Recommended First-Person Account of Stretcher Bearing WWI

[Kereina Peak]

Hello there! 

A family member was a stretcher bearer in the great war and for research purposes I am trying to understand the utter hell it must have been. Any good dairies or first hand accounts you can recommend? I am particularly interested in the Gallipoli, Salonika and Allenby's Palestine push. 

Thanks so much!

Shaun

[TEW]

Wrong theatre I'm afraid but there is an online memoir of a Sgt. Stretcher Bearer RAMC at Wellcome Collection.

I did some background research on the man and it's not who they say it is! He was John Henry Cranham.

It's a memoir written up circa 1960s but I compared his sketches of posts with those from diaries which show a very good recollection.

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/ej9b77xc

There's an online reader and a pdf download, the latter is a bit low-res and is not easy on the eyes after a while.

TEW

 

[Kereina Peak]

Thank you very much!

[Dust Jacket Collector]

A couple of classic accounts are J.H.Newton’s ‘A Stretcher Bearer’s Diary’ published in 1931 & Frank Dunham’s ‘The Long Carry’. The former is rare but the other should be easy to find.

[seaJane]

There are some mentions in Gaskell's account of the Royal Marines Medical Unit at Gallipoli - I don't have it to hand at the moment but I'll post a copy asap.

seaJane

[seaJane]

On 22/11/2021 at 23:54, Kereina Peak said:

Gallipoli

Here you are:

 

Gaskell A - History of the Medical Unit of the Royal Naval Division.pdf

[Kereina Peak]

Thank you so much. Very much appreciate that. 

[Humphrey]

You might find this article and its references interesting: https://salonikacampaignsociety.org.uk/2021/09/18/stretcher-bearers/

There was a talk recently at The Western Front Association which, possibly, was recorded: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T6dCd3-ZQJadVqCPMmsrjA