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General => Armed Forces => World War One => Topic started by: yfs on Wednesday 11 October 17 12:17 BST (UK)
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I've just found a service record for an ancestor who enlisted dec 1914 in the army service corps. (Presumably because he was a motor driver). It says he embarked for France 6 Aug 1916 (British expeditionary force). before this on the record i can decipher a note saying (I think) 34 section HAMT. earlier it also says Guildford ASCMT
Can anyone give me any clues about using this info to find out a little more? Basically I'd just like to find out where in France he was sent to and maybe which battles his unit helped with.
My skills when it comes to military records are very poor!
Thanks very much
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Hi, could H.A.M.T stand for "Heavy Artillery Motor Transport"?
Just a thought.
And A.S.C.M.T may well mean "Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport"
Frank.
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Most service records should show the service history as well. If this is not in the one you have access to then searching under his service # and his name will give you this. Ancestry.co.uk can give you this result but also here.
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
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And A.S.C.M.T may well mean "Army Service Corps Mechanical Transport"
some further info. ASCMT
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01kvb/
& Army Service Corps
http://www.rootschat.com/links/01kvc/
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You could give us his name and anything else military you have.
MaxD
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Thanks guys for your help so far.
MaxD - Henry Edward Ansell, when he joined service corps 28/12/14 regimental number is 031678
Says he had previous service with Royal Sussex Reg 1999-1902 (I think) - 1901 census backs this up as he is at Chichester Barracks with Royal Sussex Regiment
Born 20 Jan 1879, west Firle, Sussex
Looks like he was promoted to sergeant ver time and seems to have joined up again in 1921
I can't glean much else from the service records pages as I can understand so few of the abbreviations! ::)
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Quick first scan. His earlier service was in the Royal Sussex Volunteers (ie part time not regular army). You'll note his number is prefixed by M2 denoting Mechanical Transport (ie as opposed to Horse Transport) in the Army Service Corps (Frank and ladyhawk's link).
HAMT does indeed stand for Heavy Artillery Mechanical Transport. It was an umbrella title covering a number of small ASC MT sections that were attached to the heavy artillery to help them move their guns about. In his case he was attached in France to 133 Siege Battery Royal Garrison Artillery from August 1916.
His record is a bit frustrating in that his time after August 1916 is not documented entirely. He is back in UK in July 1918 and one cannot be sure where he was during the two year gap. He was due for demob in 1919 but waived his right in order to stay on longer. He was discharged in 1920. The 1921 service was a reserve (D Res) commitment that many men volunteered for, see:
http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/other-aspects-of-order-of-battle/defence-force-1921/
Need to do a bit more digging. More later.
MaxD
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A wee bit more. The record of his movement from France in July 1918 is signed by the Officer Commanding 31 SBAC (Siege Battery Ammunition Column). This would suggest that he stayed within that element of the ASC whose task was the supply of ammunition to the Siege Batteries (and others).
In terms of where he was and when, the lack of information on his movements between Aug 16 and Jul 18 and the fact that there were a number of organisations and re-organisations of ammunition supply and what one researcher has called "the to-ings and fro-ings" of the heavy artillery makes it merging on the impossible to follow his war. There is a war diary that starts in April 1917 but I am hoping to obtain a copy of a privately published pamphlet specifically on 133 Battery which we could take as illustration at least of the beginning of his war in France. More on this later I hope.
Meanwhile, these articles from "Commercial Motor" may be of interest (read in order 121-125).
http://archive.commercialmotor.com/search?term=Siege%20Batteries
MaxD
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Thanks so much Max D - even with gaps, this info is fantastic for us! It makes it much easier to visualise what he might have been experiencing, and his role. Thanks!
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There's more - but slight frustration again! I've been looking at the earlier service with the Royal Sussex Volunteers. There is his service record covering the years 1898 and 1899 only in the 3rd Battalion. Although they were a part time unit, many volunteered to go to the Boer War with the regular 1st Battalion Royal Sussex and his presence in Chichester would indicate that he had rejoined the militia and was preparing to go to South Africa. His name appears in the Sussex Express of 3 May 1901 on a list of 3 officers and 99 men , including men from 1st and 2nd Militia Battalions, who left for South Africa on 3 May 1901. The newspaper says they were supposed to have left "several weeks ago" which would explain why he was in Chichester on 31 March that year.
Slight frustration because I find no record for that later service BUT he is listed in the Boer War medal list for the Sussex and, what is more, he then joined the Orange River Scouts, a South African regiment and I find him in their nominal roll.
Got to go shopping!
More in due course.
MaxD
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More.
This link, https://archive.org/details/twoyearsontrekb00biddgoog
is to a book on the Royal Sussex in South Africa although it deals mostly with events before May/Jun 1901 when your ancestor arrived. It also make clear his presence in Chichester was due to the fact that the Volunteers had been embodied (called up for full time service) in 1899 and remained so until 1902. He was one of the 2nd Volunteer Company (also called 2nd Active Service Company). This company was commanded by Captain Beale who first appear on page 272.
I have sent you a PM
MaxD