TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 I think I have an ID for this so wouldn't want anyone spending too much time on it. There is a diary online described by an archive as that of an NCO Sgt. stretcher bearer. A name is given for the diary keeper by the archive. The diary itself is more of a circa 1960s memoir but he writes Sergeant 497311. Needless to say I've found no medal or other record with 497311 RAMC. This should be 1917 renumbering to 3rd Home Counties FA. The name given by the archive does not seem to be a possible contender. Possibly it's a nom de plume or the diary was submitted to the archive by X. The diary is quite well detailed and has some sketch maps of evacuation posts and routes which match up very well to those in official diaries. Seems a bit of a shame that the Sgt. diary keeper is not identified properly. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headgardener Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Does the name that you have match an RAMC man with a pre-1917 number? I’ve come across examples of men whose MICs show only their pre17 number despite the fact they continued serving overseas after the date Of the change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2020 I think this is the case here, only his earlier 4 digit number showing on MIC. Assuming I have the right man. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigronhartley Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Who do you think he is ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Ah, I'm after confirmation of a name. I don't mind PMing someone as a referee as long as there's no conferring! TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
headgardener Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Assuming it’s the man with the 4 digit number, does he have any available service or pension papers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2020 No, perhaps I should give a clue. 497314 is V. Croft TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigronhartley Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Send me a PM, I'll have a look Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 (edited) My view is it is probably Sgt John Henry Cranham from Farnham, b 4/12/1885, died Q4 1976 Father's name missing in 1886 baptismal register for Wrecclesham. A gardener in 1911 Census, 1919 marriage and still a gardener in 1939 charlie Edited 18 July , 2020 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Charlie, that's the man! Wellcome collection have an online version of his memoirs via Keogh Barracks museum. They ID the diary with Sgt. Norman Fermor. No such contender. Croft was 497314 and 3300, Cranham's MIC has 3297 only and is the only Sgt. in that range. The diary also hints at his previous job as gardener, also showing on 1939 Register. No idea how Norman Fermor fits in, nom de plume, or perhaps transcribed later by NF. Diary hints at being written 50 years after the events but one sketch of an evacuation system is so close to one in an official diary I wondered if he'd copied it. Anyway, given the events Cranham lived through I thought a bit of recognition was deserved. He is little self-effacing in the diary and says things like nobody will be interested in this. I did find a photo of him I think pre-war in one of his gardens. Thanks for confirmation. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 TEW, the renumbering of the Territorials for this group seemed to be in numeric order and he was the only sensible fit. 3292 497307 Percy W Scase 3293 497308 E A Goldring 3294? 3295 497309 Arthur Albert Weaver 497310 perhaps 3296 Pte James Nash ? 497311 either 3297 Sgt Jonathan H Cranham or 3297 Cpl Harold G Storey 497312 perhaps 3298 sgt John M Watt 3299 497313 Albert Cecil Scott 3300 497314 V Croft I am glad that little hint of his prewar gardening ties up. He was even a 15 year old under-gardener in the 1901 census and in the newspaper archives HJ Cranham won a lot of local gardening prizes until he was an old man. Well done for taking the time to identify him. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigronhartley Posted 18 July , 2020 Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Glad you have found out who he is ! Well done Charlie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 18 July , 2020 Author Share Posted 18 July , 2020 Not just a common or garden gardener then, think he was on an estate somewhere in 1939. Having trouble with the link but Wellcome Library has an online or download in RAMC/1781. I have 5 more men (out of 444) with MH106 records that I've failed to tie to medals or further history. I think again it will be a case that their 1916 admission numbers do not appear on medal records. New topic brewing. Thanks TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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