Help Re Service Record of Grt Grandfather ... AIF 1st FAB 1st Bty

[Tikirocker]

G'day all,

I have managed to obtain records of my Great Grandfathers service as a member of the AIF during WW1. His is S/N 730, Robert Polworth Brown of 1st Field Artillery Brigade, 1st Battery ... he enlisted in Brisbane Queensland Australia on 23.8.1914 and embarked on 18.10.1914 for England but was detoured to Egypt which then saw him landing in Gallipoli.

I can make out a fair amount on my own from his records but there are so many dates flying about his movements that in some places I am a bit lost as to what exactly was happening. Could somebody please look at his records and help he pin down and define between which dates he was in the field and where he was exactly? I know he spent 4 months in Gallipoli before he was evacuated to a sweeper and shipped back to England for dysentry ... along with 6000 others.

Later he seemed to return to the field in France in 1916 but got Trench Foot and was shipped home for a spell only to return later to ... Roulles et al ... between 1917 and 1918, this is where I get a bit hazy on the ditto's and dates. Can anybody help me work out what precisely was going on and where he was? Thanks!

Records number to 45 pages found here http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.as...mp;I=1&SE=1

Best, Simon.

[River97]

Simon,

By the looks of his records he didn't return home due to trench feet, he was sent to hospitals in the UK. Tidworth and Larkhill were places there. Rouelles is also notated in the 'place' column. Have a look at the records from page 19 where the hand writing has been transcribed in to type writing, it makes a lot more sense and says where he was between dates i.e: 'Field', 'Etaples', 'London'.

Cheers Andy.

[Tikirocker]

G'day Andy,

I have read all the pages mate, but am still a little confused at to the overall timeline in some small instances. Here's my reading of it then ... it will atleast make it clear if and where I am going wrong.

# - He was in Gallipoli 4.4.1915 to 14.8.1915 a period of 4 months ....

# - In Gallipoli he was admitted to 1/3 Field Ambulance, Royal Australian Medical Corps. ( Condition Diarrohea )

# - 15.8.1915 he was transferred to a Fleet Sweeper ... he was then supposed to be embarked from Mudros to England on the Ascania but was admitted to hospital in Malta between 25.8.1915 and 23.9.1915.

# - 29.9.1915 He is in England and admitted to Military Hospital in Fulham, London. Condition "Dysentry and Rheumatism".

# - 25.1.1916 - Is in trouble for insolence and being AWL; fined and C.B ... ( Likely visiting his wife, my Grt Gran in Birmingham )

# - 1.7.1916 - He is at AIF Headquarters and joined unit from Monte Video camp until 7.6.1916.

# - 8.6.1916 - He joins AIF 1st Div Base Depot is Estaples, France

# 11.7.1916 - Is admitted to Gen Hospital in Camiero for "Ingrown toenails" and by 20.7.1916 is moved to the Division Rest Camp.

How am I doing so far? Ok ... next.

14.9.1916 - He is TOS Taken on Strength, 1st DAC? - and is now "In the Field" France ... but where?

15.9.1916 - Transferred to 1st Field Artillery Brigade.

18.9.1916 - Taken on Strength to 1st FAB, posted to 1st Battery.

20.10.1916 - Awarded 14 days FP, downrated to 2 days for "Illtreating a Horse".

18.11.1916 - Sore Feet, admitted to 18 A Train ... ( I assume a makeshift hospital in the train carriage )

11.11.1916 - He is with 7 Field Ambulance then to CRS? Don't know what CRS is.

25.11.1916 - 2 Can General Hospital, diagnosed with "Trench Feet" to be sent to England.

5.12.1916 - Sent to England ...

28.11.1916 - Admitted to Beaufort War Hospital, England ... Sick.

22.1.1917 - From No1 Command, marched in Perham Downs England and classed B1A ... Fit for light duty 4 weeks.

19.3.1917 - Marched out to No16 Command Depot Hurdcott.

25.3.1917 - No3 Command Depto Hurdcott ...

17-22.4.1917 - Classed B1A3 Fit for overseas training camp 2-3 weeks.

23-29.4.1917 - Classed B1A4 Fit when found dentally fit.

20.9.1917 - Promoted ER/Bdr? - to complete establishment?

Skipping the mundane now ...

30.11.1917 - Proceeds to France from Southampton. Reverts to Driver on arrival in France.

1.13.1917 - Marched in from England to Rouelles.

3.13.1917 - Marched out to 1st Div Artillery, Rouelles.

7.12.1917 - Rejoined Unit in the field, France and remained there until ...

8.10.1918 - Embarked for Australia ...

20.10.1918 - Left Suez for return to Sydney Australia.

2.12.1919 - Disembarked Melbourne for Brisbane.

3.2.1919 - Discharged from AIF Brisbane, cessation of Hostilities.

Now is there anything in all of that I have gotten wrong gents? I am trying to nail down the important dates where he was in the field so I can then research the engagements and where he was fighting at the time. AT some point very early on, I recall reading that he was classed as Bombadier, it was later on that he was classed as a Driver so at some point he shifted from one to the other. I assume the role of Bombadier was literally firing the guns and the role of Driver later on was as transport with horses of the Guns and Ammunition?

Any further insight would be greatly appreciated gents ... and if anybody knows precisely where 1st FAB 1st Battery was at certain times when my Grandfather was in the field, I'd appreciate the heads up.

Best regards, Simon.

[frev]

Simon - haven't had a chance to look at your G/Grandad's service records - but you can find the War Diaries for the 1st FAB here:

http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/war_diari...sp?levelID=1510

Cheers, Frev

[Tikirocker]

Frev,

Thanks, I already had the War Diaries, the trouble is that they are about 50% illegible, just so difficult to read in that quick scrawl ... there are plenty of abbreviations also which make trying to understand the diaries pretty tough and inaccessible but to the bloke who penned it. There are the odd typed pages here and there but that's about it. Somebody should have made a typewriter available to these blokes.

I would offer to translate the diaries myself for the benefit of others but I don't pretend to be able to make most of it out sadly. I'm going to have to rely on other sources who have been better able to translate the war diaries of the 1st FAB. I know my Grandfather was with the 1st Bty and went ashore during the initial landing, firing the one gun they put up from 1st Bty. The War diaries state "1st Bty remained in action for the remainder of the first day, firing upwards of 500-1000 rounds. The gun was withdrawn at night and then embarked back onto the ATLANTIAN".

I'd just love to be able to get more detail from the diaries.

Simon.

[David B]

Simon,

Basically you have got most of the readout correct but your first line is incorrect, he couldn't have been in Gallipoli on 4/ 4 /15, can't find a date of

arrival there.

Apart from much hospital time for various ailments it would appear that he was in a theatre of war from ? 1915 to 14/8/15 Gallipoli

18/9/16 to 24/11/16 France (In the field that could be anywhere in France, probablyeven the war diary said the same thing, it was used a cover not to indicate

to any unauthorized person where the unit was).

and back to France from 7/12/1917 to 8/10/1918.

If you need any more help give a buzz and I will explain further.

David

[Tikirocker]

David,

You are ofcourse right ... 4.4.15 would have had him in Egypt on training exercises before they shipped to Lemnos et al. So the date of his arrival in Gallipoli would have been the date of the first landing ... 25 April, rather than the 4th. I'll use the known time periods of his field service to now try and build a picture of the actions he was involved in.

Even the War diaries should throw a name or two out at me for the dates he was in the field in France. I recall reading that there were indeed battles raging in and around Rouelles ... well known ones, as Rouelles was an AIF base camp near Le Havre.

Best regards, Simon.