No.53 Casualty Clearing Station in the Great War - The Wartime Memories Project -

No.53 Casualty Clearing Station

No.53 (North Midland) Casualty Clearing Station opened at Bailleul in September 1915 and made a number of moves, ending the war at Roisel. The wounded, having already had their wounds dressed at a Dressing Station would be brought to the tented hospital behind the lines, which also dealt with the sick referred to them by the Medical Officer of the man's battalion. The CCS was equipped with an operating theatre and tented wards. Those who needed further treatment would be transferred to one of the hospitals, though some were able to return to their unit after a stay at the CCS.

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Patient Reports.

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Those known to have worked or been treated at
No.53 Casualty Clearing Station
during the Great War 1914-1918.

Adams George . L/Cpl.
Adams Rowland Woosley. 2nd.Lt.
Aston Arthur John. Str.Br. (d.10th Jun 1917)
Harries Gwilym. Sgt. (d.28th May 1917)
Kirkwood MM.. Frederick James. Lt.
Marley William Edward. Pte.
Ostle Wilson. Pte. (d.24th March 1918)
Price Eynon. Pte. (d.4th May 1917)
Shalders MM.. Victor Reginald. Pte.
Smith George. Pte. (d.12th Aug 1917)
Wilkinson Thomas Moses. Pte. (d.9th June 1917)
All names on this list have been submitted by relatives, friends, neighbours and others who wish to remember them, if you have any names to add or any recollections or photos of those listed, please Add a Name to this List

Records of No.53 Casualty Clearing Station from other sources.

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There are:0 items tagged No.53 Casualty Clearing Station available in our Library

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

1205906
Pte. Thomas Moses Wilkinson 33rd Btn. (d.9th June 1917)
Tom Wilkinson died from wounds on the 9th of June 1917, aged 33, he is buried in the Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension in France.
Tom was the youngest son of William and Hannah Wilkinson. He joined C Coy 33rd Infantry Battalion A. I. F. on 22nd February 1916 and his service number was 957. Tom was 5 feet 6 1/4 inches tall and weighed 10 stone 9lbs. His age was 31 yrs 7 months, had grey eyes and light red hair, his occupation was a share farmer and he lived at Attunga in northern N.S.W.
Tom embarked from Sydney per H.M.A.T. A74 Marathon on 4th May 1916, and disembarked at Devonport on 9th July 1916. On 21st November 1916 he proceeded to France with his Battalion from Southampton. Tom suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach during fierce fighting in the field on 7th June 1917 and was admitted the same day to the 53rd casualty clearing station. Tom died on the 9th June 1917, the day after his 33rd birthday, and is buried at the Bailleul Communal Extension Cemetery, France.
s flynn

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500688
Pte. Victor Reginald Shalders MM. 33rd Btn.
Victor Shalders was a farm labourer from Dangarsleigh near Armidale NSW, he was born in Northam, nr Perth, Western Australia. He enlisted on the 13th December 1915 aged 19. he is described as being 5' 6&1/2" weighting 8st 10lb with fair hair and blue eyes.
During training he had several spells in Bulford Hospital and was also admitted to hospital in France after joining his unit.
He saw action in the Battle of Messines and was awarded the Military Medal. His citation reads: "For conspicuos bravery and devotion to duty during the Battle of Messines from June 7th to June 11th 1917. private Victor Reginald Shalders was a runner attached to Company Headquarters and by his thoughtfulness and initiative he was the greatest assistance in the collection and prompt dispatch of information throughout the action. Largely through his efforts contact was maintained with Australian HQ and the flank companies. He continually conveyed messages across the captured area under heavy shell fire. This he did always with great cheerfulness. During the latter stages of the attack he suffered severely with blistered feet, but this did not deter him from carrying on his work with the same efficiency. During the 96 hours of the occupation, he greatly assisted with the evacuation by promptly warning stretcher bearers in the area".
Pte. Shalders had further spells in hospital in France and in Feb 1918 was admitted to Boscombe Military Hospital in Hampshire, England having been treated at 53rd CCS and 54th General Hospital, suffering from Trench Fever. He rejoined the 33rd Battalion in France in August, returning to Australia in June 1919 aboard the Somali.
His two brothers, also served with the AIF, William with the 32nd Btn and Clarence with the 10th Light Horse.
Trevor Fenton

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264286
Pte. William Edward Marley 3rd Field Company Canadian Engineers
William Marley was my grandfather. He emigrated to Canada in late 1913. When WWI broke out he joined the CEF in Sept 1914 and was in the first contingent of 1st Division to go to England in Oct 1914 and then on to France and Belgium in early 1915. He was hospitalized at North Midlands CCS in early or mid 1916

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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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254330
Pte. Wilson Ostle 11th Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery (d.24th March 1918)
Gunner Wilson Ostle was my maternal grandmother's cousin. One of 4 brothers. He joined up at Whitehaven, Cumberland in 1915. He was wounded in 1917 with a gunshot wound to a forearm. He firstly was admitted to Fort Pitt Military Hospital in Chatham then transferred to a military hospital in Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend. After a complete recovery he spent July 1917 on leave back in Cumberland.
He was wounded in France in March 1918 during the German big push and evacuated to No 53 Casualty Clearing Station where he died of his wounds. He is buried in The British New Cemetery at Roye, France. God bless, RIP
Ian Stuart

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253686
Sgt. Gwilym Harries 9th Btn. Welsh Regiment (d.28th May 1917)
My Great Grandfather, Gwilym Harries is reported to have died of wounds at the 53rd Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul, France.
Stephen Harries

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240145
2nd.Lt. Rowland Woosley Adams
Rowland Adams was wounded on 31st July 1917 at Wambeke. He was picked up on 1st August, taken to Lump Farm Advanced Field Dressing Station and onward to 53 Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul by about midnight. An operation was carried out on 2nd August before Rowland was moved to No 20 General hospital. A bullet was subsequently removed on 4th August.
He was returned to England in September and on 2nd August 1918, he was discharged from the army by a medical board, surviving until 4th September 1921 when he died at Turf Hotel, outside Exeter.
E J Adams

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234358
Pte. George Smith 10th Btn. Yorks and Lancaster Regiment (d.12th Aug 1917)
George Smith signed up on 6th October 1915 at Wath-upon-Dearne. He was 30 years and three months old and a miner. He needed some dental work to join the 11th (Reserve) Battalion in Pontefract. By 26th October 1915, he was at Cannock Chase. On 17th January 1916 he was transferred to the 7th (Pioneer) Battalion, as he was a miner in his civvy life. He went overseas on 16th March 1916 into the 17th Division. They worked on trenches in the front line and were billeted in Voormeezle in Belgium.
On 1st April they moved to Bailleul. While they were there, they dug bomb pits for training purposes. On 1st May, George was injured in training when a training officer threw a bomb and he was too slow to take cover. In an enquiry it was found that the fuse in the bomb was set short, so causing an early explosion. He was sent to a casualty clearing station and then home on 6th May. He suffered metal fragments in his right arm.
While he was at home, he moved between the Regimental Depot, the 11th reserves and the 3rd battalion. It appears he was transferred to the 21st Works Company (Durham Light Infantry) on 1st December 1916. He was again transferred to the 3rd (Reserve) battalion in February.
On 26th February 1917 he embarked for Folkestone with the 10th (Reserve), then to France after being reclassed as being fit for frontline duty. They arrived at the 34th Infantry Brigade depot at Etaples. He went through the infamous bull ring camp (I wonder if he was there when there was a mutiny?).
On 4th August 1917, he was sent to Wakefield Camp, at Olocre. The 10th were in a support line at Passchendaele. They were to supply fatigue parties for the front line and also ration parties consisting of up to 400 men. It was on one of these parties that George was mortally wounded. He was transferred to 53rd CCS in Bailleul and he died of his wounds on 12th August 1917. George is buried there in the communal cemetery. Such a sad story, not much luck. He left a wife and two children, one of them just an infant.
Wayne Thacker

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218320
Pte. Eynon Price 53rd (Welsh) Casualty Clearing Station Royal Army Medical Corps. (d.4th May 1917)
Eynon Price served with the Royal Army Medical Corps and was attached to 53rd (Welsh) Casualty Clearing Station during WW1. He was killed in action 04/05/1917, aged 28, and is buried in Deir El Belah War Cemetery, Palestine. He was the son of David G. and L. E. Price of Ferndale (Rhondda). Husband of Margaret Price, of 38, Derist, Tylorstown (Rhondda), Glam.
S Flynn

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1130
L/Cpl. George Adams 33rd Btn.
George Adams was a farm hand from Richmond, Ballina, he enlisted at the RAS Grounds in Sydney on the 30th March 1916 at the age of 21. He sailed for England in September 1916 and proceeded to France in February 1917. George was wounded in action on the 11th June 1917 at the Battle of Messines, with an injury to his back due to a gun shot, he was treated by 12th and then 9th Field Ambulance and returned to duty on the 21st of June.
George was wounded for a second time on the 31st August 1918, this time a shrapnel injury to his head, he was treated by 9th Field Ambulance and transferred through 53rd CCA at 10th General Hospital then moved to England on the 3rd September. He was admitted to the Baptist School Hospital in Yeovil with a severe flesh wound to his scalp. George remained in various Hospitals in England through out the remainder of the war and returned to Australia in December 1918 onboard the Nestor.

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No.53 Casualty Clearing Station

Patient Reports.

Those known to have worked or been treated at
No.53 Casualty Clearing Station
during 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.53 Casualty Clearing Station?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project - No.53 Casualty Clearing Station during the Great War -

No.53 Casualty Clearing Station

Patient Reports.

Those known to have worked or been treated at No.53 Casualty Clearing Stationduring 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.53 Casualty Clearing Station?

Recomended Reading.

Links

The Wartime Memories Project
- No.53 Casualty Clearing Station during the Great War -

Those known to have worked or been treated at
No.53 Casualty Clearing Station
during the Great War 1914-1918.