AF Elliott RAMC / 6 am?

[Sunbird]

Researching AF Elliott's diary of experiences as a medical officer in WW1. (blog here http://afelliott.com/)

 

He is serving with 6th Beds / 112th Bgde, 34th Div.

 

On 26th July 1916 his diary states:

 

Rode to Baizieux to ADMS. Took seven unfit

men from draft for him to pass for ?

 

I'm not sure what the next word is. It looks like '6 am' or is it something else?

 

Many thanks

Chris Elliott

 

[TEW]

No entry in 6/Beds diary for 26th or 27th July 1916. Draft of 90 arrived on 25th and Battalion marched to Bresle on 30th.

 

34 Div ADMS diary does mention the inspection of 6/Beds men. I've attached the extract. Not exactly what you'd expect from a new draft!

TEW

 

EDITED ; It does look like 6am but nothing imminent for that time mentioned.

 

[Sunbird]

Thank you TEW, very interesting to see that.

 

I'm interested in the turn of phrase, "for him to pass for 6.a.m." and the wider operational practice implications.

 

What is he referring to here? Did he ride over to ADMS HQ with these men presumably in an ambulance wagon or something, very early in the morning for the ADMS to pass for 6.a.m.? (Sick parade?) I would have thought the M.O of the battalion could make those decisions. Perhaps there was considerable pressure to take these men into the Bn. and Arthur disagreed and sought a higher confirmation of their being unfit?

 

 

 

Edited 15 July , 2016 by Sunbird

[TEW]

My thoughts were that the 6am would be the following day. I have seen other diaries that show the ADMS went to inspect new drafts but he can't be doing so for all drafts for all battalions in a division, probably only the unusual cases.

 

There was an MO at disembarkation ports who was supposed to be checking new drafts and sending the unfit back home.

 

Can't say if sick parade was at 6am, perhaps transport back to port was available at 6am and he needed the higher authority to get them shipped home rather than kept for treatment in the field.

TEW

[cbritton]

I think it says 'base' - same as in the first line of the page shown.

[TEW]

Oh yes, always obvious when someone else points it out.

TEW

[Sunbird]

Well spotted...! 

 

And 3rd line (July 23) 'Past (?) four as unfit for service.'

 

 

[TEW]

Don't know, 23rd July first line he says ......250 men from base. Then on 26th he says....for him to pass for base - those fs and the one in your example are all different.

 

Are there other examples of him using 'past' in the incorrect sense? Can't see other capital Ps anywhere, unless it's 'Cast four as unfit' or a medico's abbreviation.

 

Also note, if Elliot 'Past four as unfit' on 23rd then he has the authority to pass men as unfit. There must be another explaination in having to take the other seven to the ADMS on the 26th for him to pass them for base. Something also significant enough for the ADMS to make a diary entry. If he made diary entries for all unfit men he'd be very busy writing long lists.

 

Perhaps Elliot thought it ridiculous that these men had been sent in a draft and thought the ADMS would take the matter to the DMS to give the disembarkation MO a talking to.

TEW

[TEW]

Have now seen a capital P in Pozieres July 15th, nothing like the first letter of Past but with the different fs it's a hard call.

Interesting blog, have you only got up to July 15th so far? I wonder if the aid posts he is setting up here and there are mentioned in field ambulance diaries and/or are part of the established Medical Arrangments or are these his ad hoc set ups?

TEW

[kenf48]

Third line is 'cast' as in discard or reject, commonly used to describe termination on medical grounds.  I assume he has the authority to reject men as unfit for service but the ADMS has to approve placing unfit men on base details, or in other words keeping them in theatre.

 

Ken

[Sunbird]

Thanks Tew, Arthur was a bit hit or miss with the spelling but not with incorrect senses really. The diary left to me, I assume, was transcribed from other diaries or notebooks and there are a few date errors and confusions. However it is amazing when something matches up precisely with other documents, such as Bn. war diaries, such as your earlier post. I'm reading all the 38th Div (111th and 112th Brigades) diaries as AFE has been temporary M.O. to most of them during Jan-July 1916 at the north of the Somme line. The 112th now temporarily attached to 34th Div since 3/7/16.

 

As for the blog I'm trying to recreate the diary in real time 100 years on so if you go to www.afelliott.com you will see the latest entry - 100 years on. Although I have read through the diary a few times, with marginal amounts of research, I decided to try to do the transcribing, research, image side of it more or less on the day. I visited the Somme area a couple of weeks ago for the first time and stood on the Usna-Tara ridge looking east towards Contalmaison imagining the 'tiny black dots of men advancing up the hill' as he put it.

 

The aid post Arthur mentions today at Contalmaison Crossroads must be the one which was situated in the cellars of the destroyed chateau. These cellars were used by the German army as an HQ I believe. This is also now the site of the Contalmaison Chateau Cemetery.

 

Moving forward some time after the first wave of troops advanced, I think he was tasked with establishing an aid post in the best possible place with proximity to combat and safe cover being important factors. 'Today' he seems to have established the aid post too far back from the fighting and realises he must move further forward. Quite a responsibility I would think.

 

Many thanks again Tew.

 

Cast four as unfit... Ken, thank you.

Edited 16 July , 2016 by Sunbird