David McDowell Posted 5 March , 2017 Share Posted 5 March , 2017 I'm chasing up people who may have been missed off the war memorial of Fettes College in Edinburgh, and came across Dr. Robert Thomas Sutherland, who according to the 1932 school register died at Beira, Portuguese East Africa, on 24 May 1916. This was about the time Portugal entered the war and operations had begun against the nearby Germans. He would have been in his fifties but as a veteran of the Boer War (he had served in Kitchener's Fighting Scouts) it seems possible that he would have volunteered his services to help out as a civilian medic. Several of our ex-pupils serving as medical officers died of illness overseas, such as David Bedell-Sivright (Gallipoli) Bertram Letts (Egypt, though missed off the memorial). I've not been able to find anything online about Sutherland; could any East Africa specialists suggest anything? Thanks very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 5 March , 2017 Share Posted 5 March , 2017 (edited) I can't lay hands on my copy at the moment, but it might be worth finding a copy of Edward Paice's Tip and Run: the untold tragedy of the Great War in Africa (2008) and checking the index. Re: David Bedell-Sivright, if you are at all interested I can transcribe the report of his death from Arthur Gaskell's History of the medical unit of the Royal Naval Division from its inception to the evacuation of Gallipoli in the Journal of the RN Medical Service (I would send it now but the link on archive.org results in tiny writing on my screen, and there are several places in the 1925-1926 volumes where it could be). (The run of the Journal in Edinburgh University doesn't start until the 1940s or I'd send you there ) Best regards seaJane Edited 5 March , 2017 by seaJane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 5 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 5 March , 2017 Thanks very much- I will have a look at Tip and Run. If you wouldn't mind sending what you have on Bedell Sivright, that would be very kind, but please don't go to any trouble. He's one of our better-known casualties! thanks again David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 5 March , 2017 Share Posted 5 March , 2017 It's no trouble - the volume is across the other side of the room at work, and I haven't actually seen his cause of death fully recorded anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petestarling Posted 6 March , 2017 Share Posted 6 March , 2017 Jane The paper on the RN Medical Unit is in 1925 (II)3. I tried to access on line but can not. Can I have a copy please. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 6 March , 2017 Share Posted 6 March , 2017 (edited) Rightyho Pete. Would you like the entire series? (it comes in four or five parts). I'll put them in the post. sJ Edited 6 March , 2017 by seaJane When I can find those volumes. Aaargh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 6 March , 2017 Share Posted 6 March , 2017 (edited) David, "On September 6, Surgeon Sievright [spelt thus], the Scottish international footballer, died from septicaemia. He had received a scratch on his arm and thought nothing of it. Nearly all these small wounds, such as abrasions of the hands in the trenches, became septic." Gaskell, Sir Arthur. History of the Medical Unit of the Royal Naval Division from its inception to the evacuation of Gallipoli. JRNMS vol. 12 (1926), p. 298. sJ Edited 6 March , 2017 by seaJane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 6 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 6 March , 2017 Many thanks- that's interesting. Being such a prominent sportsman, his death was reported by various people, and it all boils down to the same rather anti-climactic ending for such an active chap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 6 March , 2017 Admin Share Posted 6 March , 2017 (edited) SJ Do you have academic access to this site? https://www.crl.edu/electronic-resources/collections It includes digitised African newspapers including the Beria Post from 1898-1917 https://www.crl.edu/focus/article/6694 which may have reported Dr Sutherland's death. I can't find him in any military records or Scottish newspapers. Ken Edited 6 March , 2017 by kenf48 Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 6 March , 2017 Share Posted 6 March , 2017 Ken, It is David who needs this, not me, but thank you. (a quick click hasn't shown me any firewall yet) sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 7 March , 2017 Admin Share Posted 7 March , 2017 26 minutes ago, seaJane said: Ken, It is David who needs this, not me, but thank you. (a quick click hasn't shown me any firewall yet) sJ Appreciate that, but I can't get access and I doubt he can and you previously offered a look up on another source. I thought as it was the centre for research libraries and you are in the trade, it might let you in? Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 7 March , 2017 Share Posted 7 March , 2017 5 minutes ago, kenf48 said: Appreciate that, but I can't get access and I doubt he can and you previously offered a look up on another source. I thought as it was the centre for research libraries and you are in the trade, it might let you in? Ken Understood, Ken, but unfortunately my particular establishment only considers certain other resources essential including Who's Who but not including African newspapers. Perhaps Edinburgh University has a subscription, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 7 March , 2017 Admin Share Posted 7 March , 2017 Ah, cutbacks! It was just a thought, thanks anyway. Ken (another ?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 7 March , 2017 Share Posted 7 March , 2017 Hah. What you've never had, they can't cut back There'll be a way somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 11 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 11 March , 2017 Thanks very much for this - I'll see if I can get access to the Beira Post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 12 March , 2017 Share Posted 12 March , 2017 The British Library in London has a database African Newspapers, 1800-1922 which probably contains the above newspapers http://electronicresources.bl.uk/sfxlcl41/az/londb The BL description for this database states NB: Reader Pass holders can also access this resource remotely via our Remote Resources service. There are two series of African Newspapers, the British Library probably has Series 1 http://www.readex.com/content/african-newspapers-series-1-and-2-1800-1925-0 Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David McDowell Posted 12 March , 2017 Author Share Posted 12 March , 2017 Thanks for this - we may have access to this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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