South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

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Battalions, Brigades and Other Units - World War One


40th Field Ambulance - Royal Army Medical Corps

Unit History

The 40th Field Ambulance was a mobile medical unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) during World War I, serving as part of the British Army’s casualty evacuation chain. Field Ambulances were not fixed locations but rather moved with the divisions they supported, typically operating close to the front lines to treat and evacuate wounded soldiers. The 40th Field Ambulance was specifically attached to the 13th (Western) Division, which saw action in multiple theaters of the war.
 
The 13th Division, including the 40th Field Ambulance, was initially deployed to Gallipoli in 1915. During the Gallipoli Campaign (April 1915–January 1916), the unit would have been established near the beachheads, such as at Cape Helles or Anzac Cove, where it supported the division’s brigades by setting up Advanced Dressing Stations (ADS) and Main Dressing Stations (MDS) to handle casualties under intense combat conditions. These stations were typically located just behind the front lines, often within 600 yards of the Regimental Aid Posts, though the exact positions shifted with the ebb and flow of battle and the challenging terrain.
 
Following the evacuation from Gallipoli in January 1916, the 13th Division was redeployed to Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) to participate in the campaign against the Ottoman Empire. Here, the 40th Field Ambulance operated in support of operations like the relief of Kut and the advance on Baghdad. Specific locations included areas along the Tigris River, such as Sheikh Sa’ad, Ali Gharbi, and eventually Baghdad after its capture in March 1917. The unit would have established dressing stations in or near these towns and along the lines of advance, adapting to the mobile nature of the campaign and the harsh desert environment. For example, during the Battle of Kut (December 1916–April 1917), the 40th Field Ambulance likely operated near the front at places like Hanna or Shumran, providing emergency care and evacuating casualties to Casualty Clearing Stations further back.
 
By 1918, as the 13th Division continued operations in Mesopotamia, the 40th Field Ambulance would have been positioned in support of actions like the Battle of Sharqat (October 1918), likely near the Euphrates or Tigris rivers, depending on the division’s movements. These locations were not fixed hospitals but temporary setups in tents or requisitioned buildings, often in villages or along key supply routes, to maintain proximity to the fighting.
 
Because Field Ambulances were mobile and their precise locations depended on the tactical situation, no single fixed point can be pinpointed without specific war diary entries for the 40th Field Ambulance. However, its movements can be broadly traced to the 13th Division’s operational areas: Gallipoli in 1915 (e.g., near Anzac Cove or Suvla Bay), and Mesopotamia from 1916–1918 (e.g., along the Tigris from Kut to Baghdad and beyond). For exact day-to-day positions, the unit’s war diaries, held at The National Archives (UK) under reference WO 95, would provide detailed records of its locations and activities.
 
Source Grok3 AI
Other Sources - The Long Long Trail

 

 

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South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project

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Battalions, Brigades and Other Units - World War One


14th Field Ambulance - Royal Army Medical Corps

Unit History

The 14th Field Ambulance was a mobile medical unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) that served during World War I, primarily attached to the British 5th Division. Field Ambulances were not vehicles but rather units responsible for providing immediate medical care and evacuation for casualties from the front lines to further treatment facilities. The 14th Field Ambulance, along with the 13th and 15th Field Ambulances, supported the 5th Division across multiple theaters, including France, Italy, and Belgium, from 1914 to 1919.
 
Role and Operations: The 14th Field Ambulance was tasked with setting up and managing key points in the casualty evacuation chain:
  • Bearer Relay Posts: Located up to 600 yards behind the Regimental Aid Posts (RAPs) near the front line, where stretcher-bearers collected the wounded.
  • Advanced Dressing Stations (ADS): Positioned closer to the front, these provided emergency care and initial triage.
  • Main Dressing Station (MDS): Further back, this served as the primary treatment and sorting hub for the division’s casualties.
Each Field Ambulance was designed to handle around 150 casualties under normal conditions, though during major battles, they often dealt with far greater numbers. The unit included personnel such as medical officers, stretcher-bearers, nursing orderlies, and support staff, and it operated both horse-drawn and motor ambulances to transport the wounded.
 
Service with the 5th Division: The 14th Field Ambulance followed the 5th Division’s movements throughout the war:
  • France (1914–1917): The unit was active on the Western Front, participating in major engagements such as the Battle of Mons (1914), the First Battle of Ypres (1914), and the Somme (1916). It provided critical support during the chaotic retreats and advances of the early war years and the trench warfare that followed.
  • Italy (1917–1918): In late 1917, the 5th Division was redeployed to the Italian Front to reinforce the Italian Army after the disastrous Battle of Caporetto. The 14th Field Ambulance supported operations along the Piave River and in the Asiago Plateau, adapting to mountainous terrain and a different operational environment.
  • Return to France and Belgium (1918): The division returned to the Western Front in 1918, where the 14th Field Ambulance played a role in the final Allied offensives of the Hundred Days Offensive, including the breaking of the Hindenburg Line and the pursuit of retreating German forces.
Challenges and Conditions
The 14th Field Ambulance operated under grueling conditions. The Western Front’s muddy, shell-torn landscapes often made evacuation slow and dangerous, with stretcher-bearers and ambulance drivers exposed to enemy fire. In Italy, the rugged terrain posed additional logistical difficulties. The unit had to contend with not only battle injuries—caused by bullets, shrapnel, and gas—but also widespread diseases like trench fever and influenza, which strained medical resources.
Legacy.
 
The 14th Field Ambulance’s efforts were part of the broader evolution of battlefield medicine during World War I. Its work helped refine the chain of evacuation, from front-line aid posts to casualty clearing stations and base hospitals, a system that saved countless lives despite the war’s unprecedented carnage. Detailed records of its movements, compiled by members of the RAMC, survive in archives like the Wellcome Collection, offering insight into its day-to-day operations and the resilience of its personnel.
Source Grok3 AI

 

 

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