Unloading wounded at Casualty Clearing Station Chateau & bombed ch

[catfishmo]

Came across interesting footage of:

-Unloading wounded from motor ambulances in what appears to be a Chateau turned CCS. Includes probable reception tent, other tents in the yard, line of parked ambulances, manner in which wounded are taken from ambulance (helmet tossed one way, blanket covering patient the other. When finished, the blankets went back into the ambulance.)

-Brief FOOTAGE of medical facility in bombed out church (I have seen a still photo of it many times).

-Remains of bed frames after bombing.

-At 3:22 shows blinded men in all white clothing--was that underwear or hospital clothing?

~Ginger

[keithjk]

Do you have a link for this footage Ginger ?

Keith

[catfishmo]

Do you have a link for this footage Ginger ?

Keith

Sorry, I suppose that would be helpful : )

Can you tell by the uniforms what nationality the men are and the appx year? Uniforms aren't my thing, but I suspect they are not British--especially the nurses at the end. American perhaps? Also, one scene shows what appears to be a medic taping a bandage over a wound. Seems like I read somewhere that the Brits were excited to find a cache of German medical supplies as the Germans had tape whereas the Brits had rolls of bandaging and safety pins.

~Ginger

[keithjk]

Hello Ginger, thanks for that. Interesting footage. Definitely doughboys. I watched it on Youtube, which provides a synopsis :-

Ambulances & medical men around tents; soldiers walking past other large medical tents on large estate grounds at Bonvillers, Picardie. Men play horseshoes.
23:08:50 Ambulance leaving thru gate.
23:09:00 189th Inf. gas casualties arriving at Vendeuil-Caply. Walking wounded w/ tags out of American ambulance. Litters taken out of another USA ambulance, carried away. More ambulance unloading. Litters & blankets back into ambulance. Another walking wounded helped off & walked past.
23:10:58 Triage (?) hospital tent interior w/ wounded being treated; bandaged wounded walked away from ten to another. Line of men w/ heads bandaged stumbling single file w/ hands on man in front.
23:12:05 Shirtless man in front of tent w/ back wound treated.
23:12:26 Men carry litter from tent along path, flag flying from pole. Wounded loaded into ambulance.
23:12:56 Overhead pan from columns & damaged wall of large church building at Neuvilly; wounded men on cots inside; floor level shot of putting blankets over men on stretchers, tin cuts of water (?) passed out.
23:14:30 Doctor treating wounded.
23:15:11 Two women walk away from camera between destroyed bed frames of bombed or shelled hospital.
23:15:25 Soldiers & women stacking piles of blankets & supplies outdoors. Nurses sitting on trunks.
23:15:55 Officer w/ pipe talking to civilian holding cane on estate grounds, another officer stands listening; ambulances parked behind.
23:16:06 Ambulance arrives, medics come to unload. Army still photographer taking picture as stretcher unloaded. Two litters w/ wounded carried inside building. Ambulance drivers standing beside vehicles; two crank & drive off past camera.
23:17:45 Doctors (?) stand posed on steps of large brick building. Four nurses pose on steps, laughing self-consciously

All the places mentioned (apart from Neuvilly, which is in the Argonne) are in the vicinity of Cantigny, where of course US troops made one of their first attacks. That, and the injuries caused by mustard gas, would suggest late 1917 or 1918.

An interesting story about German tape, sounds quite likely.

Keith

[keithjk]

The attached screen-capture from Google Earth shows the two places less than 10 miles from Cantigny. The 'Big Red One' fought at Cantigny on 28th May 1918, so I suspect those casualties came from that battle. The casualties at Neuvilly would have been from the Meuse-Argonne offensive, fought in September 1918.

Keith

[douglynn]

Just watched this thanks for posting