§ 32. Mr. W. ANDERSONasked the Under-Secretary of State for War whether he can give the percentage of deaths among young soldiers at Blandford Camp; whether they are still living under canvas and rendered liable to cold and pneumonia; whether he is aware that a number of soldiers have died in the camp from these causes; and what action is being taken?
§ 108. Sir GEORGE GREENWOODasked the Under-Secretary of State to the Air Ministry whether his attention has been called to the serious state of things existing at the Royal Air Force camp at Bland-ford; whether he is aware that there are, and have been for many months, between 4,000 and 5,000 men at that camp under canvas; that all recruits, irrespective of age or ailment, are sent at once into tents; that ten men sleep in each tent on hard boards; that there are no drying-rooms; that the blankets frequently get wet through and the men have to sleep in them; that a man once wet through has to let his clothes dry on him; that among these men are many men over 40, some of them of the professional class, such as lawyers, university professors, and retired merchants, who have to sleep with rough companions who are frequently verminous; that in one section of the camp are some 2,000 men, all more or less invalids, many suffering from acute rheumatism, kidney or heart disease, diabetes, acute indigestion, and other complaints; 2099 that the total death-rate has of late been from 50 to 60 per week; and that, of these deaths, a large percentage has been due to pneumonia following cold and exposure and to other causes not due to influenza; whether he will cause an inquiry to be held immediately into the management of this camp and at once take steps with the view of saving human life and suffering and wasteful expenditure; and will he say upon whom the responsibility rests for the existing state of things there?
§ Major BAIRDAs stated in answer to a question by my hon. Friend the Member for Watford on 30th October, the conditions at Blandford Camp have been engaging the close attention of the Air Council. Personal inspections have been made by Sir Humphrey Rolleston, a member of the Medical Administrative Committee, by the Inspector of Hospitals, and by the Medical Administrator. Additional doctors and nurses have been sent there, the hospital accommodation has been materially extended, and the camp has been kept well supplied with all necessary medical stores and equipment.
The total number of men who now are, or have been, stationed at Blandford from 21st September to 2nd November, 1918, is 32,593. The total number of deaths has been seventy-eight. Of these, seventy-seven were due to influenza or pneumonia consequent on influenza. The percentage of deaths is, therefore, 24 per cent., and the weekly average 13.5. The average daily number of men under canvas for this period has been 6,611. The number has been steadily reduced, and it is hoped that all the men will be in buildings by to-night. From now on no recruits will be put under canvas.
The regulation number of men sleeping in a tent is ten, and in no case have there been more than ten in a tent at Blandford; the usual number is eight. Boards are supplied to all men sleeping in tents. There are ten drying rooms, one for each section of the camp. In huts each man has four blankets; men under canvas have six. Each man has two sets of clothing. If one set gets wet through, he can change into dry clothing and have his wet ones dried in the drying rooms.
It is clearly impossible to give preferential treatment to recruits who may have previously belonged to the professional classes. No discrimination is made in this respect.
2100 The number of men awaiting invaliding boards, suffering from the diseases mentioned in the question by my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough, is 1,500. These men are now all in huts.