LAC O-3586Īs a whole, the military was far better equipped to treat illness and injury than civilian institutions simply because illness and injury were much more common among troops than in the civilian population. 9įrench nuns in Valenciennes and civilians greet the first Canadians to enter that part of the town. At the peak of the first outbreak, the 4th Division sent only 40 men to hospital over two days, which was only 15 men above the daily average for the month. 8 These mobile units provided second-line medical care.
7 Through June and July, about 25% of the 3rd Division fell ill, but only 8% of these received treatment at a field ambulance. In some instances, up to 40% of some units’ men had fallen ill, but they usually returned to duty within a week, with no lasting effects. The timing of the outbreak was fortunate, as it hit when three out of the Corps’ four divisions were out of the line, training. The flu first hit in late April 1918, and spread through the corps, with the symptoms lasting ti July. The YMCA theatre at Bramshott before closing for the influenza epidemic. With the end of the war imminent, the slowdown in training had no military consequences. However, the limitations on training had little effect: by the middle of October, the need for replacements had dropped. As a further precaution, the medical authorities ordered that the men were not be worked so hard that they sweated while they trained. 6 This greatly limited the recreational opportunities for troops and meant dull nights confined to barracks. 5 The military was forced to place a major training camp at Bramshott under quarantine, closing the facility’s cinemas, bars, churches and other meeting places to prevent its spread.
With 45,835 casualties suffered by the Canadian Corps in the Hundred Days campaign, the CED faced an enormous call for replacements, which meant the training services in England had to operate at maximum capacity. The second wave hit Canadians in England in late September, 1918, and continued into October. Field Ambulance in action during the Battle of Amiens, August 1918.
0 kommentar(er)
