Royal Engineers 20th Motor Airline Section

[GrahamC]

Hi friends

One of my Buxton men died at home after the War and after discharge, on 6 Dec. 1919. His M.I.C. shows him entering France with this Unit on 9 Oct. 1915.

Can anyone help me locate where he served? Was he attached to a particular Bgd etc. ?

Many thanks for looking

Graham

[Colin W Taylor]

Graham

Motor Airline Sections were, I believe, attached to armies and corps. According to the digitized orders of battle from Kew for December 1916 to December 1917 20 Section was with VII Corps. Presumably it stayed with this unit throughout but an expert could confirm this.

A quick search suggests that there isn't a war diary.

Kind regards

Colin

[Stebie9173]

Hmmm, he went to France on the same day as my great-grandfather, 71127 Sapper Herbert Beeby. We have always suspected my GGF served in an Airline Company (stringing and maintaining telephone lines up telegraph poles, basically). Like Lionel Garrick (as mentioned in Garrick's probate), he became an overhead wireman/linesman. I can only say that that mention of a unit that may have received men that day is of interest!

Steve.

[Ron Clifton]

Hello

I can confirm that 20 (Motor) Air-Line Section was attached to VII Corps from the latter's formation in mid-July 1915 until the end of 1918.

Air-line and Cable Sections with Corps did not keep separate diaries as they were part of the Corps Signal Company, whose diary is in WO95/816 in the National Archives at Kew. I don't think it has been digitised yet.

Ron

[GrahamC]

Hi guys many thanks for the replies - and narrowing it down to VII Corps.

Just wondering, Steve, where (and how) you accessed Lionel's Probate? I've had other Forum members refer to Probate, but haven't been able to track down where the info is coming from.

Many thanks again

Graham

[Stebie9173]

They are on Ancestry, Graham (cut-off date in the 1960s at present)

Steve.

[GrahamC]

They are on Ancestry, Graham (cut-off date in the 1960s at present)

Steve.

Thanks again - I've just found them and updated my membership - just need to go through the other 315 names now to see if there's anything on them ...........