Fleet-SURGEON JOHN SHIELDS

Staff Surgeon John Shields, HMS Shah

16 Aug 1841 Born in Ireland

19 Jan 1863 Entered the Navy as an Assistant Surgeon (Rank changed to Surgeon in 1873)

19 Jan 1863 Assistant Surgeon (acting) borne on HMS Royal Adelaide (Flag Ship, Devonport) for service at Plymouth Hospital

16 Feb 1865 Assistant Surgeon on HMS Alert (Sloop, Pacific)

1869 Assistant Surgeon HMS Pylades (Corvette, North America and West Indies)

17 Oct 1871 Assistant Surgeon on HMS Indus (Flag Ship of the Admiral Superintendent, Devonport)

1873 Rank changed from Assistant Surgeon to Surgeon

22 Dec 1876 Promoted to Staff Surgeon

3 Apr 1878 Staff Surgeon on HMS Liffey (Store Ship, Coquimbo)

17 Nov 1878 Staff Surgeon on HMS Shah (Frigate, Cape of Good Hope, temporarily) served during the Zulu War with the Naval Brigade landed from the ship. Accompanied the Eshowe Relief Column, second senior naval medical officer of the naval brigade, and was present at the Battle of Gingindlovu (2 Apr 1879), prepared the official report of the Naval Brigade wounded at Gingindlovu; Senior Medical officer of the Naval Brigade at Fort Chelmsford; Mentioned in despatches, South Africa Medal with clasp “1879”, served ashore from 7 Mar to 21 Jul 1879

25 Nov 1879 Staff Surgeon on HMS Tenedos (Corvette, North America and West Indies)

9 Sep 1883 Promoted to Fleet Surgeon

5 May 1884 Fleet Surgeon on HMS Agincourt Flag Ship of Second in Command, Channel Squadron)

16 Aug 1887 placed on the retired list, with permission to assume the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleets


Petty Officer Tom

Record Summary

Medical journal of HMS Shah from 7 March to 21 July 1879 by John Shields, Surgeon, during which time the said ship was employed on active service in Zululand.

Folio 1: Printed instructions on completing nosological tables, recording where a patient was taken ill, dividing the General Remarks into three sections relating to the ship and crew, her movements and places visited and a consideration of the diseases.

Folio 2: Case no 1, William D Longfield, Staff Surgeon of HMS Tenedos; sick or hurt, gunshot wound of the right arm at the Battle of [Ghenginlovo?]; put on sick list 2 April 1879, sent 8 April 1879 to Hospital on the Zugala.

Folio 2: Case no 2, James Portens, aged 30, Captain Fore Top on HMS Tenedos; sick or hurt, severe contusion wound of right shoulder; put on sick list 2 April 1879, sent 8 April 1879 to Hospital.

Folio 2: Case no 3, James Bird, aged 22, Able Seaman on HMS Shah; sick or hurt, severe severe gunshot wound of the right arm; put on sick list 2 April 1879, sent 8 April 1879 to Hospital.

Folio 2: Case no 4, James Bulger, aged 26, Able Seaman on HMS Shah; sick or hurt, severe severe gunshot wound; put on sick list 2 April 1879, sent 8 April 1879 to Hospital.

Folios 3-30: Blank.

Folio 31: the following is a list of men who died in the Hospital in Natal, during the period of this journal.

Folio 31: Owen Cooper, aged 27, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, enteritis; died 15 May 1879 in Hospital at Fort Pearson.

Folio 31: James Wheadon, aged 30, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, dysentery; died 4 June 1879 at Amatakulu River.

Folio 31: Joseph Symonds, aged 25, Cooper; sick or hurt, enteric fever; died 3 June 1879 in Hospital at Fort Pearson.

Folio 31: Richard Oliver, aged 20, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, enteric fever; died 12 June 1879 in Hospital at Fort Pearson.

Folio 31: Patrick O'Brins, aged 22, Private Royal Marine; sick or hurt, enteric fever; died 12 June 1879 in [Herwan?] Hospital.

Folio 31: Joseph Langford, aged 31, Gunner's Mate; sick or hurt, dysentery; died 21 June 1879 in Durban Hospital.

Folio 31: Edward Shepherd, aged 28, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, dysentery; died 17 June 1879 in Hospital at Fort Pearson.

Folio 31: Thomas Barge, aged 24, Able Seaman; sick or hurt, enteric fever; died 9 June 1879 in Durban Hospital.

Folio 31: Mr W D Longfield, aged 41, Staff Surgeon; pension granted on 31 July 1879; sick or hurt, gunshot wound received in action on 2 April 1879.

Folio 32: Tables of medical statistic, included within this folio is a slip mentioned 'Shah's Naval Brigade (wounds in action):- [James] Bird 4 days sickness [James] Bulger 5 days sickness; [William D] Longfield 5 days sickness.

Folio 33: Blank.

Folio 34: Tables of medical statistics, with the surgeons noting 'not possible to give the number [?] some of the contingent being employed on the Tugela River, and the remainder being employed at the front in Zululand'.

Folios 35-37: Surgeon general's remarks that he was in medical charge of the Naval Brigade of HMS Shah, in which the surgeons of the ship were Messrs. Sibbold and Connell. The Brigade consisted of 392 officers and men disembarked at the Port of Durban. On the 14 March the Brigade crossed the Tugela River and encamped at Fort Tenedos in Zululand. On the 25 March the contingent of HMS Boadicea with 220 strong arrived, and on the 29 March a column consisting of 3,700 white and 2,700 Native Troops, under the command of Loard Chelmsford marched to relief the Garrison shut up in Echoue, thirty seven men and three officers of the Shah were left at Fort Tenedos, in which Surgeon Connell was in medical charge. He also stated that the Army Medical department of the relief column consisted of two Surgeons Major, one Surgeon and four Civil Surgeons. The Naval Surgeons present were Surgeon Sibbold and himself for the Shah and Surgeon Pollard in medical charge of the contingent of HMS Boadicea and Staff Surgeon Longfield (Senior Medical Officer) with the contingent of HMS Tenedos with 44 strong. The surgeon also remarks on medical arrangements, the sanitory state of the camps and on the diseases which prevailed during the period of this journal.

Folios 38-46: Blank.

Folios 47-52: alphabetical sick list.

Folios 53-55: Blank.
Covering dates 1879 Mar.-July
Held by The National Archives, Kew