Genealogy Chat

Dear Helen,

One more thing you should try is going back to his service record on Ancestry, and page backwards instead of forwards. There is a small, but non-negligible, fraction of records that are somewhat misordered, so that the header sheet - your page 1 - is actually in the middle of their record, (so is really page 4, or whatever).
On a more generic note, the usual deal for casualties was that they would be first treated by a Regimental Aid Post (typically run by a Field Ambulance company), and from there evacuated to a Casualty Clearing Station, typically about 6-10 miles behind front lines, and if they needed further treatment, they'ld go to a General Hospital, often located in a channel port like Boulogne, and then possibly back to the UK. I have looked at War Diaries of Canadian FA Coys, and Can CCS's and found little info about their patients in their War Diaries. Since the Canadian records tend to be more informative than the British, I suspect you won't find much for your guy. (My guy was a Canadian, and went thru their 8th CFA.) I did learn some interesting stuff about the medical preparations for a major attack, however. Although I had over 3 dozen pages of medical records for my guy, it was never stated where in Flanders he was wounded, although in his case it could be inferred to an accuracy of 250 m. I know from the 58th Bn CEF WDs that their attack stalled after 400m on the morning he was wounded, and that he went thru the 8th CFA en route to the 3rd Aus CCS, so he would have been with his battalion for the attack as this was a casualty evacuation route for the 58th, and his transfers were part of his service record, independent of the medical info.

Even if you don't have specific medical info, if you know his hospital unit transfers, then maybe that will be useful in conjunction with:
http://www.vlib.us/medical/CCS/ccs.htm
In case he went thru Canadian or Australian units, the Australian official medical history for ww1, and most Canadian war diaries, are online, and free.

Another couple of sites:

http://www.ypressalient.co.uk/Great%20War%20Extra/Royal%20Engineers.htm

http://www.remuseum.org.uk/corpshistory/rem_corps_part14.htm

Devon,

He was a sapper in the Royal Engineers - promoted to Lance Corporal about two weeks before being injured!

Helen.

What regiment was he in Helen?

There is also this site:
http://www.fourteeneighteen.co.uk/

Thanks Sue,

I'll try that - he wasn't an officer so definately won't rate a mention, but as you say it will give me something more definate to go on.

Best wishes Helen.

I can see why you would have liked to know more - their life for several years was consumed by the war. I had hoped to find out about by grandfather's WWII service, but having seen the list of daily casualties in his unit, and descriptions of the typical routine of waiting around for days at a time followed by yet more deaths, I'm perhaps lucky not to know more.

Thanks Ivy,

I have tried this site and the regimental site, but think I may end up having to make do with the knowledge that he was not missing any limbs or appendeges,did not appear to be shell shocked nor permanently damaged by gas!

It does seem as if he may have fought at the Somme (although that was not where he was injured)so maybe I can understand his wish to put it all behind him!

Many thanks
Helen.

Have a look at this site:

http://www.1914-1918.net/grandad/grandad.htm

Hi, I have manged to find a Gt Uncles war record on ancestry, it mentions him being wounded and being in hospital in Boulogne, it even has the little slip the army sent his mother to say he had been wounded - but it doesn't say how or where he was injured. Does anybody have any ideas how I would go about finding this information? He obviously didn't talk about his experiances as my Mum knew her uncle quite well and this was all news to her!

Many thanks
Helen.