RAMC TF and RFA TF 54 Division

[lionboxer]

Need a bit of extra input (reassurance!) please with my man. Reginald Beaumont has no other records except MIC, medal roll, swb roll and now pension index card. This is how I see it...Reggie being a Norfolk boy joined the RAMC TF in 7th Sept 1915 probably in one of the three Field Ambulance's of 54 East Anglian Division (TF) but according to his MIC and medal roll he first entered a war theatre with the RFA sometime after April 1917 when he was compulsory transferred and retrained and renumbered to the RFA TF. Why does his MIC indicate that his second unit in order of service was the RAMC? Is this just a clerical error?

Does anyone know what the various numbers and letters mean on the pension cards? It states his file was destroyed in 1928 so I can't tell if his death in 1921 was attributable to his war service.

Lionboxer212 Beaumont.pdf

[johnboy]

Could it be that the regiment he went overseas with and who made his medal awards was entered first. It seems that he was transferred at home?

His SWB was issued by RH & RFA [TF].

[David Porter]

Lionboxer,

You are correct in that it was a compulsory transfer to the RFA and I would say around early May 1918. I've looked at other men with similar numbers and all were in 2/2nd East Anglian Field Ambulance.

1584 Pte. Joseph Edward Thompson also 475045. Posted as Driver with 54th Divisional Ammunition Column with effect from April 4, 1918. Allotted 876992

2124 Pte. Fred Hunt also 475227. Compulsory transfer to RFA on April 15, 1918. Posted as Driver with 271 Bde. Allotted 876997

1758 Pte. Reginald Hardingham, posted to Regulars March 24, 1917, given 93434, compulsory transferred to RH & RFA (TF) on May 6, 1918 and allotted 877001. Posted as Driver to No. 2 Section, 7th Indian Divisional Ammunition Column

1914 Pte Arthur Linder Skelton also 475130. Transfer to RFA (TF) on July 10, 1918 allotted 877005. Served as Gunner with 75th Divisional Ammunition Column, 390 Bty and 405 Bty, 37th Brigade

1196 Pte. Frank Henry Warmer also 475021, transferred from RAMC to RFA (TF) on August 3, 1918 and allotted 877008. Served as Driver with 53rd Divisional Ammunition Column, A/265 Bde and Gunner with A/272 Bde.

The numbers were handed out by the DAG, 3rd Echelon GHQ EEF from a block given to them by RFA Records, Woolwich. Unfortunately, they do not indicate a particular unit as the above examples show. It is just that they were regarded as RFA (TF) and their attestation was with an East Anglian TF unit.

[lionboxer]

Thank you both. Glad that you bear out my conclusions as I had also compared similar regimental numbers as a guide. It seems that postings to DAC's were prominent, any idea where these were? I have assumed he would have been with the 54 East Anglian Division TF in Palestine but he could have gone anywhere.

He was discharged in December 1918 and died in 1921 of TB. An elderly niece remembers he father (Reggie's younger brother) saying that he lost two brothers because of the war. The other was his elder brother Robert. Another brother was also discharged from the RFA TF as unfit. I'm trying to ascertain whether Reggie's death was attributable.

Lionboxer

[lionboxer]

Coming back to this again....if 2/2 EA Fld Amb were in 54 Div they would have been in in Egypt or Palestine in 1916 so why wasn't Reggie issued his medals with them rather than RFA? Or was the 2/2 FA a home service unit hence they kept their original numbers rather than changing when the TF numbers changed in 1917?

Lionboxer

[David Porter]

A simple explanation could be that the RAMC no longer had his service file so couldn't confirm medal entitlement. 2/2nd EA Field Ambulance would be 69th Division at Home providing drafts for 1/2nd in Egypt and Palestine and both got renumbered at the same time. Then comes the transfer to RFA in 1918, which, in the examples given above, also took place in Egypt. As RFA Records still had his service file after the war they were best placed to sort out 14/15 Stars and B & V entitlement.

[lionboxer]

My head is spinning!! Spent quite some time over this weekend trawling through the records of men with numbers near to Reginald's and what a confusing job it's been. I go with your idea David that the RFA records didn't know what the RAMC records contained. The men I looked at on the BM/V RFA T medal rolls with numbers either side of his number 877001 all give their four figure RAMC T number instead of their five figure number (which was given in 1917) written in blue ink above the type written RFA T number. Looks like an afterthought that's been put in the wrong place. The MIC's for the same BM/V men show the same numbers but with the RFA T number above the four figure RAMC T number which is in the wrong order even if they had gone into Theatre before the number change. The 15 Star men on the BM/V rolls are written in blue pen in the correct order but struck through with a blue pen on the type written RFA T number. Confusing isn't it!

I also scoured the RAMC T medal rolls looking for men with adjacent four and five figure numbers that weren't compulsorily transfered to the RFA T. The rolls seem correct as do the MIC's. Their service records give a good idea of where they were posted when they were posted to the Regular Army after the number change, which seems anywhere. So I still don't really know when Reginald went though there was one man whose number was 93477 (Reginald's was 93475) went with the 20th Egyptian Reinforcements to Alexandria in March 1918. Were they in the same draft I wonder?

Now sitting back with a glass in my hand....

Lionboxer