Harley Street - Bayeux July 1944

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by wesleycj, Aug 8, 2016.

  1. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    I am researching a Doctor who served with No 10 Canadian General Hospital.

    In July 1944 the hospital set up near Bayeux with several others in orchards along a road that became known as "Harley Street."
    The CAMC suggest this area was WEST of Bayeux but British accounts say it was on the Bayeux-Caen road.
    One other clue I have is that there was a railway alongside from Bayeux-Caen and when the trains started running again they would often slow down and pick up the nurses on their way into Caen. Well, wouldn't you!

    Can anyone help with this location and in particular that of No 10 Can. Gen. Hosp.

    Chris
     
  2. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    There were quite a lot of temporary buildings etc installed just north of Audrieu near the Bayeux-Caen railway line that match your general description. Not definitive and hopefully not a red herring!

    Note: for most of the distance, the Bayeux-Caen railway line in not near the Bayeux-Caen road
     
  3. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    Thanks for that. In the history it states that the nurses were quartered in bell tents. So if anyone has a vertical photograph that might be useful.
     
  4. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    There are some aerial photos of that location on another thread but I'm currently struggling to remember which one! It's in one of the 24th Lancers threads or one about Sgt Norton. I'll keep digging.
     
  5. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    I think Audrieu is too far out of Bayeux and too near the fighting in July. There were British as well as Canadian General Hospitals in "Harley St". 79 Gen. Hosp. was at Chateau de Beaussy, Saint-loup-Hors in July which is looking the most likely area.
     
  6. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    Another small clue I came across last night is that there was an airfield at the end of the "street" used for casualty evacuation
     
  7. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Chris

    I don't want to rain on your parade but there were quite a number of airfields in the area. The consolation is that I have a map that shows said airfields so, if you can come up with more clues, we should be able to narrow it down to, hopefully, a specific airfield.
     
  8. m kenny

    m kenny Senior Member

    As Bayeux was taken early on it does not figure much in recce pics taken after June 6. All the ones I have seen pre-date D-Day.
     
  9. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    For anyone else researching this topic I found a map showing the layout of all the General Hospitals at Bayeux. It can be found at the National Archives in the following war diary:

    War diary DMS 21 Army Group WO 177/316
     
  10. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Wesleycj

    Any mention on the maps of the hospital mentioned in post #1 (10th Canadian)
     
  11. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    The location on No 10 CGH was 743788 Sheet 37-16 N.W. Bayeux
     
  12. wesleycj

    wesleycj Member

    This is the map, as a transparency its a good fit on Google earth and you can then Bayeux GH Plan.png see where all the hospitals were sited. It seem that Harley street was the D5 Bayeux_Le Molay-Littry road.
     
  13. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Chris

    Interesting. Several aspects to consider:
    1. The main railway line is just to the south of this map reference
    2. Airfield A13 was not too far to the north
    3. There are, indeed, orchards in the area on my period map
    4. Most intriguingly, the Hamlet of Haley is on the road linking the general area of the railway/10CGA to the General area of Airfield A13...but that could be a surreal coincidence because,
    5. The main road between the 10CGA and the Airfield is the 'Caen to Bayeux' road, albeit just the the west of Bayeux.
     
  14. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Chris

    Our posts crossed! I consequently concur with your comment re the D5 road....or could it have been Haley to start with then, understandably, rebadged as Harley Street?
     
  15. Stan Kliszowski

    Stan Kliszowski New Member

    Hi, i grew up and i am actually living in the very place where the 10 CGH and 73 BGH were located.

    I was almost unaware of the very existence of these hospitals until recently. My parents knew that there had been a hospital during WW2, because they had Canadian visitors about 30 years ago, knocking at our gate, and explaining that they had been working in the hospital during WW2 after the D day, and showing pictures.
    We did not know more until one month ago, when my sister met by some coincidence a 79year old french man who was living in our house when he was 5.
    We have invited last week to come back and visit the houses (there is a large mansion and a small house) and the park, and see the fields around.
    It was quite interesting (and emotional) because he could actually remember everything and told us that things had not changed a lot. He produced some pics (e.g. Him as a little boy with a British doctor in front of the house, him getting a hair cut with the soldiers, tents...). He was able to locate everything and to describe the daily activities he had been witnessing 73 years before. Quite incredible!

    With the documents, and knowing now the names of the field hospitals, my sister has started to reach out to official organizations keeping archives (they are starting to reply).

    I confirm all your conclusions about the location and the D5. (I am currently sitting outside hearing the buzz of the traffic on the D5, between Bayeux and Littry). Btw, The house is called Le Cambray.

    Today, I googled '10 CGH ww2' and ...I found this forum. I am of course pleased to share any information you may be interested in. Let me know if I can do anything. I actually really hope this will allow to find much much more!

    All the best
    Stan
     
  16. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Just to put the location of 'Harley Street' into context, here is an extract from a map issued about August 1944 that shows the Airfield to the north of the General Hospitals and with the railway also shown. The hamlet of Haley is also mentioned!

    Although the Hospitals themselves aren't shown, a combination of this map and the diagram in post #12 should allow the location of each Hospital to be identified.

    Harley Street Hospitals location.jpg
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2018
    PaulE, Tricky Dicky and Owen like this.
  17. Stephen Cooke

    Stephen Cooke Member

    I’m looking for 17 Canadian General Hospital but not on this map. Any ideas. My Dad was there early July 1944. Thanks
     
  18. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Sure it was 17??
    Bayeux GH Plan.png
     
  19. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Ah - I see what you are asking for now

    No.17 Canadian General Hospital, Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (R.C.A.M.C.), Crowthorne, England

    TD

    http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/docs/CMS_vol1_e.pdf

    The 3 x references to 17 CGH in this document are copied below

    No. 17 Canadian General Hospital 600 beds ..........................................Pinewood*
    * No. 17 General Hospital replaced No. 6 Casualty Clearing Station at Pinewood.

    and No. 17 Canadian General Hospital (Pinewood) at Crowthorne to the scheme. Later the E.M.S. hospital at Chichester was also added as a transit hospital.

    Canadian transit hospitals did not crowd their wards excessively. No. 17 Canadian General Hospital reported on 16 June that "not more than 20 per cent of casualties received had been
    Canadian, and for the month of June this hospital received a total of 2191 casualties. As
    a result of the small number coming in, the hospital received word on 23 June to retain all
    Canadian casualties. This procedure was continued during the month of July, when 3760
    casualties were received including 608 Canadians. On 31 July the hospital ceased to
    function as a railway transit hospital and began to receive casualties brought from France
    by air. Nos. 4 and 22 Canadian General Hospitals continued to function as railway transit
    hospitals.
    The number of casualties arriving from Normandy was not so great as estimated,
    and the coastal and transit hospitals were able to handle the greater proportion of these.
    Consequently, the hospitals designated "base" in the scheme of evacuation received fewer
    casualties than had been expected and their principal function continued to be the
    hospitalization of the troops remaining in England
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2019
  20. Stephen Cooke

    Stephen Cooke Member

    Thank you for that. He must have moved there from Normandy. His Field Medical Card shows No.3 Casualty Clearing Station 4 July 1944 and there is a stamp saying 35 F.T.U. same date. He was with the 7th Battalion Green Howard’s.
     

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