Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-01-21


in Norway and who is in charge Of
one of the Red Cross units which were
sent to Germany in September, re-
turned to Portland Tuesday evening
from his station at Kozel in South
eastern Germany. Two weeks ago DR..
Bradbury received cablegram in
forming him of the serious illness OF
his wife, who is now at st. Barnabas
hospital in Portland. The next morn
ing after the receipt of this message
DR.. Bradbury started for home and
made the trip of about 1000 miles in
remarkably quick time. DR.. Bradbury
was interviewed by a Press represen-
tative.
Was Located at Kozei
Please remember" said DR. Brad
bury, that as a Red Cross surgeon
and neutral there are some things
do not care to talk about or to ex-
press any opinion about. You will
understand how unbecoming it would
be in me to comment upon some
things which l have seen and been
told while in Germany. The Red Cross
unit Of which l had charge was di-
Nided between kozel, in the province
of SILICA in Southeastern Germany.
and Gieiwitz which is about 30
miles away from the first naAlcd
town. kozel is a garrison town. 1t
is one of the fortified places whic'.
Napoleon was never able to capture
and the remains of the old fortified =
tons which defied him are still to Ne
seen. made my headquarters n
kozel which was a base hospital for
the armies on the eastern frontier.
A large garrison is located there all
the time and soldiers We're constant
ly coming and going-coming to join
the colors and going to the front in
attachments to join their organiza-
tons. The town has about 5000 in
habitants and is quiet, orderly place
at all times.
SchooIhouses for Hospitals
"kozel is on a railroad which runs
to the frontier OF Poland about 50
miles distant. 1t Is something like so
miles from Cracow to the east and
10 miles from Breslad to the north
west. Our wounded from the fighting
lines In the East came b this rail-
road. We had many buildings de-
voted TO hospital purposes in the town,
only one of which had been built for
hospital when we arrived. the others
| being schoolhouses or other buildings
which had been equipped as hospitals.
AT Kozel We had many trained nurses
! and "helpers', who were women who
| had received only six weeks or so of
training and the Grey Sisters, as they
are called who we're also capital nurses.
Under my supervision were several Ger
/ man army doctors, but they were not
surgeons as we understand the term
here, and several assistant Red Cross
surgeons When l left Kozel there were
/ in the hospital s65 patients This was
an average number. Our hospital was
for serious cases only. The men were
| brought to US from the front and the
field hospitals often without having had
! their first bandages removed or their
wounds dressed for many days. AS soon
! as they came to US we assembled the
more serious cases in the operating hos
pital, where We always had beds pre-
pared for them, and distributed othe
cases throughout the other buildings in
the town. Such cases as needed imme-
/ date operation we attended to first and
others as We could get around to them,
AS soon as the wounded were able to be
| moved we sent them on by hospital
canal barges, which were finely equipp ed
! to Berlin, where there are large con-
| valescent hospitals or to Breslau, keep
ing our own base hospital as free as
possible for the cases which constantly
came to US from the fighting zone.
Treat All NationaIities
l have handled Germans, Austrians.
| Russians, Turks. who came to US from
the Carpathians. and Rumanians and
many other nationalities. No distinc-
! ton was made in the hospitals as to
the treatment accorded between the
| Germans and Austrians and the
wounded prisoners All got the same
treatment and the same care. We had
| times when we were simply worked
| to the point Of exhaustion and other
times when we had intervals of COM
| parative rest, although of course we
always had hundreds of wounded men
to look after. Our operating hospital
at Kozel was finely equipped and we
| had everything to do with and plenty
F., of supplies. 1 have never been accord
ed more courteous treatment in my
! life than I received at the hands of
the German people. 1t is needless for
| me to speak Of their wonderful sys-
tematic manner Of doing everything.
1t was as apparent in Kozel as any
where else.
Heard Guns at Front
"All the time there was heavy fight
ing going on along the Eastern from
| tier. On several occasions we heard
| the sound Of the guns at the front.
| There would be days when the railroad
which ran through Kozel. would be en-
tirely monopolized by the government
for the movement Of troops. On such
| days we got no mail, supplies. wound
ed or anything else. With the regu-
| larity of clock work the troop trains
ran through the town. day and night,
just so far apart. just 80 many cars
and always on perfect schedule. First
the movement Of troops would be from
the Western zone, along the French
lines, to the East. Then It would be
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