Stretcher bearers

[K Battery]

I'm planning a research project for the future on battalion/company stretcher bearers. Any information anyone may have on their training, medical equipment they carried, why men volunteered to become SBs, or any information at all I would be very grateful for.

[Ian Riley]

K Battery,

You might find Ann Clayton's biography of Noel Chavasse, Chavasse: Double VC, of interest. He spent a lot of time in training his Liverpool Scottish regimental stretcher bearers in addition to his small group of RAMC personnel. In addition, the Museum of Liverpool holds the Herd Diary. Herd was one of the Liverpool Scottish stretcher bearers.

Ian

[pioneecorps]

]Stretcher Bearers[/font]

[Tim P]

pictures show them equipped with little to nothing, often just a respirator at the chest. it does beg the question in my mind however how the essentials for living would have been carried to the front by SB's, I guess sidepack and water bottle slung from the shoulders with greatcoat and blankets in a separately strapped up large pack or as a roll.

[Ron Clifton]

Battalion stretcher bearers in Regular and pre-war Territorial battalions usually came from the members of the band. There were sixteen in each battalion, although additional men could be designated when necessary.

Apart from their stretchers, their only "specialist" equipment would have been materials for applying rudimentary splints and tourniquets: their duty was to carry wounded men to the regimental aid post for treatment. The box respirators mentioned would have been for their own protection in the event of a gas attack.

Ron

[alkens]

On ebay recently, there was this photo. It shows 4 Stretcher bearers of the 20th London Regiment. Not a job I'd sign up for sure!

[Muerrisch]

I recommend The Long Carry by Frank Dunham, the inside story.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3265708249&searchurl=bt.x%3D37%26bt.y%3D9%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dlong%2Bcarry

Many people confuse the SB function with the RAMC function.

[Muerrisch]

Just to add that SBs could be/were armed infantrymen and thus not, in General terms, as covered by the Geneva Convention as RAMC wearing the Red Cross brassard. The matter of arming the RAMC has been discussed here before: in essence there was provision for arming them, but reading between the lines it was to protect their charges against savages.

[K Battery]

I recommend The Long Carry by Frank Dunham, the inside story.

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=3265708249&searchurl=bt.x%3D37%26bt.y%3D9%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dlong%2Bcarry

Many people confuse the SB function with the RAMC function.

Thanks for your reply. I've got 'The Long Carry' on order from the Uni library. You're right about the distinction between SBs and the RAMC though.

]Stretcher Bearers[/font]

[Muerrisch]

Firstly the badge question: scarlet capitals SB on white armband, but, as Squirrel pointed out, not always adhered to in war, Geneva Cross in theory improper but definitely used by some.

Secondly the bearers: the war establishment provided for the band [fully trained and armed soldiers] to be broken up and used as SBs. On Active Service battalion bands did not exist [although the Drums/Bugles/Pipes were retained in some units, and again some had locally-raised and excellent informal bands]so SBs had to be found from within the rank and file. A 1917 establishment listed 4 SB with HQ, 4 with each of 4 companies, and provision for up to 21 assorted SBs, runners, RP and scouts to be detached from the companies.Potentially 41 all told. However, even this number could only move 10 men in trench conditions.

And a couple of reiterations: An excellent read is the very difficult to find "The Long Carry" by Frank Dunham, himself an SB.

Regarding weapons, SBs AND RAMC orderlies were indeed trained in musketry and there was provision in the Geneva Convention for them to fight but the context makes it clear that this envisaged saving the wounded from "natives", presumably not signatories. A service pistol would seem appropriate for an SB in my opinion ......... even if only to despatch horses!

[Nepper]

According to William Coltman's entry on ODNB he used techniques which may or may not have been commonplace among SBs such as " ‘persuading’ German prisoners of war to assist in recovering the wounded. Nor was he averse to providing very useful information to his battalion officers, gained as he worked in no man's land. Once, when he ran out of wounded to rescue, he brought in a machine-gun."