James GRIBBIN

James GRIBBIN. Private 16994, 3rd Royal Scots. (Lothian Regiment)

Born 1868 Kilsyth, Stirlingshire to John and Mary F Gribben, nee Ferron. 1871 with his parents and siblings at Croy, Cumbernauld, Dumbartonshire. 1881 (Gribbon) with his parents and siblings at Harpers Brae, Lasswade, Midlothian. 1891 (Gribbin) with his mother and siblings at 88 Auchinstarry Row Cumbernauld, Dumbartonshire, occupation, ironstone miner.

Died as the result of an accident at Weymouth Dorset 13 March 1915 aged 37 - Death age recorded with the Birth, Marriage, Death. (BMD)
Birth year recorded on BMD as 1868 therefore age given on Army record incorrect.

Notes from his army record -
Enlisted 7 January 1915 aged 37 years and 6 months, joined at Regimental Depot Glencorse Barracks 9 January 1915. Previously served with the Lothian Volunteers. Residence given as 88 Auchinstarry Row and his mother was his next of kin. 12 January 1915 he was posted to the 3rd Battalion and he died from wounds received in a motor accident.

The following were granted a joint war gratuity 8 November 1915, Brother, Edward, Sisters Alice and Mary. 31 December 1919 a revised joint war gratuity was granted to his sisters, Alice McKay, Mary Ann McLaren and brother Edward.

At rest in Kilsyth Cemetery, Stirlingshire.


The following extract is from The British Journal of Nursing dated 27 March 1915.





At the request of trained nurses in the locality, who are justly indignant at the circumstances related, we publish in full a report from The Western Gazette concerning the inquest on James Gribbin, a private in the 3rd Batt. Royal Scots Regiment at Weymouth. Deep indignation is felt by trained nurses that a soldier suffering, according to the medical evidence, from mortal injuries, should have been sent away from the. Sidney Hall Military Hospital, to which he had been taken, and without medical advice, on the assumption that he was drunk, sent back to camp, and left to die alone, lying on the ground, just covered with a blanket, in the Guard Room. The Coroner for South Dorset (Mr. G. P. Symes), held an inquest, at the Guildhall, Weymouth, on Monday afternoon, concerning the death of a private of the Royal Scots Regiment, stationed at the Military Camp at Chickerell, who died on the morning of Saturday, the 13th from injuries received on the previous night through being run over by a motor-car driven by Wm Powell, a driver in the employ of Mr. E. W. Fuffett. The deceased, who was a single man, was thirty-seven years of age and a native of Midlothian. Mr. W. T. Wilkinson represented Mr. Puffett and Sister Cuthbert, of the Sidney Hall Military Hospital and the police in attendance were Superintendent Sprackling, P.S. Osment, and P.C. Harvey. The Coroner said he wished in the first place to compliment P.C. Harvey, of the County Constabulary for the very able manner in which had prepared the evidence for presentation to the jury. Superintendent Sprackling thanked the Coroner for his compliment to the officer, and said he would be pleased to forward an intimation of it to the proper quarter.


In opening the case to the jury, the Coroner said it was a very important one, and one which, unfortunately, would involve a considerable conflict of evidence. The deceased appeared to have been knocked down by a motorcar, at about nine o’clock at night, near the Weymouth Cemetery. The driver was cautioned in the usual way by the police, and he said that at the time his car came upon the deceased he was lying in the road. Then some soldiers of the Northants Regiment, who were returning to Weymouth, said they passed the deceased just before the accident occurred, and that he was then walking in the ordinary way. The man was taken from under the motorcar and conveyed in it to the Sidney Hall Military Hospital, but, unfortunately, they had another matter to consider as to what happened there. The doctors would tell the jury that one result of the car striking the man was that the pelvis was broken, and that very serious injuries were caused. There were injuries to the head, but they were not in any way the cause of death. At the Sidney Hall the deceased was helped out of the car, and as to what subsequently took place there appeared to be a good deal of recrimination amongst the witnesses on the question of sobriety, and it appeared to have been assumed, without much question, that the deceased was intoxicated. The deceased was taken in and seen by the nurse in charge and one of the orderlies but the fact remained that they appeared to have taken upon themselves to say that he was drunk, and that the only injury he was suffering from consisted of wounds in the head. No doctor was sent for, but after the wound in the man’s forehead had been bandaged a fresh he was sent back to the Chickerell Camp. And here another conflict of evidence occurred, for the nurse said that she gave instructions for him to be taken to the hospital at the Red Barracks. But at the camp the dreadful tragedy of errors did not cease, and again conflict of evidence occurred. The injured man was taken to the guard tent, and the Sergeant of the Guard stated that he was not informed that he had been run over by a motor-car, the consequence being that he was simply treated as an intoxicated man who had been picked up in the road with a cut in his head. Some of the witnesses would say that the deceased walked into the guard tent, but the doctors would say that with the pelvis bone broken’ that was practically impossible, so he evidently must have been helped to a very considerable extent. Anyway, he was put in the guard tent with a blanket round him, and in a short time he died. It would be for the jury to say what was the cause of death, and whether any blame was to be attached to anyone. Wm. Powell, the driver of the motorcar, who, after being cautioned by the Coroner, elected to give evidence, stated that at nine o’clock on Friday night he was returning from the Chickerell Camp with a motorcar. The car was empty, and as he came round the corner by the Weymouth Cemetery, he saw a man lying straight across the road.’ He applied his brakes and pulled up, but by that time the front part of the car had passed over the man. He was not travelling fast at the time, and he thought he stopped in about half the length of the car. He saw some soldiers in the road and shouted to them for assistance. They came, and with the aid of a lamp they saw the deceased on his back under the cap When they got the deceased out he was unconscious for a short time, but he recovered and said “ I’m all right.” Someone fetched water, and the deceased’s face was bathed, after which he was put in the car and run down to the Sidney Hall, Witness had only two very poor side lights, as he had been told that night to put out head lights. It was a very dark night. Witness went into the Sidney Hall and saw a nurse attending to the deceased. With the assistance of a man each side of him the deceased walked into the hall. After a time, he was conducted to the car again and was taken to the camp at Chickerell, where he was put in the guard tent, he walking to the tent with the assistance of two men. Witness had heard more than one of the men who first came to help say “It was not your fault, he was lying in the road.” The car was not going beyond six miles an hour, and it was quite impossible to avoid the accident. At the request of Superintendent Sprackling witness produced his licence, which showed that he had been licensed to drive a motorcar from 1st September 1913, to August 31st, 1914. You are aware, said Mr. Sprackling, that you have not had a licence to drive a motor-car since the 31st August last?
Witness: I quite forgot it until last night.
Superintendent Sprackling: Here is the renewal form which has not been taken up.
The Coroner: So you have been driving a motor-car since the 31st August without a licence?
Witness: Off and on, sir.
The Coroner: Of course that does not really concern us, but it shows that you have not been asked for your licence by the police, and that consequently your record has been very clear.


Private Munns, of the Northants Regiment, stated that, in company with Privates Talbot and Brayne, he was returning to Weymouth from Chickerell at the time stated, and when near the Cemetery they met a Scots soldier walking along the road. The man passed witness; at which time he heard a motorcar about 15 yards behind. Then he heard a thud, and the car driver called out “My God, there’s a man under my car.” The deceased was got from under the car. Witness heard the driver say that the man was lying in the road, but witness had not seen anyone in that position. It was quite light enough to see anyone lying in the road. The man who walked by witness did not give any evidence of being intoxicated at all. The man who was walking might, on seeing a motorcar approaching, have crossed the road to get on his right side, and so passed in front of the car. Private Talbot gave corroborative evidence and added that he heard the driver say that the accident would not have happened if he had had his head light on. Private Brayne also corroborated. The deceased lie said, smelt of drink, but that did not say he was intoxicated. Witness had some knowledge of first aid work, and after the man had been got from under the car he bandaged up, with two handkerchiefs, a wound in his forehead and went with him to the Sidney Hall. As far as witness could ascertain there were no bones broken, but there was a wound in the forehead, and the man complained that his legs were hurt. At the Sidney Hall they practically carried the man inside. The bandage was taken off the man’s forehead in order that the Sister might see the wound. The Sister said the man had had drink, and she told the sergeant-orderly to bandage the wound up and to send the man home. Witness told the Sister that the man had complained that his legs were hurt, but the Sister ignored this statement. Two orderlies took the deceased back to the camp in the motorcar, and witness went with them as far as the Adelaide Arms. The orderlies treated the man as a drunken man, and not as a man who had met with a serious accident. Witness was positive that he told the Sister and the sergeant at the Sidney Hall that the man had been run over by a motorcar.


Dr. F. H. R. Heath stated that, in the presence of Dr. Manning and Dr. Lochrane, he made a post-mortem examination of the body of the deceased. There was a deep cut on the left side of the forehead, about one and a quarter inches long, but there was no injury to the bone. There was no gross injury to the brain, but there was a quantity of fluid, consistent with a blow on the head, which might account for semi-unconsciousness. On the left hip there was extensive outside bruising, and the right hip was also bruised. The right thigh bore an abrasion 3 in. long. The lungs and heart were normal. The left side of the intestines were bruised, and there was an effusion of blood. There was also an effusion of blood into the tissues of the pelvis, which was very marked. There was a considerable amount of smashing of the pelvis. The pelvis bone was broken into three, and there were several splinters of bone about, which showed the violence of the injury. Death was due to shock and heart failure, following the internal injury. He (witness) did not think he could have relied on being able to discover that there was fracture of the pelvis without deceased’s clothes had been taken off. It was difficult to understand that the man could have sufficiently supported himself as to walk, but he might have got along if he dragged his feet, with a man on each side of him. If the deceased had been examined properly by a medical man, the injuries ought to have been discovered. In witness’s opinion the injuries might have been caused by the axle of the car and not the wheels at all. Even if medical aid had been provided at the Sidney Hall or the camp, he did not think the life of the deceased could have been preserved.


Dr. Neale Lochrane, surgeon at the Royal Scots camp, stated that on Saturday morning, at five o’clock, he was called to a man who was reported as having died in the guard tent. He examined the body but could form no opinion as to the cause of death. He was present when the post-mortem was being conducted by Dr. Heath, and he agreed with his evidence. When a case was sent from the Sidney Hall to the camp it was generally assumed that it had been seen by a surgeon, and the orderly would not need to send for him unless a special message had been sent, Dr. Manning observed that the pelvis bone was the strongest bone in the human body, and lie did not think that the wheel of the car could have caused the extensive injury inflicted on the deceased. Private Sharman stated that he assisted to Convey the deceased to the Sidney Hall. He heard the sergeant ask the deceased for his name and number, but he did not reply.


Sister Jean Cuthbert, nurse at the Sidney Hall Military Hospital, accepted the responsibility of being in charge of the building when the deceased was brought in. An orderly told her that a man had been brought in injured in a motor accident, and he added that he thought the man was drunk. Then Sergt. Collier came to her and told her that he had bandaged the head of a man brought into the casualty ward, and that he appeared to be in a drunken condition. She saw the man on a sofa in the casualty ward, and he then complained of pain in his leg. He smelt of drink. She asked Sergt. Collier if the man had been run over, and he said he had asked the men who had brought him in, and they had said “ No.” She did not ask the patient himself what had happened to him. She asked him if he had any pain, and he pointed to his knee. She felt his knee, but did not make any further examination to ascertain if any bones were broken, Collier might not have heard her tell him to have the man sent to the Red Barracks Hospital because there was a certain amount of noise.
The Coroner: But did you not order the noise to be stopped? Surely you do not allow people to come into a room where a patient has been brought and do as they like. Have you no authority? It seems extraordinary, that there should have been a crowd of people in a receiving ward like this.
Witness said she ordered the case for the Red Barracks because she assumed it was a case of intoxication and thought that was the best place for the man. There had been trouble at the hall with such cases before. She saw the man walking between two orderlies, as she thought, and she assumed that the injury to the forehead was the only hurt that he was suffering from. No doctor remained at the hall all night, but when a case arose requiring his attention one was telephoned for Sergeant John Hewett, of the Royal Scots, stated that he was in command of the guard at the Chickerell- Camp. An orderly told him that a message had been received from the Sidney Hall stating that a man named Gribbin had met with a motor accident, that he was under the influence of drink, and that he was being sent to the guardroom. Deceased was carried from the car to the guard tent with his feet dragging.
The Coroner: Was any effort made to see if he was injured at all?
Witness: Well, I saw the orderlies moving his legs up and down.
The Coroner: What, do you mean to say that it is an actual fact that they moved his legs up and down? You have heard the doctor say that such a thing must have caused awful pain. Or was the man unconscious at the time?
Witness: Well, he did not say anything. (Sensation.)
Continuing, witness said that throughout the night deceased kept on asking for water. At his request witness took off his boots and putties and lie said he felt a bit more comfortable after that. He said, ‘‘Sergeant, if you were in my position and I was in yours I would do the same for you. It was at about 2.30 that he gave the deceased the last drink of water, and at about four o’clock it was found that he was dead.
The Coroner, in summing up the evidence, remarked that there was no resident medical man at the Sidney Hall. It would be presumptuous for him to express an opinion on such a matter, but at the same time he could not help thinking that at a place where there were 120 wounded men, and where casualties were at any moment likely to be brought in, if the medical staff could see their way to have a medical man in attendance all the time it would be a good thing. It did not appear that anything done at the Sidney Hall or at the camp had conduced to death, as the medical opinion was that death would have inevitably resulted.


The Foreman of the Jury (Mr. Macey), after private consultation, said they found that death had resulted in a way described by the medical men, and that there was no blame to be attached to the driver of the car. They were of opinion that the people in charge of the hospital on the particular night in question were inefficient, and that a qualified medical man ought always to be on the premises. Sergeant Col!ier’s evidence they thought very bad indeed, and they did not agree with it.
The Coroner said he would forward the view' of the jury as to the medical staffing of the hospital to the proper quarter.


We are informed that the Sidney Hall Military Hospital, Weymouth, which is a hospital of 120 beds, has no resident Medical Officer or Matron, 'the Matron of the Royal Hospital (a hospital of 18 beds), looking in for a few hours daily.
The so-called Sister, in charge on the night in question, owned at the inquest she had no certificate, and we are informed that she is not a fully trained nurse. She has therefore no right to the title. She has now been superseded. As the unreliable evidence at the inquest was calculated to injure the character of the dead, and to add to the pain of his widowed and grief stricken mother, we desire to put on record the testimony of William Micking, sergeant, Royal Scots, who identified the body of the deceased. He said that Gribbin was a man of good character, with a clean sheet. He was a keen soldier. He was a sober man.

The whole case is a commentary on the Resolution passed by the National Council of Trained Nurses on December 3rd, 1914, and sent to the Secretary of State for War, and affords one more proof in support of the Statement submitted, by request, to the Director General of the Army Medical Service.

The National Council of Trained Nurses petitioned the Secretary of State for War (whose Department is primarily responsible for the health and comfort of the troops) " to prevent inefficient nursing, and the subjection of the sick and wounded to the dangerous interference of untrained and unskilled women, who have been placed in positions of responsibility for which they are not qualified, greatly to the detriment of the discipline in Military Auxiliary Hospitals, and the general welfare of the sick.

We ask: the public to judge whether the system of nursing, as exemplified In the case under consideration, is an efficient system, calculated to provide the skilled care to which every sick, and wounded soldier has a right. We may point out there was no resident Medical Officer, no resident Matron, no competent trained nurse in charge on night duty, and we ask all mothers and fathers who read the account of this case how they would feel if this poor man had been one of their own sons. True, his life might not have been saved, either by skilled medical or nursing attention, but that is no reason why he should have been refused the shelter of the hospital to which he had been taken and sent, with a fractured pelvis, described by Dr. T. Davys Manning " as broken to pieces," and other injuries, to die a lonely death in a guard tent, instead of receiving skilled care, and consequent relief of his terrible sufferings, at the hands of trained nurses.

Do not forget that this man was prepared to risk his life in the defence of the Empire, and that it is the duty of the public to insist that a system which makes such risks possible for our soldiers shall once and for all be re-organized. The National Council of Trained Nurses are prepared to help to improve the present system of military nursing, and in a letter addressed last week to the Director-General of the Army Medical Service at the War Office, we, as President, requested that the following propositions might receive the consideration of the Army Council, and that we might be afforded the courtesy of a reply.

I. That a representative Committee shall be appointed to inquire into and report on the necessary reorganization of nursing in Military Auxiliary Hospitals.

2. That women with expert knowledge of the Nursing problems to be solved by the War Office may be appointed on to the Army Medical. Advisory Board.

3. That a new section of the Department of the Sanitary Service of the Army may be organized in which the expert knowledge of women in domestic and nursing science, and their practical help, may be available.

We feel sure that those who read this " dreadful tragedy of errors ') will realise that the War Office would do well to avail itself of the co-operation of experts on the Advisory Board in its attempt to organize women's. professional work. E. G. F.

A sad and tragic story.
A photograph of Private Gribbin, or his grave would be greatly appreciated if available.