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Remembered Today:

Hospital Ship Oxfordshire


trevor.weekes

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According to http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Ships/HMHSOxfordshire.html this ship was:

In April 1915 deployed as the base hospital ship at Mudros and was present during the ANZAC withdrawal at the Dardenelles, bringing off the wounded in her own boats. The victorious Turks respected the red cross and did not fire on them.

However according to my relatives "Casualty Form - Active Service" he, after being wounded in the 2nd battle Ypres was transfered to England on the 29th May 1915, on the Hospital Ship Oxfordshire.

Can anyone shed any light on this. Did the the "Oxfordshire" return to cross channel work after April 1915? She could not be in two places at once!

Rovert

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If you can hang on till Monday I should be able to check. But I suspect that that length of time is about right for the voyage from the Dardanelles to the Channel.

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Hi.

From Troopships and their history by Col.H.C.B. Rodgers O.B.E. (p167-8)

"The Oxfordshire was taken two days before war was declared, being recalled by signal from the Admiralty when she was proceeding down the English Channel, outward bound. She was directed to Tilbury where she was fitted out as H.M. Naval Hospital Ship No.1, and joined the Grand Fleet. However she was found to be a little too large for the job and was transferred in the same capacity to the Army. For six months she was engaged in ferrying wounded from the battlefields of France and Flanders back to England. From the Channel she went to the Dardanelles and served with such distinction that the Admiralty expressed its appreciation to the Bibby Line. After the evacuation of Gallipoli she returned once more to cross-Channel duties, but was soon back in the Mediterranean for service with the Salonika expedition. Her next duty was in the Persian Gulf, embarking wounded at Basra from the Mesopotamian campaign. Her last service was with troops operating in East Africa."

She also served throughout the Second World War as a Naval hospital ship.

Terry

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Thanks for that. I wondered if the time for the voyage home from the Dardanelles to England and then to work in the Channel was the reason. Look forward to hearing from you when you have had time to check.

Rovert

If you can hang on till Monday I should be able to check. But I suspect that that length of time is about right for the voyage from the Dardanelles to the Channel.

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Thanks for that extract. Looks like the Oxfordshire had returned to work in the Channel by the time my relative came home on it.

Regards

Rovert

Hi.

From Troopships and their history by Col.H.C.B. Rodgers O.B.E. (p167-8)

"The Oxfordshire was taken two days before war was declared, being recalled by signal from the Admiralty when she was proceeding down the English Channel, outward bound. She was directed to Tilbury where she was fitted out as H.M. Naval Hospital Ship No.1, and joined the Grand Fleet. However she was found to be a little too large for the job and was transferred in the same capacity to the Army. For six months she was engaged in ferrying wounded from the battlefields of France and Flanders back to England. From the Channel she went to the Dardanelles and served with such distinction that the Admiralty expressed its appreciation to the Bibby Line. After the evacuation of Gallipoli she returned once more to cross-Channel duties, but was soon back in the Mediterranean for service with the Salonika expedition. Her next duty was in the Persian Gulf, embarking wounded at Basra from the Mesopotamian campaign. Her last service was with troops operating in East Africa."

She also served throughout the Second World War as a Naval hospital ship.

Terry

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Thank you. What a facinating piece of film, shows the care given to our wounded in WW2. I am sure it was the same in WW1. Interesting to note how clean and professional the nurses looked.

Rovert

There's a bit of film here - http://www.britishpa...rd.php?id=52223 - of her in WW2 as a hospital ship

Grant

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Rovert,

I was hoping that somewhere in one of my sources were the ship's specific movements, but alas no.

She was a Bibby Line ship as I expect you know, and listed in the Admiralty Service List as a hired ship, initially a hospital ship (naval) but by 1915 a hospital ship (military). So she would have retained her merchant crew, and her movements would be recorded as those of a merchant ship rather than a warship.

Archives: Crew agreements and log books for voyages ending in 1915 are 10% at The National Archives and the rest at the National Maritime Museum.

The Bibby Line's archives are in Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Guildhall Library London has indexes to Lloyd's List, and it would also be possible to trace information on the ship's movements in those.

Regards

seaJane

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Hi seaJane

Thanks for the help. Some more research to do, its a great help to know where to look.

Rovert

Rovert,

I was hoping that somewhere in one of my sources were the ship's specific movements, but alas no.

She was a Bibby Line ship as I expect you know, and listed in the Admiralty Service List as a hired ship, initially a hospital ship (naval) but by 1915 a hospital ship (military). So she would have retained her merchant crew, and her movements would be recorded as those of a merchant ship rather than a warship.

Archives: Crew agreements and log books for voyages ending in 1915 are 10% at The National Archives and the rest at the National Maritime Museum.

The Bibby Line's archives are in Merseyside Maritime Museum.

Guildhall Library London has indexes to Lloyd's List, and it would also be possible to trace information on the ship's movements in those.

Regards

seaJane

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No trouble :)

Irritatingly (under the circumstances) I do have access to details of her movements in WW2, which are covered fairly thoroughly in Royal Naval Medical Service. Vol. 1. Administration by J.L.S. Coulter (History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Medical Series).

sJ

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Thanks sJ

Rovert :)

No trouble :)

Irritatingly (under the circumstances) I do have access to details of her movements in WW2, which are covered fairly thoroughly in Royal Naval Medical Service. Vol. 1. Administration by J.L.S. Coulter (History of the Second World War, United Kingdom Medical Series).

sJ

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  • 1 month later...

Greetings from down under.

A couple of places for more info on the Oxfordshire in WWI:

Michael Tyquin's book refers to it Gallipoli: the medical war – the Australian Army Medical Services in the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915, New South Wales University Press, Kensington NSW, 1993, p 47.

Also, a newspaper article

The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860-1954), Monday 17 March 1919, page 4

at National Library of Australia

gives more detail than the history quoted in previous posts.

cheers, Kirsty H

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The OMRS Journal of December 2010 included a brief mention of the return of Captain W E Anderson to NZ on the SS Oxfordshire, leaving on 19th December 1918 - probably the voyage mentioned in the newspaper article referred to above.

MC

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Thanks for the article. The Oxfordshire must have worked occasionaly in the Channel in 1915 although her main work was in the Med.

Rovert

Greetings from down under.

A couple of places for more info on the Oxfordshire in WWI:

Michael Tyquin's book refers to it Gallipoli: the medical war – the Australian Army Medical Services in the Dardanelles Campaign of 1915, New South Wales University Press, Kensington NSW, 1993, p 47.

Also, a newspaper article

The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860-1954), Monday 17 March 1919, page 4

at National Library of Australia

gives more detail than the history quoted in previous posts.

cheers, Kirsty H

Thanks will look into that

Rovert

The OMRS Journal of December 2010 included a brief mention of the return of Captain W E Anderson to NZ on the SS Oxfordshire, leaving on 19th December 1918 - probably the voyage mentioned in the newspaper article referred to above.

MC

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I travelled to Malaya on the Devonshire in early 1956 and I'm sure that the other troopship at the time was the Oxfordshire - came back on the Nevasa at the beginning of 1958.

Cheers Ron

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Hi Ron,

According to the link that Rovert posted at #1 this Oxfordshire was sold to Karachi in 1951 and renamed the Safina-el-Arab.

The next Oxfordshire didn't leave for troopship duties till Feb 1957 according to this site: http://www.ssmaritime.com/oxfordshire.htm - but you may still have seen her.

sJ

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Hello sJ

Ahhh - should have looked closer at my records. I probably did see her but then I am left wondering what the other troopship was in 1956, because one was going east while the other was returning to UK ? Come to think of it, it was probably the Dunera - memory is not what it used to be :)

Cheers Ron

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Hi Ron, all sorts of possibilities via Google but troop transports not my area :)

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SS Oxfordshire is noted as brining one of the men recorded on Dudley's War Memorial back from France on 30th October 1914.

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  • 3 months later...

Hello, was doing a bit of research on the Oxfordshire hospital ship and its brought me to here so sorry if its a bit late.

Well i have a newspaper report from Oct 1915 reporting the arrival of ship in Dublin and then wounded soldiers

were tranferred by train to Belfast Hospitals, The majority of the soldiers belong to Scottish Battalions and several

from English and Welsh regiments.

Nice article to read if anyone interested just PM with email and i can send.

Walter.

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  • 9 months later...
Guest oldcastle

My Grandfather sent the attached postcard from Dublin Oct 1915 he was wounded in France and taken to Dr Steevens Hospital in Dublin.

He made a cude attempt to colour the cross & strip of the ship.

His message was hope the family are ok, and the address of the Hospital for letters to be sent

Oldcastle

post-93915-0-79941500-1352288740_thumb.j

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Nice picture Oldcastle - thanks for posting it!

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  • 5 years later...

My grandfather was William Hampson he was on the Oxfordshire in 1914..i have a. Crew picture that may be from this ship which he is in but I'm not sure how to post it.. Any help welcome

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Yoou might have to have made 2 posts before posting pics,  Answering this post with a 'Thank you', might suffice! Pleases try and post the pic when you can

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