WW1-Soldier gassed 22/7/1917

[scrimnet]

No 7 General Hospital was actually in St Omer...

It was there fro 08 June 1915 to May 1918.

It was also known as Melassises Hospital


http://www.anzacday.org.au/digging/hospitals.html

And some interesting figures...

In France between November 15, 1916 and August 31, 1917, No. 7 General Hospital treated 35,783 people, with a total of only 386 deaths.

[HollyMM]

No 7 General Hospital was actually in St Omer...

I guess that's what I get when I try and decipher indecipherable handwriting! 

[percy porter]

I can find no reference so far to the Canterbury Infantry Regiment, however of the period of   7th of July 1917 the battle for Messines Ridge commenced,this attack was successful however it was retaken by the Germans in April of the following year. The South African Brigade took it back for the final time in October of 1918.

The battle for Ypres/Passchendaele took place from the end of July to early November so it is likely that it was at Messines ridge were the gassing took place.

I have not manged to find any reference so far to the 7th General Hospital you quoted but there were a number of British CCS (Casualty Clearing Stations) at St Omer and I have found a number of references to them dealing with gas victims.

Have a look here this will give you some info on the Messine Ridge Battle.
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/new-zealanders-in-belgium/battle-for-messines

I suspect that the Rifle brigade would have been two small a unit to get a specifice mention in most books and would have been included as part of the Canterbury Brigade. My only reference which covers this area and timeline is "The ANZAC experience" by Christopher Pugsley and ex NZ Army officer who is currently a senior lecturer in military history at Sandhurst a very readable and un biased account of NZ service during WW1. It should be readily available from your local library.

My main areas of interest is Gallipoli.

Hope this helps

Alan NZ

Ps I see from posts whilst I have been researching this that some areas have already been covered.

Alan

[HollyMM]

Thank you all for your helpful info. I looked deeper into Messines Ridge through Google, and found out it was here that mustard gas was used for the first time, by the Germans. It was very awful stuff, mustard gas.  Now this is sparking my interest in Passenchendaele even more (the fact that lots of ancestors were there, I mean), so it's a good thing I'm taking a WW1 history paper this year!

Here's the article I found:

   
Passchendaele: Encyclopedia II - Passchendaele - July 1917


Passchendaele - July 1917

As a second stage of the action, General Sir Hubert Gough was put in charge of the attacks to secure the Gheluvelt Plateau which overlooked Ypres. Huge numbers of guns were moved into the area and started a four-day bombardment, but the Germans recognised the sign of an impending offensive, and moved more troops in to reinforce the defences.

In July the Germans used mustard gas for the first time. It attacked sensitive parts of the body, caused blistering, damage to the lungs and inflammation of the eyes, causing blindness (sometimes temporary) and great pain.

One problem in carrying the offensive forward was the Yser canal, but this was taken on July 27 when the Allies found the German trenches empty. Four days later, the offensive proper opened with a major action at Pilkem ridge, with allied gains of up to 2000 yards. The Allies suffered about thirty-two thousand casualties--killed, wounded or missing--in this one action.

Ground conditions during the whole Ypres-Passendale action were atrocious. Continuous shelling destroyed drainage canals in the area, and unseasonable heavy rain turned the whole area into a sea of mud and water-filled shell-craters. The troops walked up to the front over paths made of duckboards laid across the mud, often carrying up to one hundred pounds (45 kg) of equipment. It was possible for them to slip off the path into the craters and drown before they could be rescued. The trees were reduced to blunted trunks, the branches and leaves torn away, and the bodies of men buried after previous actions were often uncovered by the rain or later shelling.

http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Passchendaele_-_July_1917/id/1834255

[scrimnet]

As or NZ tunnelers...

You may like to get int touch with this chap...

http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=108112&pid=1034343&st=0&#entry1034343

He may have found some int on the 3rd Canterbury Det...