THE TOURNIQUET MAGAZINE
Organ of the 2nd/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance
This set of 5 Tourniquet Magazines is a unique historical resource (very few unit magazines have survived from World War 1) has been made available on CD.priced £4 including postage.
Contact: Denis Otter on 01745 857882 (denis.otter@yahoo.co.uk)
Andrew Mackay on 01282 414270 (randybrickey@aol.com)
The 2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance (2nd ELFA) was the 2nd of three Territorial units of the Royal Army Medical Corps which were attached to the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division. On August 10th 1914 Lord Kitchener invited the Territorial Forces to volunteer for foreign service. By August 12th three territorial Infantry Brigades had accepted the invitation, and within a few days 90% of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division had volunteered and was the first Territorial Division to proceed overseas to Egypt, later to Gallipoli and France.
The 42nd Division had scarcely left England when it became clear that extra reserve units would be needed to take the place of the units which had gone overseas. As a result of this, Army Order no.399 was published in September, 1914, authorizing the formation of a home unit for each unit of the Territorial Force which had been accepted for overseas service.
A notice appeared in the Burnley Express and Advertiser for November 18, 1914:-
“NEW FIELD AMBULANCE - Captain Callam, Royal Army Medical Corps, will
at once proceed to recruit for the new 2nd (Reserve) East Lancashire Field Ambulance.
For this purpose, Captain Callam will require between 180 and 200 men including
three buglers, and is anxious that the Field Ambulance should consist entirely
of men from Burnley and district. “
Captain Alexander Callam was a well qualified medical doctor then aged 33 who
came to practice in Burnley in 1912. After the new unit had been recruited to
full strength Captain Callam was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
The men asked for were quickly recruited and soon became known locally in Burnley as “Callam's Own". The new reserve territorial unit became the 2nd/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance, Royal Army Medical Corps and trained at Southport and Heathfield in Sussex. 70 men were drafted to Gallipoli and half were drowned when the “Royal Edward” was sunk and the remainder of the unit became part of the 66th Division based at Colchester.
Commencing in October 1916 and
finishing in February 1917 the 2nd/2nd E.L.F.A. produced 5 editions of a magazine
called The TOURNIQUET. The magazine includes cartoons, poems, letters, and a
full description in five parts of the voyage and sinking of the “Royal
Edward” by UB14.
