Terminology

[fellop]

I am browsing Statistics 1914-1920 Military Effort of the British Empire and looking at casualties for Somme Offensive 1 July – 30 November 1916.

Looking at the Wounded for this period there is the symbol [f] which refers the reader to notes on page 240.

Notes on page 240 under symbol [f] state:

Throughout these casualty statistics except where otherwise stated, “wounded” means “number of wound casualties” not “number of individuals wounded”

Now I am sure it is just me, brain has stopped or refuses to compute. Any kind soul explain that to me in simple words please.

Regards

Peter

[Khaki]

I believe it means to separate those who have been previously wounded and perhaps wounded again as representing two casualties rather than an individual record of one soldier. For example a soldier wounded at the beginning of the Somme battle and returned to combat later in the battle and wounded again would count as two rather than one.

khaki

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Peter

Khaki is right. Someone who was wounded eight times (as I believe Adrian Carton de Wiart was) would count as eight wound casualties.

They do not, however, include men wounded who were treated by their regimental MO and returned to duty, never having been passed on to a unit of the RAMC.

Ron

[fellop]

My thanks to both Khaki and Ron for kindly taking the time to explain the difference between number of wound casualties and number of individuals wounded. Thanks also to Ron for highlighting the point about men wounded who were treated at Battalion or Regimental level and returned to duty.

Regards

Peter

[ss002d6252]

My thanks to both Khaki and Ron for kindly taking the time to explain the difference between number of wound casualties and number of individuals wounded. Thanks also to Ron for highlighting the point about men wounded who were treated at Battalion or Regimental level and returned to duty.

Regards

Peter

It's a right pain - in April 15 the 6th DLI had roughly 225 men wounded who required medical treatment (and another 50 or so killed). That takes 275 men out of the battalion in a couple of days however the figure that's always got me is how many must have been wounded but patched up by the MO and kept with the battalion. I suspect that there cannot have been many men who didn't get a wound of some sort in those couple of days.

Craig