Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery

[Darren Kenniford]

Hi im new to the forum. My wife and i are trying to find information on her Grandfather. Its taken weeks just to find his number.

We were clearing a few things away in our loft when she wanted to sort out her late Fathers things, when she stumbled upon her Grandfathers obituary where we found he'd fought in France and Belgium in WW1. I took and interest with this because i travel to Belgium every year with the Fire Service Colour Party and Parade at the Menin Gate.

Her Grandfather went to France in 1915 and survived the Battles of the Somme and Vimy Ridge, but his luck ran out at Paschendale during the Ypres battle when he was hit by shrapnel in the head. He survived and Lived to the right old age of 90.

He served with the Pembroke Royal Garrison Artillery, his Number was 371075 Bombardier James Roch, we have some information from his service card, but some is missing, also we want to find out more about his Regiment service throughout WW1.

I know this is a big ask, but all help would be greatfully received.

Darren.

[Hywyn]

Hi Darren

Welcome to the Forum.

On Ancestry Pensions he has been misspelt as J Rock. Try under that or just the number.I 've only looked at one page. That gives an address in Front? Street, Pembroke Dock.Served from 12/2/12 to 19/4/18 so obviously a pre war Territorial man. (371XXX to 374XXX being TF numbers allocated to Pembroke RGA on renumbering in 1917

Hywyn

[Darren Kenniford]

Hi Darren

Welcome to the Forum.

On Ancestry Pensions he has been misspelt as J Rock. Try under that or just the number.I 've only looked at one page. That gives an address in Front? Street, Pembroke Dock.Served from 12/2/12 to 19/4/18 so obviously a pre war Territorial man. (371XXX to 374XXX being TF numbers allocated to Pembroke RGA on renumbering in 1917

Hywyn

Thanks for that Hywyn, i will follow that up tonight. We've just had a phone call from the wifes relation where they've searched and found a couple of his medals, The War Medal and Victory medal, Shouldn't there be a Star as well and a TF medal ?. there is a picture of him with his length of service joining the TF's on 12/2/1912, and discharged after 6 years 67 days service, 3 years 256 active service.

[Darren Kenniford]

Hi Darren

Welcome to the Forum.

On Ancestry Pensions he has been misspelt as J Rock. Try under that or just the number.I 've only looked at one page. That gives an address in Front? Street, Pembroke Dock.Served from 12/2/12 to 19/4/18 so obviously a pre war Territorial man. (371XXX to 374XXX being TF numbers allocated to Pembroke RGA on renumbering in 1917

Hywyn

Have you got a link to the pensions mate ?, dont seem to be able to find anything.

[welshdoc]

If he served in France in 1915 there should be a 1915 star this should be indicated on his MIC. As for a territorial medal I presume you mean the Efficiency medal , I dont think he would have served long enough to qualify even allowing for double in the war years, if he was a Terri from 1913.

[Darren Kenniford]

If he served in France in 1915 there should be a 1915 star this should be indicated on his MIC. As for a territorial medal I presume you mean the Efficiency medal , I dont think he would have served long enough to qualify even allowing for double in the war years, if he was a Terri from 1913.

Hi welshdoc. thanks for your reply, We did a search of ww1 medals and found this area, so we were wondering if there were a couple missing. link .

[clive_hughes]

I'm not sure it's possible to post a link into the Ancestry website, as this is a pay-to-view area. If that's not the case I'm sure hywyn or someone else can find a way to send you the images (about 9 pieces of paper, effectively).

In the meantime his records can be boiled down to this:

James Roch enlists at Milford Haven in February 1912 as Gunner 361 in the Pembs. RGA (TF), with a standard service period of 4 years. He was aged 24 years 7 months.

Having attended the annual trainings (annual camps) he is embodied on 5 August 1914 following the outbreak of War.

On 8 September 1914 he married Ellen Maud Roch at Pembroke Dock Registry Office, and on 14 July 1915 they had a daughter Dorothy Louisa Roch. They lived at 37 Front Street, Pembroke Dock.

The Pembs. RGA didn't serve overseas as a unit, but its personnel were sent to help form other batteries, or to provide reinforcements.

On 14 March 1916 he is attached to 114th Siege Battery RGA, and lands in France on 14 June following. He became a Bombardier / Corporal from August 1916.

In February 1917 his original 4-year service contract was running out, and so it was compulsorily extended for the duration of the War - he received a cash bounty for this.

On 15 October 1917 he suffers a Gunshot Wound to the right eye, more specifically a depressed fracture at the side frontal bone of the skull, and small perforation of the ?dura membrane. Presumably he was evacuated to a hospital, and he left France on 24 October for the UK (served France 1 year 133 days).

His condition is sufficient for him to be medically boarded at the Edinburgh War Hospital, Balgour, West Lothian, and as a result he is discharged from the Forces on 19 April 1918. At that stage he seems to be technically a member of the 249th Heavy Battery RGA. His character is given as Very Good - "sober, steady, and reliable". Total service, 6 years 67 days.

He is awarded a pension of 30 shillings a week for four weeks, reducing to 24 shillings from 22 June 1918; the case to be reviewed in 22 weeks time.

The papers and his Medal Card confirm he is awarded the British War and Victory Medals, and the Silver War Badge granted to servicemen discharged on health grounds. He did not qualify for the 1914-15 Star as his Overseas service dates from June 1916. He is not shown as qualifying for the Territorial Force War Medal - he was embodied in good time, but in similar cases this is because he may not have volunteered for Imperial (i.e., Overseas) Service before the cut-off date. The TF were not obliged to serve overseas and many declined to sign up for this, until the situation was officially altered in 1916 in the wake of the Military Service Acts.

The papers when you see them will give more fine detail, but the above is what they contain, in a nutshell.

LST_164

[Darren Kenniford]

I'm not sure it's possible to post a link into the Ancestry website, as this is a pay-to-view area. If that's not the case I'm sure hywyn or someone else can find a way to send you the images (about 9 pieces of paper, effectively).

In the meantime his records can be boiled down to this:

James Roch enlists at Milford Haven in February 1912 as Gunner 361 in the Pembs. RGA (TF), with a standard service period of 4 years. He was aged 24 years 7 months.

Having attended the annual trainings (annual camps) he is embodied on 5 August 1914 following the outbreak of War.

On 8 September 1914 he married Ellen Maud Roch at Pembroke Dock Registry Office, and on 14 July 1915 they had a daughter Dorothy Louisa Roch. They lived at 37 Front Street, Pembroke Dock.

The Pembs. RGA didn't serve overseas as a unit, but its personnel were sent to help form other batteries, or to provide reinforcements.

On 14 March 1916 he is attached to 114th Siege Battery RGA, and lands in France on 14 June following. He became a Bombardier / Corporal from August 1916.

In February 1917 his original 4-year service contract was running out, and so it was compulsorily extended for the duration of the War - he received a cash bounty for this.

On 15 October 1917 he suffers a Gunshot Wound to the right eye, more specifically a depressed fracture at the side frontal bone of the skull, and small perforation of the ?dura membrane. Presumably he was evacuated to a hospital, and he left France on 24 October for the UK (served France 1 year 133 days).

His condition is sufficient for him to be medically boarded at the Edinburgh War Hospital, Balgour, West Lothian, and as a result he is discharged from the Forces on 19 April 1918. At that stage he seems to be technically a member of the 249th Heavy Battery RGA. His character is given as Very Good - "sober, steady, and reliable". Total service, 6 years 67 days.

He is awarded a pension of 30 shillings a week for four weeks, reducing to 24 shillings from 22 June 1918; the case to be reviewed in 22 weeks time.

The papers and his Medal Card confirm he is awarded the British War and Victory Medals, and the Silver War Badge granted to servicemen discharged on health grounds. He did not qualify for the 1914-15 Star as his Overseas service dates from June 1916. He is not shown as qualifying for the Territorial Force War Medal - he was embodied in good time, but in similar cases this is because he may not have volunteered for Imperial (i.e., Overseas) Service before the cut-off date. The TF were not obliged to serve overseas and many declined to sign up for this, until the situation was officially altered in 1916 in the wake of the Military Service Acts.

The papers when you see them will give more fine detail, but the above is what they contain, in a nutshell.

LST_164

Thats excellent LST_164, The information you gave both upset and overjoyed my wife at the same time. We have joined the ancestry website this morning and have been on it all day. But she is having problems finding the records you quoted above, are we looking in the right place ??.

All the help we have received here is brilliant and i thankyou all.

Darren.

[Hywyn]

Darren

The info is in the British Army WW1 Pensions Records.

Put the number in the Regimental Number section. It should return one which is J Rock

hywyn

[clive_hughes]

Happy to be of help - I lived in Pembrokeshire (including Milford Haven) for 8 years and know Roch as a local surname (presumably after the parish & castle of the same name at the top end of St.Brides Bay).

Hope hywyn's directions will have given you access to the papers now.

LST_164

[Darren Kenniford]

We've found out loads today, Photographs taken by her Grandfather at Vimy and his unit etc.

But i would like a bit of Direction on my Grandfathers record though. Where do i find the RNR records, The Ancestry site doesn't apear to show ww1 Naval ?.

[clive_hughes]

No, the only Naval material on Ancestry is to do with the 63rd Royal Naval Division, sailors of the RNVR and Royal Marines who served on land.

The RNR material is only available at the National Archives Kew, under the Board of Trade rather than the Admiralty - try posting on the ships & navies section and see what the nautical experts have to say!

LST_164