Militaria

Lot 4291    Session 13 (2.30pm Thursday)    Militaria

Estimate $2,000
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $1,800

RED CROSS FLAG, of No 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, measures approx 90x142cm, reverse imprinted with D (upright arrow) D (Department of Defence marking) and below 1916 and No 3 A.C.C.S. Aged as you would expect from a flag that has flown for over two years in combat zones, otherwise very fine and a rare piece of AIF history for its association with our brave and self-sacrificing nurses on the battlefields of the Somme.

No. 3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station was formed on 17 March 1916 from personnel of the 10th Australian Field Ambulance. The unit sailed from Port Melbourne on the S.S. Medic on 20 May 1916. After further training and provisioning in England, they reached Le Havre on 26 September 1916 where they spent two days in a rest camp, then left for Rouen. After five days in camp at Rouen they entrained for Gezaincourt in the Somme Valley where they relieved No. 11 British C.C.S. A few days later, seven nursing sisters under the charge of Head Sister Ida O'Dwyer completed the staff.

No.3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station opened in the 5th Army in October 1916, and the staff, who had been sent out from England and who had done temporary duty in Abbeville joined, with Sister I. O'Dwyer A.A.N.S. in charge.

The following were Sisters-in-charge from this time until it closed in May 1919.
Head Sister I. O'Dwyer Nov. 1916 - 14.11.17.
Head Sister A. G. Douglas 14.11.17 - 14.5.18.
Head Sister E. W. Jeffries 14.5.18 - 15.12.18.
Head Sister V. Woinarski 15.12.18 - May 1919.
E. M. McCarthy - Matron-in-Chief, British Troops in France and Flanders, 31.7.19.

Source: E. M. McCarthy - Matron-in-Chief, British Troops in France and Flanders, 22.7.19.

'Early History,' War Diary, April-May 1919 Account by Matron-in-Chief

No.3 Australian C.C.S. opened in November 1916 at Gezaincourt (on the old site of 11 C.C.S.) with a staff of 7 Sisters. The O.C. was Lt. Colonel Corbin. The Sisters were accommodated in the Hospice at Gezaincourt together with the staff of 29 C.C.S.

The Matron-in-Chief visited the unit on 11.12.16 with Miss Conyers R.R.C. Matron-in-Chief A.I.F. and the following is an extract from her report: 'The O.C. spoke in the highest terms of the work both of the Australian and British Sister during the recent rush. He said he had not thought it possible for women to do such work. Two huts are in course of erection, one for operating theatre, and serious operation cases, and another for serious medical cases.'

From Gezaincourt they moved to Edgehill, where the work became very heavy, and in March 1917, the D.M.S. applied for the Nursing Staff to be made up to 12 saying 'This C.C.S. is in immediate touch with the front, and received constant accessions of wounded of a serious type'. At Edgehill the unit came under shell fire, but fortunately neither patients nor staff suffered. Later the C.C.S. moved from Edgehill to Grevillers, but the Hospital was again shelled, and the Nursing Staff were evacuated to other units.

On August 1st, a staff of 25, (including 4 Surgical teams) rejoined the unit at its new site at Brandhoek. Here the Hospital came in for some very heavy work, and a number of visiting surgical teams were constantly attached, so that the staff was almost as large as that of a Stationary Hospital. The heavy work continued throughout October, and on the 18th, the D.M.S. wired for 3 more Sisters, who were immediately sent.

Miss O'Dwyer (Sister-in-Charge) wrote that the numbers of deaths in less than a month had been over 260, and as she was anxious to write to the relatives of each man, the extra work entailed was tremendous.

In the New Year, the work became lighter, and the Staff was reduced to 15. During the 3rd week in March increased shell fire took place day and night. The shells became closer, the nearest falling 35 yards from the Sisters' Mess. On April 11th, the Nursing Staff was ordered to No.10 Stationary Hospital, as the C.C.S. was closing, and they remained there until the 20th when the unit opened on a new site at Esquelbecq, and 8 of the Staff rejoined. The remainder returned on 27.4.18, by which time the huts and messing arrangements were complete. The Sister in Charge reported that the staff had worked magnificently and cheerfully during all this trying time.

During August, the Hospital had a rush of surgical work and 3 or 4 teams were working day and night. A good many Americans were amongst the wounded and the Sisters remarked what cheerful patients they were. In September, the unit moved to Bandaghem, and from there in October to Dadizeele, about 6 miles from Menin. Whilst at Bandaghem, the camp was inspected by General Plumer, Army Commander, accompanied by General Guise-Moores D.M.S.

At Dadizeele, the work became heavy straight away, the patients arriving faster than the wards could be got ready for them. In addition to the heavy surgical work, the influenza epidemic was at this time very severe, and several sisters had to be evacuated suffering from it. On November 12th (the day after the Armistice) the Hospital moved forward to Audenarde, and on December 19th, they again advanced this time to Euskirchen in Germany. Here they took over from No.1 Canadian C.C.S., where the Hospital was established in a fine building, with central heating etc. During January, the work was fairly light, but in February the renewed influenza epidemic kept the Sisters busy. In April, orders were received to demobilise No.3 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, and the first week in May the last of the Nursing Staff arrived at the Base, preparatory to being demobilised.

Source: E. M. McCarthy - Matron-in-Chief, British Troops in France and Flanders, 22.7.19.

(The above information was sourced from Through These Lines in Sydney Research website - www.throughtheselines.com.au)