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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: Nick1 on Thursday 22 July 10 12:46 BST (UK)

Title: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Thursday 22 July 10 12:46 BST (UK)
hi there,

My grandfathers brother Charles William nicholls joined up in 11 Jan 1916 no 185999 RFA.
have problems with reading the following doc ??? . I would like to know where in France he was and the battle. also which regiment he was in.

Grateful for any help :D.

Nick1

Moderator comment: image removed - only small portions may be posted and then only where the handwriting is difficult to decipher
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Thursday 22 July 10 12:49 BST (UK)
Also this may help

Moderator comment: image removed - only small portions may be posted and then only where the handwriting is difficult to decipher
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: kerry1212 on Thursday 22 July 10 12:50 BST (UK)
hi where was charles from?

kerry
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Thursday 22 July 10 12:59 BST (UK)
Hi Kerry,

Charles had his address as Ganton Scarborough Yorkshire Born 1898.


nick
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: excel on Thursday 22 July 10 13:02 BST (UK)
I think he joined up originally at Woolwich, Blackheath and yet the form which shows that he was leaving because of a disability says that he first joined at Beverley. The unit is R F. A and he was a driver.
***
Have had a look at his papers again and what it says beside France is, I think, BEF which would stand for British Expeditionary Force and no particular place in France would be stated.
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Thursday 22 July 10 13:09 BST (UK)
Thanks excel,

Hoping to find out which battery or brigade he was in ???

nick
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: mmm45 on Thursday 22 July 10 17:45 BST (UK)
Nick
Look at 2nd column it should have a numbered Bde...I cant see it as it gets pixellated if i zoom too much but am sure if you can magnify it you will get a Brigade

Ady :)
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: mmm45 on Thursday 22 July 10 17:57 BST (UK)
http://www.1914-1918.net/37div.htm

Think it is 123 Bde (LXX111)

Ady
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: forester on Thursday 22 July 10 20:42 BST (UK)
Nick,

As far as I can make out:

He attested 11/1/16 and was placed on Reserve.
Mobilised 1/11/16 and posted to No.1 Depot RFA (Newcastle).
Later in November (3rd?) he was posted to No.6 Battery, 1b Reserve Brigade, which was based just outside Forest Row in East Sussex.
He proceeded overseas on 25/5/17, being posted to B Battery, 123 Brigade on 5/6/17.
On leave 14/2/18 to 28/2/18 and returned to 123 Brigade.
Returned to UK (Clipstone Camp) 31/1/19 for discharge 3/2/19.

 As Ady said, 123 Brigade was part of 37th Division Artillery:

The war diary is at TNA in WO 95/2521.

Some pictures of Forest Row Camp and 1B Reserve Brigade (click one of the buttons, top right for a full screen view):
http://www.philevans.org.uk/

Phil
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: forester on Thursday 22 July 10 21:01 BST (UK)
From the Digest of Services for No.6 Battery, 1B Reserve Brigade:

Recruits: 100 Men from 1 Depot, Newcastle upon Tyne 22/11/16

Drafts despatched: 10 Drivers to France 25/5/17

Phil
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Friday 23 July 10 20:58 BST (UK)
Thank you thank you thank you ;D

Nick
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Friday 23 July 10 21:19 BST (UK)
Hi forester,

You said in your last posting that 10 drivers were dispatched to France do you where they went.

Very new to looking in to WW1 so do not know what I can find.

What is the TNA?

Why is the second doc called a casualty form was he injured?

I also have a protection certificate what is it.


Nick
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: bernard_lewis on Friday 23 July 10 21:45 BST (UK)
TNA = The National Archives - at Kew. The War Diary referred to will give a day by day account of what his unit did, where it went etc. He might get a mention but it was usually officers who were referred to by name.

Bernard

Bernard
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: Nick1 on Friday 23 July 10 21:59 BST (UK)
Thank you Bernard,

Now that would be a dream but I live up North so I dont think I will ever get to read the diary

Nick
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: mmm45 on Saturday 24 July 10 07:39 BST (UK)
nick.....you may be able to get a copy of the war diary from Kew prices vary for how much there is.Unsure if the one you want is digitalised for download though..

Ady
Title: Re: Help with charles
Post by: forester on Saturday 24 July 10 09:30 BST (UK)
WO 95/2521 hasn't been digitised yet. They seem to be concentrating on the most popular infantry diaries first.

It is a fairly extensive file by the looks of it, so you would have to be specific if ordering through the old system, unless you've got a pot of gold spare.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/09ah/

Phil