Background info

[Mad Mitch]

Hello! Complete newbie but I hope someone there might be able to help! My daughter bought a WW1 Victory Medal in an Antiques shop for me yesterday, because she thought it might cheer me up. (Currently laid up after a serious motorcycle crash)!

 

The medal belonged to 83870 Gunner E. Ashley, RA. Having paid to find him on Forces War Records and paid to get his medal card from the National Archives today, I now know he was Gunner Edgar Ashley, RGA. His medal card says "RGA 247B" and shows he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, the "Mutt and Jeff Pair". I take it that as he wasn't awarded either of the "Stars" that he was probably a conscript. But that is ALL I now know of this man.I am assuming that 247B means 247 Siege Battery. I would love to know more about this man if possible! Date/place of birth/death and more about his unit. Can anyone shed any further light on Gunner Ashley? I'd appreciate it!

 

 

[tullybrone]

Hi,

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Shame you paid for info on FWR! Make sure you haven’t signed up for a “recurring” monthly renewable membership.

 

 

Obviously as you are laid up you can’t do any research except from your armchair.

 

I’m sure a member with access to Ancestry and or FMP will be along with any information gleaned on those more helpful (than FWR) sites. 

 

Steve

Edited 19 September , 2019 by tullybrone

[chaz]

ditto regarding paying, its free on Ancestry and you can take out a short free account then cancel.

Edgar was only entitled to the pair  (silver BWM and victory) if you read previous posts the silver BWM was often sold off for its scrap value wheras the other two were not precious metal.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/5119/41629_626640_11453-00279?pid=4879759&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D5119%26h%3D4879759%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DfXQ1583%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=fXQ1583&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true has the roll which the MIC refers to.

RGA was the Royal Garrison Artillery , down as Base DTls 

do you have Ancestry? you could check if your local library has it free to use, his enlistment and service records are on there lucky for you as many were lost during WW2.

he was 26 when enlisted , Lived in Nottingham and mother listed as nok. looks like he was wounded in the arm but no SWB entitlement.

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1219/miuk1914e_123673-00286?pid=26523&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1219%26h%3D26523%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3DfXQ1597%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=fXQ1597&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.144270261.1469372443.1568904678-837196019.1555861983

[chaz]

looks like he may have been in the 181st Seige battery as he has a pass out on 1917,

from the LLT (top of the page ) 

the 181st went to France 12th Oct 1916.

to reserve 14-10-1919

 

1911 census has Edgar living at 56 Lees Hill Street, Sneinton,   Nottingham, 

with Father John age 56

Mother Sarah age 55

sister Hilda age 17

sister Mable age14

brother John age 13

Edgar was a telephone instrument fitter, so not your normal labourer type.

Sneinton is halfway between the horse race track and the Motorpoint arena.

 

born 1st quarter 1890

cant find a marriage (2 possibilities 1922 or 1928) or death entry

Edited 19 September , 2019 by chaz

[travers61]

Just to answer a question in the OP.

 

The ref on the medal card of "RGA 247B" is not his unit, but is the Medal Roll he is listed on, that Chaz gives the link to in post 3.

 

Really great to see that his record was one of those that survived the fire in WW2.

[chaz]

there is a family tree on Ancestry and a photo of him

apparently

111th Battery, No 4th Depot, Royal Garrison Artillery

married Mary Elizabeth Carter July 1928 Nottingham

died October 1981 Spilsby, Lincs

 

Edgar and MAry possibly had a son who died last year, I say possibly as one place found says son born 1924 a problem found with Ancestry trees. incorrect connections.

Edited 19 September , 2019 by chaz

[Mad Mitch]

THANK YOU EVERYBODY! So much more than I'd hoped for already! You are all SO helpful! Yes, I WILL cancel the FWR monthly roll on subs. Only place I could think to get started! To tell the truth, once you unscramble it, there isn't much there. Having said that, I DID find my Paternal Grandfather's WW2 record which at least gave me the Japanese POW camps he was in. My Maternal Grandfather's WW2 Naval record isn't on FWR yet, though he wasn't in the RN for long as he was apparently medically discharged after being hit in the head by someone swinging a barge pole and knocked overboard! (Or so my late Nan always maintained)!

 

To return to Edgar Ashley, given he seems to have returned home after the war, I wonder how his Victory  Medal ended up back here in Rochester?! The shop it was bought from is literally a stone's throw from Fort Pitt, where he was temporarily hospitalised!

[chaz]

Medals would have been sent to his address on enlistment papers. Any changes recorded there. Not unusual to find medals spread around. Usually a collector somewhere would buy. Maybe family member had them after he died then sold. Check out britishmedalforum,  people asking for help collecting from auction houses all over Britain. As I said before post a request to reunite with silver Bwm on there

 Hopefully lucky.

[Mad Mitch]

Thanks Chaz!

 

 

[tullybrone]

8 hours ago, Mad Mitch said:

THANK YOU EVERYBODY! So much more than I'd hoped for already! You are all SO helpful! Yes, I WILL cancel the FWR monthly roll on subs. Only place I could think to get started! To tell the truth, once you unscramble it, there isn't much there. Having said that, I DID find my Paternal Grandfather's WW2 record which at least gave me the Japanese POW camps he was in. My Maternal Grandfather's WW2 Naval record isn't on FWR yet, though he wasn't in the RN for long as he was apparently medically discharged after being hit in the head by someone swinging a barge pole and knocked overboard! (Or so my late Nan always maintained)!

 

To return to Edgar Ashley, given he seems to have returned home after the war, I wonder how his Victory  Medal ended up back here in Rochester?! The shop it was bought from is literally a stone's throw from Fort Pitt, where he was temporarily hospitalised!

 

Hi,

 

As per your other post re FWR......it’s all smoke and mirrors.

 

You won’t find WW2 “original records” on FWR only transcriptions. 

 

You will only get his RN records from MOD via this link - but be aware RN records are not in the same format as Army records and men were given a “service history” on discharge (similar to postings recorded on Army B103 form).

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/apply-for-someone-elses-records

 

If you are interested in your relatives time as FEPOW you ought to join WW2talk - http://ww2talk.com/index.php - and send off to MOD for his service record as per the above link.

 

Good Luck

 

Steve

[Mad Mitch]

Thank you Steve! I do not know my Maternal Grandfather's service number but I do know his full name, date of birth and rank so hopefully I can get it from that!