WJB Posted 14 May , 2014 Share Posted 14 May , 2014 Hi My first post here, hope someone can point me in the right direction. My Grandad was Richard Collins (no middle name), born 15 Mar 1895 in Shenley, Hertfordshire, died 1984. I've attached two photos of him, first in uniform during WW1, don't know where; second is annotated "taken in hospital in Salonica, 15 July 1917". I also know that for at least part of the war, he was a mounted messenger, with a horse called Llewellyn of whom he was very fond. I have tried on Ancestry.Co. UK to find war records for him but have failed; also I've looked on the new Lives of the First World War website but I cannot narrow him down from the medal roll. I've tried looking up the divisions that served in Salonica in 1917 but he wasn't amongst the medal lists for these. I understand that he did earn medals but regrettably the family haven't preserved them! Would just like to know a little more about his war service and to commemorate him on the new web-site. I'm going to post separately in the general forum for his brother Tom.. Many thanks Wendy, Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJB Posted 14 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 14 May , 2014 Forgot to mention that my grandad, Richard Collins, is the one on the far right of the group photo above, and that he was known as Dick. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woollamc Posted 14 May , 2014 Share Posted 14 May , 2014 Is this him? Royal Field Artillery, service number 59879, lived in Shenley, fought in France, then Salonica... C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woollamc Posted 14 May , 2014 Share Posted 14 May , 2014 Medal Index Card here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 14 May , 2014 Share Posted 14 May , 2014 The gun in the first photo is an unusual type. The nearest I can find is the 12-pdr 6-cwt Horse Artillery gun that was used only for training after the very early months of the war, when a few were taken to France according to Hogg & Thurston. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJB Posted 14 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 14 May , 2014 Brilliant to find my grandfather's records, I have thanked the respondents by message. Fantastic to get results so quickly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockdoc Posted 14 May , 2014 Share Posted 14 May , 2014 There will be plenty more to find, believe me! Stick around - this place gets very addictive! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woollamc Posted 15 May , 2014 Share Posted 15 May , 2014 Wendy As promised, here is a summary of Richard Collins' pension file. I have tried to interpret some of the abbreviations used and, if I have got some of it slightly wrong, hopefully someone who knows something about the peculiarities of the Royal Field Artillery will post a correction or a better interpretation. 28 December 1914 - Enlisted at Walthamstow and posted to No. 6 Depot, Royal Field Artillery 4 January 1915 - Posted to 26th Division Ammunition Column as a Gunner 21 January 1915 - Posted to CXV Brigade Ammunition Column. A summary of their activity in the Great War is set out in the Long Long Trail here. 19 September 1915 - To BEF in France 15 June 1915 - Promoted to Acting Bombardier December 1915 – Division moved to Salonica June 1916 - Treated at 1st Canadian Hospital, Salonica for dysentery and inguinal hernia (“the size of a hen’s egg”) and suffered bouts of dysentery through to June 1917. 1917 - Became a Gunner but was paid as a Lance Bombardier (by virtue of Army Council Instruction 1743/ 1917). 12 August 1918 - Appointed as Gunner (Acting Bombardier) 4 June 1919 - Discharged to Class Z Reserve with a disability pension on account of his hernia. I hope this helps. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJB Posted 15 May , 2014 Author Share Posted 15 May , 2014 That's brilliant Charles, thanks so much for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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