RE Rail Network, Ypres, 24 Oct 1917

[seaforths]

Thanks Phil - I need to try and establish some links for this. If I can find out which RGA he was with in France,

I can check their diaries and see if there was a large exodus across from RGA to RE and from there to WR.

I have managed to find some anecdotal material on the RFA of Aberdeen (Silver Street) but nothing as yet on RGA. That was why I tried the Medal Roll as I thought it might give an RGA Battery number (it did for one of the other cousins-well an RFA Battery number)

This exodux from RGA, Gordons and probably many other sources might have been in late in half of 1918 by the sound of the information coming through here and maybe even post Armistice. I don't know if the diaries of the WR/ROD would show a huge requirement and corresponding spike in numbers at a particular time. But I am racing ahead of myself because I probably need to start front end with RGA.

Thanks again

Marjorie

[Terry_Reeves]

Marjorie

There was a large expansion of transportation services as a result of Sir Eric Geddes being appointed Director of Transportation in 1916. The Geddes reorganisation started in 1917 and saw a large expansion of the railways and inland water transport particularly. With regard to the former, many men who were employed on the railways in Britain in 1917 were conscripted to swell the numbers further, experienced railwaymen serving in the various regiments and corps of the BEF we transferred to the RE transportation services.

TR

[seaforths]

Terry thank you again - that is another possibility that I wasn't aware of. I also think that as the medal roll indicates he went to France as RGA, but that despite joining before the war, he must have gone out quite late as he didn't get the 15 Star as his brother did with the infantry and joined around the same time. I am going to try and find out tomorrow if any service records exist on Hastie. I don't seem to have any luck with service records - so few of them survived.

It would be interesting to see if James was involved in 3rd Ypres and in what capacity (RGA, RE or WR) I can put 3/6 of the cousins there (including my Granddad) the other two couldn't have been there. Hendo's map is really interesting and much more detailed than the ones I found, and I wish I could see it better (eyes not as good as they used to be and restrictions on upload file sizes - ho hum) as I have researched much of the area shown for differing reasons and can work out areas but even the bold is a bit fuzzy for me and the underlying part of the map is impossible for me to read I can only work on landmarks I recognise. It is very good though considering it is an iPhone and what looks like an overlay type map? I have an overlay map of the area further south from the same file as the others but not unfortunately relative to railways but German defence lines.

It would be interesting to see a later map as I would imagine that German captured railway assets would be absorbed into the Allied/French network.

Marjorie

[Phil Evans]

Marjorie,

If Feb 1918 is any good to you, PM me with an email address.

Likewise Hendo if you want one for comparison.

Phil

[seaforths]

Thank you Phil - pm headed your way