Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website

Add Information to Record of a Person who served during the Great War on The Wartime Memories Project Website





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226439

Lt.Col. Otto William Alexander Elsner MID, DSO.

British Army 27th Field Ambulance Royal Army Medical Corps

Otto Elsner was born in Ireland on 4th June 1871. He was educated at Galway Grammar School and studied at the Royal College of Surgeons. In 1897 he was employed as the Medical Officer for the building of the Ibadan to Ilorin railway in Nigeria. In 1899 he joined the RAMC and served throughout the South African war. He was awarded the Queen's Medal with 5 clasps. Between 1902 and 1905 he served in India, then returned to South Africa in 1910 returning to Britain at the outbreak of war in 1914.

Otto went to France with the British Expeditionary Force in September 1914, and served with the 6th Cavalry Field Ambulance in Belgium during the First Battle of Ypres. In early 1915 he took over command of 27th Field Ambulance. In 1917, he was appointed Assistant Director Medical Services of 9th (Scottish) Division. He was mentioned five times in despatches, awarded the DSO in 1917 and appointed CBE in 1919. He retired from the Army in 1926 and died in 1953.



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