24 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) Italy

[kjharris]

Dear all

I am looking for info on 24CCS in Italy in 1918, and more specifically any details on locations, and staffing. An Australian nurse was the sister in charge - Sister Lily Mackenzie - so anything mentioning her would be terrific.

many thanks

Kirsty Harris

[The Inspector]

Hi Kirsty

Have you seen the photo of Sister Selina Lily Mackenzie outside the Heliopolis Dairy Building? Source meseumvictoria.com.au. Still looking.....

Regards Barry

Previous post by "Indunna" on GWF dated 12.6.07 has full list of AANS personnel. inc. Sister Mackenzie. I presume you know she enlisted at Melbourne on 5.10.15 and was a matron at a hospital in Taihape. 24CCS was North of Venice, she had 30 staff, stayed there for 5 months. SEE BELOW

Museum Victoria has a special project devoted to Sister Lil for the 2014 anniversary. Full details online.

Edited 3 October , 2013 by The Inspector

[Sue Light]

As far as locations go it was at:

Cittadella 23/11/17 to 2/12/17

Istrana 7/12/17 to 25/3/18

Montecchio Precalcino 24/3/18 to 28/2/19

I can have a look at the war diary when I'm at TNA next, but they don't often seem to mention the nursing staff.

Sue

[kjharris]

Many thanks for this info folks. I had actually read your entry Sue but wondered if the Italy experts had some more info.

Re Museum Victoria, I am actually working with them on this exhibition for Lily Mackenzie but in the process of correcting their information (!). eg. the hospital was north of Vicenza, not Venice.

They queried why the CCSs were in these locations in Italy, and why Sr Mackenzie became SIC at 24CCS. According to my database, she hadn't served at a CCS before this and I can't see any mention of her specialising in theatre work which might have made her an appropriate choice. A wild guess - she spoke Italian??

Anyone know how close to the front the CCS was? And the sort of patients they took in - British only??

all info appreciated.

cheers

Kirsty

[ted]

I have a map here which shows the front line (in solid red) in Italy http://www.bertspires.co.uk/images/finalbattlemap.jpg Not sure of the date of the map but I think it reasonable to assume end of 1917 or first half of 1918. The front hardly moved at all. Your 24 CCS locations were therefore 17 to 22 Km behind the front. I don't know whether this is typical but 12 CCS (Proven, Belgium) was about 20km behind the Ypres salient front line, so maybe it is.

I believe that there were only dressing stations up on the Asiago plateau. In his diary, Bdr Bert Spires mentions a signaller dying at a dressing station. He also wrote home that a comrade of his had had a minor wound and would spend "a week or two down below", presumably in a CCS/hospital on the plain below the plateau.

The 24 CCS locations given in posts above seem to be following Bert's deployments, first to Montello ridge and then to Asiago plateau i.e. British units

Ted

[kjharris]

Hi Ted

Apologies for the lack of timely response from me - but many thanks for the map and your comments. Most helpful.

regards

Kirsty

[Guest]

Hello Kirsty

Found you by not knowing what C.C.S. stood for (hurray for Google yet again!)  Are you still looking?  Husband's grandfather was in the Royal Garrison Artillery in northern Italy and took photographs.  One was of 24 C.C.S.!  and others of friends and nurses somewhere in Italy. (I'll post the C.C.S. one now)

Regards,

Sheila