1914 Star & Victory Medal group to 6th General Hospital RAMC (France & Flanders: date of entry 18 August 1914) & 1/5th Somerset Light Infantry (Palestine, Battle of Sharon, 1918) to Sydney George BURR from Bath

6588 Sidney G Burr, 6th General Hospital  RAMC (later 41620, 1/5th Somerset Light Infantry) Sidney George Burr was a regular soldier. He may be one and the same with Sidney or Sydney George Burr, who was the son of William Albert Burr, and Maria Burr, née Hooper. He was born to William and Maria in Bath, Somerset, in 1895. In 1911 he was a coal carter, like his father, living at 38 James Street West, Bath. He married Wilhelmina Witham, possibly at Holy Trinity, Bath, in the last quarter of 1922. With her he had two daughters (Dorothy Winifred and Irene Peggy) and one son (Sidney Arthur Dennis). Sidney senior's death (recorded as Sydney G Burr) was registered in Bath in the final quarter of 1929. He was 35. Judging from his RAMC regimental number of 6588 probably, like 6589 Oscar Sidney Ashman*, he enlisted for a short service engagement of 3 years with the Colours and 9 years on the Reserve some time between 3 and 8 August 1912. (Pte Ashman enlisted at Bristol on 8 August 1912, joining at Aldershot five days later, thus meaning that his Colours service was drawing to an end just as war broke out.) Pte Burr would have undergone his training at the RAMC Training School/School of Instruction in Aldershot in late 1912 to early 1913 and subsequently received his Corps pay, reflecting proficiency in his duties. Swiftly moving from his peacetime duties  he served in the France and Flanders theatre from 18 August 1914, going overseas with 6th General Hospital RAMC, probably as an Orderly. He was therefore entitled to the 1914 Star. No.6 General Hospital was based in  Le Havre for seven days in August 1914. The Matron and Staff were accommodated at Ecole Jean D’Arc on the 16th, their camp kit being used until they could be put into hotels. They then started off for Amiens on the 23rd, reaching Rouen by the 26th. On 30 August, however, all hospitals were ordered to leave Rouen and the hospital equipment and personnel with the exception of the Nursing Staff left by steamer the following day.  By 3 November No.6 had returned to Rouen, the war diary of the Matron-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force (transcribed S Light, 'Scarlet Finders') for 9 November commenting "After lunch went to 6 General Hospital – under canvas – working under difficulties, and not properly established. Col. Du Cane spoke very highly of Miss Reid’s capabilities, she having taken over vice Miss Dods now at Boulogne." By 22 November things appear to have been better settled, the Matron-in-Chief commenting "No.6 General Hospital in the same neighbourhood, also under canvas was the next I visited. Lt.Col. Du Cane ... officer in charge, Miss Reid Matron, staff of 40 – 2 more Nursing Sisters expected in the evening. The arrangements for the Sisters were good and their Mess Tent excellent – warm, comfortable, flowers on the tables and a very excellent mid-day meal, well cooked and very hot. Not many patients in Hospital and the marques being moved from one position to another." On 10 January 1915 she further commented "These hospitals are in a good position near pine woods and some of the tents have been struck in the middle of an apple orchard, which will be particularly beautiful in Spring. They are all boarded – heated by stoves and lighted by lamps. They are all well managed and everything going smoothly, No.6 being particularly good, having excellent arrangements for the comfort of the men and the Nursing Sisters. Everywhere the Matrons are well supplied with Red Cross things for the benefit of the patients." On 15 March 1915 "6 General Hospital with Miss Reid in charge were busy moving into their hutted Hospital which will be most comfortable". The hospital remained at Rouen for the duration of the war.  It was a base hospital, at the mid-point of the casualty evacuation chain, positioned near the coast and with good access to railway lines or canals for casualties received back from the the Casualty Clearing Stations closer to the front line, but also well-placed for evacuation of casualties through nearby ports so they could be evacuated for longer-term treatment in Britain. Possibly a man of high medical grade 'combed-out' for front-line service as the war progressed, Burr later served in theatre 4(b) (Palestine) as 41620** Pte S G Burr, 1/5th Somerset Light Infantry, part of the 233rd Brigade of the 75th Division, XXI Corps (Lt Gen E S Bulfin), Egyptian Expeditionary Force. It may be that like fellow RAMC man 41606 George Somerset Smale, he was already serving in Egypt (in Smale's case, at a casualty clearing station), when earmarked for transfer. Although he was posted to a Territorial battalion, Pte Burr's regimental number comes from the shared Regular/Service battalion sequence, probably dating from mid- to late-April 1918. Judging from the army career of G S Smale, after being earmarked, sent to RAMC base depot at Kantara and then put through a short stint at Infantry school, he would probably have joined the 1/5th Som L I around 21 May 1918. This was after their participation in the Battle of Berukin, 9-30 April 1918. This joining date would have put him in line to fight with the 1/5th in the Battle of Sharon, 19-25 September 1918. In this major set-piece battle (employing 35,000 troops in total on the Allied side) the main Tabsor system of trenches held by the Ottoman XXII Corps was attacked after an intense Western Front-style bombardment and eventually captured by the 3rd (Lahore), 7th (Meerut), and the 75th Divisions, including two companies of the 1/5th Somerset Light Infantry (the Battle of Tabsor). These three divisions subsequently advanced, despite the Ottoman XXII Corps being reinforced, to capture Et Tire (captured by the 75th Division, by 11am on the 19th) and Masudiye Station. As part of the wider battle of Sharon, the actions of the Meerut Division and (attacking along the coast), the 60th Division, opened up a gap which the cavalry could exploit, eventually leading to Ottoman defeat and the loss of at least 25,000 prisoners and 260 guns. The Final Offensive of the Sinai and Palestine Campaign began the day after the battles of Sharon and Nablus (the Battle of Megiddo) ended, with the pursuit to Damascus, which was captured on 1 October. The Turkish surrender (Armistice of Mudros) on 31 October 1918 saw the battalion at Kalkiliah south of Haifa, Palestine. Having at some point returned home, Pte Burr was discharged to the Army Section 'B' Reserve 21 April 1919; this was for men who had completed their service in the regular army and were serving their normal period (typically of five years, although in his case possibly nine) on reserve. *see also 6580 Arthur Sydney Hellyer, who enlisted for his "three and nine"  at Stratford, in London, on 3 August 1912 and served with 11th General Hospital as part of the BEF and 6584 Arthur Daniel Gwilt, a short service enlistment at Wolverhampton on 6 August 1912 who served with 4th Field Ambulance and 6585 Frederick Harold Forman who enlisted for a Long Service Attestation (12 years) at Aldershot, aged 14, on 7 August 1912 **41606 George Somerset Smale, also a former RAMC man, serving with 26th Casualty Clearing Station, was sent via RAMC Base Depot, Kantara (19 March 1918) to the Infantry School of Instruction on 1 April, and then on 12 April compulsorily transferred to the Somerset Light Infantry and posted to the 1/5th Battalion, joining them in the field on 21 May 1918.