HISTORY OF SURGERY: FIRST WORLD WAR

HISTOIRE DE LA CHIRURGIE: PREMIRE GUERRE MONDIALE

A uniquely Canadian military moment: Sam Hughes

and the No. 7 General Hospital, 19151916

Col. Howard G. Coombs, PhD Summary

Universities across Canada actively supported the call to arms in 1914, and
Accepted June 26, 2017 Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, was no different. Though a myriad of
units composed of Queens faculty and students were created, the university
Correspondence to: perceived the military hospital raised by the schools medical faculty to be
H.G. Coombs among its most vital contributions to the First World War. This commentary
Royal Military College of Canada describes the engagement of the No. 7 General Hospital with the Minister of
Kingston ON K7K 7B4 Militia, Sam Hughes, which has become an almost unknown footnote to its
[email protected] illustrious story. This commentary has an Appendix, available at canjsurg.ca.

DOI: 10.1503/cjs.008717

U
niversities across Canada actively supported the call to arms in 1914,
and Queens University in Kingston, Ont., was no different. Though a
myriad of units composed of Queens faculty and students were cre-
ated, the university perceived the military hospital raised by the schools medi-
cal faculty to be among its most vital contributions to the First World War.1
Originally formed in 1915 as No. 5 (Queens University) Stationary Hospital,
it was sent to Cairo, Egypt, and used in support of the British Army in the
Middle East from August 1915 to January 1916, when it became No. 7
(Queens University) General Hospital. It remained in Cairo until April 1916,
and then moved to taples, France. No. 7 General Hospital stayed at that loca-
tion with other Canadian hospital units until May 1919, when it returned to
Canada and was demobilized (Appendix 1, available at canjsurg.ca).2 This hard-
working and well-travelled medical unit treated more than 39 900 patients.
Throughout its existence, its engagement with the
Minister of Militia, Sam Hughes, from December
1915 to August 1916 has become an almost
unknown footnote to its story.
Sam Hughes was a controversial Canadian fig-
ure larger than life and, depending on the senti-
ments of those who described him, a fiercely
proud nationalist or eccentric and dangerous
crackpot. The reality is likely somewhere in
between. However, there is no doubt about his
personal involvement with the members of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). This
engagement with the CEF was rooted in a phil
osophy shaped by his years in the prewar Militia,
which endowed him with a belief in the primacy of
the citizen soldier and their individual ownership
of the conflict in which they had volunteered to
fight. In a conflict that could not be owned by
Fig. 1. No. 7 General Hospital: Surgery in France (date unknown). Queens individual citizens, this viewpoint, along with
University Archives, Dr. F.X. OConnor III Photographic Collection 1069,
Box 2 of 3, File 35 III Pictures and Photographs Military Hospital Med Hughes abrasive personality and inability to man-
ical and Surgical, Surgery, n.d. Reproduced with permission. age in a systemic way the force that he had raised,

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 HISTORY OF SURGERY: FIRST WORLD WAR

were at odds with the needs of the Canadian government. Canadian dialogue, Hughes replied to this small band of
Hughes increasingly erratic behaviour and performance soldiers that they should start training in Cairo.6
prompted his dismissal by Prime Minister Robert Borden The background events that likely contributed to
in November 1916.3 All of that would be in the future and, Hughes willingness to become directly involved with this
like any good tale, this story needs to start at the beginning. exchange was probably underpinned by his personality and
With the outbreak of war in 1914, students at Ontarios beliefs regarding the primacy of citizen-soldiers, along
universities rushed to enlist in the military. Institutions like with his thoughts concerning their individual ownership of
Queens facilitated this by expanding or implementing the conflict. On top of this, there was an ongoing need for
Canadian Officers Training Corps (COTC) contingents recruits, which by October 1915 was exacerbated by an
and supporting the formation of various units from within authorized increase of the CEF from 150 000 to 250 000.7
the university.4 As part of this enthusiasm, Dr. Frederick It is likely, in that context, that Hughes saw a Canadian
Etherington, a prominent member of the Queens medical Hospital supporting the British campaign in the Middle
faculty, was commissioned as a Major in the Canadian East as not relevant to Canadian purposes. Accordingly,
Army Medical Corps and in November 1914 offered to Hughes believed that qualified volunteers like MacKenzie
raise a Stationary or General Hospital among the faculty, and the others should be brought into the Canadian fold
students and graduates of the university. Recruitment forthwith. This idea seems to be supported by Hughes
started almost immediately. In March 1915, the direction later actions in 1916, which raised the ire of the military
was given to mobilize No. 5 Stationary Hospital, and along medical community by advocating for a proposed scheme
with its newly promoted Officer Commanding, Lieutenant- to have Canadian military casualties receive medical treat-
Colonel Etherington, it proceeded overseas. The link and ment solely by Canadians. In practical terms, this idea did
identification with Queens University continued unabated not acknowledge that casualties occurred in waves and
until the end of the war. For example, the Hospitals ebbs conforming to operations, not in a predictable flow.
increase in establishment in January 1916 as No. 7 General All military medical resources, regardless of nationality,
Hospital was quickly filled with Canadian volunteers.5 needed to be brought to bear when necessary. Andrew
Not all members of the hospital in Cairo were enthused MacPhail, historian of the Canadian Medical Services in
with their wartime role. Some became bored by the pre- the First World War, observed that this segregation would
dictability of routine in a hospital removed from the fight- have been divisive, separating the CEF from the British
ing and wished for a transfer to more active units. Frederick Expeditionary Force. McPhail highlighted that the med
(Don) MacKenzie, a Queens graduate and future parlia- ical service was selected by the Minister as the ground of
mentarian, as well as some nonmedical Queens students his struggle for control of the army.2 Consequently, in the
and graduates who had been members of the COTC, matter of the MacKenzie telegram one could opine that
approached Etherington in late Autumn 1914 about obtain- Hughes was likely acting from a personal perspective that
ing commissions to be at the Front. Etherington was not was justified by his vision of national self-interest.
supportive; he asked the group to reconsider. He appealed In any case, MacKenzie later wrote in his recollection of
to them as Queens men who were part of a Queens unit events that they decided to verify the possibility of follow-
to remain and enable the Queens spirit to prevail. One ing Hughes direction and conducting their training in
could argue that, like Hughes, Etherington wanted to have Egypt. Accordingly, MacKenzie soon took the telegram
his hospital and his university personally own this por- and travelled to the Imperial School of Instruction 15 or
tion of the war while simultaneously serving the medical 20 miles east of Cairo. There he met with the adjutant of
needs of the soldiers in the most efficient way. the school, Captain Cook, who was, according to
After consideration, MacKenzie and the others thought MacKenzie, quite excited about their case. Moreover,
the war a much greater thing than the needs of a single when Cook found out that MacKenzie did not know
unit. This desire to join the larger war was not uncommon Hughes, he, according to MacKenzie, remarked that such
during the early years of the conflict. It was typical of the a thing as a general answering a cable from an unknown
realization that the war was changing dangerously and soldier could not happen in imperial circles. In turn, Cook
quickly. As a result, these soldiers thought their particular not only said that they could take their training at the
contribution would be better made elsewhere and in com- school, but also referred MacKenzie to Captain Gibson, the
bat. After discussing the matter the group, consisting of aide-de-camp of the General Officer Commanding the
T.W. Third (B.A.), M.B. MacLachlan (B.A.), F.D. Mediterranean forces. Gibson was welcoming and took the
M acKenzie (B.A.), F.J. Young, A.B.C. Throop, J.M. telegram to the General Officer Commanding, General
MacIlquham, R.J. MacKenzie, W.E. Grassie, W.F. Maxwell, who also assured that they could take their train-
Charon, and J.H. Odell, decided to take action and sent a ing and return to the Canadian Forces. As MacKenzie was
telegram offering their services as commissioned officers in departing, Gibson told him that if E therington continued
the Canadian Army to the Minister of the Militia, General to block their application they should not hesitate to go
Sir Sam Hughes. In what was to commence a uniquely over his head, as a man should not be stopped from

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HISTOIRE DE LA CHIRURGIE: PREMIRE GUERRE MONDIALE

romotion. Following that, on 08 January 1915, they sent

p the loss of 10 able-bodied and intelligent Queens men
a cable to Hughes explaining that training was possible before the arrival of the much-needed reinforcements from
inEgypt, and on 11 January they received a reply: Have Kingston would be detrimental to unit efficacy. Indeed,
pleasure in giving authority for training in Cairo. although the necessary personnel were quickly raised by
SamHughes.6 Queens University, they did not depart Kingston until the
With this telegram MacKenzie visited the school again, end of January. Etheringtons prudence in this matter
this time along with Third and Throop. Although Cook was seemed to be justified; in March, Queens University
hospitalized at the time, they met with the colonel in reported to the Adjutant General in Ottawa that the prom-
charge, who greeted them warmly and introduced them to a ised reinforcement draft was broken up and only a portion
number of other senior officers. In the course of the conver- were sent to Cairo. After inquiries were made to the
sation one of these officers asked MacKenzie if he could have Director of Medical Services of the Canadian Contingent
the telegrams, as it would make an exceptional dinner story: in England, it was decided to keep those who had arrived
No one would believe such a story. Just imagine what would in England employed temporarily until they could join
happen to me should I cable K itchener? Why Id be shot in No. 7 General Hospital once it was redeployed from the
the morning. However, MacKenzie declined to give away Middle East.5,6,8
the telegrams, as he would need them until they received the In the meantime, neither Hughes nor MacKenzie let
consent of their commander, Etherington.6 the matter disappear. At about the same time as inquiries
At the same time the Commanding Officer, E therington, were being made about the Queens reinforcement draft,
was a firm believer in the need for his hospital to maintain the Adjutant-Generals office in Ottawa contacted the
its integrity as a Queens unit. Mackenzie recorded in his Canadian General Staff in London to have Hughes wishes
account of the period that Etherington refused to provide carried out. A series of letters and telegrams ensued from
his consent for them to leave the unit and start training. various departments in London to the Middle East, and
Despite 2 further telegrams from MacKenzie to Hughes eventually an answer was received in April that the unit
on 18 January and on 25 January 1915, Etherington did had departed Cairo and was en route to France, where
not alter his decision. One can guess that with the expan- they arrived in early May. At that point, a telegraph was
sion of the hospital from a Stationary to General Hospital, sent from Major-General J.W. Carson, the Canadian

Fig. 2. No. 7 General Hospital: Funeral service in France (date unknown). Queens University Archives, Dr. F.X. OConnor III
Photographic Collection 1069, Box 2 of 3, File 33 III Pictures and Photographs Military Hospital Europe, Funeral Service,
n.d. Reproduced with permission.

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representative of the Department of Militia and Defence that emerge in wartime. Personalities like Etherington,
on the Canadian General Staff in London, to let Hughes Hughes and MacKenzie reflect our national culture and
office know that No. 7 General Hospital had arrived in serve not only as examples of the past, but also guideposts
France. At that time Carson suggested that although the to our future. Interestingly, one can discern that all
requests of the 10 students to transfer to the artillery could believed that they should take ownership of their part of
be enacted, there were more than sufficient numbers of the war, which created opposing perspectives. The friction
junior officers and there was no need to complete this between them was evidence of the larger collisions
request, but it would be done if Hughes wished. The reply between the culture of the professional soldier and that of
from Ottawa was In reply, I have to inform you that the the citizen-soldier and the occasional disagreement
Honourable Minister has instructed that the directions, as between military medicine and service bureaucracy. It also
previously given, to be carried out if possible.8 speaks to the uniqueness of the Canadian military ethos,
Meanwhile, MacKenzie continued his inquiries as to the with its singular blend of individualism, perseverance,
status of his request for commissioning after his arrival in patriotism and willingness to serve. Finally, it also under-
France in late May. His first letter laid out his background scores the importance of past Canadian military experience
and explained that this had already been approved by and the lessons that this knowledge highlights for the pres-
Hughes, but diplomatically wrote could not be satisfac ent and future.
torily arranged at the time. The reply informed MacKenzie
that no applicants for commissioning in the artillery were Acknowledgements: The author thanks Professor Emeritus Ron
Haycock of the Royal Military College of Canada for his review and
being accepted at that time owing to a surplus of artillery advice, as well as Lindsay Coombs for her assistance editing the article.
officers. In June, MacKenzie replied asking for consider-
Affiliation: From the Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ont.
ation for a position as a prospective infantry officer.9 By this
time the Canadian military bureaucracy were processing Competing interests: None declared.
Hughes directive to send the No. 7 (Queens University)
10 to artillery training in England. The rest is best References
described in a letter from Don MacKenzies brother Bert, a 1. Bindon KM. Queens Men, Canadas Men: The Military History of
Queens University. Kingston (ON): Eastern Typesetting; 1978. p. 38.
member of the group, to his sister, Rose, dated 23 July:
2. McPhail A. Official History of the Canadian Forces in the Great War:
The Medical Services. Ottawa (ON): F.A. Acland; 1925.
You may be wondering what we are doing back in Old Blighty. 3. Haycock RG. Sam Hughes: The Public Career of a Controversial Can
Well, before Xmas we (10 of us) wrote or rather cabled adian. Waterloo (ON): Wilfrid Laurier Press; 1986. p. 220-21, 307.
Col.Hughes for commissions and as time wore on and nothing 4. Wilson BM (editor). Forward to Ontario and the First World War
came of it we thought that it had all petered out, but last Tues- 1914-1918: A Collection of Documents The Publications of the Cham
day morning a letter came to our O.C. telling him to strike us plain Society, Ontario Series, Volume 10. Toronto (ON): University of
off his strength and have us report to Shorncliffe for the pur- Toronto Press; 1977. p. ci-cvii.
pose of trying out for vacancies to be filled here. So we came 5. Library and Archives Canada. Queens No. 5 Stationary Hospital,
across and here we are. We shall make a try for artillery com- Record Group 24 C-8, vol/box no. 4423, file MD3-26-5-50, Contin-
missions and in 3 months or better will go back to France with a gents Queens Stationary Hospital Documents, Vols 1-2, 1916-1917.
couple of stars up at least.10 6. Library and Archives Canada. Frederick Donald Mackenzie fonds,
1915-16, 1940-1944, Manuscript Group 27-III-C-13, R4412-0-X-E,
documents 1-2 and A Privates Correspondence with Sir Sam
Sadly, this tale did not have a happy ending for all the Hughes.
participants. Bert MacKenzie was seriously wounded 7. Cook T. Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King, and Canadas World Wars.
before wars end, resulting in an amputation of the left leg, Toronto (ON): Penguin Group; 2012. p. 71.
8. Library and Archives Canada. Queens No. 7 General Hospital,
and James MacIlquham was killed in action in 1917.11
Record Group 9 III-A-1, vol/box no. 42, file 8-4-41, No. 7 General
After the departure of these Queens men, Etherington Hospital, France (late No. 5 Stationary) 1916.
followed up in September 1916, requesting those specially 9. Queens University Archives. Bert and Don Mackenzie fonds,
recruited for the expansion to No. 7 General Hospital be A.ARCH Box 1/1, File Correspondence (Military) 1916-1917.
sent to France to bring them up to full strength.12 This 10. Queens University Archives. Bert and Don Mackenzie fonds,
A.ARCH Box 1/1, File Correspondence (Bert) 1916.
seems to have occurred. The history of the hospital, pub-
11. Queens University Archives. Bert and Don Mackenzie fonds,
lished in 1917, indicated that the flow of reinforcements A.ARCH Box 1/1, Enclosed CD, Jack MacKenzie, The War Letters
from Queens University had continued uninterrupted and of Bert and Don MacKenzie, 1915-1919 Canadian Expedition Force.
in many ways provided it with its unique character, repre- Regina (SK): University of Regina Printing Services; 1993. p. 178-85.
senting the traditions of service and sacrifice espoused by 12. Library and Archives Canada. Queens No. 7 General Hospital,
Record Group 9 III-B-2, vol/box no. 3666, file 29-4-7, Personnel
that institution.13 After the war, Etherington returned to
No. 7 Canadian General Hospital (Queens)[ca. 1914-1919].
Queens to continue a distinguished teaching career. 13. Queens University. A History of No 7 (Queens) Canadian General
This unique Canadian military moment is not only an Hospital March 26th, 1915 Nov. 15th, 1917. London (ON): C.W.
interesting story, but also indicates a myriad of tensions Faulkner; 1917. p. 38.

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