Carol Harrison Posted 22 August , 2015 Share Posted 22 August , 2015 Hi I have just found an ancestor that joined up to 'The Army Service Corps' and was attached to the Royal Berkshire Regiment. Am I likely to find anything in the War diaries (I couldn't find anything on Ancestry) about their service or was it too mundane to be catologued? He was a lorry driver so am I to presume he just ferried supplies about or is there more to it than that? Many thanks Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 22 August , 2015 Share Posted 22 August , 2015 From Long Long Trail. top left of this page http://www.1914-1918.net/asc.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 22 August , 2015 Share Posted 22 August , 2015 Very possibly he was combed-out and served with them late in the war in the front line. You probably need to find out more, such as which battalion, when, etc. Try posting his name and see what comes up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Harrison Posted 25 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 August , 2015 Thank you to both and apologies for late reply. I used to get an email when I had a reply but it didn't materialise this time. Kind regards Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purley Posted 25 August , 2015 Share Posted 25 August , 2015 Carol If you tell me his name I will look him up lots of men transferred between ASC and R Berks for all sorts of reasons John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Harrison Posted 25 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 25 August , 2015 Hello John His name is John Henry Beacock born 1892. Thank you that's very kind of you. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Harrison Posted 26 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 26 August , 2015 Hello John Yes it is. Does this tell us anything other than he got medals. I'm sorry I just don't know what I am looking for in regards to companys / regiments divisions etc etc. Many thanks Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eh657 Posted 27 August , 2015 Share Posted 27 August , 2015 Not John. It tells only that he was in the ASC. If he had been transferred to R Berks the likelyhood is that the regt would also be recorded on the medal index card. It's possible that his soldier's records are still extant at TNA and if so could throw more light on the subject.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eh657 Posted 27 August , 2015 Share Posted 27 August , 2015 Further thought - the MIC records the award of his VM whilst still with ASC and then his transfer to Z Reserve (demobbed) in 1919 as ASC. On balance then, it seems unlikely he also served in the R Berks in the war period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 27 August , 2015 Share Posted 27 August , 2015 If he had changed Regiments he would have had another number issued. What made you think that he was attached to the Royal Berkshires? If it is something passed down by the family it could just mean that the Regiment he helped to supply was them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Harrison Posted 27 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 27 August , 2015 Thank you very much. Looks like a trip to TNA then. Puzzling though why he had another number for the Royal Berks on one of the sheets of the papers I found on findmypast. It seemed to concentrate on the ASC but out of the blue there's another Reg No. I get confused as it is. Thanks again Kind regards Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnboy Posted 27 August , 2015 Share Posted 27 August , 2015 Can you post the record you refer to above? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 27 August , 2015 Share Posted 27 August , 2015 Hi Carol, Looking at his service record, I think that what needs unpicking is: The rest of it seems reasonably straight forward. The broad "headlines" of his service are: The records show that he joined the ASC "for duty" on 22nd April 1915, and disembarked at Rouen on 31st August 1915 with the 30th Divisional Supply Column ASC on 31st August 1915. The record indicates that he was still with that unit in September 1916, as the OC forfeited 7 days pay as the result of him being brought up on a charge. It seems that having being gassed on 12th March 1918 he returned to the UK and was hospitalised for two periods - 20th March 1918 to 30th April 1918, and 18th May1918 to 16th October 1918. There is a stamp in his record "Transferred to ASC" with a date of 10th November 1918 against it. The record also shows that he was transferred to the 'Z' Reserve on 12th March 1919 from "M.T. Depot". My guess would be that following his gassing he was transferred to the Berkshire Regiment and renumbered for a short time, before being transferred back to the ASC, and that his service with the Berkshire Regiment in the UK it is not detailed on his MIC/Medal Roll entry because the records only tend to detail overseas service. The National Archives have the war diary for the 30th Divisional Supply Column, but unfortunately it isn't available for digital download yet. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 27 August , 2015 Admin Share Posted 27 August , 2015 John Henry Beacock enlisted on the 22nd April 1915 and embarked for France on 30/8/1915 from Southampton on the St Petersburg, landing at Rouen the following day. A motor driver in the ASC he was posted to the 30th Divisional Supply Column. His Regimental number is that shown on the mic above I.e. M2/079222. He was still serving with 30th Division on 30 th Sepember 1916 when he had his misdemeanour. He was admitted to hospital in London at Westminster Hospital Millbank on the 20th March 1918 suffering from gas poisoning. The incident occurred on the 12th March 1918. Discharged from hospital on the 1st May, he went on leave and rejoined the Depot apparently posted to the Royal Berkshire Regiment. His medical category was downgraded to B2. He was allocated the regimental number 38344 and was posted to the Command Depot at Sutton Coldfield and trained as a heavy driver. I suspect this was an administrative posting. He did not serve overseas again. On the 20th November 1918 (I.e. Post Armistice) he was transferred back to the ASC he was posted to Sydenham Reserve Depot and eventually discharged to the Class Z Reserve on the 12th March 1919. He was re-allocated his previous ASC number. He only served overseas with the ASC and as he was serving with them on discharge there was no need to mention the Royal Berks on the mic, the medals are inscribed to the first unit and issued by the last unit served, in this case te ® ASC. His duties would have been supply and it's unlikely the war diary will give specific information. The 30th Division on the LLT http://www.1914-1918.net/30div.htm Ken I see Chris posted while I was composing! Though I don't agree he had two spells in hospital the record on the posted fragment clearly shows he went on leave on discharge from hospital and then rejoined the Regimental Depot at Reading before being posted to the Command Depot at Sutton Coldfield. Elsewhere the record shows ' 20/3/14 to 30/4/18 gas poisoning shell all cleared up". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithmroberts Posted 28 August , 2015 Share Posted 28 August , 2015 I have hidden a copy of a MIC. Forum rules apply. For other items please stick to minimal extracts from images. Keith Roberts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 28 August , 2015 Share Posted 28 August , 2015 Hi Ken, ... Though I don't agree he had two spells in hospital the record on the posted (naughty) fragment clearly shows he went on leave on discharge from hospital and then rejoined the Regimental Depot at Reading before being posted to the Command Depot at Sutton Coldfield. Elsewhere the record shows ' 20/3/14 to 30/4/18 gas poisoning shell all cleared up". The record does show that he was hospitalised for 41 days between 20.3.18 and 30.4.18, being treated for what seems (I think) to be conjunctivitis and bronchitis, with the comment "all cleared up" noted. However, the record also shows that he was hospitalised for 151 days between 18.5.18 and 16.10.18 where "gas poisoning" is written under the "disease" column. I took this as meaning that after what was thought to be successful treatment, he went on leave/re-joined depot, etc but that complications or a secondary illness arose later that were attributed to his initial gassing. Regards Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 28 August , 2015 Admin Share Posted 28 August , 2015 Chris Although the form says 'hospital' the Command Depot at Sutton Coldfield was a convalescent camp http://www.1914-1918.net/command%20depots.htm There is an ambiguity or gap in his service in that on the 16th October he was posted back to the Royal Berks Regimental Depot from the Command Depot (Bii) and at some point he did further training and passed a test as a lorry driver.(1) on the 18/11/1918 which paved his way for a transfer back to the ASC at Sydenham. He appears to have been B 1 on discharge. I don't know why he was transferred out of the ASC to the infantry unless it was for some administrative reason. Carol Take a look at this thread for the type of lorries he would have driven in France, although not in the front line trenches it was no sinecure. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clk Posted 28 August , 2015 Share Posted 28 August , 2015 Thanks for clearing that up Ken. Much appreciated.RegardsChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Harrison Posted 31 August , 2015 Author Share Posted 31 August , 2015 Wow, this is a lot to go through and take in. Thank you all very much. I find these records so confusing and you have all taken so much time to make it seem simple. I shall copy all this and go through bit by bit and get my head round it. Kind regards to you all Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purley Posted 15 September , 2015 Share Posted 15 September , 2015 Sorry to have been so long responding I do not have him in any of my records In fact the only Beacock I have is Ernest Jack who came from the Lincolns to the R Berks as 36719 - any connection. I have added him to my register under 38344 which is about right for the 1918 date They did very funny things around that time when men returned from leave after an injury. They reported first to their local depot and were then transferred to a Training Reserve Regiment with a number like TR/8/45678. When they were ready to be posted to a new unit they went first to the 'father' regiment of the TR regiment and got a number in that father regiment and then posted to the regiment in which they were to serve so than a man could have three different numbers in the same week. What had originally been the 9th Royal Berks became the 37th TR regiment which was part of 8th TR Bde so they got numbers TR/8/xxxxx The numbers were allocated in blocks of 4000 so when the TR was formed the 13th Warwicks got TR/8/1-4000, The 13th Hants got 4001-8000 and the 9th R Berks got 16001-20000 then the first regiment to use up all its numbers got the next block and so on. So my reading of the record you posted was that he returned after sick leave to the Reading depot as ASC M2/079222 on 20/3/18 and was posted to 37th TR regiment that day (getting a TR/8/ number). he sat around with the 37th until 10/5/18 when he was returned to the Reading depot and given R Berks 38344 and posted to the Labour Corps 27/5/18 to get another number with them. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Harry Posted 26 August , 2016 Share Posted 26 August , 2016 On 27/08/2015 at 18:53, johnboy said: If he had changed Regiments he would have had another number issued. What made you think that he was attached to the Royal Berkshires? If it is something passed down by the family it could just mean that the Regiment he helped to supply was them. I agree. My father Harry served in the ASC in WWI and his brother Fred in the 8th Royal Berks. Dad drove a troop-carrying vehicle and he said that he was attached to his brother's company and took Uncle Fred up to the font lines and back four times. We have no reason to doubt this, and I am trying to find out where and when it happened. Roy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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