Miscellaneous
During the initial fighting, most of the buildings around the Legations were set alight and thereafter Chinese cannon gave the defenders some difficult moments. On 26 June Dr Poole, who wrote an average of almost a page of commentary each day, noted: ‘Sir Claude who was the directing head and the only man who kept his wits is laid up with dysentery… Lady MacDonald and most people very down in the mouth.’ Given his pre-existing heart condition, MacDonald’s dysentery might have proved fatal without Dr Poole’s expertise and treatment. The next day: ‘We have begun eating horseflesh.’ Between his many various medical and mental health support duties, Dr Poole also became involved in a V.C. action. Captain Halliday, R.M.L.I., led a sortie through a hole in the Legation wall to attack a group of Boxers, for which he won the V.C. Critically wounded during the fight, Halliday returned alone so as not to diminish further the numbers of men engaged with the enemy. Dr Poole dragged the wounded officer back through the hole, administered immediate medical assistance and had him carried to the hospital. Wordsworth’s brother Francis was also recognised for gallantry, being awarded the only D.S.O. for the Defence of Legations. The Chinese bought up artillery to bombard the Legations with shrapnel and solid shot. There was a life-or-death struggle to prevent them from taking up commanding positions on the old wall of the Manchu City which completely overlooked all the Legations and a number of sorties were made beyond the defence lines aimed at destroying the enemy guns and throwing the attackers off balance. ‘20 coolies and soldiers captured by the French. 3 shot. 15 were bayonetted in cold blood by a corporal.’ Five days later, ‘Captain Strouts killed. He had been in command of the [Royal] marines here. An excellent chap, calm and collected and had done his work well… Strouts was hit in the thigh… had severe haemorrhage. Femur smashed, brought in almost moribund, gave CHCl3 [chloroform], tied artery forward, he didn’t rally and died in afternoon… Wray takes command, an excitable chap who does not have the confidence of his men, continually countermanding his orders, a poor substitute for Strouts. Francis made Adjutant. Sir Claude runs the whole show.’
On 13 August Poole had another bout of fever. The next day: ‘In afternoon heard a cheer, got up from my bed and hastily threw some clothes on. Saw Sikhs or Rajputs rushing into our Legation… We were relieved… Then with a Temp. of 104 degrees I went back to bed again. Had a bad go of fever… got worse each day, weaker and weaker.’ It turned out to be a prolonged attack-and he had to be medically evacuated to the coast. It was 4 September before he could write up his Journal, making ironic remarks about his obituary which had appeared in the British Medical Journal, and ‘that lying sheet the Daily Mail…Find myself quite a hero coming from Peking. But I don’t feel one in any way.’
Dr Poole was mentioned in Sir Claude MacDonald’s Despatch from Peking dated 20 September 1900, which the Marquess of Salisbury received on 22 November 1900: ‘My Lord, I have the honour to recommend the following officers and civilians who did exceptionally good service during the siege and attack on the Legation quarter from 20th June to the 14th August... One of the most important departments in the system of defence was the international hospital. The two doctors doing duty were Dr. Poole, Legation surgeon and Dr. Velde, of the German Legation. During the siege 166 cases passed through the hospital, 20 suffering from illness; the rest were all severely wounded. Owing to the devotion and skill of these two medical officers, 110 of the wounded were eventually discharged cured, and this, notwithstanding that towards the end of the siege, the resources of all the dispensaries having proved unequal to the strain, medical appliances, such as bandages and medicated wool, had to be replaced by makeshifts from cast-off linen, the wool being replaced by sterilised sawdust. Dr. Poole was indefatigable at his work, always sympathetic and cheerful. The wounded of all nationalities spoke most warmly of his devotion and skill. At the conclusion of the siege he was struck down with fever of a very dangerous description, and had to be invalided ... signed Claude M. MacDonald’ (Official Account of the Military Operations in China 1900-1901 by Major E. W. M. Norrie refers).
De profundis
The final section of the Journal is deeply poignant. Despite the wide recognition of Poole’s outstanding services - the French government offered him the Legion of Honour, the Russians and Germans were also planning to present awards, all of which he was unable to accept owing to Foreign Office regulations, the Graphic paid tribute to his ‘wonderful power’ of ‘making the best’ of conditions - Poole became increasingly depressed, exacerbated by jaundice, attacks of acute inflammation and rheumatism. His spirits made several rallies. He enjoyed visiting the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the field hospitals of the various occupying forces in north China - ‘Most of the cases among the Indian troops are bronchitis and pneumonia, amongst the Americans venereal’ - even the elaborate ceremonies to mark the death of Queen Victoria (which he described in detail). He took two long and happy vacations in Japan, during which the quality of his handwriting improved noticeably, especially when he ‘eloped‘ with the pretty, fair and vivacious 25-year old Florentine, Mrs Hamilton. These rallies never lasted more than six weeks. Poole became thoroughly despondent each time he returned to China, especially after his great friends the MacDonalds were posted away from Peking: ‘A fortnight of black misery about which I don’t care to write.’ He deplored the boorish and arrogant behaviour of the German occupation troops towards Chinese people, the result of Kaiser Wilhelm’s notorious, infamous, bellicose and racist speech just before they sailed from Germany. Feeling unneeded in occupied Peking, Dr Poole longed for a posting to an administrative job back in Africa.
It was not to be. The coup de grace came in December 1901, when Dr Poole contracted typhoid, which caused his greatly lamented death in early January 1902.
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