No 1 Casualty clearing station

[bazar]

Hi all

I am looking for any information about the 1.C.C.S in the months of 1915 when they were in the region of Bethune and Chocques as I believe that my grandfather must have been taken there when he was wounded and eventually died of wounds 19 August 1915 he was was a member of the 2nd Batt South Staffs. I am hoping that I may find something written down regarding what date he was wounded as my recent trip to the NA failed to do as I may have been looking in the wrong Field Ambulance records found on MH106.

Many thanks Shelsley

[BJanman]

Shelsley

There is a book about No 1 CCS called 'The Tales of a Casualty Clearing Station'. It is likely to be hard to find now as it was written in 1917, and it probably will not help you find details about your grandfather but it does explain what was occuring at Bethune.

The war diary for No 1 CCS is held at the National Archive, Ref No WO95/250. This may not help you either if your grandfather was wounded during a big battle, I do not have the months around August recorded as yet, but I have posted 4 days in January from their war diary to hopefully explain why.

The records at the National Archive under MH106 are A & D Books - Admission and Discharge registers. These probably would have helped you but unforunately the one for No 1 CCS has been destroyed.

Hope this helps

Barbara

Extract from war diary:-

Bethune. 25th January 1915

About 8.30am: Wired for instructions to DMS 1st Army.

About 9.10am: Completed evacuations of every patient, in number.

About 9.15am: Ordered personnel to load up themselves & kits on our lorries & 5 ambulance cars, also took away the French girl teachers who lived in building. Ordered Sgt Rouse & 3 men to remain as guard over equipment - to live in cellar.

9.30am: As no answer yet received to my wire to DMS 1st Army, I ordered my personnel to depart to LILLERS to await me. Officers & myself followed on to LILLERS in order to receive instructions of DMS 1st Army. Shelling showed no symptoms of abatement.

Lillers about noon: Met DMS 1st Army (Surg-Genl Macpherson) who said he had sent wire (appendix I). Unit should withdraw to CHOQUES, & ordered me to carry out order, &, if possible, recover equipment at once. I did so. Major Storrs &, Capt. ARCHIBALD (Qmstr), Lieut HAYCRAFT & Lieut WELLER proceeded with party in lorries, whilst I & remainder of party took over schools at CHOQUES from Lahore Detachment Clearing Station. Shelling reported to have entirely ceased.

Choques. about 3.30pm. Major Storrs & party returned, but although they had packed & unit cleared of the equipment, they were unable to take it away as shelling began afresh. Half a dozen NCO`s and men were thrown flat by concussion of shells & Lce Corporal PARTRIDGE RAMC (an excellent man) was killed.

Major Storrs (entirely in accordance with my wishes) immediately withdrew all his party.

Choques. 8pm. Received 130 patients wounded in new location. Posted two officers night duty. A long days work! 5 deaths overnight.

26th January 1915.

11am: Visited by DMS 1st Army. Entrained 240 cases (including 124 direct from Field Ambulances of 1st Division) on No.4 Ambulance Train. Despatched Capt ARCHIBALD & detachment of 10 men to BETHUNE on second attempt to capture equipment, & succeeded in getting away several lorrie [sic] loads.

3pm: Took over large chateau, where I hope to accomodate about 70 stretcher cases & where I can employ the Nursing Sisters. Placed Major Storrs in charge.

4.30pm: Evacuated 14 cases on Ambulance Train. Wired for Nursing sisters to return to us for duty.

8.30pm: Received 95 cases from No.1 Field Ambulance.

27th January 1915

8.0am: Evacuated 98 by Ambulance Train No.6. Started equipping Chateau D`ABBAY.

2.0pm: Buried Lce Corporal W PARTRIDGE in new cemetery here - first body in cemetery.

3.0pm: Received 41 cases from 1st Division Field Ambulances. 4 Sisters arrived. 8.0pm. Received 22 from No.1 FA. Opened Chateau l`Abbaye for serious cases in addition to the school buildings. Placed Major Storrs in command of chateau, Major GRAHAM of No.2 school, & Capt Mac FAYDEN of No.1.

28th January 1915

9.0am: Entrained 66 cases (many of them very serious) on No.7 Ambulance Train. Can now accomodate 180 patients. Work of bringing equipment from BETHUNE continuing.

Midnight: Admitted 104 patients during day from Field Ambulances. All equipment collected from BETHUNE.

[bazar]

Hi Barbra

Thank you very much for your time and trouble in sending me your research notes through little snippets like this it is amazing how quickly I can build up which I hope one day will be a bigger picture of what must have happened to him.

Thanks again Shelsley

[cockney tone]

Shelsley,

you more than likely know this but just in case;

The 'Location of Hospitals and CCS BEF 1914-1919 Ministry of Pensions booklet' from the IWM shows the No1 CCS located at CHOCQUES from the 28/1/1915 until 15/4/1918,

good luck with your research,

regards,

Scottie.

[bazar]

Hi Scottie

One more "snippet" for the collection its all coming together as I thought it might with every-ones kind help.

Many thanks Shelsley.

[coinneach]

I know that this thread is nine years old, but I wonder if Barbara or anyone else knows who wrote the war diary that Barbara uploaded, please? I conclude that it would have been a Lt. Col. Alternatively, any ideas where I might find out from?

Thanks a lot,

Coinneach

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Coinneach

In infantry units and similar, the diary was normally maintained by the adjutant, and signed-off monthly by the CO. Hospitals and CCSs did not have adjutants so the CO (usually a lt-col) would still sign it off, but probably delegated the actual daily writing to one of the other officers. Some COs may have done it themselves but I don't have evidence either way.

Ron

[BJanman]

I know that this thread is nine years old, but I wonder if Barbara or anyone else knows who wrote the war diary that Barbara uploaded, please? I conclude that it would have been a Lt. Col. Alternatively, any ideas where I might find out from?

Thanks a lot,

Coinneach

The above is extracts from the war diary. The unit was formed under Major F A Symons but I cannot confirm that he wrote the war diary. You will be able to find out by looking at the war diary at the National Archive, Kew or on-line if the diary has been digitalised.

Regards

Barbara

[coinneach]

Hello Ron and Barbara,

Thank you both very much for taking the trouble to post and for the information. Apologies for not thanking you sooner; I've been away for a few days. My wife's grandfather was a casualty in No1 CCS in 1918, wounded at the beginning of the German spring offensive but he had been in the line in this sector since mid-1916.

ATB

Coinneach

[Guest]

Hello from 2019! If anyone is still interested, I found a list of the movements of C.C.S. on the Western Front. I used it to find the location of C.C.S. No. 61 on August 17, 1917 (Lozinghem).  Here it is: http://www.vlib.us/medical/CCS/ccs.htm 

Edited 1 January , 2019 by Guest

[TEW]

On 01/01/2019 at 21:19, O.K. With the War said:

Hello from 2019! If anyone is still interested, I found a list of the movements of C.C.S. on the Western Front. I used it to find the location of C.C.S. No. 61 on August 17, 1917 (Lozinghem).  Here it is: http://www.vlib.us/medical/CCS/ccs.htm 

Sorry but the location of 61 CCS given in that letter is wrong. They were near Proven (Dozinghem) sheet 27 F.11.b.

4, 47 & 61 CCSs were all at Dozinghem rather than Lozinghem.

TEW

[EvanEvansLancs]

In response to the 1 January 2019 post above providing a list of movements of the CCS on the Western Front; Thanks very much for this list. Until now I have not been able to work out what the following numbers that my grandfather wrote down meant; 16-17-13, and 10-1-14. Now I think I have cracked it ! I am convinced they refer to the clearing stations/hospital numbers that my grandfather attended after being wounded at Vimy Ridge (May 1916), and Ypres or Passchendaele (January 1918), 

First wound

16 Le Trefort general hospital

17 Remy Clearing Station

13 Boulogne 

 

Second wound 

10 Remy (Siding) (It is near Poperinge and Ypres) 

1 Choques

14 Wimereaux general hospital (between Boulogne and Calais).  

 

Thank you once again - If anyone thinks I've misinterpreted the clearing station numbers here, and have got this all wrong then please let me know.  

[TEW]

Interesting problem and you may have hit the answer. The only thing I can see is that writing 16-17-13 seems to put things in the wrong order IE the CCS would be first so something like 17-16-13 or 17-13-16 would seem more likely. His sequence shows HOSPITAL-CCS-HOSPITAL. But at least 13 and 16 CCS were not operating in France for the date you give so that rules them out of the equation.

 

In the second example he appears to move from 10 CCS to 1 CCS then to 14 GH or SH Wimereaux, not an impossible sequence as sometimes patients were moved form one CCS to another but normally CCS-HOSPITAL would be the case.

 

An alternative way of testing your theory is to work out which CCS would be assigned for wounded of his Division/Corps and see if the Remy group May 1916 and the Remy group & Chocques are likely for him in Jan 1918.

 

Can you provide Grandfather's Name, Number & Battalion?

TEW

[TEW]

I've looked at 10CCS diary and although for Jan 1918 it does mention transfers to other CCSs No. 1 does not get a mention.

Perhaps your 1 is a hospital not a CCS?

 

I think you'd be better off starting a new topic with as much info as possible including if possible a scan of the original document. It will attract more views.

TEW

[EvanEvansLancs]

Thank you Tew for looking at this. Yes I'll create a new topic for this now.