大象传媒

Introduction

This brief account about Field Hygiene work of the RAMC in Normandy after the Normandy landings of 1944 is mainly based on the testimony of one of my uncles, Private Ronald Ritson, RAMC from Whitehaven, Cumbria. He gave me this testimony in 2000 to assist me with a university project about the Battle of Normandy.

Ronald agreed that I could write about these memories, that they could be donated to an archive and that others could read them if they wished. He signed a form assigning copyright to me. I am pleased to submit this account on his behalf.

During the Battle of Normandy he was attached to 26 Field Hygiene Section of the RAMC. The hygiene work involved things like securing safe drinking and bathing water and providing hot showers. They also assisted with identifying and treating wounded soldiers and dealing with casualties. 26 Field Hygiene Section was attached to the 3rd British Infantry Division. Additionally, the CO of 26 FHS, Major Hargreaves, became virtually the local G.P. for several of the villages and small towns in the area around Plumetot and Douvres-La D茅livrande prior to the Liberation of Caen in July 1944.

Chauffeuring

鈥淥nce you got into Normandy you weren鈥檛 allowed to wander about. I would think it was obvious what the reasons were. There were sentries posted everywhere and if there were people wandering about where they shouldn鈥檛 have been, well it wasn鈥檛 very safe. You just weren鈥檛 allowed.

So, really the only time I got out was when I chauffeured my C.O. Major Hargreaves out and about. There was plenty of hygiene work, but that was chiefly done by the NCOs. So, I chauffeured my CO up to the Front. He used to inspect where they used to keep the food, anything like that, and see that everything was all right.

Compo rations

The first few days you didn鈥檛 have to worry about the food, because it was just in boxes, 鈥榗ompo rations鈥� as it was known. It was really all just tinned stuff! As you opened it, you eat it. It was pretty horrible, however. But it kept us alive.

Then it wasn鈥檛 many days really until fresh bread came in. This was on Tuesday 11 July because I wrote about it in a letter home that day.

The importance of Field Hygiene

The people in the Hygiene Section who used to do a lot of the important work were the sergeants. They were attached to the Brigades where the infantry was. So, they used to go around inspecting where they used to keep the food and the latrines were properly kept and supervised. There used to be troops from the Infantry Division that looked after these.

The importance of the sergeants going round to look at these was to see all the hygiene was taken care of. Because, of course, if things like that are not kept up to scratch, then there are flies about. They land on food and there would be all kind of disease about such as dysentery and so on. If things like that got a hold, where there are fighting soldiers about, then you haven鈥檛 got an army.

So, the sergeants are very important people and these Hygiene Sections are very important sections. They look after the health of the troops at the Frontline. That鈥檚 why Hygiene Sections were moving up with the fighting troops.

Now, I used to take the CO up to the Frontline to meet his sergeants. He used to get them set up mobile shower baths, with hot water. Of course, not everybody got one. But those that did they were very fortunate. But all these things are for the cleanliness of the troops, which is very important.鈥�

Conclusion

The above testimony gives only a brief outline of the Field Hygiene work of 26 FHS during the Battle of Normandy. For most of this time their camp was at Plumetot, adjacent to an aerodrome of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Ronald showed me a manual he had kept from his RAMC days giving more details about Field Hygiene, abbreviations used by the Medical Corps and other important work done by the RAMC during World War Two. This is now in the possession of another member of his family. He passed away in July 2000 and I am pleased to submit this article to honour some of their work during World War Two.

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