Leaving Africa Behind: 26th Gen. Hospital moves to Italy, 1943

To start off this section of pics from my Dad's album, I'll quote the writer of the book my Dad had called "A History of the 26th General Hospital", where he says:

"All of us who spent those three and a half days on an LCI retain an undying aversion for those little vessels. It is true that they carried us safely through the perilous waters to our destination; but was such an uncomfortable voyage that we became indifferent and unconcerned about the outcome."

Most of the officers and enlisted men left the port of Bizerte on Nov 22, 1943, headed for the port of Taranto, Italy.

Ace (Asa) Queen and Harry Burquist (Berquist) sitting on a rail, somewhere in the Mediterranean on the crossing to Italy.



No caption on back. Somewhere between Bizerte, North Africa, and Taranto, Italy.


No caption


No caption


On the back: LCI from Bizerte Africa to Taranto Italy


On back: LCI from Biserta, Africa to Taranto Italy.

 

Just realized the 2nd picture is on sand, not on water. Looks like a junked boat, probably in North Africa.

 

Superb. Keep it up.

Thanks in particular for the caption comments. You will be amazed!
Years from now, family members searching for their ancestor's name will run across these posts and revive it from its long forgotten sleep.

If you are interested in learning more about his life in Italy, be sure to drop into that superb Italian Forum:
http://www.comandosupremo.com/

There is a stunning amount of information there, with a very large team of highly dedicated volunteers who are doing a thorough job of salvaging histories from both sides of the war.

===> UPDATE <===

Likewise the Axis History Forum: http://forum.axishistory.com/

Bonus: both forums are predominately English.

Here and (in particular) on our sister forum http://ww2talk.com/forums/ our resident Italy expert is WW2 British Army Italian Vet Ron Goldstein.

Stay tuned to his threads and photo albums!

 

Thanks, Fred. And I appreciate the link. I didn't know about that forum, and it looks like there is some interesting stuff there.
Bonnie

 

Pictures from the crossing on an LCI and Bari Harbor

On the back: LCI from Africa to Italy, '43


The rest of these pics are identified on the back simply as "Bari Harbor"

 

Bari, Italy


Not sure where this was taken, but think it might have been at the hospital in Bari, or perhaps a train station?? On the back it says:
Maj. Plankers, Nurse Qualset, and Nurse Hedges (from other pics, I know that Nurse Hedges is the woman in the center, and Nurse Qualset is to her right.)


Most of the rest of the pics in this batch don't identify places or people. Most appear to be of the hospital grounds in Bari, and some just street scenes, possibly in Bari or other places Dad visited.

My Dad, Walt Pugh, is in the center of this one; from other pictures that were identified, I believe (but could be wrong!) that the man on the left side of my dad is named "Albertson." I don't know the other man.


My dad, Walt Pugh, is at the top of the steps. The other faces are starting to look familiar from other pictures, but no names are on the back, so I won't guess who they are.


From the descriptions in the book I have (and from pictures in it) these are pics of the 26th General Hospital complex. The first is from a ground level view, and the other appears to have been taken from an upper story window looking out.







The book describes the grounds of the hospital complex as being nicely landscaped with palm trees and other shrubs, hedges, and flowers. I don't know who the men are in this picture.




I believe that this picture is of Nurse Qualset, but there's nothing written on it, so I can't be sure. But she is identified in other pictures, and I believe it is the same person.

 

I won't keep commenting on how good and unique these are...Thanks for posting...A rare gem of pics...

 

Likewise. If we go all quiet here, it's just cause we're reading and viewing. Understood?

Man, would I like to see some "Before and After" photo comparisons from this thread.

You would hardly recognize Bari Railway now! 300 Kph bullet trains... sheesh! What a different world!

 

Before and after photos of Cotugno Hospital, BARI - Italy (unfortunately from different angles) (It just went through a major facelift.)

 

Bari Harbour "Before and After" (drastically different views!)

IMHO one of the prettiest and best designed in the world. I'm sure your dad would have agreed!
All those pictures your dad took of the harbour were not misfires.
He was capturing as many images he could of someplace very memorable indeed!



Just a Breathtaking view here of Bari Vecchio harbour - the one your dad sailed into.
The same steeple tower can be seen today in the top left corner:



Bari Italy (Main) Harbour - used mostly by fishing / recreational boats nowadays.
Dates from the Roman Period, if memory serves me right.

 

Wow, the before-and-after shots are super! It's amazing to see what it looks like now, and I really appreciate your posting those, Fred.

And I will keep posting the pics until I reach the end. Understand if nobody comments, just glad someone is getting to enjoy them. I just finished reading the book, "The History of the Twenty-Sixth General Hospital" and highly recommend it to anyone interested in that period. It's a little upsetting that the book was here all along, but I wasn't interested enough, or didn't have enough time, to read it when Dad was still alive to answer questions and tell me what he remembered from that time. But like so many others who lived through it, he didn't talk about his experiences. I'm just grateful I have the book and his album of pictures. And it's been fun to share the pics with all of you here.

Bonnie

 

This batch of pictures didn't come with much information. There are lots of "hospital" shots, of patients and staff members.







Just discovered my Dad in the photo below. He's the 2nd guy from the left in the back row, just behind and to the right of Nurse Qualset. Nurse Hedges is the only nurse standing in the center just behind the row of wheelchairs. This must have been a bunch of patients from the Plastic Surgery Ward.







Nothing written on this, but my Dad, Walt Pugh, is on the far left; and the Nurse in the center is Nurse Jenon E. Qualset, as she was identified in other pictures as "Nurse Qualset" and her whole name is listed in the book on the unit.


On the back of this one, it simply says "Kent" and I wasn't sure if that was his first or last name (I suspected it was his last name). But I did find pictures of him in the book on the unit, as well as a passage that said Technician fifth grade Donald Kent served as one of the ward masters in the Plastic Surgery Division, which is where my Dad (a Tech 4) served as well.



The book said that approximately 85% of the patients in the Plastic Surgery Section were burn victims, with many of those victims having been in air crashes. The mortality rate from burns was less than 2% over the entire time the hospital was in operation, both in tents in No. Africa and in the hospital in Italy. The 26th received greater number of burn patients than any other hospital in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, probably because they were in an area with an unusual concentration of operational airfields.

 

Bonnie, I know for certain that there are many who are enjoying these photos who are not commenting for one reason or another.

You may already be aware of it, but there is a website, WW2 US Medical Research Center, which may appreciate hearing from you as well. I have communicated with them within the last year so the website is still active. I didn't find much for the 26th General Hospital on their website, but it may be worth contacting them.

 

There were two nurse that served in the Plastic Surgery section for the entire time, Lt. Jennie Hedges, who was the charge nurse; and Lt. Jenon Qualset. Other nurses who assisted them at times included Lt. Leona Bell, Lt. Floryne Bryant, Lt. Frances Dingmann, Lt. Bernett Jaegere, Lt. Helga Larsen, Lt. Margaret Manchester, Lt. Ernesta Reiff, Lt. Dorothy Truax, and Lt. Eunice. Some of them may appear in some of the pictures already shown, or in this batch, but I can only positively identify Nurse Hedges and Nurse Qualset. Nurse Hedges continued to work with Dr. George Bergh after the war.

This first picture is of Nurse Jennie Hedges and Nurse Jenon Qualset


On the back of this picture, Dad wrote: Nurse Qualset, Plastic Surgery


Left to right: Nurse Jenon E. Qualset, Dr. George Bergh, and Nurse Jennie Hedges, all from the Plastic Surgery section where my Dad served as wardmaster



I'm assuming these might be two nurses whose names are among those listed above, but I can't identify them, and there was nothing written on the back. Not sure if this is in Italy or in North Africa, but I would guess Italy from the vegetation.


The book on the history of the unit said that the enlisted men were housed first in tents (in No. Africa) then in temporary tents at the hospital complex in Bari, Italy. Finally, the enlisted men got housed in modern barracks that had been formerly occupied by Italian troops. It was a large, 4-story building. But it was filthy and run down. They cleaned it up, though, "transformed into living quarters which were the envy of most of the troops in the area." It even had a lobby with marble stairways. Even still, the had to hang mosquito netting inside around their cots.

That said, I think this pic must be taken inside a mess hall, maybe (guessing from the picnic-like tables on which they are sitting).


My Dad, Walt Pugh, is the first one on the left (looking stiffly and oddly posed); I don't know the identities of the rest of the men shown.


Another picture taken on the steps of what looks like might be the hospital or the enlisted men's barracks.


My Dad on the hospital grounds (Walt Pugh)



On the back it says "Albertson and myself". Myself would be my Dad, Walt Pugh; the other man is Alden L. Albertson.


There is nothing on this picture, but the one on the left is my Dad, Walt Pugh, and from other pictures, I think the other man is his friend from Nebraska, Ace (Asa) Queen. This was taken on the hospital grounds.

 

TD-Tommy, thanks for the link to the other site. I'll check it out.

By the way, noticed the names on your signature and thought I'd mention there was a nurse with the 26th whose name was Gladys Halvorson.

Bonnie

 

The third Christmas that the 26th Gen Hosp. spent somewhere overseas was Christmas 1944, and from the descriptions in the book, it was the best one of the entire time. They wanted Christmas trees and the local vendors wanted to sell them some for forty to sixty dollars each. Instead the 801st Engineers, who operated a lumber mill in the mountains, offered them free trees if they came to pick them up. So the sent two trucks and brought back enough so that every ward got its own. They brought back real holly, too. They let the patients in the wards decorate them, and they made tinsel from metal chaff and ornaments from everything they could put their hands on: stars and pells cut from tin cans and plexiglass scraps, empty penicillin bottles and broken ping-pong balls painted with insignia paint, imitation candy canes made from plaster of paris with red ribbon twirled around it. chains from paper and even lights dipped in insignia paint. The wards gave parties for the patients and gave them presents donated by the ward personnel to supplement the Red Cross gifts. There were also parties for the personnel, and they had extra helpings of good food.

These pictures are all from that Christmas in the hospital in Bari.

The people in this picture aren't identified, but I recognize 3 of them from other pictures: The man is Dr. George Bergh, head of the Plastic Surgery Section. The woman in the center is Nurse Jennie Hedges, and the nurse on the right is Nurse Qualset.







This last one is the only one with anything on the back. It says: "Christmas Tree on the Ward."

 

Yep. Don't go by the viewers numbers here either.
As I recall, Invision Forums do not register non member visitors, nor does it register members who return for re-visits.

Again, in case you missed my edit way back near the beginning of this thread, the Axis History Forum: http://forum.axishistory.com/ is a wonderful, wonderful English Language resource.

You would do well to drop in and say hi there. Some references to your threads here may bring unexpected results.
They have several sub-forums which could be of interest to you including: Italy under Fascism 1922-1945 and Allied Biographical Research and WW2 in Africa & the Mediterranean

In addition, there are many, many monster big "photo storage" forums with HUGE servers dedicated SOLELY to WW2 Photographs.
Others, experts in this wide area of interest, may chip in here to direct you to ones closest to your interest areas.

 

Bonnie, I mentioned earlier above about our (and our sister forum www2talk.com 's) British Forces vet of the Italy Campaign: Ron Goldstein. (He is way, way more active over there than here.)

If you ever want to visit Italy, and do some real "Before and After" photos (one of the alltime "favorites" pic threads here and there...) be sure to contact him re:

Here to help with what to do on your trips - See Ron Goldstein's Blog

He has some staggering dedicated photo albums here and on ww2talk. http://ww2talk.com/forums/gallery/image/11-ron-at-horseguards-2011/
They are not up yet. http://www.ww2f.com/gallery/
- The administrators here are still moving everything over from our old forum's archives.

Stay tuned! These photo albums of his are worth the wait, of that I can assure you!

 

Like I said, Cotugno Hospital, BARI - Italy just went through a major facelift.
The Architectural / Construction company that did it was right proud of the job they did there... and posted a website chock a block with pictures of their work quality. http://www.granitifiandre.com/ventilated-facades/projects/

See: http://www.granitifiandre.com/realizations/tile-flooring-wall-coverings/Health-and-Care/81/cotugno-hospital/

You may well be able to find more / better interim "Before and After" pictures to work with there
- until you can schedule in a personal holiday visit to do it properly!

Part of the hospital in your pics has been demolished, replaced by a glass palace wing - out of view.

Can't recall off hand if the Chapel is still there... I would be surprized if it is not. Italy being Italy and all...