Labour Corps

[Fireman]

My grandfather William Charles Millard (Private, Hampshire Regiment 25237) was transferred to the 442 Agricultural Labour corps ( No 594199) following gunshot wounds to the legs on active service in WWI. I cannot find out anything about this corps or where he may have been wounded. He was awarded the Silver War Badge. Can anyone help with information or some leads I could investigate.

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Your grandfather served with 442 Company of the Labour Corps.

 

You will find details about the Labour Corps on this Forum's mother site here:

 

http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-labour-corps-of-1917-1918/

 

Finding details of 442 Company may be more difficult.

 

Dave

[Acknown]

Those who served in an agricultural labour company during the First World War were generally unfit for front line service, either due to wounds or from their initial medical inspection. Some had previous farming experience, others were sent to work on the farms with very limited prior knowledge of farming.

Notwithstanding, agriculture in the UK in WW1 was a strategic mission. With a disastrous harvest in 1916 and supplies from the US and Canada badly affected by U-boat activity, Britain was reduced to wheat reserves of only six weeks; an impending disaster. The Government turned over two million acres of land to agriculture, and tens of thousands of farm-worker soldiers were sent back to work at home. Agricultural companies assisted in this essential task.

Acknown

[FROGSMILE]

I was interested to learn that two such agricultural companies were posted to the Depot of the Worcestershire Regiment to tend to the depot vegetable gardens so that they could be self-sufficient.  It was a useful indication that there was a diversity of employment and it wasn't confined to large scale farming.

[Acknown]

I don't have a copy of 'No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour During the First World War' by Ivor Lee and John Starling, but I was able to download a snippet online. It seems that 442 Ag Coy was based in Devizes, which makes some sense as William lived in Chippenham. That said, he was almost certainly wounded whilst in the Hampshires, but he is hard to pin down and I can't find his battalion. Others might.

Acknown

[MaxD]

 

18 minutes ago, Acknown said:

I don't have a copy of 'No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour During the First World War' by Ivor Lee and John Starling,

 

No Labour No Battle (which is well worth a read) also gives us the hint that his Labour Corps number was in a block allocated between May and September 1918 which may indicate him being wounded perhaps in March (speculation), evacuated to UK for treatment and transfer to the Labour Corps in the autumn.

 

A very small sample of near numbers who joined the Hampshires at about the same time as he did were allocated to 12 Battalion but that does not indicate that he served on with that battalion.  12 Battalion went to Salonika after France and the numbers batch does not relate to Salonika.

 

Max

 

 

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Quote

442 Ag Coy was based in Devizes, 

 

That's good to know - Devizes is my home town.

[Acknown]

49 minutes ago, HERITAGE PLUS said:

Devizes is my home town.

I love a drop of Wadworth!

Acknown

[butler]

From looking at Hampshire Regiment soldiers with similar numbers I would say he was mobilised on 13th Jun 1916 ( Nos 25223, 25225 and 25252 were all mobilised on that date) Looking at what battalion he was posted to after training it is impossible to say as there is no pattern to the postings of soldiers with similar numbers.

[MaxD]

I'd agree with Butler - his Silver War Badge record has enlistment 10 Dec 1915 which, as with at least one other near number, strongly suggests enlistment on the Derby Scheme for later mobilisation..  One of the 12 Battalion on enlistment Nov 1915 mobilised later in 1916 was what I referred to above - he was sent to KORL hence my caveats!.

 

Max