During June 1943 several units based at Al Musaiyib in Iraq moved to the Middle East. Some of the men of 5 Advanced Base Workshop also left at this time, either being attached to other units or on training courses. In August 1943 a review of the men still at 5 Advanced Base Workshop was carried out. From the War Diary: August 1943 British Personnel August was the culmination of the hot season and from now on there will be a steady fall of temperature. The men have stood up to their second summer with less physical distress than was expected, but this left them in a rather exhausted condition. A general report by the Medical Officer is attached. As stressed in this report, a change of station would definitely lend to an all round improvement in their physical and mental condition with a corresponding increase in output. GENERAL MEDICAL REPORT The health of the men and officers of 5 Adv. Base Workshop is on the whole quite good. Throughout July and the first 3 weeks of August the average daily number on sick parade has been about 40 or 8%. Of these, only 17 or 18 had to be kept off duty. The rest were able to work after having treatment. The number of men in hospital has risen to the alarming figure of 62 but this figure is no indication of the incidence of sickness, as by recent rulings from Medical Directorate nearly all hospital patients are sent for prolonged convalescence. During July and August there have been 73 admissions but only 18 discharges from hospital. The significant figure is the average daily number admitted. This is 1.5 men per diem or 0.3%, which must be regarded as very reasonable for this time of year in this climate. The chief cause both of...work lost by men confined to bed in the lines - and admissions to hospital has been heat exhaustion. This is always mild and of those not sent to hospital recovery is usually complete in 4 days. There has been no case of heat stroke so far and only 11 fell into the category of "subacute effects of heat". The men thoroughly understand anti-heat precautions. They take their salt fairly well, drink copiously, know the danger signals and report sick readily on the first appearance of symptoms. The heat exhaustion patients come from all departments of the unit; no trade and no particular shop seems more liable to produce heat effects than any other. Senior N.C.Os. are slightly more prone to it than the O.Rs perhaps because they are still in tents. There have been no cases of industrial disease and workshop accidents are extremely infrequent. The incidence of minor septic lesions such as boils and whitlows is high, about 40 case per month, and has been constant since leaving U.K. No measures yet tried have been successful in reducing this. There has been no infectious nor contagious disease. There have been 5 new cases of malaria, 4 of them contracted at Penjwin. Sandfly fever has been very slight this year as compared with last. Nose and throat infections have been very common during July and August and these and heat exhaustion have been the chief causes of loss of work. The hours of work, 43 per week, are just about as much as the men can manage in the absence of active service stimulus. All the men are thoroughly tired by the end of the day, especially that section of them who are having guard duties one night in four. Night shift work does not appear to be causing any distress or undue sickness. These men are able to get sufficient sleep. The cool rest room is well used and appreciated. Water supplies are liberal except for occasional breakdowns in transportation or at the water point. The quality of the water is variable but usually good. Rations are adequate but it is found that the men spend money on extra fruit and tomatoes and on meals at the Y.M.C.A. and N.A.A.F.I. This is probably more due to boredom than insufficiency of the rations. Personal cleanliness and hygiene is excellent. There is unlimited ablution water, sedimented and chlorinated so every man has a daily shower bath. Amenities are good. There is a cinema show somewhere in the neighbourhood every night and the concert parties are greeted with enthusiasm. Morale is only fair though not low enough to cause sickness or breaches of discipline. The chief trouble is that all the men are utterly and completely fed up with the dull monotony of this station. Most of them have now been here for 22 months and their only breaks are to Baghdad, which is probably the world's worst "leave town" and to a holiday camp where they are still surrounded by a military atmosphere. Most of the men have not heard a feminine voice nor experienced anything of social life for nearly two years. They tend to be very resentful about letters received from members of other units who have been here and are now in happier places where leave in congenial surroundings is more liberal. However, despite the prolonged celibacy, venereal disease is extremely rare and the amount of grousing is not really high. Sd. E Saunsbury Capt. R.A.M.C. M.O., No.5 Advanced Base Workshop. R.E.M.E. 24 Aug. 43
