Peter Le Duc Posted 31 January , 2018 Share Posted 31 January , 2018 Please can anyone help understanding an entry on my Greandfathers service record. It appears to say ‘To BAX France’ posted 13-1-18 Gnr. However I can make no sense of this The previous and next entries are clear, although D/34 was moved to D/36according to unit diary. tThanks in anticipation Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 31 January , 2018 Share Posted 31 January , 2018 Hi Peter I would suggest it is 'To Base'. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Le Duc Posted 31 January , 2018 Author Share Posted 31 January , 2018 Alan, looking at it closely, you are probably right! Now it begs the question, what does this mean? Would it be the base of 36 brigade or 9 DAC or some other Base? sorry if these are daft questions but t I am fairly new to this. i really do appreciate your help. many thanks Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alantwo Posted 31 January , 2018 Share Posted 31 January , 2018 Hi Peter If you don't ask you don't learn, there are plenty of experts on the Forum, and I don't include myself, who can help. There is a bit about base depots and their function on the Long Long Trail web-site, just press the tab at the top of this page. Subject to an expert opinion, in this case I would think your Grandfather returned to the Brigade base and was posted from there. During the Gallipoli campaign some RFA Brigade base details were stationed in Egypt from where men were organised and sent to and received from the Battery/Brigade on the Peninsular. There are some War Diaries for Battery Details in Egypt though there are not terribly interesting. They record things like 1 man to hospital, 3 men transferred, 1 horse to veterinary hospital etc., etc., (there isn't one for 59th Brigade RFA!). For colour Siegfried Sassoon wrote a poem in March 1917 entitled 'Base Details' which may be of interest. Regards Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin kenf48 Posted 1 February , 2018 Admin Share Posted 1 February , 2018 In 1918 No 2 General Base Depot for the RFA and RGA was at Le Havre, as noted above, see http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/other-aspects-of-order-of-battle/british-base-depots-in-france-1914-1918/ Although designated No 2 by this time it was the only RFA Base Depot in France. There are many reasons why he should be sent to the Base Depot, although given your comments he was probably supernumerary in the field and was being redeployed through the Base. In early 1918 there was a major reorganisation of the Army in France and many men found themselves at the Base. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Le Duc Posted 1 February , 2018 Author Share Posted 1 February , 2018 6 hours ago, kenf48 said: In 1918 No 2 General Base Depot for the RFA and RGA was at Le Havre, as noted above, see http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/other-aspects-of-order-of-battle/british-base-depots-in-france-1914-1918/ Although designated No 2 by this time it was the only RFA Base Depot in France. There are many reasons why he should be sent to the Base Depot, although given your comments he was probably supernumerary in the field and was being redeployed through the Base. In early 1918 there was a major reorganisation of the Army in France and many men found themselves at the Base. Ken Hi Alan & Ken, once again, many thanks for your help, the jigsaw puzzle is beginning to come together. peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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