No. 8 General Hospital in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project -

No. 8 General Hospital

11th Jan 1915 Accomodation

23rd Jan 1915 Illness

24th Jan 1915 Correspondence

15th Feb 1916 Admissions

26th Feb 1916 Correspondence

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Patient Reports.

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Those known to have worked or been treated at
No. 8 General Hospital
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Fowler MM.. Christopher Edward. L/Cpl.
Heaton Jesse. Pte.
Hogan Arthur Douglas. Lt. (d.9th October 1917)
Humphrey Ernest Graham. 2nd.Lt. (d.29th March 1918)
Jenkins Neily. Pte.
Kirkwood MM.. Frederick James. Lt.
Nicoll William. Pte.
Shreeve James William. Capt.
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Want to know more about No. 8 General Hospital?

There are:4 items tagged No. 8 General Hospital available in our Library

These include information on officers, regimental histories, letters, diary entries, personal accounts and information about actions during the Great War.

500686
L/Cpl. Christopher Edward Fowler MM. C Coy. 33rd Btn.
My Uncle Christy Fowler enlisted on the 10th of November 1915, aged 18. He was a labourer from Barry, NSW. He joined the 13th Reinforcements, 17th Battalion at Lithogow Depot Camp and in June 1916 he proceeded to England, arriving in Plymouth on the 3rd of August. On the 6th July 1916 he is recorded as disobeying orders and being absent without leave at Capetown from the troopship HMAT A.55 Kyarra and was given 3 days Field Punishment No.2.
Christopher then joined the 33rd Battalion on the 21st November 1916 in France. In December he was admitted to the 7th General Hospital (The Malassises Hospital) in St Omer suffering from mumps, he rejoined the 33rd battalion on new years day 1917. On the 12th March 1917 he is again punished for failing to obey a lawful command given by his superior officer.
He was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 2nd of June 1917 and saw action in the Battle of Messines, where he was awarded the Military Medal, his citation reads:
"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during the Battle of Messines Ridge from June 7th to June 11th. L/C Christopher Edward Fowler acted a a mopper up and showed great dash and determination. He himself killed six of the enemy. On the afternoon of June 9th he led the first patrol to Thatched Cottage and captured the post. Throughout the whole action this soldier displayed great initiative and forethought, and at all times was courageous and cool. He set a splendid example to his men."
He was wounded in action on the 16th July 1917 receiving a gun shot wound to his left eye. On the 24th July he was transported back to England onboard the Hospital Ship Grantully Castle and on the 25th was admitted to the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth. Whilst there he was reprimanded by Lt. Col. Heywood for refusing to obey and order and went Absent without Leave for 6 hours on the 14th Sept 1917 for which he forfeited one day's pay.

Christy was repatriated to Australia leaving England on board the Kenilworth Castle on the 12th of March 1918. He was discharged from the Army on the 3rd of July 1918.

Trevor Fenton

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263820
Lt. Frederick James Kirkwood MM. 23rd Battalion
Frederick Kirkwood was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field on 3rd of April 1917. On 20th of May 1918 Fred was wounded in the thigh and invalided to England. By 30th of September 1918 he had been discharged from hospital, he proceeded to France and rejoined his battalion on 6th of October. On 29th of November (age 28 yrs) he was admitted to 6th Field Ambulance and transferred to 53rd Casualty Station suffering with influenza and broncho pneumonia. On 2nd of December 1918 his nearest of kin were advised he was dangerously ill with broncho pneumonia and on 9th Dec he was in 8th General Hospital at Rouen, France. On 13th Dec he was sent from France to London aboard the hospital ship Aberdonian with severe influenza and the following day he was admitted to 3rd London General Hospital, Wandsworth with severe influenza. By 18th Dec 1918 his condition at Wandsworth, England, was improving. He recovered and on 7th Feb 1919 he sailed aboard HMT Lancashire to Australia and his employment with Forces terminated on 15th May 1919.
Belinda Kirkwood

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261660
Pte. William "Postie" Nicoll 7th (Fife) Btn. Black Watch
William Nicoll was born at 88 South Street in April 1885. His parents, Andrew and Isabella Nicoll, were descendants of fisher folk and can be traced back to Andrew Kipper c.1750, a shipwright who stayed at the Lady Head in the East End of St. Andrews. Most of his youth was spent in and around St. Andrews and Balmullo, where his father had a market garden. William was a founder member of the 1st St. Andrews Boy’s Brigade and was a member of the Colour Party at the laying of the foundation stone of the BB Hall. On leaving school, William started work as a postman delivering the mail in Leuchars and Ferry Port on Craig, now Tayport. During this time, he met and then married Agnes Gold Taylor, who worked in service in Tayport. They were married in Abdie Parish Church in 1910. They stayed for a time in North Street and then moved to 12 Southfield where 3 daughters and 3 sons were born. My father Joseph, the third oldest, was born in 1916.
At the outbreak of the First World War, William joined up with the 7th (Fife) Battalion, Black Watch. He was severely wounded at Passchendaele in 1917 and was admitted to No. 8 General Hospital Rouen on 22nd of October 1917 with gunshot wounds to thigh, hands, and left ankle. He spent almost 4 years in hospital in Glasgow and was visited regularly by Agnes, my grandmother, and their eldest daughter, my Auntie Nessie. On the first night of William’s return home to St. Andrews, my father asked my grandmother “Is that man going to stay here with us?” He had never seen him since he was a baby!
After recuperating at home, William returned to service in the post office in St. Andrews where he delivered mail from St. Andrews to Largoward, stopping at farms east and west of the Largo Road. This he did on foot, on bicycle, and with a pony and flat cart, 365 days a year. His favourite time was after the mail was safely delivered – on the way home he would stop at the top of The Waterless Brae, just north of Cameron Kirk road end, light his pipe, then freewheel all the way down the Largo Road home. Around 1933 or 34, William, Agnes, their 3 sons and 2 daughters (Auntie Nessie was now married) moved to 4 Cannongate just off Largo Road. William was a keen gardener, bred canaries, and owned greyhounds which he entered coursing. William also had a hen farm in the fields beyond the old railway, about where Broomfaulds Avenue is now. He also had a pony called Joe. I never found out whether the pony was named after my dad or vice versa!
In the first year of the Second World War, William was due to retire but was asked to fill the position of temporary postmaster for St. Andrews, which he held until the end of the war. For his service, he was able to secure a small pension for Agnes, my grandmother. William and Agnes’s three sons served in the war as did two of their daughters, and thankfully all returned home with no physical injuries. After the Second World War, William retired and worked part-time as a janitor at St. Leonards school where, I am told, the highlight of his day involved him lighting his pipe at the bottom of the St. Leonards clock and smoking it while he climbed the steps to wind the clock! He enjoyed his retirement and could always be found up at the hens or in his vegetable garden. Coursing with his greyhounds also took up his time, and he was the last winner of the Colinsburgh Cup after which he refused an offer of a blank check for the sale of the greyhound. My father told me how he never knew the extent of my grandfather's injuries until well after he was retired. My father would go to Cannongate in the morning to clean and light his fire for the day. Granddad asked my father on one occasion to help him sit up in bed. He noticed that part of his left thigh, buttock and hip were missing due to the injury he had sustained at Passchendaele. This didn't seem to hinder him in any way, and he must have been in pain for most of his adult life. What a remarkable and brave man my grandfather was! William died on 11th of November 1964.
Ron Nicoll

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247070
2nd.Lt. Ernest Graham Humphrey 48 Squadron (d.29th March 1918)
Ernest Humphrey was born 27th October 1896 in Northampton, son of Rev William John and Ellen Humphrey. The 1911 census shows him living with his widowed mother in Bedford and he attended Bedford Modern school, where he was a Corporal with the Officer Training Corps. In October 1914 he entered the City and Guilds (Engineering) College, South Kensington and passed the intermediate B.Sc (Engineering) Examination of London University in 1915. He was a Cadet in the Officer Training Corps whilst at College transferring to the Senior Division at Kensington. He was employed as a Temporary Clerk at the Ministry of Munitions.
In July 1915 he obtained a commission with the 3rd Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment serving in France. At his own request he was attached to the Royal Flying Corps as Second Lieutenant (Pilot) he was in action on 22nd July 1917, when he received gunshot wounds to the chest and a fractured humorous, he recuperated in the New Zealand Stationary Hospital, Hazebrouck and No. 8 General Hospital, Rouen.
He returned to service in January 1918 and was flying Bristol F2b's with 48 (Fighter) Squadron, Royal Flying Corp, Bertangles, France. On 28 March 1918 whilst flying low and defending the road near Amiens, he received gunshot wounds and was admitted to No. 3 Canadian Stationary Hospital, Doullens but died of his wounds the following day on 29 March 1918, aged 21 years. He is buried in Doullens Communal Cemetery, Somme, France. He is remembered on the War Memorial, St Mary's Church, Acton, London.
A pupil of Bedford Modern School 1907-14, he is commemorated on the SchoolWar Memorial, which was unveiled in 1923 and in the Roll of Honour, published in The Eagle, December 1923.Information courtesy of www.roll-of-honour.com
Caroline Hunt

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244880
Lt. Arthur Douglas Hogan 21st Battalion (d.9th October 1917)
Arthur Hogan was born on 30th of November 1886 in Sydney, NSW, Australia. He was an optician and jewellery salesman by trade, and prior to enlisting in April 1915, had been living in the Riverina town Wagga Wagga for three years. There, he was employed by the town's oldest business, Messrs. Hunter Bros. (which still exists today), as Manager of their jewellery department. He was almost 29 years old when he enlisted.
He undertook his basic military training at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria, where he also attended the 6th Officer's School of Instruction. After receiving his Commission (2nd Lieutenant) on 16 July 1915, he sailed from Melbourne aboard the 'Nestor' on 11 October, arriving in Suez two months later.
As part of the 5th Battalion, he was stationed in Egypt for the next three months. In February 1916, he was invalided back to Australia for 3 months' change, having contracted paratyphoid fever. On his arrival back in Australia, he returned to Broadmeadows, and transferred from the 5th Battalion to the 13th. On 3rd of July 1916, he once again left Australia, this time, bound for the battlefields of the Western Front.
On 11th of December 1916, Arthur was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, serving with the 21st Battalion. In March 1917, during the fighting around Bapaume, Arthur was shot through the left thigh. Although a severe injury, he was lucky that it hit neither nerves nor bone. 8 days later, he was admitted to the 8th General Hospital at Rouen, before being shipped back to England and admitted to the Kitchener Military Hospital at Brighton. In May 1917, Arthur was transferred from Brighton to Cobham Hall, an Australian convalescent hospital in Kent. He was discharged from Cobham Hall in June 1917, and from there, travelled to Perham Downs near Tidmouth, where he finished his convalescence.
On 3rd of July 1917, Arthur returned to France. On 10 August, he was appointed Bombing Officer with the 6th Brigade.
Early on the morning of 4th of October 1917, the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge began. A large operation, involving 12 divisions, the Australian troops involved were shelled heavily on their start line, and one seventh of their number became casualties even before the attack began. The cost of this battle for the Australians was high, with Australian divisions suffering 6,500 casualties.
Arthur fell on 9th of October 1917, most probably shot by a sniper. His Battalion Commander wrote, in a letter to his mother: 'I happened to be in command of the attack on 9th of October and unhesitatingly chose him for my central commander. He fell gallantly leading the attack on the German positions over Broodseinde Ridge between Dairy and Daisy Woods. He leaves a great gap in the battalion where he was admired, respected and even loved by all ranks. He had previously done splendid work for the battalion on the Somme and was certain to have secured fitting recognition for this work. He was a gallant soldier and met a gallant end.'
Michelle A. Maddison

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234087
Pte. Jesse Heaton 10th Btn. Sherwood Foresters
Jesse Heaton served with the 19th Btn. Royal Welch Fusiliers. He was later transferred to the 10th Sherwood Foresters. He was was gassed and shelled on the 30th of August 1918 and sent to Rouen to the 8th General Hospital.
Bill Dixon

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232016
Pte. Neily Jenkins 15th Btn.
It appears from the WWI service record, that Neily Jenkins was taken from the 55 CCS in the field to the 8th General Hospital at Rouen on 24th December 1917 with rheumatism.
Bob Jenkins

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946
Capt. James William Shreeve 33rd Btn.
James Shreeve was a professional soldier who had seen action during the Boer War, when he volunteered for overseas service he was working as a staff sergeant instructor, he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 33rd Battalion on the 23rd of February 1916. He was 36 years old and married with two children.
James was promoted to Captain on the 19th of December 1916 whilst in France and was seconded to be Adjutant of the 3rd Division School on the 23rd of February 1917. He rejoined the 33rd Btn on the 1st of June 1917 and was wounded during the Battle of Messines on the 10th of June. He was admitted to the 14th General Hospital on the 11th with a gun shot wound to his left foot By the 17th of July he was discharged from the base depot at Wimereux. He marched out to the front and rejoined his unit on the 21st of July. For two weeks in August he was detailed as an infantry instructor at Le Harve then returned to his unit
James was wounded in action for a second time on he 18th Oct 1917, a gun shot wound to his abdomen, was treated at the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station and was then admitted to the 8th General Hospital in Rouen then transferred to the 3rd London General Hospital where he remained until the 20th of December when he joined the Overseas Training Brigade at Wandsworth. On the 8th of January he returned to France departing from Southampton, and joined 9th Brigade HQ. He rejoined the 33rd Btn and was wounded for a third time in action on the 31st of March 1918, this time a gun shot wound which resulted in a compound fracture of his left thigh, he was treated at the 41st Casualty Clearing Station and evacuated to No 2 British Red Cross Hospital in Rouen then to the 3rd General Hospital in London. James returned to Australia on board HMAS Kanowra arriving at Melboure on the 7th of March 1919, his appointment was terminated on the 27th of August 1920.

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No. 8 General Hospital

Patient Reports.

Those known to have worked or been treated at
No. 8 General Hospital
during the Great War 1914-1918.

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Want to know more about No. 8 General Hospital?

Recomended Reading.

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The Wartime Memories Project - No. 8 General Hospital during the Great War -

No. 8 General Hospital

Patient Reports.

Those known to have worked or been treated at No. 8 General Hospitalduring the Great War 1914-1918.

Can you help?

If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.

Announcements

Want to know more about No. 8 General Hospital?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No. 8 General Hospital during the Great War -

Those known to have worked or been treated at
No. 8 General Hospital
during the Great War 1914-1918.