Dunluce Castle and other photos of Hospital ships and impressions from the Mediterranean Theater of War

[ZeZe]

Hi GreyC,

The hospital ships at the ‘Cab Rank’. A few details which help with dating the photo to either early December 1915 or between January & May 1916. Early May 1916 looks the most likely and fits in with the time period michaeldr posted.

H.M.H.S. Dongola

Mudros Bay (Embarkation Officer's War Diary)

17th Dec 1915: Dongola arrived today from Alexandria.

23rd Dec 1915: Dongola arrived today from Helles.

27th Dec 1915: Dongola arrived today from Helles.

4th Jan 1916: Dongola sailed for Malta.

 

H.M.H.S. Dongola left the Mediterranean: Staff Nurses S.C. Jones & M. E. Vernon embarked Dongola, Alexandria, 17th May 16, disembarked Basra 10th June 16.

* * *

The H.M.H.S Goorkha war diary (WO 95/4145/5) covers the period 27.10.14 to 29.02.16. Then there is a missing period until 01.01.17. She was back and forth carrying ‘Indian Patients’ from Boulogne to Alexandra and returning to Southampton with ‘British & Colonial Patients’.

The known dates from the diary at Alexandra docks:

2^nd to 6^th Nov 15; 12^th to 15^th Dec 15; 16^th to 21^st Jan 16; 22^nd to 29^th Feb 16.

 

Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. Staff Nurse, Amy Louise Nelson transferred from Goorkha to 19 Gen Hosp at Alexandria 17^th May 16.

* * *

H.M.H.S. Essequibo:

Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. Sister, Elizabeth Beatrice Elgar embarked for duty at Alexandria 7^th Dec 15.

N.Z.A.N.S. Staff Nurse, Ethel Eliza Hooper embarked for duty at Port Said 6^th May 16.

* * *

H.M.H.S. Grantully Castle:

N.Z.A.N.S. Staff Nurse, Mary Gordon Grigor discharged at Alexandria 1^st Nov 15 (as a patient following the Marquette disaster) & embarked for duty at Alexandria 31^st Dec 15.

link for NZ Nurses:  https://collections.archives.govt.nz/en/web/arena#/

Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. Staff Nurse, Mary Helena Powell disembarked Grantully Castle at Alexandria 10^th May 16.

N.Z.A.N.S. Staff Nurse, Ruby Brayshaw embarked Grantully Castle 8^th May 16. (her previous posting was at Port Said)

Regards ZeZe

 

Edited 26 November by ZeZe

[GreyC]

Hi ZeZe,

wonderful stuff. Thank you!

GreyC

[ZeZe]

Hi GreyC

Forgot on my post – We also have to have Dunluce Castle present at Alexandria in May 16.

Q.A.I.M.N.S.R. Sister, Marion M Murphy (WO 399/6084) “Left for duty on Dunluce Castle 13^th May 1916, Alex”.

regards ZeZe

[GreyC]

Thanks.

There are quite a few photos in my album of DC in Alexandria, though there is no hard proof, that the DC was also at port there while the photo was taken of the "cab-rank". This was just an assumption on my part.

GreyC

[GreyC]

Here is another photo from DC, this time picturing part of the doctors working on board the hospital ship. Luckily, again, named, at least in part. It also proves the presence of two chaplins, RC and CE, on board the ship, as was quite rightly speculated upon elsewhere on this forum. Is it Major pares or paves, I wonder? And are biographical details known about the men?

GreyC

PS: It´s Major Pares:

https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1001126/bundled/RCDIG1001126.pdf

Edited 28 November by GreyC

[seaJane]

Pares, by the look of it:

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_p=1900&_q=Pares+wo+surgeon+major

[alf mcm]

Another great photo.

Ernest Eugene HERGA, served at Galipoli, later to win the Military Cross. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1262/records/1943634?tid=&pid=&queryId=f520d6b2-b23f-4ed9-a334-85c48abb49ef&_phsrc=SIn19579&_phstart=successSource

Also, {perhaps un-named doctor at right}, Alexander D. PITHER, Surgeon , later Chief Medical Officer. First service abroad was on Dunluce Castle. Served at Gallipoli. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1262/records/5629074?tid=&pid=&queryId=3d5b638f-d0e3-4ce8-80a2-fb0f8c848509&_phsrc=SIn19576&_phstart=successSource

Regards,

Alf McM

[alf mcm]

The RC Chaplain may be Fr Joseph Aloysius GRIBBIN of Salford Dioscese and St. Edmund's House, Cambridge. He had been with Dunluce Castle sine November 1915 and was at Gallipoli. {from 'Priest in Uniform' by James Hagerty. The book includes details of the evacuation by Father Gribbin {p.190}. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1262/records/2344778?tid=&pid=&queryId=e3bbeac4-4d85-4c42-876b-4ed5a5356925&_phsrc=SIn19591&_phstart=successSource

Regards,

Alf McM

 

[GreyC]

Hi SeaJane and Alf,

thank you for your contributions!

Some further research into Surgeon Major Pares showed that he had a daughter by the name of Bip Pares, who was well known for her graphic art work in Art Deco style. London Transport was among her clients and lots of publishing houses as she did at least 600 dust jackets. A fact that @Dust Jacket Collector might be interested in.

Unfortunately I don´t have access to ancestry, but will try via a library. Thank you Alf.

GreyC

[KizmeRD]

Seated in the centre of the picture there’s Captain (acting Major) Robert Patrick Starkie, Royal Army Medical Corps (Special Reserve).

M…

edit - and standing on the right is Captain Ernest Eugene Herga, M.C., RAMC

Edited 28 November by KizmeRD

[KizmeRD]

Standing (left) quite possibly Arthur (Johnnie) VERGE AAMC.

Died of Illness (dysentery), Ghezireh, Egypt, 8 September 1915, aged 35 years.

M…

Edit - or not as the case may be, as I think that all your photos date to the year 1916.

Edited 28 November by KizmeRD

[alf mcm]

  Captain Arthur VERGE, A.A.M.C. was the medical officer for 6th Australian Light Horse. He reached Gallipoli on 15th May 1915. He was admitted to 1 A.C.C.S. on 4th July 1915. He returned to his unit 3 days later, but after that was almost continually sick. There is no mention in his service record of him serving on 'Dunluce Castle'.

  Arthur's brother, Cuthbert Arnold VERGE was also a Captain in the A.A.M.C,, but his foreign service was in France, from 1918.

Regards,

Alf MvM

[GreyC]

Thank you both for your input. Havbe to work this weekend, but will be able to delve into the stories behind the names from Tuesday on.

Looking forward to it!

GreyC

[ZeZe]

Hi GreyC

I have Verge as R.A.M.C. Captain Charles Herbert VERGE as confirmed by his MIC.

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D5681828

regards ZeZe

[GreyC]

Thank you ZeZe,

much appreciated.

GreyC

[ZeZe]

Hi GreyC,

Trying to identify the group photo nurses - Nurse Sparrow in the group photo should be easy to identify but…

There are no Australian or New Zealand nurses’ with the surname Sparrow that I can find so I think it likely that Nurse Sparrow was a British nurse. NA has one ‘Sparrow’ file - Ida Carrie Sparrow [1890 – 1940] WO 399/14632, only 8 pages long and on first reading she seems an unlikely match. Ida was called up as a Special Military Probationer on 01.05.15 and discharged at termination of a years agreement on 31.05.16. The only posting known from the file was to 1^st Southern General Hospital, Birmingham from which she resigned “to complete training”. The one report by Matron Marion Thomas gives no clue as to dates served at 1 S.G.H.

Her period of service does make it possible to have served on H.M.H.S. Dunluce Castle when the photo was taken, prior to being posted to 1 S.G.H., but there's no evidence at all in the file.

There are two British Red Cross cards for Ida Carrie Sparrow covering 1917-18, & 1918-19 having completed her training with her rank Staff Nurse (trained) & address 107 High St, Cheltenham.

It would appear from NA MIC that medals were not issued to any Nurse Sparrow, either because she was not posted abroad, or if she was eligible she wasn’t included on any roll. Letters from nurses who did not know what medals they were entitled to are not uncommon in the files and some only applied many years later e.g. Winifred Gibbings (nee´ Kidd) WO 399/3068 claimed her medals in 1957.

I’m also surprised that three of the nurses in the photo are known by first names only which suggests a familiarity that the Rules were designed to suppress. 

Regards ZeZe

Edited 5 December by ZeZe

[GreyC]

Hi ZeZe,

thank you for your continued interest. At present I have a lot to take care of, but I will continue posting further photos asap. With regard to familiarity: the owner of the album and photographer of most of the snaps in it seems to have been an unnamed smart sub-lieutnant from the naval staff. So maybe a reason for the familiarity mentioned.

GreyC