Simon Mills Posted 20 December , 2011 Share Posted 20 December , 2011 I am trying to find out some information on a great uncle who (we think) served in the Royal Garrison Artillery. He survived the war but (not unusually) there isn't very much family knowledge as to where he went or what he did during the hostilities. So far I think that I have narrowed it down to one of two soldiers, but unfortunately the medal roll cards do not provide any details of the particular brigade to which they were posted. All I can say is that there seem to be medal roll cards for two George Tildesleys, both of whom served as gunners in the RGA, and both of whom were awarded the Victory and British medals. Beyond locating the card in the medal roll index I am not entirely sure how the system works, but if there is someone more expert than myself who might be able to pinpoint the actual RGA brigade from the information below then I'd be very pleased to hear from you. Name 1: George W. Tildesley Service No.: 4224 and 294579 Roll No.: RGA/243B Page: 14387 Name 2: George Tildesley Service No.: 93398 Roll No.: RGA/151B Page: 51/5 Interestingly, neither card gives a date of entry for any theatre of war. For a bit of additional information my great uncle lived in Lancashire, in which case this might provide a clue as to his service number or the brigade to which he was posted? That said, Tildesley is not an uncommon name in that region and it's quite possible that both men came from the same area. Many thanks, Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFayers Posted 20 December , 2011 Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Hi Simon, Having a look through what's on Ancestry just now, and already I can see Gunner 4224 George W Tildesley's service papers survive - looks like he lived in Stockport. He was in the 145 (East Cheshire) Heavy Battery, RGA. Sadly this chap died of pneumonia in Germany in May 1919 - so I'm guessing this won't be your man? Can't find surviving service papers for the other George Tildesley, but I would say if you're certain your chap served overseas with the RGA then this is most probably him. If he went overseas on the strength of a battery then the battery should be listed in his medal roll entry (as opposed to his medal index card). If, however, he went out as part of a replacement draft then detrmining which battery or batteries he served with may be diffcult to determine (if at all) I'm afraid. Other forum members may be able to tell you from his number where and when he was mobilized. Cheers Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 December , 2011 Author Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Hi Steve, Thanks for your very quick and very useful reply. Uncle George definitely survived the war (he died, I think, in about 1974) in which case it looks as if the second name (no. 93398) could possibly be our man. To be ultra precise, I have no idea where George served so I suppose it is possible that he was not posted abroad. All my mother has is a photo of him sitting on a rather large horse, but if someone can work out his Brigade or Battery from the details in the medal roll entry then we could be in with a chance. Either way, your information has provided a great start and the fact that we've narrowed the field so much in less than twenty minutes is brilliant. Thanks again, Simon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFayers Posted 20 December , 2011 Share Posted 20 December , 2011 No worries Simon, I would estimate, from his number, that George Tildesley would have been mobilised around June or July 1916, and pprobably at No 1 Depot, RGA , which was then at Fort Burgoyne in Dover. (He may have attested a lot earlier [circa end 1915] under the Derby Scheme before his mobilization in the summer of 1916 or alternatively was conscripted around this time). There are at least two other forum members who I'm sure will be able to tell you exactly when or where. All the best Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinrowlinson Posted 20 December , 2011 Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Simon, Steve is correct for the location and time ( 4/5th June 1916 at Fort Burgoyne). However the number is not consistent with someone being conscripted/mobilised from Lancashire; they were being sent to Fort Brockhurst. Of course he may be the exception. Is it possible he could have been an ASC driver? Have you looked at the other records that are available for George Tildesley? Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 December , 2011 Author Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Hi Kevin, The information that I have on George is very sketchy, but my mother seems to think that he was in the artillery so for the time being that's probably where I need to concentrate my efforts. It's possible that she's got it wrong and that maybe he was a driver in the ASC (I assume that you are referring to the surgical corps?) but I don't have any evidence to support the notion. In an ideal world there would be a surviving service record with references to his parents (Charles and Amy Tyldesley) , but even then depending on the mood of the individual registrars the variations on the name can be a bit confusing -- sometime it's spelled "Tildesley" and on other occasions it's "Tyldesley"... It's one of the few remaining research loose ends that I need to chase up but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that something will turn up. Any help is gratefully received... Regards, S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verrico2009 Posted 20 December , 2011 Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Simon, Have you considered this man if you're convinced George was in the Artillery? Can't find an MIC for him so maybe didn't go abroad: haven't read through the papers yet. Name: George Tildesley Residence: 69 Whieldon Rd, Mount Pleasant Fenton, Stoke-On-Trent Document Year: 1915 Regimental Number: 2415 Regiment Name: N Mid Bde RFA (TF) Other numbers that appear on his records are 1515 and 80562[8]. ETA - scotch that: father Alfred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 20 December , 2011 Author Share Posted 20 December , 2011 Hi Verrico, Ah, never mind and thanks for trying. All I know from my mother is that George was in the artillery, but at this stage I'm happy to consider any possibilities. Our particular branch of the family hails from the north west (particularly Lancashire) but there is a Tildesley family outpost in Staffordshire and the midlands, so anything is possible. Ever since my ancestor led a charge over the bridge at Burton-on-Trent for King Charles there's been a kind of connection with Staffordshire and the family. Back in those days we were quite well to do, but sadly it's all gone now... S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Mills Posted 6 January , 2012 Author Share Posted 6 January , 2012 Kevin, I've had my family doing a bit of digging over Christmas and the photograph that they have eventually turned up, unfortunately, is not of a high enough resolution to identify the regiment (it's a photocopy and I'm not sure who has the original). However, one thing is clear and that is that the cap badge is most definitely not for the RFA, and although indistinct it is certainly shaped like an Army Service Corps badge. As luck would have it an aunt then found George's long-lost Victory medal and it has on the side a number which confirms your suspicion that he was an ASC driver. The specific engraving on the side is Dvr. G.W. Tildesley ASC, and the service number on the side is T4.263486. You mentioned the ASC earlier on and I was wondering if you can tell me if this particular service record still happens to exist? Many thanks, Simon. 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