World War One medals could exceed estimation

YOUR WEEKLY ROUND-UP OF THE REGION'S LEADING AUCTIONEERS

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T was probably not greatly comforting for a naval battle casualty to find out that the “surgeon” treating his wounds was a medical student who had not even finished his college course.

On the other hand things could have been even worse.

In 1914, the Royal Navy found itself entering a world war with a desperate shortage of surgeons available for service at sea. There was a real danger that fighting ships would have to be sent into battle with only the most basic first-aid medical skills available on board.

The startling answer to the problem that was adopted was to recruit third and fourth year students from the country's medical schools into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

They got a month's battle injury training at the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar in Hampshire, were given the rank of “Probationer Surgeon” and despatched around the fleet.