Skipman Posted 17 June , 2008 Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Am researching wife's great uncle driver John Lauchlan Fraser 96764,H.Q. 2nd Div.Ammunition Col.Royal Field Artillery.Died age 25 on 8/sept/1918.Buried Bac-du-Sud British Cemetery,Bailleulval.Any information on this unit would much appreciated,have drawn a blank...I do have his medal card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 17 June , 2008 Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Hello skipman Part of 2nd Division of the original BEF of August 1914, it served in France and Flanders throughout the War. War Diary is in the National Archives at Kew, in file WO95/1328. War Diaries rarely mention men by name other than officers but the location of the unit, and a description of its activities, is given on each day. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 17 June , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Thanks Ron that will be a great help.As a matter of interest why didn't these units keep a diary,like the inf/btns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 17 June , 2008 Share Posted 17 June , 2008 They did! That is what is in WO95/1328. However, in the class-list for WO95, it is just shown as "Divisional Ammunition Column", not as "2nd Divisional Ammunition Column" so a search under the latter title would return no records. Is that what happened to you? Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 17 June , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Something like that Ron,that and my research abilities,will look it up,and thanks for pointing me in right direction,i assure you my sense of direction is not good.cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battiscombe Posted 17 June , 2008 Share Posted 17 June , 2008 The 2nd DAC was created largely from reservists mobilised at Preston at the start of the war -- I have seen the war diary of Aug-Sept 1914, which is quite 'thin' on detail but gleaned this information .. Lt Col T F Ravenhill RFA (ex- II Reserve Brigade – Preston) Adjutant: Capt H Cooke? No 1 section: Major A S Cotton (ex 36th Battery, XXXIII Brigade) No 2 section: Capt. John Cabell Eustace Jameson (Special Reserve) No 3 Section: Capt. H B Dresser (Special Reserve) No.4 (Howitzer) section: Capt E W Cushen (Special Reserve) No.4 (sic) (Howitzer) section: 2Lt C H N Young (RGA supplementary officer) each section with some 130 + men .. 2nd Division Ammunition park: Capt A Corbett Smith RFA, (Special Reserve) 11 Sept: Major Cotton takes command of combined BACs in 2nd DAC 18th Sept: Captain Jamieson and party went to railhead for remounts 20th Capt Jamieson returned with 240 horses for 2nd Division 22nd Lt Zeigler posted to 44th brigade, remaining subalterns posted to BACs 18 October 1914: Major W E Clark reports of 36th brigade – posted to 2nd DAC end of May 1916 it was reorganised with the Brigade Ammo Columns from 2nd Div being added to it, 36th Brigade AC became No 1 section 2nd DAC .. so men who had previously been with Brigades joined the DAC by his number I would guess Driver John Lauchlan Fraser 96764, enlisted August 1914 and could have been posted to them a couple of months later .. or another BAC and from there to 2nd DAC. david Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 17 June , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Thanks David,you guys amaze me,how do you know from the number he enlisted in 1914,and if he did ,what rotten luck to get killed 2 wks before the end.He was originally from perthshire,not sure how he ended up in RFA,but am learning more.Can't thank you all enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battiscombe Posted 17 June , 2008 Share Posted 17 June , 2008 the RFA service number can be a guide to enlistment - but note 'can' - in this case most prewar regulars had numbers up to about 78000 and then the massive enlistment after that swiftly put numbers up to 100000 by the end of 1914, but some similar numbers were used/reused in 1915 and possibly later so this is certainly not an infallible guide by any means .. now I check ....the same number was issued in Aug 1914 to someone who signed up as a special reservist .. Albert Edwards .. which might suggest a later enlistment for Fraser .. I dont claim to fully understand quite how the numbers were being issued .. but they can narrow down the options .. the artillery 'soldiers died' volume had him enlisting in Glasgow anyway .. and 'died of wounds', so he could have been wounded a little before then a 1915 example with a similar number who landed up in a regular unit is Driver Alexander Brown (96782) enlisted 19/07/1915 - enlisted for Duration of war - to 21st Res Bty, posted 30/12/1915 to 1st DAC; 29/3/1916 to 25th Bde, 2/4/1916 to 113th Bty, ....... a DAC HQ was small - the 1915 standard had Lt Col adjutant serj major artillery clerk Bty quartermaster Sgt clerk gunner 2 medical orderlies 6 drivers for vehicles 1 driver for spare horses 1 spare driver 6 batmen total 23! which suggests perhaps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 17 June , 2008 Author Share Posted 17 June , 2008 Sorry if this is daft question but,where do you find artillery soldiers died,?i think i looked in right place(military geneology.com) but couldn't find J L Fraser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battiscombe Posted 18 June , 2008 Share Posted 18 June , 2008 This is the printed 'Soldiers Died in the Great War' series - there is an Artillery volume - they were reprinted in the 1980s and give details slightly different from Commonwealth War Graves Data his entry is Fraser, John, b. Barony, Lanark, e. Glasgow, Lanark, 96764, Drvr., d. of w.., F & F., 8/9/1918 b- born e - enlisted d o w - died of wounds F & F -France & Flanders I must say I looked a few more numbers similar to his and there is a cluster of July 1915 enlistments, as well as Aug 1914 ones .. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 18 June , 2008 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2008 This is the printed 'Soldiers Died in the Great War' series - there is an Artillery volume - they were reprinted in the 1980s and give details slightly different from Commonwealth War Graves Data his entry is Fraser, John, b. Barony, Lanark, e. Glasgow, Lanark, 96764, Drvr., d. of w.., F & F., 8/9/1918 b- born e - enlisted d o w - died of wounds F & F -France & Flanders I must say I looked a few more numbers similar to his and there is a cluster of July 1915 enlistments, as well as Aug 1914 ones .. David Thanks David.That's interesting.I have his medal card and it just says DEAD.Didn't know he died of wounds.Is the Artillery book online at all? Mike aka skipman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 19 June , 2008 Share Posted 19 June , 2008 No.4 (Howitzer) section: Capt E W Cushen (Special Reserve) No.4 (sic) (Howitzer) section: 2Lt C H N Young (RGA supplementary officer) This is actually correct. Nos 1, 2 and 3 Sections handled 18-pounder and small-arms ammunition, and No 4 Section had a "Howitzer portion" for 4.5-inch and a "Heavy Portion" for 60-pounder ammunition. The latter portion ceased early in 1915 when the 60-pdr guns were withdrawn from divisions. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 19 June , 2008 Share Posted 19 June , 2008 This is actually correct. Nos 1, 2 and 3 Sections handled 18-pounder and small-arms ammunition, and No 4 Section had a "Howitzer portion" for 4.5-inch and a "Heavy Portion" for 60-pounder ammunition. The latter portion ceased early in 1915 when the 60-pdr guns were withdrawn from divisions. Ron Ron Does the above hold true for all DAC's? Thanks Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battiscombe Posted 19 June , 2008 Share Posted 19 June , 2008 yes, thanks for that - I think my original note on that was that 4 section was repeated twice - and not seeing the obvious point that it simply had 2 officers appointed to it .. david Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 19 June , 2008 Share Posted 19 June , 2008 Ron Does the above hold true for all DAC's? Thanks Phil Yes - at least, according to the establishments. Presumably 2/Lt Young was with the Heavy portion. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjjobson Posted 20 June , 2008 Share Posted 20 June , 2008 Thanks Ron Yet another little gem added to my knowledge of Royal Artillery history. Hopefully, it will go into the second edition of my book. Regards Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now