Hospital Ships Asturias, Galeka & Glenart Castle January 1915 to March 1917.

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

  Searched for 'FRANCIS' in Maud McCarthy's diary and got a couple of results;-

31.03.16
Abbeville. Letter of complaint from Miss Francis TFNS from 25 General Hospital. Answered direct to Nurse and kept correspondence.

27.06.16
Letter received from Miss Keene, Matron, Asturias, to say Nurse Francis TFNS causing trouble, OC wishing her to be moved. This is the Nurse who was so troublesome at 25 General Hospital, and who I interviewed. Very undisciplined, inclined to think all hands against her.

  I am certain now that Alice A. FRANCIS T.F.N.S. is the correct nurse. Evelyn Charlotte FRANCIS was QAIMNSR. This means she joined Asturias between April and June 1916. I can't see a mention of her in 25 GH war diary.

Regards,

Alf McM

 

 

Edited 21 November , 2022 by alf mcm

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf,

Thanks for the info on Gray, Francis & Keene – I’ve added the dates etc to the timeline.

Another diary source with a few mentions of Asturias: http://anurseatthefront.org.uk/the-diaries-all-four-volumes/the-diaries-volume-3/

The entry for 20th June illustrates Miss Dorothy SMITH’s sense of humour

* * * * *

T.F.N.S. S/Nurse Dorothy Penrose FOSTER. According to her MIC she served on Asturias, this also confirmed in her nurse record file WO 399/11309, page 54. No dates of service are given in the file but looking at the other postings she was probably on board from Sept 1914 to maybe Jan 1915. A brave nurse – reading her file it soon becomes apparent that later in the war Dorothy was awarded the Military Medal. She gives a self-effacing account of the evacuation of wounded under shell fire in a letter to the Matron-in-Chief, pages 42 – 44.

War Diary, No 55 C.C.S. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/82fe2bc79d38492d818b3e938af20662

Tincourt; 21.01.18 ‘Miss D. F. FOSTER, R.R.C. T.F.N.S. assumed duty of Sister I/C and is taken on strength.’

Tincourt (Somme); 21.03.18 & 22.03.18 – This is the period during which the MM was awarded. There is a detailed account of the evacuation of No’s 55 & 5 C.C.S. after ‘Heavy continuous artillery firing commenced at 4:45 a.m.' but I cannot see a personal reference to Dorothy.

Longpre; 23.04.18 ‘Notified by D.M.S. Forth Army that Miss D. P. FOSTER R.R.C. T.F.N.S. has been awarded the Military Medal’.

* * * * *

Visit to the area by Matron-in-Chief on 23rd March.  http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/85.html

Nurses awarded the Military Medal  http://www.scarletfinders.co.uk/121.html

London Gazette citation: https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30725/supplement/6553 

regards ZeZe

[royalredcross]

FOSTER, D.P.

 

Dorothy Penrose Foster was born at Trevillis, Liskeard, Cornwall on 20 June 1875, the daughter of Col. L.C. Foster VD DL JP and was educated at Baker Street High School, London, and in Weimar.  She was trained as a nurse at St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1902 to 1905 and in midwifery and massage from 1905 to1908.  From 1908 to 1911 she served under the Colonial Nursing Association in a General Hospital in Columbo, Ceylon and thereafter at Sir W. Treloar’s Hospital.  Further posts were at South Devon and East Cornwall Hospital, Plymouth and the Empire Hospital, Vincent Square, London.  She joined the Territorial Force Nursing Service in 1908 and was called up for service on 22 August 1914, being posted the following month to the Hospital Ship Asturias and on 3 October to No. 5 Stationary Hospital in France. She served as Home Sister at No. 24 General Hospital from July 1915 to April 1916.  Most of her war service was in charge of Casualty Clearing Stations, including Nos. 34 and 55. She was posted to No. 55 Casualty Clearing Station on 21 January 1918, as Sister in Charge. She remained with this unit until January 1919.

 

Her Military Medal was awarded for bravery on 21 March 1918, while she was serving at  No. 55 Casualty Clearing Station at Tincourt, on the Somme, during the German advance. The citation was published in the London Gazette dated 4 June 1918 at page 6569 in the following terms:

 For conspicuous coolness and devotion to duty when supervising the transfer of patients from a Casualty Clearing Station to an Ambulance Train while the locality of the Casualty Clearing Station was being steadily shelled. She set a splendid example of calmness and composure.

 The unit had come under very heavy artillery fire from about 0445 hours that morning and it was decided to evacuate the Station by Ambulance Train.  While this was being undertaken there was continual shelling of the village of Tincourt and the area between that and the Station.  All patients were got away and the staff made a hurried exit on the next morning, having saved 90% of their equipment.  No. 55 was used for a while as an Entraining Unit but reformed at Longpré on 10 April, when Miss Foster returned as Sister in Charge, remaining until May, 1919, when she returned home and was demobilised on 29 May 1919.  

 In addition to the Military Medal, she received the Royal Red Cross announced in London Gazette of 1 January 1918 at page 54,  the 1914 Star, British War and Victory Medals.  She was mentioned in the Despatch of Sir Douglas Haig dated 19 May 1916 published in the London Gazette of 15 June 1916 at page 5957.

 In August 1919 she was Assistant Secretary at the College of Nursing Ltd.  She finally resigned the Territorial Service on 22 May 1928. In later life, Miss Foster returned to Cornwall, became a local Justice of the Peace and died in April, 1953.  Her medals are on display in the Liskeard Museum.

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

  Ila Blanche LEEDHAM.s MIC is here;-  https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D6271228

Regards,

Alf McM

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

  I can't see your timelines on your original post. There are links but all I get are error codes. I think I may have information on one of the Asturias nurses. I can see timelines on your posts for other ships.

Regards,

Alf McM

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf,

I do not think it's just this post. I've noticed some other missing photos etc on various GWF posts which come up with the same error message.

Also tried to download seaJane's bibliography the other day but it errored.

Regards ZeZe

 

[alf mcm]

Thanks ZeZe, I also couldn'd get Seajane's bibliography.

Regards,

Alf McM

[seaJane]

12 minutes ago, alf mcm said:

Thanks ZeZe, I also couldn'd get Seajane's bibliography.

Regards,

Alf McM

Thanks for the alert, both. A reminder to to me that I need to update it, apart from anything else. I'll try to do that this week, and then upload a fresh version and see what happens.

sJ

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf,

My current version of Asturias. Added Julia ALLAN (WO 399/70) yesterday – if you read her file ‘Asturias’ is in red pencil p.72 – made me think she served on Asturias before Aquitania. She had ‘returned from Gallipoli’. If you have time – what do you think?

Regards ZeZe

 

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

  I've had a look at Julia ALLAN's file and the only hospital ships mentioned are NEURALIA and AQUITANIA, apart from ASTURIAS being mentioned on page 72. This is on a letter saying she is fit to return to duty. Asturias looks to be written by someone else, and this makes me think this may be a clerical error, buy I have no proof of this.

  On a more positive note, Nancy F. BLANKLEY became Mrs Annie Florence JONES {WO399 4367} see pages 27 & 29.

Regards,

Alf McM

[ZeZe]

Hi Alf,

Thanks for looking. The T.F.N.S. files are often more vague regarding postings than the Q.A.I.M.N.S. files. I wasn’t too certain if Julia Allan served on Neuralia p.59, or only sailed out to Mudros on Neuralia.

Regards ZeZe

[alf mcm]

ZeZe,

I'm now thinking that 'Neuralia' was recorded as the next available ship and that she did sail out on it.

Florence Louise DAVIS's record is at WO399/2089. She served on 'Asturias' from 29/09/14 to January 1915.

Regards,

Alf McM

[seaJane]

On 11/06/2023 at 10:43, ZeZe said:

Hi Alf,

I do not think it's just this post. I've noticed some other missing photos etc on various GWF posts which come up with the same error message.

Also tried to download seaJane's bibliography the other day but it errored.

Regards ZeZe

 

 

On 11/06/2023 at 10:48, alf mcm said:

Thanks ZeZe, I also couldn'd get Seajane's bibliography.

Regards,

Alf McM

Hallo both,

I have not yet had the chance to update the bibliography, but I have uploaded it afresh - I hope you can now retrieve it.

DM me with your e-mail address if not, and I will send you a copy as an attachment.

seaJane

[ZeZe]

Hi seaJane,

I have downloaded your very comprehensive Medical Bibliography with all the links.

Thank you very much

Regards

ZeZe

[alf mcm]

Thanks Seajane,

  Downloaded your bibliography, and links work o.k.

Regards,

Alf McM

[seaJane]

On 02/07/2023 at 07:16, ZeZe said:

Thank you very much

 

On 02/07/2023 at 07:58, alf mcm said:

Thanks Seajane

My pleasure, both.

[ZeZe]

 

Hi,

An updated timeline for H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle (additions/corrections welcome). I’m not sure if the previous timeline (which is now unviewable) included the Friends Ambulance Unit info. This timeline has also been extended to include the Officers & Nurses who drowned when H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle was torpedoed on the 26th February 1918.

The War Diary recommences on 08.11.17.

3 Officers and 64 N.C.O.’s and men ex. Hospital Ship “Valdivia” at Marseilles arrived at Southampton for duty on board Hospital Ship “Glenart Castle”……….

By the 13th at Liverpool Docks there was a full compliment of staff present – 5 Medical Officers, 2 Chaplains, 8 Nursing Sisters and 43 N.C.O.’s and men. In the afternoon Glenart Castle embarked patients consisting of 29 Officers, 3 Warrant Officers and 425 other ranks, the hospital ship sailed that evening bound for Halifax, Canada.

During December 1917 & January 1918 H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle was sailing the Mediterranean calling at Malta, Salonica & Stavros.

The last War Diary entries:

06.02.18. Arrived at Avonmouth and disembarked ……

07.02.18 Ship proceeded to Newport to refit.

The timeline is missing the names of two nurses who did not return to the ship after disembarking on the 6th February 1918. Perhaps they asked for shore based duties as the crossing to Canada had been very rough ‘with much sea sickness among the staff and patients’. 

* * *

Just a few snippets from the nurse’s files that may be of interest:

Rebecca Rose Beresford asked in a letter dated 11.02.18 (WO 399/582 p.25) sent to her Matron at Belmont War Hospital ‘I have the honour to request that you will forward this my application to the Matron-in-Chief for a transfer to H.M.H.S. “Glenart Castle”. I hear there is a vacancy and as my friend Edith Blake is at present on the staff of this ship, it would be a great pleasure for both of us to work together.’ 

They had worked together from the 2nd May 1917 at The Prisoners of War Hospital, Belmont, Surrey. Rebecca Rose Beresford served on Glenart Castle for only two or three days.

Her friend Edith Blake, amongst other postings had previously served on H.M.H.S. Essequibo. An Australian, her home address was Sans Souci, Sydney N.S.W.

Charlotte Edith Heinrich completed her application to join Q.A.I.M.N.S.(R) on 6th August 1915. She served at Netley until resigning in May 1916, then in October of the same year she asked to rejoin. Her surname was changed to Henry by Deed Poll in September 1917 (Charlotte’s relatives/beneficiaries also changed their surnames to Henry).

Jane Evans & Rose Elizabeth Kendall had both worked at Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield, they probably knew each other when both were posted to Glenart Castle on 12th November 1917. (WO 399/4543 p.23)

It appears from notes on a cover sheet in her file that Elizabeth Edgar had asked to be transferred from Glenart Castle to the Home Establishment (WO 399/2459 p.15). The request had been sanctioned dated 12.02.18. but at the time ‘not managed’. It never took place.

Mary MacKinnon was instructed to hold herself ready for duty on board a hospital ship whilst serving at the 2nd Southern Gen. Hospital. At first the posting was going to be Dunluce Castle, then Formosa until finally she was instructed to proceed to Glenart Castle on 24th February 1918 (WO 399/13088 p.58). Mary may have been supporting her parents financially. Her father in a letter to the War Office writes: …..‘I don’t know how to get over this sorrow & don’t know what to do without her help….I appeal to you for £1,000 one thousand pounds for the loss of my daughter who has given her life for the country’……

Regards ZeZe

T.F.N.S. Staff Nurse Rosetta Josephine O’Hanlon (WO 399/13659) who served at the 2nd Southern General Hospital with Mary Mackinnon was due to board a hospital ship, which was likely to have been H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle. On 15th January 1918 Rosetta O’Hanlon stated that she did not feel fit for duty on a hospital ship. A telegram from her Matron to the Matron-in-Chief explained the situation ‘Her mother an invalid, and now alone sister lately married, she (the mother) implores nurse (O’Hanlon) not to leave England.

T.F.N.S. Staff Nurse Rosetta Josephine O’Hanlon continued nursing at Home Establishments until leaving the service in April 1919.

Edited 9 July , 2023 by ZeZe
addition O'Hanlon

[FionaBam]

7 hours ago, ZeZe said:

 

Hi,

An updated timeline for H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle (additions/corrections welcome). I’m not sure if the previous timeline (which is now unviewable) included the Friends Ambulance Unit info. This timeline has also been extended to include the Officers & Nurses who drowned when H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle was torpedoed on the 26th February 1918.

The War Diary recommences on 08.11.17.

3 Officers and 64 N.C.O.’s and men ex. Hospital Ship “Valdivia” at Marseilles arrived at Southampton for duty on board Hospital Ship “Glenart Castle”……….

By the 13th at Liverpool Docks there was a full compliment of staff present – 5 Medical Officers, 2 Chaplains, 8 Nursing Sisters and 43 N.C.O.’s and men. In the afternoon Glenart Castle embarked patients consisting of 29 Officers, 3 Warrant Officers and 425 other ranks, the hospital ship sailed that evening bound for Halifax, Canada.

During December 1917 & January 1918 H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle was sailing the Mediterranean calling at Malta, Salonica & Stavros.

The last War Diary entries:

06.02.18. Arrived at Avonmouth and disembarked ……

07.02.18 Ship proceeded to Newport to refit.

The timeline is missing the names of two nurses who did not return to the ship after disembarking on the 6th February 1918. Perhaps they asked for shore based duties as the crossing to Canada had been very rough ‘with much sea sickness among the staff and patients’. 

* * *

Just a few snippets from the nurse’s files that may be of interest:

Rebecca Rose Beresford asked in a letter dated 11.02.18 (WO 399/582 p.25) sent to her Matron at Belmont War Hospital ‘I have the honour to request that you will forward this my application to the Matron-in-Chief for a transfer to H.M.H.S. “Glenart Castle”. I hear there is a vacancy and as my friend Edith Blake is at present on the staff of this ship, it would be a great pleasure for both of us to work together.’ 

They had worked together from the 2nd May 1917 at The Prisoners of War Hospital, Belmont, Surrey. Rebecca Rose Beresford served on Glenart Castle for only two or three days.

Her friend Edith Blake, amongst other postings had previously served on H.M.H.S. Essequibo. An Australian, her home address was Sans Souci, Sydney N.S.W.

Charlotte Edith Heinrich completed her application to join Q.A.I.M.N.S.(R) on 6th August 1915. She served at Netley until resigning in May 1916, then in October of the same year she asked to rejoin. Her surname was changed to Henry by Deed Poll in September 1917 (Charlotte’s relatives/beneficiaries also changed their surnames to Henry).

Jane Evans & Rose Elizabeth Kendall had both worked at Wharncliffe War Hospital, Sheffield, they probably knew each other when both were posted to Glenart Castle on 12th November 1917. (WO 399/4543 p.23)

It appears from notes on a cover sheet in her file that Elizabeth Edgar had asked to be transferred from Glenart Castle to the Home Establishment (WO 399/2459 p.15). The request had been sanctioned dated 12.02.18. but at the time ‘not managed’. It never took place.

Mary MacKinnon was instructed to hold herself ready for duty on board a hospital ship whilst serving at the 2nd Southern Gen. Hospital. At first the posting was going to be Dunluce Castle, then Formosa until finally she was instructed to proceed to Glenart Castle on 24th February 1918 (WO 399/13088 p.58). Mary may have been supporting her parents financially. Her father in a letter to the War Office writes: …..‘I don’t know how to get over this sorrow & don’t know what to do without her help….I appeal to you for £1,000 one thousand pounds for the loss of my daughter who has given her life for the country’……

Regards ZeZe

T.F.N.S. Staff Nurse Rosetta Josephine O’Hanlon (WO 399/13659) who served at the 2nd Southern General Hospital with Mary Mackinnon was due to board a hospital ship, which was likely to have been H.M.H.S. Glenart Castle. On 15th January 1918 Rosetta O’Hanlon stated that she did not feel fit for duty on a hospital ship. A telegram from her Matron to the Matron-in-Chief explained the situation ‘Her mother an invalid, and now alone sister lately married, she (the mother) implores nurse (O’Hanlon) not to leave England.

T.F.N.S. Staff Nurse Rosetta Josephine O’Hanlon continued nursing at Home Establishments until leaving the service in April 1919.

Hi Zeze

That's very moving to think about the nurses friendships and arranging to serve together. 

The rapid sinking of the Glencart following the torpedo in her flank made farewells impossible. 

Thanks

Cheers

Fiona

.........

Admin Team 

Can I add that I did not receive a notification of this post even though I " follow" Zeze. ?

Checked and this status has not changed on Zeze's profile. Have i clicked something by mistake ?

Many thanks

Fiona 

 

Edited 9 July , 2023 by FionaBam

[alf mcm]

Very interesting ZeZe.

  You've highlighted some very interesting details about the nurses.

Regards,

Alf McM