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Remembered Today:

63 General Hospital, Salonika, 1918-19


apwright

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I have a photo album that belonged to a nurse at No.63 General Hospital in Salonika, and thought I'd post a few snapshots of the male and female staff in case anyone is interested or can identify anyone depicted.

Unfortunately I don't have a name for the album's owner as she refers to herself as "myself" throughout.

All the photos date from October 1918 to January 1919 (so post-Armistice on the Salonika Front), when the hospital was located at Kilo 9 on the Serres Road, in the Derveni Pass.

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Caption: Picnic Party to "Happy Valley", Oct 12th 1918. [back row, l-r] Capts Tait & Anderson, myself, Ln ?Hancock, [middle, kneeling] Miss Mason, [front row, l-r] Ln Heaton, Miss Anderson, Ln Masson.

I doubt this is the "Happy Valley" up near Smol - seems a long way to go for a picnic!

Masson is Royal Navy and RAMC Lt (later Capt) Charles Armit Masson MA, MB, ChB, before the war Assistant Medical Officer at Inverness District Asylum.

Here he is again:

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Caption: Lieut. C.A. Masson, R.A.M.C., September 1918.

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Caption: Sgt. Church R.A.M.C., Wardmaster "C" Lines.

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Part 2

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Caption: Miss Wenner & myself, outside our "house", Dec 1918.

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Caption: Miss Groom, Miss Gowans & myself. Taken outside E.P.I.P. (anyone know what this stands for?)

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Caption: Staff of "C" Lines, 63rd General Hospital, January 1919.

No names, but the officer seated in the middle looks like Masson again, and the Serjeant top left is possibly Sjt Church. I think "myself" is middle row left.

Adrian

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Hi Adrian,

Working on these. I suspect EPIP may begin with "Enteric". It was not unusual for British Army hospitals to have specific wards for dysentery patients and this was certainly the case in Salonika, Palestine and Mesopotamia. Special diets were required for many patieents so segregating tham made this easier to manage and prevented the spread of any further nasties.

good shot of an officers camp bed too - comfortable! Hope this helps!

63 General should have a War diary - perhaps Alan can check it out sometime.

All the best from New Zealand.

Simon Moody

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Strangely one of my Memorial men was at this hospital.

DAVID RAE SNEDDON

Private

49661

63rd Gen. Hosp., Royal Army Medical Corps

who died on

Sunday, 25th August 1918. Age 33.

Additional information: Son of James and Mary Sneddon, of Balerno, Midlothian; husband of Margaret S. Sneddon, of Maryfield House, Chirnside Station, Berwickshire.

Commemorative Information

Cemetery: SALONIKA (LEMBET ROAD) MILITARY CEMETERY, Greece

Grave Reference/ 1493.

Any mentions??

Aye

Malcolm

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Interesting.

The start (depending on where you are) of the malaria season, Certainly influenza starting to kick in in this theatre. (just see the 12 Corps sick list). I will have certainly passed and repected his grave at Lembet. Pte Sneddon is wll looked after.

Beautifully looked after. Rest in peace.

Regards

Simon Moody

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Hi Simon,

Good to hear from you again! Thanks for your information. I was wondering whether EPIP was something-something Isolation Post, Emergency Procedures perhaps, but Enteric is good too! I'll ask Alan about a War Diary.

Malcolm,

The Cemetery register says Pte Sneddon "died of sickness", but there are no further details. I'll pay my respects next time I'm over there.

63rd GH arrived in Salonika from Malta in July or August 1917 and appears to have occupied the same site on the Serres Road until after the Armistice.

Thanks both!

Adrian

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Hi Adrian

I tried to find out what EPIP stands for - it often appears on diagrams of tented encampments. I found various answers:

English Pattern Indian Police

European Purpose Indian Pattern

European Privates Indian Pattern

European Personnel Indian Pattern

There are probably more variants. Whatever the exact original meaning of EPIP, it denotes a marquee-type tent about 18 ft long with removable sides

Tunesmith

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Thanks Adrian

my grandfather served for a year or so with the RAMC in Salonika as a private, having temporarily given up his living as a Church of England parish priest. He sailed from England on November 11, 1918, as it happened. I don't recognise him in the only picture you posted showing rankers, but the photos give me a little idea of his service

cheers Martin B

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Thanks Simon, Adrian and Martin,

The entry in the book for David Sneddon gives:

Unit information:

Royal Army Medical Corps

63rd General Hospital. Was one of the Hospitals used at Mudros

during Galipoli. Transferred to Salonica during the Bulgarian attack

on Greece. The Salonika front had three casualties of disease to every one casualty of enemy action. Malaria was the main problem.

Probably right.

Aye

Malcolm

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  • 3 years later...

I am searching for information about my grt uncle who was a temp captain with RAMC TA . He was awardedDSM by the King of Serbia in 1915. His name was Rainald Heaton. I would be very grateful if anyone has any information.

Thanks

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  • 3 months later...
Guest Rosetta

Hello, I'm part of a group researching The Great War in Emery Down and Lyndhurst (New Forest, Hampshire). There is a Rainald Heaton, RAMC who is buried in Lyndhurst Cemetery and he died on Acres Down which is just outside Emery Down. The burial date is 19 Feb 1920. Is this your great uncle? If so, why he was discharged in 1915? Was it to complete his medical training? I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks.

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  • 6 months later...
Guest From Flying Scotts

I am not expecting any answers, but I am looking for info about my Grandfather Walter Henry Scott who was sent to Malta in 1916 and then on to Salonika in 1917 to the 63rd General Hospital (see photo below), witnessing the horrors of war and disease, but also sampling a variety of life, impossible back home. He saw torpedoed ships and the survivors, the Great Fire of Salonika, had his hospital bombed by the Germans (despite very clear signs), a boxing match with what must have been tens of thousands of men attending, flew in the all new airplanes, X-Rayed men (and animals to hand), which was only discovered a few years before, saw different cultures and religions, travelled by motorised Ambulances, Trains, Planes and ships and most importantly; came back with photographs to home and family, so we might see what he saw.

talktopeter@yahoo.co.uk

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That's a great photo of your grandfather, "From Flying Scotts"! Thanks for sharing!

Also a very nice pic of 63 GH with the Serres Road beyond.

I only have this couple of very blotchy and faded snapshots taken from the other side of the valley and beside the road.

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The location is Kilo 9 on the Serres Road, now the eastern half of the modern village of Anthoupoli.

Adrian

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  • 3 months later...

I am searching for information about my grt uncle who was a temp captain with RAMC TA . He was awardedDSM by the King of Serbia in 1915. His name was Rainald Heaton. I would be very grateful if anyone has any information.

Thanks

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Hello, I'm part of a group researching The Great War in Emery Down and Lyndhurst (New Forest, Hampshire). There is a Rainald Heaton, RAMC who is buried in Lyndhurst Cemetery and he died on Acres Down which is just outside Emery Down. The burial date is 19 Feb 1920. Is this your great uncle? If so, why he was discharged in 1915? Was it to complete his medical training? I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks.

Thank you for that information on his grave. Is it possible to obtain a photo of the grave? He took his own life two weeks after he was married. He was with his wife in London and went to Emery Down to die. This information I found in a local paper.

We have very little information about him, and only one photo.

He walked away from his medical degree six weeks before his finals. We do not know why, or where he was until he enlisted much later.

I did wondered if he would be permitted a grave as he had committed suicide. Even just a copy of the words on the stone would be of great interest.

Thank you for your help.

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  • 5 years later...

I've only just found this post and its is very interesting as my Great Aunt was a nurse in the No.63 General Hospital in Salonika from May 1918 to March 1919. And she may well be the Miss Mason mentioned in the original post as her name was Helen Mason (My Grandmother's sister). I can't see the Pictures so if they could be posted again or the link updated that would be great.

Thanking you in advance!

 

John Murphy

Edited by AlBino
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  • Admin
2 hours ago, AlBino said:

I've only just found this post and its is very interesting as my Great Aunt was a nurse in the No.63 General Hospital in Salonika from May 1918 to March 1919. And she may well be the Miss Mason mentioned in the original post as her name was Helen Mason (My Grandmother's sister). I can't see the Pictures so if they could be posted again or the link updated that would be great.

Thanking you in advance!

 

John Murphy

Welcome to the forum.

 

You can use the Forum’s personal message system when you have two posts, reply to this and you’re done.

Simply click on the member’s name in the address box and on their page you will see an envelope with the legend ‘Message’.

 

Ken

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Adrian (apWright),  is still around so a PM should reach him. He drove me to the British memorial at Doiran among other places,  to lay  a wreath for the Salonika Campaign Society only a few weeks ago.

 

Keith

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  • 2 years later...
On 24/01/2014 at 08:28, Sueb95 said:

I am searching for information about my grt uncle who was a temp captain with RAMC TA . He was awardedDSM by the King of Serbia in 1915. His name was Rainald Heaton. I would be very grateful if anyone has any information.

Thanks

@Sueb95

I note in this thread that it is assumed that Rainald Heaton did not qualify as a doctor.  However, there are records on ancestry of several editions of the Medical Register which list “Rainald Heaton, c/o Mrs. Crawford Williamson, Esholt, Cedar Road, Sutton” with MRCS Eng LRCP Lond first registered on 29 Oct 1915.  Which suggests he did qualify.  That is provided there are not two men of the same name!  However, the date of his first beginning his training 27 Oct 1904 and the date 29 Oct 1915 is a much longer length of time than it would normally take to train as a doctor, even allowing for his 199 days with the Southern General Hospital in Bristol, so I wonder if the family record of his leaving medical school before finals was perhaps earlier in his life and he did go back as the would register suggests.  Sorry this is so long after your first post!

Edited by kenf48
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