Hospitals, Casualty Stations and procedures

[steve fuller]

Im specifically looking at a soldier wounded in the 5th Beds at Gallipoli, rested and registered in the St Albans diocese and returned to the 7th Beds in france (St Quentin in Mar 1918). However, I would be interested to learn about the system in general to give a picture of what him and others may have been through and seen.

Where can I learn about how it all worked, where the stations were, and maybe access dates or info recorded on anyone moved through them?

Were soldiers sent to some kind of a 'Regimental' station that moved with them, or were the stations at fixed points that served the geographical area?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

Steve

[Sue Light]

Steve

Just a thought - British soldiers wounded in Gallipoli could have gone a long way up the chain without ever being treated by British medical staff. I have a local man wounded on August 15th 1915, a week after landing at Suvla Bay, and he was initially admitted to 35th Field Ambulance [ANZAC], then to 52nd Div. CCS for a day, and then transferred by Hospital Ship to 1st Australian Stationary Hospital, Mudros, where he died three weeks later. Presumably if he had lived, he would have found his way eventually to a British hospital, perhaps in Malta.

For the Western Front, the pages on the 'Long, Long Trail' about the wounded Tommy give a good idea of casualty evacuation and treatment.

Sue

[Chris_Baker]

There is a great deal of info about the casualty evacuation chain on The Long, Long Trail. Type "casualty" into the search box on the home page.

[jhill]

Where can I learn about how it all worked, where the stations were, and maybe access dates or info recorded on anyone moved through them?

Were soldiers sent to some kind of a 'Regimental' station that moved with them, or were the stations at fixed points that served the geographical area?

I went through this exercise when I was trying to follow the flow of casualties during the Passchendaele operations of late 1917.

I also recommend the relevant section of "The Long Long Trail'. This is a very readable introduction to how the pieces hung together.

For insight into little bits of detail, I took refuge in the admirable on-line Canadian War Diaries (found as usual at :http://www.collectionscanada.ca/02/02015202_e.html )

The tidbit below, from "The CCS Review" of January 1918 is found with the diary of No. 3 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station (Remy Siding). Besides, the CCS's, the diaries of the various Field Ambulances and the A.D.M.S. (Assistant Director Medical Services) often provide operational orders setting out which units are to take which types of casualties and so forth, sometimes with maps of evacuation routes.

Of course, these diaries will probably not cover the particular operations you are interested in, but they give good insights into how similar units operated. As has often been pointed out on these pages, it is rare for casualties to be mentioned by name in War Diaries. However, there are some exceptions. (You have to dig for them!).

[steve fuller]

Thank you all

ill have a good old look through the suggested areas, and follow the trail to its end!

And a (belated) happy burpday Chris, from another fellow Gemini.

Steve