14th Royal Warwicks wounded High Wood died Corbie?

[Simon_Fielding]

My avatar is my great grandfather John Heath, Pte 15/1594 14th Bn Royal Warwicks, 13th Bde 5th Div b.13 Feb 1887 dow Corbie 29 Aug 1916...going to his grave in 98 triggered a lifelong interest in the Great War - I've been really lucky that he was a member of such a well documented unit, and that I have had such amazing help from the forum.

I'm stumped by the timing of his wounding: a recent discovery of him on a casualty list has pushed this back into August... and I'm thrown into the "how long were they in a CCS" question....

No accidents, no action from 30/7 – 28/8….no report as a casualty till 26 / 08…could he have been wounded in a CCS from July to August?

29 08 1916 died of wounds and buried at Corbie Communal Cem Extension

Bn relieve 1/R West Kents in front line

28 08 1916 13 Bde relieve 104 Bde in trenches facing Falfemont Farm

26 08 1916 1594 Pte J Heath reported wounded in casualty list Bham Daily Post

25 08 1916 Bn leave Etrejust for Dernancourt ‘the battalion has greatly benefitted from 3 weeks’ rest’

31 07 1916 relived by 15Bn march to Pommier Redoubt

30 07 1916 attack on enemy positions at High Wood

[ss002d6252]

Usually a CCS wouldn't keep someone long term, they were more designed as an A&E to treat and evacuate but that's not to say it wouldn't happen.

If timings are based on casualty reports then they can sometimes be several months late, I've seen an odd case where a man wasn't listed until nearly six months later (some sort of administration error, it would seem ). In most cases though they were relatively timely.

Do you know that it was definitely wounds he died of?. Could he have been released from hospital and taken ill again?

Craig

[Simon_Fielding]

All the references seem to point to DoW but you may well be right. He came through attacks at High Wood on the 23rd 30th July....perhaps something that seemed superficial but not so?

[bantamforgot]

Simon,

I don't know what prior info, you have on your relative but the area around Falfemont farm late August/Sept. was to say the least confused , as you state the R. Warwicks were in Chimpanzee trench until relieved by the 1st, Cheshires am.1st. Sept. There was a great deal of action in the area & also during the various reliefs of battalions ,in the following days many soldiers were buried at Corbie.

Colin.

[ss002d6252]

The other option may be to look at what sort of medical facilities were in the area - he may have been recuperating at a rest camp in the area. Check the medical diaries for the field ambulances and they will usually give an idea as will the divisional ADMS diary.

Generally speaking, if his injury was suspected to be serious then he'd have been evacuated to a hospital behind the lines.

Craig

[clk]

I had a quick look at the ADMS diary this morning, and it doesn't seem to refer to medical evacuations from the CCSs, only Regimental Aid Posts, locations of Field Ambulances, etc.

As an aside, whilst I was looking at other men of the Battalion who died near the same date, in the hope that it might help, I came across 14/999 Alfred Trowman who died on 14th August 1916. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. However, his Soldiers' Effect records indicate that he died in hospital in Willesden. There is also a record in the National Roll of the Great War that says that he died after being invalided home, and a death registration record which probably relates to him. Presumably, he is buried in the UK and could have given a grave stone here, rather than being commemorated on the memorial.

Regards

Chris