Medal Index Card for Gunner Strong

Photo : www.workhouse.org St Pancras Work house

Etaples after the bombing

Map of Etaples base camp

Cyril Strong was born in January 1898 at Kings Norton, Worcestershire, to Hugo Wesley Strong, born Liskeard, Cornwall, January 1862, [son of Thomas, born Liskeard, Cornwall 1822, died 1879, an ironmonger, and Anne Temple, born Egloshayle, Cornwall, 1822, daughter of Hugh and Cordelia Calloway, born 1793 died 1879], who died on the 21st July 1920, and Agnes Ward, nee King, [daughter of William King, born 1828 died October 1887, and Matilda Mary Ann Cooper born 1828 died January 1898], born Maidstone, Kent, 9th February 1861, baptised on the 1st May 1861, died 4th November 1941, in 1939 was residing at 59 Marine Avenue, Whitley Bay with Ruth {Bank Clerk} and Leslie, Foreman Engineer Tin Box Machinists], they were married in October 1891 at Strood, Kent. They had 4 other children, Leslie Strong, born 24th September 1902, died 4th December 1941, Ruth Strong, born 23rd May 1896, died 1962, Agnes Strong, born 1895, died 1969, and Hugh Strong the eldest born 1893.

Agnes Ward in 1891 was a Governess at Longfleet, Dorset, England.

[In 1881, Thomas had died and his widow Anne continued her husbands ironmongery business, they were residing at Fore Street at Liskeard, Cornwall].

Cyril's father Hugh Wesley Strong was a printer/compositor and in 1901 the family were residing at 241 Banbury Road, Oxford. His father was now Journalistic Editor.

They moved to the North East after 1901 and resided at 37 Marine Drive, Whitley Bay, Northumberland. Hugh Wesley Strong became editor of the 'Newcastle Daily Leader.'

The Newcastle Daily Leader was a regional newspaper started about 1884, taken over by the coal owner James Joicey in September 1885, he moved production from South Shields to Newcastle, and introduced a daily issue the Newcastle Daily Leader.

In 1911 he is residing at Hampden House Residential Masonic Lodge, Phoenix Street, London N W. His trade was given as Civil Service investigator for the Board of Trade.

On the 28th May 1919, Hugh Wesley Strong is admitted to St Pancras Workhouse, he was discharged on the 9th June 1920, and died on the 21st July 1920 at 52 Ellerby Road, Fulham.

Cyril Strong was an insurance agent and in June 1916, on his 18th birthday, Cyril enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He was given the service nu 204698 and was trained to be a gunner. He specialised in signalling, and was assigned into 'C' Battery 180th Brigade Royal Field Artillery.

180th Brigade RFA, joined the 16th (Irish) Division on the 22nd February 1916. They were at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and the third battle of Ypres as well as in the Somme battles in 1918.

Cyril Strong was wounded at some stage, and was in the 7th Canadian Base Hospital at Etaples recovering from his wounds. On the 19th/20th May 1918, there was an air raid at about 10.30 pm, on the Etaples hospital area. The 7th Canadian Stationery Hospital, [formerly the 23rd General Hospital which was taken over by the Canadians on the 16th November 1916], was bombed and machine gunned by the AEG bombers of Bogohl (Bomber Squadron) 6 of the Imperial German Army Air Service.

The 7th Canadian Stationery Hospital War Diary states the following : - 'Last night, about 10:30., we had a disastrous air raid as a result of which we lost two men (one killed and the other died of wounds) and had one man wounded and also the O. C. Major E. V. Hogan, wounded. Enemy aircraft suddenly were heard, and began dropping bombs without our having received warning. Practically the entire Etaples hospital area was subjected to an aerial bombardment for fully an hour, after which the raiders departed, returning again some time after midnight, and dropped more bombs. They also employed machine guns. It is unofficially estimated that the total casualties in the Etaples area were about one thousand. Casualties were numerous in the staffs of several of the hospitals, and certain patients were also casuals. --- Bright moonlight last night. The anti-aircraft fire appeared to be feeble.'

Etaples bombed: Received telephone message from A/Principal Matron, Etaples, saying that the Etaples hospitals had been severely bombed during the night. One Sister (Nursing Sister K. Macdonald, CAMC) had been killed and 7 wounded at No.1 Canadian General Hospital, also many patients and personnel. At No.7 Canadian General Hospital there were no casualties among the nursing staff but 3 MOs were wounded and some patients killed. The Nurses’ Club was wrecked but the two BRCS workers were not hurt. At No.26 General Hospital there were 2 minor casualties among the nursing staff – Miss Marshall, VAD slightly wounded on the head and admitted to hospital, and Miss Draper, VAD slightly wounded in the wrist. One patient only was killed in this unit. Part of the Sisters’ quarters were wrecked and one or two of the rooms nearest the railway siding are unfit for use. There were no casualties among the nursing staff at No.24 General Hospital. This unit took in a large number of casualties from the Infantry Base Depot and the Household Cavalry Camp. At No.46 Stationary Hospital one VAD, Miss W. A. Brampton, was somewhat shell-shocked. A number of patients were killed and wounded. At No.56 General Hospital there were no casualties among the nursing staff but some amongst patients and personnel. Nos. 35, 37, 4 and 2 Ambulance Trains were in the siding at the time and were damaged, the only casualty amongst nursing staff being S/Nurse M. de H. Smith, slightly wounded above the eye. The Matron-in-Chief, CEF, the Matron-in-Chief, QAIMNS War Office, and DGMS were informed of all casualties.

From The National Archives WO95/3990:

Canadian Nursing Service.
Over the two-hour raid, 116 bombs were dropped, hitting a total of ten Canadian and British hospitals and causing a total of 840 casualties among staff, patients, and civilians.6No.1 CGH was the worst hit, with 139 casualties, of which 66 were fatal.7 These included three nursing sisters: Katherine Macdonald, who died instantly, and Gladys Wake and Margaret Lowe, who were wounded so seriously that they died within a few days. Five other nursing sisters werewounded but recovered. No. 7 CGH also suffered, with 71 casualties, of which 13 were killed, although none were nursing sisters. No. 9 CSH had 18 casualties, including two nursing sisters wounded.8 No. 7 CSH had three casualties. One off-duty nursing sister later described her ordeal: "I did not at first know I was wounded….I thought I was gassed. The pile of building material came down on a mattress and I was nearly smothered, but wriggled out with great effort".

"Then as I got strong enough to work, one of the nurses asked me if I wanted a job as orderly. I was only too pleased to take a job like this. My job was to take the meals around to the sick and wash up. Every morning I had to take in the dirty clothes and bring back clean. One day a French soldier was brought in, so when the doctor came around to visit the sick, I was the only one that could speak to this French man, so I had to speak for the doctor. Everything went on fine till one evening just about midnight the alarm went, Germans was raiding the place. They dropped two bombs at the top of our hospital where a few marquees had been put up. My word, the noise of these bombs coming down was something awful, and these marquees on fire.

This evening I stayed in bed as there was no other place for shelter. This was on the 19th of May, 1918, and during the raid 27 bombs was dropped over the hospitals and the town of Etaples. In our hospital alone over 200 came in that had got wounded during the raid and one camp that was close to Etaples there was 147 casualties in which 44 died. Between the soldiers and the French people there was [sic] over 1000 casualties.

The next day when we saw what had happened we started making trenches along side of every ward. The next night was as bad, I thought my last minute had come. About the hospitals was nothing else but dead lying about. But the third night was the worst night for us. When the alarm was given the bombs was already dropping in the Hospital and before we had time to get in our trenches one bomb fell on No.17 ward, smashing all the windows of our ward. Some couldn’t move from their beds, so we used to put the clothes of the ones that was able to walk on those that couldn’t move.

After the bomb had hit No.17 there was not a piece of ward standing and some of the chaps that was in were never found again. A Canadian Hospital had five Canadian nuns killed, and one of the wards they found a door down with a chap laying on top dead and a nurse in under living. Then after the third night they began clearing the hospital, and only the ones that could walk about was kept back. Then at night time every nurse was carried away in motor ambulances, and we would sleep in the wood for the night, we used to take two or three blankets each and go down by the river for the night. We used to find ourselves back about six o’clock the next morning. This carried on for a week or so, and this week Gerry never came over at all, then he started again on his raiding."

Source :- Latimer’s Notebook – Summer 1918 by Liz Walton. [656 Private Latimer Le Poidevin was there on the fateful day].

Hugh Wesley Strong left effects of £1252 17s 6d to Agnes Ward Strong.

Agnes War Strong left effects to Ruth Strong and Leslie Strong £791 13s.

Whitley Seaside Chronicle and Visitors' Gazette - Saturday 15/06/1918:

'Gunner CYRIL STRONG. R.F.A. Information has been received that Gunner Cyril Strong R.F.A., of Marine Avenue, Whitley Bay has been killed. Gunner Strong, who had been awarded the Military Medal, was the second son of Mr Hugh W Strong, formerly editor of the "Newcastle Daily Leader," and was a shipping insurance clerk at Newcastle when he joined up on his 18th birthday in June 1916. He had been just a year at the front and had become a proficient signaller, being mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Military Medal under the circumstances narrated below by his section Commander. He was sent to hospital to be treated for the effects of gas and was killed whilst in the act of assisting more seriously incapacitated inmates of the hospital to a place of safety.

The Section Commander writes: "I personally keenly feel the loss of your son, as do all his chums in the Battery, and I have lost in him the best signaller in my section and a good soldier. I do not know whether you have been told how he won his Military Medal. At about 8 am on the 21st March the Major asked for a Signaller to go to Brigade Headquarters with a message as all our telephone wires had been cut by enemy shelling. The bombardment was the most tremendous I have ever seen - and I was at Loos, Ypres and also on the Somme. But your son immediately volunteered to attempt the two mile journey. After he left the dug-out he came up to me and asked very calmly what his chances were, and I told him I thought he would get through. Just how he completed the journey and delivered the message I don't know, but I know he had to crawl the greater part of the way. When he left the Battery the gas was so thick that it was impossible to see for a greater distance than six feet, and the gas must have been as thick over the greater part of the journey. I can assure you that the Military Medal has never been more fully deserved, and you have every reason to be exceedingly proud of the part played by your son on that day. Hoping that the knowledge of the Great bravery of your son may help to lighten your burden, and with deepest sympathy, I am yours sincerely

R W ATKINSON R.F.A.

Major Ellis, Commanding C/1800 Battery R.F.A. writes "I hardly knew him personally as I have only recently taken over the Battery. He had, however, been with me once in the observation station as my signaller, and I had been struck then by his promising manner and knowledge of his job, so that I was particularly sorry to hear that he had been killed in hospital. I am not sure whether you know that he was awarded the Military Medal. The notification came after he had left us and I had it sent on to him, but possibly he never got it. I hope you will get it amongst the rest of his belongings from the hospital.

May I offer you and the rest of his family my deepest sympathy in their heavy loss for a cause of whose justice in the manner of his death, is yet another proof."

He was gazetted his Military Medal on the 29th August 1918.

Research: Angela Conroy/James Pasby

Cyril Strong is remembered at Whitley Bay on W84.01

Note : The CWGC show the wrong unit - he was in the 180th Brigade not the 160th.

Etaples Military Cemetery
Photo of the camp
The CWGC entry for Gunner Strong