6th June 1916 Tuesday
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“We were kept very busy in the hospital all during the month of May and up to the time in June when we left La Gorgue. Many wounded had been attended to and as most of these cases came in during the night it meant many a sleepless night, but we were always glad to do our best to make the sufferers as comfortable as possible after their nightmare in the trenches and the long trek back. Badly wounded cases requiring immediate operation were generally sent straight on to the Casualty Clearing Station further back, but slighter cases and cases of sickness were put to bed after a hot meal.
The Corps Commander General Haking visited us on June 6th and was very pleased with all he saw.”
Many of Haig’s Generals earned themselves what we would politely call mixed reviews during the Great War. General Sir Richard Cyril Byrne Haking attracted criticism even from his peers for some of his tactics during the conflict. We need to temper any such criticisms against a backdrop of poor communications, faulty equipment and a rigid adherence to army training and procedure. Haking nevertheless probably deserved much of the criticism, as did his colleagues. Read more on him here.
Holroyd, John Newman; General Sir Richard Haking (1862-1945); The Royal Hampshire Regiment Collection
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