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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

What is the Y Scheme?


bex71

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I obtained a copy of my grandad's service record, which I'm finding difficult to decipher with all the abbreviations and poor handwriting! Anyway, it shows that he had malaria twice and then went back to his unit in November 1918. In March 1919 it looks like he went to Constantinople and in April 1919 it says "28th CCS" (which I think is Casualty Clearing Station), "admitted NYP (P)" - don't know what that means but in June 1919 he is "invalided to UK "Y" Scheme".

I've searched on the internet but can't find anything about the Y Scheme. Does anyone know anything about it?

Thanks.

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Don't know about the Y Scheme, but could NYP be NYD ? Not yet diagnosed?

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Welcome to the Forum Bex.

Have a look at this thread

Are you sure it is not NYD. That was medic-speak for Not Yet Diagnosed. P could possibly be piorrhea, though that is only a guess.

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Hello, Bex: As Kate leads you in her recommended thread, the "Y Scheme" was established by the War Office, to which Sir Ronald Ross, Nobel Laureate, was a consultant on tropical diseases, mainly malaria. It was intended to remove infected men from the Dardanelles area to a less malaria-friendly environment like the European theatre. As it was not intended to remove the men from service altogether, it is possible that the War Office decided that malarial men were to be placed in a temporary Army Reserve category (see "P", "Z", etc) and "Y" was simply the letter designated according to War Office logic at the time. Antony

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Thanks very much for your replies, it's very helpful. Also thanks Kate for directing me to the other thread as it solved another deciphering mystery - I couldn't make out where he disembarked in 1918 but I now see it is Itea.

Not yet diagnosed would certainly make sense although it does look very much like P, however it's at the bottom of the page so maybe his pen slipped! Further up the page it says NYDPR, so now I know part of it is Not Yet Diagnosed, does anyone know what the PR bit would be?

Thanks.

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Most likely Pyrexia (Trench fever). I can't tell whether this "NYD" was later changed to malaria (hence his inclusion in the Y Scheme) or whether he contracted both but the sudden onset fever of either disease could well be confused under field conditions. Antony

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  • 3 years later...

I've just found another "Y Scheme" man. Definitely already suffering from malaria contracted in Salonika, he was moved back to England and then "to the BEF under the Y Scheme", according to his papers.

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Most likely Pyrexia (Trench fever). I can't tell whether this "NYD" was later changed to malaria (hence his inclusion in the Y Scheme) or whether he contracted both but the sudden onset fever of either disease could well be confused under field conditions. Antony

Pyrexia was fever not necessarily Trench Fever which was a disease similar to typhus (with which it shares some genetic relationship) and also spread by louse. TF was nothing to do with Malaria. Pyrexia of unknown origin meant "he's got a temperature and he's sweaty and shaking but we don't know what it is yet" If a man had a fever in Salonika it was a good guess that it would be Malaria, if had a fever on the WF TF was the best bet.

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I spent some time at the National Archives yesterday and was, amongst other papers, looking at the admission and discharge registers for the 31st Casualty Clearing Station in Salonika. It would seem the vast majority of casualties admitted were labelled as NYD (not yet diagnosed) initially. In some cases of injury there was a different initial comment. In fact most were labelled as NYD (P) and subsequently in further columns then detailed as malaria (often recurrent or malignant). I am still not sure what the (P) is specifically an abbreviation for but as mentioned above it is probably Pyrexia which, in the case of Salonika was almost always malaria.

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Was the Y Scheme the forerunner of the Y List?

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The book SALONIKA and after, the chapter on Mud and Malaria page 188 explains the Y scheme. " In the ten months of January to October 1918, nearly 30,000 men were sent home. " Victims of malaria. The book gives the stats for Malaria 30,000 for 1916. 63,000 in 1917 and by 1918 67,000. One infantry battalion was down to 1 officer and 19 other ranks at one stage due to malaria. The South Nots Hussars within a fortnight were reduced to 45 officers and other ranks. They never went into action in Salonika due to malaria. Cheers Ed

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  • 5 years later...

The 4/KRRC Battalion War Record section of the 1918 KRRC Chronicle complains ...

 

The Battalion was seriously reduced in numbers by the evacuation for England under the Y Scheme of 111 other ranks.“  (my emboldening)

 

This relates to May 1918 when 4/KRRC were still in Macedonia.

 

Andy and I have been puzzling whether this was something to do with 3 Year Short Service enlistments who (int. al.) were given Y prefix KRRC service numbers and in early 1918 would have been past their three year anniversaries.  Not an attractive explanation since they were 3 Year or Duration of War enlistments, not to mention the RB used Z for the same purposes!

 

GWF comes up trumps though in revealing the real nature of this Y Scheme reference.

 

Cheers Pals!

Mark

 

 

Edited by MBrockway
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Just now, Terry_Reeves said:

Mark

 

There is a thread on it here:

 

http://tinyurl.com/y8gvsjuf

 

TR

Terry - on my machine that link seems to just re-launch this topic?

Mark

 

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