Ambulance Train 21

[trikidiki]

Hi

 

I am looking for any information regarding Ambulance Train 21.

 

My grandfather served in as a nurse in the RAMC on a hospital train in the UK, picking up wounded soldiers from Southampton and delivering to various points around the country. Verbal family history says he served on Amubulance Train 21, this appears to be borne out by some photographs which have recently surfaced after at least 50 years showing him on an ambulance train and them noted on the back as 'Ambulance Train 21'.

 

To date the only information regarding AT21 I have found appears to reference an ambulance train in France. Can anyone shed any light on the matter or point me to anywhere I can find more information.

 

I can post the photos if anyone is interested.

 

Thanks

[Terry_Reeves]

The National Archives have the war diaries in four parts. They can be downloaded a £3-50p each diary:

 

WO95/4136/6

WO95/4136/7

WO95/4136/8

WO95/2461

 

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_q=ambulance+train+AND+21

 

TR

[Ron Clifton]

The first three of Terry's references cover AT21's service in France, and the other, which should be WO95/4261, its service in Italy.

 

It is not impossible that ambulance trains in the UK were numbered in a separate series, so there may have been more than one AT21. Units in the UK rarely kept war diaries.

 

Ron

[trikidiki]

Thanks. I had seen the index containing those records but they are a subset of 

• WO 95 - War Office: First World War and Army of Occupation War Diaries
• Subseries within WO 95 - PART I: FRANCE, BELGIUM AND GERMANY

which suggests these are referring to a train in France Belgium or Germany. The train I am interested in was used withing the UK taking patients from ships to hospitals around the UK. I am loathe to spend out on files which appear to not be connected to my grandfather's train as we know he never served abroad. I suspect as Ron suggests there was a separate numbering of the Home Ambulance Trains.

 

 

[Terry_Reeves]

trikidiki

 

Sorry about the confusion, I didn't read your post properly.  There were 20 Ambulance trains allocated for home service, it might be that the National Railway museum at York may be able to help:

 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/ww1

 

TR

Edited 20 July , 2017 by Terry_Reeves

[Ron Clifton]

 

14 hours ago, Terry_Reeves said:

There were 20 Ambulance trains allocated for home service

Presumably the home ambulance trains followed the rule specifically laid down for those in France, that no train was to be numbered 13.

 

Ron

[Terry_Reeves]

Ron

 

AT 13 operated in Ireland, as did AT 14

 

TR

Edited 21 July , 2017 by Terry_Reeves

[trikidiki]

18 hours ago, Terry_Reeves said:

trikidiki

 

Sorry about the confusion, I didn't read your post properly.  There were 20 Ambulance trains allocated for home service, it might be that the National Railway museum at York may be able to help:

 

http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/ww1

 

TR

 

Hi

 

I went to a talk in a local museum, the chap giving the talk was a descendant of Albert Dartnell whose personal diaries (partially on Home Ambulance Train 15) have been serialised on Twitter.

 

https://twitter.com/albertpdartnell?lang=en

 

and published on his website:

 

www.albertpdartnell.wordpress.com

 

He had contacted the National Railway Museum, enquiring about Home Ambulance Trains and was told they had virtually nothing. According to his website there were 29 Ambulance Trains in service by the end of the war, 24 for the army and 5 for the navy.

 

Cheers

 

 

[sotonmate]

td

 

There is a file at Kew which may be of interest to you:

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2971324