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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Field Bakeries


Guest Jamjar90

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I am researching men surnamed ROADS in WW1, including Reginald Roads, a baker in Mursley, Bucks until called up. He served in the 32nd FB and then, after some reorganisation, I believe, in the 3rd. Any info on where they served or photos would be much appreciated. The only thing of note on his record was the severe reprimand he received for 'failing to seal his dough properly'.

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regarding Thomas Cundiff and the sub PO in Black Road Macclesfield, it is no longer operating, though there is a general stores there which may well have been the shop in question. Despite living in Macc for many years, I don't recall ever going in there.

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  • 1 year later...

Hello there

saw this thread just now. Have you published ? In my fathers village theres a CWGC grave (Newcastle Old Churchyard, Tipperary)  for William Looby aged 50, 66th Field Bakery died October 1918 ? at home at the time (Clonmel). Looks to have been a pre WW1 soldier.

 

Best wishes for your work

 

Gerry

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  • 2 months later...

I am researching Percy George Trew who was a sergeant in the RAOC but was wounded while attached to No 3 Field Bakery, and died of his wounds and is buried in Le Havre on 13th July 1918. Does anybody know where No 3 Field Bakery was in July 1918?  I would have imagined fatal injuries in field bakeries would be quite unusual!

Ian

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Not if a shell exploded near where he was working.

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Mate,

 

Yes Artillery appears to more likely, but the Germans were also using a lot of air units to attack the lines of Comms.

 

These included ground attack planes, as well as Gotha Bomber types to bomb the rear areas.

 

These attacks appear both during the day and night and all areas could be bombed or straffed.

 

Cheers

 

S.B

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  • 3 months later...

It may be a little late to have found this thread but I hope my input will be of interest. My Great Grandfather was Nicholas Worsfold and he joined the Army Service Corp in October 1914, he was 37 years old and had been a Carman Coal & Corn, when he joined he was placed into the 2nd New Army (Kitcheners Army?) and was promoted to corporal 15th Jan 1915, by 26th Jan he was transferred to the 14th Field Bakery and then appointed acting staff sergeant 15th May 1915. 14th Field Bakery landed at Le Havre 19th May 1915 and onto the front, where I cannot say but the Somme is most likely. He served until Sept 1916 and was transferred to 11th Field Bakery. Nicholas was sent home in November 1916 but left England again 25th Dec 1916 and sailed for India, this was just a staging post and he then went to Basra, arriving 15th April 1917 and entered into the Mesopotamian Campaign. Posted to 7th Brigade transport & supply while in the field and under Sir Frederick Stanley Maude, posted to 15th (Indian?) Division 14/09/1917 and promoted again to S.Q.M.S Warrant Officer Class II, participated in the battles of Ramadi, Tikrit & the action at Khan Baghdadi. Mentioned in despatches of Lieutenant General Sir William Marshall 15/04/1918, participated in the battle of Sharqat October 1918.

 

I doubt very much if Nicholas was ever a baker, he was apparently good at organising within transport and supply to the Field Bakery and I suspect that's how he was recognised when mentioned in despatches. His 1914/15 Star is stamped with his actual rank (Cpl) and not as acting staff sergeant, War medal and Victory medal recognises his rank as S.Q.M.S Warrant Officer Class II.

 

Hope to learn more about Nicholas as time goes on, especially of his time in France, the order of Battle will certainly reveal more of that but have not looked into that so far.     

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The stars always show rank at entry into theatre.  Given his pre-war occupation it does like he would have been more on the logistics side of things.  A carman was basically the white van man of the day, driving a horse drawn cart.

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On 02/03/2014 at 10:51, Jamjar90 said:

I am looking to document the Field Bakeries, would like information of any soldiers who were bakers before the First World War and any soldiers who worked in the Bakeries. Any references in war diaries, letters or postcards home which mentioned bread.

I have researched Sgt Robert Lee, DCM, Sgt 50463, 12th Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers, and formerly S/4/109897, Army Service Corps.

Attached is a photo of him in the 42nd Field Bakery, 6 A-side, Football Club. [He is the man standing 2nd from right].

His DCM and other photos and details can be found on my website.

 

https://www.larkhallwarmemorial.com/home/awarded-the-d-c-m/lee-robert-thomson-dcm/

 

He was a master baker before and after the war.

Hope this helps.

Kindest Regards,

Tom.

 

img241.jpg

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Here is Sgt Robert Lee, DCM, and 42nd Field Bakery at Work.

I don't have a date or location (maybe Egypt).

Sgt Lee is standing (hands on his hips) to the right of the soldier holding the tray of bread.

Kindest Regards,

Tom Lang.

LEE Robert DCM - in Egypt.jpg

Edited by Tom Lang
typo
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I believe a friend of mine’s grandfather was a baker in Coventry pre-WW1 and served with the BEF?  He’s away in Prague ATM but I’ll grab him when he comes back.  I think he has some phots!

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Ernest Seaman enlisted at Le Havre in the Army Service Corps, and worked as a baker. He later transferred to the 2nd Battalion Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

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So my friend has returned from Prague and I was not mistaken.

 

This chap was born in 1881 in Coventry; the 1901 census shows him as an apprentice baker. He married in 1907 and sometime around 1909 he took over the bakery where he had been working. The baker he had trained with, Alfred Paul, moved to another part of Coventry. There was some sort of dispute as Mr Carvell was declared bankrupt, however the was soon discharged. He  first went over to France in November 1914. He apparently served until late 1919 early 1920.  Service record is being forwarded and I’ll share as soon as I can.


This press cutting may be of interest:

 

“From The Midland Daily Telegraph, Thursday 22 April 1915

Baking at the Front

How the Army in the front gets its bread is described by Pte. A Carvell of the Army Service Corps to his wife at 5 Hertford Place, Coventry. Pte. Carvell, who is a baker, says: We have been kept busy and hard at it seven days a week. I suppose we shall be getting a rest when we get a few more bakers to help us, We work under the same conditions as those in the trenches, facing all weathers. We have about a hundred ovens arched out in clay in sections of ten with a sheet of iron to close them up. It is like a long ridge of steaming earth. I have heard visitors say the smell is very good. Round about one are to be seen men splitting and chopping green timber, the boughs still moss covered and entwined with ivy. I don’t suppose you would take us for bakers in our mud-coloured trousers and mud-bespattered shirts. The wood is placed in the bee-hive shaped ovens and then fired. During the time this is burning the dough is prepared and moulded in a marquee close by. The trays are placed in the ovens, and these being closed down for an hour we have the genuine article – bread. The same process is again gone through to prepare for the next race against hungry mouths. In a day we turn out about 20,000 loaves. Each loaf is two men’s ration of bread for a day.”

 

It seems that he never baked another loaf after his demob!  Instead he became a grocer!  There is a strong family likeness to my friend!

F588C566-FCC3-4915-9059-DF824A3C1BDC.jpeg

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