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Remembered Today:

Help with nurse & French Hôpitals


TEW

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The nurse is Ethel Gomme Barker. I have her WO399 record and she ended up at Seale Hayne but am still slightly confused by her early war history.

 

She enrolled in Bordeaux with the QAIMNSR 25/7/1915 from Hôpital Temporaire No. 25. Hôpital Complementaire No. 25 wrote her a reference letter? on the same day. With schoolboy French I can see she had been in another Hôpital (No. 4? xxxxx) for 6 months.

 

Any pointers on these Hôpitals? What service she may have been under. FRC? Civilian?

 

Her medal card gives date of entry as 8/10/1915 when she must have been there from at least Feb 1915 so date of entry seems to relate to date she was called up into QAIMNSR. She's on Medal Roll Nurses/2 1914-15 Star to QAIMNSR.

 

Had she been FRC I'm sure she'd be on another roll with an earlier date of entry.

 

I have more queries on her later QAIMNSR service but will try one thing at a time.

Thanks

TEW

barker.jpg.58ab8acb7d0aa20bb09799dd9b9d7a10.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hello TEW,

 

long time no see!

 

While it's hard for me to make out, i believe the "4" could actually be a "25" (note the typical French? way of writing the 5). This way the letter would make more sense as well - see picture attached. Although i admit that's an odd "T" in "Talence"... 

 

There seems to be a bit around on the web about hôpital complémentaire (or temporaire) no. 25, but of course it's all in French.

 

I'd be happy to translate the note if you like, but i would need a better/larger scan!  

Regards,

 

JCV

 

 

Talence.jpg

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I agree it is 25. the 5 is exactly as the 5 in 1915 at the head.

 

I think it says

I the undersigned, Lucien Baudet, Medecin aide-major 1st Class certify that Sister Barker served in the Surgery unit of No 25 hospital at Talence for a period of 6 months.
 During the whole of this time Sister Barker enjoyed perfect health and she showed the greatest devotion whilst treating our wounded.

 

Charlie

 

the French eqivalent to GWF shows this for eqivalent ranks:

2054930294_Medecinaidemajor.JPG.7b65e1382b99581bc9cb650273ad85e7.JPG

Edited by charlie962
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5 hours ago, charlie962 said:

 

 

… the French eqivalent to GWF shows this for eqivalent ranks: ...

 

 

Just for interest's (and completion's) sake, here's a more complete listing of medical ranks within the French Army of 1914-18 that I constructed as an appendix in my latest book...

 

Dave

Image1.jpg

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JCV and all,

 

Slightly better version

 

Untitled.jpg.fa08e3fcfcdb83fe2a657bf8f7554a98.jpg

 

A few more queries;

  • Are 25 hôpital complémentaire and 25 hôpital temporaire the same thing?
  • As a Trained British nurse under what service was she serving in France from Feb 1915. If she was French Red Cross then her 1914-15 Star would be issued as such. Her entitlement date stems from when she joined QAIMNSR Autumn 1915. So she had 6 months service in France, possibly as a civilian nurse?

TEW

 

 

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Talence is in Bordeaux and I suspect there may be some good archives there? But I'm no expert. Perhaps worth a post on pages14-18 ?She would certainly have been very busy with the huge casualty toll that the French Army suffered 1914 early 1915.

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TEW 

 

They were

5 hours ago, TEW said:

JCV and all,

 

Slightly better version

 

Untitled.jpg.fa08e3fcfcdb83fe2a657bf8f7554a98.jpg

 

A few more queries;

  • Are 25 hôpital complémentaire and 25 hôpital temporaire the same thing

 

 

 The first was an additional hospital built next to, or in the vicinity of,  an existing hospital. The second, as the word suggests, was a temporary hospital.

 

TR

Edited by Terry_Reeves
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Nothing to add to Charlie's translation!

 

I'm out of my depth when it comes to British nurses, so will have to leave the early service bit to the experts…

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Those who nursed the French were not entitled to the 1914-15 Star, so the date of October was probably when she was assigned to a British hospital in France.  For medal purposes, service prior that that did not count. 

 

NGG

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