Gallipoli casualty back to the UK?

[James Brown]

Hi pals

 

I have a man I'm researching Frank Elson 10875, 10th Battalion Cheshire Regiment on his CWGC details.

He was Killed in Action 1st January 1917 in Belgium and is buried in Tancrez Farm cemetery.

 

On his MIC he is detailed as landed 2B = Balkans, Gallipoli on 26th June 1915, which ties in with 8th Battalion Cheshire Regiment, 13th (Western) Division.

What I’d like to know is this -

1. Is there any hospital records I can check to see if he was wounded, sick to Malta or Alexandria then shipped back to the UK?

2. Was this a common occurrence where soldiers sent back to the UK due to wounds etc would then be drafted to Battalions on the Western Front, rather than be sent all the way back to a Battalion fighting in Egypt after the evacuation of Gallipoli?

(The 8^th went onto Egypt and then Mesopotamia for the rest of the war. The 10^th went through the Somme and then back up to the Ypres area when Frank was killed moving into the line by retaliatory shelling after a British bombardment)

Thanks in advance

 

JB

[MaxD]

Only a representative sample of medical records were retained.  They are in the National Archives document MH 106 which is published also on FMP.  His name does not register on FMP medical records or on the NA search https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_ser=MH+106&id=C10949&_q=elson  so my feeling is that there won't be any extant records of that sort for him.  Thus he was either unwounded (unless you have evidence to the contrary) or his medical record is among those not kept.

 

 

It isn't clear from the medal roll whether between 8th Bn and 10th Bn he was back in UK - it just says "Infantry Base Depot" implying France.  Others may have a better explanation but whatever the circumstances it may simply have been that 10 Battalion needed his services more that 8th Battalion at that particular time.

 

 

 

Max

 

[James Brown]

Thanks Max

 

It's confusing and frustrating when there's no Medical records. So don't know if wounded or sick. We can only surmise that he was indeed needed by the 10th Battalion for France.

 

Thanks again

JB

[Lawryleslie]

I have similar issue with tracing my Grandfather passage back to U.K. after he was wounded during the 3rd Battle of Krithia in June 1915. I know he was evacuated to Malta onboard HMHS Soudan and all the relevant dates that he left Gallipoli, arrived and left Malta and arrived UK where he was hospitalised at RNH Chatham and subsequently invalided out of RNVR (Although he was subsequently re enlisted as a gunnery instructor just before the end of the war when presumably there was a shortage). What I cannot find are any Records of his hospitalisation both in Malta or Chatham even though I know his Case No at RNH Chatham. It seems that Malta did not keep records of wounded servicemen passing through and treated at the numerous hospitals that popped up to cope with thousands of injured men. I have tried the Maltese national museum and their popular press but just a dead end. If you can find his Army Form B103 Casualty Form it might help with some locations and dates.

Out of interest you state that he was in Gallipoli but MIC states The Balkans 26/6/1915 as his first entry into theatre.

Edited 15 September , 2019 by Lawryleslie

[MaxD]

Doesn't answer the question but the link gives an idea of the enormity of the task:

 

http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/greatwar.html

 

The date is correct.  It was the date 8th Battalion left UK for Gallipoli via Malta, Alexandria and Mudros, landing on the Peninsular on 16 July 1915.  Date of embarkation commonly taken as date In theatre.

 

Max 

[Lawryleslie]

1 hour ago, MaxD said:

Doesn't answer the question but the link gives an idea of the enormity of the task:

 

http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/greatwar.html

 

The date is correct.  It was the date 8th Battalion left UK for Gallipoli via Malta, Alexandria and Mudros, landing on the Peninsular on 16 July 1915.  Date of embarkation commonly taken as date In theatre.

 

Max 

His MIC does not mention Gallipoli. He entered theatre on 26th June 1915 in the Balkans. Does Balkans include Gallipoli? If it does I have never seen this connection before as always thought the Balkans Theatre was Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania and Montenegro.

Edited 15 September , 2019 by Lawryleslie

[James Brown]

Hi Lawry

 

His MIC states Balkans 2B......B is the reference for the Dardanelles (Gallipoli)

There's a reference to the codes on the MICs here on the Long Long Trail page https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/campaign-medal-records/how-to-interpret-a-campaign-medal-index-card/medal-roll-theatre-codes/

Regards

JB

 

Edited 15 September , 2019 by James Brown

[James Brown]

3 hours ago, MaxD said:

Doesn't answer the question but the link gives an idea of the enormity of the task:

 

http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/greatwar.html

 

The date is correct.  It was the date 8th Battalion left UK for Gallipoli via Malta, Alexandria and Mudros, landing on the Peninsular on 16 July 1915.  Date of embarkation commonly taken as date In theatre.

 

Max 

 

 

Thanks again Max

 

Great read though and plenty to digest in regards to Frank Elson

 

Regards

JB

 

[Lawryleslie]

1 hour ago, James Brown said:

Hi Lawry

 

His MIC states Balkans 2B......B is the reference for the Dardanelles (Gallipoli)

There's a reference to the codes on the MICs here on the Long Long Trail page https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/how-to-research-a-soldier/campaign-medal-records/how-to-interpret-a-campaign-medal-index-card/medal-roll-theatre-codes/

Regards

JB

 

Thank you James you live and learn.