Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

THE RED CROSS i
IN INDIA
Serving Australians I
in Many Units
In India, both In. Ceylon and
on the mainland, Australian Red
Cross units . are serving Austra
lian sick and wounded, particu-
larly air force and navj) men,
meeting hospital ships and trans-
ports, and, ' in general, contact-
fng- Australians engaged in the
armed services..
: The assistant secretary-general
in Australia, Lieut.-Colonel A.
E. Reed, left Australia last Oc
tober to survey Australian' Red
Cross activities as a special com-,
missioner. He has now resumed
his job In Melbourne.
Wnile In Kandy, Ceylon, Colo
nel Reed was the guest at lun
cheon of Lord Louis Mountbat-
ten, known both among high offi
cials and civilians as "Supremo. '
Summarising his Impressions of
the Supreme Commander In East
Asia, the commissioner said: "He
has a' personality that carries
everyone with him. He seems to
have 'a grip of everything, mili
tary and domestic. It Is something
more than a detailed knowledge
of the activities that go to mak
ing up an efficient fighting force.
He knew all the arrangements,
for example, 'in connection with
air force, and is very interested
In - the efforts of the Australian
Red Cross."
It Is not.' generally known that
the Australian Red Cross has a
field' unit at ; work in Ceylon.
Lieut.-Colonel Owen" B. Williams,
of Melbourne, who lived for fif
teen years in Malaya prior to the
war, is in charge, and among his
Australian helpers Is Miss'- Con
stance Leigh, of Melbourne. Un
der the new set-up we supply the
personnel. Supplies have been
coming from Australia, but more
are now being acquired in India.
Sir John Tarbat, of the English
Red Cross, is prepared to collect
money to finance the Australian
efforts. At Bombay and Poona,
100 miles away, the Australian
Association of India, headed by
Mr. C. B. Newbery, formerly of
Melbourne, has . undertaken- to
contact Australian-born service
men, and women in that area. At
present supplies/ made up in
boxes, go from Colombo to the
hospitals in India. Meat, tinned
fruits and, jams from Australia
are found; In various parts of
India, and at pelhi the commis
sioner noticed Australian wines,
whisky, gin, brandy and ver
mouth.., ..
In Calcutta, said Colonel -Reed,
an Australian and New Zealand
hospital ,. auxiliary was formed
from a, committee of ten ladies
and seven men. In Calcutta he
met three Australians— Drs. ' Har-
ris (son of the' former Minister of
Education, Dr. : Harris) , Schallit
(St. Kilda) and Major Dinley
(Sydney)— all at work in the
same hospital. ; -By; a remarkable
coineldenee, they were together
in a military hospital at Tid-
worth, Salisbury Plain, In , the
first world war.
"I did much travelling," said
the commissioner. "Eight nights
and five days I spent In trains
through India, Including Christ
mas day between Delhi and Cal
cutta, when my , Christmas fare
consisted of a dish of fried eggs.
When I arrived at Simla the city's
first snow storm . was expected.
Rickshaws each propelled by four
coolies, are the only vehicles. ini
Simla, but saddle horses may be
seen. At Simla I found one of the
outstanding Australians in India,
Mr. Roy Gollari, Government
Trade Commissioner."
$