French need help - Traduction on silver British War Medal, 1914-18

[stefbkbk]

Hello,

I need help

I am French with English origin. Excuse my poor English.

My great grandfather Albert BROOKBANK made the World War I in France. I search in what regiment he served.

He obtains several British decorations known under the name of Pip Squeak and Wilfred:
- The 1914-15 Star
- The silver British War Medal, 1914-18
- The Allied Victory Medal

Engraved on the silver British War Medal, 1914-18 CMT-187 A.CPL.A.BROOKBANK. A.S.C

Somebody can tell me what does it means

My supposition:

he was Caporal in Corps of Motor Transport, 187 company, Army Service Corps (30th Divisional Train). Is it ?

(He was previously in South Africa in 1900-1902 in the 85th Battery Royal Field Artillery)

[Chris_Baker]

His rank was Acting Corporal (A.CPL)

His regiment was the Army Service Corps (ASC)

His number was CMT-187.

The CMT means he had enlisted into the Special Reserve of the Mechanical Transport section of the ASC.

I am afraid that none of it tells you his unit.

His medal index card does, however, tell you that when he went to France on 16 August 1914 he was serving with the 6th Divisional Ammunition Park. That is a unit of the ASC and it was also known as 51 Company.

[stefbkbk]

Thank you very much,

A last question if you permit me.

How can i know more about is carrier in the army

Its not easy for a french

Is civil status

Brookbank Albert

22 mai 1882

Manchester

[MelPack]

Stef

Here is your g. grandfather's entry in the National Roll of the Great War:

[stefbkbk]

Yes its mine,

Thank you for your help

how is possible to have the unit he served

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Hi,

If your great grandfather was Albert Brookbank who lived at 11a Erskine Street , Liverpool, who attested on 25/5/1915, then his Service Records survive.

He gives his age as 29yrs 34 days.

So maybe it's not the same person.

[trajan]

Hi,

If your great grandfather was Albert Brookbank who lived at 11a Erskine Street , Liverpool, who attested on 25/5/1915, then his Service Records survive.

He gives his age as 29yrs 34 days.

So maybe it's not the same person.

I wondered if that was him also but the facts don't match. Wrong age and wrong date for entry into service - also this Liverpool guy had no previous service history.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Hmmm. Yes. My mistake.

The surname is different.

The man I looked up is "Brooksbank", not "Brookbank".

Although the attesting officer had him mis-spelt initially as "Brookbanks".

Not a surname that I've come across before.

Perhaps it's common in the North West of England.

Is it just me, or do other people find that lots of WW1 surnames, particularly those on memorials, are nowadays uncommon, unusual, or just disappeared?

[stefbkbk]

Thanks to all for your help

I do not know if it can help you ( i search the unit he serverd during the great war ?)

he was previously in South Africa in 1900-1902 in the 85th Battery Royal Field Artillery

He obtains the victoria regina et imperatrix south africa medal with 5 attach

Engraved on

6788 GNR A BROOKBANK 85TH BTY RFA

I think that he did not leave the army between these two wars

Is parents lived at Manchester. He was single before the war.

Anecdotally

He knew his wife at the end of the war in France and having returned 5 years to England he come back to France to finish is life at Arques (Pas de Calais).

During the Second World War it was prisoner during four years in Germany because he was British subject. A book tells the story of these British who lived in France in this period, "les oubliés de 39-45"

[trajan]

Thanks to all for your help

I do not know if it can help you ( i search the unit he serverd during the great war ?)

he was previously in South Africa in 1900-1902 in the 85th Battery Royal Field Artillery

He obtains the victoria regina et imperatrix south africa medal with 5 attach

Engraved on

6788 GNR A BROOKBANK 85TH BTY RFA

I think that he did not leave the army between these two wars

Is parents lived at Manchester. He was single before the war.

Anecdotally

He knew his wife at the end of the war in France and having returned 5 years to England he come back to France to finish is life at Arques (Pas de Calais).

During the Second World War it was prisoner during four years in Germany because he was British subject. A book tells the story of these British who lived in France in this period, "les oubliés de 39-45"

An amazing if not entirely rare story there! Thanks for passing it on to us!

[stefbkbk]

Several hundreds of British vétérants of the WW1 living in France were prisoners in Nazi camps during the WW2 just because there were British.

And it is not enough known

Dont forget my question ( i search the unit he serverd during the great war ?)

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

Hi stefbkbk,

I have searched on Ancestry.co.uk website of WW1 Military Records, and pension records, and can find no other matches for Albert Brookbank.

Unless anyone can show to the contrary, it seems as though his WW1 Service record was one of the 70% destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1940.

Without his service record, I suspect it's going to be very difficult to obtain any extra information to what is on his Medal card, or to find out which other ASC Companies he served in.

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

The 1911 Census lists one Albert Brookbank in Manchester:

at 23 Abel St Collyhurst Manchester

born about 1883

Occupation- Carter (A person that drives a horse and cart)- Not in the Army in 1911

Mother- Jane 62yrs - Widow

Sisters - Jane 31 yrs, Florence 23 yrs

Is this his family?

[stefbkbk]

hello

no it is not is family

his family is

• Génération 1
  • 1 - Albert BROOKBANK 1882 Manchester-1955 Arques (France)
• Génération 2
  • 2 - Joseph BROOKBANK 18 april 1848 - Manchester - Died ?
  • 3 - Janes GREENHALGH 10 april 1848 - Borough of Warrington - Died?
• Génération 3
  • 4 - Joseph BROOKBANK 1817 keswick (Cumberland)- Died ?
  • 5 - Harriet JACKSON 1817 Statford Lancashire
  • 6 - Benjamin GREENHALGH
  • 7 - Louisa BENNETT
• Génération 4
  • 8 - William BROOKBANK
  • 9 - ? ?
  • 10 - James JACKSON
  • 11 - ? ?

[Dai Bach y Sowldiwr]

OK.

Good luck with your searches.

[Chris_Baker]

Albert Brookbank's record for his service in the artillery (1900-1912) has been digitised and can be downloaded at the findmypast.co.uk website. So is his record for 1898-1899, when he served in the Lancashire Fusiliers Militia.

[MBrockway]

hello

no it is not is family

his family is

• Génération 1
  • 1 - Albert BROOKBANK 1882 Manchester-1955 Arques (France)
• Génération 2
  • 2 - Joseph BROOKBANK 18 april 1848 - Manchester - Died ?
  • 3 - Janes GREENHALGH 10 april 1848 - Borough of Warrington - Died?
• Génération 3
  • 4 - Joseph BROOKBANK 1817 keswick (Cumberland)- Died ?
  • 5 - Harriet JACKSON 1817 Statford Lancashire
  • 6 - Benjamin GREENHALGH
  • 7 - Louisa BENNETT
• Génération 4
  • 8 - William BROOKBANK
  • 9 - ? ?
  • 10 - James JACKSON
  • 11 - ? ?

Are you sure about this?

Everything you show above matches the 1911 Census information Dai Bach has given higher up.

I fear there may be a misunderstanding due to the language here. If you're more comfortable posting in French, we can probably cope with that

[stefbkbk]

Sorry

i post in french

Vous avez probablement raison.
J'étais persuadé qu'il n'avait pas quitté l'armée
Je n'ai pas fait attention au prénom de sa mère qui est bien celui que j'avais (mais mal orthographié). Il avait effectivement 2 sœurs
J'ai mal traduis "widow" croyant que c'était sa ville de naissance (j'ai honte d'être si mauvais en anglais)
Je ne savais pas qu'elle était veuve (peut être pouvez vous me donner la date de décès de son mari)

Es ce que cela va nous aider pour savoir dans quelle unité il a servi pendant la première mondiale.

Encore merci pour votre aide

[stefbkbk]

Joseph brookbank died january 3 1898

[MBrockway]

..

My great grandfather Albert BROOKBANK made the World War I in France. I search in what regiment he served.

He obtains several British decorations known under the name of Pip Squeak and Wilfred:

- The 1914-15 Star

- The silver British War Medal, 1914-18

- The Allied Victory Medal

Engraved on the silver British War Medal, 1914-18 CMT-187 A.CPL.A.BROOKBANK. A.S.C

Stef,

Can you tell us what is engraved on the 1914-15 Star please?

Mark

[MBrockway]

Sorry

i post in french

Vous avez probablement raison.

J'étais persuadé qu'il n'avait pas quitté l'armée

Je n'ai pas fait attention au prénom de sa mère qui est bien celui que j'avais (mais mal orthographié). Il avait effectivement 2 sœurs

J'ai mal traduis "widow" croyant que c'était sa ville de naissance (j'ai honte d'être si mauvais en anglais)

Je ne savais pas qu'elle était veuve (peut être pouvez vous me donner la date de décès de son mari)

Est ce que cela va nous aider pour savoir dans quelle unité il a servi pendant la première mondiale.

Encore merci pour votre aide

My stab at translation

"You are probably right.

I was sure he had not left the army.

I did not spot the name of his mother is the same as the one I had, though I had misspelt it.

He did indeed have two sisters.

I mistranslated "widow" thinking it was his birth place - I'm ashamed to be so bad at English!

I did not know she was a widow. Could you perhaps give me the date of death of her husband?

Is all this going to help us to know in which unit he served in the First World War.

Thanks again for your help."

You should not be ashamed of your English - very few English would even dare post on a francophone web forum!

You have already discovered the date of Joseph Brookbank's death.

Most of the facts we need are known now. We will do our best to help you make sense of all the information.

You must be very proud of Albert.

[stefbkbk]

Stef,

Can you tell us what is engraved on the 1914-15 Star please?

Mark

Medals have were separated.

It is a cousin who has the medal.

I try to find her and to contact her

Stéphane

[MBrockway]

Medals have were separated.

It is a cousin who has the medal.

I try to find her and to contact her

Stéphane

Stéphane,

The 1914-15 Star inscription should tell us his unit when he first landed in France.

Definitely worth speaking to your cousin.

Cheers,

Mark

[stefbkbk]

Stéphane,

The 1914-15 Star inscription should tell us his unit when he first landed in France.

Definitely worth speaking to your cousin.

Cheers,

Mark

Hello Mark,

I have the Answer to the question

The 1914-15 Star inscription = CMT-187 PTE.A.BROOKBANK. A.S.C

My cousin tells me that she has a medallion with inscription ROYAL ARMY TEMPERANCE ASSOCIATION

cheers,

Stéphane

[MBrockway]

Same unit as the other medals, but he entered France at the lower rank of Private.