What do we know about Rouen?

[Jerrymurland]

I'm trying to get a picture for a piece I'm wiriting about the role of Rouen as a base depot in the Great War. If everyone could add their bit - no matter how small or seemingly inconsequencial - it will help me build up a picture. So far I have:

Commonwealth camps and hospitals were stationed on the southern outskirts of Rouen. A base supply depot and the 3rd Echelon of General Headquarters were also established in the city. Almost all of the hospitals at Rouen remained there for practically the whole of the war. They included eight general, five stationary, one British Red Cross and one labour hospital, and No. 2 Convalescent Depot

In the champ de courses on the outskirts of Rouen, the British established Number 12 General Hospital, British Expeditionary Force, in 1914. This was taken over by the American Medical Service on June 12, to replace the British staff. This was a 1,350-bed hospital, almost completely made up of tents. Two other hospitals were operated within the racetrack. One was a British hospital for captured, wounded enemy prisoners and British prisoners who had self-inflicted wounds. And the third was a British colonial hospital.

No. 1 Australian General Hospital at also at Rouen

Info on infantry base depots, RE depots etc gladly received.

Remember anything you know about the place, references in published material etc will help build up the overall picture.

Thanks

Jerry

[dycer]

Jerry,

This from the diary of 4585 Pte J.M. Marchbank 1/8th Royal Scots en route from 7th Division HQ to rejoin his Battalion.

"24th January 1918-Left (Le) Havre at 1.30 a.m. and arrived at Rouen at 4 o'clock a.m.Reported to R.T.and I was given a pass so I visited Rouen White Star etc.I left Rouen by train at 4 o'clock p.m. and went to Etaples."

George

[tootrock]

Jerry,

There were two cemeteries on the outskirts where burials from the hospitals took place.

St. Sever Cemetery, 3081 burials

St. Sever Cemetery Extension, 8656 burials.

Martin

[Martin Bennitt]

'The one at Rouen was visited by 171,000 men in its first year, with just 243 infection cases, but public opinion at home forced closure'

Denis Winter: "Death's Men"

cheers Martin B

[punjab612]

Banknote issued by local chamber of commerce in 1915

Slightly out of alignment unfortunately its in 2 pieces

Peter

[Jerrymurland]

Great stuff guys, keep it coming by the way ........

so I visited Rouen White Star

What was the White Star?

Jerry

[dycer]

Jerry,

Unfortunately the diary does not elaborate.

A suggestion though.He was given a pass by the Transport Department to visit the Town instead of hanging round the Station for 12 hours.Could the White Star have been a Forces Canteen run by the Shipping Line or just the Name of a Canteen,Pub,etc in Rouen?It could have been a Brothel but although he does discuss them in his diary you cannot deduce whether he patronised them or not

George

[walrus]

Brophey and Partridge give "Client for Rouen" as slang for a 'venereal' case - apparently the hospital dealing with the Army's VD cases was there.

Tom t W

[spike10764]

One of the Beechey brothers Len, from this book Brothers In War (review) is buried there.

He died in hospital of wounds.

[Sue Light]

Jerry

I don't think you're quite right about the position of the hospitals. The majority of the British Military Hospitals were on, or in the vicinity of, the Racecourse, and those I can confirm as being there are:

Nos.5, 6, 9, 10, and 12 General Hospitals

Nos.1, 3, 8, 11, and 12 Stationary Hospitals - No.12 Stat. only worked for a short time there, and then remained, parked, until it moved prior to the Somme in 1916.

The Convalescent Depot

No.8 General Hospital was to the south of the town, and remained the odd man out throughout the war. It was, for most of the war, the largest of the Rouen hospitals, but its isolated position away from all other units caused some unrest among the nursing staff, who often felt rather cut off from civilisation.

No.2 British Red Cross Hospital was more central to the town, and there is another thread on the Forum which deals extensively with it, with some good photographs.

I have an early, hand-drawn map of the position of the medical units in Rouen [1914/15], and can send you a copy if you let me have an email.

Sue

[Jerrymurland]

Sue tried to send you a personal message but it won't let me, apparently you are 'disabled'!! Try this address for the map:

gallipolianzac at yahoo dot co dot uk

Jerry

[mickgall]

Hi Jerry

apart from the main cemetery at St Sever there are two other CWGC plots in Bois-Guillaume cemetery in the North of the city on the road to Neufchatel. Theres about 300 burials in each plot, a large mansion nearby was used as a hospital, I think it was number 6 or 8 General hospital. During the war this may have been an area slightly outside of Rouen and I think the cemetery is called 'Mare des Champs cemetery' and not Bois-Guillaume cemetery

Mick

[BJanman]

One of the Beechey brothers Len, from this book Brothers In War (review) is buried there.

He died in hospital of wounds.

Hi Spike10764

I read through the information on your link and can add that he died of wounds in No 9 General Hospital. He was aged 36.

I don't remember reading his age

Barbara

[shaymen]

Cmae across this picture the other day whilst having a tidy up on the laptop.

It was titled 'Rouen Hospital' - can't remeber when or where it came from, maybe somone else knows of its origin

Glyn

[Sue Light]

I do not have No 8 Stationery Hospital as located at Rouen but at Le Harve, Amiens and Wimereaux. I'd be interested to know when it was a Rouen so that I can add it to my records.

Barbara

It appears on the early Rouen map I have [November 1914] at the Racecourse, but that's no proof it was working while there - it could just have been parked. My first firm sighting of it being established was in March 1915, when it went to the Boulogne area, and was there for some time.

Sue

[Jerrymurland]

Thanks Sue, map very useful. do you know anything about the base depots marked on the map?

Jerry

[Sue Light]

Jerry

Sorry, but if it didn't wear a white hat and carry a lamp, I'm not too hot on it

But there are several files at The National Archives relating to the Rouen Base [WO95 Unit War Diaries] - WO95/4043, 4044, 4045 and 4046. Heavy going, I bet!

Sue

[Jerrymurland]

That's helpful Sue, thanks

Jerry

[BJanman]

Barbara

It appears on the early Rouen map I have [November 1914] at the Racecourse, but that's no proof it was working while there - it could just have been parked. My first firm sighting of it being established was in March 1915, when it went to the Boulogne area, and was there for some time.

Sue

Thanks Sue. I have that it sailed Southampton - Le Harve 26/8/14, then Amiens, then Wimereaux March 1915 - 1919. I guess it must has been at Rouen before moving to Amiens. Another War Diary to investigate.

You have been a big help to me, I have really appreciated it.

All the best

Barbara

[jhill]

This might count as incidental trivia. For a time, N0s 3 and 7 Canadian Stationary Hospitals were both stationed in Rouen. No 3 moved from Douellens on 18 August 1918 and moved on to Arques on 8 October. No 7 moved from Etaples on 23 May 1918 and moved on to Camiers on 21 September. Both were quartered at the Cyclist Corps Base Depot. Neither actually operated as a hospital during this period, the personnel being employed on temporary duty with the other hospitals in the area. I am not sure why these moves were made, but both hospitals had suffered in the May bombing raids at Etaples and Douellens.

There are only two things one needs to know about Rouen: (1) it is where Joan of Arc was burnt, and (2) it is right next to Noranda. (Canadian joke - Sorry!)

[MikB]

May Wedderburn Cannan was a VAD at Rouen. She wrote this poem. It's so heavily influenced from Kipling's 'Dirge of the Dead Sisters' as to be close to plagiarism, but it's actually a very much better and more evocative piece of work. (Men, especially like Kipling, really shouldn't try to write from a woman's viewpoint... )

Rouen

Early morning over Rouen, hopeful, high, courageous morning,

And the laughter of adventure and the steepness of the stair,

And the dawn across the river, and the wind across the bridges,

And the empty littered station, and the tired people there.

Can you recall those mornings and the hurry of awakening,

And the long-forgotten wonder if we should miss the way,

And the unfamiliar faces, and the coming of provisions,

And the freshness and the glory of the labour of the day.

Hot noontide over Rouen, and the sun upon the city,

Sun and dust unceasing, and the glare of cloudless skies,

And the voices of the Indians and the endless stream of soldiers,

And the clicking of the tatties, and the buzzing of the flies.

Can you recall those noontides and the reek of steam and coffee,

Heavy-laden noontides with the evening’s peace to win,

And the little piles of Woodbines, and the sticky soda bottles,

And the crushes in the “Parlourâ€, and the letters coming in?

Quiet night-time over Rouen, and the station full of soldiers,

All the youth and pride of England from the ends of all the earth;

And the rifles piled together, and the creaking of the sword-belts,

And the faces bent above them, and the gay, heart-breaking mirth.

Can I forget the passage from the cool white-bedded Aid Post

Past the long sun-blistered coaches of the khaki Red Cross train

To the truck train full of wounded, and the weariness and laughter

And “Good-bye, and thank you, Sisterâ€, and the empty yards again?

Can you recall the parcels that we made them for the railroad,

Crammed and bulging parcels held together by their string,

And the voices of the sargeants who called the Drafts together,

And the agony and splendour when they stood to save the King?

Can you forget their passing, the cheering and the waving,

The little group of people at the doorway of the shed,

The sudden awful silence when the last train swung to darkness,

And the lonely desolation, and the mocking stars o’erhead?

Can you recall the midnights, and the footsteps of night watchers,

Men who came from darkness and went back to dark again,

And the shadows on the rail-lines and the all inglorious labour,

And the promise of the daylight firing blue the window- pane?

Can you recall the passing through the kitchen door to morning,

Morning very still and solemn breaking slowly on the town,

And the early coastways engines that had met the ships at daybreak,

And the Drafts just out from England, and the day shift coming down?

Can you forget returning slowly, stumbling on the cobbles,

And the white-decked Red Cross barges dropping seawards for the tide,

And the search for English papers, and the blessed cool, of water,

And the peace of half-closed shutters that shut out the world outside?

Can I forget the evenings and the sunsets on the island,

And the tall black ships at anchor far below our balcony,

And the distant call of bugles, and the white wine in the glasses,

And the long line of the street lamps, stretching Eastwards to the sea?

…When the world slips slow to darkness, when the office fire burns lower,

My heart goes out to Rouen, Rouen all the world away;

When other men remember I remember our Adventure

And the trains that go from Rouen at the ending of the day.

May Wedderburn Cannan

Regards,

MikB

[Jerrymurland]

Thanks everyone, keep the stuff coming! It all adds up to a bigger picture.

Jerry

[wulsten]

Have pictures and letters from this soldier to his brother etc 1915

BAKER, STANLEY CORBET

Initials: S C

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Private

Regiment/Service: Seaforth Highlanders

Unit Text: 2nd Bn.

Age: 20

Date of Death: 30/10/1915

Service No: S/7909

Additional information: Son of William and Charlotte Baker.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: A. 14. 10.

Cemetery: ST. SEVER CEMETERY, ROUEN

[Jerrymurland]

Wulsten

Any information in the letters that refer to the infantry base depots, recreational activities the Tommies and officers went to in Rouen would be very useful

Jerry

[wulsten]

will read through them and check info