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World War One / Despatch rider, serving with Army Service Corps
« on: Saturday 20 May 17 11:19 BST (UK) »
I just posted this in an old thread, but have been advised to start a new thread (Thanks Jim!)
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Hi - I've just registered, and as I'm trying to find out more about my grandpa, I was wondering if you could help?! As far as I know, he was a despatch rider, who was injured (as I understand, many of them were...) and returned to duty afterwards as a staff car driver. He survived the war and lived until 1971. I've seen a picture of him in uniform, standing by his motorcycle, but I haven't seen the picture in ages - I wish I knew what has become of it! I have found a copy of his war medal record though, so I know he served with the RASC, and the record shows his regimental number as M2 104238 and also that his rank was first, private, then corporal, which chimes with the comment made up thread. I'd love to find out more about him and am currently wading through boxes of family photos to try and find the picture of him and his 'bike. I've read a couple of books recently, written by Great War despatch riders, including WHL Watson's Adventures of a Motorcycle Despatch Rider, which is full of detail of their day to day existance and I almost felt I was there! It must have been grim, especially when you realise that the enemey would deliberately target the riders, cos of their strategic importance - very often the only way staff knew what on earth was going on was if a rider got through to tell them! The book reveals what a ghastly existance it must have been - no wonder my grandpa seldom talked about the war...
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Hi - I've just registered, and as I'm trying to find out more about my grandpa, I was wondering if you could help?! As far as I know, he was a despatch rider, who was injured (as I understand, many of them were...) and returned to duty afterwards as a staff car driver. He survived the war and lived until 1971. I've seen a picture of him in uniform, standing by his motorcycle, but I haven't seen the picture in ages - I wish I knew what has become of it! I have found a copy of his war medal record though, so I know he served with the RASC, and the record shows his regimental number as M2 104238 and also that his rank was first, private, then corporal, which chimes with the comment made up thread. I'd love to find out more about him and am currently wading through boxes of family photos to try and find the picture of him and his 'bike. I've read a couple of books recently, written by Great War despatch riders, including WHL Watson's Adventures of a Motorcycle Despatch Rider, which is full of detail of their day to day existance and I almost felt I was there! It must have been grim, especially when you realise that the enemey would deliberately target the riders, cos of their strategic importance - very often the only way staff knew what on earth was going on was if a rider got through to tell them! The book reveals what a ghastly existance it must have been - no wonder my grandpa seldom talked about the war...