What do we know about Rouen?

[Martin Bennitt]

Just reviving this thread as I spotted this book in a Paris bookshop recently. In French of course, but lots of pics, mainly IWM but there are others, and looks well-researched. Yves Buffetaut writes a lot on the Great War and is editor of the Batailles magazine.

cheers Martin B

[MelPack]

10th (Labour) Royal Berkshire Monday 1st January 1917 France, Rouen

The Battalion remained encamped during December 1916 in No 3 Labor Camp ROUEN. and al Ranks available were employed on Day Labour at the Supply and Ordnance Depots and in unloading ships, marching off and returning in the dark: the men, under their officers have continued to give satisfaction to all Departmental Superintendents, and have improved in physique, and become expert in handling packages etc, a Sunday 1/2 Holiday was enjoyed. A Labor Corps was formed at Base Rouen, to which the Battalion now belongs.

In accord with D/2018 GHQd 28.11.16 certain men, mechanics in civil life were tested in their trade, Lectures (Special) were given on Venereal Disease and the History of Rouen: the men continued to use the YMCA Hut: Xmas was appropriately observed and gifts distributed from the Queen Alexandria Field Fund and others. Wintry weather prevailed during the month.

J H Balfour Bt LtCol

Comd 10th (L) Batt Royal Berks Regt

The CO obviously thought that the lectures on the pox and the history of Rouen were edifying for his captive audience!

[liverpoolgirl]

Hi Sue

Do you have any information on

10 General Hospital and 11 Stationary Hospital? 48 & 32 Casualty Clearing Stations?

Also anything on Field ambulances (23 and 99)?

I'm a bit of a novice on this and am trying to find out where my Great Grandfather CSM John Griffin 6884 went at various times when he was wounded.

Thanks a lot Sue, Donna

[johndavidswarbrick]

I have one or two examples of men who completed their Statements as to Disability prior to Discharge at Rouen.

And then these various references to hospitals from various Casualty Forms:

"From O/C 4 G.B.D. – joined from 10 General Hospital Rouen on 4th March 1916"

"If you are suffering from any disease, wound or injury, state what it is, the date upon which it started, and what in your opinion was the cause of it.

Rheumatism & Bronchitis

20th June 1916

Caused by service in France

Give the names of any hospitals in which you have been treated for the above

2nd Canadian Hospital Rouen 24th June 1916 – 25th July 1916

2nd Australian General Hospital Boulogne 27th July 1916 "

"25th September 1914 Admitted to No. 8 General Hospital Rouen – Not Yet Diagnosed"

"16th June 1918 from WO List Admitted 12 General Hospital – Rouen on 28th May"

"3/10/17 joined Cyclists Brigade Depot at Rouen [with No. 72 Regiment]"

"19th May 1917 from 12 General Hospital – admitted – Rouen 18th May 1917"

"3rd September 1918 WO List Admitted to 12 General Hospital – Rouen on 22nd August"

Hope that helps,

Dave Swarbrick

[Tyrim]

Hi Sue,

If I might jump on the question queue.

1. My Grandfather was admitted to 47 Field Ambulance, Foncquevillers on 15.8.16 and was received "From 14 O RS To Duty with unit on 26.8.16". Do you know what 14 O RS might be? And do you know whether these units treated any special problems? He referred to the 47th on his demob sheet as the place he was treated for the disability from which he died two months later.

2. The hand drawn map of the various units at Rouen doesn't come up at the location you indicated in your earlier post. Is that still available somewhere?

Thank you for any help you can provide!

tyrim

[b3rn]

No. 1 Australian General Hospital at Rouen -- on the racecourse at Rouen

See if this works -- Google Earth overlay

Sketches of camp layout (May & November 1918) are from the unit's war diary for December 1918

(the maps above identify 10 General Hospital location as well; wish the AWM digitisation had been better quality)

p.s. Interested to know the location of the sick sisters' hospital as discussed above; can't work out precisely which building it is

[jcgwakefield]

Hi there,

I am doing a Drama series on the first world war with one episode set in the Rouen infantry base depot, would it be at all possible you could send me a copy of the map??

Please let me know soon as

Thanks

James

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

[Sue Light]

James

The map really only marks the position of the hospitals, and then just in sketch map form. The area of the IBD adjacent to the hospitals is just on the edge of the map, but may take some while to fix the area on a modern map. Messaging and email is not possible here until you have five posts, so if you click on the 'Scarletfinders' link at the bottom of this post, you'll find a contact email for me there.

Sue

[r larkin]

Most but not all motor transport arrived in France through Rouen. No.1 Base MT Depot was based at Rouen. No.2 Heavy Repair Shop ASC was based in Rouen from the start and employed some 1,250 personnel of which 500 were PoWs. No.4 Heavy Repair Shop ASC was in Rouen from 1917 (I think) and employed 4,000 PoWs. The Asiatic Petroleum Company (part of Shell) has a distribution depot in the docks.

[von Smallhausen]

Hello Jerry,

kind regards from Rouen....

Jef

[David_Underdown]

The two heavy repair shops were indeed in Rouen, and since I've an interest in an officer who spent time with both I took a look at the war diaries. Turns out the original diaries don't survive, but there is an historical account prepared for each - and also a lot of photos of the workshops. See http://www.flickr.com/photos/11226331@N05/sets/72157626699953536/ for 2 Heavy Repair Shop and http://www.flickr.com/photos/11226331@N05/sets/72157626571018981/ for 4 Heavy Repair Shop

[steven belfast]

The last paragraph concerns my great uncle who was wounded and sent to Rouen, he is buried in the extension cemetry

[steven belfast]

Is there any photographs of number 9 general hospital

[A crooked MP]

Some mentions of Rouen from my Grandfathers diary travelling to and back from the medics at Harve.

Friday, April 21st, 1916

a fine fire going. Pinched the coal from the engine driver and made some tea too. Think the driver and fireman slept all night and let the engine wander as it liked. I was awakened by cold feet at 1.30 am and found we were back at Etaples. Fire was out so I got up and soon got a fine blaze going. Warmed myself thoroughly, wrapped my feet up in a mac and turned in. Woke up to find we were near Rouen. The town looks splendid as you enter it. Two fine churches and the cathedral with its spire reaching up and up a terrific height. I was hoping to get a near view of it but we went into a tunnel just after so I didn't. Started the fire going again and had a drop of tea. A French girl speaking English was on the station at Yvetot and I had a chat with her. We arrived at Harve about eleven. Hung about until it was too late for dinner found the Camp Adj. officer but finally got to no. 11 and found refuge in the orderly tent. Had tea at four and then went along to QM to draw blankets –three. Sacred concert in the cinema. Went there. Yates sang Nazereth and Miss sang blessed Redeemer. Gipsy Smith spouted. Disappointed in him. From there went along and sampled tea and cakes at Y.M. and cocoa and cakes at Salvation Army.

Saturday, May 20^th, 1916

Woke to find that we had not yet reached Harfleur. The train got a move on eventually and we reached Rouen about 12 where there was a terrific fuss in serving out bully beef and biscuits. A very decent canteen there where we managed to get tea and cake and cigarettes. Finished off my money by the way, moved off about 6 – eight in carriage.

[b3rn]

Photograph collection of Lieutenant Colonel G.J.S. Archer, RAMC.

7-8, two albums of photographs of No. 5 Stationary Hospital at Rouen and No. 40 Field Ambulance, during the First World War, 1914. Dogs trained to rescue casualties.

One of several images at http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/ when you search for 'Rouen'

[b3rn]

Ancien champ de courses a.k.a. the racecourse viewed from its northern entrance, August 2011. We think the Australian hospital was in the foreground just beyond the track, front & left. The old grandstand, used by U.S. Base Hospital 21, seems to have gone (unless I missed it in the trees).

More photos of the racecourse

Our notes on Rouen

[timmyboy]

Found this while searching for No5 Gen Hosp on Google,you can see roughly the racecourse in the background I presume. There are more photos courtsey of Wellcome Images,hope this is of help.

Regards.

Tim

[Jo Oliver]

I was very excited to see Phillippe's post about living in what was the Sick Sister's Hospital in Rouen in WW1 and also Sue & Barbara's posts which all fit with my research.I would love to hear more about this hospital & No. 8 General nearby.

I am researching Jessie Traill, an Australian woman who joined British St John's as VAD, trained at Gifford House London in early 1915 and was sent out on active service to Rouen in July 1915 to No. 12 Stationary Hospital on the racecourse in tents and then in No. 8 General Hospital in Bois Guillaume north of the Seine. She served there until February 1919. I am presently transcribing her diary held in State Library of Victoria Melbourne, Australia, where she talks of her life and experiences. She mentions many other nurses & VADs but mostly with surname initial followed by a dash.

During her time in Rouen she spent some time in the Sick Sister's Hospital with the measles and later working as a VAD. I attach some extracts from Jessie's diary about her time at Sick Sister's hospital. Jessie took some wonderful photographs of No. 8 & Sick Sisters hospitals. I have copies but cannot post due to copyright. Is there any way through this forum I can send privately? The photos are with Jessie's papers in SLVic but haven't been digitised yet.

Jessie was a an artist and is best known for her etchings. The National Gallery of Australia held an exhibition of her work in 2013. Because Jessie could speak fluent French she connected with local people at Rouen and got to know refugees who had fled from occupied villages to the west and south. After the war she raised money to support the village of Feuchy, west of Arras. She visited devastated areas of France again in 1920s and wrote about her experiences. I will be including many extracts from her writings in the biography of her life on which I am working at present.

If anyone has information about life at No. 8 GH and No. 8 GH and the people who worked there or were patients I would be interested to hear, regards, Jo

Sick Sister's Hospital Rouen.docx

[catfishmo]

If you are looking for info on Racecourse at Rouen, A VAD in France is a diary by Olive Dent that has outstanding information.

She worked at No 9 General Hospital in Rouen and talks EXTENSIVELY on everyday life with tons of unique details about life as a nurse there: what it was like nursing in the rain, the British packing up and leaving, dressing up for Anzac night with Australian Sisters, night duty, freezing weather, camp furniture, description of the camp, morning and afternoon routine, Christmas, dancing, living life in a bell tent, camp kitchen, arrival of wounded (from the first day of Somme??), Blighty tickets and how they are labeled, and on and on. It was almost as if she was writing for a future generation.

Of all the primary sources I read about nurses, this one had the best specific details.

The book is free online at archive.org.

If you would like a copy of my notes (about 20 pages with topic headings, page number references, and quotes) PM me and I'll send it to you.

~Ginger

[billiard-duchesne]

I notice from the dates that this subject seems to have finished in 2012, But here's hoping someone might still see it.

I have been trying to trace my father's birthplace and finally discovered a registration of birth which showed Boisguillaume in 26.8.18 which is his birthdate and gives his mother's name : Sarah Annie Gertrude Woodward. I had been looking in England because all his papers said born in England! Recently this "Bulletin de naissance' appeared on Ancestry.com and there he was!

Two questions : how do I get a birth certificate and the other is a bit complicated. I have photos of the Sister Hospital discussed below in the form of postcards from July 1918 but I can't read the signature. I was told that my father's mother nursed in France during WW1 and that is where she met my father's father. I assume he was a patient as I have another photo of William Robson on what is a hospital bed with 2 nurses beside him. I assume one thing led to another which led to my father. Would Sarah have had her baby in the Sisters Hospital? And how on earth did he get back to England? Are there any sites I can access to give me that information? Any help would be much appreciated. If I could I would travel to France to search myself but unfortunately living in New Zealand it's rather a long way to come.

Thanks for any help

Patricia

Patricia

I live in Bois Guillaume sister hospital and read your post only yesterday

are you still interested with this subject

may be i can be of help

philippemarie

[Guest missdotty31]

Can anyone provide any location for the hospital built at Rouen in 1915/16 and handed over to the Belgians for use by their wounded, the British Director was Cecil Edward Maples, a solicitor from Ormskirk, Lancashire, who was awarded the Chevalier of the order of Leopold by the King of Belgium in April 1916?

[Terry_Reeves]

missdotty

 

This article puts the hospital in "the heart of the town"  

 

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19150312.2.37

 

This publication gives the location  as being on the site of the "old Vocational School"  and also mentions the location of two annexes to the hospital:

 

https://archive.org/stream/specialbulletina00canarich#page/52/mode/2up

 

 

TR

[Mouse]

On 6/19/2007 at 22:13, shaymen said:

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

I am sure I have seen this photo or something like. I will have a good look and let you know. Mouse

 

[catfishmo]

I recently organized a gazillion WWI photos on Wiki Commons. There is a whole category called "Rouen during World War I." The photos give a lot of insight into all that was going on there during the war--photos of vehicle repair shops, LOTS of women doing various jobs, one photo of No. 2 Stationary hospital, and subcategories of photos of the NZ bread baking facility and general/stationary hospital #5.

 

There is a whole group of photos from the Ministry of Information under the category vehicle repair, but it is unclear if the location was Rouen. (Photos say "Mechanical Transport Repair Depot near the front.")