Minutes

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SPANISH MEDICAL AID COMMITTEE
Minutes of meeting held on February 15th 1939 at 24 New Oxford Street, W.C.
Present: Professor Marrack (Chairman), Dr. H. Joules, Mr. T. Blewitt, Mrs. I. Brown, Mr. N. Wiggins, Lord Faringdon, Mr. J. Coyne, Mr. R. Calder, Dr. J. Wright, Mr. C.H. Norman, Miss N. Adam, Dr. J.A. Gillison, Mr. G. Jeger.
1) Minutes of meeting held on the 8th February were confirmed and signed.
2) Matters arising:
a) As a result of further discussion with Mr. Wallace, it was ascertained that the cot, pram, etc., for the child of Mr. Boulka had been paid for in full.     The payment to be made to the foster-parent was therefore to be 10/- a week for a month.
b) Mr. Poole had returned £1.0.0. of the £4.0.0. sent to his wife during his absence.
3 ) Interviews:
a) Mr. Poole, who gave an account of his experiences with the last convoy of five lorries on both sides of the Spanish Frontier, and of the work accomplished by himself and the other drivers among the refugees.     He stated that it was extremely difficult to get permits to enter the camps, and that it was impossible to enter the camps without those permits.     In his opinion it was not practicable either to send relief to these camps or to do any work there.
He and the other drivers had taken five lorries with a certain amount of medical supplies to Marseilles, where they were being shipped for Valencia.
b) Nurses  Murray, Urmston and Powell, told of their work with their Army Corps, and in the camps in France, and described the dreadful conditions there.
The Chairman expressed the thanks and appreciation of the Committee for their work, and the heroism they displayed.
In the discussion that ensued, Mrs. Brown stated that pressure was being brought to bear on the French Government and that the National Joint Committee is trying to help people out of the camps.
It was agreed,  (Mr. Norman dissenting) that we prepare a leaflet dealing with Nurse Murray's story and urging protests against the recognition of Franco, together with an appeal for our funds:  that this leaflet be sold to all Local Aid Spain Committees, and that 50,000 be ordered in the first instance.     It was further decided that we hold a Central London meeting, with the nurses, Mr. Poole, and that we endeavour to get Dr. Ellis, Miss Ellen Wilkinson, Mr. Hannen Swaffer, and Mr. Morrison, with Lord Addison in the chair. Further, it was agreed that we try to arrange for the nurses to meet members of Parliament and the French Deputies who would be coming to London this week-end.
4) Organising Secretary's Statement:
A number of telegrams, letters and telephone calls had been exchanged with Miss Davson at Perpignan.     She was now the only member of the Unit in France, while the only one remaining in Spain was Miss Addy at Ucles.     A number of vehicles had been rescued from Catalonia, and in addition to the five lorries that had already been taken to Marseilles for shipment to Valencia, it was hoped that the two Autochirs, two more lorries and ten ambulances would shortly be sent to the Central Zone.