I've always assumed that L/6738 Pte Charles Sabourin of the 1st East Surrey Regiment, was one of the initial batch of six convalescent patients who was transferred to Hickwells from the 1st London General Hospital on 26th March 1915.  Easily identifiable due to his amputation, Charles had been severely wounded by shrapnel at Mons on the opening day of the battle there in August 1914.  He appears in a number of photos in both Francis Blencowe's and Edith Oliver's albums and I have combined these in the slideshow above.  I do not know the names of any of the other patients although one man has lost his left arm and I have often wondered whether this soldier was the other East Surrey Regiment man repatriated to England with Charles Sabourin in February 1915.

Charles's entry in Nurse Oliver’s album reads:

Pte C Sabourin

1st East Surrey Regt

Wounded and captured at Mons

I would like to meet the German

who fired that shrapnel I would

certainly treat him.  Returned.  Prisoner of W.

17/2/15.

Charles shares this page in her album with 8030 Private Henry Walter Richardson of the 1st Dorset Regiment and Corporal Albert Brandon of the 7th Middlesex regiment.

Charles was born in Bermondsey, south east London, around July 1882, his birth registered in the parish of St Olave in the September quarter of that year.  He appears on the 1891 census living with his family at 9 Rose Cottage, Bermondsey.  The household comprised: Charles Sabourin (head, aged 35, a bookbinder born in Bethnal Green), his wife Eliza Sabourin (aged 32, born in the City of London), and their six children: Eliza Sabourin (aged 13), Esther Sabourin (aged 11), Charles Sabourin (aged eight), George Frederick Sabourin (aged six), Lavinia Sabourin (aged three) and Frederick Sabourin (aged ten months).

He does not appear with his family on the 1901 census because he had already joined the army by then.  However, his parents and siblings were still living at the same address in Bermondsey and had grown by three.  Additional children noted on this census return are Edwin Sabourin (aged eight), Ada Sabourin (aged six) and Maria Sabourin (aged three).  Their father’s occupation is noted as a book binder’s porter.

According to his badly burnt papers held at The National Archives in Kew, Charles Sabourin enlisted in the East Surrey Regiment at 38 New Kent Road, south east London on 31st October 1900 giving his age as eighteen years and three months.  It appears that at the time of joining he had already served for a few months with the East Surrey Regt – it looks like 3/12 (ie: three months) on his attestation paper but this could be incorrect.  His trade is given as “labourer”.

Much of his service record was destroyed by German bombing in 1940.  Fragments of it exist and while the dates are visible in the right hand column, his location and often the reason for the entry, have been obliterated in the majority of cases.  It appears however, that after serving two years with the colours he extended his period of service.  It also looks as though he was serving with the 2nd East Surrey Regiment.

He attained a 3rd Class certificate of education whilst with the army and also received a certificate for swimming.  It is also noted that he served in South Africa in 1902.  On 1st April 1904 he was granted service pay Class II of 4d.  On 31st October 1905 he was granted service pay Class I of 7d.  He appears however, to have forfeited some of this (“inefficiency” is marked on his record) and by 16th September 1907 he is receiving service pay Class I at the rate of 6d.

On 7th November 1908 he was transferred to B Section of the Army Reserve and then transferred to A Section 17 days later.  On 7th November 1909 he was transferred back B Section.  On 30th November 1912 he is noted as being on Reserve Section D as “Re-engaged”.

Charles Sabourin was mobilized as a reservist on 5th August 1914 and it is possible to pick up his brief war service from this date by referring to the war diary of the 1st East Surrey Regiment.

On 15th August 1914 the battalion arrived at Havre from Dublin where it remained until the 17th.  At 5.30am on the 17th it left Havre and sustained its first casualty the following day when   Private A Walters was drowned.  A memorandum in the war diary for 19th August reads:

… the death by drowning, of No 8108 Pte A Walters… The accident occurred during a platoon bathing parade under platoon commanders about 3:30pm yesterday, 18th instant.  An attempt was made by two men to rescue him but he proved too strong for them, almost overpowering them.  The Medical Officer was sent for and on his arrival, rendered ‘1st Aid’ without success.

Private Walters is buried amongst civilians at Landrecies Communal Cemetery, Nord, (grave number five).

On 22nd August 1914 at around three in the afternoon, the battalion reached the Mons-Conde Canal and began to strengthen its position on the south side of the canal as it waited for the advancing German Armies.  C Company alone was positioned on the northern side of the canal.  The disposition of the other companies, from left to right, was B Company, HQ, D Company with A Company in reserve behind B Company.  The 1st Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry were on the battalion’s left and 2nd King’s Own Scottish Borderers on its right.  Having reached their position ahead of the canteens and with no supplies available, the men of the East Surreys were ordered to eat half of their iron rations.  

On Sunday 23rd August 1914 the battalion diary notes: “Owing to the advance of the Germans about 1pm, all work [constructing fire trenches] had to cease… The attack was soon passed and several casualties quickly occurred in this section [C Company].  By 3pm the attack was being pressed all along the line.”

The railway bridge and road bridge were blown up by sappers and the companies retreated south of the River Haine.  The war diary continues: “After reporting to Brigade Headquarters at Thulin, the battalion marched to Bois de Boussu where it eventually bivouacked about 2am in a factory yard.  Total casualties in this action were five officers and 134 other ranks killed, wounded and missing.”

This casualty figure was later quantified as two officers wounded and three missing with two Other Ranks killed, four wounded and 128 missing.

The diary contains a roll of casualties that occurred on 23rd August and again between 24th and 29th.  6738 Private Charles Sabourin is listed as missing on the 23rd, the entries in the diary filling nearly three sides of A5 paper.  His service record also records that between 24th and 29th August he was missing.  “Prisoner of War” is noted next to this in brackets.

Of the first day’s action in the First World War, The Official History (1914, Vol I) has this to say:

On the left of the 13th Brigade, the 14th … occupied the line of the canal from the railway bridge of Les Herbieres westward to Pommeroeul road bridge, a front of two and a half miles.  The 1/ East Surrey were on the right, holding the railway bridge itself, with one company pushed across to the north bank.

At the railway bridge of Les Herbieres, the Germans - of the 6th Division of the III Corps - began by bringing a machine gun into action in a house about half a mile from the barricade put up by the East Surrey (14th Brigade).  This was instantly silenced by one of the East Surrey machine guns; the Germans thereupon searched all the houses round the railway bridge with shell, in the hope of locating it.  They then tried to push forward in small columns… The enemy then plied the East Surrey defences with shrapnel and machine gun fire for half an hour, causing no casualties but disabling one machine gun; after which, about 1:30pm he attacked with two battalions of the 52nd in mass, which advanced across the open at a range of six hundred yards… At this point therefore, the Germans were decisively repulsed with very heavy loss, at the cost of trifling casualties to the East Surrey.”

Indeed, it was not until about 6pm, when guns were brought up within close range and destroyed the barricade over Les Herbieres road bridge that the Scottish Borderers withdrew to the Southern bank.  The East Surreys (14th Brigade) withdrew their advanced parties from north of the canal about the same time.  The battalion then retired by alternate companies to the position ordered near Thulin, south of the Haine… in this position the Germans were unable to make the slightest progress.

The East Surrey Regiment subsequently suffered heavy casualties between 24th and 29th August but this was at Le Cateau and while Sabourin’s service record notes that he was missing during this period, his mention in the war diary for the 23rd August and his won assertion in Nurse Oliver’s album that he was wounded at Mons, point very much to this date.

It is clear however that Charles Sabourin was severely wounded.  His reference in Nurse Oliver’s album to “treating” the German gunner who wounded him with shrapnel hides the fact that he lost his right leg as a result of it.  His service record states, “Wounded. Amp. Right leg Aug 1914”.

News was obviously passed back to his family in London that he was missing and then a prisoner of war and then that he had had his leg amputated.  The correspondence between his family and the War office is largely missing now and what remains is very difficult to read due to scorching and water damage from 1940s fire hoses.  Soon after the action at Mons however, the letters from his family started coming:

“… since 11th or 12th August I have not heard anything of him.  I am unable to get to the office to make enquiries so would be very grateful to you if you could let me know something.  Yours…” 

On 6th October the War Office received another anxious communication requesting that they advise:

 “… anything more about him at any time, his mother’s address is Mrs Sabourin, 26 Lacey Road, St James Road, Bermondsey” 

In November there was another letter:

“Dear Sir, I am very sorry to trouble you, but have you heard any more information of Pte C Sabourin 6738 of The East Surrey Reg.  It is now two months or so since I heard anything…” 

In January there was more, still along the same lines:

“I am very sorry to trouble you again, but have you heard any more of Private C Sabourin No 6738 of The East Surrey Regt.  I came down a month or two before Xmas but I have heard no news about him…”

The British Government though, was working hard to effect the return of men badly wounded in the opening months of the war.  On 10th December 1914 it proposed to the German Government (through the United States Government) that arrangements should be made for an exchange of British and German officers and men who had been taken prisoner and who were physically incapacitated for further military service.  The German Government duly accepted this proposal on 31st December.

Charles Sabourin, his name mis-spelled as “Sabairin” In The Times report that covered the event, was one of two East Surrey men who arrived at Charing Cross Station on Wednesday 17th February 1915, before being whisked away by ambulance to Queen Alexandra’s Military Hospital in Grosvenor Road.  According to a report published in The Central Somerset Gazette on 19th February 1915:

“The platform was kept free of the public but a large crowd gathered outside the station. The officers and men seemed very cheerful, and acknowledged the cordial welcome given them by the crowd. They were removed to hospital in motor ambulances.”

The Times newspaper also published a report on the same day, detailing the King and Queen's visit to the military hospital in Grosvenor Road, Millbank to visit he officers and men who had been released:

Just as the Royal car swung into the forecourt a company of soldiers on a route march passed along in full view of the balconies of the hospital, on which were a number of the wounded men.  The visit of the King and Queen was a surprise to the patients, and though some of them recognized their Majesties and came to the salute the others continued to acknowledge the greetings of their passing comrades by waving their hands.  Then came a shout from the ranks, "Are we downhearted?" which was responded with a mighty "No".

Their Majesties paid a visit to each of the wards and had a kindly word for each man.  They enquired as to the treatment the prisoners had received at the hands of the Germans and listened with sympathetic interest to the stories told by the wounded soldiers, some of whom had lost an arm or a leg, while others were blind. The King and Queen remained at the hospital for a couple of hours.

It would appear from information held at The National Archives that Charles Sabourin was also interviewed after the war by an official committee established to investigate the way in which British prisoners of war were treated.  It is possible however, that Charles's account no longer survives.

Charles Sabourin appears in numerous photographs in Nurse Oliver’s and Nurse Blencowe’s albums and looking at these images now you very much get the feeling that he and the other early arrivals at Chailey were very much novelty figures   Charles is easily recognisable with his right trouser leg sewn high at the thigh.  A further letter from his family to the War Office in March 1915 makes reference to his leg having been amputated and him being “properly cared for in his own home” but there is too much damage to the document to make sense of its purport.

Charles was discharged from the army on 6th April 1915 but he appears to have remained at Hickwells for some while.  In W H Baddock’s cartoon of a vehicle collision at Chailey in January 1916, Baddock quotes form the East Sussex News which reports, “… the men were cut and bruised and one man broke his artificial leg”.  That man was Charles Sabourin who appears in Baddock’s cartoon saying, “I’ve broke my leg, there’s 19 quid gone.  Oh dear!”  Hickwells had ceased to operate as a convalescent home in October the previous year but Charles seems by this time, to have become almost part of the furniture.

In 1937 Charles Sabourin married Ivy Oram in London.  Their marriage was registered at Kensington district in the March quarter of that year.  

Sources and Acknowledgements

Read more about Charles Sabourin in Opening Shots - Part 2 of The Hospital Way