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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: toysandboats on Monday 21 March 11 21:07 GMT (UK)
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I have a photo of my grandfather, James Wright, in a WW1 RAMC uniform but I am unable to find any military record of him.
I believe that he served only within the UK and that he may well have been a conscientious objector.
He was born on 17 Jan 1884 and died on 15 Feb 1942.
I would appreciate any guidance or help to find out more about him.
Thank you, David Ward
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If he did not serve abroad in a theatre of war then he is very unlikely to have a Medal Index card and as 60% of the service records were destroyed in the Blitz, the chances of his records surviving are slim. However there are one or two places where it might be worth looking:
1. local papers - these regularly carried coverage of the men in the locality who served
2. local library - local history society - search for parish magazines, collections of letters, local firms' lists of men who served
3. official documents - absent voters' lists - if your man had any children born in the war years his service details may be on the certificate
good hunting,
jds1949
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Any other clues in the photo, ie rank or other insignia?
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JDS1949, thank you for confirming what I suspected! I have hunted through all of the records I can find on Ancestry and wondered if I was missing something obvious - their search engine is not the most helpful I have encountered.
He lived in Lymington in Hampshire just before and after WW1 and was a salesman and then the district superintendent for the Prudential Assurance Company there. They have told me that they have no records surviving.
He had two children, one born in 1911 (my mother) and a son born in 1914. His wife died in 1915, following complications after the second birth. The children were then brought up by their great aunt - their father's aunt.
Absent voters lists is a good idea, I'd not heard of them before and will try that route.
Neil1821, there are no badges of rank, he was probably a private - or the RAMC equivalent (orderly?).
He had no medical background (insurance salesman!) so it was an odd choice of regiment, unless he was a CO.
The uniform shows the Serpent buckle on the belt, a red cross badge on his arm and a metal RAMC badge on the shoulder. The photo was probably taken just as he joined up.
Thank you both for your interest
David
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David,
just a further thought - although your man was an insurance salesman he may well have had medical experience. I have a number of men that I have researched who were members of the St John Ambulance before the war and ended up in the RAMC; remember that these were the years when most men had some kind of interest outside of the home, the Territorial Army, the local cycling club, the local walking club, untold numbers of societies for this and that, the list is practically endless.
You might also find this of interest:
http://www.ramc-ww1.com/index.html
jds1949
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Thanks for that, I have a far better understanding of the RAMC having read the site
David
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One of mine had his occupation as Insurance Agent and only two years older than yours. I looked at the address on his marriage and found his AVR this gave me the evidence I needed but was also able to find him in the RAMC on the 1901 Census and obtained his BOER War papers. Which does not help you I know but you could see what addresses are listed in your family's history, marriage, 1911 Census etc. and see if you can find on the electoral rolls 1917-1918. This will give you his army no. and confirm his medals and service.
Hope this helps a bit.
Good luck
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I know where he was living when he married in 1910 and he was in the same house in 1911 and 1914 for the births of his two children and the death of his wife in 1915.
I suspect that he only served for a relatively short while (2 or 3 years) and that his service was in hospitals in the UK hence there are no medals. It also now seems likely that his records were destroyed so the Absent Voters List seems to be my only way forward at present and I will visit Hampshire Record Office soon.
However, asking this question has given me a way forward and I'm thankful to RCers for that!
David
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Dear David
If he was in the RAMC in 1914 at the outbreak of the War its possible his service is recorded on the child born 1914 certificate of birth depending on when in relation to the War, but that's expensive so perhaps the best bet after all is the AVR.
If you live some distance from the Record Office you could try for a look up in the Hampshire Record Office here on RC or the Great War Forum, I have been helped there but not in relation to the Hampshire area and if you do not know about it I will post the link. There is also a site accessible on GW Forum for brief listings of RAMC men but this is far from complete.
I have no idea where the recruitment for this Unit may have taken place but hopefully someone on the forum may know. Unfortunately the details are too brief, even his first name is only initialised but here its is:
RAMC profile of:
J WRIGHT Unit: 141st Field Ambulance the link has been given below.
Good luck David
Pat
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Thanks again Pat for the information.
At the time of the 1914 birth (3rd May) he was not in the RAMC, he was definitely working for the Prudential Assurance Company - I have a newspaper cutting announcing the birth and giving the father's details.
I also have a small book of poetry written by his sister in law in 1915 and one of the poems says "Daddy's gone to nurse the soldiers, What he calls the R.A.M.C." Later this poem talks about "Baby Jim & me" (me is my mother) so I think it reasonable to assume that he joined in 1914 or early 1915. This also reinforces one of the golden rules - if only I'd asked my mother about it when she was alive!
I only live 6 miles from the Record Office so it is very easy to get there and finally, another new forum for me to explore, The GW one - that looks like another treasure trove.
Thank you very much Pat
David
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It's good to hear that you only live a few miles distant from the RO just check before you leave that they do have the AVR's and take all the addresses you have.
That is a lovely poem about your ancestor for your archive. Also, you could check again to see if they have any local newspapers that may mention him perhaps coming home being discharged etc at the end of the War. I think that there was a branch of the RAMC stationed at the Army HQ near Aldershot? so sorry I cannot recall the area but I think it is in Hampshire/Surrey. If for example he was the soldier mentioned briefly in the index you may find the hospital. I think it is totally wrong that these men were not equally recognised for their home service as they did such sterling care of soldiers horribly wounded. My F in L was nursed in somewhere in the south of England, with multiple gunshot wounds, but he lived to tell the tale thankfully!
Kind regards,
Pat
p.s.
Have you checked to see if your ancestor had a second name I found at least 4 on the medal rolls in the RAMC but no 'just James' there could be more as I only got up to page 25 at the NA:
Description Medal card of Wright, James Ruben
Corps Regiment No Rank
Royal Army Medical Corps 119165 Private
Date 1914-1920
Catalogue reference WO 372/22
Description Medal card of Wright, James Wilson
Corps Regiment No Rank
Royal Army Medical Corps 113556 Private
Date 1914-1920
Catalogue reference WO 372/22
Description Medal card of Wright, James Alexander
Corps Regiment No Rank
Royal Army Medical Corps 140000 Private
Date 1914-1920
Catalogue reference WO 372/22
Description Medal card of Wright, James H
Corps Regiment No Rank
Royal Army Medical Corps 49535 Private
Date 1914-1920
Catalogue reference WO 372/22
I do wish you luck with your searches just when you draw another blank there is often suddenly a chink of light and I hope you get it. Just keep chipping away at it David.
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Hi
Just caught the bit about him possibly been a Conscientious Objector.
If this is so after the 1916 Conscription Act when all able bodied men had to register areas had Tribunals that dealt with men who asked not to serve for whatever reasons.
In my research ive come across lots of reports in local papers of the time naming the lads and the outcome of such.
It maybe worth checking(if possible)
Ady :)
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Hi Pat,
sadly my grandfather is just James Wright and that makes him much harder to pinpoint.
Ady, I will look through the newspapers though that will be a long slow process
Thanks to you both for offering ideas
David
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Any other clues in the photo, ie rank or other insignia?
I obviously hadn't looked closely enough at the picture (I thought I knew it well!)
There is what looks like a clover leaf on his left arm - does anyone know the significance of this please?
David
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_(Irish)_Division
Could be 16th (Irish) Divisional Patch?
http://www.1914-1918.net/16div.htm
Ady :)
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Thanks Ady, that's an interesting suggestion.
Looking at the 16th (Irish) Division in your link shows that there were 6 Field Ambulance units and 1 Sanitary unit attached to the Division.
To my knowledge he had no Irish connection - born in Hampshire, father and mother from Staffordshire but father did take the family around Dorset, places in Hampshire and then back to Staffordshire, following his "trades" of brickmaking / mining.
It would seem that the 16th Irish ran out of people so he was probably just "assigned" in true Army fashion.
Thanks David