Great War Huts – Hospital Blues

The latest video offering from the excellent Great War Huts seems particularly relevant to the Salonika campaign – Hospital Blues: The British Hospital Uniforms of the First World War. Given the high sickness rates in the BSF, not to mention wounds and accidents, many men would have found themselves in hospital blues.

Here’s a fine photo from the Edward Gallon collection showing a group of patients – in their blues – and staff. Edward isn’t in the photo and we are not sure whether it relates to Salonika or not, but it is a splendid picture.

This next photo, though, is definitely a Salonika soldier in his blues: my grandfather, Fred Braysher. Evacuated from the Struma valley with malaria and dysentery in 1917, this was taken in Malta or Norwich, when he was well on the road to recovery.