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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Tracing my grandfather - Private Walter William Timms, A.S.C. Ambulance Driver M2/157002


simond9x

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Shrubshall to Silk - no obvious service records.

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The service records that I can find from the top list right hand column are the two chaps below:

 

Williams went to 779 Company in Salonika on 16 Sep 16. Arrived Grove Park 6 Apr 16.

He eventually (in 1919) served with 9th Motorised Ambulance Column.

 

 

David Scott arrived at Grove Park 23 Sep 15, went to 731 Coy 6 Jul 16.

 

 

Not much help

 

Regards

 

Colin

 

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Thanks, guys, I really do appreciate your help with this. I was hoping to research the bottom half of the list this evening but (family) events have overtaken me. 

 

DByS - thanks, I understand (from service numbers just before and after his) that my grandfather probably arrived at Grove Park in the period 23-26th March 1916.

 

[Edit: I should perhaps mention that he married my grandmother on the 8th March 1916 so we've assumed that, having already attested, they married shortly before he was 'mobilised']

Edited by simond9x
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If he attested under the Derby Scheme in late 1915, it is possible to work out from his year of birth and marital status,which group he was in, and thus,  when he would expect to be called up.

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/soldiers/a-soldiers-life-1914-1918/enlisting-into-the-army/the-group-scheme-derby-scheme/

On the basis that he was single in late 1915, that would put him in Group 9, so would expect to be called up on 8/2/1916.

Looking at my grandfather's data, he would have received his notification on 29/2/1916, but he didn't arrive in Grove Park until the end of May 1916.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi all, not sure if anyone is still researching this topic. I notice there is reference to ASC 421 company and no.4 MAC.  I Have recently become aware of and come across photos of my gf who served in 421 and no.
  Hope they help 

 

alan

596C717D-C86A-4477-A836-7DB7FE73D30E.jpeg

9D326E1B-88DC-41FD-A337-B889045CA163.jpeg

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Those are great shots, but I wonder if you can post larger images?

Around 1000 pixels wide would give members with relatives in those companies a decent chance of identifying them.

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Hi no problem will do, just didn’t want to post pics if too large to go. It’s a pic of a pic but Happy to send full size if anyone pms reattached at large size. Hope it helps. Alan

A74001F5-2354-4051-883F-0FBB59FEFBD2.jpeg

9F7CABD2-4F06-44CD-845C-8A37F35F0612.jpeg

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Cheers Dai, not long got these when my uncle passed away, didn’t know he had them. My Gf is in unit pics and I have a personal shot as well as box of medals and wound stripes.  
Cheers 
 
Alan
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  • 4 months later...

hi simond9x just curious how you got on after all this research on your ancestor. Mine too was M2 (M2/121169) and cant find a thing other than a medal record card. so frustrating i cant find a single snippet. i do have a note in a family notebook he was at salonika in the 1st special field ambulance unit attached to teh 17th MTAC.  Totally at a loss as to what to try next. been through all the find my past and ancestry files. Did you have luck somewhere or have any tips based on your experience of where to try? Grandad was the only one i really wanted more information on - of course he's the ONE i cant find anything on. :(

 

bullyman - any ideas if there are other units photos hanging about - m2?

Edited by cindyathome
added query re bullyman photo
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Hi Cindy,

Near numbers can help, I don't have an Ancestry of FMP subscription at the moment but in my records I have the following:

 

M2/121002 Pte Isaac Anderson joined 11/09/1915 at Grove Park in theatre (Salonika) 27/10/1915

M2/121644 Pte Frank Alvey joined 22/09/1915 at Grove Park (theatre western front)

 

Therefore it is reasonable to assume your Grandad will have joined up mid September 1915 and trained at Grove Park the main ASC Mechanical Transport depot near London.

17th Motor Ambulance Company was also known as the 595th MT Company ASC this was formed in October 1915 so your Grandad could well have joined the Company from the start. The 595th MT Coy were Army Troops in Salonika, this just means they were not attached to a specific Division or Corps.

 

To find out more you would need to get a copy of the 595 MT Coy war diary, unfortunately the Salonika war diaries have not been digitised, to view it you would need to make a trip to the National Archives at Kew. 

 

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thanks so much Mark.  Alas Kew is a long way from Queensland Australia.  Frustrating thing is i was at Kew a few years ago for a fleeting visit to see family. Wish id thought to drop by the archives then.  Thank you so very much for your assistance - the first lead i have had in 10 years! Any crumb is a good thing.

 

Thank you and happy researching. Anzac day is over for us today, so may be time for this researcher to get some shut eye.

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  • Admin
6 minutes ago, cindyathome said:

thanks so much Mark.  Alas Kew is a long way from Queensland Australia.  Frustrating thing is i was at Kew a few years ago for a fleeting visit to see family. Wish id thought to drop by the archives then.  Thank you so very much for your assistance - the first lead i have had in 10 years! Any crumb is a good thing.

 

Thank you and happy researching. Anzac day is over for us today, so may be time for this researcher to get some shut eye.

 

When the lockdown is over try hiring a private researcher such as Lee (there are others) as he would be able to copy the relevant section of this https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4557957 at a reasonable cost (certainly less than paying the Archives, or for an air fare!)

 

His website is here https://www.arcre.com/

 

Good luck!

 

PS - Noticed that whilst previously his website has said his service was closed due to the outbreak it now seems as though he is accepting copying orders at the moment.

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4 hours ago, cindyathome said:

(M2/121169)

I note he (Alexander Thomson) is on the 14/15 Roll with a theatre entry date of 12/11/15 (3).  This is only 2 months after Gardnerbill's suggested joining date of mid sept 1915. Seems quite quick but perhaps he was already experienced ?

 

Does that date match the departure of a particular unit ?

 

Charlie

Edited by charlie962
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Hi Cindy, Your Grandad may have been a driver before the war, if you have an address for him a successful search of the 1911 Census on Ancestry would give his occupation.

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  • 2 years later...
On 25/04/2020 at 13:38, cindyathome said:

hi simond9x just curious how you got on after all this research on your ancestor.

Hi Cindy,

I've only just revisited this thread so hadn't seen your question. Sadly, that was the end of the trail for me. Another piece of the jigsaw but still missing the picture on the box. I've since found out that my grandmother moved from Shropshire to London at the same time as Walter and lived in Hounslow whilst working in a nearby munitions factory. I'd always assumed that my grandfather went to Grove Park but now I'm wondering if he actually went to the other ASC Depot at Osterley Park in Hounslow, just 2 miles from where my grandmother lived. We had no relatives in the area so had she moved there just to be near him? Probably another question that will never be answered. If this was a film, the camera would now pan slowly across to a dusty old document, still waiting to be discovered, with all the answers on it.

Simon

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Thanks, Alan. Funnily enough I found another tidbit about his non-army life yesterday where someone had wrongly transcribed his name as Timmes. As you say, these things do turn up.

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