Great War>Hospitals

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No. 26 General Hospital    No. 26 General Hospital was at Etaples in France. It opened in June 1915. 13th Feb 1916 Postings 19th Feb 1916 Nurses Required 22nd Feb 1916 Reinforcements If you can provide any additional information, please add it here. We are currently building a database of patients treated in this hospital, if you know of anyone who was treated here, please enter their details via this form Patient Reports. (This section is under construction) No information has been added for this hospital, please check back later. Those known to have worked or been treated at No. 26 General Hospital during the Great War 1914-1918. Broadhead Herbert Wilson. Gnr. Bulley Elvin Spencer. L/Cpl. (d.17th September 1916) Johnson Keith Thomas. Pte. Legg Edward John. L/Cpl. (d.7th Oct 1916) Purchase Frederick Ross. Pte. Saad Robert Douglas. Pte. (d.14th Feb 1917) Somner George William. Spr. 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There are:3 items tagged No. 26 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. 263799 Spr. George William Somner 237th (Reading) Field Company Royal Engineers In the second quarter of 1915 George Somner married Jessie Cousens in Staines, Middlesex. He was the father of George W Somner born 1920 at Kingston Surrey. His mother's maiden name was Cousens. On 4 May 1884 he was baptised in St. Marys, Reading, Berkshire. Father George William and mother Kate Service History: 21 Jan 1916 Enlisted & Posted for Duty at Reading, Mason 6 May 1916 Disembarked France 237th Field Coy. Royal Engineers. 41st Division 16 Aug 1916 Rated Skilled Mason in field 22 Feb 1917 To hospital 27 Feb 1917 Re-joins unit 25 Oct 1917 Four days leave to UK 04 Jan 1918 Wounded in action but remained at duty 21 Jan 1918 Leave to UK for 14 days 08 Feb 1918 War Office Daily List No. 5487, wounded, NOK Staines 28 Apr 1918 Gassed at Ypres to hospital, diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in France following gassing 03 May 1918 Embarks for England to 26th General Hospital 04 May 1918 At 2/1st Southern General Hospital Birmingham for 36 days. 26 Jun 1918 War Office Daily List No.5602, Wounded, NOK Teddington 07 Oct 1918 To Q Coy. At Chatham 21 Oct 1918 Posted to 67th Division RE 27 Mar 1919 Demobilized At Chrystal Palace from 493 Field Coy. RE. 50% disability 1919 9 or 90 days convalescence hospital Plymouth 19 Jan 1920 Aged 36 yrs. T.B. present still 01 Apr 1921 Resident 12 Shacklegate Road, also a Jessie Somner present 01 Sep 1921 Resident 12 Shacklegate Road, also a Jessie Somner present 1921 Believed to have died aged 37 at Brentford Middlesex Keith Sampson Add to this record. 258201 L/Cpl. Edward John Legg 12th Btn. Rifle Brigade (d.7th Oct 1916) Edward Legg was born 29th of December 1889 in Richmond, Victoria, Australia. He was a Seaman from Williamstown, Victoria, Australia, he had landed in England and was waiting for a ship, when war broke out. On the 8th of September he enlisted at the Admiralty Recruiting Office in London, went directly to Rifle Depot, Winchester. On the 10th her was posted to the 9th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, 14th (Light) Division but on the 1st of October was transferred 12th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, 20th (Light) Division. He landed in France with 12th Rifle Brigade on the 21st of July 1915. On the 6th of June 1916 he was wounded, a gun shot in right eye and forehead while in the Potijze sector of the Ypres Salient. He was admitted to 17th Casualty Clearing Station the next day and evacuated via No 6 Ambulance Train to No 1 Canadian General Hospital, Etaples where he was admitted on the 8th of June. On the 10th he was transferred No 26 General Hospital and on the 27th to No 20 Infantry Base Depot, Etaples for convalescence. Edward rejoined the 12th Rifle Brigade on teh 7th of July 1916 near Ypres. from the 15th to 19th he was treated at a Local Field Ambulance for scabies. He was wounded, gun shot to face a second time on the 13th of August 1916 and admitted to No.29 Casualty Clearing Station and evacuated via No 21 Ambulance Train the next day. On the 16th he was admitted No 25 General Hospital at Hardelot his injuries recorded as GSW and he was also noted as suffering from urticaria. He was transferred No 47 Infantry Base Depot, Hardelot for convalescence on the 6th of September and on the 8th was appointed Lance Corporal (unpaid) rejoining 12th Rifle Brigade at Corbie two days later. Edward was recorded as missing in action on the 7th of October 1916 and officially presumed to have died on or since that date on the 9th of November 1918. Pam Henderson Add to this record. 256321 Pte. Robert Douglas Saad Honourable Artillery Company (d.14th Feb 1917) Robert Saad embarked Southampton on 1st of October 1916 and disembarked Le Havre the following day and proceeded to the Front on the 4th. He was admitted to 22nd Field Amblance on in December suffering from diarrhoea and was transferred to No.3 Casualty Clearing Station on the 24th, then to No. 26 General Hospital at Etaples on 1st of January 1917, transferred to England aboard the Carisbrook Castle on the 20th. A record report from Merryflats War Hospital states, admitted 22nd of January 1917 with diarrhoea and tonsillitis, diarrhoea almost gone on admission to hospital, was to have tonsils removed under an anesthetic but died suddenly during administration of anesthetic. Death was due to cardiac syncope. I am researching men of The Honourable Artillery Company. Alison Cook Add to this record. 254850 L/Cpl. Elvin Spencer Bulley 9th Btn. Norfolk Regiment (d.17th September 1916) Elvin Bulley, 9th (Service) Battalion, Norfolk Regiment who died on Sunday 17th of September 1916, age 32 years was the son of William and Rosanna Bulley of Swafield, North Walsham. Elvin Bulley went to France in October 1915 and is first mentioned in Army records when he was admitted to the General Hospital at Etaples with influenza on 22nd of December 1915. From the Battalion War Diaries we know that on 11th of September 1916 the 9th Norfolks moved to trenches south of Trones Wood at about 10pm. There they mainly slept in shell holes as there were no dugouts. On the 13th there was a good deal of shelling. On 15th September the battalion arrived in the trenches at 1am and took up the line on the Ginchy to Leuze Wood road from where an attack was launched at 7.20am. The Germans occupied the high ground just to the east of Ginchy and had constructed a formidable four-sided trench complex approximately 300 yards by 150 yards. The British called it The Quadrilateral. This was the Norfolk's objective, a position that other units had attempted to take in previous days; attempted and failed. Trenches immediately to the north were the Norfolk's objective. In the light of dawn they moved forward to take up final positions for their attack. They were ready but the staff who had planned the attack were guilty of serious errors of judgement. The customary artillery barrage normally used to smash defences and prevent the advance of reinforcements, was zeroed on ground 500 yards beyond the Quadrilateral! The Norfolks were therefore expected to advance and engage the Quadrilateral's defences with only one tank to support their valiant efforts. Some historians believe that yet another human error would play a hand in the battle. One tank assigned to support the attack was believed to have inflicted heavy casualties with its machine guns on the Norfolks as it started to move forward before zero hour! If this "friendly fire" incident did take place it is perhaps strange that no reference is made to it in the War Diary written at the time. At 0620 hours the British artillery barrage began and the ground on either side and beyond the Quadrilateral (where there were no Germans) erupted in smoke, flames and violently disturbed earth. Hardly a shell fell on the Quadrilateral from which there was devastating machine gun fire against the advancing Norfolks. They had to contend with uncut wire as well so, after moving only a short distance, were pinned down in no-man's land trying to find shelter in the numerous shell holes. By 0900 hours it was evident that the attack had failed. The tank that had been involved returned to the British positions leaving the infantry with no covering fire. Tragically, later in the day, those Norfolks still alive, lying out in no-man's land, were subjected to British artillery fire. As darkness fell the Quadrilateral remained intact and the 9th Battalion had paid a heavy price for their gallant efforts with 17 officers and 431 other ranks becoming casualties. Elvin Bulley was one of them and is buried at the nearby Guillemont Road Cemetery (Somme). The Norfolk News on the 14th of October 1916 reported, News has reached Acle of the death of Elvin Bulley of the Norfolks who was killed in action during last week. The deceased was a resident in Acle for nine or ten years and was a moulder at Messrs Smithdale and Sons, Acle. He was quite a favourite among the young fellows. He was captain of the Acle football team for several years and also a member of the Queen's Head Bowling Club. Soon after the war broke out he enlisted with several others of the parish. His brother was fighting beside him in the same trench and was wounded a few hours earlier. He was awarded the 1915 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. Patricia Bulley Add to this record. 251464 Pte. Frederick Ross Purchase 22nd Battalion Frederick Purchase had a gun shot wound to his hand and went to No.26 General at Etapes on 14th of November 1917. He was transferred to Colchester on the 16th of November 1917. He went back into service and returned to Canada March 1919 Marion Chessell Add to this record. 242411 Pte. Keith Thomas Johnson D Coy. 24th Battalion Keith Johnson joined the AIF in July 1915 one week after his 17th Birthday. He boarded the Osterley in Melbourne Australia and met up with the 24th Battalion in Egypt after they had evacuated from Gallipoli. Pte Johnson then went to France where he was in the trenches at Armentieries before moving to Pozieres. On 29th of July 1916 Pte Johnson received a shell wound to the leg, he was transported to a Casualty Clearing Station and then to the British 26 General Hospital in Etaples where his leg was amputated 4 inches below the knee. Pte Johnson was then transported to Calais and boarded the HS Newhaven and admitted to Egginton Hall Hospital for recuperation. He underwent another two operations where his stump was further shortened to above the knee. He was then transported to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hosptial. Jenny Clow Add to this record. 211205 Gnr. Herbert Wilson Broadhead 278 Siege Btty. Royal Garrison Artillery Herbert Broadhead, my Great-Grandfather, was a Gunner with the 278 & 535 Siege Batteries, RGA in France, he joined the Army in 1915. He was gassed in 1918 and sent to 26th Hospital, Etaples and then to Birmingham. He spent 61 days in hospital before returning to the Front. Nick Monaghan Add to this record. Recomended Reading. Available at discounted prices. Links Suggest a link

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