Monthly reports

Save the Children Fund

20, Gordon Square London W.C.1, England

Snippets from Eisenerz – Reports from Austria from Miss C. McMurray June 1948

On 25th June 1948, the population in Eisenerz camp was 1,716 of which 488 are self-supporting in obtaining food.
Austrian rations are supplemented by additional CBSRA rations. The daily calories vary from 1,657 for children under three years to 2,210 calories for TB children.
All children from 3-6 years attend Kindergarten. The average number is 80 and they have 4 meals a day. All the children are bathed twice a week and for this a small supply of soap is given from CBSRA stores.
A new supply of sand has been brought from the lake to the sandpits and the tin smiths have made spades and pales, and 4 small wheel barrows were brought to us from Vienna. The sandpits are now the centre of attraction for the children.
There are 166 pupils in 6 classes in the Camp school. Teaching is not easy because teachers are lacking in books. The children have no reading books and very few instruction books.
General conditions of camp population is good. The camp has 1 Doctor, 1 Children’s Doctor, 1 Dentist and 11 Nurses.
Everyone in camp received at least one article of clothing.
The most urgent need in the food line is for drinking chocolate, tinned meat and if available fruit juices. The kitchens are without scrubbing brushes and sweeping brushes and we would be very grateful for a supply of these.

Save the Children Fund

20, Gordon Square London W.C.1, England

Snippets from Eisenerz – Reports from Austria from Miss C. McMurray July 1948

5 barrels of tar have been received and it is hoped that more will be forthcoming, so that all the barrack roofs can be tarred over as safeguard against the weather. In many of the barracks the window panels are missing and cardboard has been substituted for glass.
One case of bugs was reported and this was dealt with immediately.
The lavatories are clean but not emptied often enough. It is more than six months since they were emptied in Camp 62, reason given that it has been difficult to obtain necessary hose-pipe. This has now been borrowed and the lavatories have been attended to.
The gardens are doing quite well and the camp kitchens are benefiting from the supplies of fresh vegetables.
The school closed for the summer on the 13 July. The children gathered together on the last afternoon in the dining room and gave a program of songs. Certificates were presented to those who had passed the leaving examination and all other children received a progress report. The German language was the poorest subject – very few children received a good report on this. The three best children in each class received a bar of chocolate and the two best scholars in the school, a boy and a girl, each received a book.
An issue of cigarettes and tobacco was given to every man in camp over 18 years of age. This was much appreciated.

Save the Children Fund

20, Gordon Square London W.C.1, England

Snippets from Eisenerz – Reports from Austria from Miss C. McMurray August 1948

The lavatories in camp 63 and 64 have not yet been emptied. They smell very badly and I feel they should be attended to as soon as possible, though when this was discussed at the Welfare Committee meeting, the Doctors thought every 2-3 months was frequent enough!!
A record player, radio and two loud speakers and 25 records were purchased. The radiogram is used in each camp in rotation for a period of a week. It has been played in the canteens in the evenings and one evening a small dance was arranged in camp 24.
My truck is again in the workshop, this time the differential is broken. Meantime I am using the truck from Admont.