Help needed with medical details for Lt. W.T. Bassett RFC/RAF 1916-1919

[Ottawa1880]

Currently, I am trying to piece together a story for my maternal grandfather for my mum as a Christmas present. As I have posted before, he was Lt. William Thomas Bassett RFC/RAF who served from 1916 to 1919 (he began as a reserve Air Mechanic 3rd Class before being commissioned in the RFC). I have his service records and his casualty card. I have made as much sense of them as I could and have something of a storyline. He arrived in France on 6 May 1918 and was posted to No. 2ASDP in Berck. A week later 13 May 1918 he was admitted to no. 24 General Hospital in Etaples. The cause listed on his casualty card was "influenza". He remained in Etaples until being discharged back to 2ASDP on 23 May 1918. Two things are interesting about this: 1) this may have been the early stages - first wave - of "Spanish flu" and he contracted it somewhere in transit to 2ASDP or contracted it after arriving there; and 2) he was in Etaples when the Germans bombed the camp and hospitals on 20 May 1918.

 

Upon returning to 2ASDP he was not assigned to a regular squadron and remained there in Berck. As pilots were moved on fairly quickly I am wondering if this had something to do with his illness. I have been looking at the Reports of the Air Medical Investigation Committee and there are references throughout to the problems with influenza on pilots at altitude. I am wondering if he was held back for a while because of this? 

He did eventually fly - still with 2ASDP - and on 30 June 1918 was hurt in an accident while flying a DH9. The casualty cards and his service record just note "acc". The Casualty Card has some other details, but I can't clearly make these out. I am wondering if anyone could help with this please?  I have attached an image.

 

His injuries were obviously significant enough that he was sent to 2RXH Rouen on 1 July 1918. Would he have passed through a field hospital first? 

 

On 3 July 1918, he was transported back to London. I am assuming that he would have been sent by hospital ship from Rouen (or Le havre) to either Portsmough or Southampton and then by ambulance train to London? His records say that he was admitted to "London Hospital" on 4 July 1918. Now, that latter comment again is a bit vague and I am wondering if he might have been admitted to the RAF hospital at Mount Vernon, Hampstead?

 

His wounds were significant enough that he did not return to France and saw out the remainder of the war in an administrative function and as a wireless instructor at Flowerdown.

 

I would be most grateful if anyone could advise me on some of these details and/ or point me in the right direction. Unortunately we have no other pieces of writing and no one thought to ask him about his experiences. I am, therefore, left to try to piece together a story from what I have.

[PRC]

Hi,

 

I assume you mean this line from the RAF Casualty Card.

 

(Edit - extract from image posted above. Original image sourced courtesy www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk)

 

I'd read that as Laceration wounds face (Accident) Severe; admitted 30.6.18.

 

Other interpretations may be more accurate !

 

Cheers,

Peter

 

PS - in line with forum rules can you please acknowledge your image sources as I've now broken the rules as well! If you can update yours I can update mine. Thanks

Edited 30 November , 2020 by PRC
1) Typo and 2) update with image source information

[Ottawa1880]

Thanks PRC - yes, I thought that too about that line. I don't remember seeing any scarring on his face in later pictures. Whatever it was it was enough to send him almost immediately back to England and to prevent his flying again.

 

And I completely forgot about the reference! Thanks for reminding me. The National Archives' reference AIR 76/27/34; and http://www.rafmuseumstoryvault.org.uk/archive/7000236740-bassett-w.t 

[Guest]

   I read it as

 

25 May 1918  Discharged to duty

 

1 July To 2 Red Cross Hospital at Rouen    Lac.wnds-I think it is "lacerating wounds" to his face  By accident.  Cannot read next but it was on 30th June 1918

3 July  1918   Transferred to England

5 July 1918. Deputy Director of Medical Services   To the London Hospital, admitted 4th July

 

Hospital ship?  Perhaps -but wounds to his face might mean he could walk and hoofed it by normal transport.  It is likely to be the London Hospital- in Whitechapel- it had done pioneering work on reconstructive surgery-Think "Elephant Man"-it's the same hospital (and possibly the same man,Sir Frederick Treves)

[Ottawa1880]

Thanks. Interesting. The fact that they couldn't deal with his injuries in Rouen and sent him shortly back to UK suggests that there must have been more wrong than facial wounds - I am thinking that he must have had some internal injuries as well. Pictures of him later in life show no evidence of scarring or deformations. Would facial injuries make him unfit to return to France? 

 

[PRC]

Bear in mind wounds to the face could have affected his eyesight and breathing and so directly impacted his reaction to both flying and altitude. Severe laceration might also have left him in constant pain and in need of long term care for which the UK might have been more appropriate. Given the tendency to use morphia for controlling such pain you then end up potentially with another set of issues that could prevent a man from returning to combat. Finally, in the run up to a major offensive or during one as far as I can see there tended to be a clear-out of in-country medical facilities to keep beds and capacity free for battlefield casualties.

 

Pioneering plastic surgery was going on Sidcup driven by the increasing need for facial reconstruction so possibly William could have been treated there.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[Ottawa1880]

PRC that makes a lot of sense. I will explore that some more in the medical literature of the time.

 

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Ottawa1880 said:

Would facial injuries make him unfit to return to France? 

 

     Very possibly. I have 3 local casualties who had the problems of the time- one contracted TB on service (after winning an MC during his first week in France), another had recurrent tonsilitis and a third had much the same and was grounded and returned to the infantry.  The cause is open-air cockpits and rushes of air, coupled with fumes from engines (I believe castor oil was often used). Breathing and lung conditions were  a major problem for the RFC/RAF.  A penetrating facial wound may well have grounded him permanently. The art of aviation medicine was almost non-existent-my man with tonsilitis was recommended by a medical board (that is,3 doctors) to give up smoking cigarettes and stick to 3 pipes of tobacco a day only. How times change.

    Flu would have grounded him temporarily-I have another local casualty who went up while a bit grumbly- dived to the ground when flying through a thunderstorm-the Board found that he had likely fainted and lost control. 

[Ottawa1880]

Good stuff thanks - there is some fascinating reading in this: https://archive.org/stream/medicalproblemso00mediuoft#page/n1/mode/2up - written in 1920, but based on board reviews prior to that.