1/3rd Highland Field Ambulance July 1916

[andrew pugh]

Good afternoon to you all I hope you are coping with the heat.

Can anybody tell me where I can get a copy of the map/ sketch map for the 1/3rd Highland Field Ambulance evacuation route for July 24th-28th 1916?

I hope someone could help or advise

Kind Regards

Andy

[RussT]

Have you looked at the various War Diaries for the relevant Medical units, including at Divisional, Corps and Army levels?

Regards

Russ

[TEW]

1/3 HFA seem to be split up in early July and were running three different stations/posts including a Rest Station and an Ophthalmic centre. That may have changed 22/7/16 but their diary WO95/2859/1 does have a section General scheme of evacuation from 22/7/16, no map.

51st Division ADMS WO95/2851/2 has a more comprehensive Lines of Evacuation from 22/7/1916 but doesn't indicate the units at the locations and again, no map.

XVII Corps DDMS WO95/945/1 has very little apart from some tables showing positions of FAs which I think are just the HQs.

DMS 3rd Army WO95/381/6 has some Medical Arrangements, quite a good one which could be 28/6/16 and another sparse one 13/7/16. Nothing specific to any units and ..... no map! Ambulance Train movements recorded to and from CCSs for the period you indicate.

Not an easy evacuation to sort out I'm afraid, the 1/3 HFA could be running stations while their bearers are elsewhere. You'd have to start with WO95/2859/1 and WO95/2851/2 which at least are narratives of events rather than earlier schemes of evacuation that get adapted anyway.

TEW

[andrew pugh]

Hi TEW and RussT

Thank you both for your reply's and advice. The reason I ask is this. A while back I managed to identify a soldier of the 1/8th Royal Scots who was killed on the 24/03/1918 his rededication service is in November and I am trying to put together an itinerary to take the family to some of the places where he fought. I know he was wounded 21st-22nd July 1916 while putting up additional wire just south of High Wood near the northern fringes of Mametz Wood where there was an aid dressing station in the quarry, he would have started his journey to the Divisional collecting station at the file factory at Vecquemont and I would like to take them on that walk if possible I will also take them to the location in the field where he was originally found before being reburied in Bancourt British Cemetery. And of course all the usual places of interest Beaumont Hamel linked to the 51st Highland Division, Locnagar crater Theipval ect. But a lot also depends on the weather. I have never been out in the Somme area in November. Once again thank you both.  

Kind Regards

Andy