churches
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an order forbids to use churches for treating sick or wounded. This came to me as a surprise.
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by
cyngast
moderator
So far, I haven't found any information about this. But as I think about the field ambulance diaries I have tagged, I don't recall any using a church as a hospital or aid station. They did use schools, barns, and dugouts.
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Photo of Field hospital in a church, Braisne, France, WW1.
Also photo of American wounded in a wrecked church in Neuvilly, France on September 26, 1918. Link: https://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/images/wwi-education-program-american-wounded
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by
ral104
moderator, scientist
It's difficult to be sure, but I don't think the men in your first link are British troops, Marie.
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by
cyngast
moderator
in response to marie.eklidvirginmedia.com's comment.
I agree with Rob. I found the same photo here: https://books.google.com/books?id=Xw6vBq5mUUoC&pg=PA461&lpg=PA461&dq=field+hospital+in+a+church+braisnes&source=bl&ots=qwvC9MvybO&sig=5ffeCvWGlASu54n80K12JKPWEDg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFuIrEu53VAhXhslQKHdawDs4Q6AEIPTAH#v=onepage&q&f=false with a caption about the conditions under which American nurses worked. It appears in a section of the book US Women at War.
American policies about using churches as field hospitals may have been different from British ones.
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Ral, I agree with you, re the image of the men in the church.
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by
cyngast
moderator
This item in a set of routine orders isn't actually in reference to using churches for wounded, but it does give some idea of the hands-off attitude of the army toward using churches for anything other than religious purposes. Image AWD0003w71 It's the first item.
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