Blighty Wound
Medical Records
Details of what exactly happened are not currently available but medical records show that by the 10th October Thomas was admitted into No.3 Casualty Clearing Station. His 'aliment' was a gunshot wound IX1 which was the Army Wound Classification System code for a simple flesh contusion or wound to the lower extremities. (MH106/326 or MH106/424 TBC)
On the 11th October he was transferred to the Sick Convoy and placed onto No14. Ambulance Train. (MH106/326 or MH106/424 TBC)
He appears to have been transferred across The Channel back to Blighty on HMHS Dieppe. This fact appears with the record that show the following dates:
Admitted to hospital for Gunshot wound IX right foot and gastric influenza (IX) on 18th October 1916. Also shown was the discharge date of 17th April 1917 together with Eastbourne 22nd November 1916 and University College Hospital. All these notes are shown under the records for Queen Alexandra's Military Hospital, Milbank. (MH106/1607)
Eastbourne was not a hospital but a convalescence camp called Summerdown.
The record correctly shows Thomas as having been in France for 1 year and 1 month. Together with a later record this gives a clue to when he went back to France.
The following are images of the actual train, ship and hospital/convalescence centres he used during his evacuation and rehabilitation.
A typical scene inside a hospital train.
The Queen Mary Ambulance Train No.14 (Hospital Train.)
The following images are of the actual train Thomas was evacuated on. They where taken on the 18th August 1915 when the French political and Press mission inspected the train. Also are shown some of the nurses inside. This was the month before the 76th FA arrived in France.
Across The Channel
Below is an image of HMHS Dieppe. She had been a ferry before the war. In 1933 she was sold to W E Guinness, converted into a private yacht and renamed Rosaura. The next year the Prince of Wales and Mrs Simpson fell in love whilst on board.
Hospitals and Convalescence
Some of the locations mentioned in the medical records for Thomas.
First is a map of Millbank showing the Queen Alexandra's Military Hosptial to the north of the National Gallery (Tate Britain) and the RAMC Millbank Barracks (Chelsea College of Arts/University of Arts London) to the south. Thomas did not appear to stay at this hospital but all records were recorded at the QAMH.
The second map shows the location, hand written on the top left, of Summerdown Camp in Eastbourne.
Summerdown Camp, Eastbourne a convalescience camp for recovering soldiers. Records suggest Thomas may have been there until 17th April 1917.
The following images are of the area next to Camp Summerdown where marching exercise was taken. At this time only two houses had been built and are now No.67 and 69 Pashley Road. The field has since become part housing estate and golf course as seen in the 2017 image I have taken. The last image is a combination of the two.
Courtesy of Eastbourne Heritage
© Alan Graham
© Alan Graham & Eastbourne Heritage
To see Thomas's journey from the Somme to Camp Summerdown please visit the 'Then & Now' section of the website.
© Alan Graham 2021