Have you ever wondered how psychiatric patients were transferred in the WWII? What happens to their clothing, restraints and bedding? Capt. Pfile receives orders to escort some patients to the General Hospital in Brisbane.
November 28, 1943 Sunday
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| A member of the 92nd Evac modelling a straight jacket: to understand it, try it on |
Thursday afternoon I took 4 psychos to the 42nd General Hosp. at Brisbane, by plane. 2 of the patients had to be in restraints. We left at 4 P.M. on a C-47. There were 8 litter cases and 20 other people on the plane besides the crew. The 354 air miles took 2 hours against a slight headwind. We bounced a bit at times, flying just under the broken clouds. The patients raved all the way, but the noise of the plane was greater. We sat on bare aluminum seats (room for 40!) which I noticed as we neared Brisbane, made the trouser seats black! Next evening I washed the seat of my trousers for that and no other reason! Aussie ambulances and women drivers met us and we took the patients right out to the hospital from Archer Field (5 miles?). There was a lot of delay at the hospital. The 40 odd patients who arrived on planes (from Townsville too) just seemed to daze them. They had no system! As a result it was 7:30 before we got rid of the patients and went to the dining hall to eat. Then it rained a terrific downpour, and hailed a lot, for a short time. We (Capt. Casey and Capt. Koenig from the 1st Evac Hosp at Orro Bay, on the way for leave had to accompany patients from Townsville and Capt. Lacey from the 12th Station Hosp.) went to check our equipment - it hadn't been brought back!
I called the billeting office - no room, so we all stayed at the hospital overnight. Had a nice inner springs mattress, on the officers' ward! After breakfast, I hunted down where my 4 patients had gone and got 4 suits of pajamas and 4 pillow cases in exchange, and got credit for them. Then we (Casey and Koenig and I) went down to the 3rd Med. Supply Depot (we had to catch a ride in an ambulance) to try to straighten out the property, for it had all been turned in there and a tally out given in the name of the [Brisbane 42nd Gerneral] hospital! But a driver had the tally, so the hospital knew nothing of it!
After planning to meet there at 1:30, we went to the billeting office and I was assigned to the CTA - Commercial Tourist Assn on Elizabeth Street. It was on the club style, but quite ancient [it was built in 1907]. I was assigned a room on the 4th floor - a [w]hole bedroom affair. No key for the lock, hard mattress, ancient plumbing. But at 3/6 a night I couldn't say much! Then I went by street car out to the Hq at Sommerville House and got my orders and signed the book.
Going back to town I met Jackson, a fellow who had worked in x-ray and transferred 2 months ago. So I took him to lunch and we talked. Then back to the Supply depot, who gave us a car and we went back to the hospital and finally got our receipts. Back to town [the top of the diary (a "Queensland Exercise Book") was cut off, probably to make it fit the space available for packing, and a comment added there later can't be read]. I looked thru the stores a bit, ate at the Officers' Club, met up with a 1st Lt who was going to a show so I went along. Then back to bed at 9:30, quite tired.
Saturday morning I was up early (well 7 A.M.) and could find no place open for breakfast so back to the Officers' Club where for 9d I had 2 pancakes, honey, coffee and toast! Food there is good and cheap. Then I shopped around and got nothing for myself except some leather. Then took pictures in botanical Park [see also post #17], walked on the hill above town, and finally took the train out to Ascot. I went in to the Px and had a coke, took a picture of the green back of the grandstand [see post #13], walked around the residential [area] and took 2 more pictures. Then back to town and had 2 malted milks (at 5d and 6d each) for lunch and went to a show. Out in time to go to the air transport window and was very much surprised to get a ticket! Back to the Officers' Club to eat and sat around. I was astonished at how well my feet held out. I used calamine lotion and it seems to dry up the areas. Back to the room and sat around talking.
I had the porter call me at 3:15 [A.M.]. I was to be picked up at 3:45 but the Aussie woman driver picked up 3 others first, and got me at 4:10. Out to the field. Weighed in on the U.S. scales at 147 and on the Aussie ones at 150, 11 pounds luggage. Coffee and donuts at the Red Cross! The Ansett (commercial line) plane was a dandy - 10 place Lockheed, 2 pilots. We had only 5 and the pilots. It was 5:10 when we took off, still quite dark. We climbed gradually thru 2 layers of clouds to (I guess) about 7500 feet. It was beautiful to watch the sun come up, just like fairlyland. The clouds were scattered and not solid so we had glimses of the ground.
2 Col.'s of the Dental Corps were on the plane - Shuttleworth (who knew 92nd from the desert) and Snyder! The Fitzroy River certainly breaks up into a maze of passages on reaching the river [ocean?], and the tide water has innumerable criss crossing channels for miles along there. We landed at 7:40 - 2 hours 25 minutes. Nice soft seats, less engine noise - lots of fun! An Aussie female driver met us and took the Col.'s to the Criterion and dumped me out since her duty period was over! I could have called for a ride, but I thumbed one. When I returned Iwa [?] had a fit because I didn't bring back the restraining sheets. I was lucky to get even a receipt! So ended my air trip - lots of fun. If Beth could have been in Brisbane with me, I'd have been happy!
I called the billeting office - no room, so we all stayed at the hospital overnight. Had a nice inner springs mattress, on the officers' ward! After breakfast, I hunted down where my 4 patients had gone and got 4 suits of pajamas and 4 pillow cases in exchange, and got credit for them. Then we (Casey and Koenig and I) went down to the 3rd Med. Supply Depot (we had to catch a ride in an ambulance) to try to straighten out the property, for it had all been turned in there and a tally out given in the name of the [Brisbane 42nd Gerneral] hospital! But a driver had the tally, so the hospital knew nothing of it!
After planning to meet there at 1:30, we went to the billeting office and I was assigned to the CTA - Commercial Tourist Assn on Elizabeth Street. It was on the club style, but quite ancient [it was built in 1907]. I was assigned a room on the 4th floor - a [w]hole bedroom affair. No key for the lock, hard mattress, ancient plumbing. But at 3/6 a night I couldn't say much! Then I went by street car out to the Hq at Sommerville House and got my orders and signed the book.
Going back to town I met Jackson, a fellow who had worked in x-ray and transferred 2 months ago. So I took him to lunch and we talked. Then back to the Supply depot, who gave us a car and we went back to the hospital and finally got our receipts. Back to town [the top of the diary (a "Queensland Exercise Book") was cut off, probably to make it fit the space available for packing, and a comment added there later can't be read]. I looked thru the stores a bit, ate at the Officers' Club, met up with a 1st Lt who was going to a show so I went along. Then back to bed at 9:30, quite tired.
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| Brisbane Botanical Gardens |
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| Sunrise above the clouds, winging their way back to Rockhampton |
2 Col.'s of the Dental Corps were on the plane - Shuttleworth (who knew 92nd from the desert) and Snyder! The Fitzroy River certainly breaks up into a maze of passages on reaching the river [ocean?], and the tide water has innumerable criss crossing channels for miles along there. We landed at 7:40 - 2 hours 25 minutes. Nice soft seats, less engine noise - lots of fun! An Aussie female driver met us and took the Col.'s to the Criterion and dumped me out since her duty period was over! I could have called for a ride, but I thumbed one. When I returned Iwa [?] had a fit because I didn't bring back the restraining sheets. I was lucky to get even a receipt! So ended my air trip - lots of fun. If Beth could have been in Brisbane with me, I'd have been happy!
