Location of the 9th Casualty Clearing Station, Contay

[SommeStag]

Hi everyone, I am trying to find the exact location of the 9th Casualty Clearing Station in Contay, Somme and also the location of the Ammunition dump close to Contay. A friend's Great Uncle died as a result of shrapnel wounds in the head in Hessian trench near Courcelette on 6th October 1916. Samuel Wood 11th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, just 23 years old, is buried in Contay British cemetery.

Samuel's brother served in the 17th (Northern) Division in the DAC's and was stationed there periodically during the war. He survived. He asked a local artist to paint an impression of Samuel's Cross during the war which was then posted to his home in England. 

Thank you for any help.

 

 

[RussT]

7 hours ago, SommeStag said:

Hi everyone, I am trying to find the exact location of the 9th Casualty Clearing Station in Contay, Somme

A suggestion - it's invariably worked for me - but it does take a just little bit of work - best done by yourself rather than by someone else (unless that someone else coincidentally just happens to read your post and already knows the exact answer) because it can give you a sense of achievement when you find out - you also see the bigger picture and you learn some little research techniques that might come in handy in any future investigations you might undertake.

1) First thing to do is to check the War Diary for the 9/CCS for the relevant period - it might just so happen to provide the map reference for its location. Frustratingly, CCS War Diaries don't always provide that, in which case move on to the next steps:

2) Work out the Brigade/Division/Corps/Army hierarchical structure for which the 9/CCS was serving/under the authority of during the relevant time period. The LLT has all the information you need to construct this structure.

3) CCSs normally came under the authority/orders of the Army (or possibly Corps command), so start with them.

4) Once you know the relevant Corps & Army for the relevant time, find the War Diaries (WD) at the National Archives and download the WD of Director of Medical Services for the correct Army during the relevant time period. Do the same for the Deputy Director of Medical Services for the correct Corps during the relevant time period. You can do the same for the Assistant Director of Medical Services of the relevant Division during the relevant time period. All these War Diaries are free to download, take only a few minutes to download and then a few minutes more to scan through the relevant pages - often found in the Appendices of the relevant months to find the answer you need.

5) What you should find is a complete order of battle, so to speak, of the medical evacuation chain for the RAMC units involved normally with map references (and sometime maps or location sketches) of the Regimental Aid Posts, Dressing Stations, Field Ambulances, Corps Main Dressing Station (if there was one) and Casualty Clearing Stations, including the one you are interested in.

6) If there are maps in these War Diaries of the RAMC units (including the CCS) plotted on them, then your job is done. If not, insert the Map References into TrenchMapper (free to use) and plot them yourself. If you get stuck at this point, revert to here for further advice/help.

Let us all know how you get on and what you find as it will be valuable information for others in the future if they have a similar query.

Regards

Russ

 

[kenf48]

Hi Russ

Done all that 

Unfortunately cannot see any map reference in any of the diaries

They were attached to Third Army but get scant attention. I don't know why the OP wants the 'exact location'. There is (and was) a Chateau de Contay which is the sort of place where a CCS would be located but unfortunately no indication in either war diary.

 

[RussT]

55 minutes ago, kenf48 said:

Done all that 

Unfortunately cannot see any map reference in any of the diaries

Ah well - that's a shame - it normally works and it can be quite educational piecing it together.

Of course, the other often simpler and quicker (but much less interesting way) is to check CWGC for where he is buried.

This tells you immediately that the site of the cemetery was the location of 9/CCS (& 49/CCS) - as is often the case in these situations. Given that CWGC also provide a handy geographical map of the cemetery's location (see the green pin on the map below), then the question is simply answered (or perhaps not if I haven't understood the question correctly) as to the "exact" position of 9/CCS.

Regards

Russ

(Images courtesy CWGC)

 

[SommeStag]

Dear Ken & Russ, 

Thank you for all your help. I have just looked at Contay military cemetery on Google Earth and there are some distinctive shapes opposite the cemetery which could be where the CCS was. 

Thanks again. 

[brianmorris547]

There are some sketch maps in the WD of 25 Div ADMS which might help.

Brian

[SommeStag]

Thanks Brian I will have a look. That is very helpful. Best wishes.