Gassed in France

[david macdiarmid]

Hi There,does any one know of a site for injured soldiers dring WW1.My Grandfather Robert Sutherland 242633 GNR.RA.Died in 1940 in Edenhall in Musselburgh, but suffered serious lung problems after being gassed in France in WW1,i know not where or when.I would like to know if he was sent home due to this,where he was and what year.He was born in 1889 and i think he also played some part in WW2 but i know not what As always any help much appreciated,David

[LesleyB]

Hi David

Good to see you back!
Was he an officer or in the ranks?
If a private, if you give it a couple of months the service records (those that have survived) should be on Ancestry (currently only goes up to letter N) and there may be some info there, if his record survived. (Access to Ancestry free at Cupar Library)
If he'd been an officer there is a much greater chance that his service records have survived, but these are not online but can be consulted at Kew, or by getting a researcher to look at them for you.

I take it this is him? (medal card at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/)
Royal Field Artillery 242633 Gunner
Sutherland, Robert

Best wishes
Lesley

[david macdiarmid]

Hi Lesley,good to be back.I don't remember you telling me all these years ago how time consuming,frustrating,disappointing,expensive,never ending blind alleyways and brick walls and sometimes success,I know my numbers only add up to a few hundred God knows how you guy's cope with names in the thousands,it must be like some massive beast that you have to keep on feeding.As i mentioned my Grandad was gassed in France in WW1.I do not have any service record at all,which i really should have.This is another thing you did not tell me Lesley,My lot were all away having flings and affairs,my Grandad had a girlfriend until the day he died and i know my Granny sent him into WW2 for that very reason although i know not in what capacity,as he was very ill.I read somewhere that you are wating for the letter "S" and now so am i,i hope we live that long,Regards,David

[david macdiarmid]

Hi Lesley,I forgot to mention after all my rambling that Robert Sutherland was a Private as far as i know.I am dying to tell you a story regarding another of my lot but maybe best kept secret just now,David ps i have to confess after all your fine tuition my research has only been, by using Scotlands People and the Library

[emanday]

I don't remember you telling me all these years ago how time consuming,frustrating,disappointing,expensive,never ending blind alleyways and brick walls and sometimes success,

Wunnerful, innit! One minute next minute

[winslowsmom]

The artist John Singer Sargent did a huge painting called "Gassed" during the first world war. I think it honors the men in a very poignant fashion:

http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Gassed/Gassed.htm

It is at the Imperial War Museum nn London, and worth a visit if you go to London.

Despite his age and the fact that he was better known for the quality of his portraits and his paintings of high society, his reputation led to Sargent (1856-1925) being commissioned to do this commemorative painting. In 1918, he went to northern France and during one of his journeys from Arras to Doullens, he saw groups of soldiers blinded by projections of mustard gas. He used this as a subject for a naturalist allegorical frieze depicting a line of young men with their eyes bandaged, several of them apparently in agony, as they move forward among the bodies of other soldiers lying on the ground. The vast horizontal format of this painting gives effectiveness to this composition; Sargent had drawn studies on this theme before bringing them together to obtain this procession of painful shadows.

Cathy H.
Fountain Valley, California

[david macdiarmid]

Thanks for that Cathy,what a fascinating picture.I have never seen it before,you can virtually look at for ages and because the image is from factual events you can feel the pain and suffering of the time.I must confess i do prefer Madame X with the shoulder strap down,it gives the painting ,a sense of daring,i think,Regards,David

[Roxy]

If you look carefully at the 'Gassed' picture, you can see a game of football in the background; life goes on despite the hardships at hand.

Roxy

[david macdiarmid]

Hi Roxy,I have not got a clue how you noticed that,i didn't.Was it not the Legend,that was Bill Shankley said,that football was more important than life or something along those lines.This picture proves that he was way before his time,Regards,David

[Roxy]

I must admit that I have seen this picture before

Roxy