Palestine to Cairo, Nov 1917

[PPCLI]

One of the men I am currently researching served with the 1/7th Royal Scots. He died of wounds on 24th Nov 1917 and is buried in Cairo War Memorial Cemetery. However, this is a long way from where the action was at that time - 3rd Gaza (27 Oct-7 Nov), Huj, El Mughar and Junction Station (8-14 Nov) and Nabi Samweil (20-24 Nov).

From the war diary I know that the 1/7th Royal Scots were involved in heavy fighting at Burkah on the 12th Nov - 86 ORs wounded, 3 subsequently died of wounds. Earlier in the month: 3rd - 9 wounded, 1 DoW; 5th - 9 wounded, 2 DoW; - 13 wounded, 2 DoW.

Could anyone give me an idea of the distances between Cairo and Gaza, and the time it would take to transport wounded men over that distance - I am trying to get an idea of the action in which the soldier may have received his wounds.

The other 1/7th Royal Scots men who DoW in November have graves in either Deir El Belah, Gaza, Kantara or Jerusalem - no others in Cairo. Not sure why he ended up back in Egypt.

Anyone got any ideas/suggestions?

Thanks,

Stuart

[ian turner]

Stuart,

My guess (I'm sure more knowledgeable pals will know better) is that it depended on his assessed chances of survival. If he was thought likely to recover from his wounds, given proper medical care, then they took the effort to transport him to Cairo where the base hospital probably had better facilities than the other stations closer to the action. Gaza is I guess at most a couple of hundred miles from Cairo. Don't know if he would have been evacuated by sea, but my guess is that he would have been passed down the traditional chain of RAP/CCS, etc. Maybe the other DOW's did not get as far as base hospotal before succumbing.

Ian

[Stebie9173]

The advance through Sinai laid down a railway (and a water pipeline, allegedly fulfulling an Arab prophecy that the Turks would be driven out of Palestine when the waters of the Nile flowed into Palestine).

Gaza to Cairo is about 150 miles, sso well within range of evacuation by train.

It is also possible that he was reburied after the war.

Steve.

[PPCLI]

The advance through Sinai laid down a railway (and a water pipeline, allegedly fulfulling an Arab prophecy that the Turks would be driven out of Palestine when the waters of the Nile flowed into Palestine).

Gaza to Cairo is about 150 miles, so well within range of evacuation by train.

It is also possible that he was reburied after the war.

Ian and Steve,

Thanks for your input. So, depending on how many trains were running, etc., it may have been possible to get him back to Cairo inside 2-3 days?

I don't think he was re-buried after the war. I did a check on surrounding headstones and the CWGC records show the graves are (very nearly) all in order of date of death. I doubt the authorities went to the trouble of re-burying them in date of death order!

I agree with the reasoning about taking him (and possibly others from the Bn.) back to Cairo; unfortunately, if there were other from the 1/7th Bn., he appears to be the only one not to have pulled through - although there are four others from the same Brigade (156th) who are also buried in the same cemetery.

Unless I ever get to the NA and find his records I guess I'll never find out when he was wounded.

Stuart

[stevenbecker]

Yes Mate,

It would appear he went threw the medical system then working in Egypt/Palestine.

Once he was removed from the battlefield back to the FA to the CCS back to the advance medical arrangements near Rafa.

He would travel back to El Arish by rail and the advance hospitals there.

He can if still serious but stable and recoverable go back to the General or Stationary hospitals around Cairo.

You will find that many of the cemeteries are set up around these places for the many who died of illnes and wounds during the war.

Many of those sent back to Cairo were recoverable but anyone of a hundred things can happen to a wounded soldier that will end his life.

S.B