British Hospitals with the Serbs (4 and final)

No 33 Stationary Hospital went to Amyntaion (Αμύνταιον then Sorovitch) near the south-west end of Lake Vegoritis (Βεγορίτις then Ostrovo), on the Monastir railway line, where it opened in November 1916. Its accommodation was expanded to 600 beds. Its personnel carried out much work in bathing and disinfecting the Serbian divisions concentrated about Amyntaion in 1916 and 1917. Another hospital for the Serbian Army was the Scottish Women’s Hospital (SWH) in Arnissa (Άρνισσα then Ostrovo) known as the American Unit. For the latter there will be a specific new post.

Positions of 36 and 37 GH (I), 33 stationary hospital (II) and the SWH in Ostrovo (III)

According to RAMC reports, the Salonika front had three casualties of disease to every one casualty of enemy action. The great dominating factor throughout the occupation of Macedonia by the British Salonika Army was malaria. Malaria proved to be a serious drain on manpower during the campaign. In total, the British forces suffered 162,517 cases of the disease and in total 505,024 non-battle casualties.

Dr. Copinaris, the Greek Medical Officer of Health for Macedonia gave valuable information regarding the villages where malaria was most prevalent, as well as information regarding epidemic diseases, such as cholera, typhus and plague. Many actions have been undertaken against malaria. Draining of 1,500 acres of swamps south of the Monastir road was commenced in February and completed in May 1916. Similar drainage operations were carried out in marshy areas along the Galliko river and in the vicinity of Lembet village, on the Exochi (Εξοχή Hortakioi) plateau, and elsewhere in the area of the entrenched camp. When the troops moved forward, constant work was carried out for canalizing streams in the areas occupied by the divisions. In the final operations (1918) a very large number of cases of influenza and broncho-pneumonia were admitted.

Overall, the British authorities provided around 50,000 hospital beds in the Macedonian Front.