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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:


Stephen Dalton

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Hi, new to this forum so please accept apologies if I am asking for things incorrectly.

 

I am currently researching a Great Uncle John William Holmes Aire, Service Number DM2/190534, Royal Army Service Corps. By trade he was, i believe, a driver in MT, possibly ambulances.  I was lucky enough to locate his service papers in the burnt records. This show he embarked for France in November 1916, joined the 315 Coy and later 593(?) Coy. (There is also a an amusing record of him being absent from duty and being found asleep in the back of an ambulance!) However I am struggling to understand the other annotations on the record. There is a family legend that he picked up one of his brothers (who was killed in France) in his ambulance.  We have squashed that one as he arrived in theatre after that brother was killed died. However another brother (Private 52847 Thomas Aire, 1st Battalion, Royal Scottish Fusiliers 8th Brigade, 3rd Division) was wounded in both legs in France in the summer of 1918. So I am wondering if is possible to establish where John was in relation to Thomas in the final months of the war in the unliekly event that there is a kernel of truth to the legend.

 

Any help gratefully received.  

miuk1914d_120260-00096.jpg

miuk1914d_120260-00097.jpg

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Hi Stephen,

Welcome.

Your great uncle was transferred to 593 MT Coy ASC on 18/11/1917, arriving from the 402 Coy.

I can tell you that neither were an ambulance company.

Both were in fact the Siege Park companies.

593 for 8th Corps of the British Army. 402 for 4th (D) Corps or the Canadian Corps.

I see he was a Lorry driver by trade which fits with hauling around big guns, ammunition & supplies.

As it happens, my grandfather transferred out of 593 MT Coy  3 days earlier on 15/11/1917.

I haven't looked in detail at the service record, but I would guess he probably did this for most of the duration, but might be wrong.

There are war diaries for these companies available to download from the National Archive:

593  is ref: WO95/829

402 is WO95/1080

 

Up to 15/11/1917, the Siege Park HQ  (593 Coy) was at 47 Rue de Lille , Bailleul.

It looks as though the HQ moved to White House Vlamertinghe on 16/11. So I guess that is the area where your great uncle would have been.

Even though my GF moved from 593 to 272 Coy at this time, he in fact stayed put in the same depot as it were, and it was taken over by ! ANZAC Corps.

 

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To add to Dai's post here's my result of a quick scout over the papers 

 

31/7/16 - called up for service

2/8/16 - joined at Grove Park

7/8/16 - transferred to Learners section

18/9/16 - at Osterley Park

10/10/16 - passed Learners Test

12/11/16 - from BMTD (Base Motor Transport Depot to 315th MT Coy

14/11/16 - from 315th MT Coy to 1st BMTD (S) - (south?)

15/10/17 - 25/10/17 - Leave

12/11/17 - to 1st BMTD

22/11/17 - to Canadian Corps Troops Supply Column

?/11/17 - 402nd MT Coy ?

?/12/17 - from 402nd to 593rd MT Coy

28/2/18 - to 1st Heavy Repair Shop

13/3/18 - found asleep in ambulance body AWOL for 35 minutes confined to barracks for 14 days

5/4/18 - to 1st BMTD

6/4/18 - to 3rd Army Corps Reserve? MT Coy

14/4/18 - to 4th Corps Troops MT Coy

24/4/18 - to 41st Division MT Coy

9/8/18 - to 2nd Stationary Repair Shop

12/8/18 to 1st BMTD

17/8/18 - to 1st Reserve Vehicle Park (N) - (north?)

5/10/18 - ?

27/10/18 - 10/11/18 - Leave

6/1/19 - 231st Light Railway Company

9/5/19 - 21/5/19 - Leave

25/7/19 - Verified? serving with 231st Light Railway Company Royal Engineers

29/11/19 - 22nd MT Reserve Park to 17th GHQ

20/1/20 - 17th GHQ Reserve MT Coy - this is the last unit mentioned

 

 

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Thanks jaydubaya,

Just a reminder that the date that is on the left hand of the page in the 'Date' column is the date on which the entry is written, not the date on which the event written about actually occurred. The date on which the event occurred is the right hand date, in the "Date of Casualty" column.

So, for example, the entry

  14 12/17 - from 402nd to 593rd MT Coy            18/11/17

means he was transferred from 402nd to 593rd MT Coy on 18/11/17, and the officer in charge got round to writing it in his record on 14/12/17.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was reminded only yesterday on another thread, that the diary for 402 MT Coy ASC, is available to download, free of charge from the Canadian Archives:

http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/search/arch_adv

(But I'm blowed if I can find them at the moment...)

Edit: - Here they are!

402 MT Coy ASC

Have a look through it at the dates when he moved in and out of 402 (plus or minus a couple of days), and you might see reference to the movement in and out of one or more RGA brigades and siege batteries into the Canadian Corps.  That might give a small clue that he was attached to the same battery for some time. Try looking for war diaries for other companies mentioned, you might see the same siege battery turn up repeatedly. 

Edited by Dai Bach y Sowldiwr
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