Field Ambulance 4th Division

[SilverFox100]

This photo is from the collection of photos my wife inherited from her grandmother from Alec Kelly, who fought both in Gallipoli with the 9th Battalion Royal Warwick's then at some time moved to France with the 1st Royal Warwick's and was killed at the 3rd Battle of the Scarfe on 9th May 1917. I assume it is one of the field ambulances attached to the 4th Division. Would anybody recognise whether this is one of those and was it horse drawn? It may be too difficult but would anyone recognise the cap badges? Sorry about the state of the photo in the middle but it is rather old. I find it an interesting photo and would like to find out more. Thanks

[Chris_Baker]

A Field Ambulance was not a vehicle, but a unit of the RAMC. Not knowing much about the vehicles that were used, I'd better leave that one to others!

[Ron Clifton]

A Field Ambulance (company-sized unit) had ten ambulance vehicles: seven motors and three horse-drawn wagons. The one in the photo looks like a motor ambulance.

The men would be either from the RAMC or the ASC (motor drivers).

Ron

[Black Sapper]

There are better guys than me out there, but .........

Ron - I would beg to differ. I have blown the photo up & it certainly looks like a horse drawn wagon? High seat, footboard, wooden wheels(?) & what looks like the towing bar/yolk for horses. (See comparison pix in the next post)

I did also see white letters "46 4" on the photograph foreground?

Was this the 46th Field Ambulance - 4th Division? But that doesn't fit in with the info on the LLT for 4th Div Field Ambulance units - they were the 10th, 11th & 12th?

Wasn't there a 46th Division which had Field Ambulance units? LLT has 1st, 2nd & 3rd (North Midland) units with the 3rd being raised in Wolverhampton?

Just a thought? But didn't the Australians have a 4th Div?

Cap badges do not enlarge at all, but certainly doesn't look like a Warwicks cap badge? There does seem to be 2 different badges (different shaped blobs) in the picture? They could very well be RAMC badges from the shape (elongated with a crown on top), ASC were more round I think?

[Black Sapper]

[SilverFox100]

Thanks guys great information as always and makes understanding easier Mike.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello all

I'll gladly concede that my identification of a motor ambulance was wrong! I didn't go as far as enlarging the photo but couldn't see any indication of the front pole of the harness, or indeed any horses.

Ron