Guest Richard P Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 Hello Can any one help trace a West Brom Artillery Gunner. His name is William Arthur Gibbons and he was called up from Charlemont, between West Brom and Sutton Coldfield, where he worked in the grocery trade before and after the war. I have searched the National Archives and his records must be burned but there are 4 William A Gibbons on the medal index who served in the artillery. So I have 4 names, ranks and numbers but don't know which is my man. I have a picture of him which shows him wearing the uniform of a Gunner with a Royal Arttillery style cap badge (too small to see what is written on it) and the shoulder lettering is also unclear. Can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoch beard Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 hello richard, i have checked the west bromwich book of remembrance, which lists all men from west brom who served and found the following- Gibbons William A. Gnr 5250 R.G.A. i hope this will be of help enoch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard P Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 Thanks Enoch!! That is great as it is one of ones I have traced on the medal roll. Can I just confirm that the book of rememberance also lists soldiers who survived the war as my William A Gibbons definately did survive. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoch beard Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 richard, just to confirm it lists all men who SERVED not just died, its about 290 pages long and on average about 36 names per page. there is a handwritten version downstairs in west brom library and a typed copy upstairs in the reference library which the staff should be happy for you to look at(hopefully) enoch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard P Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 Thanks again! In order to find out more about this chap does anyone know what Brigades/Batteries men joining the Royal Garrison Artillery from this part of the world might have joined?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoch beard Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 me again,there was a territorial force unit of r.g.a. in wednesbury which might be where he enlisted? enoch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 10 August , 2004 Share Posted 10 August , 2004 me again,there was a territorial force unit of r.g.a. in wednesbury which might be where he enlisted? enoch Following all this with interest, being a local boy myself. Enoch, in Richard's original post, he says that Gnr. Gibbons was "called up". If he was a conscript, might he not have been sent to whatever unit "they" wanted to send him to, thus breaking any possible local connection? Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enoch beard Posted 11 August , 2004 Share Posted 11 August , 2004 tom, you are right , only excuse for missing that is i come from the television generation. enoch by the way keep your eyes open for a memorial plaque to arthur MORGAN for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 11 August , 2004 Share Posted 11 August , 2004 willl do, Aynuk. Tum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtruby Posted 13 August , 2004 Share Posted 13 August , 2004 In a letter written by my great uncle, possibly around Christmas 1914, he mentioned an artillery battery based at Carter's Green Drill Hall, West Bromwich. This drill hall was located where the car showroom is today. I hope this is of some use or interest. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 13 August , 2004 Share Posted 13 August , 2004 5th Staffordshire Battery, 3rd North Midland Brigade RFA (TF) was based at the drill hall in West Brom. No RGA units were based in the town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard P Posted 14 August , 2004 Share Posted 14 August , 2004 I seem to be drawing a blank on finding what unit he served with. His records are burnt but on the medal roll he receiced only the British and Victiry medals so must have been enlisted no earlier than late 1915. Does anyone have any ideas about how I might track down his unit???????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry_Reeves Posted 14 August , 2004 Share Posted 14 August , 2004 Not neccessarily so Richard. All that means is that he did not serve in a theatre of war to qualify for any of the stars. I have a long service group to a soldier who enlisted in 1896 and had continuous service until 1919. He only entered a theatre of war in 1917 and thus was only entitled to the BWM and Victory medals. Terry Reeves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmtruby Posted 30 August , 2004 Share Posted 30 August , 2004 Just been reading an old book by John Keegan, 'The Face of Battle'. John Keegan points out that the 46th North Midland Division, that was at the Battle of the Somme, had an artillery battery from West Bromwich. The 46th Division's engineer field companies were located at Smethwick and Cannock. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rflory Posted 31 August , 2004 Share Posted 31 August , 2004 Ray wrote: His records are burnt but on the medal roll he receiced only the British and Victiry medals so must have been enlisted no earlier than late 1915. If he was a Territorial Force man and received the BWM and Victory Medal, he should have a post-1917 six-digit service number. If his service number on those medals is not a six-digit number then he most likely did not serve in the T. F. and is instead a regular. In that case where he lived or enlisted will probably not be helpful in identifying his unit because the Royal Artillery recruited on a nation-wide basis and men were not assigned to units on a territorial basis. Do you know what the service number is on his BWM and Victory Medal? Regards. Dick Flory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Richard P Posted 3 October , 2004 Share Posted 3 October , 2004 Thanks: His number is 5250 although on his medal card it also mentions the number 295098. Does this help shed any light? I am very keen to identify his unit and find out where he served but so far am having no luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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