and Judge Redmond Roche. In Toronto, Mr A. Sosnkowski, the Chief Executive Officer and Mr Bill Leonard, Chairman, arranged a tour of the Pr.ovincial Headquarters and a meeting with

(Photo: Myra

the Branch Execu ive Committee. At the London, Ontario Branch, Col. W. R Newman, Chairman, arranged a meeting with chief officials and Brigade Officers. Dr Powell Jones was very impres se d with the provincial headquarter s all of which h ad been purpose built from pri va tely donated funds. He found that the St John problems were basically the same as those in England and Wales . There were, however , some additional problems which St John Canada seemed to be overcoming very successfully - communication over vas t di sta nce s, u se of two language s - French a nd English (especially in Quebec), and t he organisation in the Arctic Far North Here St John hav e

organised first aid and survival packs under hundreds of cairns on whic h proudly stands the St John Cross. This unique service is highly respected and appreciated by pilot s, adventurous traveller s and the Eskimos, a number of whom are St John member s PASTURES NEW

Dawn Simmons, a Grand Prior Cadet from Bedgrove Cadet Division, Bucks, who has just completed 400 hour s community service, performed a special role during August. She was chosen to be a medal ho tess at the II-day VII World Wheelchair Paralympic games, at the Ludwig Guttman Sports Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury.

Supt, Mr G. F Payne recently became a serv ng Brother (Right) Kent Saltwood Division 's ambulance and th e Commissioner Dr E. B Lewis, the Rector and Dr Prout

Appropriately dressed in red, white a nd blue, Dawn was not only re spo ns ible for the medals at pre se ntation tim e but also for their recipients, t h e s ucce ss ful competitors in various track events, as well as basket-ball, indoor bowls, table-tenni s, archery a nd swimming.

During the games Dawn made many friends, able-bodied and disabled, from all over the world and hoped to m eet them again during September at the National Di sab led Games.

During her six years at Bedgrove Division, which she. join ed as a junior in 1978, Dawn 's activities have been many and var ied, including attending a training weekend at Edale, Derb ys hire, and being in the cadet team which took part in the 1983 'Buckent Weekend ' at Dymchur c h, Kent. Dawn moved to the adult division in September and also started training as a pharmacy te c hnician at Stoke Mand ev ille Hospital. Good luck in your new fields, Dawn.

DAD

Recently Mr Arthur E. Crosby of Doncaster died in hospital aged 98.

He joined the St John Ambulance Brigade in Hull in 1910. He served in the 1914-18 war, winning the Military Medal for action on t he Sam m e. Returning to Hull, he went back to work at Englands, Booksellers, and back to St John again. He was also a member of Toe H.

In 1930 h e came to Don caster a manager of Taylor & Colbridges, book eller He soo n joined St John again, and was made an officer, a nd received hi s Serving Brother award from Lord Wakehurst in London.

During the 19 39-45 war he helped at ambulance stations in Doncaster. He retired from the booksellers when he was 64, owing to ill health. Soon after he was at the Doncaster Ro ya l Infirmary h elping part-time a Chaplain's Aide. He was there for 30 years. In 1970 he rec e ived t h e BEM from Brigadier K. Har g r eaves at a specia l ceremony in t he boardroom of the hospital for all t he work h e had done there.

He wa active for a lon g time in St John as a lect urer , a nd was on duty at many events, e pecially during race meetings

Hi s funer a l was very specia l, with a fu ll church, and hi s cap a nd the St John nag were on the coffin, a nd t h e r e was a St John g u ard of honour.

His wife Jessie Crosby was a so a St John officer, receiving h er Serving Si tel' award, but unfortunately she died after an accident in 1970. This is written by hi daughter, Mrs F. Binnin g ton, of 70 Oakhill Rei, Doncaster. I was very proud of my Dad

(Right) Gwent 's

(Merseyside)

Mrs Pamela Haddrell (left) receive some Caithness glass from Woodspring Area

Pratlett on her transfer from

Swindon Stratton St Margaret Division's Nigel Reed (D/O Cadets) and Tracey O'Brien (recently qualified as SRN) join hands for life after their recent wedding. Be st wishes Mr & Mrs Re ed. (Ph oto: Andrew Woodruff, Sec)

MY NEXT journey (in part 2 Mr Murkin went to Canada) was even longer - to Singapore - and once again it involved bringing home a seaman, this time a young coloured man from the East Indies suffering from paranoid psychosis. The shipping company he worked for wanted him delivered safely to his brother in Rotterdam

Having just coped satisfactorily with a rather similar case, I set off full of confidence, although it sounded as if this was going to be a rather tough assignment - just how tough I had no idea at the time.

, I spent the first night in Amsterdam, at an hotel at Schiphol airport, in order to catch the early morning KLM flight to Singapore - a flight used mainly by the shipping companies to get their crew s to and from ships based in the Far East. I was met at Singapore airport by the company agent's car, but when I told the driver I had no need to report to the clinic until later in the day and would like to do some sightseeing, he willingly dropped me off in the town and said he would pick me up in an hour's time. I found Singapore fascinating, with its contrast between the modern towering office blocks and hotels in the city centre and the ramshackle shanty town on the outskirts.

The streets teemed with life and a cosmopolitan crowd jostled for space with a constant stream of traffic in which rickshaws drawn by Chinese in coolie hats mingled with the latest limousines, I had travelled to many places during the second world war, but never to the Far East and I revelled in the smell of spices wafted on the hot breeze from the harbour. I wandered into a bazaar and bought a brightly printed cotton tablecloth and a pair of chopsticks to take home to my wife, and by now was so hot and thirsty that I could not resist eating some fruit off one of the stalls, although I had qualms about an upset stomach through eating it unwashed. All too soon the car returned for me and on the way to the clinic the driver pointed out the bridge which the British troops marched over after surrendering to the Japanese in 1941.

At the clinic which was run by the shipping company for their own employees I spent an interesting hour chatting to the nursing staff before introducing myself to Joe, who was to be my companion for the next 48 hours. The nurses told me he had apparently had a mental breakdown while on board ship and was found by the crew wandering in a confused manner in the engine room and refused to obey orders to return to his quarters. He had responded well to treatment at the clinic and was fit for discharge, but he had been paid off by the company, who had arranged for him to go to his nearest relative, a brother, an immigrant living in Rotterdam. He seemed a nice enough lad but spoke only a few words of English, so I guessed we would have communication problems on this trip. The return journey, instead of being a direct flight like the outward one, was broken by a stop for refuelling at Abadan, It was dark when we

PART THREE

arrived there and I could not see anything of our surroundings, but was not surprised when we were all asked to leave the plane during refuelling operations. This is normal procedure at a small airfield where, unlike the big airports, there are no fire tenders to stand by in case of an emergency, But I was not prepared for what happened next.

Arriving in the reception hall we were met by armed guards who examined our passports, and then my troubles really began. They said that Joe's passport was not in order and ordered him into a side room. I was determined not to let him out of my sight and insisted that as his nurse I must accompany him everywhere, with the result that I found myself locked up with him in a dark and dirty room for two hours. The only furniture was a wooden table and two hard chairs, and I discovered that the nauseating smell came from an adjoining blocked-up toilet. Joe was overcome with terror and I did my best to reassure him, although I felt none too happy myself. It was the first time I had ever been on the wrong side of a locked door and I had no idea what was going on outside. At last the door opened and an English speaking officer came into the room. He put me through a long interrogation but I was eventually able to

An Athens nightmare

Some considerable time after my first trip to Athens I was asked to make three more trips there in quick success ion . I was rather pleased when I received the first call, as I had liked the look of the city on my first visit and looked forward to doing some sight-seeing and enjoying the warm sunshine and blue skies. I was not prepared for what I found there.

On the outskirts of Athens is a huge hospital which accepts any patient at any time, without questions being asked, and to this hospital the police regularly take all the drunks and drug addicts, mentally ill and destitute. In short, all the human flotsam and jetsam they find in the gutter during their nightly patrols of the back streets of the city, and there these poor unfortunates languish 'until someone comes to their rescue. At the time of which I write it had been brought to the notice of the British Em bassy that there were at least three British subjects in the hospital and arrangements were made for their repatriation.

I did have one evening in which to view the Acropolis by moonlight, but the next morning I was escorted to the hospital by a senior member of the British Embassy and on entering the compound I could hardly believe my eyes. A long line of men wound like a snake all around the compound. Each man was dressed in a long, white nightshirt and shuffled along with one hand resting on the shoulder of the man in front. Their eyes were glazed and they looked more like zombies than men The Embassy official handed over release document s to the officer in charge and, after much exchange of

signatures, a young man was fetched from the 'snake' and taken away to be dressed in his own clothes.

We took him back to the British Embassy, where he was medically examined and then given into my charge, and arrangements were made for us to be escorted to the plane for the flight back to England. By the time we were on the plane he was beginning to recover his wits and I tried to find out something about his background It appears he had got a job in the town in a wine bar, as a waiter, but after about a week he had a row with the owner, threw some bottles at him, and was taken away by the police He

An English speak ing officer put

interrogation was charged and given a prison sente n ce of one month. After discharge from prison he was picked up again in tbe back streets of Athens and taken to the ho s p ital. He cou ld not remember how long be had been in the hospital, but it must have been several months . He did mention though that he had met two other Englishmen in the prison, who were desperate to get out.

His parents were waiting at Heathrow and I was glad to leave their emotional reunion and make my way home, feeling rather shaken by the whole affair.

A week later I was back aga in at the same hospital collecting an elderly man who had

satisfy him that we were not a security risk and he gave permission for us to resume our journey. Our original plane had left but I was delighted to find that the next available plane was a British Airways flight from Karachi to Amsterdam. As soon as we boarded the plane I gave Joe a dose of Largactil, which calmed him considerably and we finished the flight without further incident.

My troubles were not yet over though, because I had to get him from Amsterdam to Rotterdam by coach and then find his brother's flat. This I did by obtaining the help of the Dutch police, who put me in a taxi with directions to the driver, who took me to the address and waited to return me to the coach 'pick-up' point. Unfortunately the brother had not been informed that he was coming and was out when we arrived so we waited around for nearly an hour until Joe's sister-in-law turned up and said she would accept responsibility for him. 1 had become quite fond of Joe as a result of our experiences together, but I was not sorry to be leaving him there, for the taxi was costing quite a lot of money for waiting and I wanted to get back to Amsterdam and home. I had looked forward to some exciting trips, but this one had turned out to be a bit too exciting:

Illustrated ' by JACK _

Travels of an Aeromedical Nurse (cont.)

gone berserk in the city about six months earlier, Again there was the same snake-like line of zombies, and the same procedure was repeated, but this time the man was acting very strangely, and looked very slyly at everyone, On the plane back to England I noticed how he was pocketing anything he could lay his hands on, such as cutlery, wine glasses and soap, and I had to return the items and apologise for his behaviour, I was told that a friend was meeting him at Heathrow and I was to advise him to get the patient to a doctor as soon as possible. However, the 'friend' brushed aside my advice and the last I saw of them they were

by JIM

THIS MONTH I am continuing the alphabet programme ideas started in August. Have you any ideas to share with others? Send them, please, to Jim, 3 Brandreth Rd, London E6 4QB.

oyalty - Cubs can learn about the Royal Family while cadets can have a royalty versus republic debate; Ridinghorses, cycles, go karts and more; Rush weaving - as part of a crafts evening; Road Safety - another important programme theme; Radio - visit a local station; Rock climbing - only use suitably qualified instructors; Rifle shooting - find the Division crackshot; Rowing - contact the local club; Rugby - challenge another Division; Relay races - good programme items, provided they are not overdone; Rafting -a practical pioneering project.

Singing

- and not only at camp fires; Stalking - another fun activity for camps or cadet holidays; String trails - easy 10 organise and very popular; Snookeranother Divisional championship; Sailinguse qualified instructors; Skiing - either on real or artificial snow or water; Survival training - get the cadets to pit their wits against nature: Ships in bottles -a challenge to see who can make one; Sense training -

254

both getting into a taxi for Streatham.

It was with a sense of dread that I set out for my third visit to the world of the zombies. By now I had established a reputation for being able to handle 'difficult' patients, and I had to bring back an expatient of High Croft Mental Hospital, Birmingham He had been arrested for knifing a man in an Athens bar, and after serving a month in jail had been admitted to the hospital for an indefinite period. This time I was glad my patient was so heavily drugged, and heaved a sigh of relief when I arrived with him at Birmingham station. But my troubles were only just beginning There was nobody to meet him and when, with the help of the stationmaster, I eventually managed to procure an ambulance

sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste; Swimming - an ext remely easy activity to organise but it might make a welcome break from the Meeting routine; Sky at nighta fascinating subject to tackle; Cadetcarsbuild your own and race them; Sea activities - an interesting day out; Social activitiesan important part of cadet training; Subaqua - a new challenge for cadets; Squash - another idea for a tournament; Scrapbooks - an interesting hobby for someone who might wish to keep a record of the Division's history.

Toffee apple making - who can make the stickiest?; Twist making - who can make the longest?; Theatre vis it - another evening of culture; Tracking - an ex tremely popular activity with most cadets; Trailsof one sort or another keep the boys on heir toes; Tape recording - street interviews, cadet radio station and so on; Ten-pin bowling another championship tournament; Try-out night - spend an evening trying out new recipes, new games. Ask a local camping club to demonstrate the many types of equipment.

to take him to High Croft Hospital, we arrived there to find that the night staff had not been informed that he was coming and flatly refused to admit him. By this time he was coming out of his stupor and adding to the uproar by saying that he did not want to go back into the hospital. I insisted that the staff contact a higher authority and was eventually put through on the phone to the DHSS in London. The hospital staff were ordered to admit the patient , which they did with very bad grace, and I left for home as soon as I could - in case they changed their minds. Nowadays, when I hear people extolling the beauties of Athens, I cannot h elp thinking of that place which the tourists never see.

Understanding local government - ask lo ca l councillors to tell you about their areas of responsibility ; Urban wide gamesyou don't have to be in the middle of the country to play a wide game; Unusual hobbie s - ask a member to demonstrate his hobby to the rest of the meeting; Umbrella - make one from natural mat eria ls.

Voting - learn about the electoral system; Vegetables - g row yo ur own o r learn how to cook fresh ones properly; Vehicle maintenance - an interesting evening for older cadets; Visits - wide scope for almost anything; Volleyball - a good game for the end of meeting; Vivaria - for keeping pets!; Video film making - another novel way of keeping records.

Wheels evening - roller skates, skateboard, bicycles and the lik e; Weather -=- including knowledge of weather maps and so on; Wound s imulation - a more interesting way teaching first aid; Winter camping - good fun, pro vided cadets are properly trained; Water safety - another important programme session; Wide games - univ e rsally enjoyed by cadets.

ST JOHN CADET VIDEO

THE first public showing of this video was held at Nottingham on the opening evening of the annual St John conference in September.

Created by St John Cadets in the West Midlands, this excellent video is designed to aid recruitment and illustrates the life of St John Cadets. It should be essential material available on loan to every Area and County and I recommend it without reservation.

For your copy send a cheque for £17 50, made payable to SJA West to St John Ambulance HQ, 100 LIOnel St, Birmingham B3 ID Gstati ng whether VHS or Betamax format is required.

Xy]opyrOgraPhY - hot poker work on wood; X-country - yet another championship idea; X - the unknown factor in the programme, something that makes all programme s that little bit special.

Yo ga -a more unusual activity' Yachting - fun on water' Youth organisations - it is a useful exercise to get together with people from other organisations; Yarns - an important aspect of the cadet programme.

Zi gzag hikes - turn Jeft, then right, then left .; ZanYlsm - doing silly thmgs. Perhaps leaders could become cadets for an evening and the cadet, take over thei; role; Zoos -a lwa ys a popular place to visit.

The Reverend John Fenwick is about to start re-writing and moderniSing the language of the Cadet Prayer. The Council of St John and the Prelate have given him a cautious go-ahead but he would like to receive or correspondence on the subject. Write The Rev John Fenwick, Trinity College Stoke Hill, Bristol BS9 UP. '

Teach Your

Queen Anita

CONCERN FOR REVIEW

from G. J. Richards, Divisional Officer

I read with considerable concern (Sept Review) the remarks made about the St John Review at the Foundation Conference. The British Red Cross Society has a free newspaper, which appears to be aimed at non-members for publicity and "as such is quite good. I believe that our members, in addition to news of the St John family, need serious articles on subjects relevant to the objects of St John Ambulance to maintain their interest and improve their knowledge. I know of no other periodical with articles on say first aid that is available to our members. Without the Review as it is now, members would be restricted to the first aid and nursing manuals, and whatever lectures are available. There are a number of subjects which are not covered in textbooks, such as training and its latest developments, that need propagating.

A Review which would be more readable to cadets must be less readable to adults. At the moment, it is the best possible balance in a single publication.

The Readers' Views pages of the Review is a valuable forum for members' opinion. It is practically the only feedback that St John HQ gets from its members, for example the recent correspondence on the Mori poll. No organisation can survive without such feedback. Handing down decisions from on high without referring them to the rank and me, who are an immense reservoir of experience and common sense, is just asking for the sort of trouble that St John Ambulance is running into. The loss of members, and contortions over FAW bear witness to this. Some views may not be palatable, such as those expressed on militarism in the Brigade, but they are ignored at the Brigade's peril.

Abingdon G J. Richards

Editor: We offer no apology for beginning Readers' Views with this letter. We shall shortly be including a questionnaire in the Review asking for readers' views on the magaz ine's content and format.

THANK YOU MALTA

from Mrs Jean Covington, Nursing Member

We have just returned from Malta and the 75th anniversar y celebrations of SJ A there, and would like to say how much "we enjoyed the kindness and hospitality of the island members. We met the Commander, Mr Borg, and several of his officers, as well as many UK members and other visitors, at a number of get-togethers and a trip to Gozo. The service at St John Cathedral and the laying of wreaths was both moving and inspiring. I was very honoured to be the sole representative of Watford Nursing Division at the celebrations.

Thank you, Malta, for a wonderful holiday.

Watford Jean Covington

ENOUGH!

from Keith Ward, Area Staff Officer (A/C)

I have recently read and re-read the article First Aid Courses and Brigade Efficiency Requirements (Sept Review) and I thought I was reading a page from my insurance documents.

Haven't we got ourselves into deep water?

Statutory First Aid

Non-Statutory First Aid

Essentials of First Aid

White Cross Course

What next? Will it be First Aid at Football Matches or perhaps First Aid at Jumble Sales? Can no one get through to these people sitting in their ivory towers in London that first aid is first aid whether it be in the home, at work, in the street, or wherever someone is injured or is taken ill .

I notice in the preface of the 'First Aid at Work - Course Book', where the Deputy Chief Medical Officer goes to great lengths to list the persons responsible for the package, that there seems to be a total lack of industrial advice. The preface also states that the book is not to be used as a text book but as an instructional manual. Isn't that what the First Aid Manual 4th Edition set out to achieve; to serve both as a reference as well as an instructional guide to first aid? If this be the case, can someone please give some justification for the publishing of a supplementary manual?

256

I wonder how many existing St John Ambulance divi siona l headquarters come up to the standard of the HSE? Oh, by the way, what are the requirements laid down by the HSE?

I understand that our friends and fellow first-aiders in the BRCS do not seem to be having the same problems regarding the FA W package and they are still using the 4th Edition Manual for their instruction.

As far as I can see we in St John have an internal struggle going on between the Association and the Brigade as to how and who should do the teaching and who should reap the financial rewards Both branches of the Order are treading on each other's toes and neith er will relent. I feel that unless they both start to work for the common cause and get the 'nitty gritty' sorted out once and for all, in the coming months we shall see a drastic decline in Brigade membership. Please HQ Staff, remember that a large proportion of our 'grass root' members are not professional medics, ie do ct ors, nur ses, ambulance crews, etc, but ordinary citizens comi ng from profe ssional and non-professional occupations, who, after doing a normal week's work, voluntarily turn out in all weathers, at all t ime s of the da y and night , to render FIRST AID to the injur ed.

And let us not forget that these duties are carried out Pro Utilitate Hominum.

Dronfield Keith Ward

NO WHITE CROSS from M F. Jackson

Referring to correspondence on the propo se d alterations in the Brigad e to the St John Cross and the suggested 'White C ro ss organi sa tion of the future, I now note that the s trongly resisted change is being slowly thrust upon us. We now have the new shou ld er badge for London District and reference to the 'Wh it e Cross First Aid Course' by the Association Branch In heaven's name, what are we coming to ?

The many Brigade members I have consulted about this are adamant that they do not, repeat not, want this change, but want to retain the existing badge with lions and unicorns. The existing cross and its long association with the history of the Order and Brigade means everything to us older members and the new logo is mean ingles s

I implore all members to petition their divisional superintendents, area superintendents and the county commissioners for this change to be stopped.

Has any thought been given to the massive costs involved in altering Brigade uniforms, divisional HQs and ambulances? Things are expensive enough without this totally unneces sa ry change.

Grays

MORI POLL

from A. P. lamb

M. F. Jackson

It is clear that my letter (April Review) on this subject and the poll itself sparked off a great deal of comment from Brigade members as well as rather a lot of criticism of me personally I would like to try to correct some of the misconception s reached by various correspondents and then make a further suggestion which should provide further food for thought.

Some of the writers of letters published seem to regard me as an ill-disciplined and unintelligent person. In fact I have been in the Brigade for some 4 years, and during that time have never been criticised by any se nior officer. F urther my appearance must be reasonably presentable as I have been a member of a team which won a Uniform Cup, my personal score being 100070. When I s pe ak of the. attitude of some senior officer s (I stress the word s ome) I am refernng to personal experiences but not which involv e me direc t ly. There are many incidents which I have witnessed.

I personally have no objection whatsoever to ex -s ervice officers. They can be of great value to t he Brigade particularly si n ce retired officers, etc, have so much time to spend on Brigade matters. I would, however respectfully request them to rem e mber that they are EXSERVICE OFFICE RS and no longer se r vi ng

I am in fact a middle ranking business executive, who for some reason derive s a great deal of pleasure from admini st ering fIrSt aid to members of the public. I have no ambition to gain rank !n the and from some of the comments which have appeared 10 the Revlew It would appear t hat Lhis fa ct means t hat I am not entitled to an opinion.

It is import ant to recall that my original let ter was in respon se to a poll conducted among the ge n eral public. From some of the answers to my letter it seems that, r egardless of the findin gs of the poll, some argue that no improvem e nt s are required r cannot accept thI S argument, WhICh see m s to me like a n ostrich sticking its head in sand Havin g paid o ut pre s umably a large amount of mone y in order for thIS poll to be conducted, it wou ld be illogical of the Brigade to not take so m e cognisan ce of the fi ndin gs.

In view of the correspondence wh i ch the Mori poll produced, ma y ! make a fu rther s uggestion to the Brigade? S inc e the expense involved III the poll wa s presumably quite la rge is there not now a case for a poll among members of the Brigade? It s hould be easy to produce a que st ionnair e to be sent to div is ions fo r co mpl etion by members.

Thi s would then h opefu ll y produce a very accurate picture of such thlll gs as whether or not uniform s can and s h ou ld be imp roved whether t he militar y line s of the Brigade are sti ll felt to be desirable' and various other questions of general interest.

Such a .wo uld g ive g rass roots members an opportunity to put forward theIr Ideas on matters of interest and co n cern to all members whether senior officers or yo ung fi rst-aiders. '

I mu st emphasise that any criticisms I make are sole ly bec a use of :n y conce rn for the futur e of the Bri ga de , w hich I think h as a very Important role in today's society. I am not however convinced that it ca rries out its task to the best of its ability, nor in the most efficient mann er. 1 feel that many senior officers sho uld be aware of the fact th at when the y ask junior members the question 'Are you happ y in the BrIgade?' or 'Are there any matters w hi ch upset you about the the answers they get are rarely honest. It is not easy for a JUlllor member confronted by a se nior officer in f ull uniform and gO.ld braid on his cap to be hone s t and to tell him exactly what he thlllks. A secret poll s hould solve this problem.

Greenford A. P Lamb

AMBULANCE DRIVING COMP

from P. W. Castle, Area Commissioner

The statement (A ug u st R ev iew) believed to be the first of its kind in England' invites cha ll enge. In Lincolnshire we have held slmtlar eve nts on an annual basi s for at least seven years and on one occasion the winner 's photograph appeared in the Review A lso when the event was first mooted by our s taff officer they were aware of at least one other competition a lr eady being held elsewhere. So, Don, yo u were not the first. Neither were we. Who was? I wonder.

Stamford Peter Castle FOR ALL MANKIND

from W. H. Goodall, Divisional Officer

spent in te resting seve nteen d ays in Harefield Ho sp ita l (haVing he art plumbing sorted out), it cheered me to find bemg pr.act ised (wh at as a first aid instructor I have alway preached) the routine of (1) treat your casua lt y/ p a tient as a person, (2) tell them you are about a nd intend to do BEFORE you do it, and (3) do It WIth compassion.

(Belowl Retir ing SJA County Commander Col Robert Ollerenshaw KStJ (left), with the new Commander, Col J R Moore OBE FDSRCS at the County HQ garden party. (Right) Paddington Bear SBStJ (Serving Bear) presented to Col Robert Ollerenshaw on ret ire ment

Additionally, to find practised on oneself 'one touch' removalreplacement of dressings really underlines what 'one touch' means. Specialist / doctor nurse/patient communications is practised on the nth degree at Harefield. Before they laid hands on me I was fully informed what it was all about, what they expected to do, how and what result could be expected - and how I might feel through each stage from pre-med to intensive care u nit was explained so that when I came out of anaesthetic I would not be worried about drips, drains etc. In the event I knew nothing after my first two tablets until 27 hours later, when I came out ready to go back to the ward But I did know what they had been up to during the last 2 to 3 hours as they told me, dozey as I was, just what they were do ing - removing this and that and why the oxygen mask was needed for a limited time.

For All Mankind means much more at Harefield. Everyone from top surgeon to maintenance staff have a remarkable spirit of devotion to the care and ultimate return to maximum health of the patient. Can we all in St John Ambulance - in spite of the misunderstandings and general complaints of late, now get down to doing what we all have foremost in our minds - our best in first aid and nursing for those who fall (literally sometimes) into our hands?

Barnet, Herts Henry Goodall

FA IN SCHOOLS

from R. Swift

We were interested in the article (July Review) about teaching first aid in Newport schools I would like to mention that the Chipping Sodbury-Yate Division of Avon has been teaching first aid in three local schools for at least three and a half years.

Chipping Sodbury R. Swift

from Patricia Cameron Watts

I was most impressed by D / O A. Walker's letter First Aid in School (Sept Review) and I congratulate him and his colleagues on their enterprise.

Three years ago, after much prodding, I persuaded the local comprehensive school to allow me four lessons to teach a similar

programme to that taught at Blyth. The youngsters were at the lower end of the achievement scale but within a few weeks 1 heard of two cases where the training had given them enough con fidence to cope with a 'grand mal' attack and a damaged fem ur. Since then, fir st aid has been included on the CSE Social Studies and Health and Hygiene courses.

It is to be sincerely hoped that, in the not too distant future, all children will leave school with at least a basic knowledge of first aid. Chandlers Ford Patricia Cameron Watts

HELP

from F J. Phillips, Divisional Superintendent

Having just started training teams for the 1985 competitions, I am trying to find adult and cadet test paper s based on the new First Aid and Nursing Manuals, and 1984 papers based on either book with time limits (ie, the 10 mins individual and 12 mins team te sts).

If anyone could help, we should be only too happy to reimburs e any expense involved.

49 Randalls Croft Rd, Wilton, Salisbury SP2 OEX F. 1. Phillips NECK BREATHERS

from Mr S. R. Strange, SRN, Divisional Superintendent

Much has been written over the years regarding the merits of mouthto-mouth resuscitation over other methods, but for a growing number of people it is useless.

'Neck Breathers ', or persons who have undergone laryngectomies for cancer of the larynx require a modified technique known as mouth· to-neck resuscitation The National Association of Laryngectomee Clubs is keen to talk to any Division to explain their work, and more important how we can recogni se and resuscitate a neck breather.

Any Division interested in receiving a talk on this subject should contact:

The National Association of Laryngectomee Clubs, Fourth Floor, 39 Eccleston Square, London SWI 1PB. Telephone: 01 8342857. Crawley S. R. Strange

Mobile Unit for

and (below) a view inside from the back door

SIDMOUTH Association branch has for many years been improving its services to the local community. In 1983 they acquired a fully equipped Hanlon ambulance costing £20,000 -a good deal more than their Ford Transit which cost £4,500 in 1976. But with two ambulances they have been able to more than double their mileage on duty runs . proposals were considered. Funds had to be raised and a supplier found. The upshot was that the Branch's Transport Officer, Mr Vernon Young, sketched out the collective ideas of members in a layout which remained virtually unchanged in the final design of the mobile station

It is at field events, however, that Brigade first-aid teams often need more than an ambulance and a make-shift first-aid post. For some years they have used a domestic caravan, which has its limitations. A doctor, for instance, does not have really adequate room to examine a casualty. While the firstaid team are generally cramped for space.

So the Association Branch set out to devise an ideal mobile first-aid station, and various

258

Martin's Caravan Company (Exeter) Ltd agreed to undertake the project. After discussions with SJA officers , the Rollalong Caravan Co was contracted by Martins to build the shell and major compartments of a purpose-built unit. This was done in remarkably quick time.

Martins provided the technical advice St John needed on how best to fit out the unit with panelled walls and so on. The weight of equipment to be carried meant using a

4-wheeled trailer, which is more difficult to 'steer' into position for parking than a 2-wheeler. Its length of 21 feet and 7 1/2 feet width gives s paciou s accommodation. Into this are fitted a forward compartment with its sink and hot and cold water, a cooker, storage space beneath the seats, and working surfaces for washing up as well as more medical work. This forward compartment has a side door entrance and a connecting door to the main casualty area. Throughout the unit there is an absence of clutter, all equipment being stored in cupboards or beneath the seats. The non-slip floor coverings have obvious safety factors. There is a 30-gaUon f resh water tank, a

Honda mobile generator (not only for lighting but also available to charge batteries) and connections for mains supply se rvices

Lighting and power may be from mains, 'gennie', or in an emergency 12-volt batteries.

The combination of mobile unit and ambulances will considerably improve the s peed with which first aid can be given at events over a wide area of East Devon The unit can be at one site, the ambulance at another. The unit will be in radio contact with the ambulance - the t ransport officer having a British Telecom bleep, another useful piece of technology, which enables a doctor to contact him anywhere in the Exeter

area at any time of day or night.

On Whit Sunday, July 10, the mobile UnIt was dedicated at St John Hall, Blackmore Drive, Sidmouth in front of 80 members and friends, including County and Area Officers, and members of neighbouring branches. A video film was made of the event, which incl uded the formal handover of the unit's keys to the chairman, Mr D. Marsh. In expressing his thanks to the Branch's many local supporters in Sidmouth, the County Director, Major M. J. Malcolm, praised the generosity of the inhabitants of Sidmouth who have traditionally always fully su ppor ted St John Ambulance.

THE HOME THAT WAS BUILT AROUND A WINDOW

'BY THE autumn of 1947,' writes Shirley du Boulay in her biography of Dame Cice ly Saunders published earlier this year, 'Cice ly was a qualified nurse, a qua lifi ed almoner and a deeply evangelical Christian. She longed to be married and she longed to know what to do with her life in response to her dramatic conversion. She was about to meet the man who would give her her first experience of reciprocated love and of parting and who, more than any other single person, was to be the catalyst and inspiration of her work.'

That man was David Tasma, a patient in the first ward she took over after qualifying as an almoner (now termed 'medical social worker'). He was a Polish Jew, an agnostic and a refugee with no relations in this country, and he was dying of inoperable cancer. After his admission to hospital Cicely's professional relationship with David developed into a deep friendship which soon ripen ed into lo ve. During the next two months before he died they only met 25 times and inevitably in the context of the professional visits of an almoner to a patient in a hospital ward; yet they succeeded, during the course of some remarkably deep discussions, in giving to each other more than one might have thought conceivably possible under such conditions

She learnt from him something of the loneliness of those whose acute physical pain is in desperate need of more skilful and more continuous relief, as well as other almost equally pressing spiritual, emotiona l and social needs. This led to two discoveries: first, that she had a gift for relieving suffering; and secondly, that the need for a 'rounded' care of the terminally ill was totally absent from the hospital system of the 1940s, and that perhaps - just perhapsshe could do somethi ng about it.

He, in return received the hope that (again quoting Shirley du Boulay): If his illness and death were to plant the seeds of anew, creative possibility, then perhaps his life had not b ee n pointless. Through this young woman he had met in the last months of his life, his death could bear fruit.' He was a man of very modest worldly po sessions, but he made Cicely his executor and left her five hundred pounds - 'I'll be a window in your

An appreciation of Shirley du Boulay's recent biography of Dame Cicely Saunders by Watkin W. Williams

home', he said. But most especially, perhaps, Cicely's greatest gift to him was the joy of being loved and cared about by someone who could respond to the spiritual needs of the dying s ummed up in Christ's words to his disciples in Gethsemane: 'Tarry ye here and watch with me'. Later, she was to make this the theme of an article in the Nu rsing Times in which she wrote: 'Even when we can do absolutely nothing we still have to be prepared to stay. "Watch with me" means, above all, just "Be there".'

And so Cicely watched. And despite her firm determination not to press him on the matter of agnosticism versus belief, it must surely have been due to her love, her prayers and her watchfulness that shortly before David died he told the ward sister that he had made his peace with God.

Having now decided that her vocation was to work in the field of care for the terminally ill, she spent some time working as an almoner at St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney and St Luke's, Bayswa ter, at both of which s he learnt much that was useful to her la ter about the use of analgesic drugs. During ihis time she became increasingly convinced that to enable her somewhat revolutionary views on care of the dying to make any impact on the medical world s he must be able to speak with the authority of a doctor rather than merely that of a nurse and almoner. And Dr Norman Barrett of St Luke's strengthened her conviction by hi s emphatic comment: 'Go and read medicine; it's the doctors who desert the dying .' So she started again at square one, qualifying to become a medical student at St Thomas', and gained her medical degree in 1957 at the age of nearly 39 with honours in surgery and the Beane y Prize for obstetrics and gynaecology.

Nothing was to be done by halves!

Shortly afterwards she had the good fort une to be introduced to Professor Harold Stewart, then head of pharma cology at St Mary's, Paddington, whose special field of interest was the effect of drugs on the

mechanism of pain. He successfully recommended her for a research scholarship working under this aegis at St Mary's, where she became the first research fellow to specialise in pain in the terminaIJy ill. It will be a matter of particular interest to all members of the Order of St John and its Foundations to know that from that time not only did Professor Stewart become one of her most valued mentors, but that he and Miss Peggy Nuttall were among her most influential supporters on the medical and nursing side respectively, especially in the founding and funding of St Christopher'S Hospice, Sydenham.

Harold Stewart has more than once described Cicely Saunders as a Pied Piper, and I must confess that I myself became utterly captivated by her piping when, as Deputy Commissioner-in-Chief, I had the privilege of accompanying Dame Barbara Cozens (then our Chief Nursing Officer) as official representatives of St John Ambulance at a symposium on Care of the Dying, held at the Royal College of Physicians in November 1972, which I described in 'At Random' in the Review for March 1973, and was fortunate to obtain permission for Cicely Saunders' inspiring address at the symposium to be published in the same issue.

What I have written above has, alas, but very inadequately touched on a few outstanding points in the early history of Cicely Saunders' work as pioneer of the worldwide modern development of the hospice movement. But Shirley du Boulay has superbly recaptured the Pied Piper's tune in Cicely Saunders - Founder of the Modern Hospice Movement (Hodder & Stoughton, 1984; price £7.95). It's the most gripping and challenging book that I've read for many a long year, and no doctor, nurse, medical social worker, welfare worker or first-aider could fail to be inspired and enlightened by its compelling influence. For Cicely Saunders is not merely a Pied Piper; she is also a builder who, having been given a window by a dying man, spent twenty year building round it a home where countless other victims of terminal disease could spend happy, painless, purposeful lives until the day on which they died.

NEWS fro 111 SCOTLAND

Dr Pau Mackenzie (centre left) with his team at this year's Open at St Andrews (Photo Dundee Courier)

AS REPORTED in the June Review, the St John Glenshee Ski Rescue Service is responsible for some wonderful life-saving work in the winter months on the treacherous mountains of Scotland north of Perth. In quite different circumstances and in concert with the Red Cross they provide an equally valuable service to the Royal and

Ancient Golf Club at every open championship wherever it is held. Dr Paul Mackenzie, the Director at Glenshee, is the head of the combined medical team at the Open.

The cover provided is comprehensive and unobtrusive, ranging from treating headaches to coping with heart attacks, and

At SJA's national HQ, Sir Keith Joseph receives a video of school first aid classes from (left) James Roche, 17 and a report from (right ) Ryta Kuzel, 17, both of Newport

Taking their cause to London

TWO sixth formers with their fingers on the pulse travelled to London in September to promote first aid courses in schools - their target - to Education Secretary Sir Keith Joseph, who launched the national scheme at SJA's national HQ to cut accidental deaths.

Sir Keith was so impressed when he heard about the work at St Joseph's High School, Newport, Gwent, that he wanted to see some of it for himself. So James Roche and Ryta Kuzel took a video of their classes when they went to London with the Director .\ssociation for Wales, Doctor George Mitchell, and the Occupational First Aid Training Officer for Wales, Keith Dunn.

The school hopes soon to be self-sufficient in first aid instructors, with three members of staff holding the necessary 'instructors'. qualifications. The school's Parents Association have given a life-size model for practising resuscitation and other training aids for the teaching of First Aid at Work in the schoo!.

The Association's Assistant Director General (Schools) Mr Robert Balchin recently visited St Joserh's and was very

260

WALES

even on one recent occasion to tending a man who had broken his wooden leg while pushing his mother in a wheelchair! The team's contribution is universally acclaimed.

The photograph shows Dr Paul Mackenzie ce ntr e left, and his team at this year's in St Andrews.

The centre is open every weekend, and from Easter to the end of the school summer holidays it is manned every day. With this mammoth task of organisation, DIS Melville Bennett receive s tremendou s support from Mrs Heather Prew, Divisional Secretary. Melville says: 'Heather must be the busiest person in Barry during the summer.'

By mid-Sept 1984 (as I write) there have been 3179 SJA volunteer hours at Barry Island and 1359 cas ualties dealt with. The figures make fascinating reading with incidents ranging from a sadly fatal heart attack, to 55 cases of blistered feet! There were 161 stings (one from a jellyfish), 40 people with sand in their eyes, 52 headaches, 611 wounds of varying degrees, 35 suspected fractures and many, many others. 27 patients were taken to hospital by ambulance and a further 90 were advised to see their doctor.

All these sta ti stics do not account for the very lar ge number of hour s spe nt by St John Ambulance personnel on watch at the Lifeguard Station nearby, with two inshore rescue boats on permanent standby.

The unit also supplies wheelchairs for visitors and even extends the service to the Butlin 's Holiday Camp, where many people have gratefully availed themselves of it.

'Lost' children (505 in 1984) are a lw ays a problem at Barry Island and having seen the facilities and the devoted staff at Barry, I was not surprised when Melville told me: 'Sometimes the children seem sorry to lea ve us when their parents · arrive'.

The day I saw Melville Bennett at Barry there were some 2,000 mentally handicapped

people visiting the beach and fun fair. A daunting task for many, but not Barry St John, who simp ly mo ved smoothly into action to play its part in making the live s of man y unfortuna te people a lot happier.

It did not surprise me to learn that Melville Bennett, a retired accountant, is away three days a week driving vo lunteer ambulances and was in fact making preparations for a round trip to Sussex. Nor did it surprise me

A DOUBLE

Among the many honoured by the Priory of Wales at this year's investiture at St John 's Church, Cardiff, was John Sea bourne, Divisional Superintendent of the Tredegar (Gwent) Divi sion

He eceived the award of Commander and to complete the family double his wife, Eileen, was made an Officer of the Order. Our photograph (by Celtic Press L d) shows Mr & Mrs Seabourne shortly after the ceremony

pleased with what he saw. The Priory for Wales will be launching the First Aid in Schools project later in the year. K.D. Service at the seaside Melville Bennett, the officer - in -charge of the Barry Division, is also responsible for the organisation and staffing of the First Aid Post and the Lifeguard Station at Barry Island, South Glamorgan. During the spring and s ummer, Barry Island is the mecca for thousands of holida y makers and tripper s, and at the height of the season it is estimated that s ome 200,000 people can arrive at Barry Island for the day. There is also a large Butlin's holiday camp at Barry Island and the task of first aid and ambulance cover falls s quarely on St. John

The local council has provided an excellent First Aid Centre with facilities second to none. They include a large treatment room, rest and recovery facilities with three beds, a large children's playroom complete with toys, dolls and books, and kitchen facilities with ice-making facilities for emergency treatments. The staffing is all by St John and the dedicated work of the volunteers has to be seen to be fully appreciated.

OVERSEAS

AVON : Bristol South N C Division awards Jacqueline Hitchings (se ated) 200 hrs shield; (from back) Marcella Allen best attendance; Clare Lippiatt and Sarah Thorn , joint juniors; and Lynda Morrissey best all round cadet. (Photo : Myra Meredith)

News from Divisions/Centres

OBITUARY

Walter Baldwin, formerly Divisional Superintendent, Victoria Hall Quadrilateral Division, North West Area, Greater Manchester. Officer of the Order.

Stanley H. Hipsey, 59, Superintendent, Southend-on-Sea Ambulance Division, which he joined in 1956. For several years the Division's training officer. Serving Brother. Died in hospital after a long illness.

NOTTS - Newark Nursing Cadet Division , celebrating its 30th anniversary, was privileged to have the use of the Nottingham Building Society's large window for a display from Sept 10-15. (Photo in Around and About.)

Responsible for the display were D IO Mrs R. Barnett, in charge of the division, 0 /0 Miss A. Barks, D I S Mrs 1. M. Hollingworth (R) and Mrs P. Hine, the division's president.

Dominating the window, which had the Brigade flag as a background, was a model dressed in cadet uniform. In glass cabinets were photographs showing the history of the di vision till the present, certi ficates and the first Grand Prior's badge awarded to a Newark cadet. Also on display were recruiting posters, old and new textbooks and the old triangular bandages with illustrations on how they were used

Service to Mankind

The time was late morning, mysel f and the other officer were trying to rectify a small problem with the clinic car.

Ambulance Officers Cormick and Head are working the 15.00 shift, Ambulance Officer Aslin is doing inservice training in Darwin and Ambulance Officer Fabian is on leave.

We had the motor running with the bonnet open, each of us on either side of the car, leaning on the mudguards. I happened to look up and saw the receptionist walking towards us, saying something. Because of the noise of the motor I couldn't hear her clearly so I walked around the car meeting her halfway She asked me if I would like to do a good deed for the day. I asked her what it was and she informed me that Bernadette had telephoned saying that Glenn's cat had got stuck in the ceiling and was there anyone who could go and get it down.

Glenn was new in town and Bernadette was looking after his house and animals, so pointed to my offsider, still leaning on the mudguards staring at the motor, meaning for Wendy to ask him.

She called out and sai d 'You've got a job.'

Still half asleep, he asked what code it was. Wendy, her mind being active as u sual and seeing the chance for a stir, replied that it was a Code 1 'What, a Resus?' 'Yes!'

Quick as a flash he was wide awake (not easy for him) and raced to the other end of the shed to put his shirt on, leaving the clinic car running. I had to walk back and turn it off.

At this point I decided t hat rank should have its privileges Being a hot day and not wishing to crawl about in some body' s ceiling, I got behind the steering wheel, yelling, I'll drive and observe you as part of the on-theroad training.'

Ra stus was in trouble

On starting the motor, and observing his obvious excitement, I turned the red beacons on and waited for him to climb in. Still doing up his shirt and trying to fasten hi s seat belt at the same time, he asked me if I knew the location. answered no and was careful to switch off the beacons without him noticing.

We drove out of the shed, he gave a mobile and got the details (Glenn's address was 326 Shaw St), then looked up the address in the street directory. He informed me it was two houses down from Glenn's on the same side. r asked if he was certain and he rechecked.

Meanwhile I was driving at the same speed as the ca r in front (40 kph) and complained vocally about how slow she was driving. The officer never once advised me to pass the car or use my warning device Suddenly there was an almighty yell: 'IT'S GLENN'S PLACE!!'

He grabbed the resus kit to check the equipment, saying that when he heard the address he thought it rang a bell. I was still

< complaini ng about the traffic but no word came from him about my slow driving. When we arrived at the house he leapt out of the vehicle, raced up to the front door and banged loudly His face was a picture to behold when Bernadette answered the door and asked 'What are you doing here?'

'We got a job and were tol d it was a

at 326 Shaw Street,' he panted 'I only rang Wendy to ask if she knew of anyone who could get Rastus out of the ceiling,' s he replied.

Being a good officer and not wanting to do my attendant

A warning to women motorists

Women who drive vehicles on their own should know something about a new stratagem to which violators are turningcontrived automobile accidents.

To use this method the evil-doer spies a woman driving alone and collides deliberately with her vehicle, states the review Parade. 'When the woman, frightened and upset, gets out of her car to inspect the damage which has been done and to exchange names and registra tion numbers, etc, he menaces her with a knife or revolver. She is forced to get into his car and becomes an easy prey for violation or robbery.'

Jacqueline Connor, an attorney of Los Angeles, California advises all women drivers, 'Never stop the car in a dark or deserted situation. If this cannot be avoided (eg, if the cars are interlocked), never lower the window to speak with the stranger whose vehicle has collided with your own. If your car can still go, drive to the nearest policestation, filling station or to some place which is well-lit or where there are people. Don't get our of your car on a deserted motorway. If your car will not go, put on the emergency lights and sound the horn.

Gas emitted by wood-boring termites

Recently a certain biologist made a most unexpected discovery: wood boring termites produce more methane and carbon dioxide than any other creatures. In this way they carry out an important role in regulating the atmosphere of the earth. The biologist, Pat

Zimmerman of the National Centre for the Investigation of the Atmosphere, made his discovery whilst carrying out investigations in Guatemala.

Actually he was studying the emissions produced by the combustion of vegetable matter and, for curiosity, covered some termites' nests with plastic bags and connected these to gas-collecting apparatus. Previously it has been thought that the greater parts of methane in the atmosphere came from micro-organisms of swamps. Certain micro-organisms in the intestines of termites decompose plant matter and convert it into carbon, producing gas as a by-

REVIEW CROSSWORD No. 11 (84) by A. A. Potter

Across:

1. Dispassionate medicine taught at the bedside. (8). S. Plant one associates with living in ease and luxury. (6). 9. One undergoing medical or surgical treatment is showing forbearance. (7). 10. Neither animal nor vegetable, but may be an accessory food factor. (7). 11. 264

product. Zimmerman says: 'The fact that we had no idea that termites emit gas makes me ask myself if the rest of our statistics respecting the atmosphere are not, in fact, erroneous.

Practice what they preach?

The adverse effect which smoking has on health constitutes the 'most important question bearing on health whi c h has been raised in our time,' declared Dr C Everet t Koop, the newly-appointed director-general of health for the United Stat es. Despite this it has been revealed that th e USA has appli ed pressure on Japan to increase it s import s of American toba cco from the present quantit y, which is less than 1 per cent to 10 pe r cent of the Japanese market.

Therefore it is not surprising that two national groups of Japan have presented a protest to President Reagan objecting to thi s pressure According to the periodical Yomiuri Daily, these group s declare that it is not a manifestation of friendship to impo se a product which, in the United States carries the warning that Smoking is damagin g to your health' and which, owin g to the dan ge rs which it presents to the health , is not allo wed to be advertised on radio or TV

Slacken to relieve pain (4). 12. Note all in secretion of the liver. (4 ) 13. Physiological state of inactivity of t h e n e rvou s s ys tem. (S) IS. Riot in illness. (8). 17. A type of cell never c hanged. (5) 19 Mal ar upset gives warning of danger. (5). 20. Lost idea for restin g ph ase of the cardiac cycle. (8). 22. Heavy ossicle? (S). 24 Acquir e re ward by one's own efforts. (4). 26 Ribs attached dir ectl y to th e s te rnum (4). 28. Action causing harm to a person (3-4). 29. Stat e of on e's health or ability. (7). 30. Banished from one' s nati ve land (6 ). 3J. Act of treachery. (8).

Down:

I. Policeman of metal? (6) 2. The prin c ipal nutrient absorbin g structures of the digestive tract. (10.S). 3. An unu sual time for a n article from the list. (4) 4 An inverted art for cavities in the fac ia bones. (5). 6 Palmar features foretelling the future? (S) 7. A vessel supplying blood to the brain. (9.6). 8 Became ill again after a period of improvement. (8) 10. Disease spread by t he anopheles mosquito (7) 14. Condemn to ill-fate by reversal of mood. (4). 16 How nude dog shows resentment. (7). 17. Record a change of tone (4) . 18. Soothing lotion made up from carbon, aluminium, and amine (8). 21. Anatomical duct. (6) 23. Blood- s ucking parasi t e (5) 2S. Search and rob using a firearm? (5) . 27. Bustle to mix the ingredients. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 10 (84)

Across: I. Light-headed; 9. Cure; 10 Renal stone; 11. Racket; 13. Edict; 16. Acid; 18. Cubic; 19. Breathe; 20 A'is'le; 21. D well 22 Tussive; 23. Hairs; 24. Skye; 25 Greet; 27. Rectal; 29. Antibiotic ; 31. Ipec; 32. Respiratory

Down: 2. Idea; 3. Healed; 4. Haste; 5. Ado; 6. Evert; 7. Lucky bre ak ; 8. Peptic ulcer; 12. Parathyroid; ]4. Dre sser; 15. Citrine; 17 In stitches; 18. Cede; 19. Bets; 24. Sprout; 25 Glaze; 26. Tuber; 28. Bier ; 30. Tap.

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ST JOHN REVIEW

THE JOU RNAL OF ST JOHN

V o lu me 5 7 N o 1 2 De c embe r 198 4

Co ntent s

St John Fe ll owship p.265

Ta king Point: The D riving Force behind St John p.266

First and Lasting Impressions of Jerusalem p 266

Order Service in Durham p 267

Nottingham 1984: Communications p.268

Our Presidents p.270

UK team train Nigerian instructors p.271

Around and About, by the Editor p.272

Why we must accept the Statutory Certificate , by the Chi ef Commander p 276

Travels of an Aeromedical Nurse, part 4 by F W. Murkin p.278

Cadet Chat, by Jim p.279

Readers' Views p.280

Ambu=-

Presen t s th e SA FE, EFFECT IVE, RE A LI STIC AMBU S mula tor wi th Bu il t in Hygiene Pro t ectionNo c ross infe cti on possi b le

Malta 1984 p 283

News from Scotland , Wales p.284

Why joined St John p.285

News from Divisions / Centres p.286

T he World About Us, by Jack p.289

St John Fellovvship '

A CHRISTMAS message from the chairman, Major General D. S. Gordon:

'On behalf of the members of your Central Committee I send to all Branches our warmest good wishes for a Happy Christmas. May the New Year bring you good fortune, more members and ever more enjoyment from your activities in the St John Fellowship. '

Sheila Puckle, National Secretary, writes: I am very sad to report that Mr ] onathan Hall, Branch representative of the Preston Corps, Lancs, died suddenly from a heart attack at the end of September He was 72 and had attended a meeting of the Central Committee in London only a fortnight before. Mr Hall joined the Brigade as a cadet in Blackpool and served through all ranks to Area Commissioner, Lonsdale Area, and finally Deputy Commissioner, Lancashire. He was most enthusiastic about the FellowshIp and will be much missed . We welcome another new Branch this month: South Cambridge Branch Contact: Mrs E. Holland, 14 Finch's Field, Little Eversden, Cambridge CB3 7HG. The West Dorset Branch, published in the November 1983 Review, has been renamed: Weymouth and Portland Branch Contact: Miss F. B. Long, 37 Wyke Road, Weymouth, Dorset DT 4 9QQ.

I will be giving details of the 1985 Annual General Meeting in the ] anuary issue

Meanwhile, a very Joyful Christmas to you all!

Please c on ta c t u s a t Ambu International (UK) Ltd C ha rl to n Road , M idsome r Norto n Bath BA 3 4 D

TALKING POINT

The driving force behind St John

HOW WIDE a geographical area do your St John Ambulance activities cover?

Have you noticed that members of the organisation differ in how they measure distance? Why should this be?

At divisional level , have you heard bickering over a pub collection? Which side o f the boundary is the pub? To whom do they pay their rates? Can we collect in the car park, and in the loos, if not in the lounge bar? The Area Commissioner's meeting isn't at a convenient place for X Division The training da y should be held closer to Splintstown. Stretcherbury is too far away for our members!

This parochial attitude, which is not unique to St John, is a strength and a weakness. The strength is in fostering a feeling of oneness at divisional level, the weakness is not knowing the strengths or problems of anyone else Surely the weaknesses should be brutally excised?

I have been lucky that St Johning for me has had no such limitations and indeed , the theoretical barriers of get permission from the Commissioner / County Surgeon / County Nursing Officer' have been conspicuous by their absence It is a rare pleasure to drive on an empty motorway at 4 30 am, the speedometer hovering in the two-yeardisqualification region, on a sunny June morning outbound for a distant dut y or competition It is even a pleasure at the end of a long day to say, ' No thanks, I'll have an orange juice. I've got 150 miles to drive home.'

The rain pours down, dark winter evening, headlights, blinkers, tyres hissing in the night, and then the flickering off of the ignition, scrape up the cap and uniform jacket from the rear seats and into the welcome warmth, a drink: and the fire.

A hired coach, bouncing, cadets singing, banners obscuring the view rearwards, pandas bedecked with grey nursing dresses, coke-cans and crisp packets overfilling the ashtrays - enroute to / from a competition.

A convoy of mums/dads in family cars bursting at the welds with rucksacks billy-cans, sleeping bags, wellies and with somebody s anorak left with somebody else's torch battery in another somebody's garage Who 's got the toilet-tent?

A lonely nurse, eight pointed cross displayed on her shoulder, with the smgle word 'AEROMEDICAL' below stranded in Hong Kong, or Brisbane, 0; Rio de Janiero The only important link in the chain the patient/casualty/what you will, and St John Ambulance.

First and lasting . impressions of Jerusalem

WELCOME - not ju s t a meaningless word mumbled out of convention or automatically intoned in accordance with official dictate, but spoken with genuine affection and meaning. This is how thousands of patients and visitors to our hospital in Jerusalem are greeted, and for me, sum s up memor ies of a visit there last autumn.

For those who may never be fortunate enough to go to Jerusalem, I should like to share some of those memories - not in the tedious ' come and view my holiday snaps ' - but as a pot-pourri of impressions and surprises for which the guide books had not prepared me, but which left me delighted and oft en moved

First: the size of Jerusalem Having expected to find a small and compact walled cit y I was amazed to see the sign posts marking the city limi t s some s ix kilometres from it s centre. The ne x t surprise wa s the rock y outcrops on undeveloped building sites which, although familia r to regular visitor s to the Middle East , reminded me of the vacant plots in post-war London and a t fir s t made me imagine I was on the site of an earl y battlefield.

In contras t, the hospital was imma cu la te The grounds showed a charming mix t ur e o f beauty and good hu sbandr y: sal vias gre w side by side with peppers. Rosem ar y bushe s, trimmed like English lavender hedges , bo r dered paths through the olive and lemon groves, providing habitat for in sects as well as fr uit for the kit c hen s

In the sparkling f reshness of the ho s pital itself something was m ss ing - no smell ! The antisept ic aroma associated with hospital s was completely missing. I discovered the reason f or this - all materials used i n t he h ospital fo r cleaning are c ompletel y odourless.

In the narrow lanes of the ci t y itself the smells were far more plea sant than I expected From the souks drifted the scent of spices and the aroma of freshly ground coffee and newly baked bread Perhaps it was the appetizing effect o f this - plus the recommendation of the guide book - rather than its appearance, which tempted me to try falafel, 'spiced balls o f chick peas, vegetables and peppers, deep-fried and stuffed into pitta bread One was enough to leave a lasting memory.

correspond with the break displayed To conserve space, the patient faces a mirror and read s the r eflection of t he chart which is positioned above the head, thereby reducing by half the normal s pa ce required fo r su ch tes t s.

The examination cubicles de s igned and constructed by the s taff , not only sa ved many thousands of pounds but also improved the flow of patients - a necess ary consideration when at t ending t o so m a n y people ea ch day. Man y cannot attend the hospital for trea t ment and so a mob ile unit visits villages in the desert and outl yi ng areas to bring ai d a nd com f or t t o th e m

The constan t flow of patients in and o u t of the hosp ital wa s d eal t with so ef fi c ie n t ly tha t a patient who att e nd ed fo r the f rs t ti m e at 10.30 am could b e seen, ex amined , adm itted and fed , all with i n a co upl e of hour s. Remembering m y own ex p er ien ce o f entering ho s pi t al , waitin g sev en hours t o re ceive a wron g dia g no s is , and eve ntu a ll y be ing admi t ted and left hung ry, as it was 'to o late f or a meal - thi s seem s no t hin g s ho r t of mira c ulou s

Order Service

• In Durham

A BRIGHT AUT U MN day welco m ed t h e Lo rd Prio r an d me mbers of C h apter General to th e city o f D u r h am fo r the O r de r serv ice of re d edica t ion on Oct ob er 6 , where t h e an cie n t sp le nd o ur of Durh am Cat h ed ral was t h e mag n ificent setting for 198 4 's vis itation to one of the co u nties T he capacity co ng r egatio n of ove r 1,700 included civic leaders and representatives of ot he r vo l un ta r y organisat io ns as we ll as mem be r s an d frie nd s of t he O rder. But dominating t he scene were SJA mem b er s in un iform , many of t h em cadets, from Co D u rham, C leve land and North u m b ria.

St John Ambulance gets around do you?

A F.H.

I was deeply impressed by the Hospital itself. The system o f admissions has been streamlined to cope with the two to three hundred patients received every day Record cards are prepared and the patient passes into the hospital for the intitial eye-test. The test card shows broken circle s which can be copied by the patient using the index finger and thumb, and tilting the hand to

Althou gh I did no t h av e the ti me to go o u t wi th t he m edi cal team I did cross th e J ud ean Desert , whi c h was n ot t h e la nd scape of san d y rid ges I h a d imagined , but a h ars h ro c ky, and moun tai nou s te rrain ve ry d iffe ren t fro m t h e phot ogr aph s I h a d see n St andin g o n th e site o f t h e wa ll s of J eri cho and fa cing west, I cou ld see nothin g bu t mountains and du s t. T o t h e east lay t he f ert ile vall ey o f th e J o rd an co lo u re d with pl a n t at ions o f banana and c it ru s t rees a nd pun ctua t ed b y t he di sti n ctive s h apes of palm s He r e , and in t he d ese rt , m y im agi nat on could carr y me ba c k to Bibl ical ti me s; som e th ing that could not happe n o n th e Mount o f Oli ves wh e re mod e rn c hur ch es compete on hi s tori c s ite s, and te levi si on aerials and constru c tion cra n es a re a n incongruous part of the silhouett e o f th e Old Ci t y M y mo s t la s ting memori es mu s t be o f th e people: the children; the r ecep ti oni s t who took time out from hi s exc eptionally busy schedule to comfort the orphan who had come to make an appointm e nt for th e provision o f an artificial eye; the doctors who vie with each other to per f orm emer ge ncy operations on their res t days ; and las t , but not leas t the sister s and nurses who cheerfully replace with lo ving patien ce the small toy s which ' unaccountably' disappear when t iny patients are discharged from the hospital. So many happy, sad s weet m e mories.

Charles Buller, Chief Acc ountant of the Order and Treasurer of th e Friends o the Hospital

A fa n fare o f eight trumpeters of t h e 34th (Northern) Signa l Regiment (Volunteers) heralded the arrival of the Lo rd Prior , whose pro cession was followed by he Bishop of Durham with the Dean and Chapter, a n d f nally Her Majesty s Lord Lieutenant, Lord Barnard.

I n his sermon t he Dean of D u r h am , Dr Peter Baelz , emp hasised h e need to d evelop a se n se of compass ion which 'u n derlies the work of the Order'. It is also necessary, he a d ded, to d eve lop a sense of 'co mm unity belonging', and to avoid 't h e dangers of living in a maze of se lf concern' T h e Lord Bishop of Durham, the R ight Rev Prof. David Jenkins, pr onounced the Bless ing I mmediate ly after the service, the Lor d Prior, Sir Maurice Do rman, presented Grand Pr ior certificates to twe lve cad ets a n d t he n a dd resse d the Bri ga d e m e m bers p araded on Palace Green Sir Ma ur ice said t hat m embers of t he Brigade co uld pr o udl y claim t o belo ng to a n inte rn atio n a l fa m ily, f o r o nl y t h ree d ays ear li er he had joined in exactly th e same ceremony in Afr ica S r Ma ur ice an d the L o r d Lie u te na nt the n to o k t h e salu te at t he Marc h P ast.

Tea was p rovided in Dur h am Castle a nd in Dunelm Ho use (bot h by arrangement with Durh am Un iversity) which meant that the L o r d Prio r an d m embers of Ch a p ter Ge neral co uld m eet SJ A m em ber s w h o h ad b ee n on parad e, and t h eir f a mili es a nd frie nd s.

Th e ci t y o f Du r ham is p rou d to h ave been cho se n as t h e venu e f or th e 1984 Or d er Se r vice, a nd was very g r a t eful t o everyone, es pecially t he D irecto r of Ceremoni es and t he st aff at S t J ohn 's Gate, f o r t hei r h elp and guid a n ce fo r w hat turn ed o ut to b et ha n k full y - su c h a fin e d a y!

The Commissioner-in-Chief opens the conference

THE THEME of this year's Nottingham weekend, held Sept 21 23, was communications, a prominent subject during last year's discussions on St John's image.

Following dinner on Friday evening, the meeting got off to an informal but successful start when Mr A. J Sunderland, Commander SJA West Midlands, gave a talk entitled 'My Way'. He began by restating the need to improve St John's image, suggesting that this could often be done quite easily by individuals with the right attitude towards change. Many small changes were easily managed, such as re-organising the county office to look more inviting, with flowers and smiling staff in matching suits. When major staff changes took place, stationery should be properly reprinted and not crossed out and altered in an often not -too-tidy hand. Comments from people attending functions held in the county showed that they remembered most their reception by St John personnel - 'The shortest distance between two people is a smile,' quipped Mr Sunderland, who concluded by showing a new video, produced commercially , about cadets, which was created and acted by cadets. The video was excellent, much appreciated by delegates, and copies will be available for sale.

A new venture this year (Nottingham seems to introduce at least one per year) was an invitation 't o delegates to meet for a glass of wine before returning to their residences (and tQ part with their money for raffle tickets to be drawn at the dance).

The meeting was opened formally on Saturday morning by the Commissioner-inChief, who began by welcoming Herr Wolfdietrich Peltz from Germany and Dr Richardson from Canada In his opening comments, Maj-Gen Sir John Younger said that St John should be a smart, efficient organisation, well equipped according to the needs of each division. He stressed that we should be proud of our traditions but not obsessed by them, prepared for change when change is necessary. Communication required the acquisition of knowledge, finding out and reading up when necessary. Dissemination is the second important part of communication. These two things

268

Nottingham 1984 COMMUNICATIONS

A subject so essential to a far-flung

organisation such as SJA

together are essential to leadership, as a leader who cannot communicate with his members cannot lead. Each speaker was to cover an aspect of communication.

A programme of talks followed, opened by Dr C. L. Markus who gave an illustrated talk on 'British Telecom Communicating'.

He explained that British Telecom were communicating in a new era, competing as a public limited company in a world of rapidly changing technology which affected everyone. Dr Markus told how the very core of communications has changed, with glass optic fibre cable taking the place of the old bulky mass of wires. These new cables, about 27,000 km laid so far, can communicate 140 million messages per second. Using this cable in local networks will allow a whole new range of services, including vision and computer services. Dr Markus then took delegates through a selection of these new BT services - research and development, submarine cables, computer lines, satellites, automated exchanges, radio paging, new telephones and additional services designed to help tbe subscriber such as itemised billing, call diversion and voice guidance for some new programmes. British Telecom were also pledged to help the community (eg, with cordless telephones for disabled people). BT had had to change its image to go with the new technology, abandoning Buzby in favour of 'the power behind the button' and coming up with a new logo for a new era.

After coffee Mr P. J. Mann, Regional Ambulance Officer for the Wessex Regional Health Authority and Chief Ambulance Officer for Wiltshire, told delegates 'Don't be an Ostrich'. Having a foot in both camps (he is also SJA Commissioner for Wiltshire) he emphasised the importance of communicating with others, including colleagues in the professional ambulance service. Mr Mann first outlined the history of the ambulance service, starting in Roman times when ten strong men were paid to ride round and collect the injured and receiving a piece of gold for every life saved. The service owed much to the period between the two last great wars and many St John Ambulance members served right up until the NHS was reorganised in 1974. Mr Mann led his audience through a complicated maze of reports and working party

recommendations, from which a number of points emerged. If we are going to communicate, why don 't St John ambulances have their own identity? Instead of looking very much like NHS vehicles, why not have a black and white livery so that they are instantly recognisable? Regarding patient handling, why over-handle a patient, moving him from one trolley to another? Why not go back to using poles and canvas, to be replaced by the ambulance service? Area commissioners should relate to their opposite numbers in the District Health Authority.

The Secretary of State's Report for 1977 means that any person or body, includin g voluntary organisations, providing assistance is entitled to use premises, resources, property. 'You can short-circuit the system,' said Mr Mann, 'if you start communicating. ) He advocated that St John in the counties should contact Chief Ambulance Officers regarding disposal of NHS vehicles, etc 'You must communicate and learn where best you can help. ' Mr Mann also suggested that duty officers in counties could usefully use call diverters, or be put onto the central message handling bureau. In conclusion, he said that the NHS ambulance service are looking to expand the emergency service, but why not put out a contract for the social ambulance work? To succeed, however, St John must make sure that the quality of service is right, make sure that the training is right, and learn about the roles of the clinics they would serve. Mr Mann's basic message, which produced some interesting discussion, was a simple one: talk to your ambulance service - communicate.

This morning's final speaker was Miss Isabel Granger, who gave delegates an insight into 'Personal Relationships' - and a lot of light relief! For many years Miss Granger was, among other things, a prison and hospital visitor, where communication is particularly important in building up a relationship. She expounded her own CAT theory, lavishly illustrated with funny examples:

C - COMMUNICATE. Don't always talk - listening is an important part of communication Be aware of the need to be there. Remember that the word 'compassion' has a Latin root and means 'to go along the road with someone'.

A - ACCEPTANCE. A person needs - they must be accepted by you. You, m turn, must be acceptable to them.

T - TIME. Time is the one thing we have to spend when we don't have a penny. We all have more time than we think.

Miss Granger went on to regale her audience with f urth er experiences, sending everyone off to lunch with a smile.

The afternoon session was another Notti ngham departure; past years have featured a syndicate discussion and plenary session, but this year was different.

The first speaker was Lt Cdr S. H. Glenny Training Manager and Deputy Secretary John. Ambulance Association. Having explamed that 'trai ning is communication with the purpose of changing people's attitudes' he then told delegates that 90 per cent of training problems were due to bad and were often things wh lch c.ould easily be put right - clearly wfltten I.nstructions, circulars going straight to the nght person, etc. He then outlined some of the problems which St John had faced when sett in g up the First Aid at Work scheme, with the need for constant communication with the Health & Safety Executive and for a method of instruction to overcome bad communications between teacher and students. From all this has emerged a need for courses at three levels: (a) First Aid at Work courses (NOT intended to meet Brigade regulations); (b) good basic courses for the general public; (c) courses for Brigade training, where a fuller, more advanced course content is needed and an entirely different level of training.

To overcome this, Cdr Glenny then outlined the levels at which courses will now be run. To meet Brigade members' needs a Cross course has been lastmg for 10 hours, which is to be taken in addition to the statutory certificate. Brigade members will still be examined every yearthree years to renew the statutory certificate and internally every year in between. Not everyone can meet the requirements to run a HSE-approved statutory course, so there is also a 24-hour

ght Mrs Maureen Lewsey, of Folkestone, talked about a FAW course in Cyprus

non-statutory course. For Brigade training purposes this will also lead to a White Cross course. An adult Essentials of First Aid has been produced for those people wantmg to learn good basic first aid. This will last 15 hours and it is hoped that this course will be offered by the Brigade to the general public. Those taking this course can join the Brigade but they will not be able to do full public duties until they have taken the statutory certificate and White Cross course.

For Cadets there is the Essentials of First Aid On reaching their 15th birthday, it IS hoped that cadets will be encouraged to take the statutory certificate and move up to the adult divisions, where they would then take the White Cross co urse.

Shaun Glenny also mentioned that the Association were considering a Home Health c?urse for 'housepeople' , covering basic first aid, minor illnesses, diet and nutrition personal hygiene, etc. He stressed that is, much in the planning stage.

Thls sessIOn stimulated a good deal of lively discussion from the floor, with queries from all parts of the Brigade (and the cou.ntry). Time ran short here, and it was deCided to hold a further session later for other queries.

A different kind of communication was presented next by Captain T. N. Catlow Chairman of Council for Lancashire. Afte; graduating from the Royal Naval College at he spent 41 years in the Royal Navy, JOiOlng the submarine service in 1936.

In 1942 he was shot down as a passenger in a Wellington bomber en route from Gibraltar to Malta, becoming a prisoner of war until 1945 Captain Catlow told of his experiences after he was shot down culminating in being transferred to Castle. He explained that it was a prisoner 's duty to escape, thereby tying down as many

additional men as possible to guard them The systems of communication developed by the men in Colditz were extremely goodprisoners were from different services and nations, and it was vital to know what everyone was doing without alerting the German guards Communication with the outside world was vital to morale , and a concealed radio kept prisoners in touch with the progress of the war. This was a fascinating talk which recei v ed a well-deserved reception - communication may have been restricted to Colditz but it worked, so this was something o f an object lesson in good communications.

Delegates looked somewhat puzzled a f ter tea when confronted with a talk entitled 'Glafkos Hadji Christodoulou and Others Not sure what to expect - possibly some erudite treatise on Eastern philosophersthis turned out to be an amusing tale by Mrs Maureen Lewsey , Divisional Superintendent a t Folkestone, and Miss Jennie Eaves Staff Cadets, describing their expe:iences running a First Aid at Work course in Cyprus. St John in Cyprus knew about the statutory certificate , but had no instructors, 26 9

Photos by Veronica Sharpe

(Left) Mr A J Sunderland, Commander for the West Midlands ex plains how he did it 'his way' (Above) Laurie Hawes, Headquarters CSO says a big thank you - with a arge box of chocolates - (take note anyone who wants to bribe Jennie) to Staff Officer Cadets Jenn ie Eaves for all her work organising the conference. (Ri

so these two intrepid young ladies were sent to solve the problem. Apart from the problems inherent in instructing foreign students, the communication problems began well before they arrived in Cyprustelephone calls to Headquarters announced that there was no projector (we'll bring it with us), no books (don't worry, we'll bring those too). This cross-talk accompanied by slides of Cyprus outlined some of the peculiarities of working with students who covered the floor so as not to make their overalls dirty, of being driven on whistle-stop tours of the island and of the inevitable mezze and little sticky cakes. That the students managed to pass (no-one had told them there was an examination) had to be due - of course - to the sheer charm and quality of the instruction!

The day was rounded off with 'The New Image', when a team from Headquarters modelled the new uniforms, with all the possible combinations of trousers, tops, skirts, anoraks, caps, etc. Mr Brian Rockell, Director of Supplies, made several points regarding the availability of the new uniform. Economy is important - the ambulance member's uniform (which does not have to be changed on promotion to officer) will cost about £65, considerably cheaper than previously. Trousers and skirts are now machine-washable, and shoulder badges require less sewing. Accessories such as bodywarmers, storm caps, V-necked sweaters and new badges are already available. That the new uniforms made an impact was proved by the heated discussion from the floor which followed The evening's socialising was as successful as ever, with the Penn Darch band playing for dancing and a good disco. A good time was had by all, in many cases lasting well into the small hours of the morning.

After the Interdenominational Service on Sunday, with an excellent address by the Rev Alan Caldwell, Anglican Chaplain to the University, delegates had a very humorous presentation from Major Michael Parker, who Gerald Easton described as 'a remarkable communicator'. Remembering the incredible way in which the chaos of over a thousand cadets and staff at the Albert Hall became quite a semblance of order by the afternoon at the Cadet Spectacular, one could not help but agree. Major Parker described some of his experiences in running

50 each, through your

tattoos, and told delegates about the oldest of them all, The Royal Tournament, which began in 1880 and moved to its present Earls Court home in 1950. Proving that there is more than one way of communicating with an audience, Major Parker then showed a film of the Royal Tournament made in 1980.

After coffee the final conference presentation was given by Mrs D. J. Fenton, Secretary of the Hertfordshire Society for the Blind. With a series of slides, Mrs Fenton explained some of the problems which face blind people, almost all of whom have residual vision. She told us the correct way to guide and seat a blind person, and even to remember to announce yourself in conversation and say when you are goingso that someone is not left talking to themselves. It is easier for someone to know what they are eating when told 'meat at twelve o'clock, chips at four o'clock' etcthese being positions on the plate rather than times of meals! Pavement parking, overgrown shrubbery and dog owners cause their own difficulties. Blind people find it very difficult to communicate with others, having lost one of their main senses, and Mrs Fenton instilled a need for awareness when dealing with blind people, not only of what they need, but also of what they need to do for themselves.

Before the conference closed, additional time was allocated for a discussion on the statutory certificate during which severa l problems came to light and questions were answered. Many delegates had asked why Brigade members needed the statutory certificate at all, and Dr Baker, Assistant Surgeon-in-Chief, outlined the position, worth repeating here for anyone else who is wondering. It is preferable to have HSE approval because some public duties are hybrid - at a football match, for example, if a member of the crowd breaks a leg he does not come under the statutory regulations, but if a footballer does, and you go on to the pitch, he DOES come under the statutory regulations and if anything went wrong in a court of law you could be held responsible if you were not a statutory first -aider.

UK team train Nigerian instructors

The Chief Commander reiterated the importance of the new statutory certificate, saying: 'It is important for you to go away from this weekend knowing WHY - go and explain why this certificate is necessary.' He also stressed that this system could only be put into effect satisfactorily with the help of the Association. 'They have got to help the Brigade to get their people through until such time as we can train sufficient numbers of HSE registered instructors.'

There were then one or two s urprises

Since this was to be the Commissioner-inChief's last attendance as such at Nottingham, he was presented with a giant replica of the programme, s igned by everyone, and Lady Younger received a massive bouquet of flowers.

In his closing remarks , the C-in-C stressed that delegates should take away with them the thought of the importance of good communications - of li ste ning , and of passing on information. He finished b y paying tribute to the member s of St John with whom he had been proud to be associated for the past four years. Veronica Sharpe

OUR PRESIDENTS

A well paid President.

BEING president of the Combined Cadets in the most northerly division in Buckinghamshire is an honour. In this small town where I have lived and worked all my life I know most of the people and they know me But many people seem to think that being a member of St John is a well paid job; free admission to football matches and other events and being paid for it. 'C an't be bad ,' they say.

During the next two years we have got to get rid of the idea that members of St John are paid. We must get through to the public that all our work is voluntary.

Oh! I have just remembered the heading.

'A Well Paid President'. Yes, I mean it: not by money though. Living in the town one meets the cadets in all sorts of situations. Here comes the payment : a smile of welcome and a cheery word from a cadet, something more valuable than mere money.

See what I mean?

Gordon Osborn,

President Co mbined Cadet Division, Olney, Buck s

FOLLOWING a short visit by the Chief Commander last January, a two-man SJA team was sent to Nigeria during the summer. It comprised Jame s Bond (JJB), Area Superintendent, London Distri ct, who is a deputy headmaster; and myself, Commander SJA Kent, a consulting surgeon. Our brief was a dual one: to train instructors and to advise on organisation and administration. We have both long been concerned with teaching first aid; JJB was a prominent member of the HQ training team for FA W, while I have been county surgeon, commi ssio ner, or commander since 1954. In the eve nt , it see med that experience of county administration was what was needed, since t he Lagos SJ HQ is more like a county office than Grosvenor Crescent. Becau se of sc hool' s autumn term, JJB went out and returned a little earlier than I did.

Staff work in Lagos was excellent. JJB arrived on a Friday evening, attended a specially-called sessio n of the national SJ Council on Saturday, and b y mid-morning on Monday he was teaching.

Some from divisions

In the UK a high standard of first aid is a precondition for acceptance on instructor co urses, but such candidates were not available in Nigeria. Some were members of open divisions, but most were from the public services s uch as police, railways, etc, and the standard of skill varied Havino taught first aid in Nigeria in 1970, 'after 'Biafran' war, I was not surprised by the Nigerian' S enthusiasm but we were both very impressed by the way some of them were obviously used to studying. Since there was a need for first aid revision, we abandoned the plan of working as a pair and instead JJB concentrated on teacher training and I on first aid knowledge and skill, although we overlapped somewhat. There are just under 100 'A' subjects (top priority) in the FAW book and we stuck to these.

We did two courses: one in Lagos for candidates from the western states, and the other in Bauchi in the hi g hlands for the eastern states. The classes, which were enormous by UK stan dards, strangely both contained 38 men and one woman. It

required much effort on both sides to give individual attention, but we think we succeeded in putting the candidates thro ugh their paces

At Bauchi (rhymes with couch) it was marginally cooler than in Lagos, which is a densely populated city while Bauchi is more of a country town. Bauchi also had a training building, recently erected for the Nigerian Railways , which we were given the use of.

It contains a huge, airy classroom at ground level, with residential quarters for the pupils upstairs This created a co llege- like atmosphere in which the class became a unified body. There was plenty of humour and very little self-consciousness. One police officer, who was not unlike Sammy Davis Junior, had class and teachers rolling in the aisles.

We would arrive at class at 8.15 for a 9 am start to find pupils already studying. In Bauchi we tried the daring experiment of starting at 9 am and finishing at 5 pm , which although we had some anxious moments the first afternoon everyone s tood well enough

In Lagos, JJB and I stayed at the UAC (Lever Brothers) Rest House, but in Bauchi we were in a bungalow with the Brigade Secretary, the informal contact helping us as

much as tbe training block accommodation helped the students.

The railway people were most helpful. The course was opened with a ceremony which included a welcome from the Area Pre si den t, who was also area director of the railway; prayers to Allah were followed by soft drinks and kola nuts. On the Saturday, halfway through the course, we all went off to a game reserve with its hot springs, rather truculent elephant herds, baboon, buck and warthog. We also appeared on local TV. The only thing to mar the proceedings was a bug which JJB christened the Bauchi crouch. I think we set a good standard of learning. The last thing was to cheapen our work by being too kind; nevertheless, the pass rate of our classes was 51 out of 78, about the UK average The Brigade in Nigeria has slipped rather, due to political upheaval and economic stringency, but if the teachers we trained can be deployed throughout the states, we feel that things should improve. Moreover, when one considers that delays in medical aid are days rather [han hours in Nigeria, the need for first aid is obviously very great.

In the bungalow - Victor Anthonio, SJA Nig eria's National Secretary Robert Percival and James Bond

Assessment of trainees demonstrating recovery position

Robert Percival

HOSPITAL FRIENDS

On Sept 20 1984, a little over a year after being formally launched, the Friends of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem were delighted to be able to present to the Order a cheque for £70,000 to endow a bed at the St John Ophthalmic Hospital.

A lunch to mark the occasion was attended by the Friends' patron, Her Majesty Queen Noar Al Hussein. The Lord Prior of the Order, Sir Maurice Dorman, paid tribute to the great work of the hospital - our hospital - particularly with regard to the Outreach project. He talked about the hospital's work

WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF ST JOHN

BY THE EDITOR

in general, and about how it fulfilled a great need. In reply, Her Majesty Queen Noor made the following speech:

'It is my pleasure and privilege to celebrate with you today the contribution that has been made to the St John Ophthalmic Hospital by its loyal friends in Great Britain.

'I was deeply honoured last year to accept patronage of the Friends of the St John Hospital and to have the opportunity to participate with you in your noble and worthy efforts. The Friends' one year of work, satisfying as it is, is a very small effort indeed compared to the past one hundred years of humanitarian and medical service that the hospital has provided in Jerusalem. We are all humbled by the tradition of perseverance and commitment that the hospital has established for itself and for other such institutions of mercy and care in the Middle East.

'I sincerely hope that the contribution of £70,000 may also signify the start of a long tradition of annual giving, in line with the

Her Majesty Queen Noor AI Hussein, patron of the Friends , presents the Lord Prior with a cheque for £70,000. (L to R) Mr Michael Snow (Chairman), Lady Caradon, Sir Maurice Dorman, HM Queen Noor

AI Hussein, Lord Caradon (President) Lady Dorman example of selfless giving and sharing that the hospital itself has set during the past century.

'To be associated with Jerusalem is a : privilege for people of all faiths. For His Majesty King Hussein and myself, Jerusalem is a constant reminder of our rich Arab heritage, and of the Islamic principle of sharing what we have with all people, especially those in society who are less fortunate than the rest.

'It is an honour for all of us in Jordan to play whatever role we are able to help support the work of institutions in Jerusalem tio;

and in the rest of the occupied Arab territories, that are so vital to the welfare and development of our brethren in the West Bank and Gaza.

'For us, active support of the work of the St John Hospital is not only a humanitarian duty and a privilege of our long association with the Holy City - it is also a national obligation that we are bound to honour. Our commitment to the St John Hospital is symbolised by the pledge that His Maje s ty King Hussein first made several decades ago to donate his own eyes to the hospital.

'The hospital has served the community

Pocket Drill Card

Unfortunately an error has been incorporated in the 'print of the Pocket Drill Card (P11801) first issued last July. All holders of this card should correct it as follows: In the section headed 'ROUTINE PARADE' in col (b), line 13, please amend 'Front rank atten-TION' to read Front rank, stand at - EASE'.

well for a hundred years and has emerged from the surrounding political gloom as a beacon of light and a source of hope. It r€stores not only the vision of those whose eyesight is impaired, but also our common faith in the humanitarianism of people throughout the world. That this noble effort should take place in Jerusalem and without interruption for the past 100 years is a powerful statement of faith and human will

In the August Review, the Hospitaller wrote of his dilemma between underwriting the hospital s expenses and making a gift special, and how the endowment of a bed could do this To the Friends of the Hospital, every gift is special. Would you consider becoming a Friend and thereby helping us to achieve that magic figure of £5 million?

For further information on the Friends of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, please apply to: The Secretary, Friends of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW1X 7EF or telephone 01 235 5231.

VA.S.

NOT All

Divisions in the UK may envy those in Guernsey - with sun, sand, sea and all that (and the price of drink) - but when it comes to competitions, island members are at a disadvantage. Any contest other than inter-divisional requires considerable travel, either to the island of Jersey or to the UK.

A 7-hour sea crossing faces a team as successful as Guernsey's Rohais nursing cadets, followed by a train journey from Portsmouth to the competition venue

After travelling that way to win the south east regional round, the cadets decided to put their skills to use in order to avoid a similar trip to the nationals. A sponsored bed-making exercise

for IS 61,520 to warden and chief surgeon of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital Dr Tony Morgan

In hospital, Norfolk member Mr R. Par sons is presented with his Service Medal by Cty Comm Mr A. B C Hogg. County, Area and Divisional members were also there

(Photo: Ron Bagley, Lowestoft)

QUESTION Why did the Government introduce new regulations in I982?

ANSWER Because of the significant number of complaints the Government had received from industry and elsewhere that generally standards in First Aid training had deteriorated and students were not retaining their skills, particularly their practical ability at vital lifesaving techniques. An analysis demonstrated that the Adult First Aid Course contained too much material for teaching in 16 hours. It was decreed therefore that the Statutory Course should last a minimum of four days (ie, 24 working hours).

QUESTION What is the SJA teaching package and why did SJA introduce this special package for teaching first aid and not teach it straight from the Manual as they did in the past?

ANSWER While it is possible to teach First Aid from the Manual, as indeed was done for many years, the Manual is in fact a reference book and was not written as an instruction book. It was therefore decided to retain the Manual as a reference book in conjunction with a special system to enable First Aid to be taught to the highest possible standards. Under the guidance of a panel of highly qualified educationalists from many fields, SJA National Headquarters used a team of specially trained instructors, the majority of whom were Brigade members from the Counties, to perfect the St John Ambulance teaching package This is merely an educational aid for the instructor which uses the most modern methods of training, and it is worthy of note that our teaching package is widely admired by many teaching organisations outside St John Ambulance.

Indeed, we in St John have gone a step further and introduced in str uctors guides for the Public First Aid and Essentials of First Aid Courses as well, so as to bring them into line with the Statutory Course.

QUESTION Why are the Red Cross using a different course?

ANSWER As the Government determined the syllabus and laid down a minimum of four days trainin g for the FAW certificate, the BRCS and all other registered ' organisations must teach the same syllabus in the same minimum time as SJA The BRCS decided not to standardize their training by means of a dedicated package, but to teach the Statutory Certificate syllabus directl y from the fourth edition First Aid Manual.

QUESTION Why has the Government established new regulations for instructors?

ANSWER The reason for the low standard of First Aid training was largely due to old-fashioned methods of instruction and the conduct of examinations. Most instructors and lecturers had geared themselves to teach too much in too short a time. Advances in education have led to radical changes in instructional techniques over the past 15 years and, sad though it might be, the technique of a large number of First Aid instructors was hopelessly outdated. Our instructors now use the modern methods and candidates taught by them have come to appreciate their ad van tages. Instructors also have nothing to fear from monitoring by either government inspectors or colleagues in SJA. Evidence from the armed forces where monitoring is regarded as a quality control check and carried out regularly has shown how

essential it is to good instruction; it is welcomed by the instructor in identifying bad traits before t hey become established and difficult to eradicate

QUESTION What has the standard of classroom to do with good instruction?

ANSWER Minimal sta ndard s have long been established for classroom and associated facilities to give both teache r s and st udent s the best conditions in which to work and st udy , and it is quite reasonable that the authorities should ins ist on proper sta ndard s for teaching an important health care subject. Exper ience within SJA has confir med that once instructors become accustomed to these standards t hey appreciate their va lue and, indeed, their nece ss it y.

QUESTION Why shouldn't the Brigade have carried on with the old 16-hour Adult First Aid Course?

ANSWER Having accepted that the traditional 16-hour Adult First Aid Course overloaded students with too large a sy llabus taught in too short a time, it woul d be educationally wrong for the B.ngade to continue it s use. The old Br iga de First Certificate awarded prior to July 1 still. recognised for statutory purposes untIl It expires. Since July 1 however the new Statutory Certificate obtained on the 24-hour course has become the obligatory qualification for an officially recognised First-Aider.

QUESTION Why does the Brigade member require a Statutory Certificate?

ANSWER M embers have always been statutory FirstAlders. The 16 - hour Adult First Aid Course

was the Statutory Certificate until July 1 1982. There can be little doubt that organi s ation s requiring our serv ice s as First-Aider s will in future expect that our members hold Statutor y First Aid Certificates. In addition this could well become a requirement before an In sura nce Company is willing to continue insuring our member s.

QUESTIO N Why is it necessary to introduce a non-statutor) course based on the FA W syllabus?

ANSWER The fact that some Brigade premises are not acceptable at present for approved training s hould not be allowed to prevent its introduction or worse s till perpetuate the now unacceptable 16-hour Adult First Aid Course. It hoped that it will rarely be neces sa r y for Bngade Di visions to resort to this alternative. Rather they s hould attempt, with the help of the Association, to find suitable premises not only in the interest of stat utor y certification but to provide the environment for better training

QUESTION What is the White Cross package?

ANSWER The syllab us for the Statutory Certificate is concerned with the training of First-Aiders in the The First-Aider on public duty reqUIres to train from a wider syllabus. The Cross syllabus extends the FA W yllabu to mclude the additional training St John considers is necessar y for the FirstAlder on pubEc duty. This additional material requires a minimum of 10 hours instruct iona l during normal Brigade training period Thls IS not a 'Ce rtificated Course' and may be by any Brigade member holdin g a Bngade In trucrors (First Aid) qualification a nd having expe rience of public duties.

AFRICA used to be known as the Dark Continent, although the many countries which make up that continent now do not like to be reminded of it. I certainly found dark undercurrents on my five trips there, which gave me a sense of unease and made me feel glad I didn't live there.

The first trip was in itself very unusual. I was asked to fly to Kinshasa in Zaire, in 1976, to bring back two British mercenaries who had been fighting in the civil war in Angola They had been blown up when their jeep ran over a land -mine and, although badly injured , had managed to escape over the border into Zaire, where they had been in hospital for six weeks I was not so perturbed as to whether I could cope with the type of injuries they had received (for I had had plenty of experience of that sort of nursing in the RAMC) as I was about the political implications, since I had been warned that there could be serious repercussions if I put a foot wrong while in Zaire. I had to spend a day in London prior to the flight - first obtaining a 48 hour visa, which took three hours of form-filling and answering questions , and then being briefed a t Aeromed HQ about the flight and the patient s The next day I set off from Heathrow for Brussels , changing to a Sabena flight for the long haul to Zaire where I arri ved in the early hours of the morning in a tropical rain storm (the first rain for months) A member of the British Embassy staff was waiting for me and he quickly cleared me through customs and the usual formalities and drove with me to Kinshasa.

That car ride was an eye -opener. The road itself was in a shocking state, full of pot holes and littered with the wrecks of old cars which nobody had bothered to tow away, but my eyes were on the dead cattle lying on the verges and the starving people begging by the wayside. My companion took no notice of them, so I presumed it was the usual way of life there. The surrounding countryside was barren bush country and the heat was intense. The rain had stopped by now but I found the humidity almost unbearable after my air-conditioned flight from the cool freshness of England The Kinshasa General Hospital s on the outskirts of the town and we could smell it before we drew near to it. At the approach to the hospital were long queues of people clamouring for admission. They were mostly women with children, many holding out babies who were obviously suffering from dysentery and malnutrition. The doors were barred by armed soldiers but on our approach they stepped aside and allowed us entry.

We were escorted to the office of the senior administrator, an Englishman from Weymouth, who greeted us with very welcome cold drinks and chatted for a while before taking us on a tour of the hospital. It is officially a 600 -bed hospital but many extra beds had been installed in an attempt to satisfy the tremendous demand, with the result that the wards were overcrowded, with

Part 4: The Dark Continent

beds very close .to each other , and the overpowering smell, coupled with the clouds of flies, made me wonder how people could be expected to recover from se ri ous illne ss es in such condit ions. The wards were s taffed mainly by local orderlies under th e supervision of Belgian nuns, but much o f the washing and feeding of the patients was done by their own relatives , who camped ou t on the verandas. Many of the doctors were American and one I spoke to said he had difficulty in obtaining enough drugs for hi s patients because, al hough plenty was ordered for the hospital a large per cen ta ge of them were stolen en route

We found our two mercenaries in he socalled intensive therapy unit, although to my eyes it appeared to be an ordinary surgical ward, with none of the monitor ing equipment, etc, which one would a ss ociate with intensive therapy They were in c orner beds, away from the other patients, one o f them with traction apparatus suppor t ing a broken leg. They looked clean and better cared-for than the other patient s and I discovered that this was becau se a local mission station had just heard of their presence and had sent a nurse in to blanketbath them the day before Reading th r ou g h their case notes I discovered that the 31-y ea rold was paralysed from the waist down as a result of a fractured spine while the

nothing I could do about it at th is stage, but at the ai r port , a s had ex p e c ed , we w e re delayed f o r t w o hou rs while all t h e ir equipmen w a s sear ch ed a nd t h e fir e a rm s can fi sc a

29-year-old had su stai ned multipl e fr a c tu res and had been op e rat ed on for t h e r ep a ir of a ruptured spleen. T h ey were bo t h o ve rjo ye d t o see me a nd to kn ow that t h ey wo ul d b e on th ei r way ho me he n ext da y. 1 sa t and talk ed wi th the m for a w h ile, te lling them of the arrangemen ts t h at h a d b een m a d e for thei r r e turn and w h at t o ex p ect on t h e journe y. I che ck ed w ith the wa r d si ste r t h at their belongings were ready to tak e hom e with them, toge he r with a doctor 's let ter and he pain -ki llin g drug s they would prob a bl y require on t he journey. Then I said goodbye , p r omi si n g t o be b ac k ear ly i n t h e morning.

The Brit ish E mbass y sta ff we re very hospitable , enter t aining me to dinn er a nd taking me on a t our of the t own and di stri ct. There was not much o f interest to see but I said I would like t o v is it the mission station mentioned earlier so we went there . Man y o f the patients were doin g beau ti ful wood c arvings to sell n a id of the mi ss ion , so I bought a lov e ly ebony h ead wh i ch now h as pride of place in my living room A fter a night s sleep at a rather third-rate hotel the embassy car picked me up and took m e to the ho spital, where I helped load my patient s into ambulance s - one each - and w as horrified to see that not onl y had th e y brough t all their army equipment but al so rifles and revolvers. However ther e w as

g ur ine, but I managed to ove r

t h is w ith the u dicial use of h otwater b ott les. In spite of a ll t h eir p r o bl ems,

by JI M

Pa rt y ti me

LEADERS always put that little bit extra into their programmes around Christmas to try to make things sparkle But it is never easy to come up with a new idea every year. I h ope these will help.

Jelly Eating

T hi s is a super party game - and one that d oesn't necessarily have to be restricted to ca d ets. It is a game for pairs. One player sits o n a cha r wit h his ha n ds behind his back

Hi s partner is bl in dfolde d a n d sits on his lap

He has a b owl of je ll y an d a spoon and tries to feed h is part n er as q u ickly as possib le. Of co u rse, food is dea r to t h e hearts of all cadets and it is a good idea to end the games w it h something to ea t and dri n k. Anot h er game wit h a food f1 avour is to give each cadet fou r cream cracke r s a nd h ave a compe ition t o see w ho ca n e a t t h e m mo st qui ckl y w ith o ut h avi n g a d ri n k of wate r (or w h o ca n eat t h em at all).

Eating Christmas pud d ing

T hi s is a n ot h er re lay game C h oose one cadet

p er tea m t o sit at t h e far end of t h e room

b e h nd a ta bl e. T h e tea m s a ll h ave ba ll oo ns and pap e r pl a t es O n the w hi s tl e, t h e fi rst cade pi cks u p a b a ll oo n o n t h e paper plate a nd carries it, wa i ter-sty le, to the other end.

T h e p ers o n a t t h e o h er end 'eats' t h e ball oo n so I boug ht a ove y ebony head which now has pride of place in my iving room

p a id f or their services But I felt the r e was more to it than t h a t ; t h ey we r e sing le men, w it h no fa m ily r es p onsibilities, an d had tra ine d in h e SAS I th ink t h ey had found it impo ss ib le to settle d own to civilian life after their special army t r aining

they were r emarkably cheerful and in fact talke d of 'getting back to another war' as soon as they were fit again 1 asked them w h at made them want to fight in other peop le's wars and they both answered as one man, 't h e money '. Indeed, judging by t h e huge wads of notes had helped them stuff into their pockets, they had been very well by push ing it up his jumper. (It is best to provide each cadet with an old sweat shirt with plenty of expansion.) Cadets take it in turns to keep feeding their cadet who will get fatter and fatter. At the end of the game count the balloons by bursting them through the sweat shirt.

St i rri ng th e p ud d ing

All participants should be around the per imeter of the room. In the middle is a bucket with a rolled-up newspaper in it. One cadet is 'on'. He pick s the newspape r out of the bucket and stalks around the room. He picks one from the group by tapping him on the leg. The cadet who is 'on' then has to run back to the middle, place the roll in the bucket and return to his p lace. The cadet who has been touched gives chase. As soon as the roll has been put in the bucket, he can pick it up and attempt to clout the cadet who is 'on' before he reaches his place. He then becomes 'on' for the next go. If the bucket falls over during the game the cadet who is 'on' has to bend over for one gentle free shot!

Take a ett er

Based on the 'Crackerjack' game. Letters on cards are stuck on the wall with re-usable adhesive. Members of a team take it in turns to run to the wall, take a letter and bring it back to the question master. The letter decides whether the person has to answer a question or do a forfeit. If the forfeits are good ones, the others will enjoy watching. Another action game involves the cadets running ro u nd in a circle as m u sic plays. Tw o are chosen to make an arch which every on e h as to g o t h r ou g h Whe n t h e m u sic stops, th e arch descends to capture a person as in 'oranges and lemons'. The captured cadet goes into the middle of the circle for the next round. After the next round, t h e sec o nd caught cadet makes a seco n d arch somew h ere e lse in t he c rc le with the first cadet. Now we h ave two arc h es As the game progresses more and more arches form and the c h a n ce of n ot b ei ng caught decreases, so yo u find th at t h e game accelerates to an end.

Sti ll o n the them e o f act ion , give eac h

Our first stop was at Lagos, Nige r ia, for refuelling, and then our route took us across the desert to A lgiers and on to Ba r celona , Pa r is a n d, finally, Gatwick. At Gatwick, Special B ra n ch office r s were waiting to int errogate my patients and not un t il this was conc luded could they be reunited with their families who had been waiting anxiously for hours. I was rather taken aback to see hordes of press men and TV cameras waiting to interview us a nd as soon as possible made my escape from the li m eli ght. An am bul an ce was waiting to take the men to Re d hill Hospital and my mission was completed satisfactorily.

group of six cadets a toi et roll. Preferably without breaking the roll at all, each group must attempt to 'mummify' one member completely. When done, the 'mummy must run the length of the hall and back. The game is guaranteed to produce much laughter and merriment. If the weather is kind , the mummies could be asked to run down a local street, couldn't they? There cannot be a law against it S o rting Chr is tma s c ard s Prepare five post boxes. On the front of each write three numbers at random, using the numbers one to 15. Each number should appear only once. P repare old Christmas cards by writing numbers on the back of them - 10 number ones, 10 number twos and so on, up to 15. Mix the cards at the 'post office' and ask the teams to deliver as many as possible in the time before Christmas arrives. The cadets go to the post office, collect one card, put their group number on the back and then fmd the correct box to deliver it to. After the game, count how many cards each team delivered correctly. The boxes are spread allover the room.

Another fun game includes members of a team standing one behind the other. They have a spoon tied to a length of string. The first player pushes the spoon up his clothing and passes it to number two, who passes it down his clothing. Number three threads it up and number four down, and so on. The winning team is the first to be all threaded together. Do n 't make the string too long ot h erwise it becomes too easy ! The second part of the game is to get unthreaded as q u ickly as possi b le.

And f inall y

Don't forget to try to make a few changes to t h e no r mal r outi n e. H ow abo u t the cadets co m ing in fancy dress? Why not play games that you have never played before? Whatever you d o, h ave fun

Contributions

T o 'JIM' p lease, 3 Brandreth R oad, London E 6 4QB

DON'T KNOCK IT

from Mr P. Barton

I have been reading the Revie w's letters column with great interest o ver t he last si x months or so, during which a lot of people have complained about senior officers uniform, discipline, FAW, etc.

Our organisation's main problem is faIling membership, so what can we do about that? A few suggestions I can offer will not help s olve the whole problem but they may help alleviate the unhappiness which seems to be prevalent among the 'knockers'.

Start w ith yourself. Develop some pride in your appearance when in uniform. Our uniform is designed so that you will be noticed and if people see a scruffy , sloppy, unhappy member then that is all our organisation will be remembered for. And personally have little time for people who volunteer to take on responsibility and then shy away from their obligations.

Is discipline really necessary, some letter writers ask. Of course discipline is essential. It not only helps in the organisation but everywhere, and everything a person does is a reflection of it. If you think St John carries discipline too far, stop for a moment and think of other places where disciplines of all types are required of communities.

Is FA W really so terrible as to instill so much fear into people and cause all this furor? I think not. A challenge perhaps, tiresome maybe, but let's get on with it and make the comparisons and grumblings (if any ) after we can prove any faults it may have.

Finally and to the majority of members, thank you for keeping alive and well an organisation I for one am very proud to be associated with and a member of.

Southport Corps P. Barton

IS SJ SUBSIDISED?

from Mr R. Weston, Divisional Superintendent

At the Joint Social Services conference held at Buxton recently one of the delegates said very forcibly that all voluntary organisations s hould be done away with as they were a big drain on public funds.

Later one of our memb e rs who was on duty at the conference, appr;ached the delegate and asked her if she included St John in her generalisation. The answer was 'Yes si John is getting large subsidies from the government.' Our member said that this wa s not so, we were completely voluntary and got no financial aid from the government.

The answer to t his was that our member should get her facts right.

The exchange greatly concerns me. If a supposed responsible member of the Social Services has this idea of our organisation, what chance have we of presenting our true image to the general public? Buxton R. Weston

Headquarters replies: From the Order ' s published accounts for 1983

it will be seen t hat St John Ambulance HQ received government grants totalling £50,049 These grants are provided by the Department of Health and Social Services and the Department of Education and Science for specific ex penses incurred by Headquarters in admmistering the Brigade and the Cadets and they are of course subject to audit b y the respecti ve Ministry accountants.

The total income of St John Ambulance Headquarters for 1983 was jus t under £870 000, so government grants accounted for rather less t han 6 0,10

THE REVIEW

from lain Armstrong, Divisional Superintendent

Not that I needed it, but the comments passed at the Foundation Conference (whatever that might be) and reported in the September Review prompted me to put pen to paper.

'A page three type modeJ might make the magazine more popular ' was one of the comments. Can I make a suggestion to improve the magazine? How about 'Big Bingo', the winner gets a free subscription of the Review for a year the loser gets a subscription for life! Ha ving paid my 5Sp a month for the past few years I think I have a right to comment on the contents of the Review: 'It's not up to much.'

m us t say it 's got lot s of pictures. In the September issue we had s om e 5 1 pictures showing 'us members' of St John, giving 'us members of St John a pat on the back, some presentations, cups or certificates Really exciting they are! Perhaps we could have a picture

talking about. No, Mr Hale ,

FLAG POLE SLEEVE

from

D. A Guy, Area Staff Officer th ought reader,; m ig ht be inlcrc<,ted in th is id ea (prev ious page) for a fl ag po e lecve whic h s u ccessfu ll y tr icd OUI recent y . With h

c h

on th

flag p

a t w is t

r ar ity. In lig h t o r n o win d t h e top e d ge o f the flag could b e st if fened to g ive t h e effect of 'flying' Southam p t o n D A. G uy

OFFICER TRAINING

from Mr G E Webber

Mr Hale 's e nli g h t en ed a rti cle Office r Tr a inin g (Oc t R ev iew) was in te r esti n g a n d

n tained certain salient feat ur es but with rega r d to cad et o ffice rs I t hi nk he mi ssed t he importa n t point, or unde res tim ate d it. Th e cadet o f ficer's prim e r espo ns ib il ity is pe rso n a li ty a nd c h arac er bui ldi n g of hi s you n g charges, as laid down in t he Cadet Officer's M a nu a l , c h a p ter 4. Th e perso n a l re latio ns h ip betwee n ca d ets and thei r of fi cers is b ased o n mu t ual respect a n d sta t us co mpl e m e n ts good discip line . H e h as to u se tac t and skill when dealing wit h young a d ults a nd s h ow good leadership qualities.

Thi s specia lised field of p ersona l re lationships ca n not be left to a b usy and often ove r taxed adu lt divisional super in tendent who is 'dea lin g primari ly with Brigade public duties '. I t is of course the duty of ca d et officers to cha nn el cadets th r ough to t h e adu lt d ivision, b u t t he fo r mer is just as m portant. T he five-year progra m me fo r Juniors is qu ite adequate.

Ma n power flexibil i ty, public dut ies, office rs doing t h is a nd t h at, all are co m mendable , but the cadet officer's p r ime function is clear y set out in the Cadet Officer's Ma n ua and needs no disruptive or alte rn ative st ructure. Most cadet officers are at tache d to adult divisions a n yway, and do their share of Brigade duties.

Plymouth

from Mr P Ru ft y

G. E. Webber

I a m not usually motivated to write to the R eview, but I co ul d not sit back a n d let Chris Ha le's Talking Point (Oct R ev iew) ge away with it. How fitt in g that Mr Hale is with a Gas Div ision, by th e way. Hot ai r in deed!

H is attit u de w hen referr ing t o cadet office rs is u n be li eva b le. As a ca d et supt I find hi s remarks not befitting those of a St J oh n officer an d uggest he gets a copy of the booklet 'Divisional Superinte n dent' (fro m Supp lies Dept) and [udies it a ss iduous ly.

Wa lt o n -o n -Naze, Essex Peter R uffy

from Illeg ble S gnature

In r ep ly to C hri H a le's article, t here is n o u ch t h in g as a 'cadet off cer'. Divisional officers and superintendents have the same stat u s, w h ateve r type of d ivi io n It is a l 0 quite untrue to s uggest t h at St J o hn is 'rea ll y abo u t p u blic d ut ies What about all he o th er t h ings we do?

North wo ld The tford Illegible Signa t ure from Grainger Park Cadets

We m e m be r s of G r a inge r Park Cadet Divis ion fi n d t necessary to ex pr ess o ur op in io n s on th e Ta lk ing Po int b y Mr C h ris Ha le (Oct R ev iew).

T o s umm arise w h at M r H a le wrote:

(I) Ca d et o ffi cers wo u ld be re pl ace d b y cade t o rgan sers a nd ca d et in s tru ctor

(2) 'T h e leve l of o r ga ni sation for a cadet d iv ision is n ot a n ywhere n ea r th e level req uir ed fo r an ad ul t di v i io n.

(3) 'A cad et off ice r h as to t r a in h e m em be r s, a n a dul t office r has to tr a in t h e m e m bers a nd ead t h e m in to t h e rea l t hi ng .'

(4) Ca d

members. Cadet organisers and instructors may not gain the attention of the younger cadets because they are not recognised as 'The Boss' Secondly, it is stated that less organisation is needed for a cadet division. This is untrue. As older members of our division we attend both cadet and adult meetings and we have seen that cadets need more attention. The younger members especially have to be dealt with in a particular manner in order to hold their full attention throughout the evening. The NCO has to be able to condense rather complicated information so that it is easier to understand without distorting the meaning. Cadet divisions are very active and special arrangements have to be made for training weekends, which have to be paid for, which means a lot of work has to go into fund raising. A great deal of paper work is also necessary to record events and duties in which the cadets participate, which leads us to the next point.

Are we to understand by Mr Hale's third statement that cadets are not allowed to play an active part at duties , but are merely there to watch and make cups of tea? This has always been a point with which our division has strongly disagreed. The purpose of St John Ambulance is to supply practical first aid to the community. Many cadets have learned from experience that theory plays a less relevant part in training than practical work on public duties Confidence can only be acquired by participation in real emergencies The sooner this experience is gained the more automatic our responses will be to any situation.

Lastly, a combination of cadet and adult training would be impractible as the standards of learning and concentration vary greatly. We think it is true to say that children like to mix with people of their own age with whom they share common interest s, and the same can be said of adults.

We are sure many other cadets feel the same way about their NCOs and that they are necessary for the survival of the di vision Northumbria Senior Grainger Park Cadets

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

from Dr P. A. B. Raffle, Chief Medical Officer, Association r am sorry that myoid friend, Watkin Williams, does not like multiple choice questions, (August Review), I would make the following points:

1. Granted that first aid is a practical subject, it can only be performed satisfactorily if it is based on knowledge of the theory behind the recommended treatments. Sound knowledge of both theory and practice gives confidence in delivering patient care and the HSE requires examination in both for a statutory certificate.

2. MCQ tests are extensively used in universities for biological topics, for qualifying examinations in medicine and nursing and in the whole of the first part of the examination for the membership of the Royal College of Physicians, the senior professional examination for medical consultants.

3. Nothing in the present examination system prevents discu ss ion between examiner and examinee, but what MCQ examinations help to avoid is examiner bias and examiners leading th e examinee into answering correctly when, in faCt, they are unaware of the correct answer.

4. I would entirely agree that where MCQs can be corrected onthe-spot examiners should tell examinee s where they ha ve gone wrong. This should always be the case in St John fir st aid examinations as required in the Examiners Guide for the FA W course. Of course, when they are corrected by computer, as they sometimes are, this is not possible.

Perhaps when more experience of MCQs has been gained, they will become acceptable.

Headquarters P. A. B. Raffle

from Lt Col R. B. Robinson

I agree with Watkin Williams in his disapproval of the MCQ test.

As a semi-professional teacher, being a qualified instructor in gunnery, I was taught by the late Professor K. C. Boswell, one of the early people in the study of methods of instruction as a subject in its own right, as well as practising the art for many years thereafter

In addition to Watkin's grounds of criticism, I would mention tw o more. The first is that, even if the MCQ has any merit as a method, it is too apt to be misused by those setting the questions. Several years

282

ago, when I was commiSSioner, I looked through a set of these questions being used by the Association. A typical bad question was this: 'The name of the knot made by putting right over left, left over right, is: (a) Clove hitch; (b) Reef knot; (c) Granny; (d) Bowline.' That is entirely the wrong question to ask. It should have been: 'A reef knot is made by putting: (a) Right over left, right over left; (b) Left over right, left over right; (c) Right over left, left over right; (d) Left under right, right over left.' Better still would have been to give four pictures of knots and ask which of these is a picture of a reef knot. Or even better, show the pictures and ask which of these is the correct knot to tie round a splint.

My other point concerns Watkin's note that the only reason for using MCQ is to save time. That is s ubordinating procedure to administrative convenience, which we were taught at the Staff College, as well as at regimental level, is a serious crime.

Pewsey Wilts Bob Robinson

IN SINGAPORE

from Mr & Mrs David Smith, ASO and Area Supt (N)

On a recent holiday in Singapore we paid a visit to the Brigade Headqua.i'ters there and were greeted warmly by the Senior Admin

Officer, Haji Siraj de Silva, who introduced us to his staff and gave us an interesting tour of the premi ses. On our travels we came across a class of nursing cadets, with their instructor, w ho were only too pleased to leave their studies and pose for a photograph (reproduced). Later we were entertained to tea by Mathew P. L. Wai, Executive Director St John Council, and Haji Sira de Silva, who then pressed us to sign the VIP Book with a promise to 'keep in touch'. Altogether a very pleasant afternoon.

Nottingham Joan & David Smith

POTENTIAL HARDY ANNUAL

from Mr C. Freeman, Area Staff Officer (C)

Perhaps as a teacher of biolo gy I s hould say 'perenn ial -a common mistake by many! It seems that First Aid at Work, a nd the arguments about it, will live on to time immemorial. Perhaps those who know me will consider I am prejudiced because 1 fai led to qualify as a FA W instructor. Many other s who also know me and what I have done over the past decades from being a cadet to becoming an official la y instructor for over twenty years were absolutely astonished when I told them of the results of my examination. It was really a matter of personalities The assessor in my case I would de scribe as a female never mind.

Anyway, on to the matter in question. I am all for a strict examination but it would appear that the FAW examination is not a test of knowledge of first aid. It is becoming like the GCE '0' level examination of school. A test of memory! Anyone with a photographic mind can sail through the examination as do '0' level st udents with the same skill. But do they know first aid? I know of a trained nurse who had the familiarisation course, with a test, in which s he gave the quantity of oxygen in the atmosphere as one per cent different to the course book. This was pointed out to the candidate who, I may say, was the same assessor who 'failed' me If then we must be precise - to the letter - why in the 'Self Progress Tests' is there at leas one question which gives the answer different to the figure quoted in the text?

After all, the St John Manual is really just a guide. As should be the FA W course book. We know how long it takes one to qualify to become a medic. I am s ure many first-aiders have attended to injuries of which the signs and symptoms bore no resemblance to those

described in the Manual. Even doctors with all their skill and knowledge will meet similar conditions.

As for the FA W course book and the training, one wonders why it includes the rate of external cardiac pressure for young children and in fa nts? Are we to fi nd these age groups in factories and workshops? It may be that this is for those in charge of children and those qualified as nur sery nurse s will have it in their training and examination. School teachers are not included by the legislation. Some teachers take first aid as part of their teacher training course - but it is very brief. 1 feel they should be included. Only recently a boy heated a bar of metal in the furnace and placed it on the bare arm of another boy in the metal -work class. Fortunately the teacher could take the appropriate action to the injured, and then to the other lad.

We are told what to do in the case of pesticide poi so ning. Do we have pesticides in factories? In any case, chemical industries are exempt FA W because they have their own training. In the case of hypothermia we read about' ... too cold by being in an unheated or poorly heated hou se, or wearing wet clothes for a long period.' Where, one may wonder, will a worker find anyone in such conditions at work.

And so it goes on. Discrepancy after discrepancy. Some of- the practical work is far from effective. In one particular bandage for a severe wound I have found, from experience, of a way which gives more support and security. If I used this on the practical test - due in two weeks' time -I would fail.

Now they tell us we must take the FA W examination to maintain our annual efficiency in accordance with Brigade Regulations. This course has far le ss content than does our own manual. I understand that s hould anyone who has passed the FA W examination wish to join the Bri gade there is yet another booklet to bring them into line with Brigade training.

I'm afraid we shall be going round in circles - or the blind leadin g the blind.

The truth is the Health and Safety Exec uti ve did not like the way St John Ambulance, or the British Red Cross, carried out their training and examination. Yet they ha ve had the audacity to construct a course based on our manual, with a bit taken out here and added there. Barnsley Clayton Freeman

EXCHANGE SYSTEM from Mrs Rosemary Peel, Ambulance Member

On a recent visit to the Supplies Dept, where I was unable to get the size of uniform s we required, I met a superi ntendent from Dor set who s ubsequently sent us a suitab le nursing dress no longer needed by her division. Which prompts me to wonder how much other equipment and uniform s lie unu sed in divisions all over the country that could be very useful to others?

Ideall y, we should all be kitted out in the new uniform and so present a 'uniform' appearance, but in this age of economic decline this is a somewhat unrealistic aim. Di visions are hard pressed enough with their current commitments to raise sufficient money simply to keep going, let alone to have everyone equipped with every combination of uniform t he differen t duties might require, r should like to suggest the setting up of a Uniform and Equipment Exchange, with a cash adjustment where necessary. This might be the chance to exchange a uniform in the wrong size for one more suitable, to se ll off those items no longer needed by a particular division (and raise funds into the bargain) and may well be the means of presenting a Division better turned out. It goes without s aying that uniforms s hould be c lean , and still serviceable, and equipment in reasonable condition, and perhaps a page could be devoted to this in the Review, with Divisions listing their available items and also their needs. We are after all, I was reminded b y the charming Dorset lady, one big family, and as in all families should help one anothe r. Norfolk Rosemary Peel Editor: Some years ago the Review started a Bring-and -Buy feature in which readers could advertise uniforms and equipment valued at (then) under £10. The service was free. There are pitfalls in such a scheme from which we as the publisher have to protect ourselves; ie, quality, etc Also, there has to be some limit on the val ue of items offered for sale because we have to try to raise inco me to pay for publishing the Review from advertising in the classified pages, etc. However, the scheme we ran was abandoned through lack of support, wh ich happens, I regret to have to say, with so many ideas promoted by your magazine. But we shall bring the idea to the attention of the Re view Board for consideration.

NEWS frol11 SCOTLAND

FOR THE second year running, during the evening of September 21 1984, the Edinburgh Branch of the St John Association held its first fund -raising event of the autumn in the beautiful ancestral home of the Marquis of Linlithgow, Hopetoun House, South Queens ferry Some

80 members and friends were graciously received by Dr Ivan Tait Order Chairman, Col. Bill Dalziel, Association Chairman , and Col. Duncan Purdie, Secretary of both the Order and Association Committees in Edinburgh.

The Administrator of Hopetoun House, Major Michael Drummond-Brady, who is himself an active member of the Edinburgh Association and has just become Secretary of the recently-formed Musical Society of the Order in Scotland, had kindly arranged for the guests to be taken in small groups on conduct ed tours of t he house , after which all enjoyed an excellent buffet supper.

WALES

(Right ) Members and distinguished guests at the 50th ubilee of Holywe ll Division, Clwyd.

(Far right) The Chief Comm ssioner for Wales, Dr D. P Price , and the division's youngest cadet, a v ery composed Susan Rutherford cut the cake at Holywell Division celebrat on party

Clwyd

The Chief Commissioner for Wales, Dr D. P. Price joined the celebrations for Holywell Division's 50th jubilee recently A service 01 thanksgiving and re-dedication was held in the Parish Church of St James, Holywell , which was conducted by the Rev J T Evans, Vicar of Holywell and President of the Division. The address was by the Rev D . Griffiths , rector of Caerwys and Bodfari, who is officer-in-charge of the Division.

Cefn Mawr success

During the last twelve months Clwyd has seen a record emerge from one of its ' Divisions - Cefn Mawr - that would be difficult to beat (or could it?)

The Division's successes are:

West Glamorgan

Over the past few years West Glamorgan has held enrolment ceremonies on either a divisional or level, but this year the County Cadet Officer Mr L. Blunt decided to bring the whole county together at St Ca t wy's Church, Cadoxton, Neath, for the ceremony on Oct 7, at which the Rev N. M. Cooper; the Vicar of Cadoxton, conducted an extremely pleasant service

The venture proved a great success with a magnificent total of 154 cadets being enrolled by the Chief Cadet Officer for Wales The Hon Mrs W. Legge Bourke, at what was her first vi s it to the county since taking up her appointment.

The Mayor of Neath and the local MP, Mr D. R Coleman and his wife, also joined us for this very impressive ceremony and the refre s hments that followed.

BOOKS

Ambulances by l. Geary, Published by Ian Henry Publications at £6 55

MR G EARY has written an interesting book on the hi s tor y o f road , air , rail and sea ambulan c es. Enthusiasts will be pleased to see a detailed histor y of ambulances with man y photograph s of motor ambulances

b efo r e t h e S econd World W a r. There are c h a pte rs d evo ted to air ambulance serv ice s a nd m e ntion is made o f the St John Air

Wi ng T h e re are al so pi cture s o f our A er omedi cal Service in action although there is no mention of the service in the te x t. The mu c h neglected s ubject of ambulance train s and ho s pital s hip s is al so covered in detail and ther e a r e separa t e short chapters on the Red C ro ss and St John A mbulance

For t h e te c hni c ally minded there are de t ailed s pe c if ication s o f early and la t er ambulance s although these will be of little u se to Divi s

considering a new ambulan

and a number of impor ant c hanges have taken place since that t im e.

There are many ambulance enthusiasts within St John Ambulance yet there is little publish e d material available for those who are

Southend

Why I joined St John

aid s tuff' Fir s t aid is St John's p rime concern bu s o are a

she j oined t he Brigade when she was ten, a bit apprehensive at first about what to expect. It appeared t o be unlike any other club she had belonged to; everyone seemed much happier and their dedication s howed in the way the y listened and performed the various tas k s which

e been now f or nine year s When an yone ev er a s ks me w hat we do e very Wednesda y e ve ning , they are surpri sed when s ubjects like C hild Care H yg ien e, Cookery and Nutr ition, Fir e F ightin g, Camping, Cler ica l Abil i t y , Animal Care ar e mentioned. estion 'not all tha t f ir s t

News from Divisions/Centres

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

lOp a word (min. £4.00); semi display £20 single column inch (min. £10).

Send 10 Driscoll Productions, Wood Cottage, High Corner, Butley, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3QF.

LECTURES

Garlic and cancer

Why is it that one region of a province has the lowest index of stomach-cancer, while the neighbouring region has the highest? This was the question to which doctors of the College of Medicine of Shandong, in Shandong Province of China, applied

themselves. They thought that the answer would have something to do with garlic. The inhabitants of that region, Gangshan, where the index of stomach-cancer was lowest, ate as much as twenty grams of garlic daily. The population of the region Quixia rarely ate garlic at any time. The doctors thought that this low figure for stomach-cancer was due to the quality which garlic has of preventing the growth t)f bacteria. The review Health states, 'As well as a healthy stomach the residents of Gangshan probably get fewer visits and of shorter duration from distant relatives.

Who lives the longest?

The women who are born and live their lives in Iceland, Norway and Japan have the greatest average of longevity in the world. Girls born in Iceland can expect to live an average of 79.3 years. The country which occupies second place is Norway, where the women reach an average 79 years of age, and the Japanese women have an average of 78 years. This survey was published recently in a periodical called Evening News of Asahi. What about the longevity of men? The men of Iceland and those of Japan are at present, heading the list of world countries

with an average of 73 years of age. Following them, the Norwegian men average 72.4 years. According to an Oslo periodical Verdens Gangs the investigators of this subject have not found any proof that hereditary factors alone determine human longevity. After having studied, over a survey spanning 17 years, examples of longevity in two thousand ancient s, they came to the conclusion, 'The persons of advanced age in our midst are those who have exercised moderation, are tranquil by nature and interested themselves in other people and in the future of the race,'

Commerce turns to the gods

The Mainichi Daily News, of Japan, announces that Japanese commercial enterprises are being persuaded to erect altars to the old-time Fox god in efforts to combat the economic recession. According to the religious beliefs of Shintoism, the fox is the patron god of commercial prosperity, The sanctuary of Inari (which is their name for this god) in Fushimi, on Kyoto Island, is kept bus y undertaking twenty appeals daily to the spirit of the Fox god. At least for the sanctuary of Kyoto there is no commercial recession.

(5). 13. Backward inclination for dissolute fellow. (4) 14. Speechless. (4). 16 Campaign in which the Nursing Order originated. (5.7), 21. Headquarters of the district general practitioner service. (6.6) 24 Fit to come face to face. (4).25. Intervertebral sho ck absorber. (4) 27. Showing extreme pallor typical of severe blood loss. (5). 29 Blood pressure during contraction phase of cardiac cycle. (8). 30. Making attempts is hard to endure. (6) 31. Group of signs and symptom s characteristic of a condition. (8). 32. Rush wildly into progress through life. (6).

Down:

1. To do this is a primary objective of first aid. (4.4). 2 Arterie s supplying blood to the heart muscle. (8). 3. In advance of a main division of the body (5). 5. Fracture in relaxation time between period s of work. (5). 6. Preparation of drug s for administration by mouth (4).7. Orifice of an anatomical passage. (6). 8. All follow him (6). 11. Note rural following concerned with the thigh. (6) 15 Not seekin g work. (4). 17. Secured a change of diet. (4). 18. Test for s u sceptibility to diphtheria. (6). 19. Cause of scabies. (4.4). 20. Green tea for adolescent. (8).22 . Vomiting. (6). 23. Justification for an intellectual faculty. (6). 26. Upper part of the innominate bone. (5). 27. Vessel receiving blood from the left ventricle. (5). 28. Taste of unrip e fruit. (4).

SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 11 (84)

REVIEW CROSSWORD No. 12 (84) by A. A. Potter Across: 1. Clinical; 5. Clover; 9 Patient; 10. Mineral; 11. Ease ; 12, G'all; 13. Sleep; 15. Disorder; 17. Nerve; 19. Alarm; 20. Diastole; 22. Anvil; 24. Earn; 26. True; 28. Ill-turn; 29. Fitness;, 30. Exiled; 31. Betrayal. Across:

1. Rascal provides nerve plexus giving rise to great sciatic nerve (6).

4. Moral ban becomes atypical. (8) 9 Crown of the head. (6). 10. Vessels emptying into the right atrium of the heart. (4.4).12. Wrinkled.

288

Down: 1. Copper; 2. Intestinal villi; 3. Item; 4. An' tra; 6. Lines; 7, Vertebral artery; 8 Relapsed; 10 Malaria; 14 Doom; 16. Dudgeon; 17. Note; 18 C'al'amine; 21. Vessel; 23. Louse; 25. Rifle; 27. Stir,

SAFETY clothing dire c t from manufacturer as

A HAPPY CHRISTMAS and BEST WISHES

.for 1985 to all OUR READERS