Morris L. Jinks - RAMC - help understanding soldiers record card

[Rampaging Wombat]

Hi Folks,

I am researching a Morris Lidington Jinks (born 1895 in Madeley Wood/Ironbridge).

Have obtained his war service record (attached), and would welcome feedback on how to decipher it.

It would appear he joined the RAMC Sergeant - No 36390.

What does the section under his name mean: particularly the numbers

RAMC / 101 B(or 3?)10   721
RAMC    / 8A                                      658

As the section ‘Theatre of war first served in’ is blank can I assume he only served on the home front?

He was training to be a pharmacist so perhaps he was employed in this role within the RAMC?

Thank you in advance for your help

Mark

 

WO-372-10-231331.pdf

[DavidOwen]

Hi Mark

Those numbers you quote relate I believe to the medal rolls he will be listed on. Someone with access to those via Ancestry may be along soon to give more detail.

Good luck with research!

Regards

David

[Buffnut453]

54 minutes ago, Rampaging Wombat said:

Hi Folks,

I am researching a Morris Lidington Jinks (born 1895 in Madeley Wood/Ironbridge).

Have obtained his war service record (attached), and would welcome feedback on how to decipher it.

It would appear he joined the RAMC Sergeant - No 36390.

What does the section under his name mean: particularly the numbers

RAMC / 101 B(or 3?)10   721
RAMC    / 8A                                      658

As the section ‘Theatre of war first served in’ is blank can I assume he only served on the home front?

He was training to be a pharmacist so perhaps he was employed in this role within the RAMC?

Thank you in advance for your help

Mark

 

WO-372-10-231331.pdf

 

 

Hi Mark,

 

The record you cite is his Medal Index Card and the references just point to the Medal Rolls records that pertain to his medal awards.  We can say that he went overseas prior to 1 Jan 1916 because he was awarded the 1915 Star.  The Theatre of War is often left blank and the RAMC seldom provided specific unit details.  That makes it hard to know where he served unless you have other information.  

 

Interestingly, it seems there was some kind of clerical error in his records because a "J. Jinks" with the same service number is listed as being "identical".  The Medal Roll for "J. Jinks" gives his disembarkation in theatre as 31 Jul 1915.  The MIC for "J. Jinks" lists the theatre as France.

 

Hope this helps a wee bit.

 

(Another) Mark

[Ron Clifton]

1 hour ago, Rampaging Wombat said:

As the section ‘Theatre of war first served in’ is blank can I assume he only served on the home front?

No, it means that he only went abroad after 31 Dec 1915 - although this is contradicted by the 1915 Star entry. Those who only served at home rarely qualified for any of the usual medals unless they were employed in coast defences which actually saw action.

 

Ron

[PJS]

3 hours ago, Rampaging Wombat said:

He was training to be a pharmacist so perhaps he was employed in this role within the RAMC?
 

 

From the RAMC records I have looked at I would say that it is very likely that he was deployed as a Pharmacist with the RAMC if he was already trained or partially trained in Pharmacy. Most likely he would have been assigned to a Hospital, or a series of Hospitals, in this role.

 

Peter

[Mark1959]

As previously stated the refs refer to the Medal rolls and are purely clerical. He did go overseas on 31//7/15 to France/Flanders. Beyond that we require other evidence. To say you have his service record is not correct it is just an Index Card for his medals. 

[Rampaging Wombat]

Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments.

Yes, my error the attachment is a medal index cards rather a full service record.
 

Any clues as to where I should start looking for more information

BUFFNUT – Interestingly about the clerical error for a ‘J. Jinks’– he had a brother called John Clarence Jinks whose service number is unknown to me (not on Medal cards).

PJS – which are the relevant documents regarding the RAMC records that you refer too?  

Thanks again, Mark

[Buffnut453]

There's a John Clarence Jinks who was an officer.  He was Gazetted for the MC in 1916 while serving with the Shropshire Light Infantry.  According to the University of London OTC Roll of War Service, he studied at Birkbeck College and the School of Pharmacy.  Might that be the chap?

[Rampaging Wombat]

May I also draw your attention to this Hubert his brother and help with understanding his medal record. Thanks

 

[Rampaging Wombat]

Hi Buffnut, 

Thanks, Yes it is in fact John Clarence Jinks who I am writing a biography of, and have just started to look into his family. 
Oddly I cannot find any service number for JCJ - even having looked through his file at The National Archives, curious. Had an interesting military career including serving in the RTR.

Think I have exhausted all the avenues for John C. Jinks, but only just started on Morris Lidington Jinks and Hubert Adams Jinks.

Thanks M

 

[Buffnut453]

AFAIK, officers didn't have service numbers.  There seems to be a few bits of info about him on Ancestry.com.

[Buffnut453]

The MIC for John Clarence Jinks is there showing service in KSLI and the Tank Regt.  It also gives a couple of addresses on the reverse.  

[Rampaging Wombat]

Ah, that would make sense, as he has no number either with (K)SLI or RTR.

Have searched Ancestry and found plenty so far.

 

[Michelle Young]

It is recommended that  members  read the how to research a soldier on the Long Long Trail website when they are starting out their research. I'm sure you will get a lot of answers to your queries there.

Michelle 

[PJS]

3 hours ago, Rampaging Wombat said:

Thanks to everyone for your helpful comments.

Yes, my error the attachment is a medal index cards rather a full service record.
 

Any clues as to where I should start looking for more information

BUFFNUT – Interestingly about the clerical error for a ‘J. Jinks’– he had a brother called John Clarence Jinks whose service number is unknown to me (not on Medal cards).

PJS – which are the relevant documents regarding the RAMC records that you refer too?  

Thanks again, Mark

 

My grandfather was in the RAMC and the only documents I had to work from were his MIC and Medal Roll. So I went through the entire RAMC medal rolls and found every man with the same disembarkation date / theatre combination as his. From that list I researched each man and around 20% had pension records or service records still intact. By analyzing those records and building a spreadsheet I was able to infer when he attested, where he trained in the UK and to which facility he was most likely first deployed. It was going through those RAMC service records that I noticed that men with prior medical training tended to end up in hospitals, working in the profession that they were trained in.
 

Peter

[Rampaging Wombat]

Thank you PJS for explaining that, must have been a serious amount of work to compile that research.
M

 

[Robin Garrett]

On 26/01/2019 at 19:26, Buffnut453 said:

There's a John Clarence Jinks who was an officer.  He was Gazetted for the MC in 1916 while serving with the Shropshire Light Infantry.  According to the University of London OTC Roll of War Service, he studied at Birkbeck College and the School of Pharmacy.  Might that be the chap?

Only just found this thread. I looked up JC Jinks in the History of the KSLI in the Great War. He served in 5KSLI and is mentioned in a section entitled "Battle of Delville Wood". On page 143 it says "While at Vergies, Lieut J.C. JInks and his Lewis-gun section, which had been unable to leave the trenches on August 31st [1916], rejoined the battalion. The G.O.C 72nd Brigade and the G.O.C. 42nd Brigade both wrote appreciative letters referring to the good work done by this section". I can copy the section on Delville Wood, if you want it.