ALFORD 577001 Lincolnshire & VAD

[garfyboy]

Hi folks 

 

i have this identity bracelet, as you can see, it has two different identity’s, I purchased because of Dorothy e Higgins VAD, in which i have found out a bit about just the ancestry research, born etc, awarded war/victory medal pair, marriage etc.

 

what I can’t find is the details to the reverse - ALFORD 577001 LINCOLNSHIRE, ancestry throws nothing up so would appreciate and guidance/help please.

 

Thanks

andy

 

 

[DavidOwen]

A long shot (as the number is probably too long for the period) but could it have been her telephone number?

 

There is a Dorothy Emily Higgins in the 1911 Census resident at Alford, aged 18, born Hampstead Middlesex. The address is Park Place, ALford and her father Frederick was a Land Agent and Surveyor.

 

 

[Michelle Young]

Could it have been her VAD number? 

[DavidOwen]

According to FMP her VAD "Certificate number" was 13638 and her passport number 152633 according to this record she was a Hospital Assistant in Boulogne.

Another record has her enagaging with the British Red Cross in October 1914 and serving at the Alford Red Cross Auxilliary Hospital until April 1915 when she transferred to the Anglo-Belgique Hospital, Rouen until the end of the war. She is a Nurse in the second record. 

[garfyboy]

Brilliant work David, that explains the Alford, I was thinking it was a surname, not the place in Lincolnshire, the number may remain a mystery but maybe it is a phone number.

was there anything else interesting in Dorothy’s records? 

Its frustrating that ancestry and fmp have different records

 

many thanks

andy

[DavidOwen]

Andy

 

Not a lot although the second record does record she spent 468 hours at the Alford Hospital, was paid £24 (not sure what the rate was) and was awarded the Order of Queen Elizabeth.The original Red Cross record and an image of her VAD card can be found here https://vad.redcross.org.uk/Card?id=104573

 

I suspect the Order of Queen Elizabeth referred to is the Queen Elisabeth Medal a Belgian award https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elisabeth_Medal

 

Regards

 

David

 

 

[garfyboy]

Thanks David, I am currently researching to the best of my ability and have just come across this, very interesting:https://aboutalford.com/about-alford-history/dorothys-war-2/

I will look up your links now, appreciate it

[DavidOwen]

I missed that when I looked at the Alford site. Well found.

 

According to the 1939 Register she was a Radiographer residing within the Precincts of Catterick Camp in Richmond North Yorkshire.

This is the FMP link https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=TNA/R39/3292/3292B/019/17 but she should also be viewable on Ancestry's version.

[johnboy]

I think it is definitely an adress as it gives the county in full. I doubt telephone numbers went as high as six digits at the time.

[johnboy]

Was it for sale on here

http://www.militariamart.co.uk/index99.php?l=166Militaria