Pte Henry George Palmer, Australian I.F.

[Ferguson73uk]

I have just donwloaded the Service Record of 6132 Pte Henry George Palmer 28th AEF who was wounded on 10th June 1918, admitted to 5th Australian Field Ambulance and died at 61st Casualty Clearing Station on 16th June 1918 of a gunshot wound to his left side. He was a native of my home town, Barry in South Wales.

Any information as to where his battalion was fighting at the time would be most welcome. Also any information on where the 61st CCS was located would be useful.

Thanks!

Jonathan

[Tony Lund]

This chapter of the Australian Official History covers it I think.

Just click the Link

Tony.

[Ferguson73uk]

Thanks, Tony! I must say I'm amazed at how well organised the Australian record keepers are. All their digitised records make research so much easier than endless trips from Wales to Kew. I wonder when our NA will have the funds available to digitise all their records for us research buffs to use.

Thanks again,

Jonathan

[ceebee]

Any information as to where his battalion was fighting at the time would be most welcome. Also any information on where the 61st CCS was located would be useful.

Thanks!

Jonathan

Jonathon

According to the mother site, see here, the 61 CCS was located at Vignacourt between April and August 1918. As you have probably already seen, page 236 of the link provided by Tony has a footnote referring to the 5th Australian Field Ambulance and the CCS at Vignacourt.

Interesting to see a reference to the 5th AFA again. My grandfather served with the unit on Gallipoli and later went to the 15th AFA. I have the history of the 5th if you are interested.

Chris

[Ferguson73uk]

Chris,

Thanks for the reply. Does your history of the 5th say anything about the day Pte Palmer was admitted to the unit?

Jonathan

[ceebee]

Jonathon

Unfortunately there is no mention of the action. The history is rather brief, with most of the "detail" confined to the Gallipoli campaign.

However, Bean's account of Morlancourt suggests a strong likelihood Pte Palmer was taken to the main dressing station of the 5th Field Ambulance by late morning on 11 June. He states on pages 237-238: "Before day-break [11 June] the forward troops had been thinned out, surplus companies taking position in rear, and most of the wounded had been cleared."

The footnote (p.238) to this passage then states:

By the 6th Fld. Amb. (Lt.-Col. H.L. St. Vincent Welch), assisted by bearers of the 5th Fld. Amb. Ambulance cars and Ford vans picked up the wounded on the Bray-Corbie road at "Windy Corner" just behind the old French line. By 11 a.m. on June 11 nearly all wounded (except a few, difficult to find in the crops) had been cleared from the advanced dressing stations at "Pearl Bay" near Heilly to the main dressing station (5th Fld. Amb.) near Querrieu and British casualty clearing stations at Vignacourt and Crouy.