On This Day, 28 March 1918

Birmingham Daily Post

Thursday 28 March 1918

TREATMENT OF DISCHARGED SOLDIERS.

WEST MIDLAND JOINT DISABLEMENT COMMITTEE.

The Earl of Dartmouth presided at yesterday’s meeting of the West Midland Joint Disablement Committee. Dr. T. Redley Bailey, submitting the report of the Treatment Sub-committee, urged the need for increased hospital accommodation. About 75% of discharged soldiers required some treatment. That percentage was not admitted by the Ministry, but in the West Midlands that was the experience. Another essential thing in this area was a clearing house, where they could receive cases and allocate them to the most suitable institution for their peculiar needs. There was also need for a suitable institution for the treatment of orthopaedic and nervous cases. The Queen’s Hospital, Birmingham, had obtained very considerable equipment for the benefit of discharged men, and excellent work was being done there. He regretted that an opportunity had been lost in the city for the acquiring of premises in Broad Street.— Mr. A. J. Wright (Burton-on-Trent) said he wished to protest strongly against the small help given them the Ministry of Pensions. He felt it was a disgrace to the country.

The report, which stated that, with the assistance of Mr. Plummer (Ministry of Pensions), the committee had been able to acquire a hospital at Lodge Road, Birmingham, with 200 beds, and that the Birmingham Corporation Health Committee had generously undertaken to equip and staff the same, was adopted.

Alderman James (Birmingham), submitting the Training Sub-committee’s report, said the committee had some admissions of failure to make, and, like Dr. Bailey, he had to complain of the treatment received from headquarters. The Treasury seemed to be afflicted with “a nightmare of capital expenditure” but he had urged the technical schools in Birmingham to go full speed ahead independently of the Ministry of Pensions or the Treasury, and he not think the public would tolerate the legitimate demands of those who had made personal sacrifices for the country and Empire being hampered far red-tape. He was prepared to take the responsibility, and send the bill to the Treasury and dare them refuse payment. (Hear, hear.) The report showed a rapid and comprehensive advance in meeting the requirements of the constituent authorities. The problem of finding work for one-armed men was being satisfactorily solved.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, Mrs. Shakespear moved the following resolution, which was carried: ‘That, in view of the fact that premises which are eminently suitable and urgently required for the purpose of an orthopaedic out-patient department had been commandeered by the Air Board owing to the delay necessitated by the submission of a scheme to the Ministry of Pensions, this committee is strongly of the opinion that the time has now arrived when joint disablement committees throughout the country should he given adequate powers to deal effectively with problems affecting the treatment and training of discharged, disabled men arising their areas.”—Dr. T. Redley Bailey seconded, remarking that he felt that the Air Board could have commandeered other buildings which would have suited them as well as the building they had taken out of the hands of the committee.