Clan McGillivray

[alantwo]

Does anyone know how long it would have taken the ship Clan McGillivray to travel between Anzac and Malta. Any examples would be great, even if they include a stopover at Mudros or Imbros, but anything for the ship arriving 3rd/4th May 1915 with casualties from Anzac would be particularly helpful.

My thanks in advance for any comments.

Regards

Alan

[Rockturner]

Alan,

Here's some info which may be of  use.

H J (Bull) Eastcott who was AAMC attached to the 11th Battalion. "Casualties were very heavy as we were machine gunned whilst on the water. As there was not sufficient hospital ship accommodation , some of the transports were utilised to take the overflow. A lot of us were on the Clan McGillivray - when we were about half-way to Alexandria an urgent message was received that the situation on Gallipoli was desperate. All available troops had been employed and there was grave danger that we would have to evacuate. Should any of the walking wounded feel able to be of any use they could be transferred to another ship on arrival at Alexandria and returned. About 200 lined up. We were required to walk across the deck towards a medical officer. All that were able to do so were passed. Of the 50 who were passsed, Wally Hallahan and I were of the 11th. On arrival at Alexandria , we were transferred to the Hamber-America ship, the Lutzow and left for Gallipoli the following day".

Although Clan Mc was transporting the 8th Battalion and one Company from the 7th who landed fairly early in the proceedings she was also carrying most of the ammunition for the divisions so it is anyone's guess as to when she was unloaded given the ever increasing delays to the land schedules.

However, in the book Gallipoli The Malta Connection by John A Mizzi, Chapter 12 - Nurse of the Mediterranean it says: "Four days after the landings on 29 April the GOC Egypt cabled to ask if 1,000 sick and wounded could be  received in Malta. The number was increased by another 600 the following day and by another 1,000 a few days later. The first 600 cases landed at Malta on 4 May, 500 followed on 5 May, and 640 on 6 May. By the end of the month 4,000 sick and wounded had arrived. Various barracks and public buildings were taken over, staff assembled and new hospitals equipped. The nuns of the Little Company of Mary, the Blue Sisters, offered their hospital at St Julians comprising the nursing home Casa Leone XIII and adjoining Zammit Clapp Hospital. The members of St John Ambulance Brigade volunteered for duty and so did the Boy Scouts".

So I hope this helps a little to work out a timeline. Whilst I do not have a casualty list for the Clan Mc I do have lists for other ships. In some cases men were loaded onto one ship and later transferred to another which was perhaps dependent on the seriousness of their wounds and need to get them hospitalized ASAP.

Rockturner

[michaeldr]

On 11/04/2024 at 09:49, alantwo said:

but anything for the ship arriving 3rd/4th May 1915 with casualties from Anzac would be particularly helpful.

Alan,

Was it the sailing (from Anzac) on 27th April? 

See page 170 
[https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1069908/document/5520663.PDF]

 In view of the conditions in all the transports it was decided by the rear-admiral and D.A. & Q.M.G. that the five vessels first detailed should be sent off at once. The following report of his action was given by the latter to corps headquarters: 
April 28th. I yesterday organised the hospital transports ; put medical officers and equipment on board, and despatched them to Alexandria. The following vessels, carrying about 2,500 wounded, have left - Lützow, Itonus, Ionian, Clan Macgillivray, Seang Choon. 

Edited 13 April by michaeldr
typo

[Rockturner]

Alan,

Further to, a book I had not thought to check, The Official History of the Australian Medical Services Vol 1 Gallipoli by Butler.

p.120 Naval arrangements for removing casualties are:- Hospital Ship Gascon for serious cases; Transports Clan McGillivray and Seang Choon for slight cases, the  latter being substituted for the Seang Bee.

p.180, Date wounded came aboard was 25 April at 9am.

Date of Departure 27 April.

Date of Arrival at Alexandria 29 April with 845, 860 embarked, 15 died.

600 light cases redirected to Malta. Staff from No.2 AGH, other ranks, 2 NCOs and 20 men from 1st and 3rd Field Ambulances.

Therefore from my previous post it would appear that these 600 cases reached Malta on 4 May.

Rockturner

 

[michaeldr]

It's interesting that the text (11 am) is not in agreement with the table (9 am)
[See p.164:- “The Clan Macgillivray systematically received wounded from 11 a.m.”]
Is there some way/where to check?

 

EDIT:- Re-reading page 164, I dare say that the key word here is "systematically"

Edited 13 April by michaeldr

[alantwo]

@Rockturner @michaeldr

Rockturner and Michael

Thank you both for taking the time to respond.  I don’t know the date of the sailing from Gallipoli thus I was trying to work backwards from the arrival of the casualties at Malta on or around 4th May, and if you like fill-in the gap for those wounded early in the campaign. Understanding that the ship returned to Alexandria on the 29th, for which I don’t have a record, helps the context of why it took the time it did to arrive at Malta. You have kindly shown that there is a possible timeline for a casualty from say the 25th April, being one of the 600 redirected cases, to arrive in Malta on the 4th. With regard to the 600 redirected to Malta, ‘redirected’ suggests that they remained on Clan McGillivray, am I correct or do you think they were they transshipped perhaps?

Incidentally, I do have the embarkation record for A25 Lutzow at Alexandria returning those deemed fit for service on the 30th, for the 11th Battalion mentioned above for example, there were 5 Privates and 1 WO; I can post a photograph if of interest.

Thanks again both, you have been really helpful.

Kind regards

Alan
 

[michaeldr]

On 11/04/2024 at 09:49, alantwo said:

anything for the ship arriving 3rd/4th May 1915 with casualties from Anzac would be particularly helpful.

Alan, you may be familiar with this already, but in case not there is a lot of detail here (see link) about Gallipoli casualties, the ships involved and the hospitals they used on Malta https://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/greatwar.html

[alantwo]

Michael.

I haven't been to the website for some time, it is excellent and it does appear to have been updated since I last visited, thanks for a timely reminder.

Kind regards

Alan